We’re not done yet!!!

1 - Song Examples

Here are some song examples with some really serious bass drum work.

a) “Ain’t Nobody,” Rufus, John “J.R.” Robinson, drums

 

BD 16ths on “and of 4”, “1” and the “e of 1”. Three in a row!
Plus the “e of 2.”
This is a tough one, especially when the tempo gets up there.

rufus-band-e743ea89-c534-4408-9b50-b8979b08692-resize-750.jpg
John “J.R.” Robinson

John “J.R.” Robinson

 
 

b) “Don’t Stop, ‘Til You Get Enough,” The Jacksons, John “J.R.” Robinson, drums

 

Fast BD push beat, two 16th note figure on “4” and the “e of 4”, plus some other interesting figures.

 
superb-michael-jackson-15842058-1960-1333black.jpg
 
 

c) “Funky President (People It's Bad)”, James Brown, Allan Schwartzberg, drums

 

Up tempo BD on the “e” and “and of 3”. Another one that can take a while to get used to.

Quiz 1

How long is the bridge in “Funky President”?

  1. 8 bars
  2. 10 bars
  3. 12 bars

Answer C: 12 bars

Here’s a drum track of me playing this beat from my book Give The Drummers Some! available on the Books/E-Books section of my site.

Funky President It's Bad 45.jpg
Allan Schwartzberg

Allan Schwartzberg

 
 

d) “Give It Up Or Turn It A Loose,” James Brown, Nate Jones, drums

 

Nate Jones was an intense drummer who played with James Brown for a short time. This was the only single he recorded. He can be heard on “James Brown, Live in Dallas” and this video:

 
 
6 - Give It Up Or Turn It A Loose Beat.png

Here’s a drum track of me playing this beat from my book Give The Drummers Some! available on the Books/E-Books section of my site.

 

e) “Skin Tight,” Ohio Players, James “Diamond” Williams, drums

 

Listen for the deception in the intro. The first bass note you hear is actually on "2". Of course we tend to hear it as "1," so when the band comes in we get turned around. The "surprise" factor is important in funk.

Quiz 2

How long is the bridge in “Skin Tight”?

  1. 4 bars
  2. 6 bars
  3. 8 bars
  4. 10 bars

Answer B: 6 bars

Here’s a transcription of the Skin Tight beat, including the rhythm of the bass guitar line.

9 - Skin Tight Beat + bass.png

Here’s a drum track of me playing this beat from my book Give The Drummers Some! available on the Books/E-Books section of my site.

 
ohio players skin tight.jpg
 

2 – Bass Drum Exercises

I know you don’t want hear about this but here we go again! Same exercises but faster tempo.

Funk Drumming, Jim Payne, p. 39-41,116 BPM.

This will get us up to the tempo of some of the song examples in this lesson. Remember we’re working to get a “Good Foot,” and a good foot is absolutely essential in funk.

Same routine:

  1. Work on each line until it’s solid and smooth.

  2. Play each line 4X’s and go down the pages.

  3. If you’re foot just isn’t cutting it, STOP and SLOW DOWN THE TEMPO! Slow, consistent practice will eventually build speed. If you’re practicing too fast you’re wasting your time and you’ll get no results.

Workbook

1. Funk Drumming, Jim Payne, p. 41 only.

88 BPM. Play each beat 4 x’s and go down the page.

2. Groove 12 Fast, Igoe - Groove Essentials 1.0, p. 45.

Use this beat:

 
11 - Groove 12 Fast Beat.png

After the first 8 bars we have hits on 1, the “and of 1” and then again on the “and of 4” and the next “and of 1.”

Play these by just accenting the BD on these hits.

The figures 2 bars before letter A: These “ands” are written into the staff so the whole band is probably going to play them. Again I would play them with a strong BD + closed HH with the RH. Then you have a simple fill to take us to letter A.

The fourth time through that figure/fill combination is repeated 3 x’s before the final hit on the “and of 4.”