Tips for Chameleon by Herbie Hancock...

Zeus Mutation

Senior Member
Hey All,

So if you can play Chameleon by the great HH can you share a smidgeon of how you play it. I can groove with it but I still feel that there are some subtle things going on that I can't get my body to do just yet. This and Sir Duke (Stevie Wonder) on the hi-hat is driving me crazy, so simple, sir duke, but I get out of time...

Thanks
 
Man, when dealing with these classic tunes with a straight eighth funk feel, there are many ways to approach it. You can take what Harvey Mason is playing on the recording of the Headhunters album and try to mimic what he is playing, or you can lock in with your bass player and the rest of the rhythm section on the groove and experiment with different funk beats and licks. If your rhythm section is solid and can hang, you will come out with some sound that people want to hear.

Chameleon is badass, but think of how often it gets played. By changing the original beat by adding your own groove, it makes that track that much more interesting to listen to.

Good luck! Hope this was good advice...
 
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