Funk Rhythm Guitar with Ross Bolton Produced by David Schaub Notation System Tablature: The six-line staff graphically represents the six strings of the guitar, with the top line indicating the highest sounding string (high E string). A number on a line of tablature designates the fret at which the note is played (0 indicates an open string). ne “Serateh”: Ascratch is simply a percus- sive attack achieved by muting the string(s) with your left-hand while attacking the string(s) with your right-hand, Notice E stn : Gstring, Hammer Slide Bend (“push”) Vibrato (“shake”) that no distinction is made Sth fret Play the 1st Play the 1st Play the note Bendto-and-from between scratching chords and note, then note, then indicated, then indicated pitch. scratching single-note parts. In hammerinto slide into the bendeithera the first section of this book (up the highernote next note whole step or half to Example 40), scratches may with afretting indicated. step as indicated. also be viewed as rhythmic: finger. “place-holders” in the notation to help show the rudimentary structure of a line. This booklet copyright ©1995 by Video Progressions. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in any form is an infringement of copyright. Infringers are liable under the law.Introduction Welcome to the world of funk rhythm guitar! This style of guitar playing is a must for any serious musician wanting to improve his or her rhythm guitar skills. Generally, good funk players have learned their craft by taking down parts from recordings or directly from other players. Now, with this video we offer you a clear, concise method that not only provides all the basic techniques for beginners, but will also challenge the most experienced professional. Let's begin with some fundamentals: Right Hand Technique: Your right hand is the timekeeper. This hand is constantly moving in time with the music; two up and two downstrokes for each beat (one stroke for each 16th-note subdivision). There are some exceptions to this rule, however if you are new to this style remember that it is very rare that you would stop your right hand while playing a funk guitar part. Keep your arm and wrist loose. Never “fix” your wrist or hand to the guitar. Also avoid “dragging” your.pick across the strings. Instead, try to make it sound as if you are striking all of the strings simultaneously. Example 1 shows the fundamental right-hand rhythm pattern: Ex. 1 Se VeEVEV EV eEVe Ve Ve as <:| P= downstroke ar Ve upstroke 1 2 3 4 It’s important that you memorize the location of the up and down strokes in the bar. They will always fall in the same place, unless indicated otherwise. With this in mind, up and down strokes will not be indicated in subsequent examples. Left Hand Technique: Your left hand controls the articulation of the notes or chord being played. The rhythm » pattern, percussive scratches and duration of the notes are completely controlled by damp- ing or depressing the chord with your left-hand on the neck. However, this action should be very subile so that your left-hand movement is kept to a minimum - be efficient!Synchronizing the Hands Isolating the Sixteenths: Being able to isolate the 16ths is probably the most important fundamental that you must develop as a funk guitarist. All of the rhythm parts in the video are derived from this basic skill. Remember to use steady, even strokes while simply “bouncing” your left hand on the appropriate 16th-note subdivision. Don’t exaggerate the attack with your right hand. Use “tight,” short attacks on each of the 16ths and really try to “lock in” with the metronome or drum machine. Ex. 2 E9 Ex. 3 E9 E: 2 2 2 Sa nae GE eae st i 1 | thee =e ESS | = = SES baa Ses EX A eae? Ex. 5 E9 2 s a , 2 fiisieicis (ctclofct re | ! = || 7 3 + EF 7 2 3 2 + # Z 4 4 Lx 4 7 =a 3 La 3 een ee eee et Ee ee Combining the Articulations: Now we'll combine all of the individual attacks into two short rhythm parts:The “Swing” Feel A swing or “hip-hop” feel is difficult to describe in musical terms. The feel is accomplished by delaying the second and fourth 16th of each beat. It’s not really possible to musically notate this feel because the amount of swing can vary from one groove to another. In terms of actually playing a swing feel, your downstroke will remain essentially the same, but the upstroke should be slightly delayed. Ex. & Swing <3 wee] = =e Aik) eae Playing Longer Tones Now we'll combine longer tones together with the shorter attacks. To play long