COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 1

01
FUNK
With Ian King

01. Foundational
Rhythms & Vocabulary
SCOTT SBASSLESSO NS. CO M

COURSE BOOK

SCOTTSBASSLESSONS.COM
FUNK
With Ian King

01. Foundational
Rhythms & Vocabulary

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 3

Contents
Introduction to the Funk Learning Pathway 4

Lesson 1: Get Ready for the Funk 5

Lesson 2: Basic Vocabulary and Shapes 7

Lesson 3: Eighth-Note Rhythms 10

Lesson 4: “A Brand New Groove” Breakdown 13

Lesson 5: Minor Triads & The Box Shape 16

Lesson 6: “Funky Blues Box” Breakdown 20

Lesson 7: Eighth-Note Syncopation 23

Lesson 8: “Funk Tune No. 3” Breakdown 27

Wrap Up 29

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 4

Introduction to the
Funk Learning Pathway
Join Ian King as we explore the world of funk and its history, in this song-
based Learning Pathway. We’ll develop your knowledge and understanding
of rhythms and note subdivisions, and syncopation—key elements of
funk that any player must know. We’ll dive into the styles and techniques
of players such as Larry Graham (Graham Central Station, among others)
Rocco Prestia (Tower of Power), Stuart Zender (Jamiroquai) and Joe Dart
(Vulfpeck)—and of course their bass lines.

Along this journey, we’ll discuss key ideas and topics including harmony,
vocabulary, technique, and rhythms. We’ll cover proper tone settings, and
explore how to construct your own bass lines in this style.

Understanding these ideas and concepts will not only help you play funk,
but make you a better all-around bass player.

“Having a solid grounding in

rhythm will really set you up
playing funk.”

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 5

Lesson 1
Get Ready for the Funk
Looking for a style of bass that features the instrument prominently? Funk
is the place! Using proper technique and rhythmic ideas, the bass line
often provides the hook in the funk genre, unlike, say Soul and R&B*, where
movement in the harmonies receive more emphasis.

This Course will provide a systematic approach to provide a solid grounding

to all the rhythms you’re likely to encounter when exploring the world of
funk. To begin, we’ll concentrate on eighth notes, and explain the idea of
syncopation and its use in funk bass lines.

See also —

Soul R&B
*Learn more about Soul and R&B!

Check out the Soul R&B Learning Pathway

in the SBL Academy for a deep dive.

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 6

LESSON 1 (continued)

A Brief History of Funk

Funk music traces its roots back to the African-American communities of
the mid-1960s. Soul, Jazz and R&B influences were blended together in
ways never heard before, placing the emphasis on the groove so that it
made you want to get up and dance. “What distinguishes
funk music from
other styles of
music is the rhythm
side of things. This
Learning Pathway
will have a heavy
emphasis on that.”

James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and Parliament-Funkadelic

James Brown, “The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business,” was essential

to the foundation of funk music, and his influence can be heard from artists
such as Prince and Michael Jackson, and more recently Usher and Bruno
Mars. His song-writing was characterized by placing emphasis on “the
one”—the first beat of the measure—with the whole band often “hitting the
one” together, then kicking off the groove from there. (Listen to a song like
“I Got the Feeling” for just one example.)

“The Godfather of Soul” also often signaled and controlled his bandmates
onstage, calling out stabs or even breaking the band down, calling for
individual instruments to be played at varying points of a song, allowing him
to improvise and show off his amazing dance skills.

Bands like Sly and the Family Stone and Parliament-Funkadelic soon
followed, adding a bit of a psychedelic element to the mix. Be sure to check
out Funkadelic (1970) and Maggot Brain (1971) by Funkadelic (the sister act
to Parliament) featuring Bootsy Collins on the bass guitar, and There’s a
Riot Goin’ On (1971) by Sly and the Family Stone, featuring slap bass pioneer
Larry Graham, for excellent examples of the music of this era.

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 7

Lesson 2
Basic Vocabulary and Shapes

Roots and Fifths

So what do we mean by “roots and fifths?” The first note of a scale,
regardless of the type of scale is the root. C Major Scale? The root is C. The
F# Minor Scale? The root is F#. You get the idea. Likewise, the fifth is simply
the fifth note of that scale. Whatever that scale is.

But how do we find that fifth on the fretboard? Simple. There are two primary
ways to locate a perfect fifth from any string. To find the fifth above any
root, go two frets up and one string over (to the next higher string). That’s it.
To find the perfect fifth below any root, just go down one string (to the next
lower string) on the same fret.

