Vulfpeck is an American funk band that was formed in 2011 by a group of then-music school students at the University of Michigan. Since the band's first public release—a YouTube video showcasing the track "Beastly"—Joe Dart's energetic and nuanced bass-playing has been a reoccurring point of praise for the group.
Today, Reverb's Jake Hawrylak is back in the studio to celebrate Dart's dynamic playing by teaching the basslines of two songs—"Dean Town" and "Cory Wong"—from Vulfpeck's 2016 release, The Beautiful Game.
As Jakes states, "Dean Town" is a song that has quickly become a "bass player's anthem" because of its persistently groovy and engaging bassline. The song is filled with lots of accenting 16th notes and pentatonic flourishes. Check out the full video above to see Jake break it all down.
Next up, Jake digs into "Cory Wong," another track from The Beautiful Game. As with the first Vulfpeck lesson, Jake dissects each piece of Joe Dart's line in slowed-down sections for easier digestibility. After working through the bass part in totality, Jake breaks down the fill that Dart includes in his second run through the full progression.
Be sure to watch both videos above for Jake's full tutorials, and check back next Wednesday for Jake's next bass lesson on Colin Greenwood of Radiohead.
