Mastering Funk Guitar
Can you brang the funk? If not, fret not; you will after this guitar video course! In this funk guitar lesson collection, instructors John Heussenstamm, Dean Brown, Dave Hill, and Carl Verheyen break down the integral elements that make this style what it is. You'll learn all about chord voicings and inversions, pick-hand technique, fret-hand muting and technique, single-note palm-muted and "skank lines," and much more. By the time you're done, you'll be ready to sit in on a funk jam and lay it down like a pro. These videos are designed for intermediate players.
Videos
• Funky Guitar 1: Muting (04:25) - In this first lesson of six from John Heussenstamm, you'll learn how to properly get the "skank rhythm" sound, which is accomplished by applying the proper fret-hand muting so that you can attack all six strings and only hear one note.
• Funky Guitar 2: Double Stops & E9 (05:16) - Learn how to create various rhythms with double stops (two notes played at once) and the classic E9 chord shape that's been a staple in funk for decades.
• Funky Guitar 3: 7th Chord Inversions (05:53) - How many ways do you know how to play a seventh chord? To be free in your funk comping, it pays to know a lot of chord voicings, as some are more suitable for certain situations than others. This lesson will arm you with the chord forms you need to know.
• Funky Guitar 4: Chord Combinations & 6ths (05:34) - It's time to put what you've learned so far to use with some great examples that combine single-note rhythms, double-stop riffs, and chord inversions.
• Funky Guitar 5: Chord Families (04:05) - Now that you've got a good grip on the funk basics, it's time to expand your chord vocabulary to include other types of chords, such as m7, m6, m9, and others.
• Funky Guitar 6: Pentatonic Chords (08:06) - The pentatonic scale can be mined for all types of chords and fragments that are extremely useful in funk. See how this concept works in this video.
• Melodic Three-Note Funk Rhythms (04:41) - In this lesson with Dave Hill, you'll learn all types of three-note voicings and inversions that can be used to create all kinds of interesting funk rhythms with movement and direction.
• Funk Rhythm Guitar (16:26) - MIT instructor Dean Brown puts your skills to the test with a series of exercises designed to teach you all the popular 16th-note-based rhythms that comprise the ones most commonly heard in funk music. Get ready to get syncopated!
• Melodic Rhythm Guitar (09:24) - Dean continues with another lesson in which he shows you how to create lean and active funk rhythms using only single notes and double stops.
• Inventive Rhythm Guitar (04:18) - In this lesson, virtuoso and ace session man Carl Verheyen teaches you how to create your own sonic space in a band ensemble with your rhythm playing by listening to the other musicians and finding a niche to fill. You'll use plenty of those previously learned chord voicings and inversions for this lesson for sure.