GROOVE ESSENTIALSTHE PLAY-ALONG

A COMPLETE GROOVE ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR THE 21ST-CENTURY DRUMMER

TOMMY IGOE VIC FIRTH HUDSON MUSIC

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CHART

FUNKGroove 12 SLOW Track 23

Variation A Variation B

The New Orleans band called The Meters (currently called “The Funky Meters”) is synonymous with no-frills grit-

ty funk. Their classic lo-fi recordings capture a raw hardness that has earned them a place in the groove

pantheon. “Groove 12 Slow” is our tribute to them. When you listen to the track with headphones, notice the two

classic funky guitar parts: the left side has a “chicken pickin’” single note line, and the right side has a funky strum

part. The bass and drums (even with their busy parts) wind their way through these lines tying them together.

The chart is straight-ahead: 16-bar phrases throughout. At Letter B you’ll have a great opportunity to play around

with the groove if you wish. The bass drops out leaving you alone to jam with the guitars and keys. By all means, if

you wish to simply groove through, then go for it. But, if you are feeling adventurous, you can get into all sorts of

mischief that will result in one of two things: a self-indulgent mess or a phenomenally slick groove section. Guess

which one we want to aim for? Advanced players can switch from closed to open position and try some linear

ideas, as well as adding grace notes, or conversely, leaving more space. The options are up to you; see what kind of

trouble you can get yourself into. Don’t worry, nobody’s listening . . . for now! (cue: evil laughter . . . )

Because I’m such a nice guy, I gave you a click for the first 8 bars of the chart to get you settled in the groove.

This will help those new to funk to understand what the heck is going on; it can be confusing at first. Variation A

is a groove with the classic open hat sound on bar 2 and a sweet 7-stroke roll to get us back to the beginning.

The main groove for both Groove 12 charts avoids the backbeat on beat 2; Variation B is another, yet completely

different, way to get the same effect.

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CHART

FUNKGroove 12 FAST Track 24

Variation A Variation B

Let’s start by talking about a feature common to the three fast funk songs in this book: a busy first 8 bars, with

an ensemble figure for the next 8 bars. Look at the chart above to see what I mean. In “Groove 12 Fast,” after the

first 8 bars of groove, there is a 2-bar figure repeated three times (6 bars), followed by bars 7–8, which differ slightly

from the 2-bar figure. As we learned before, we always observe the “repeats within repeats,” so we play the figure

three times when we come to it. Then, after we play our ensemble figures, we head right back into the groove.

Uh-oh, here’s a “funky drum solo”—you know what that means, right? Go nuts! Just go nuts, hit everything you

can and forget about the groove! YES!!! Is my sarcasm coming through? Good. In all seriousness, beginners

should feel fulfilled by simply grooving through these 2 bars. For those up to the challenge, play a funky solo, but,

remember that after your little solo, the band comes back in, so please, whatever you do, don’t lose the groove.

Your job is to connect the sections together and make it feel great. Don’t drop the ball . . .

Variation A is close to the groove I play on the DVD for this tune, and it’s a better choice than the main groove

for this particular song. You see? You have to use your ears and do what’s right for the piece, not get locked into

what you think you have to play. Variation B is great for that ensemble figure we just talked about; it rubs against

the figure, but also connects through the ensemble. Give it a try and see how it works for you.