5 James Brown Bass Lines That Will Get You ‘On The ONE’

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James Brown bass lines are PERFECT for showing you how to get ‘on the one’. So what is ‘the one’ anyway?

You may have seen Bootsy talk about it…

Maybe you’ve heard interviews with Victor Wooten, or Marcus Miller or Stanley Clarke or any number of amazing bassists where they talk about it…

At the very least, you’ve definitely heard these bassists play this mythical thing that forms the foundation of funk:

‘THE ONE’

And to really see where ‘the one’ came from, we have to go back in time and go to the source. The Godfather of Soul and hardest working man in show business, Mr James Brown.

James Brown is credited with the creation of ‘the one’ - that heavy, funky, phat feeling you get when everyone in the band hits in a certain way, and it just feels incredible.

So today, I want to share with you 5 amazing James Brown bass lines - all played by different bassists - that will guide you towards getting on ‘the one’. What you play obviously matters, but how you play these bass lines also makes a HUGE difference to how they feel.

And not only will these bass lines show you how to get on the one, they’re also just unbelievably fun.

If you want to practice these James Brown bass lines and get them sounding as good as possible, I’d definitely recommend you download the tabs, tracks and notation by heading to this page:

And filling out the form under the video.

It’s completely free, and not only will you get everything you see in the lesson, but I’ve also included some slower practice tracks so you can get your fingers around some of the trickier James Brown bass lines. (Bass lines #2 and #3 can be a workout for the fingers)

You’ll notice with some of the examples in the video that playing ‘the one’ doesn’t always mean slamming beat one of every single bar (although that does happen).

In fact, most of the examples in this lesson are 2-bar phrases where beat 1 is totally de-emphasized - or even not played at all - in the 2nd bar of the phrase. Check out the 5th bass line and you’ll see that half of the bars, there’s nothing at all on beat 1 - and it’s one of the funkiest James Brown bass lines!

Good luck with ‘the one’ and happy playing!

Cheers,

Luke

P.S. The link to download the tabs, tracks and notation for FREE (including the slower practice tracks for getting things up to speed) is right here:

0:00 Intro
0:59 James Brown Bass Line #1
4:42 James Brown Bass Line #2
7:24 James Brown Bass Line #3
9:45 James Brown Bass Line #4
11:22 James Brown Bass Line #5
14:37 Get The Free Tabs And Tracks

#jamesbrown #jamesbrownbasslines #basslesson

[BecomeABassist]

What other James Brown bass lines have you used to get ‘on the one’?

[njoysuccessnow]

To develop that sound and those grooves in those days when there wasn't really anything else like it before them says a lot. James was special. His musicians were talented too, bringing his ideas to life.

[doobedoodndoobie]

Glad u covering James Brown! Thats when I really started to like Bass.

[oolabob]

I love the way you're doing this, Luke. Very specific and usable breakdowns of how to play this music on the bass, but also info about the music and how to give it the right feel.
I feel like I'm papa with a brand new bag.

[darrenhawkins]

Nice Memories of The Godfather of Soul. FUNK FACTS 😂

[ulala]

Nice! I like how you design your lessons and discovering so many beginner friendly bass lines that enables me to emerge in one style completely. Thanks man!

[mikefelber]

Awesome and inspiring stuff- Well taught as well. Saving this to go back to and learn. Thanks man! \m/

[Robin-kcvh]

Your an amazing bassist. Love your Channel. 😎👍🏽

[thomasfioriglio]

Another fantastic lesson Luke. Easy Funk lines that are fun to play and emphasize the ONE. Funk on!

[jamespatton]

I really enjoy what you are doing Luke ! Thanks very much !

[anthonywilliams]

Back in 1967 I played bass in a seven piece soul band in Leicester Square London five nights a week, with two black guys singing James Brown stuff, the band was called " Please Stand Up " which was always good for a laugh when the guys introduced the ensemble. My bass lines were taken from a mixture of James Brown, Ska music, and jazz, mainly because I couldn't read music, but knew what sounded good, especially the gaps between notes, which were as important as the notes themselves, and the way to drive a band was through playing that way, the bass was the bedrock especially when there were extra brass players sitting in on the front line. I can think of at least ten great bass lines that you might want to include in your lessons.

[kuerst]

Dude, you're awesome. I've only watched 2 videos so far but I've subscribed and will be watching more. Keep up the great work!

[midnighttrucker]

I picked up my bass 1st time since January 2020. Wasn't sure where to start. These bass lines are great, funky and easy to play

[RyanonBasss]

Sick, gonna incorporate these into my show! Cheers from the road!

[denisblack]

the mothership connection has landed, ladies and gentlemen

Luke, you are a great teacher! 4th one is so useful for practicing the one, doing crazy fills and returning to one in time)
I have a request, make a "how to sound like Bootsy Collins" video like the ones you did for Joe Dart and Paul.
Bootsy is my bass hero, i'm eager to fully integrate

[Funkybassplayer]

Thank you Luke, I look forward to play them all perfectly thanks to the notation
I like the (simple one) the most. That’s a killer groove. The last is also very good.
Keep the funk coming. 🤟🏻

[l.rogeliosanchez]

Nice, your Technique and teaching is incredible, I am a beginner enjoy practicing your techniques on becoming a better bass player.
Keep up the good work.
From Dos Palos ca

[dre]

My Cousin is Fred Thomas. So yeah I knew the whole band.

[MrDanilop]

So now I understand what Flea learned before adding the slap. Great

[michaelmathews]

Nice playing but I Feel Good line is notated incorrectly