tones, your right hand should still move in the constant 16th-note pattern that we've established as our foundation. However, instead of actually striking the notes, we'll float over the strings allowing them to ring. Many guitar players have a tendency to stop their right-hand when playing these longer tones. This is a bad habit because it interrupts the physical flow of your right-hand which in turn can throw off your time feel. The example below demonstrates the difference between the constant scratch and this “floating” right hand. Ex. 10 incorporates this technique into a simple one-bar rhythm part. Short Tones Long TonesHalf-Step Slide The half-step slide is a very commen device used in funk rhythm (9) £9 guitar playing. Notice that your right-hand must float on the up- ———— cycle (second 16th note) of these patterns while the left-hand p : =H s articulates the slide. It’s very important to play the slide in time with your left-hand keeping pressure on the fretboard so that the ae chord sustains throughout the slide. Examples 11 through 13 sae demonstrate variations on a simple one-beat slide pattem. Feel ————— free to either scratch or float the right-hand on beats 2 and 4 (indicated as ghost notes): (39 £9 (ot) £9 --2 2 * eaaee,Combining the Techniques Here are four short rhythm patterns that combine all four 16th-note attacks with a half-step slide in either a straight or swing feel: Ee (89) E9 (9 C9 @9 C9 s s = 3 Fe oS ———— iB ar 4 5 5 5 ime ee = = 2Chords Much has been written on the subject of chords - far more than we could possibly hope to cover on this video. However, what we will do is take a look at some of the more commonly used chord shapes in funk music. Specifically, these are dominant and minor chords. You'll notice that funk guitar chord inversions typically occur on the top four or five strings because the lower strings tend to get lost in the mix. Be sure to practice these inversions in different keys. Dominant Voicings The term “dominant” applies to the family of chords consisting of a major triad and a low- ered seventh (root, 3rd, Sth, flatted 7th). Some of the following chord shapes also contain “extensions” such as the 9th and 13th. Examples 20 through 22 will help you apply the chord shapes (which may be unfamiliar at this point). G7 : re —fony = Ex. 18 : 8 : a s o i Ex. 19 Gi Gi Gi a~ (Tele a! Shapes with Scale | |Ca G7(sus) G7 G7 (sus) o ee pH ip sponge Tricks with Dominant Chords We can isclate just a few notes out of these chords to create some interesting sounds. Examples 23 and 24 approach the ‘tritone” interval (3rd and flatted 7th of a dominant chord) from a half-step below: Staight} (ois) E 9 (09) E9Minor Voicings The minor chord shapes in this section are very similar to the dominant chord shapes en page 6. The only difference is that the 3rd has been lowered (root, flatted 3rd, Sth). The major sixth (or 13th) interval in examples 27 and 28 is very typical of “old school funk” (i.e. early James Brown). Ex. 26 3— 5 Bs Ex. 27 [Shapes with Scale Swing Gmi Gmi& Gmi7 Gri Gmi&Gmi7 Ex. 28 Gmi7 Gmié Gmi7 Gmi7 GmiéG mi? Higher Octave Mi £ £ 5 he = = — 5 a BeExample 30 is typical of an Earth, Wind & Fire rhythm guitar part. Notice that the scratches are very pronounced all the way through this example. Straight . Gmi Ex. 30 Example 31 requires a “shake” on the last chord. Lay —S~, your first finger down on the 8th fret across the 2nd, 3rd See2i 55 3. S= and 4th strings. Using your thumb for leverage on the os ————! — back of the neck, push and pull on the strings ina“fan- VY PM VY | (mV)m V ning” motion (a.k.a. B.B. King vibrato). Technically, the on "shake" in this example will extend the last 16th of each fF bar into the begining of the next measure (be sure to float your right hand for the first two 16ths of each bar). tl emi Be) cm m Sm opel : Ex. 31 tt Hi10 Single-Note Parts Playing single-note lines is another way to embellish a rhythm track. Coming up with an effective line can be a real challenge, as well as a test of musical maturity. Single-note parts are generally quite short and use very few notes. Muted / Open Picking “Muted” picking (a.k.a. “bubble picking” due to it's percolating sound) requires a strong picking motion, while at the same time muting slightly with the palm of your right-hand next to the bridge. “Open” picking simply means that you allow the notes to ring as you play. Ex. 32 Straight and ‘Swi GMa7 a eee aSkank Skank parts are the most aggressive of the single-note lines. This harsh, percussive style really cuts through when the band gets going. It is also the most difficult style to master because it requires that you isolate a single note while simultaneously muting the adjacent strings with your left-hand. The result is a strong, solid tone along with the percussive attack of two or more strings scratched with the right-hand. Es Ex. 35 i ot sae z —e xf xx BP = Straight =a + Y h a Ly S at 4 S Ex. 38 StraightEx. 