Figure 2–1. Finding the Perfect Fifth Above the Root

E A D G E A D G E A D G

ANY
R Fret
ANY
R Fret
5 ANY
R Fret
5
5

Figure 2–2. Finding the Perfect Fifth Below the Root

E A D G E A D G E A D G

5 R ANY
Fret

5 R ANY
Fret
5 R ANY
Fret

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 8

LESSON 2 (continued)

Let’s look at two simple shapes that incorporate two roots,

and two perfect fifths, in two octaves:

Figure 2–3. Two-Octave Root-Fifth Shapes “You’d be surprised

just how interesting
a bass line can sound
E A D G E A D G simply by moving
notes into different
Perfect 5th Below octaves and in
First Octave Root
ANY ANY different positions on
R Fret 5 R Fret the neck.”
First Octave

First Octave

5 R 5 R
Second Octave

Second Octave (Root)

Major Triads
As you may have guessed, triads* are groups of three notes, and are the
smallest harmonic groupings of notes. (They’re produced by “stacking”
intervals of thirds—the Root, 3rd, and 5th.) For example, in the C Major
Scale, our triad notes would be C, E, and G:

C D E F G A B C
Root 3rd 5th

continued

Functional Theory for Bassists VOL. 1

Phil Mann

Among the many courses in the SBL Course Library that discuss triads and
the harmonization of the major scale, Phil Mann’s “Functional Theory for
Bassists Vol.1” course is a great place to start.

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 9

LESSON 2 (continued)

So what does a major triad shape look like? There are three main shapes to
consider, and just like the root-fifth shapes in Figures 2–1 through 2–3 they
can be moved all over the fretboard, you just need to locate the root:

Figure 2–4. Common Major Triad Shapes

E A D G E A D G E A D G

5
ANY
3 R Fret
ANY
R Fret 3
ANY
5 R Fret
5
3

A. B. C.
Root played Root played Root played
with Finger 2 with Finger 1 with Finger 4

Fingerings
Although, in general, you can use any fingering that is comfortable for you,
for Shape A play the root with finger 2, the 3rd with finger 1, and the 5th
with finger 4; for Shape B play the root with finger 1, the 3rd with finger 3
(or 4), and the 5th with finger 1; and for Shape C, the root with finger 4, the
3rd with finger 3 and the 5th with finger 1.

Shape C incorporates three strings, rather than just two strings for the
other two shapes. And because of the nature of the bass guitar tuning,
you can play these shapes starting on any string once you locate a root
note; the relationship between the root, 3rd and 5th remains the same
regardless. Choosing which shape works best is often a matter of fretboard
efficiency—playing over a series of chords in just one position on the neck,
rather than jumping around.

* The “one finger per fret” approach refers to assigning one finger to each fret over a four-fret area of the fretboard.

**This shape is also great for incorporating an open string root, or avoiding open strings if the root is one the first fret.
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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 10

Lesson 3
Eighth-Note Rhythms
In Course 01, we’ll be concentrating on rhythms that use crochets and
quavers, also known as quarter notes and eighth notes, respectively.

Counting Eighth Notes

Let’s look at a breakdown of eighth notes in a single measure:

Figure 3–1. Rhythmic Breakdown of a Single Measure

One Measure

Whole note w
(semibreve)

Half note ˙ ˙
(minim)

Quarter note œ œ œ œ
(crochet)

Eighth note œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
(quaver)
3 3 3 3

Counting quarter notes (crochets) is easy since they all fall on the beat.
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
4
(In 4 time, we simply count 1–2–3–4.) But for eighth notes, there are a
number of ways to count. It’s important that we keep a sense of the main
beats in the bar, so for this reason, we don’t count up to eight! The most
common way to count eighth notes is saying “and,” so we would count 1–
and–2–and–3–and–4–and. The “and” is commonly abbreviated by using the
© Scott's Bass Lessons

“&” symbol:

Figure 3–2. Counting Eighth Notes

Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 1 1/2 2 2 1/2 3 3 1/2 4 4 1/2

In a band setting, you may hear someone refer to a push when describing
a particular rhythm. A “push on the ‘&’ of Beat 4” means you play a “hit” on
the eighth note immediately following Beat 4 (Beat 4 1/2). Or perhaps, they
might tell the bassist to “play on Beat 1 and the “&” of [Beat] 2.” These are
just two examples of straightforward terminology that allows musicians in a
group to communicate effectively.
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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 11

LESSON 3 (continued)

Now, we can put things into context in the first tune of this lesson!

Example 1 “A Brand New Groove”

File name: Funk-01-A-Brand-New-Groove

Intro
E B
#œ ˙™
j
? #### 44 œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ.
œ. œ. œ

¤
8 9
7 7 7 7
4 4 7 7 0

A
3
E
? #### ™™ j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
™
™ 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7

7 A E
? #### j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j jœ œ Œ
œ œ œ‰ ‰ œ œ
j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ
œ œ
j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ
œ
7 7 7 7
5 5 5 5 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7

B A µ E
jB
#œ ˙™
11
? #### j ‰ ‰ œ œ œ j œ. œ. œ œ ™™
œ J œ œ ‰ Œ Ó œ. œ. œ. œ. . . œ
™
7
9
9
9
7 5
7 7
4 4 7 7
7 7
0
8 9
™

continued

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 12

LESSON 3 (continued)

Example 1 (continued)

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 13

Lesson 4
“A Brand New Groove” Breakdown
This song is based on a 12-bar Blues chord progression in the Key
of E Major, so you’ll see four sharps in the key signature. It’s highly
influenced by the James Brown single “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,”
a seminal song in the foundations of funk.

