funk those chords

[ChSwho?]

So when I play over a funky drum beat I can get funky ... where Im having trouble right now is that Im struggleing to keep a solid funk when I play over changes. Does that make sense? I was wondering how any of you might approach playing a deep funk over changes. Like, what is the ground floor of thoughts that your thinking about when you both play through changes and still remain sunk into the groove? Is there a basic motif you use that you then develop off of? Im trying to marry a hard gut groove and still being attentive enough to also progress with the song.

any tips?

thanks.

[Pacman]

Simplify, man.

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by Pacman

Simplify, man.

+10

To quote Victor Wooten.... Never lose the groove in order to find a note.

[ChSwho?]

thanks for the replies guys .... I guess I need to just refocus then cause I can play melodically over the changes with a light groove but there is something about trying to play with the drum kit (bass, snare, high-hat) and pushing a melody along that Im just over thinking. For some reason right now I cant seem to be really rhythmic and stay in key through the changes as well.... patience and practice will have to win again I guess.

[PocketGroove82]

I have to agree with other comments. My old band did a slow driving funk version of "my funny valentine" and I kept finding that the less I played the and more space I left, the better the tune grooved and each note I played had a lot more emphasis.

[mothmonsterman]

yep, agree also.
I get lost all the same as you go, i start getting into the groove above my head then when it changes, i lose it.
I found even if you go a little fancy, falling back on the root note and doing a very simple one note groove then build it up from there.

But Yes KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID.
The best grooves aren't fancy at all.

[Marcury]

As all ready stated; Groove, Groove, Groove. Remember that octaves can be hella funky.

[jweiss]

I agree with the above posts, keep the groove.

But funk usually has very few (if any) chord changes. Are you sure that playing over chord changes is what you mean?

[lamarjones]

Personally, funk is a lot LESS about being melodic.

[ChSwho?]

Originally Posted by jweiss

I agree with the above posts, keep the groove.

But funk usually has very few (if any) chord changes. Are you sure that playing over chord changes is what you mean?

thank you for saying this....after the replies I went back to some James Brown and realized that mostly there are just riffs being played and its mostly doesnt change through the song.

SO ... maybe I wasnt using my English so good.

Maybe more of a Jazz Funk is what Im asking about...I what to be really interactive with all parts of the drum kit while still making the changes... Im trying it with just chord tones so I can really cement the foundation if you will and then later use passing notes. I dont know... haha

[ChSwho?]

English is my second language.

Dumbass is my first.

[mambo4]

Besides the very good advice so far...

when I have a funky riff that needs to follow changes, I usually look at 2 approaches:

1.) move the whole shape of the riff to a new key with each chord, essentially playing the same riff in a new key...adjusting intervals for notes that may clash with the new chord

or 2.) try my best to repeat the riff with *just* the root note moving around.
can be surprisingly effective over very diatonic progressions

generally its a matter of keeping the rhythmic feel the same but swapping in new notes

[jweiss]

Ok, perhaps it would help if you gave us the name of a tune you are working on (in jazz-funk genre).

Cheers,

Jeff

[steve66]

try to groove using only the root note, its 5th and octave, add some space and dead notes.

[ChSwho?]

Originally Posted by jweiss

Ok, perhaps it would help if you gave us the name of a tune you are working on (in jazz-funk genre).

Cheers,

Jeff

no particular song just a concept in general Im trying to get better at..... being pretty funky over changes .... I understand being funky is in how I play and not what but its just odd how I cant yet do that over changes....practice I guess and simplifiing at first and developing that once I get a basic funk over the changes.

[lamarjones]

Originally Posted by ChSwho?

no particular song just a concept in general Im trying to get better at..... being pretty funky over changes .... I understand being funky is in how I play and not what but its just odd how I cant yet do that over changes....practice I guess and simplifiing at first and developing that once I get a basic funk over the changes.

I am not sure you are asking the right question then, if that is the case.

Yeah, there are some great ways to play changes. I defer to a lof of blues and jazz tunes that have a lot of changes and how different people approach them, namely starting with some good walking lines.

That is a great place for 'connecting' the dots type of learning and intuition. If you can do that very well, then you can apply funky rhythms to them, maybe occassionally getting synchopated with a leading tone or something, but the bottom line is the meat of the funkiness is gonna be something real straight and less of this kind of stuff. Its probably the mixing of the two you are more concerned about.

But then again, I probably overgeneralized a bit, which I do. Or I am nowhere near. Regardless, somewhere in this linked post, it talks about the role of bass in certain hip settings.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...70#post3889870
post number 8 is kinda what I am talking about?

[Bassist4Life]

Find some tunes that you like and transcribe the bass lines. Find out what's going on and what makes it so funky.

[Andrew Jones]

Some TOP tunes have changes R Prestia still makes them sound earthy funky.



Aj

[ChSwho?]

thanks everyone for your help ... yall have cleared up some confusion in my head...