The Ultimate Funk Technique for Bass? (it's NOT what you think)
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- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2024
- Hey, so this lesson is a special one...
I've got a VERY special guest in the studio with me.
One of my bass hero's.
The one and only Bobby Vega - one of the funkiest bass players on the planet.
Seriously - funk runs through this guys veins!
Oh, and to top it off...
He plays with a pick.
Yep... a pick!
So, if you've ever wondered whether great bass players use a pick, you can stop wondering today by checking out this lesson.
You're going to be learning:
- How to groove (it's all about the figure 8!)
- Why and how to adjust the angle of the pick to get different feels and tones
- Playing behind the beat
- How to inject ghost notes into your grooves
- And way more.
Ready to groove? Let's do this!
As always, see you in the shed...
Scott :)
===
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Scott was completely unprepared for the intense eye contact.
Bobby so intimidating
I'm not certain, but I don't think Bobby blinked between 2:45 and 3:18. The intensity of his groove actually keeps his eyeballs moisturized.
He kept being interrupted & talked over.
Mark B LOL!
Bobby seemed a touch reluctant to share ... didn't want to slow down ... and, scott was totally excited and determined ... thus the interruption ... lol
Bobby: *does the thing*
Scott: "OAAAA"
He came in his pants and so did I every one of the 1000 times I repeated that part lmfao
😂😂😂
In 0.25 it's even more OAAA.
Jacek 0.25 speed me laugh so hard. 🤣🤣Start @ 6:02 - 6:18 😂😂😂
The bass-playing population of RUclips is spoiled to have a channel like this - an awesome resource that’s been big in shaping my playing style and appreciation for the bass. Thank you, Scott!
My favorite funk player right at this moment? Joe Dart!
preach my brother
Joe Dart certainly emulates the grove, but I think Michael League is phenomenal as well
Noah Zimmerman haven’t heard a lot of funk from Michael League. Grown Folks is one of my favorites, though.
Joe dirt yea!!!
Joe Dart+++++
I play on the worship team at our church, I have definitely used a technique similar to Bobby’s. I use pick,finger, thumb whatever the song calls for.
I absolutely love the rhythms Bobby is producing with his pick.
Great Video, Thanks Scott!
My favorite funk player was jamiroquai stuart zender
did he play on a warwick? I forget
@@djs_leather Yeah, Warwick Streamer Stage I/II and SZ signature
Who is it now?
Sharp&Goose he did
James Aceton well i still think he sounded super cool but now he kinda lost it. Maybe thundercat or joe dart. I like a lot of people🤷🏻♂️
For me he is a perfect example of an legit artist because he dont talk about what you should do, he tells what he is doing :)
Bobby Vega is an absolute god, that was an extremely fulfilling lesson thank you so much!
Also, I've always felt I can relate whenever he says he just automatically adapts to the song for the musicality for it, and since I've always done it myself I've just thought it was the norm, but apparently not!
His 60's jazz bass is to die for, reliced to perfection!
It's not relicked, it IS a relic!
Impressive!!
Bobby has it RIGHT! I play fingers, slap OR with a pick, and I feel the pick gives me all the funk I need, and it makes it easier to sing. When I am playing bass only, fingers & thumb are the go to, but just like he showed, with a pick I feel like I can change sound on the fly, be more reactive and more creative. That's just me. Great lesson.
I've encountered the same thing, I can sing and play pickstyle at the same time no problem, fingerstyle is much harder...props to Geddy Lee
6:02 "What was that 'di ka di gun da ki' hahahaha" best music question ever 😂😂😂
Paco Nabarro Music - he did not want to share his secrets tho. Just wanted to show that he had em. 🤷🏾♂️
Answer:...sweep picking...
I love how Bobby dodges every question about techniques. He does not want to give up anything.
'You call and answer yourself' - damn, what a line of advice on effective bass playing!
I feel like if you're not playing with both a pick and your fingers you're missing opportunities. ALWAYS use ALL the tools you have. Always!!!
Indeed !!
Wow hey thanks for that life changer
@@alsacrime4806 lol
I grabbed a pic last practice because I was trying to get my Roger waters feel on
Is like saying if you don't play bass and regular guitar you're missing out (and then extended on to every aspect of music). I think there's something to be said for figuring out what sound you want/need and focusing on mastering the techniques required to get it.
Mine is Bernard Edwards, Leon Sylvers III, Bootsy, Louis Johnson and Robert Kool Bell.
All Funky as an old toe nail, like George Duke used to say 😎
I don't slap, don't know how to, so trying to get as groovy as possible and to develop a technique that can "replace" my inability to slap.
