The Total Funk Bassist: Bass Guitar Book & Online Audio

This book cuts through the mystique of funk bass by making rhythm the core of everything. Rather than treating technique in isolation, Overthrow builds fingerstyle and slap & pop within the context of actual funky feels and syncopated patterns, so students immediately understand why they're learning something rather than just executing it.

The Total Funk Bassist treats rhythm as the main event, not the backdrop. Working through these exercises puts you inside grooves that actually feel good to play, building confidence in your ability to lock with a band and command space in the low end.

Intermediate bass guitarists ready to move beyond basic note reading into the rhythmic foundation and technical execution that define funk. Players with solid finger technique but limited exposure to slap, syncopation, or the specific grooves that sit at the heart of funk music will find this essential.

• Record yourself playing the exercises at different tempos, starting slow enough to lock in the sixteenth-note pocket before pushing the speed dial. Playback reveals timing issues your ear can miss in real time.
• Separate fingerstyle and slap & pop work into focused sessions rather than mixing them in one practice block. Your right hand needs distinct muscle memory for each technique.
• Play along with the online audio even when you're not sight-reading directly from the page. The recordings anchor what the written notation is trying to communicate about groove and feel.

Assign this to your school's jazz ensemble bass player alongside rehearsals, or recommend it to students pursuing funk and R&B styles in their private lessons. The combination of book and audio lets students learn independently while building techniques they'll use immediately in ensemble settings.

• Sixteenth-note phrasing and subdivision accuracy in funk contexts
• Syncopated rhythm reading and execution
• Fingerstyle technique and muting control
• Slap & pop fundamentals including popping, thumping, and ghost notes
• Groove locking and pocket placement
• Advanced bass techniques beyond the two core methods