Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Foreword
This booklet is intended to work in partnership with the arrangement of Red
Clay written by Kevin Jackson. The goal of this booklet is for students to
have a resource where they can gain a comprehensive and in-depth
understanding of soloing in the style of funk. This is meant to be a resource
for both students and teachers on how improvisation can be approached in
a stress free environment which promotes growth and experimentation. By
the end of this booklet students will gain skills is historical context of funk,
how to read chord symbols, how to find common chord tones, which scales
can be used in this style, as well as some common rhythms and riffs that
are used is the genre of funk.
"Jazz is an open ended music designed for open minds.
-Anonymous
Index
What is Funk?
Page 3
Page 5
Page 7
Page 9
Page 11
Page 14
Final Thoughts
Page 16
2
What is Funk?
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-to late 1960s when African
American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music
through a mixture of soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues (R&B). Funk
de-emphasizes melody and chord progressions used in other related
genres and brings a strong rhythmic groove of a bass line played by an
electric bassist and a drum part played by a drummer to the foreground.
Funk songs are often based on an extended vamp on a single chord,
distinguishing them from R&B and soul songs, which are built on complex
chord progressions. Funk uses the same richly coloured extended chords
found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and
elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths.
The word funk initially referred (and still refers) to a strong odour. It is
originally derived from Latin "fumigare" (which means "to smoke") via Old
French "fungiere" and, in this sense, it was first documented in English in
1620. In 1784 "funky" meaning "musty" was first documented, which, in
turn, led to a sense of "earthy" that was taken up around 1900 in early jazz
slang for something "deeply or strongly felt".
In early jam sessions, musicians would encourage one another to "get
down" by telling one another, "Now, put some stank on it!". At least as early
as 1907, jazz songs carried titles such as Funky. The first example is an
unrecorded number by Buddy Bolden, remembered as either "Funky Butt"
or "Buddy Bolden's Blues" with improvised lyrics that were, according to
Donald M. Marquis either "comical and light" or "crude and downright
obscene" but, in one way or another, referring to the sweaty atmosphere at
dances where Bolden's band played. As late as the 1950s and early 1960s,
when "funk" and "funky" were used increasingly in the context of jazz
music, the terms still were considered indelicate and inappropriate for use
in polite company. According to one source, New Orleans-born drummer
Earl Palmer "was the first to use the word 'funky' to explain to other
musicians that their music should be made more syncopated and
danceable."The style later evolved into a rather hard-driving, insistent
rhythm, implying a more carnal quality. This early form of the music set the
3
pattern for later musicians. The music was identified as slow, loose, rifforiented and danceable.
Style
Funk creates an intense groove by using strong bass lines. Like Motown
recordings, funk songs used bass lines as the centrepiece of songs. Slap
bass's mixture of thumb-slapped low notes and finger "popped" (or
plucked) high notes allowed the bass to have a drum-like rhythmic role,
which became a distinctive element of funk.
Harmony
Funk uses the same richly-coloured extended chords found in bebop jazz,
such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant
seventh chords with altered ninths. However, unlike bebop jazz, with its
complex, rapid-fire chord changes, funk virtually abandoned chord
changes, creating static single chord vamps with melodo-harmonic
movement and a complex, driving rhythmic feel. Some of the best known
and most skilful soloists in funk have jazz backgrounds.
A Brief History
The distinctive characteristics of African-American musical expression are
rooted in sub-Saharan African music traditions, and find their earliest
expression in spirituals, work chants/songs, praise shouts, gospel, blues,
and "body rhythms" (hambone, patting juba, and ring shout clapping and
stomping patterns). Funk music is an amalgam of soul music, soul jazz,
R&B, and Afro-Cuban rhythms absorbed and reconstituted in New Orleans.
Like other styles of African-American musical expression including jazz,
soul music and R&B, funk music accompanied many protest movements
during and after the Civil Rights Movement. Funk allowed everyday
experiences to be expressed to challenge daily struggles and hardships
fought by lower and working class communities.
Extensions
In music, extended chords are tertian chords (built from thirds) or triads
with notes extended, or added, beyond the seventh. Ninth, eleventh, and
thirteenth chords are extended chords. The thirteenth is the farthest
extension diatonically possible as, by that point, all seven tonal degrees are
represented within the chord.
In the diagram below we see a C7 chord outlined in black. Going higher in
pitch we see the added D, F and A notes which are an example of the
possible extensions for this chord. These tertian chords continue stacking
notes in thirds and literally extend the chord higher, hence the term
extensions.
A- The thirteen or 13
F- The eleven or 11
D- The nine or 9
Bb- The flat seven or b7
G- The fifth or 5
E- The third or 3
C- The tonic or 1
Slash Chords
The use of slash chord writing simply mans that whatever is below the
slash must be the bass note. This being said, C/E indicates a C Major triad
with an E in the bass (First Inversion). Be aware that there doesn't have to
be any harmonic relationship between these notes. Because of this it is
possible to write chords such as Cm/F#.
