Funk Foundation is the Foot
By Philip HendricksonIn swing, bebop, and straight ahead jazz the feel of the music is typically conveyed by the drummer’s ride cymbal. In funk, fusion, soul, and some Latin styles, however, the characteristic “funky” feel of a groove is often found in the bass drum. When a cymbal part is primarily straight quarters, eighths, or sixteenths, the bass drum can play a very creative part. Short notes in low frequencies tend to dissipate rapidly, so the foot can get funky and syncopated without overpowering the listener’s ears, where a busy snare or cymbal part might be too much.
Interesting footwork can be paired in a linear fashion with ghost notes on the snare to propel a very danceable groove. Just make sure your foot is in sync with the bass player. The lines don’t have to be completely parallel, but the accents and grace notes should line up together and not fight each other. If the bottom parts are not together the music will sound unsure and tentative. Lock in the foundation below so the band can build a mighty structure on top.
A great example of this is Dennis Chambers’ driving footwork on john Scofield’s song Blue Matter. Not all of us have the monster footwork of Dennis, but you can hear the concept. He plays a lot with the bass drum, yet somehow it doesn’t overpower the rest of the music. A relatively simple beat on the snare and hi-hat keeps the time grounded, while well-placed grace notes on the bass drum give a seemingly straight beat a funky forward motion. The listeners feel it in their hips. When the music feels good, everyone is happy!
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