Bill "The Buddha" Dickens: Funk Bass and Beyond: Bass Guitar Book & CD

This book captures slap and percussive bass techniques from someone who has actually mastered them at the highest level, not a theoretical overview. The dual presentation of standard notation and TAB means your students can learn the grooves their way, and the included CD lets them hear the execution at tempo and at slower teaching speeds.

Funky, rhythmically intricate, and full of textural surprises. The grooves breathe with the kind of spaciousness and intentional silence that separates genuinely musical funk from mere technical display. You'll hear the bass as a complete percussion instrument here, not just a harmonic anchor.

Bass players serious about funk, fusion, and slap techniques who want to learn from documented evidence of how it's actually done. This works for intermediate to advanced students ready to invest real practice time in a specific technique lineage.

• Start with the slow-tempo demonstrations on the CD before attempting anything at full speed. Dickens's technique is sophisticated, and rushing the learning process will create bad habits.
• Focus on left-hand muting and finger independence before worrying about speed. The percussive quality comes from control, not velocity.
• Use the TAB as a reference alongside standard notation. This keeps your eyes connected to both the fretboard and the written rhythm.
• Record yourself playing each groove and compare your timing to the CD version. Funk pocket is everything, and playback comparison accelerates your ear.

Assign these grooves to students preparing for jazz combo settings where bass carries the funk foundation. You can also extract individual techniques to strengthen the rhythm section during ensemble rehearsals, or feature a capable bass player on a jazz or fusion concert to showcase repertoire that demands real chops.

• Slap technique (thumb strikes, muted and articulated)
• Pop technique and string damping control
• Percussive bass sounds and ghost notes
• Syncopated funk grooves and pocket playing
• Coordination between notation reading and TAB interpretation
• Call-and-response phrasing in a bass context