16th Note Strumming - Funk and Pop styles - patterns and examples

Описание: I've done my best here to present to you the easiest way to access Funk strumming style. I mention early on in the video that it's important to get used to strumming "sixteenths" (16ths, semiquavers) to play this style, which means four strums for every beat, so in a bar of 4 beats, 4 x 4 = 16.

I show 3 tempos, 63 BPM, 83 BPM and 103 BPM. With each tempo I demonstrate a General 16th Pattern, then Funk Patterns #1, #2 and #3.
I also begin and end the video with Funk Guitar demos so you can get a flavour of the sound and feel at the full tempo and I also quote some famous riffs from Prince's "Kiss", Chic's "Le Freak" + James Brown and the Doobie Brothers.

Towards the end of the video I bring to your attention more complex chord shapes like E9, E13 and Em13.
From a technological standpoint, I'm pleased to have managed to present accurate strumming patterns from coloured arrows (up and down) that symbolise either hitting or missing the strings, with a moving dot to show the current part of the bar I'm playing. Clear chord diagrams are also shown plus realistic audio drum loops as backing to give more energy to your funky playing!

Drummers like Clyde Stubblefield, John Jabo Starks and Bernard Purdie created funk rhythms with singer James Brown in the 1960s and 70s that laid the foundation for the the Funk style - the guitar patterns I demonstrate in this video fit hand in glove with those grooves.
Even though Funk is an American style, in a way it comes from an African tradition of a loop that goes round and round, creating more and more dynamics and intensity as it goes on. When we listen to West African blues, we can hear complex and subtle grooves while staying on one chord or scale - the same can apply to Funk.

What become clear as you practise this style more is that you can approach the 16th feel in two ways. Either you keep your strumming arm going while you hit and miss the strings (symbolised by the white and red arrows) or you hit all 16 arrows but stress (play harder) the white arrows. If you study this video, you will see parts where I demonstrate both techniques.

0:00 Funk Demo - Prince - Kiss (Bridge)
0:19 Funk Demo - James Brown - Get Up (Bridge)
0:27 Funk Demo - Long Train Running
0:42 Funk Demo - Chic - Le Freak
0:55 Introduction to Learning Funk Guitar
1:18 Dampening/ Muting strings
1:38 Playing 16ths at 60 BPM
1:59 General 16th strumming pattern
2:15 General pattern at 60 BPM
2:31 Funk Pattern #1
3:02 Funk Pattern #1b at 60 BPM
3:18 Funk Pattern #2
3:43 Funk Pattern #3
3:57 Funk Pattern #3 at 60 BPM
4:20 Examining the E7 chord
4:36 General pattern at 83 BPM with E7 chord
5:04 Examining the E9 chord
5:28 Funk Pattern #1 at 83 BPM with the E9 chord
5:54 Funk Pattern #2 at 83 BPM with the E9 chord
6:12 Keep your hand moving at 83 BPM!
6:47 Funk Pattern #3 at 83 BPM with the E9 chord
7:20 Pressing the chord on the stressed parts of the pattern
7:36 General pattern at 103 BPM with E7 chord
8:01 Examining the Em7 bar chord
8:23 Funk Pattern #1 at 103 BPM with the Em7 chord
8:43 Funk Pattern #2 at 103 BPM with the Em7 chord
9:04 Funk Pattern #3 at 103 BPM with the Em7 chord
9:25 Adding pinky/ little finger onto the Em7 chord for extra Funk!
9:41 Examining the Em13 shape
10:08 Outro Freestyling
10:15 "The Dancing Pinky" with F#9 to F#13 and G9 to G13
10:48 My summary of how to go forward
11:17 Demo Outro