Sixteenth-Note Funk Bass Grooves
Count sixteenths as "1 e & a 2 e & a". An x in the tab is a ghost note: rest your fretting finger on the string without pressing it down and pluck, so you hear a short percussive click instead of a pitch. Keep the plucking hand moving in steady sixteenths and play the octave notes short and bright. Loop each groove with a metronome before combining them.
Groove 1 on E
Groove 2 on A
Groove 3 on D
× = ghost note: rest a left-hand finger on the string without pressing it down and pluck, so you hear a short percussive click instead of a pitch.
Goal
Build a funk feel: continuous sixteenth-note motion in the plucking hand, where only some of the notes have pitch and the rest are muted ghost notes that keep the groove moving.
How to practise
- Start at 60–70 BPM with the click on quarter notes; every beat contains four strokes.
- Practise the muting first: play a whole bar of x notes, then add the pitched notes one at a time.
- The octave note (two strings up, two frets higher) is played short and a bit louder. Fingerstyle players can pluck it with a snap; slap players can pop it.
- Accent the root on beat 1 and keep the ghost notes soft.
Self-check
Ghost notes should sound like a dull click, not a pitch. If you hear a note, press less; if you hear nothing, press a little more or pluck harder. Record yourself: the sixteenths must stay even when you cross strings.
Next steps
Work through eighth-note grooves first if this feels too fast. Read bass groove and rhythm, then take the octave pops further with slap bass basics and the slap bass lesson. Keep time with the metronome.