You have great taste! Ol skool is where it's at! James Jamerson was the man as well
Heck yeah!
Dude I don't even really like the slap sound... and you can totally be funky without it.
Slapping is a great when done well but it's also very gimmicky, cliched, and limited. It's all about context. You don't play Cream songs with a slap technique. You don't even have to play funk by slap. Jamerson and Rocco are proof of that. Bootsy came up playing with JB who pretty much forbid slap.
I don't slap either. Never learned how to. I'm primarily a hard rock bassist who uses a pick. It's whatever works for the musician. I use a pick mainly for tone.
Lol, Scott kinda played Bobby's lick on his keyboard @ 6:24
As a bass player who plays with a pick, thank you for this video!
i dunno man.. i love bobby vega and his playing..
but that excerpt kinda hinted like he's more suited for teaching big picture stuff.. philosophy, approach.. not actually breaking down his licks and technique for you.
I felt the same way while watching this. I love him but I was frustrated while watching this.
Dude definitely has a big knowledge pool. Hope to see more Bobby Vega interviews
why do you need a breakdown of a lick? so you can copy it?
This is excatly what he is trying to tell. you dont need all that knowledge about breaking down licks, parts, techniques... even he doesn't know how he played it (idk, maybe he does or doesnt know the theory stuff). You just play, feel is all that really matters. and in my opinon, if you cant come up with a part like that you should go back a few tiles and come up with something you can. do it a milion times and you will progress, eventually (maybe) come to his level.
and scott came out as an idiot btw. sry bro.
@@dovlaBass Yeah but unless somebody tells me how, I can't play those triplets that were shown at the beggining clearly for the purpose of making me (the viewer) think I would learn how to do it.
You gotta learn how to execute stuff if you ever wanna play it.
@@dovlaBass And of course I could theoretically figure it out but then I would still be "copying" it.
My favourite is Rocco Prestia and the great Joe Dart inspired by Rocco!
Also Bootsy and his hilarious Funk lesson on RUclips :)
Agreed on Rocco !
Favorite funk bassist? There are so many. Who have I been listening to lately... there are more than a few. I do honestly believe that I could not pin that title just one person!
But... I started out many moons ago playing bass with a pick, more so for clarity through a mushy Sunn amp with worn out D-140's, and the guitarist in the band sort of dissed me for picking. So, after playing contrabass with archo and then electric plectrum... I went to the fingers.
Now that I am older and continually PT my carpo, and lost a bit of endurance, and gig several times a week... I need the pick as a hand stress reliever. So I switch around and even use the thumb and the grab bar. It is remedial, therapeutic, corrective, medicinal, curative, recuperative, restorative, reparative, soothing, and alleviatives the aggravating nuisances of age.
Bobby knocks me out and is inspirational, always has been.
Thanks for the vid Scott!
Very inspirational clip. Playing pick is an essential skill like regular fingerstyle, slap, or thumb plucking (another frowned-upon technique). I don't think he hid his technique. He used the whole space between bridge and neck (like we should anyway if we want expressive tone changes in our playing) and he was picking percussively like a funky drummer.
Marcus Miller, James Jamerson, Oteil Burbridge, Francis Rocco Prestia, Chuck Rainey. The list goes on and on.
People can we Please give some Love to Mr Larry Graham, how soon they forget!
The inventor of slap!!!
You know he is the best!!!
Amen!
Most pointless comment ever
My favourite funk player: Paul Turner (Jamiroquai, Brother Strut) - plus all the R&B greats from the 1960's.
Bobby is THE MAN! Glad you interviewed him. I'm sure his class is killing. As he said, there is no single technique or chop, or rule. You learn all of them, and try to use what is the least wrong at any moment.
Watch from 6:00 to 6:15 at half speed. Made me cry laughing
@5:50 at half speed shows you how to play that lick!! So cool
Another pint, lads?
Hilarious.
Made my day
I died.
I enjoy the bass stylings of one Mike "Cactus" Gordon.
One of Scott's heros.
Heros. No apostrophy.
Guy peddle's one note, five minutes later and i'm practicing my picking.
Love it
Seen the clip several times and still haven't seen him explain the lick yet.
Watch in slow motion.
The bass is so cool
1961 Fender Jazz Bass, I believe. Those knobs are so sick. Volume and tone for each pickup.
@@jackbho6594 gotta love those concentric pots
Finally a vintage bass on this channel!
I believe he got that particular bass around 75-77 sometime, IIRC.
