Funk Grooves stuck in pentatonics....??

[cire113]

All off my grooves sound awesome in the minor pentaonic and dorian mode..

Is this bad? I cant seem to get the same feel in other modes that i get from these ...

I just play funk all day long...


But i feel like i have enormous variations cause of different rhythm..

As far as funk goes i feel like the other modes are unfunky (besides maybe mixolyian a little)

[Kimpini]

As long as it sounds good and they are not all the same then I don't think anyone, besides you, will notice

[Chris K]

IMHO You should try to break loose from standard fingering patterns. Try to think of what you play as notes.

[kesslari]

Mixolydian is a VERY funky way to play.
For a straightforward example, check out Dr. John's "Food for Thot"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI1sW2ud4c4

[Chris K]

Originally Posted by kesslari

Mixolydian is a VERY funky way to play.
For a straightforward example, check out Dr. John's "Food for Thot"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI1sW2ud4c4

I listened to that track, like it.

[MalcolmAmos]

I'm not a funk kinda guy, so........ I really do not know which mode works with funk, however.......

Ionian - major - the major scale - attractive up beat feel.
Dorian - minor light jazz feel. I too like Dorian, its Mixolydian with a minor 3rd, or Aeolian with a natural 6th. Seems to work well everywhere.
Phrygian - minor exotic Spanish feel. First choice of Metal.
Lydian - Major dreamy. I've not heard that dreamy feel, its just another major Ionian (mode) for me. The #4 does not really add enough for me to hear all that much difference.
Mixolydian - Major Mexican feel - where Phrygian is Spanish Mixolydian is Mexican - IMO. With the b7 its a natural under the blues scale, thus yes it works well under the minor pentatonic.
Aeolian - Minor - the natural minor scale - yes I do hear sad with this mode. Very seldom use it as I lean toward Dorian or Phrygian.

You asked; "Is this bad"? Not IMO I too lean toward Dorian and Mixolydian. The blues scale falls into my stuff with ease, its the minor pentatonic with the blue note added. You might like to try it.

[guroove]

There's nothing wrong with using the same scales for funk. If the chord is major or a dominant 7th, mixolydian is pretty funky sounding. If it's minor, then Dorian would be the appropriate sound. For some reason a lot of funk music was stuck on major 6ths and minor 7ths. It's a sound that was used in the days when blues / soul / funk was big, and it stuck.
Over some chords you can go mixolydian while ascending, and dorian descending. You can also add chromatic passing tones the entire way between the minor 3rd and the 5th, and between the 6th and the octave. There are really no notes that you *can't* use, but it's important to know which ones you can sit on, and which ones to use as a passing tone.

[Hoover]

You can juxtapose different pentatonic scales over dominant seventh chords to get a more piquant flavor, but I would preface this advice by saying that you do so to get your ear acclimated to the resultant sound, not as a final solution (sic). IME people who rely exclusively on pentatonic scales do so because they haven't been exposed to the sound of more advanced chord-scale combinations, and/or their muscle memory is stuck in a remedial mode.

That being said:

Next time you're jamming on a D7 funk vamp, play some Eb major pentatonic (or C minor pentatonic) lines for a measure before resolving back to D. Your bandmates will be amazed at your Big Jazz Ears. Record company executives will demand your cellphone # on their speed dial. Groupies will flock to your dressing room.

Or, try G minor pentatonic, F major pentatonic, or Bb minor pentatonic, all against that D7.

Note that all of these alternate tonal centers are ways to get you using less consonant pitch classes in the context of a stable tonal center. They work mostly as temporary explorations that move away from and then back to the primary tonal center. They sound hip in small doses; when you come back to your D pentatonic after venturing out into Eb land, D sounds fresh, comforting, resolving...rather than boring, pedantic, rote.

(Transpose all above examples into appropriate keys as necessary.)