Chord Structure

It’s Blues in E Major, so we start the A Section (what would be the Verse)
with four bars of E, followed by two bars of A, two bars of E again, followed
by one bar of B, one bar of A, a bar of E then a bar of B to finish things up.
Intro
(We’ll discuss
E the two-bar Intro a little later): B
#œ ˙™
j
? #### 44 œ. œ. œ. œ.
œ œ œ œ
Example 1 “A Brand New . A. Section
. Groove” . œ

¤ File7name:7 Funk-01-A-Brand-New-Groove7 8 9
7
4 4 7 7 0

A
3
E
? #### ™™ j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
™
™ 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7

7 A E
? #### j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j j
œ œ œ‰ ‰ œœœŒ œ
j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ
œ œ
j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ
œ
7 7 7 7
5 5 5 5 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7

B A µ E
jB
#œ ˙™
11
? #### œj ‰ ‰ œ œ œ œ j œ. œ. œ œ ™™
J œ ‰ Œ Ó œ. œ. œ. œ. . . œ
™
7
9
9
9
7 5
7 7
4 4 7 7
7 7
0
8 9
™
continued

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 14

LESSON 4 (continued)

Notes on the A Section:

— The bass line starts with a Root-5th pattern in E in Bar at Bar 3. Just notice that this
root-5th pattern is a little different than the ones mapped out in Lesson 2, with an open E
followed by the 5th played on the same string, 7th fret.

— After four bars, we move to A in Bar 7, and play another Root-5th pattern for two bars,
returning back to E in Bar 9.

— At Bar 11, we play a measure of B, this time introducing something a little different—a Root-
5th-Octave shape in B, then play a hit on Beat 1 of Bar 12 for the A chord.

— After the hit on Beat 1 in Bar 12, we play an E Major Triad in Bar 13, playing the 3rd and
the 5th below the Root/Octave. (Recall the 3rd in E Major is a G#; the 5th is a B.) This
generates a little more interest in the line in comparison to playing up from the root note.
Play the Root with Finger 4, the 3rd with Finger 1, and the 5th also with Finger 4.

— To end the Section, we finish on Beat 2 of Bar 14 with a hammered-on B note up the
fretboard, on the ninth fret of String 3 (the D string).

The Intro
This tune starts out with a two-bar Intro (Bars 1 and 2), which you may
notice is the same as the final two bars of the 12-bar Blues sequence
played in Section A:

Intro
E B
#œ ˙™
j
? #### 44 œ. œ. œ. œ.
B œ. œ. œ. œ.
E œ
15
? #### j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j ‰ ‰ j œ œ ‰ œJ 7 j ‰ 7‰ j œ œ Œ ‰œ
¤
8 9j ‰ ‰ j
œ 7 œ7 4 œ4 7œ 7 œ œ 0 œ œœœ J
A
These two
0 bars
0 lead
7 7 right0 into the
0 7A7 Section.
7
0 The 0entire
7 7 song
0 is really
0 7 just
7
7
E
the
? #A# Section bass line repeated four times,Ehowever, we want to build the
3

19 # # ™™A j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ
line
? #as
## wejœrepeat—we
‰ ‰ jœœ œ Œ wantjœ‰it ‰to “go”
jœœ œ somewhere—so
‰ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ if you
Πcheck
œ ‰ ‰ out
œ Bars
Œ
# œ j jœ œ j jœ œ
™ there’s an extended version ofJ the
23 and 35,
œ œ œ œ B Major
œ Triad played
œ over
œ the
™
B chord: 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7

5 5
7 7
5 5
7 7 7
0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 “That’s a good exmple
of finding shapes
A EE
## Bœj ‰ ‰ œj œœœ Œ A µ
jB in different octaves
7
23
? #
? ## # Jœ ‰ ‰ œJ œ œ œœ j‰ ‰œj Œœ œÓ Œ
j jœ.‰ œ.‰ j œ œ Œ œ. œj. ‰ ‰ #œj ˙™

## ‰ œœŒ to create that all-
œ œ œ œ
œ. œ. . . œ œ œ important interest in
8
the line...”
9 797 7 7 8 9
5 5 9 6 5 5 0 7 7 0 7 7 7 07 0 7 7
7 5 4 4 7 7 0

C
E SCOTTSBASSLESSONS.COM
B A µ E B
27
11 j
? ########
? j ‰‰ ‰‰ jœœ œœ œŒ
j j ‰ j‰ ‰ jŒœ œÓ œ œ œ.j ‰œ.‰ j œ œ Œ œ. œj. ‰ ‰ #œj œ˙™ œ œ œ™™
œœ œJ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ. œ. œ œ
 E
15
? #### j ‰ ‰ j Œ j ‰ ‰ j œ œ ‰ œJ j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j ‰ ‰ j œ œ ‰ œJ
COURSE BOOK: œ œ œ PATHWAYS—Funk
œ LEARNING œ œ 01 Foundational
œ Rhythms
œ & Vocabulary
œ œ 15