39 Straight | Putting it all together... Now we'll combine chords and single-note lines to create some very interesting rhythm guitar parts. Note: Up to this point scratches have been indicated to help you understand the break- down of each beat. More specifically, the scratch indications defined the location for each up and down stroke (as outlined in Exampie 1). Now we'll move into standard notation where scratches are replaced with the appropriate rest values. It's important that you make this transition. Hopefully the previous examples will help you visualize where the scratches should fail. Feel free to rewrite the parts with scratches if necessary. D3 Ex. 40 = Swing = = He 3 Gi os Ex. 41 = . = T oI r ar = H Ze 18 45—4 a woe13 Double-Stops The term “double-stop” simply refers to playing two notes at the same time. The tech- niques for playing double-stop parts are basically the same as playing single-note lines: the most important of which is to keep your pick moving! When coming up with your own double-stop parts it helps to have a good harmonic understanding of the fretboard. Straight |B mi Ex. 43 h teh hy ph Ly Hn 4 Example 44 is a “New Orleans”-style shuffle part (a la “The Meters”). This example moves around a lot and would be considered a “featured part” rather than supportive rhythm- section line. It combines double-stops with a muted single-note line at the end of bar two. Even though scratches are not indicated, feel free to scratch on the 16th-note subdivsions (wherever it feels right) in place of the rests. In this example | tend to scratch the last two 16ths of bar one, and the third 16th in the first beat of bar two. Ex. 44 ‘Swing Ex. 45 ‘Swing14 Playing and listening to funk guitar will make you appreciate the “Art of the Groove.” To really understand what makes a track “groove” you need to become an intelligent listener. Listen to all the instruments on the track - not just the guitar. Does the track swing or is it straight? If it does swing, is it just a little or a lot? Often on a single track you will find that some players swing, and some don’t! Listen for subtleties in the time feel. Is the band playing ahead of or behind the beat? Most of the time we listen to music for fun, but as a musician you need to learn what to listen for. You can learn as much from listening as you can from playing. 16th-Note Triplet The 16th-note triplet is an easy way to add some flash to your playing. In the following example we’ve put the 16th-note triplet at ihe end of the bar. Notice that after playing the triplet you’re left playing an upstroke at the beginning of the next bar. This interruption of the 16th-note strumming pattern can be corrected by suspending your right-hand on the second 16th and retuming to a downsitroke on the third 16th. ES AL = poe Ex. 46 f & i § ae fee Fess Sete fo et Epos a cae BY PLY Sim... PUY Pav VS Ne Pl Ve tieVaet oat ees i er Staight] G2 eo al Fo Fe Ex. 47 fe & s $ $ 8 3 $ $ £ £ : |15 Applying the Techniques In this section we'll combine some of the previous examples to show how they might be used together in song form. Section [A] of Ex. 48 is based on Ex. 28 (in D minor instead of G minor). The [B] section is Ex. 41, however in the last bar of this section we've added an AQ chord as a “turnaround” (a turnaround is simply a short passage that leads back to the beginning of a song). Dmi& Dmi7 [A] Dmi Dmis — Dmi? Dmi = et16 In this piece, section [A] is based on Ex. 38 with an A minor triad added at the end of each two-bar phrase. The [B] section is based on Ex. 14 (in D9 rather than E9). The “turn- around” passage ends with a 16th-note triplet on the second half of beat 3, leading into beat 4. De (49) ps E78) ae oe17 Conclusion The examples in this video are primarily based on traditional funk parts. While much care was taken to be as complete as possible, there is no substitute for listening and becoming familiar with the artists who define the style. Your own repertoire of creative rhythm guitar parts can best be developed by having a solid frame of