Dazzling Funk and R & B Licks
Scales, walking bass patterns, and syncopations form the cornerstone of most R & B styles. But it's how you use them that matters the most! Start by reviewing the major and minor pentatonic and blues scales found in Chapters 9 and 11. You have to really understand and be comfortable with these scales before you can progress further. One of the most important steps is to be able to navigate these scales separately, to understand the difference between them, and to know where and when each scale should be used.
It's important to clarify the use of the pentatonic and blues scales. If you have a major chord, you can use both the major and minor pentatonic scales. The same is true of blues scales. However, if you have a minor chord, and you wish to only use pentatonics or blues scales, you must only use the minor version of each scale.
Combining the major and minor pentatonic/blues scales produces one of the most compelling bass lines that you can use in R & B and funk. This works only on major chords, because with minor chords you can only use a minor scale(s). Keep in mind that the emphasis here is on major chords with dominant sevenths. This concept does not apply to major chords with major sevenths. That's a whole other ball game!
Figure 12-9 shows you how to combine major and minor pentatonic and blues scales. In this example, you'll see a lick that really mixes it up. There is something extra funky about a bass line that combines rhythmic syncopation and dexterous melodicism.
Figure 12-9.
Combining scales in funk
