Being able to play funk rhythm guitar is an essential skill for any modern versatile guitarist. In this funk guitar lesson we will look at the chords, rhythms and techniques used to play rhythm guitar in a funk style. Great funk guitar chords and riffs can be heard in music from artists including:
- Bruno Mars
- Daft Punk
- James Brown
- Jamiroquai
- Michael Jackson
- Prince
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- And many more…
Funk Guitar Chords
In funk music the guitar chords are generally higher pitched lighter sounding chords played higher up the guitar neck. This helps to separate the guitar chords from the bass which is the main focus in funk in comparison to other styles of music such as rock or blues.
To create these higher pitched chords the CAGED chord system is used. For example instead of using the open string A D and E major chords. They are played using parts of the open E and D chord shapes further up the guitar neck.
The bass strings (strings 4 5 & 6) on the guitar aren’t played to keep the sound of the chords light and clear. Also note that these chord shapes aren’t using any open strings making the notes easier to mute in between strums which is an essential element of funk rhythm guitar.
Funk Guitar Rhythms & Dead Strums
To get the tight rhythmic sound of funk you need to mute the strings to create dead strums in between the chords that ring out by slightly releasing the pressure on the fretting hand. In funk music the guitar often uses a busy driving 16th note rhythm with these dead strums creating a percussive effect.
The strumming action is often a consistent down up strumming action on every 16th beat with the fretting hand determining whether or not a chord will sound by applying pressure to the chord shape.
It’s also recommended to mute the adjacent unplayed open strings to prevent them accidentally ringing out while strumming these fast rhythms. See how the 2nd finger in the photo is touching the edge of the 4th string to mute it when playing the 3 string A chord using the E chord shape.
Get Lucky Funk Guitar
A great example of these higher pitched chords and dead strums being combined to create a 16th note funk rhythm guitar part is the song Get Lucky by Daft Punk (featuring legendary record producer Nile Rodgers on guitar). The song uses the chords B minor D F# minor and E which are played up the neck using higher notes and muted strums to create a percussive rhythmic groove.
The B minor chord uses the E minor shape at the 7th fret, for the D chord the G shape is used also at the 7th fret, the F# minor chord uses the A minor shape at the 9th fret and for the E chord the A shape at the 7th fret. These chords only use 3 strings so you have to be accurate with your strumming to avoid and/or mute the unwanted open strings. For the syncopated rhythm get the strumming hand to move up and down continually for the 16th note rhythm while applying pressure on the “3” and “4” of this count “123 123 123 1234″.
 | Get Lucky Chords | Download |
One Chord Funk
A lot of funk music just uses one chord for long periods of time. This is because funk, dance, disco music etc. tends to focus on the rhythms and not the harmony or chord changes. James Brown was the master of the one chord funk until he “took it to the bridge” for the other chord in the tune! While there are funk tunes that use more chord changes such as music from Stevie Wonder and Jamiroquai’s it is good to know what to play over a one chord groove.
The following example while just based on the E9 chord it also includes the F9 chord. Technically the F9 chord is a “wrong” chord as it doesn’t fit the key of the song. However it works by creating tension being only one step away from the I chord (See What are I IV V (1 4 5) Chords and Why Should You Care?) which then resolves by returning to the E9 just like a rubber band snapping back into place.
Again watch for the muted dead strums between the strummed chords. Dead strums are played here by simply releasing the pressure on the fret board slightly so the strings don’t ring out. For the rhythm get the strumming hand to move up and down continually for the 16th note rhythm while applying pressure on the “1” of this count “123 123 123 12 12″.
| 9th Chord Funk | Download |
In this funk guitar lesson you’ve learnt how to play the lighter sounding chords, applying muting and syncopated rhythms to play funk rhythm guitar. So try these techniques to get down and funky!