I have a Fender reissue of this model built in about 2000. Better control arrangement than the two-volume master-tone that came later
I'm a funk bassist from the 60's and 70's, I have so many fav's but I catch myself listening to Victor, Marcus, Les and the creator Mr. Graham.
Vega’s time and feel are incredible to me! Unlike any other. It’s like Everything I’ve heard before wasn’t in time! I really thank Scott for introducing him to me, as I had not heard of him before.
Victor Wooten is my favorite . Honorable mention Marcus Miller, Bernard Edwards, Mono Neon, Mark King, Louis Johnson....
I've been scrolling through the comments in despair, looking for MonoNeon
@@harleym4585 same lol
Smells funky inn here
Geez, that was great. That thing was really cool. I've always been aware Bobby Vega but never really paid attention, I knew he was a great player, now I'm going to go deep. The pick: I didn't know he played with a plectrum. I saw Tony Franklin play with The Firm (in 87) and his Bass solo was played with a pick on his fretless but it was stunning.
Recognized Vega's bass from the thumbnail pic. This guy is the coolest in any genre of music.
Slap! Larry Graham, hands down.
Best technique: "the meatpick", heard on Everybody Dance from Chic
Best funk bass player: Bernards Edwards from Chic
Love Bobby Vega...he did bass line on Sly Stone's High on You. Probably my favourite bass line ever
Thank you Scott !!!
That guy was really avoiding re doing that technique he did.. doesn't want to give away all the secrets
true...he was actually blanking Scott, when asked to break down a technique......
Kind of a twat move.
I agree that's a twat move. Let's make a video about bass technique but not explain said techniques.
It doesnt involve a pick oddly enough
He plays it twice once with the pick then with his fingers...falling down stairs....haha🤣
I've always plucked my bass ,but when I was asked to play at a 60's night I realised that it didn't sound like 60's music. The answer was to use a pick , because most bassists did in the 60's
The sound you are describing was also contributed to the fact that Fender basses had a chrome bridge guard. The bridge guard had a rubber strip inside that rested across the strings. You get a similar sound when you mute the strings with your palm and pick the strings with your fingers.
I learned it the same way, when asked to play 60s nights when I was playing on cruise ships. i have been playing with a pick eversince and enjoying more and more
I am a guitarist learning the bass. I use a pick on the guitar and thought I would try to develop a finger style on the bass. Every song I like it seems the bassist used a pick. Of the guitar covers I play about 50 songs only 2 did the bassist use his fingers. Needless to say I'm not developing a finger style .
@@gilbertspader7974 yeah, the sound you get is what matters. And there are many finger players that actually play with the nails instead of fingerpads, and that gives a cool sound similar to a pick. Check out brazilian bass player Luizao Maia playing in Elis Regina recordings, he used to play a Fenders Jaguar bass with his nails
@@renandias7926 Checked out Senior Maia and holy SHIT he can play without using his right hand at all ! Mind blown but warn a brother before you drop that stuff. Damm loving it in GA
favorite player Larry Graham for technique i love the sound of hammers-ons and pull-ofs mixed in with finger stile
My right hand was starting to cramp up (An age thing) so I would use a pick to get relief. Now I find myself using a pick all the time. Lots of dynamics and very clear on recordings.
Clay Gober, Polyphia's bassist.
He's a young revolution
real talk
MonoNeon hands down. Everything he touches is funky for days.
Favorite technique, whatever Larry Graham played. Favorite funk bass player, Larry Graham
There are bass snobs that don’t like the pick but I love every approach. Use your fingers, knuckles, finger nails anything! Fill up that space and paint the canvas.
Funky fingers by Tony Levin
Bernard Edwards chucking technique
Literally never seen anyone get that fully right. Closest is Belgabass on YT. Worth a look.
Bernard Edwards forever!
Billy Bass Nelson opened the P-funk show circa late 90's with a groove that changed my life.
Billy was holding down the bottom for the Funk Mob waaaaaay before the 90's. 🤘🏾
Bobby .......he is the best. Love his writing.
love your vids keep it up. Scott i think slap is the funkiest technique and my favourite player who happens to use this technique is Les Claypool
Slap is just giving you a distinct tone. The funk is in the rhythm and dynamics. That said, lots of slap playing lends itself well to really cool rhythm and dynamics.
Today I learned... I'm not good at bass yet.
Geddy Lee's flamenco index/middle finger picking, by far the funkiest playing I've heard.
"Falling down the stairs but in control" amazing! Chapeau
I don't play the bass, and barely play my acoustic guitar but I love the more versatile bass. I see there is more influence to the song on bass then anything else, even if you have a shredder guitar player. He doesn't even know how good your making him look. I'm seriously thinking of learning the bass.
