How to Play Funk Guitar
Funk guitar is marked by a heavy emphasis on rhythm. Strummed string mutes play a very important part in creating the driving rhythm associated with funk music. As a funk guitarist, you have to lock into the rhythm created by the bass and drums. This can be a bit tricky for a guitarist to learn if they are not used to doing this. Although funk guitar is heavily rhythmical, there are several guitar leads and solos in funk songs.
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Instructions
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Learn chords commonly used in funk music. Normal major and minor chords are not used very often in funk guitar. Instead use 7th chords, 9th chords, 7#9 chords (what is often called the Hendrix chord) and 11th chords.
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Practice playing funky rhythms. Basic funk rhythms are created by constantly strumming sixteenth note string mutes while throwing chords in at certain intervals. Play along with a metronome to keep yourself in time.
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Work on adding single note and double stop fills to your funk rhythms. Many funk leads are little more than single notes and double stops played in the midst of a funk rhythm.
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Play with a bassist and a drummer that know funk music. Nothing can help you learn funk guitar faster than playing with live musicians well-versed in the style.
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Tips & Warnings
Clean guitar tones are usually used when playing funk.
The wah-wah pedal is commonly used in funk music. By simply rocking back and forth on the pedal while playing funk rhythms, you can get a very authentic funk sound.
When learning funk guitar, it is a good idea to listen to a lot of funk music and learn different funk songs. There are several quality funk guitar tabs available in music books and for free on the internet.
References
- Photo Credit guitar picker 4 image by Lee O'Dell from Fotolia.com
