Andrew D. Gordon

Outta Sight Funk and R&B Riffs for Bass

Outta Sight Funk and R&B Riffs for Bassis designed to help bass players and also keyboard players improve their bass playing technique with a wide range of different Funk riffs and grooves. The book starts off with easier examples and gradually increases in difficulty as the examples become more syncopated. While living in London during his early 20's Andrew had the opportunity of developing his Funk & R&B skills by playing or jamming with musicians of mainly African & Jamaican descent 3 to 4 times a week. They would jam for hours on end including doing gigs to the early hours of the morning. From this experience it is his feeling that it is important to play and learn from other musicians, however, if one is unable to do so then incorporating this product into your practicing routine is the next best thing. By using this book your funk bass playing will definitely improve. What is Funk Music? Funk is an Afro American musical style originated by James Brown and later Sly and the Family Stone emphasizing the rhythm and putting melody and harmony in the background. Funk often consists of a complex groove where every instrument is playing a different rhythmic part fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle. Entire songs are written without any or minimal chord changes where one or two riffs form the basis of the song as represented by the examples in this book. One of the most distinctive features of funk music is the role of the bass guitar as a foundation with melodic bass lines at the centerpiece of a funk tune. I have tried to capture both the rhythmic and melodic essence of funk bass in this book. Notable funk bass players such as: Bootsy Collins (James Brown, Parliament/Funkadelic), Louis Johnson (Brothers Johnson), Larry Graham (Sly and the Family Stone, Graham Central Station), James Jamerson (Motown session bass player), Donald 'Duck' Dunn (Booker T & the MG's), George Porter Jr (The Meters). , Rocco Prestia (Tower Of Power), Will Lee (session bass player), Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, Paul Jackson (Herbie Hancock Headhunters) to name a few should be listened to and studied. Each of the 55 examples has been recorded three times: 1. The bass line played through twice with drums & percussion, guitars and keyboards at the regular tempo. 2. The bass line is recorded on the right channel and a click track on the left channel at a slowed down tempo. 3. Rhythm track without bass to practice with. 2 minute extended Play A Long rhythm tracks in mp3 format for each of the 55 examples are available for download.