How to Learn Funk Guitar in 7 Days

Are you interested in learning funk guitar? This blog post will show you how you can learn the basics of funk guitar in just seven days!

What is Funk Guitar?

Funk guitar is a style of guitar playing that emphasizes groove and rhythm. Funk guitarists use different techniques to create a “funk” sound, including playing with a percussive style, using extended chords, and creating unique rhythmic patterns.

If you’re interested in learning how to play funk guitar, there are a few things you can do to get started. First, listen to funk music and pay attention to the guitar parts. Then, practice playing along with funk songs. Finally, learn some basic funk guitar techniques and start incorporating them into your playing.

The Three Pillars of Funk Guitar

Funk guitar is all about groove, feel, and playing with attitude. In order to learn funk guitar, you need to understand the three pillars of funk guitar playing. These pillars are: rhythm, melody, and harmony. In this article, we will cover all three of these pillars and show you how you can use them to improve your funk guitar playing.

Rhythm

Rhythm is the most important part of funk guitar. A funk rhythm guitar player needs to be able to lay down a groove that will make the people dance. The best way to learn how to play funk rhythm guitar is to listen to a lot of funk music and find a groove that you like.

Once you have found a groove that you like, you need to learn how to play it on your guitar. Start by finding the chords that are being played in the song. Once you have the chords down, you can start adding in some of the other elements of funk rhythm guitar such as slides, muting, and percussive accents.

Groove

When you’re playing funk guitar, the most important thing is to keep the groove going. That means keeping a solid rhythmic foundation while you add in your own personal flair. The best way to do this is to practice with a metronome or drum machine so that you can tighten up your timing. You should also make sure that every note you play is clear and concise. Funk is all about simplicity, so don’t try to show off with complex soloing or fancy fretwork. Just keep it tight and groove those funk rhythms!

Tone

If you’re going to play funk guitar, you need to have the right tone. A lot of guitarists try to play funk with a clean tone, but that’s not going to get the job done. You need to have a gritty, distorted tone that will cut through the mix and be heard.

The easiest way to get a funk tone is with a distortion pedal. I recommend the Ibanez Tube Screamer. This pedal will give you the grit you need without making your sound too muddy.

Another important element of your tone is your attack. When you pick each note, you want to make sure that you’re picking it with precision and power. The best way to do this is by using a pick. A lot of funk guitarists don’t use picks, but I think they make a big difference in your sound.

Finally, you need to make sure that your guitar is in good condition. If your strings are old or dull, they’re not going to sound good no matter how well you play them. Get new strings and change them often so that they always sound fresh.

The Seven Steps to Learning Funk Guitar

Funk guitar is a style of playing that emphasizes groove and feel. It’s a style of music that’s often associated with jazz and R&B, but it can be applied to any genre. If you’re interested in learning how to play funk guitar, there are a few things you need to do. In this article, we’ll cover the seven steps you need to take to learn funk guitar in just seven days.

Step One: Funkify Your Strumming

The first step to playing funk guitar is to funkify your strumming. This means adding a bit of syncopation and rhythm to your strumming pattern. For example, you might want to add an extra upstroke on the & of 2 or the 4& of 4. You can also experiment with different rhythmic subdivisions, such as playing 8th notes or 16th notes instead of quarter notes. The important thing is to experiment and find a strumming pattern that sounds funky to you.

Once you have a basic strumming pattern down, you can start to add some embellishments. These can be anything from simple accents (such as palm muting) to more complex moving chords shapes. Again, the important thing is to experiment and see what sounds best to you.

Step Two: Get Your Groove On

The first step in learning how to funk guitar is getting your groove on. This means that you need to find a funk rhythm that you feel comfortable playing. There are many different ways to find funk rhythms, but one of the easiest ways is to search for some jam tracks online. Once you find a jam track that you like, start practicing your funk guitar licks over it. You can also try playing along with some of your favorite funk songs. The important thing is to find a groove that you feel comfortable playing.

Step Two: Get Your Groove On
The first step in learning how to funk guitar is getting your groove on. This means that you need to find a funk rhythm that you feel comfortable playing. There are many different ways to find funk rhythms, but one of the easiest ways is to search for some jam tracks online. Once you find a jam track that you like, start practicing your funk guitar licks over it. You can also try playing along with some of your favorite funk songs. The important thing is to find a groove that you feel comfortable playing.