7 7

LESSON 4 (continued)
0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7

A E
19
? #### j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j j
œ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œJ œj ‰ ‰ œj œ œ Œ œ
j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ
œ
Looking at
5
Bars5 23
7 7and 35, we play
5 5
7 the
7 Root,
7
0
then 0the 3rd above,
7 7 0
and then
0 7 7
the Root again, followed by the 5th, 3rd and Octave below the Root.
B A µ E B
23
# œ œ œ #œj ˙™
? ## # J ‰ ‰ J œ œ
œ j‰ Œ Ó œ. œ. œ. œ.
œ. œ. œ. œ. shape
Another way to build the bassœ line is to build the Root-5th to
œ include
the 3rd to help “lift”
8 things, as in Section C (highlighted):
9 9 8 9
9 6 7 7 7 7
7 5 4 4 7 7 0

C
E
27
? #### j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ œ œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ Œ j‰ ‰ jœ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 4 7 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 4 7

A E
31
? #### j ‰ ‰ j œ œ Œ j j
œ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œj ‰ ‰ œj œ œ Œ œ
j‰ ‰ jœ œ œ œ
œ
7 7 7 7 4 7
5 5 5 5 0 0 7 7 0 0 7 7 4 7

B A µ E B E
35 œ j
? #### œj ‰ ‰ J œ œ œ œ j ‰ Œ Ó œ. œ. œœ #œ ˙™
Œ Ó
œ œ. œ. œ. œ. . . œ œ
8
9 8 9
9 6 7 7 7 7
7 7 5 4 4 7 7 0 0

Little additions to the line over repeated sections help it build and sound a
bit more interesting!

We didn’t strictly discuss the B Section, but can you spot the notes that
were added to add some interest to the line?

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 16

Lesson 5
Minor Triads & The Box Shape
in Lesson 5, we’ll continue to add to our funk (and bass) vocabulary,
exploring minor chords and keys, along with other notes we can play to
create bass lines with a little more interest.

Minor Triads
In Lesson 2, we looked at major triads. Minor triads differ from the major
triads by just one note—the 3rd is flattened, meaning that it’s moved down
a half step in pitch. So the minor triad is made up of the Root, flattened 3rd
(b3) and 5th in relation to the major triad. (The 3rd is the only note different
in the three notes that make up the major and minor scales.) For example, in
the C Minor Scale, our triad notes would be C, Eb, and G:

C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
Root b3rd 5th

Note that when playing over a minor chord, all the Root-5th shapes found in
Lesson 2 remain the same, since the root and 5th are the same in both the
major and minor scales! But what does a minor triad shape look like? There
are three main shapes to consider, and just like the root-fifth shapes in “It’s worth spending
Figures 2–1 through 2–3 they can be moved all over the fretboard, you just a bit of time trying
out these different
need to locate the root:
shapes starting from
different root notes
and having a think
Figure 5–1. Common Minor Triad Shapes
about ones that you
might prefer to use in
E A D G E A D G E A D G
different instances.”

b3 5
ANY
R Fret
b3

ANY
R Fret
ANY
5 R Fret
b3 5

A. B. C.
Root played Root played Root played
with Finger 1 with Finger 3 with Finger 4

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 17

LESSON 5 (continued)

Just like the major triad shapes, you can use any fingering that is
comfortable for you. But as for recommended fingerings—for Shape A play
the root with finger 1, the b3rd with finger 4, and the 5th with finger 3; for
Shape B, play the root with finger 3, the b3rd with finger 1, and the 5th also
with finger 3; and for Shape C, the root with finger 4, the b3rd with finger 2
and the 5th with finger 1.

And as noted in Lesson 2, choosing which shape works best is often a

matter of fretboard efficiency—playing over a series of chords in just one
position on the neck, rather than jumping around.

The Box Shape

Roots, 3rds, 5ths, and Octaves work very well in the Funk genre (or any
other genre, for that matter!)—they, particularly the 3rd, give the listener
a good idea whether we’re in major or minor, for example. The box shape
comes in handy as a way to play a lot of notes “under our hand” that work
over a lot of chords. The shape is simple, and is played over three strings
and two frets, using just Fingers 1 and 3, and the notes work very well over
a minor chord, as well as a dominant 7 chord*:

Figure 5–2. The Box Shape

E A D G

R b7 ANY
Fret

5 R

Let’s now look at our next playalong, featuring the box

shape, to put things somewhat in context.

