Funk Drum Grooves: What Is a Funk Groove?

Series Summary

The drum is the oldest known musical instrument in the history of man, and its basic design has not changed in thousands of years. Far from today’s uses as a percussive foundation for pop music or for fueling marching band excitement, drumming has a more profound history as a method of communication and as an implement of religious symbolism. The drum was perhaps first created from the primal idea of mimicking the human heartbeat, yet today its music has developed into a technical, complex arrangement of beats and grooves. In this free video series for beginning drummers, an experienced drummer demonstrates how to play a variety of funk grooves. He plays groves using quarter notes, as well as eighth and 16th notes and shows how to work the snare drum, ride cymbal and high hat cymbal into a groove. Keeping time is not the only thing a drummer does. The main goal is to fill the dance floor with people grooving to the drummer's funky beats.

Video Transcript

"So today we are going to be talking about funk grooves. Now a funk groove, you know there are many many obviously different funk grooves and stuff but the main you could say meat and potatoes of the funk groove would probably I would like to say would be you know it more or less is between your kick, snare, and hi hat, your kick, snare, and hi hat. The ride cymbal also too just the type of what you are riding on either the hi hat or the ride and it is just a foundation that you want to build between the kick, snare and the hi hat of a ride and it is about establishing that groove and there is nothing in between. One you have a solid groove and a solid foundation when you are in the dance situation or in the gig or on the scene and you know somebody feels that pulse they know that's real and that is what you have got to focus on when you are playing it with a lot of funk grooves. It is about straight ahead just grooving it."