A few ways you can practice going through these chordal outlines
Please note that you are not limited to the idea presented below. Add your
own twist on this exercise to keep it interesting.
1.) Indifferent octaves. See how many octaves you can play these in.
2.) At varying dynamic levels from pianissimo all the way to fortissimo
3.) In varying note values
Example: Each quarter note becomes two eighth notes, each quarter
becomes a triplet with three eighth notes.
4.) Played in different styles. Example: Swung versus straight
8
Usable Scales
In this section of the booklet we will go through a few scales that can be
used for the solo section of Red Clay as well as lots of other chord
progressions. Understanding the chordal outlines of the chords found within
a progression is important and having a strong understanding of both this
and different scales that can be used over a progression can create a
strong musical understanding.
b3
b5 5
b7
b7 5
b5 4
b3 1
Once students have a solid grasp on the scale in the correct order they can
start creating their own riffs and patterns using notes from the scale. This is
a great first step towards improvising using the scale.
Once students have a solid grasp on the scale in the correct order they can
start creating their own riffs and patterns using notes from the scale. This is
a great first step towards improvising using the scale. This scale should be
practiced in both a downward and upwards motion starting on the root, third
and fifth of the scale.
Bebop scale and create the scale B-C-D-F Natural-G-Ab-A-B. This scale
becomes very effective for this chord.
Example 1
This rhythm starts us off in a very basic way which will help us solidify the
timing and style we are looking for before we dive into harder rhythms.
11
Example 2
Note the off beat notes in this rhythm. Try clapping this rhythm and
stomping your foot on the rests. Taking into account the rests which put our
notes on the off beat are very important and should be considered when
learning this.
Example 3
This example gives us a strong syncopation within the bar which can be
very interesting for audience members to hear in funk as well as other
styles. Try putting a little accent on the front of each of these notes. Does
this help?
12
Example 4
Switching from off beats to on beats can be tricky. Subdivide the eighth
notes for this rhythm and try doing a strong downbeat on the second bar.
Make the ands of the subdivision much stronger than the downbeats for
the first bar.
Example 5
In this next example we see some sixteenth notes. Do not become
overwhelmed by this. Simply subdivide the 16th notes and count out the
rhythms first. Which beats do the 16th notes start on?
Example 6
Look at the rhythm below. Is this rhythm familiar to you? If so you have
probably already played the arrangement of Red Clay which is linked to this
booklet. This rhythm switches between on the beat rhythms and off
beats. It is important to internalized the beat before doing this rhythm to
ensure accuracy.
13
Example 2
This next example is one of my personal favourite riffs which can be used
in many different setting in jazz. Although the G#, and F# are technically
not note members within this chords they function as passing tones which
are not lingered on for long.
14
Example 3
This next riff steals a rhythm which we learned in the previous section.
Although not complicated with the notes chosen in this riff the rhythm
creates interest for the audience and seems flashy all the same. Notice the
sound created when going back and fourth between the tonic and the minor
third of the chord.
Example 4
This next riff is based off of the Blues Scale which we learned earlier in this
booklet. notice how we extend the scale about the first octave of this scale
to create a more melodic line. This scale can be used in any octave and
can be used to create neat and memorable melodies.
Example 5
The final riff I have given you to start your improvisational journey is based
off of the Bebop scale we learned earlier. Notice the sounds when both the
major and minor seventh are used in this riff.
15
Final Thoughts
This booklet is meant to give the teacher and young musician a
comprehensive and scaffolded approach at how improvisation can be
approached. There are many ways that this skill can be approached and I
feel that this approach presents it in a way that can help students
understand what they need to know next rather than everything they need
to know at once. When students are presented with too much information
at one time they can be overwhelmed which is the feeling I am trying to
avoid through this booklet. This approach is meant to be presented in a
way that scaffolds students up to the final product, which in this case is
being able to improvise on Red Clay, and creates transferrable skills which
can be used in many musical situations.
Although there is much information in this booklet it is by no means
everything there is to know about improvising over this piece of music or in
this style for that matter. I encourage you to continue searching for new
scales and new sounds once you have mastered these ones and see what
you can create.
Improvising is music which comes from our very soul, once we have
attained the skills we need to be successful in this art it is our job to forget
everything and just play.
16
References
1.) Vincent, Rickey (1996). Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm
of The One. St. Martin's Press. ISBN0-312-13499-1.
2.)Thompson, Dave (2001). Funk. Backbeat Books. ISBN0-87930-629-7.
3.) Wermelinger, Peter (2005). Funky & Groovy Music Records Lexicon. -.
ISBN3-9522773-1-2.
17