Step Three: Start Adding Some Funk Licks
Once you have found your groove, it’s time to start adding some funk licks into your playing. A great way to do this is to take some of your favorite licks and adapt them to fit the funk rhythm that you are playing. You can also try making up your own licks or borrowing licks from other guitarists. The important thing is to experiment and have fun!

Step Four: Add Some Chords
In order to make your funk rhythm sound full and complete, you will need to add some chords into the mix. You don’t need to be a master of jazz theory in order to do this, just start by adding some basic chords into the mix and see how it sounds. If it sounds good, then keep doing it! If not, then try something else. The important thing is to experiment and find what sounds good to YOU.

Step Five: Keep Practicing!
The most important step in learning how to play funk guitar is simplyto keep practicing! The more you practice, the better you will become at creating Funk rhythms and adding interesting licks into your playing. So don’t get discouraged if it takes a while to get the hang of things… just keep at it and I promise that eventually things will start clicking into place!

Step Three: Create Your Own Riffs

Now that you have a feel for the funk guitar style and some of the key techniques, it’s time to start creating your own riffs. This is where you can really begin to express your own musical personality and style.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to creating funk guitar riffs, but there are a few general guidelines that can help you get started:

-Keep it simple: Funk guitar is all about rhythmic simplicity. The best riffs are usually built around just a few notes.

-Make it groovy: The most important thing is to make sure your riff feels good and groove. If it doesn’t make you want to move, it’s not going to make anyone else want to move either.

-Be original: There are no points for copying other people’s riffs. In fact, the best way to stand out as a funk guitarist is to develop your own signature sound.

Step Four: Funk Up Your Chords

Now that you’ve got the basic funk guitar rhythm down, it’s time to start adding some flavor to your chords. The first step is to learn how to add sevenths to your chords. A seventh is simply a note that is one full step above the root note of the chord. For example, if you are playing a C chord, the seventh would be Bb. If you are playing a G chord, the seventh would be F.

Sevenths are what give funk chords their distinctive sound. They are often thought of as “blue notes” because they add a bit of tension and dissonance to the chord. This might sounds like a bad thing, but it’s actually what gives funk its soulful and gritty sound.

To add a seventh to a chord, simply play the root note and the seventh simultaneously. For example, if you are playing a C chord, you would play C and Bb at the same time. If you are playing a G chord, you would play G and F at the same time.

You can also add sevenths to ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths chords in order to create even more interesting sounding chords. But we will save that for another lesson. For now, just focus on adding sevenths to your basic chords.

Step Five: Add Some Flavor with Percussion

Now that you have the basic funk rhythm under your fingers, it’s time to add some flavor with percussion. The most important thing to remember when adding percussion is to keep it simple. Too much percussion can clutter up the groove and make it difficult to hear the guitar.

A good place to start is by adding a shaker or tambourine on the 2 and 4 counts. You can also try clapping your hands on the 2 and 4 counts, or even stomping your foot on the 1 count.

Once you’re comfortable with the basic rhythm, you can start experimenting with different techniques. Try muting the strings with your left hand while strumming with your right, or vice versa. You can also try using a pick to get a cleaner sound.

Remember, there are no rules when it comes to funk guitar. The most important thing is to have fun and experiment until you find a groove that feels good!

Step Six: Put It All Together

Now it’s time to put all of the pieces together and integrate them into a complete funk guitar solo. This can be done by taking a simple melody and adding in some of the guitar licks and phrasing techniques that you’ve learned.

Start by playing the melody over a funky chord progression. Then, begin to add in licks and phrasing ideas during the spaces in between the melody notes. As you get more comfortable, you can start to experiment with different rhythms and time signatures.

Finally, once you have a good grasp on how to solo over a funk chord progression, try improvising your own melodies. This will help you to develop your own unique sound and style.

Step Seven: Take Your Funk to the Next Level

Now that you have the basic funk guitar grooves under your fingers, it’s time to start learning some of the more advanced techniques that will take your playing to the next level. In this final step, we’re going to learn how to incorporate funk guitar soloing into your groove playing. Funk guitar soloing is all about using space and economy of motion to create a tasteful, yet powerful sound. By learning how to play funk guitar solos, you’ll be able to take your grooves to a whole new level and add another dimension to your playing.