Fusion is a combination of musical styles, usually Jazz/Funk and Funk/Metal. Most people use the term to describe complex arrangements which often have frequent rhythm changes and unusual phrasing in the melodies.

Example M1 (Funk/Metal)

The powerful sound of slap playing is often used in a metal context to create a heavy yet funky feel. This riff is in the key of E.

As an alternative bass line, the following transcription is the guitar line which you could try doubling on bass as a more traditional sounding metal riff.

Example M2

Example M2 is played on a 6 string bass. This piece has a shuffle feel which is an uneven division of the beat where the eighth note subdivisions are extra short. The right-hand pattern is thumb, index, middle throughout. You could transpose the whole thing down to Emin and play it on a 4 string by following the TAB and playing the first note as an open E string instead of an A. The notation is only for the chorus.

On a song writing point, I've also included audio of the original version which is how it sounded when I first wrote it before the shuffle feel was introduced. It sounds a semitone lower because my bass was tuned down due to a band I was in around that time. I could electronically transpose it back to concert pitch but leaving it lower increases the contrast.

Example M3

Example M3 is not what comes to mind when people think of Fusion. It is however a fusion of Blues, Rock and Funk which were three styles that Led Zeppelin often merged. The piece was recorded with The Need in 2004. The basic riff modulates up from Emin to Gmin and then Bbmin. The point of including it here is that certain styles have been fused together into combinations which are now quite common. If you're looking for Fusion music you'll often find it under Jazz.

Example M4

Many of the notes are harmonics on the 12th fret. For Examples M4, M5 and M6 the E string is detuned to D.

Example M5

Examples M4, M5 and M6 all fit together as parts of the same song.

Notice that the last phrase is all played on the D string. It would have been easier to use the D and G strings but sometimes you sacrifice ease of execution for tonal reasons. Adding vibrato on the last note completes the phrase which is done in unison with the guitar and drums.

Example M6

The first 4 bars of Example M6 use plenty of ghost notes. In the last 4 bars an open low D string replaces the ghost notes to add some variety. Because Examples M4, M5 and M6 all stay in Dmin, they can function as a vamp for other instruments to solo over.