Every Great Player Uses This Funk Bass Riff

Let's learn one of the quintessential funk bass riffs that every great bass player uses. Inspired by some of the greats, including Leroy Hodges (Al Green), Chuck Rainey (Aretha Franklin), and Louis Johnson (The Brothers Johnson and Billy Preston), this is an easy funk bass fill to add to almost any song. Perfect for major chords or dominant chords used in blues, this will work with many different bass grooves.
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[@markkangas7774]

This technique reminds me a lot of the late great Boz Burrell from Bad Company on the song, "Burning Sky". The riffs blend so sweet with the guitar, and pop inside the melody. Great video. 👍

[@jimharrow8104]

Far out... I hear this everywhere.... Even on the Barny Miller show, at the opening... Thanks....

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

You're welcome! And yes, you can totally spy this move in tons of bass lines.

[@rustknale3818]

Great opening riff and stylish presentation. Very useful. Much appreciated.

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

Thank you kindly!

[@remco2777]

Love this idea. Very useable! Thank you

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

You are so welcome!

[@HarpinJScott]

Amazing, as usual. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge of the bass, Ryan!!

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

My pleasure!

[@scottkidwellmusic9175]

Thank you, Ryan! Good stuff!

[@daveweigand5935]

Awesome and informative!

[@bbbower1]

Great lesson Ryan Madora!

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

Thank you!!!

[@basslinephunk3441]

Thanks Ryan👍🏾 nice tip for playing funky lines.

[@phillipshupert8980]

This 1, 4, 5 progression is the fundamental bass line of Steal My Kisses by Ben Folds

[@GrooveCookies]

*Ben Harper

[@phillipshupert8980]

Oops...... stupid mistake lol

[@johncook9983]

Oooh, I like this! Thanks 🤙

[@alan2400]

Great lesson .... thanks!

[@henrynelson2265]

very nice. thanks!

[@dumaflotchy13]

You get a great vintage Precision sound, really good stuff ...

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

Thank you!

[@cazoon]

Great lesson

[@eckie4679]

You can’t beat Mike Lull bases 😎😊

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

Sure can't! They're great!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Merci.

[@ACMan-Sports]

Nice

[@Rd61372]

you are a great instructor

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

Thanks so much!

[@jmd01]

Nice! 🙂

[@londonalicante]

The dominant 7th is done once in the whole video, at 2:25 for anyone needing a timestamp. Nice lesson, but having introduced that idea, a second example would have been good.

[@cynthiaanderson3742]

JAMES JAMESON 😎 😎 😎

[@t.pedersen9321]

Ryan one day it would be fantastic if you gave us a tour of your basses, strings and so forth. Your sound is so nice and your playing sounds effortless. So please 🙌

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

Will do!

[@garythebard]

Awesome that she responded will do, but keep in mind, despite sounding effortless, she has put in a great deal of effort and time. Gear, strings, etc. only go so far. That effortlessness you hear is the product of time and practice.

[@jeffatdistractionmgmt.3444]

Effortless comes from putting in the time, and I love when Ryan talks about growing up in blues jams. I’m super-excited for a breakdown of equipment, too. Even the gear used for recording these videos.

[@bassomatic6055]

I thought David Hood played on Let's stay together. Anyway I first heard this from Chuck Rainey

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

I'm quite sure the bass player on "Let's Stay Together" is Leroy Hodges. It's well documented and there's even an essay about it in the Library of Congress archives that's pretty cool and worth googling/reading :-)

[@geoffstokes]

What's that extra little riff you did a the end Ryan? when you returned to the D chord

[@anthonycook4297]

Nice and greasy 🙌🏽😎

[@Redbeard4321]

I just ordered the book. First time seeing your channel but I love Jenny Lewis. Quick google confirmed my suspicions.

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

Very cool! Thanks for ordering my book!

[@Redbeard4321]

@@RyanMadoraMusic am like halfway through. By context I know what pedaling is but never heard term before. Would recommend Phil Collins autobiography-so when he met Duck Dunn while producing Clapton, Phil noticed he only brought the Fender and asked ‘so you brought one bass?’ meaning he was used to guys showing up with a fretless or 5 string to change it up. Dunn answered “I use to have 2 but one went down in the plane with Otis.”

[@rickfurci463]

You remind me of the guy that played the bass on the Barney Miller TV series I can't think of his name and he did the thumping on Seinfeld also that's who you remind me of you guys ought to hear some of my originals

[@gman2794]

Another great lesson Ryan! Does that mean the 3rd is tonic in this situation?

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

Thanks! Tonic is still the root note, so if the key is D Major, that's the tonic. The third is giving us the major vs. minor, so in this case, we're specifically landing on a major third.

[@thierrylemetayer3371]

Hi nice basic riff

[@queenredpill6561]

Greetings Ryan,May I ask what state&country are you in? I reside in New York. Am a beginner bass player.

[@1234drums]

Juicy ❤

[@robertbyrne522]

Thank you so much for this video. I am a private music instructor. Not to be a music theory nitpicker but the notes over the B chord you were playing should be described as B, C#, C Double # and D#. Thank you for all you do. I always enjoy your videos! 😊👍🎸

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

Thanks for enjoying my videos! There actually aren't any B chords in this lesson, just a "one-four-five" in the key of D. So the chords here are D Major, G Major, and A Major. Cheers!

[@harrywalsh677]

Could you change that bulb please

[@rickfurci463]

Hi Ryan my name is Rick furci I've been playing since I've been 10 years old when the Beatles came on Ed Sullivan about 60 years I'd like to get on KZbin like that with my guitar but I don't know how to go about doing it I'm from the days of a Hendrix Robin trower Rory Gallagher Johnny Winters all of those old guys I'd like to find new people to jam with them in Lorain Ohio hard to find people most of my friends think they're too old LOL😂

[@j.d.leslie8458]

I wonder if Ryan ever plays with a pick?

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

I certainly do!

[@j.d.leslie8458]

@@RyanMadoraMusic Thanks for the reply. I’m a guitar player thinking of buying my first bass. Maybe you could do a short tutorial on pick playing?

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

I've got a few lessons about pick playing... here's one! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fH-QqKBtittnmJY

[@j.d.leslie8458]

@@RyanMadoraMusic Thanks!

[@harrywalsh677]

Slightly too fast for me.could. you include Tab please

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

You can grab the TAB by supporting my Patreon page: www.patreon.com/ryanmadora

[@normg2242]

I picked this trick up by listening to Pink Floyd...lol

[@rickfurci463]

I'm sorry I didn't let you know I play guitar not bass but it doesn't matter you still kick ass

[@T8754]

Have you done a lesson on bass fills? If not, have you considered doing one?

[@RyanMadoraMusic]

I've done a couple exploring improv but will make a video more focused on fills. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@michaela2776]

Lol don’t think this funk. The riff played over the dominant sounded like A pretty Woman:

[@sls554]

Slow down, closer look at your fingers.

[@HarryPothead4304]

Bass is so easy even women and children are doing it.

[@jeffatdistractionmgmt.3444]

Trolling youtube is so easy that even vacant parking spaces are trying it…. Failing, but trying.