Excerpt from "Funk Bass and Beyond,"
by Bill "The Buddha" Dickens and Bobby Rock
(©2003 Warner Brothers)

Introduction

1969. McGraw Hall. A crisp winter night in Chicago. I'll never forget it. I had already been playing bass for a few years and was now attending my first Sly and the Family Stone concert. We had all sat through two sets from the opening act and were waiting restlessly for a very tardy Sly and company to finally hit the stage.

Then, after midnight, it happened. Through the rolling haze of the strange smelling smoke around me, I saw and heard him for the first time. Dressed in some sort of bizarre Viking outfit, it was The Man, bassist Larry Graham. And the super funky, otherworldly-sounding groove that emanated from his pulverizing right thumb and blinding left hand would change my life forever. My eyes and ears stayed on him all the way through their second encore and I left the hall that night a different person. The next day I practiced emulating what I saw the "Viking man" do until my fingers split open and my strings turned a crimson silver. Such was my baptism into funk. I was 11 years old.

Funk bass. It's one of the most distinctive bass guitar styles out there. It's fun, it's flashy, and it has a very earthy, percussive kind of feel that is universal in its appeal. And funk is one of only a few styles of music that is governed at least as much by the bass as any other instrument. This gives us all the more reason to spend time with it and master all of its intriguing elements.

But beyond funk music, never before has it been so important for the modern bassist to diligently woodshed his or her funk bass chops. With other urban styles, like hip-hop, taking center stage in the mainstream music media, and contemporary rock and jazz constantly infused with flashes of poppin' and slappin' on the bass, the well-rounded bassist would do well to have at least a working knowledge of funk bass techniques. Funk Bass and Beyond will provide you with that...and then some.

This book presents my entire approach to funk bass, as well as the many signature "chops-heavy" tricks of the trade that I've enjoyed playing through the years. It's also based off of my video, Funk Bass and Beyond, and represents more than 30 years of serious practice, gigging and recording in this style.

Funk bass is in my blood and a part of my soul. Now, with this book, I respectfully pass the torch along to you. Have a ball...

Bill "The Buddha" Dickens
Chicago, IL.