Sixteenth notes
Count and play sixteenth notes and the common figures made from them.
Eighth notes split the beat in two. Sixteenth notes split it in four, and a large part of funk and rock bass playing lives there.
Four to a beat
With a quarter-note beat, four sixteenth notes fill one beat. Count them “1 e & a, 2 e & a…”, said “one-ee-and-uh”. This division of the beat is a subdivision. Sixteenths are beamed with two beams, usually in groups of four, one beat at a time.
Common figures
| Figure | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| four sixteenths | 1 e & a | — |
| eighth + two sixteenths | 1 & a | “gallop” |
| two sixteenths + eighth | 1 e & | — |
| dotted eighth + sixteenth | 1 a | long–short |
| sixteenth + dotted eighth | 1 e | short–long |
| sixteenth + eighth + sixteenth | 1 e a | syncopated |
Sixteenth rests replace any of these notes. In funk bass, rests and very short notes are as important as the notes played.
Practise slowly
At 60 BPM, sixteenths are 4 notes per second. Start slow. The pulse below clicks on the beats and, more quietly, on every sixteenth.
At 60 BPM, play each figure on the open A for 4 bars, counting aloud. Then build a bar by choosing four different figures.