*A dominant 7th chord, (dom7 or just 7, e.g. Cdom7 or C7) is a common chord used in major keys;
it’s essentially a major chord with a flattened 7th, resulting in a bluesy sound.
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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 18

LESSON 5 (continued)

Example 1 “Funky Blues Box”

File name: Funk-01-Funky-Blues-Box

Intro
µ[Dm7] C5 C#5
œ œœœ œœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ #œ
? b 44 œJ œ œ‰ œ œ‰ œ ‰ œ œ#œ œ ‰ Œ
J
5 7 5 5 7 5 5 7 5 5 6
¤
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
5 5 5 3 4 5
5

A
Dm7 A7 Dm7 A7
5 œ œœœ
? b ™™ n œ œ œ Œ ‰ j ‰ Œ œ
j
‰ œ Œ ‰ j ‰ Œ œ
j‰
œ œ. œ. œ. œ œ. œ. œ.
™ 7 5 7 7 5
™ 5
3 5 5 5
3
7
5
3 5 5 5
3

Gm7 A7 Dm7 Bm7b5

9
?b œ œ œ Œ ‰ j ‰ Œ j‰ œ œ œ œ Œ ‰ j
œ œ œ. œ. œ. œ œ nœ. œ. œ. ‰ Œ œJ ‰
7 5
5 3 7
5 3 5 5
3 3 5 5 5 5 7 7 7

E7 A7 Dm7 µ
13 œœ œœœ œ #œ
?b œ œ j
nœ œ Œ ‰ œ œ. œ. œ. ‰ ‰
œ œ ‰ œ œ#œ œ ‰ Œ ™™
J
5 7 5 5 6 ™
7 5
7 0 3 5 5 5
7 7 7
5
5
3 4 5 ™
B
Dm7 µ
17 œ œ œ œ œ œ
? b n œ œ ‰ œ œ # œ n œ œ ‰ œ œ # œ n œ œ ‰ œ #œ œ ‰ Œ Ó
œ J
7 5 7 5 6 7 5 7 5 6 7 5 7
7 7 7 7 7
3 4 5
5

continued

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 19

LESSON 5 (continued)

C
Dm7 A7 Dm7 A7
21
œœœ œœœ œœœ
?
b Ó ‰ œ Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ ‰ Œ œj ‰ œ Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ ‰ Œ œj ‰
. . . . . .
5 7 5 7 5
7 7 7 7
5 3 5 3
3 5 5 5 3 5 5 5

Gm7 A7 Dm7 Bm7b5 E7

26
j‰ œœœ
?b œ œ œ Œ ‰ j ‰ Œ œ œ Œ ‰ œj nœ œ œ ‰ Œ œ ‰ œ œnœ Œ ‰ œj
œ œ œ. œ. œ. . . . J œ
7 5
5 3 7
5 3 5 5 7 5
3 3 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 0 3

A7 Dm7
31
?b ‰ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰
œ. œ. œ. œ œ#œ
5 7 5 5 6 7 5 5 7 5
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
5 5 5 3 4
5 5 5 5

35
?b œ ‰ Œ Ó
J

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 20

Lesson 6
“Funky Blues Box” Breakdown
In this lesson, we’ll breakdown our playalong from Lesson 5
in detail, section by section.

Intro
“Funky Blues Box” is in the key of D Minor (one flat in the key signature),
and starts right off using the box shape in the Intro, between the fifth and
seventh frets:

“D” Box Shape

E A D G
Intro
µ[Dm7] C5 C#5 R b7 5fr
œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ
? b 44 œJ œ œ œ‰ œ‰ œ ‰ œ œ#œ œ ‰ Œ
œ #œ
J
5 R
5 7 5 5 7 5 5 7 5 5 6
¤
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
5 5 5 3 4 5
5

A
Dm7 A7 Dm7 A7
5 œ nœ œ j œœœ
? b ™™ œŒ ‰ j œœœ‰ Œ œ‰ œŒ ‰ j œœœ‰ Œ œ‰
j
œ . . . œ . . .
Notes on the Intro:
™ 7 5 7 7 5
— We™ start the tune
5 with a pickup measure that
3 leads right
7
into
5 the main box-shape riff in3
3 5 5 5 3 5 5 5
Bar 1. Fret all the notes on the seventh fret with Finger 3 (or Finger 4 if it’s easier for you),
and those on the fifth fret with Finger 1 when playing the notes in the box shape.
Gm7 A7 Dm7 Bm7b5
9
—
? Takeœ advantage of the jrest on Beat 3 of Barj ‰3 to œshift
œ your
œ œ hand
bnote onœ Beat
œ 3Œ1/2 ‰
in Bar
‰ Œ œ ‰position,
j andœfret
Œ chromatically ‰upthe
œ nœ. œ. walk
A
Πfrets
œ‰
œ œ 3œ.with
œ. œ.Finger 3 on the E string, then . J
three, four, and five on the A string with Fingers 1, 2, and 3, respectfully, back to the root.
7 5
5 3 7
— Move the5“1,2,3”
3 chromatic
3 5 walking
5 5 phrase3 just played on 5the A string
5 up7 one
7 7octave and
5

play it at half the speed (quarter notes instead of eighth notes) on the G string, frets five,
sixE7
and then returning toA7 the starting note of the
Dm7riff (D) on fret seven. µ continued
13
? b œ œ nœ Œ ‰ j œœœ œœœœ‰ œ #œ
™™
œ œ. œ. œ. ‰ ‰ œ œ #œ œ ‰ Œ
œ J
5 7 5 5 6 ™
7 5
7 0 3 5 5 5
7 7 7
5
5
3 4 5 ™ SCOTTSBASSLESSONS.COM

