FOLLOW US ON:
0 Cart £0.00

Giants of Bass – Bootsy Collins

< BACK Subscribe Now Subscriber Login

'Funkzilla' was written in the style of the classic funk that Bootsy played with George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic collective, as well as with his own group, The Rubber Band. The track features a funk swing feel, syncopated funk grooves that are peppered with ghost notes and shakes, and of course, the use of an envelope filter pedal. As you might expect from a piece of this nature, the bass plays a very dominant role throughout.

If you enjoy working through this piece, you might also find the following courses useful (Access to ALL of our courses is included in the subscription cost):

Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above to get the PDF transcription and the audio files for this piece (available to subscribers only).

This course is 38 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:

1. 'Funkzilla'

This video is a full demonstration of 'Funkzilla', performed on a Fender Jazz Bass strung with stainless steel Rotosound strings.

2. Course Overview

This video gives a brief overview of this difficult piece and the technical challenges that it presents. I’ll also be offering advice on finding a suitable tone.

3. A Section

This video establishes the main bass groove, which is a fingerstyle funk line based on the E Dorian mode. This lesson covers bars 1-8 in the transcription.

4. B Section

This section continues with the same bass groove but with some variations based on the minor pentatonic scale. This lesson covers bars 9-16 in the transcription.

5. C Section

This section has a more active chord progression. The bass part is quite simple, although there are a lot of fills to get your teeth into. This lesson covers bars 17-32.

6. D Section

This section returns to the opening bass groove, but with more licks and fills, some of which are quite complex. This lesson covers bars 33-40 in the transcription.

7. E Section (Bass Solo Part 1)

This lesson demonstrates the first half of the bass solo, which is played with the fingerstyle technique and includes a lot of ‘shakes’. This lesson covers bars 41-48.

8. E Section (Bass Solo Part 2)

This lesson demonstrates the second half of the solo. Here, the tonality moves down to C# minor, and the solo continues in the same vein. This lesson covers bars 49-56.

9. F Section

This lesson covers the final section of the track. The bass returns to the original groove here, again decorated with many licks and fills. This lesson covers bars 57-73.