You're the man sir I'm a young bass player from Nigeria!!
The funkiest bass I have ever heard was played by a guy called Mark Sefton. He only ever played one note one evening and it was so funky he had to stop. I was witness to the event and we both agreed no one could possibly play the bass...or a note...in a more funky way. Mark subsequently retired from playing whilst at the top and I haven't heard anything or anyone since even come close. To this day he remains the Jexus (retired synth god) of the bass world. We miss you Mark. If only the world had the chance to hear you during that one moment of unrivalled greatness.
LOL! Here he is, this time doing something way different, you'll be shocked:
ruclips.net/channel/UChw-Sk8cU8d61ad2m0PG5FQ
@@AdMBandLeader haha. brilliant. i wasnt expecting that.
@@klisher No idea if the OP guy menioned the name knowing about the real existence of the person but I just searched out of a sense of curiosity and lo! 😁😂😂
And oh, btw, I'm better than Mark Sefton in my opinion cos I've never played anything but have the funkiest ideas on how and why not to try playing it.
@@AdMBandLeader Ahh ... the Homeopathic school of Bass playing! The less you play the better you think you are. Someone once said that the funk is not in what you play, but in what you don't play, so, logically, if you don't play at all you must be the funkiest player ever.
Lovely! 💪🏼
It's all about the eye contact! 👀 Bobby's staring the hell out of Scott...
Bobby has got it ,funk ,groove ,tuff stuff !!!!!!
Either Joe Dart or Sam Wilkes when he's playing with scary pockets!
Joe Dart???!! Nothing like availability bias among millennials!
@@thewomble1509 do you even know what availability bias means? I don't know if you do
@@ChickenMcFuggets Tell me then.
@1234 But, it's strange how he's the "Go To" bass player for so many of them don't you think?
@@thewomble1509 I'm not here to teach you. Read a book, you used it wrong
When it cut to Scott on the laptop I thought he was going to show us him slowing the last bit down on some software because he didn't show us the phrase again
Me too... then I realized RUclips has 0.5 speed in the settings.
Bobby's bass is so beautifully weathered
Loved loved loved this Scott and Bobby...the pick trick on BASS. Thank God for a great show and I had tears laughter and joy all at once watching you guys interact.This was wonderful cheerful ..
Trying to dissect that bickadickadicka thing at 5:55, I decided to slow down the video to .5 speed, and the conversation gets REAL WEIRD AT THAT SPEED.
So many players use a pick - Paul McCartney, Chris Squire, Lemmy, John Deacon, why do so many "purists" debate it? If it works, it works. And come on - Bobby Vega is so cool. A legend.
Dave Lanciani don’t forget Carol Kaye!
I used to be such a snob about it. That was so dumb. I think it was rooted in my own lack of ability to play as well with a pick as I can with my fingers. I still can't play worth a damn with a pick.
As a slap and finger player why would I care how you pluck
John Deacon and (esp.) Chris Squire were always big inspirations to me... but I use my fingers.
Come on, putting Lemmy alongside Deacon or Squire? Blasphemy.
Somehow, I just recently discovered Bobby. He is just so musical, and like all greats, he loves to teach and share.
Thank you Bobby and Scott!
I could watch the first 12 seconds of this on loop for a week. That's so good. It's just so good. I gotta learn that.
i have so much to learn. augh but it's so GOOD
Carol Kaye-always a pick :) Listen to Dirty Harry theme- soooooo funky
I agree. How can we talk about pick on a bass without mentioning Carol Kaye? wow
Absolutely love vega... But I hope Scott didn't pay him for this interview.
I would like to also add that you are one of the best instructors on the planet. Thank you so much for your contributions to the art.
I friggin LOVE Bobby Vega, his way of "feel" playing is just soon inspiring for me. I'm mostly a metal/punk type player, but man, he is just one of my favorite players out there.
Interesting. Got the impression he didn’t ever want to give a straight answer.
Yeah...I learned nothing.
I felt that way too
There is no answer, enjoy it, trancribe it, dig it, play it, learn it and then forget it and search your own style.
Yeah he kept that to his chest.. but I've got some thing like that down already.. it's all hammer ons and pull offs. More left hand than right.
it's pretty simple to parse if you watch it a few times, i doubt he was concerned with keeping it. it's an A pentatonic triplet-feel pull off, sweep muted open g-d-a landing on the low g.
"What was this! Is it like raking?"
"Its just like falling down the stairs, but under control. Like romanian tumbling."