B
COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 21

LESSON 6 (continued)

The
Intro
A Section (Verse)
µ[Dm7] C5 C#5
The
œ œ œ
? 4A Section
œ œ œ is œanother
œ œ 12-bar
œ œ Blues
œ œ progression,
œ œ œ œ œbut this time the chords
œ #œ
b4 J œ‰ œ different œ‰ œ ‰ œ#œ œ ‰ Œ
follow more of a “Jazz-Blues” progression, which is slightly J than
our first playalong
5 7 5 in Lessons
5 37 and
5 4. 5 7 5 5 6
¤
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
5 5 5 3 4 5
5

A
Dm7 A7 Dm7 A7
5 œ j œœœ
? ™™ n œ œ œ Œ ‰ j ‰ Œ œ ‰
j
œ Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ ‰ Œ œ ‰
b œ œ. œ. œ. . . .
™ 7 5 7 7 5
™ 5
3 5 5 5
3
7
5
3 5 5 5
3

Gm7 A7 Dm7 Bm7b5

9
j œœœ
?b œ œ œ Œ ‰ j ‰ Œ œ ‰ œ Œ ‰ œj nœ œ œ ‰ Œ œ ‰
œ œ œ. œ. œ. . . . J
7 5
5 3 7
5 3 5 5
3 3 5 5 5 5 7 7 7

E7 A7 Dm7 µ
13
?b œ œ œœœ œœœ œ #œ
™™
nœ Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ#œ œ ‰ Œ
œ . . . J
5 7 5 5 6 ™
7 5
7 0 3 5 5 5
7 7 7
5
5
3 4 5 ™
B
Dm7 µ
Notes
œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ œ
? on the
17 n œ œ A Section:
œ œ #œ
b ‰ ‰ ‰ œ œ #œ œ ‰ Œ Ó
J
— We repeat the Intro box-shape riff two times (Bars 5 and 7), each time followed by an
A7 chord
7 5 (Bars
7
7 6 and
7
5 8),
6 to get
7 5the A7 Section5 started.
7 7
6 7 Then
5
7 move down two frets and
7
3 4 5
down one string to play the two-note riff over the A7 chord, using Finger
5 1 to play the
G note and Finger 3 to play the A notes. (The C notes on Beat 4 of Bars 6 and 8 [and
also Bar 10] are passing notes—notes that help make the transition back to the main
riff a little “smoother.”)

— In Bar 9 we move to a Gm7 chord, playing the same box shape as the main riff, this time
starting on the fifth fret of String 3. We again move from there to the same A7 chord and
two-note riff (and passing note), followed by the main riff itself played over a Dm7.

— Bar 12 moves to a Bm7b5, and we use Fingers 1 and 3 to play the A and B notes,
respectively, following the same rhythm we used in the two-note riff over the A7 chords.
(The D note on Beat 4 of Bar 12 is also a passing note.) That puts us in the perfect position
to play the main riff shape in E (over the E7 chord) in Bar 13, starting on the seventh fret of
the A string but using the open E string for the final note. This is again followed by the A7
chord and its associated two-note riff.

— The final two bars are a repeat of the final two bars of the Intro.

— Note that we play the entire A Section twice.

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 22

LESSON 6 (continued)

The B and C Sections

B
Dm7 µ
17 œ nœ œ œ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ œ
?b ‰ ‰ ‰ œ œ #œ œ ‰ Œ Ó
J
7 5 7 5 6 7 5 7 5 6 7 5 7
7 7 7 7 7
3 4 5
5

C
Dm7 A7 Dm7 A7
21 œœœ œœœ
?b Ó ‰ œ œ œ œ Œ ‰ j œ œ œ ‰ Œ œj ‰ œ Œ ‰ j œ œ œ ‰ Œ œj ‰
œ . . . œ . . .
5 7 5 7 5
7 7 7 7
5 3 5 3
3 5 5 5 3 5 5 5

Gm7 A7 Dm7 Bm7b5 E7

26
j œœœ
?b œ œ œ Œ ‰ j œ Œ ‰ œj nœ œ œ ‰ Œ œ ‰ œ œnœ Œ ‰ œj
œ œ œ. œ. œ. ‰ Œ œ ‰ . . . J œ
7 5
5 3 7
5 3 5 5 7 5
3 3 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 0 3

A7 Dm7
31
?b œœœ œœœ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ œœœ œœœ
œ. œ. œ. ‰ ‰ œ‰ œ‰ œ ‰ œ œ#œ
5 7 5 5 6 7 5 5 7 5
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
5 5 5 3 4
5 5 5 5

35
?b œ ‰ Œ Ó
J

Notes on the B and C Sections:

— The B Section acts as an Interlude, and is similar to the Intro, starting again on the seventh
fret of the D string and playing the main riff three times, followed by the chromatic walking
phrase (down an octave). But at the end, we leave a little space for the guitarist to lead the
band into the next section (Bars 20 and 21).

