Author Topic: I Play the FUNK to stay fit. (Read 159 times)

toma_hawk01 · « **on:** July 22, 2010, 07:56:24 AM »

My drummer's 50, and I am not too far behind him. However one thing we consciously remind ourselves when we play, is to create the majority of our music, to gives us a serious aerobic work out.

I love playing the guitar, but it can't revitalize my tired muscles like my FUNK BASS slapping, popping, and thumping.

When we play, there's this point where my drummer, and I would take our rhythm to a groove-zone.

The Groove-Zone is a concept where we turn-up the heat, and start to play faster, and faster while maintaining our playing accuracy like a fine tuned engine with pistons flying, while keeping pace with each sonic wave for more than 15 minutes.

Oh my goodness, its truly a spiritually transcending, and instinctive yet peaceful, very meditative state to play, and I feel really refreshed after a few sets of this; while feeding off the energy from my drummer.

When not playing, I find myself spending more hours at the gym, but there's no substitute for the work-out I get from our FUNK CHURCH.

Peace and Love,

Hal-

funkyjazzjunky · « **Reply #1 on:** July 22, 2010, 12:04:18 PM »

Don't fake the funk or your nose will grow Dr Funkenstein

svlilioukalani · « **Reply #2 on:** July 22, 2010, 03:56:07 PM »

FUNK CHURCH! Well put. That's what keeps me going after all these years.

terryc · « **Reply #3 on:** July 23, 2010, 05:53:58 AM »

I was once jamming with a drummer during a soundcheck with a band that I was just stand in bass player.
We were getting a great rythmn going, I was slapping and popping like there was no tomorrow, stealing Stan Clarke's and Mark King's riffs and mixng it all up, very exhilerating.
I then got asked how did I do that by an onlooker.
My answer was listening to the drummer and play the parts he doesn't.
John Judge supplied us all here with some different drum patterns to open up our playing, if you can find them in the archive they are well worth downloading..talking of John we haven't heard from him in a while

David Houck · « **Reply #4 on:** July 23, 2010, 10:17:54 AM »

Terry; I saw John about six weeks ago. He's had a lot on his plate recently; but he's well and we had a very enjoyable evening together.

David Houck · « **Reply #5 on:** July 23, 2010, 11:01:38 AM »

And speaking of sittin' in and lockin' in with drummers. Back in the mid-90's, my band opened an all day blues event at a club in Charlotte, NC. All the bands were local blues bands except for the headliners, The Radio Kings, from Boston, a great blues band out supporting their first CD, It Ain't Easy. We played our set early in the day and then stayed to watch the other bands. When The Radio Kings arrived, their bassplayer had to return home that day for a family emergency, and they needed a stand-in. Someone suggested me and I was drafted into service. I sat in my car and listened to the CD once, and then we went on. They dropped the more complex tunes from their regular list and kept to basic blues progressions. The harp player would call chords out to me and signal changes; the guitar player would turn around every once in a while with a look of what in the world are you doing; but the drummer loved it; he and I had a great time playing together. At the end of the set, I sat down at a table with some friends. A well respected local blues guitar player who did not know me was sitting there. He didn't realize that I was not a regular member of the band; so apparently I was able to pull it off. But the best part of the memory was how much the drummer and I enjoyed playing together that night. It Ain't Easy is a great blues album if you're looking for something to listen to.

artswork99 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 23, 2010, 12:09:27 PM »

Great story Dave, thanks for sharing that!

terryc · « **Reply #7 on:** July 26, 2010, 05:23:24 AM »

Dare I say that the majority of bass players can usually stand in at a moments notice unlike other members of bands.
Unless the song relies on some intricate bass pattern you can usually get away with root not from the chord
Dave..it was obvious that you did that dep job very well and got the respect it deserved.

David Houck · « **Reply #8 on:** July 26, 2010, 08:10:03 AM »

Thanks Terry!

smokin_dave · « **Reply #9 on:** July 28, 2010, 05:57:23 PM »

Hey Dave,
That's so cool that you jammed with The Radio Kings.I sat in with them a few times myself when I was house mixer at a blues club in Indy and you are right saying that they are a really good blues act.Very good people also.The best thing about that job was occasionally being able to sit in with blues groups and surprising drummers by locking in with them right off the bat.

David Houck · « **Reply #10 on:** July 28, 2010, 06:34:05 PM »

Dave; and cool that you did too! Working in a blues club, you probably got to see lots of great bands.

smokin_dave · « **Reply #11 on:** July 28, 2010, 08:09:36 PM »

You bet.A lot of crap bands too.Got to take the good with the bad though.Backed up Matt Guitar Murphy,James Yank Rachel,Sam Lay......I could go on and on.A lot of crazy stories after working and playing blues at the Slippery Noodle for nearly 20 years.

bsee · « **Reply #12 on:** July 28, 2010, 09:22:05 PM »

It's cool to see how fast you can go while maintaining accuracy. I enjoy playing some of my band's tunes at 110 or 120% of normal speed for practice. It makes playing them at regular speed so much easier when the time comes. It's also real cool and challenging to do the reverse. See how slow and open you can get while still maintaining an accurate groove and sense of time. I wish the guys I play with had more time for exercise play, but we barely get together enough to keep all of our tunes tight so I have to do that sort of stuff with the computer for accompaniment these days.