Though not without heavy roots in blues and jazz, modern funk music is known more for rhythmic repetitiveness and less for melodic sequencing.
Stylistically, funk guitar follows the same regimen. Heavy rhythms that repeat the same chord and/or note for multiple measures are extremely typical and often mean that the electric guitar becomes more exclusively a rhythm-focused instrument.
In many cases, electric bass and drums are in the foreground of tracks, while the electric guitar takes more of a background role.
While many excellent funk guitarists have flown under the radar of mainstream music, a few names you might recognize would be James Brown, Prince, Mark Ronson and John Frusciante, all of whom would fall under the funk category.
Mike will show you the 2 guitars in this song. Guitar 1 is a clean electric guitar that plays the rhythm guitar parts. Guitar 2 is a crunch electric guitar that plays some power chords and licks.
In these lessons Lee Wanner will teach you "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", by Otis Redding. Lee will introduce the song and talk about gear and tone, then teach the intro and outro. This song has both acoustic and electric guitar, and Lee will break down the verse, chorus, and bridge parts on both instruments. For fun, we'll learn the famous whistling melody, then we'll do full and single guitar performances. We'll end with a jam along.
Mike will show you the 2 clean electric guitars in this song. Guitar 1 is a rhythm guitar that lays down a steady foundation for the tune. Guitar 2 is the lead guitar that also plays some funky riffs throughout.
Mike will show you the 2 guitars in this song. Guitar 1 is a clean guitar that will play the rhythm chords throughout. Guitar 2 is the lead guitar that adds some slide and filter-effected fills for a unique sound.
In this set of lessons, Sharon Aguilar will teach "ABC", as made famous by The Jackson 5. Sharon will introduce the song and go over the gear and tones, then break down the details for the intro and verse, the chorus, and the bridge for guitar 1. Next we'll look at the same sections for guitars 2 and 3, and a bridge part for an additional guitar. We'll then do full and single guitar performances, and end with a jam along.
In these ten lessons, Sharon Aguilar will teach "At Last", as made famous by Etta James. After a song introduction and a look at the gear and tone, we'll break down the intro and outro parts. Next up are the chords and rhythms for A sections 1 and 2, followed by the B section. We'll look at A section 3 before we learn the string melody on guitar, then do play a long performances and a jam along.
When you hear the opening bass line and guitar hook, you instantly know know it's My Girl. In this series of lessons on the classic 60s R&B/soul song, made famous by The Temptations, we'll show you that great hook, the rhythm parts, and much more.
Step along the dance floor, learning the moves that guys envy and ladies adore. We'll walk you step by through funk picking and timing, the various chords used in the sections of the song, even how to double the bass line. In short, how to get your groove on!
In this set of lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach you "Take Me to the River", by Al Green. After setting up the song lessons in an introduction and talking about the gear and tones, Mike will detail the main riff in the intro of the tune. Then we're into a break down of the verse riff, which elaborates on the intro riff. Next up are the chords in the chorus, followed by the change-up in the bridge. We'll end with a play along, and a jam along.
In this set of song lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach "Son of a Preacher Man", performed by Dusty Springfield. Mike will introduce the song and talk a bit about gear and tone before getting into the intro riff. We'll look at the verse part, followed by the chorus; then check out the bridge. We'll learn the 3rd verse and outro before we do a play along performance, and a "guitar karaoke" jam along.
In this set of lessons, Sharon Aguilar will teach "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)", as made famous by The Four Tops. After a song introduction and a look at the gear and tone, Sharon will break down the rhythm guitar and chord voicings in the song. Then she'll teach you the bass line as a bonus, before doing play along performances; you'll take over in the "guitar karaoke" jam along.
Mike will show you the single clean electric guitar part in this tune that plays some funky riffs and chord stabs. The tune starts out with the guitar playing a bouncy, funky single note line in the lower register, while the arrangement follows a typical 12 bar blues form. In later verses, the guitar switches to playing staccato chord stabs locked in with the groove.
In this tutorial you'll learn the main parts to this classic funk/dance song. There are surprisingly few; it's based on some simple yet effective repeating licks. You'll also learn the proper body glitter to body ratio for stage personae. It's about the pocket so we'll put it all in a groove to top it off.
In this set of song lessons, Douglas Showalter will teach "Low Rider", by War. Douglas will introduce the song and talk a bit about gear and tones for you, then dig in to the main funk guitar line that occurs throughout the song. Next we'll break down the signature melody that is so much a part of this song, then teach you the bass groove as a bonus, for more funk. We'll end with full and single guitar performances, and a jam along.
Mike will show you the single clean electric guitar layer in this tune handling the lead melodies and rhythm. The song opens with Guitar 1 playing the melodic hook right off the top. The horns take over in the other sections of the arrangement, leaving the guitar to switch to some wah wah infused strums and funky rhythm parts.
In this series of lessons, Tom Finch will teach you "Knock on Wood", by Eddie Floyd. Tom will talk about what you'll be learning, then look at the gear and tone. The first playing lesson is on the intro and chorus parts; following that we'll dig into the verse and pre-chorus. Next up is the bridge, then the outro. We conclude with a performance play along, then you play the song by yourself in the jam along.
In this tutorial Anders Mouridsen will teach you how to play the classic New Orleans funk jam song "Cissy Strut" as made famous by The Meters. You're gonna learn everything you need to know about this song; how to play the melody or the "head", how to play the B section ensemble line, how to "comp" when someone else is soloing and how to take a solo yourself. After this tutorial you'll be able to jam out with the record or go play Cissy Strut live at a jam-session.
Shining Star was a top 40 hit in the mid 70's, bringing a raw, street funk energy to mainstream radio. We laid down the groove for the song in a backing track, and show you how to play the funky rhythm guitars and shredding guitar solo over the top.
This tutorial presents lessons on the smash hit "This Love", as made famous by Maroon 5. This was the bands first hit, which broke them in the US. It's a funky little tune with some interesting quirks. We'll teach you the chords, rhythms, and lines in the verse, the chorus, and the bridge...then we'll play it through in a performance at the end.
Mike will show you the single electric guitar layer in this song. It’s a clean guitar that plays some dreamy arpeggiations throughout. On the recording, the guitar plays only half the time, so we’ve added an R&B rhythm guitar approach any guitarist would typically play to cover the missing sections.
