Slam Dunk Funk
SONG TITLE:
SLAM DUNK FUNK
GENRE:
FUNK
TEMPO:
88 BPM
KEY:
TECH FEATURES:
A
COMPLEX SYNCOPATION
HAMMER-ONS
PERSONNEL:
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GROOVE PLAYING
COMPOSER:
Funk
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KIT MORGAN
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NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)
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OVERVIEW
‘Slam Dunk Funk’ is a funk rock track in the
style of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Extreme and Living
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Colour. This song has a complex bassline with manyA
contrasting sections. Many of the parts are heavily B
syncopated – a motif that runs throughout funk – but
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the most important thing here is that the line grooves.
STYLE FOCUS
If James Brown invented funk with his single
‘Cold Sweat’ in 1967, Sly Stone is arguably the
inventor of funk rock. Stone was leader of the group
Sly & The Family Stone who broke down musical
barriers with their 1969 album Stand!, which
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and influential
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Stone were, the funk rock sound was truly defined
by George Clinton, who began his recording career
as the frontman of a doo-wop vocal group called The
Parliaments. In the late 1960s, Clinton discovered
the music of Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. He changed
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course musically and renamed his newly guitar heavy
group Funkadelic. In the 1980s, Clinton produced the
RHCP album Freakey Styley (1985) and helped steer
the band towards their own unique funk rock sound.
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Funk is a great style for bassists. It offers slapped
grooves, syncopated fingerstyle lines, chordal parts
and the use of effects such as envelope filters and
fuzz pedals. Funk songs often use just one chord for
sections, and improvisation is a big part of the style.
The focal point of a lot of funk music is the bass
guitar, with the guitar working primarily as a rhythm T
instrument providing chords and single-note lines. A
B
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Jimi Hendrix was a rock guitar hero incorporating
elements of soul and R&B into his music.
There are many bassists who have made their name
playing funk, including Bootsy Collins, Flea (Red Hot
Chili Peppers), Larry Graham (Sly And The Family
5 7 Doug Wimbish
Stone, Graham Central Station),
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(Living Colour) and George Porter Jr (The Meters).
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RECOMMENDED LISTENING
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Classic funk albums with great bass playing include
BloodSugarSexMagik (1991) by the Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Mothership Connection (1975) by Parliament,
and Stand! (1969) by Sly And The Family Stone.
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Slam Dunk Funk
Kit Morgan
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RSL-375174039988 / 1 / nate Webb / natewebb66@gmail.com
Funk
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Bass Solo (8 bars)
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2° Drum Solo (8 bars)
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Guitar Solo (8 bars)
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Bass Grade 5
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Walkthrough
The intro section is a sparse funk groove based around B
that ends with a busy fill that riffs off the open E string.
Bar 2 | Syncopation
On beat four of this bar, the C is played on the second 16th
note of the beat. Be sure to tap your foot to the beat as you
play through the bar – the C should be played just after the
downbeat of beat four and not on it.
Bar 4 | Sixteenth-note riff
It is best to think of this fill as an eighth-note line that moves
from B to B b, to A and back to B via the B b. These are the
accented notes in the phrase. In between each of these, an
open E string is played.
B Section (Bars 5–12)
This is the main groove of the piece and would serve as a
good verse section. The bass plays another funk groove, this
time based around E minor.
Bars 8–9 | Pushed chord
At the end of bar 8 there is a pushed rhythm that occurs on
the ‘&’ of beat four. The D is tied into the next bar and the
note that follows it (E) should be played on the ‘&’ of beat
one. Be sure to accent the D as notated.
C Section (Bars 13–18)
This contrasts with the previous section and features a great
deal of syncopation as well as some ghost note figures.
Bar 14 | Syncopation
The rhythm in this bar can be difficult to read. Playing and
counting aloud using the “1 e & a 2 e & a” counting style will
help you to understand the rhythm (Fig. 1).
Bar 24 | Staccato line
Essentially, this bar consists of quarter notes that are played
short. A 16th note open A string is played at the end of the
bar, leading into the next.
Bar 27 | Fill
This fill alternates between the minor and major thirds of
the G 7 chord, B b and B (Fig. 2). The minor third is often
used over dominant chords in blues and funk. These four
notes are encompassed by a slur, so be sure to play them as
one stroke. In practice, this means you should play the string
once then use hammer-ons and pull-offs to play the other
notes of the phrase.
F & G Sections (Bars 28–36)
This section of the song is the guitar solo which gives you
an opportunity to develop a part underneath it. Resist any
temptation to overplay so that the guitar stands out.
Bars 28–29 | Developing a part
In these bars you should develop the part played in bars
28–29. Common ways to develop a part are to vary the
rhythm, note choices or articulations. Make sure it is in
keeping with the style of the piece.
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Fig. 1: Syncopation
D Section (Bars 19–23)
This section is left free for a bass solo. Remember that solos
should be improvised – avoid copying the solo on the recording.
Bass Grade 5
Bars 19–23 | Bass solo
Given the E minor key signature, the E minor pentatonic
scale will be a good place to start with your solo. Try to
begin with simple ideas and allow yourself time to develop
them. Remember to consider the groove. When you solo you
should still play with feel.
32
E Section (Bars 24–27)
This part is a staccato unison line based around a G 7 chord.
Articulations and syncopation are put to good use here.
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Notes:
Function:
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RSL-375174039988 / 1 / nate Webb / natewebb66@gmail.com
A Section (Bars 1–4)