I guess my question is, does anybody else out there get as much personal satisfaction from funk music? I never thought essentially a 1 chord song based on a bunch of individual riffs would be so much fun or so challenging. It sure forces you to count measures while playing, which I'd never done before.

Anyway, I've got thick skin, let the flamewar begin.

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Take the rhythm guitar part for "Jungle Boogie" for example. He's playing one note. Just one note. For the whole song. It goes "Chank chicka Chank chicka chicka Chank Chank." Every fourth time it goes "Chank chicka Chank chicka Chank Chank Chank." Just your standard "Bunny Hop" rhythm. Now try playing just one note at one rhythm for 5 minutes. It's tougher than you think.

There's just something about it... whenever I hit play on that CD player or MP3 Player, my heart rate kicks up about 20 beats per minute and I start getting antsy.

And this brings up another VERY important subject, something that I think is almost overlooked nowadays. The drummer. In any sort of music, if you've got a drummer and a bass player that can really get into the pocket, it makes the whole world a much better place. Sometimes I think most of the drummers out there don't own metronomes, or don't practice with them, or don't practice at all. This kid we've got drumming with us is only 20 years old, but he's probably one of the best all-around drummers I've ever had the pleasure of playing with. He's rock solid on tempo, and sits back right in whatever pocket he needs to from classic country to funk to straight ahead rock.

Nowdays there some great funk being played by 'Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings' and 'Binky Griptite' out of New York and 'Breakestra' and 'The Greasybeats' from Los Angeles.

Here's some fine funk by Breakestra......

[This message was edited by Brendan Dunn on 15 March 2006 at 01:38 PM.]

What's kindof funny is that a lot of the cumbias we do down here in Mexico remind me of funk. Many of them are one or two chords and the groove is everything. Of course it's a latin-style percussion groove instead of the American funky rhythms.

[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 15 March 2006 at 07:00 PM.]

Sly and the Family Stone- "Thank You Fa Lettin Me Be Mice Elf Again" and "Play That Funky Music White Boy" (Wild Cherry).

Same song.

Never caught that way back when.

To me "Tell Me Somethin Good" by Rufus is the epitome of nasty funk. You gotta wipe it off afterwards.

Michael, I think you'll be amazed at how many there are of us here who've played all styles of music on a bunch of different instruments. We're not "just" steel players

[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 15 March 2006 at 06:55 PM.]

quote:

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Anybody ... listen to funk music?

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JBs, the Meters and Sly are great! A lot of the old new orleans bands like Eddie Bo Hook and Sling are great as well as the Gators.

I still play in a funk band that has cut its size down to a trio, I play pbass or upright. We do some sly and meters, Mickey and the Sooul Generation.

I once found myself doing a lot of sound gigs for a 8 piece funk group.
one night the drummer missed his plane to Province town out on Cape Cod.
A 20 minute flight, but a 2 hour drive.
I found myself playing the whole 1st set on his kit,
with these 7 cats dancing steps and groovin out in front of me.
We had played the night before so I just left the pa system like we had done the last gig.

The drummer came in during the next to last song,
and didn't come up and take the sticks away,
he was so shocked I was pulling off well,
he just left me to it. Cool!.
He was a 3rd generation drummer and REALLY hot,
so I was flatterered to be left to it, in a big way,
If he had come and asked to take the sticks mid song I would have gladly slid over for him: it was HIS chair afterall.
Later that month I also played bass for the jazz tunes at his wedding,
with his father on drums. Dad had put 3 kids through college playing and teaching drums.

Grandpa had played for Duke Elington and the Dorseys,
he had bad ticker at 75+ so he just told a drum joke.

My love of funk took me off into Lenny White, Alphone Mouzon, Bilham Cobly...
Return to Forever and 11th
House's instrumental funk jazz.

I love EWF, too, DD... everything about them- horns, vocals, groove. Saw them with Chicago a couple of years ago. After that show, I just wanted to quit everything else I was doing and play bass in a horn band!

[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 16 March 2006 at 07:06 AM.]

Took my ShoBud out to a funk jam one night not too long ago and played all night (the pedal steel guitar can do wonders for "Superfreak")! Afterwards the drummer's cousin came up to me and said "That was cool, I learned a lot from watching you tonight, but DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Seems the brothers there were having a hard time listening to that honky guitar mess with "their" music.

[This message was edited by Dave Grafe on 17 March 2006 at 09:19 PM.]

Earth Wind and Fire's All 'n' All album is imho, one of the most incredible musical creations of the last century.

I loved Herbie Hancock's Headhunters too. Great funk. Then the record industry cashed in on it, watered it down and called it disco and ruined all the fun.

I love Jon Cleary's stuff. Great player and it don't get no funkier.

In the late 70's I played with a funk band. Hohner D6 Clavinet with a Mutron II Phaser and a Vox Wah wah. Fender Rhodes, B3 and a pair of 122 Leslies and a Mini-Moog. I was funky in funky town.

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

[This message was edited by Mark van Allen on 25 March 2006 at 12:10 PM.]