what scales and chords used in funk?

[trigger_happy]

Hello everyone,

Recently, I have been into funk music and I was wondering, what scales or chords are commonly used in this genre?

 

[DocBop]

Victa sez it best.....

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

Work on groove first and foremost. Listen to classic grooves like James Brown The Payback it is a two note bass line that is right in the pocket. Keep it simple pentatonic and basic scales. Transcribe some classic lines and you will find note-wise Funk is simple, the groove is everything.

 

[markjazzbassist]

Victa sez it best.....

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

Work on groove first and foremost. Listen to classic grooves like James Brown The Payback it is a two note bass line that is right in the pocket. Keep it simple pentatonic and basic scales. Transcribe some classic lines and you will find note-wise Funk is simple, the groove is everything.

+1

there really are no wrong notes, it's all about the rhythm and feel and groove in the funk.

 

[DigableGrooves]

i use a scale called the chromatic scale. i use some notes more often than others.

 

[trigger_happy]

Thank you guys for your feedback!

 

[black lake]

i use a scale called the chromatic scale. i use some notes more often than others.

The best thing about the Chromatic Scale is you are always on the right note or just one note away from it

 

[johncg]

What everyone else says.

Groove, man. A lot of what can make funk "funky" is unconventional note choices.

To give you a more straight answer though:

The mixolydian mode, the blues scale, and the dorian mode are probably the common scale choices.

Dominant 7 and minor 7 are the most common chords.

Dominant 7 chord scale=mixolydian starting on the root of the chord

minor 7 chord scale=dorian starting on the root of the chord

...And the blues scale? Well, that works over just about anything!

 

[JimmyM]

Lots of funk songs are based around 9th chords. For example, "Play That Funky Music" is all 9th chords.

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

Lots of funk songs are based around 9th chords. For example, "Play That Funky Music" is all 9th chords.

But that's not what makes it funky!

 

[hunta]

Mixolydian is the most common scale for funk. Many funk tunes are all 7 chords.

With that said, any scale can be funky. You can take a super funky song and separate the notes and the rhythm. You can set those notes to another rhythm and it won't be funky. Take that funk rhythm and set any notes to it and it'll still be funky. Heck, just sit on one note and it'll still be funky.

Whole tone and locrian scales can funk things up too

 

[Freddels]

i use a scale called the chromatic scale. i use some notes more often than others.

Used sparingly, it's the best choice. Don't be afraid to skip around.

 

[Peoliveoil]

Listen to this awesome funk band here Link Removed

 

[BuffaloBass]

Minor 7th seems popular. In fact, I cant think of a major modes in the tunes in my head now. I'm sure they exist.

To me, funk uses the same musicality that blues rock ( chords /modes) does. It just arranges it differently and times it differently.

A fixture of funk I find is the various voices giving each other "space". The bass line is finished by the drummer, where the guitar strums a chord, and the singer pipes in. The funjk I enjoy has that as a fixture too. Very un "shred metal -esque", where no one is given a voice, its all a frickin jumbaliya mess.

Havent figured out how to covnert wma to mpeg yet, so you'll have to download this one to hear it, but its a tune that shows the great interplay between voices. From a band called SLAVE.

03 track 3.wma - 3.27MB

 

[skaliwag66]

I like the scales and 9th chords in Everyday People by Sly and the Family Stone.

 

[afromoose]

Hey Buffalo dude

I checked out that track you posted it's damn funky!
Slave huh? Cool band

When you said about the major modes i thought i'd say - if you're into more african grooves then they're full of major stuff. like afrobeat, zouk, zimbabwean, congo, that kind of stuff. I don't know if it's technically 'funky' but it's definitely groovy!

I wrote a tune in the major scale only recently, there's a clip on our myspace of it at Link Removed - the tonality is all major scale which is unusual for us but we're not adverse to it!

 

[afromoose]

By the way it's called "You and Me"

wait a sec it's not working i've got to sort this out!
okay now it works

 

[afromoose]

hey!

Also - here's a video of a band from Bristol which I made. They're called Helele - this will be like Cameroonian grooves

Link Removed

check it

 

[trigger_happy]

Once again, thank you guys for your help! I have also been listening to bands like sly and the family stone, Larry Graham and the graham central station, James Jamerson, Jamiroquai and many more.

Bassists like Stuart Zender, Flea, Larry Graham, Louis Johnson, James Jamerson and Francisco Rocco Prestia produce meaningful, funky yet simple and groovy basslines.

Thank you guys for the advice! XD

 

[BuffaloBass]

Afromoose, I dont know any of the Afro modes, and I NEED DESPERATELY to. THNX fr the links and I might PM you for more references.

SLAVE is a quintessential funk band from back in the hey day. Defintnely download their tunes.

Graham Central is boss too!

TriggerHappy, its not funk, but it FEELS SO GOOD, check out Chuck Rainey's line in Steely Dan's Gaucho.

And to take you back to "roots of funk" check out the interplay between George Porter Jr, and his drummer in the early The Meters stuff. Guess alot of artists have been sampling old The Meters, so you'll also catch some theory as well as the deep pocket groove.

Funk IS all about the Groove btw, and not so much about the notes. DocBop said it, quoting Vic.

In DUBAI!!! Well, ma'a salam, ye xii ! ( Go with Peace my brother)

 

[BuffaloBass]

Spirit at Play! Big thumbsup!