I searched all my bassbooks and the interwebz for a technique called "like falling down the stairs" or "romanian tumbling", but couldn't find it.
Seems like I have to do it by my own, like trial and error.
Oddly enough, Eddie Van Halen described his approach to composing a guitar solo, like "falling down the stairs and landing on your feet" too.
My favorite groove player has always been Meshell Ndegeocello!
What an incredible player,I could listen to him noodling like that for hours.Scott’s a VERY accomplished bass player and he’s like😮
I love how joe dart play funk !
Get yourself someone who looks at you like Scott looks at Bobby.
Thanks Scott for organizing this amazing session. A true legend to Bass..
Bobby has so much wisdom in terms of how he approaches his instrument and how he explains Playing Bass is part of who you are ,you're Life.
Wish he was given a better shot at completing his story on how he developed his techniques,you guys seemed to counter-talk each other out.the knowledge he was trying to speak of is immensely crucial to any bass players/musicians foundation.
Wow that bass is a real relic! Looks like an old bar top
One of my favorites is Victor Wooten, but he is more jazzy than funky.
Mine too. He is a genius. Prefer Victor's style.
@@mattseymour8637 Yes sir, Victor is a genius.
He sure is. One of my inspirational bassists for my playing and wanting to play funky cool bass.
Vega knows what he's doin not explainin that riff lol he's prob charging 80 to a hundred bucks an hour for private lessons up in the bay. Not about to give his big secrets away for free. Can't say I blame him. He doesn't have a "big channel" with sponsors and so forth. Still makin his money old school style.
That Bass has accomplished it's mission to be played beyond recognition. Looks like it's been on fire, thrown out of a plane and left on the porch during the Hurricane Katrina. Still going strong.
Bobby Vega is amazing. Another favorite is Paul Jackson (with Mike Clark from the Head Hunters).
Colonel Les Claypool.
YES!
👌
Alphonso Johnson - my MAN.
Both Bobby and I grew up in the Bay Area. I remember seeing Bobby waiting for the Muni bus with bass in hand playing everywhere he went. Good job Bobby and Scott.
Bobby Vega is the man... definitely funky. we all only wish we could do that!
i loved that, but that was the most unhelpful snippet of a lesson ever. he seemed very unwilling to explain what he was doing. or maybe i haven't done enough drugs to fully grasp it
Basically he plays with a lot of feel- there is no ‘tecknique’ you just click the guitar pick around percussively and finger rake/pluck your muted strings and you get a bunch of thumpy clicky 16th note percussive sounds to pepper around as you play the bass notes. Its kinda like cheating for lack of a better technique.
Thatll be $30 please!
Do Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten count?
If they both have a basic education in math. . . I believe they can count all the way to 100 at least.
@@doxx2427 i needed this in my life.
Thank you
I started playing with a pick because my favourite rock players used picks. As I've gotten older I got more into funk etc but never been able to get the slap technique. I manage to get the same kind of "funky" sounds and vibes with a pick, so it definitely works.
I don’t know if it gets funkier than Bootsy. Keep the videos coming Scott, we love and appreciate all your advice and tips. Cheers brother
I play with my fingers, but I discovered by just experimenting and playing around that if I partially mute the string I'm playing on with my middle finger while I gently tap the same string with my index, it produces a sort of synth-like thump and you can do some cool stuff with that. And you can do it with two strings if you use your ring finger to mute and your middle and index to do the tapping. I think this guy gets it, there are no rules, have fun, try different things, you may figure something out that opens up the instrument even more than you expected.😁👍
Stuart Zender And Bernard Edwards. Groove monsters 🎸
Bobby wrote one of the 3 best bass riffs ever : High on you 1975, Sly Stone, ...Jaco is still untouched in my book
Scott asks: 1) Favorite funk players? Sixties bassists - Duck Dunn, James Jamerson, David Holt, Chuck Berghofer, Bob Babbit.
2) What technique is my favorite? Absolutely ALL are valid and I use them all, BUT, the one I use the most is plucking with my thumb (up & down) and palm muting.
The conversation they have before he does the thing again is gold. Its not functional english but they both understand each other lol.
I never wanted to play the bass with a pick,but Bobby Vega knows the taste and feel by using a pick...so I decided,to also practice with a pick but don’t forget he’s the one who inspires me to play with a pick 🙂 thanks Vega n to you as well Scott 🙂
Love that guy! One of my favourite things to see is Zig and Bobby on a bandstand. Actually sat next to him at Zig’s birthday.
Bobby Vega is just so amazing! I have been watching him for years.