Bass - Ghost Notes
Funk is a musical style built on syncopation. Ghost notes add a rhythmic layer to a bassline. A ghost note is a percussive hit, with no pitch. You mute the strings with your fretting hand, and strike them with a plectrum. Ghost notes are like adding a second drum part, with a bass.
Ghost notes refer to the concept of playing muted notes as part of a slap bassline. You might already use ghost notes in your finger/plectrum picked basslines. When you hold a finger lightly against a string and pluck it, you get a thumping sound with no tonal quality. With the string muted, you get a sound that is more percussive than musical.
The following exercises will help you to play ghost notes in terms of the basic technique. By playing and practicing these patterns, you will learn the technique. You can turn an ordinary slap bass line into something much funkier.
Exercise 1
Slap a bar of four quarter notes on the open E string. Slap each note evenly, and mute each second note. There is no need to go fast. Repeat this exercise, across all four strings. It will help you get used to muting the strings.
Exercise 2
For this exercise, play the open string, followed by two muted notes. You can hear and feel a more syncopated, funky sound. Slapping will create a percussive feel that makes the groove move.
Exercise 3
These exercises use a mute in places where you would expect to hear a snare drum. Instead of playing an open string, hold the note down. Start slowly and concentrate on the rhythmic feel of the line. When you feel comfortable, then speed it up. You can hear that the C is choked off and shorter from the muting. You can make more interesting slap bass lines, rather than having only notes of equal length.
Exercise 4
This is the same as exercise 3, but this time move the note from C to F to G. This is similar to outlining a standard pop chord progression.
Exercise 5
Playing a note then immediately mute the string before moving up a note. This will develop muscle memory for rapidly muting notes during a slap riff. Play it slowly, then progressively speed up the bassline until its rapid and smooth.
Repeat the exact same pattern on the E string. Try to get used to slapping a funky rhythm, while moving your fingers between strings.
Exercise 6
Repeat the exercise, with two mutes in between each note. You will notice the rhythm becoming more complex. Concentrate on your control, and play the exercise on any string.
Exercise 7
Now, bring together all of these exercises, to create a simple slap bass line. Ghost notes will add a rhythmic, and funky beat. Play the strings, in between parts of the bassline. It will be challenging, at first, but easy if you practice.
Exercise 8
You should be comfortable with muting between slaps. This exercise is about ghost notes. They are simple, octave patterns that are played by muted notes.
With slap bass, you would slap the A string and pop the G string. It is the same as the muting, in the previous exercises.
Exercise 9
Exercise 10
Bass Books