reference. Hopefully, after working through this method, your desire to explore the world of groove music is stronger than ever. With this in mind, | have put together a short discography of some suggested listening (in no particular order): James Brown 20 Greatest Hits, Star Time (Box set), both on Polydor. It all starts right here. No funk collection would be considered worthy unless it contained one of these discs. Sly and the Family Stone Anthology, Greatest Hits, both on Epic. Loose, fun party music. Sly was and continues to be a big influence on other artists. Parliament/Funkadelic Tear off the Roof (Double CD, Greatest Hits collection), Polygram. Like Sly, the vibe is loose and crazy. This music isn’t for everybody, but some of the grooves are amazing. Tower of Power in the Slot, Urban Renewal, Back to Oakland, all on Warner Bros. This is “sophisti- cated” funk. These recordings have it all: super-intricate rhythm section grooves, incredible horn parts and great ballads. It doesn’t get much better than this. Earth, Wind & Fire All n All, !Am, Gratitude and The Best of Earth wind & Fire, Vol. 1, all on Columbia. Everything written for Tower of Power applies to this band as well. By the mid seventies these guys set a standard for other bands to live up to. Al McKay's rhythm guitar playing is simply brilliant. Average White Band: Best of 1974-80, Rhino. This disc is full of great rhythm guitar ideas. It’s also a good example of some great arrangements for two guitars. Rufus: Stompin’ at the Savoy, Warner Bros. Chaka Khan: What ‘Cha Gonna Do For Me, Warner Bros. Both of these selections feature amazing guitar work by David Williams; in my opinion, one of the best thythm guitarists working today. Prince: Hits/B-Sides (3 dise set; especially disc’ #2), Warner Bros. While most people are aware of his music, many don’t realize what an outstanding rhythm guitarist he is. This is by no means a complete list, but it represents a good cross-section of the major artists. There is also a multi-disc series entitled In Yo’ Face (Rhino Records; discs in this series are sold separately) that features great tracks from many different artists. Also, a “greatest hits” package from any of the following bands would be worth your consideration: Kool & the Gang (carly years), Cameo, Ohio Players, Con-Funk-Shun, Graham Central Station, Bar-Kays. It’s truly been a pleasure sharing my love for this style of music with you. Good luck on your musical journey! Ross BoltonWith years of experience on staff at the MUSICIANS INSTITUTE in Hollywood, CA, groove-master ROSS BOLTON presents one Of the most comprehensive programs ever developed on the art and technique of Funk Rhythm Guitar. Ross’ standing-room-only funk classes and counseling sessions are among the hottest tickets at the school. In addition to his work at GIT he has recorded with such notables as The Beach Boysand — performed with members of Tower of Power | and Earth, Wind & Fire. Whether you are a beginner ar a seasoned pro, thi guido will show you haw to master tho art of tho groove! Ross has developed a clear, concise method that unravels the tricks and techniques at the heart of the unmistakable funk guitar sound. After laying down the fundamentals, he moves on to cover - the finer points: swing/straight 16th rhythm patterns, “hip-hop” grooves, classic funk chord voicings, single- hote “bubble picking,” “skank” playing, and much more. You will learn to play both traditional and contemporary rhythm guitar parts in the styles of James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Prince, and many others. Split-screen closeups magically dissolve into live performances fo show how the techniques are applied. Never before has this essential style been so thoughtfully organized and presented. “Ross’ instruction has been generating a lot of excitement here at Ml. His method has proven itself time and again for our students, and now finally translated to video... truly an amazing piece of work.” - Tom Bartlette, Director of Education, Musicians Institute “If you're spellbound but mystified by funk guitar, you'll dig this video. Not only can Bolton play greasy grooves, he’s able to break out funk’s elements and explain how they mesh.” + Guitar Player Magazine Produced & Directed by David Schaub Program Length: 100 minutes ions. All right ‘ the United Siales and other eouniries, This program is so reproduetion or exhibition is strotly prohibited and ma He eo Progressions, P.O. Box 8463, Manhattan Beach, CA @