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Sweet Emotion… Sweet Bass Riff!

Sweet Emotion Bass Aerosmith

Sweet alright yet not an easy one to get under your fingers. In this episode of Talking Technique, I show you a few strategies for tackling this – and any – challenging riff.

Why is it a Challenging Riff?

One of the reasons it is a bit challenging is its rhythmic make up: eighth notes, sixteenth notes, and a dotted eighth add interest*; then there is the quick tempo and the fact that the song begins with the bass and just a shaker, so you want to be on it right from the get-go! With all these big jumps not such an easy feat!

*: I am using the original, Toys in the Attic version. Many people – including YouTubers – get it dead wrong or combine a hodge podge of versions. 
 

Here’s How to Nail It

To really nail it you need to completely understand it. 

 

Why?
Only if you completely wrap your mind around it will you be able to place the accents correctly according to the underlying subdivision. So, understanding it is the first step!

Then what?
Okay, so you can now place the one-e’s and the and-a’s correctly and you understand the riff in your head. Great. But now to use it with confidence or when improvising, rhythm must be felt in the body!

What exactly does this mean? This sounds elusive!
If it sounds elusive to you it means you need help getting rhythm from your head into your body. That is exactly why I created Ari’s Rhythm Matrix. 

In it I break down all binary rhythms into 16 easy shapes and I use a trick to help you get them into your body so you can feel them easily. It is so easy it is almost funny. But boy, is it effective!

To learn my rhythm matrix and how to get rhythm into your body, join my Rhythm Matrix Live Class. The next one starts on June 23rd 2022.

If you join my Rhythm Matrix Live Class you will get a complete rhythmic break down of Sweet Emotion as we use it as one of our sample pieces.

In the meantime, you can watch my Talking Technique video below to get many tips on the technical aspects of this cool riff. And check out this blog post for a PDF download of Sweet Emotions intro, technique tips and what happened when Tal Wilkenfeld learned the original riff…

 

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Slapping… What do you think?

slapping Ariane Cap Rob Smith

After our last newsletter on slapping, I got an email from a cherished reader… 

I will call him “T” here. He announced his unequivocal displeasure with slapping as a concept: “Sorry, Ari”, “T” began, and went on to describe Slapping as a “ghastly sound” that is “unmusical, repetitive and self-indulgent”. He opined “it’s for the player and not for the listener” and even went on to talk about potential wrist issues.

First of all, I am always thrilled to hear from my readers and this is not a knock on T who is entitled to his view (and definitely not alone with it!).

Here’s how I responded

“No apology needed. It’s a view you are not alone with. However, people with professional aspirations will need to learn it, as these days it is simply part of the expected skill set for studio recordings and live situations. Hence they’d be remiss to not offer it.”

Thumbs up or down for slapping or thumping?

In addition, I would also add, it’s a sound that – if used in the right musical context and with the right taste – can add so much to a song. I just cannot imagine thinking of Marcus Miller, Larry Graham, Victor Wooten or Mark King producing anything even close to sounding ghastly! Beauty is famously in the eye of the beholder, of course, but I do know that I am not alone with that view either! Many bassists are happy to follow in the footsteps of Larry Graham, who is generally considered to be the father of Slapping.

Lastly, it will not create wrist issues if done right. As always, minimizing motion, using gravity to your favor, and not working against yourself is the ticket. Placement, explosive, short movement, relaxed and good technique… and you will be golden!

What do you think?

I always love hearing from our readers (even if we disagree on a topic), so thank you, T, for your note! Slapping is not for everyone… and that’s cool too! 

For those who are interested in Slapping and want to add it to their arsenal, we got you covered

Slapping Live Class Rob Smith Ariane Cap