Funkeh Piano!

[Grey Loki]

Hey folks,

I've recently been digging a funk band called 'Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen'. I might have mentioned them here before, I can't really remember. I thought it would be quite neat to try and learn how to do this 'funk piano' stuff - while I love listening to funk, and can easily rock out on the bass, none of the techniques seem to translate across very well to a clav or similar patch on my Fusion.

Here's a song of theirs for you to listen to:

http://craig.vcasolutions.net/gotothemardigras.m4a

About halfway through, they break down into some seriously funky playing, though the entire song is pretty toe-tapping good.

Anyways, now that's explained - how would you go about starting to learn this kind of thing? Are there any 'must-have' tablature books? Is the whole thing a lot simpler than it sounds?

Would love to hear your ideas.


~Loki

[gylfih]

http://craig.vcasolutions.net/gotothemardigras.m4a
That is some pretty awesome funkyness right there. You've got me into a new funk group:smile:.
how would you go about starting to learn this kind of thing?
Well, I assume you can read chord sheets. If not, you really should learn that first. But really, I started out on this kinda thing about 1 and a half years ago now, and it seemed really hard then. So I tried to learn all of this theory stuff behind it, and how to improv and all that crap you can find on the internet, and it didn't help at all. What really helped me was time. I just got used to playing from chord sheets, and for improv, don't actively try and learn all of the stuff on the self-help sites about how dorian scales go with minor 7th chords of the same key, and how minor pentatonics go with minor chords, because although it's all true, I found it was simply easier to listen to what was going on around me, and just play what sounded right for that chord. If you're any good at all as a musician you should be able to hear if something sounds right or not. And, when I did that, I found that most of the things I played with particular chords was the scales written in those theory books anyway, I just didn't need to spend hours learning them, and what chords they go with and all that crap. So really, I think the best way to learn how to do it is just to play around with songs. Get used to chord sheets. Listen to songs and do a bit of improv on them, just by listening to what's going on. On the improv side though, most people start by just doing vertical improv, where they have the chord in front of them, and the play up and down the notes that are in that chord (so for a C7, they'd just play C, E, G and Bb). That's quite a good way to start as well, and when you get more confident, start experimenting a bit.

Also, just let your funky self come out in the music. Music is meant to be played with expression, and funk is just the same. Let your feelings come out in what you play without thinking about what your doing. As soon as you try that, it'll probably come easier.
Are there any 'must-have' tablature books?
The thousands of books of standards. So, The Real Book (vol 1, 2 and 3), the New Real Book (vol 1, 2 and 3), The Fake Book, The Colorado Cookbook, The Book. THe list it pretty much endless.
Is the whole thing a lot simpler than it sounds?

Pretty much, yeah.
Edit: I don't know why, but I find it easier to play funk if I'm using an e-piano or an organ. I'm not sure why. It must just be my mentality. But that might help you as well?
Hope that helped a little bit.:wink:

[Grey Loki]

That is some pretty awesome funkyness right there. You've got me into a new funk group:smile:.

If you liked that, you'll love this ;)

http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/More_Hipper/2342139

Thanks for the advice glyiff :)

One other thing i've been trying to work out but haven't yet cracked is playing more percussively. If you can imagine the way Mark King (Level 42) slaps, he kinda hits in sixteenths, but mutes some notes and lets others impact fully to give the tone - the muted notes are much more percussive and have almost no tonality. Is there a way to do this on keys? I've been playing around with doing it on keys with a clav patch, but even the slightest hit ends up sounding a pitch as well as the bite at the beginning - just a case of searching for a clav patch with a more percussive beginning?