Get Down On It: Easy Bass Tab

This track gives bass students a genuine funk groove that's accessible without being condescending. The two-page tab layout keeps the tab readable while the song's infectious pocket naturally reinforces the importance of sitting dead center with the kick drum.

Irresistible funk swagger with a crisp, modern pop sheen. The groove settles into your body immediately, and the repetitive yet varied bassline has the kind of sticky memorability that makes students eager to perform it.

Bass guitarists at the beginner to early intermediate stage will find this accessible and motivating. Teachers can use it to introduce students to funk vocabulary and the concept of pocket playing without overwhelming them technically.

• Lock the kick drum first. Everything else flows from that partnership, so spend rehearsal time syncing your feel with the drummer before polishing the line itself.
• Keep the tone punchy but controlled. A muted attack with a quick release cuts through the mix the way the original recording does.
• Lean into the rhythmic phrasing rather than treating each note as equal. The groove lives in the spaces and the way the line breathes, not in pure technical precision.
• Reference the original recording while reading the tab. Hearing the bass in context with the horns and rhythm section will anchor your interpretation in a way that tab alone cannot.

Include this in a funk or contemporary music unit to show students how bass lines can become the memorable core of a hit song. It's also rewarding as a standalone recital piece or as part of a program celebrating grooves that define popular music.

• Funk groove fundamentals and pocket playing
• Syncopated rhythmic phrasing in a locked ensemble context
• Reading and interpreting bass tab with stylistic accuracy
• Coordination between kick drum and bass line
• Building bass lines that balance repetition with subtle rhythmic variation