— Section C is a essentially a repeat of the Verse (the A Section), but starting in Bar 32,
we repeat the box-shape riff (the main riff) three times before moving down to the lower
octave chromatic walking riff to end the tune.
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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 23

Lesson 7
Eighth-Note Syncopation
Syncopation
Syncopation refers to notes that fall on the weaker beats in a measure.
When referring to eighth notes, recall that we counted a measure (well,
44
a measure) as “1–&–2–&–3–&–4–&.” Here, the beats fall on the quarter
notes—the 1, 2, 3, and 4—and the beat is considered “strong;” the weak
beats are the off beats, or the “&s.” When a rhythm/line is predominantly
made up of notes that fall on the “&s,” it’s referred to as a syncopated
rhythm or syncopated line—and there is a lot of syncopation in funk music!

For an example of this concept, here’s a simple bass and drum pattern, and
then look at how we can make it more syncopated:

Example 1 Basic Rhythm

File name: Course-01-Syncopation

µ[Dm]

œ
? b 44 œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œœŒ œœŒ œœŒ œœŒ j
œœŒ œœŒ œ Œ Ó

¤
3 3 5 5 3 3 5 5
5 5 5 5 3 5
3 3 3 3

Certainly nothing wrong or incorrect with that bass line. But let’s funk it up
a little, simply by adding some syncopation by removing a few notes, and
play a bit more on the off beats:

Example 2 Adding Syncopation

File name: Course-01-Syncopation

Dm7
? b 44 ‰ œ Œ œ œ Œ ‰ œJ Œ ‰ œJ Œ j ˙
‰œŒ œœŒ
œ Œ
‰ œ Ó
J J œ

¤
3 3 5 3 3 5
5 5 3 5
3 3

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 24

LESSON 7 (continued)

Did you notice the big difference between the two almost identical bass lines?
Playing on the “and” of beats makes the line more interesting and catchy.

Let’s look at them back-to back:

Example 3 Comparing Unsyncopated and Syncopated Lines

File name: Course-01-Syncopation

Dm7
? b 44 œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ
œ Œ œ Œ

¤
3 3 5 5 3 3 5 5
5 5 5 5
3 3

5
j
?b ‰ œ Œ œ œ Œ ‰ œJ Œ œ Œ ‰ œŒ œœŒ ‰ œJ Œ œ ‰ œ ˙ Ó
J J
3 3 5 3 3 5
5 5 3 5
3 3

“Leaving space in your bass lines is just so

important, especially in funk music. It can have a
[much] bigger effect than adding more and more
to your lines in an attempt to sound funkier.”

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 25

LESSON 7 (continued)

Playalong: “Funk Tune No. 3”

Now let’s look at our next playalong track. Be sure to listen for the syncopation,
and look for the box shape! In Lesson 8, we’ll break things down in detail.

Example 4 “Funk Tune No. 3” File name: Course-01-Funk-Tune-3

A
Cm7 Gm7
œœ œœ œœ j œ œ‰ œ
? bb 44 ™™
b Œ Œ Œ ‰ œŒ ‰ œJ Œ œ œ Œ ‰ œ ‰ ‰
™
¤ ™ 10 10 8 8 10 10
8
10 8 10 10
8 10 8

4th time, To Coda 

Cm7 Gm7
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œœ j ‰ œJ Œ œ œ Œ
œ œ œ
‰ œ ‰ ‰ ‰ ™™
5

b Œ ‰ œŒ
™
10 10 8 8 10 10
8
10 8 10 10
8 10 8
™
B
Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œJ œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œ ‰ œ
9

b J
6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 3 3

Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7

? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ ¿ œ œ ‰ œJ ‰ œ ‰ œ
13

b J J
5 5 5
6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 X 5
3

Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7

? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ j œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œ œ œ
17

b J œ
6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 5 6
3

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 26

LESSON 7 (continued)

D.C. al Coda
(take repeats)
Abmaj7 Fm7 Bb G7
?b œœŒ œœ‰ œ œœ‰ œ‰ œœ ‰ œ ‰ œj ‰ œ œœŒ ‰ j
21

bb J J œ œ œœ
6 6 6 6 5 3 3 3 3 5 5
3 1 1 1 1
1 3 3

 Coda
C
Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œœ‰œ‰œ‰œ œœŒ œœŒ j
25

b J œœ‰œ‰œ‰œ

6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 3 3

Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7

œœ œ œœœ
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œJ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ #œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œJ
29

b J ‰ J ‰
5 5 5 5 3
6 6 6 6 5 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5

Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7

? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ j œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œ œ œ
33

b J œ
6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 5 6
3

Abmaj7 Fm7 Bb G7 Cm7

? bb œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œj ‰ œ œœŒ ‰ j œ Œ Ó
37

b J J œ œ œœ
6 6 6 6 5 3 3 3 3 5 5 10
3 1 1 1 1
1 3 3

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 27

Lesson 8
“Funk Tune No. 3” Breakdown
In this lesson, we’ll breakdown our playalong from Lesson 7 in detail, section
by section.

