70s Bass Lines: Unlocking the Funk on Four Strings
Big hair, flares and groovy bass parts! With TABs...
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These 70s bass lines are sure to turbocharge your bass playing. 5 tracks dedicated to smooth melodies, compete with TABs so that you can master these skills at home.
70s Bass Lines:
70s Bass Lines: A Decade of Awesome Music
Welcome to this quick run down of funky bass lines from the 1970s. Today, we’ll be looking at just five songs from an entire decade. With some harder than others, there’s hopefully something for everyone.
All of these riffs are in TAB format, which comprises of a lines and numbers system. The numbers show us which frets to use, and the lines show us what strings we need to play. It’s as easy as that.
So, come on Sir Duke, make a left at the Roundabout as we enter this Car Wash of 70s bass lines and we’ll let the Good Times roll. It’s Got To Be Real! How awful was that?
Good Times – Chic
Kicking us off, we’re right at the end of the decade. Our first 70s bass line comes from the fingertips of Bernard Edwards. The bassist from Chic.
Accompanied by Nile Rodgers’ slick guitar playing, this bass part provides a solid groove throughout the track. As it repeats throughout, you really get your money’s worth with this one.
If you listen closely, you can hear a bit of Rapper’s Delight in this bass part. Both from the 70s, one is a deemed to be the first ever rap song, and the other is a disco classic.
Got To Be Real – Cheryl Lynn
Moving on, it’s time for some girl power. Cheryl Lynn’s biggest hit only reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it secured a deserved number 1 spot on the Hot Souls Singles charts.
Potentially something for more advanced players, this 70s bass line features some fast semi-quavers and plenty of hammer ons. As we can see from the TAB, the main section of the verse repeats 10 times before changing to something else.
At the start, we’ve got an iconic bass intro that has signalled the end credits to movies throughout the years. To master it, finger placement is key. I’d recommend using your 3rd finger for the 7th fret of the D string, allowing you quick access to the 5, 7 and 10th frets on the G string. Adopting a finger per fret rule.
Car Wash – Rose Royce
From the 1976 film of the same title, Car Wash is going to inject some serious funk into our list of 70s bass lines.
Similarly, finger placement is really important for this one. The repeated pattern from the 5th and 3rd frets on the A string can be played with your 3rd and 1st fingers. Moreover, there are some other techniques that you may not have tried yet.
At the end of the TAB, we’ve got some hammer ons, joined by some slaps and pops. For a successful pop, we want to place your plucking finger, or thumb, underneath the string and pull it away from the instrument. Thus resulting in the desired effect.
However, the slap section requires some pin point accuracy from your thumb. Striking the side of your thumb on the required string will provide that 70s twang you’re looking for. We can see these marked on the TAB with an S and P respectively.
Car Wash – Chorus
As a bonus, we’ve got the chorus section of this song. Which includes a key bass tehcnique that you can apply elsewhere.
We’re working through a series of octaves here. Whereby we’d play the 5th fret of the A string, followed by the 7th fret of the G string. These are the same notes, just at different pitches.
This works across D, B, C and C# before repeating. It’s a great technique to get familiar with.
Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder
When tasked with coming up with a bass line for Sir Duke, Nathan Watts really understood the assignment.
The track features one of the most recognisable breakdowns in the history of music. It’s complex yet engaging, and it’s also very difficult to play! So back down to earth, and this 70s bass line forms the verse section of this song.
Here, we’ve got a nice repeating pattern that follows the song’s chord progression. Each phrase dependent on the previous one, as it forms a transition for the next note.
Roundabout – Yes
Concluding our look at 70s bass lines, we’re jumping back right to the start of the decade. You may recognise this one, as it fell victim to the to be continued meme a few years ago. I have to say, it does fit really well.
Out of all of our tracks, this one is the quickest on here. With most bass parts hovering the 112bpm mark, this one leaps up to a fierce, by comparison, 133bpm. Coupled with some quaver and semi-quaver phrases, it feels very fast.
Relevant Gear
A 70s bass line needs a 70s style bass. With plenty on offer from *Thomann, here a few that I’d recommend to get that sound.
70s Bass Lines: Spoilt for Choice
There we have it, a brief look at some great tracks from the 1970s. What a time for music. You had Funk and Motown tracks in the charts, at the same time as Rock, early Metal and Ballads. How cool must that have been?
With loads of bass lines to choose from, what’s your favourite pick from the decade?
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