“Funk Tune No. 3” features a lot of syncopation, with a lot of eighth notes
played on the off-beats, and is in the key of C Minor (three flats in the key
signature). It’s a great track to help you get more comfortable with funk
rhythms. It again features the box shape throughout.

A
Cm7 Gm7
œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ
? bb 44 ™™
b Œ Œ Œ ‰ œj Œ ‰ œJ Œ œ œ Œ ‰ œ‰ ‰ ‰ “C” Box Shape
E A D G
™
¤ ™ 10 10 8 8 10 10
8
10 8 10 10
8 10 8

R 4 b7 8fr
4th time, To Coda 
Cm7 Gm7
œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ
Œ ‰ œj Œ ‰ œJ Œ œ œ Œ ‰ œ ‰ ‰ ‰ ™™
5
? bb Œ Œ
5 R
b
™
10 10 8 8 10 10
8
10 8 10 10
8 10 8
™
B
Notes on the A SectionFm7
Abmaj7 (the Verse): Gm7 Cm7
9
œœŒ œœŒ œœ‰ œ‰ œ‰ œ œœŒ œœ‰ œ
? We’ve j
— bbb chosen œ ‰ œtone,
J œ“fatter”
to play this shape higher up on the neck to get a slightly
J ‰ œbut‰ œ
the same box shape can be found five frets lower and one string over if you prefer. What’s
important is the timing as you play.
6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 3 3
E A D G E A D G

Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7

œœ œ œ
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ ŒR 4 œb7 œ3fr‰ ¿
13

b
R 4 b7
J
8fr
J ‰ J ‰ ‰ œ
Same notes as
5 R 5 R 5 5 5
6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 X 5
3

Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7

— Use Finger 1 to play all the notes on the eighth fret, and Finger 3 to fret all the notes
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ j œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œ œ œ
17

on the tenth fret. Again, this is just a suggestion. Play with the fingerings that are most
b J
comfortable for you—perhaps use Finger 4 instead Finger 3? Up to you.
œ
— The riff
6 starts
6 with
6 6 two eighth
3 3 notes
3 each,
3 starting
3 5 on
5 Beats 5 15 and 3. Then we get a bit 5
3 3 3 5 6
more syncopated starting in Bar 2. Note that Bar 4 is fully syncopated—each
3 note lands on
an “&”.

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COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 28

LESSON 8 (continued)

B
Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7
9
E A D G
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œ ‰ œ
b J J

6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 3 3

Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7

13
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ ¿ œ œ ‰ œJ ‰ œ ‰ œ
b J J
5 5 5
6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 X 5
3

Abmaj7 Fm7 Gm7 Cm7

17
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ j œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œ œ œ E A D G
b J œ
6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 5 6
3

D.C. al Coda
(take repeats)
Abmaj7 Fm7 Bb G7
21
? bb œ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œJ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ ‰ j‰ œœŒ ‰ j
b J œ œ œ œ œ œœ
6 6 6 6 5 3 3 3 3 5 5
3 1 1 1 1
1 3 3

Notes on the B and C Sections (the Chorus):

— The Chorus (B Section) has a similar feel to the A Section, but is even more syncopated.

— This section moves between Ab -> Fm -> Gm -> C. This chord sequence is played three
times, and the section ends with Ab -> Fm -> Bb -> G. “Think about subdividing each
quarter note really evenly, so
— The song itself repeats the A and B Sections twice (the C Section, the Coda, is essentially
you sound solid and in control
the same as the B Section), so the song form is referred to as A-B-A-B.
when increasing the tempo.”

PRACTICE TIP —
Start by setting your metronome* to around 70–75 bpm.
Play the sections until you’re comfortable with the timing of each
note. Don’t raise the tempo until you can play with zero mistakes!

*Check out the SBL Groove Trainer, available

FREE on the App Store and Google Play.
COURSE BOOK: LEARNING PATHWAYS—Funk 01 Foundational Rhythms & Vocabulary 29

Wrap-up
We’ve covered a lot of “rhythmic ground’ in this course, including three full
songs for you to work on. But just as important as focusing on the notes in
the bass lines, be sure you also focus on getting a good sound, your timing,
the note lengths and dynamics, too! These tracks will let you practice
these various aspects of your bass playing all at once!

And resist the urge to jump ahead! It’s important that you can play through
all three songs confidently before moving to the next course in this Funk
Learning Pathway. Make sure you understand the concepts presented—
we’ll be building on them as we move forward and things will only get more
challenging from here onward.

“Funk music, as with all music, is all about ‘locking in‘

with the band. There’s so much nuance in playing
even great, simple bass lines.”

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S C OT T S B A S S L E S S O N S . C O M