What is Funk?

So what is funk? Well, I think people have been asking that question for a long time. And I think there's no real definition for the actual word or its origins.

Meaning of Funk

• It can mean a smell.
• It can mean something sexy.

But in music, it's kind of... for me, well, once I got into funk, I found it hard not to put that into anything I play now. It kind of gets in your bones really. It influences the way you walk and talk, even.

The Essence of Funk

It's like I said: it's a lot in the right hand, how you pick the guitar. Just like listening to the music around you and responding with the funky thing playing on top, or playing around it.

Recommended Listening

• Go check out a few JB's records, James Brown records. You'll find a great definition of funk there.
• There's even a record called Working in a Gold Mine by Lee Dorsey.

The lyrics go:
"Working in a gold mine, Work that coal mine, Working downtown and Working in a gold mine around midnight."

That little snap in there is funky. You can hear funk even in Led Zeppelin, it's funky and uplifting, with great beats.

What Defines Funk?

It's more about something inside the music that's sort of undefinable that you sort of put into your playing. For me, it was about the transition from more guitar-led music to a more bass-led music or vocal-led music. It's about adding bits and exposing the drums.

The Role of Drums

When you've got a funky drum pattern that's doing a lot of the work, you can syncopate with that or accent it, adding joy and glee for the people dancing.

Repetition in Music

I found that with the Heavies, we did a lot of repetition. Just playing the same thing over and over again. Believe it or not, it's not actually boring. It starts to feel hypnotizing over four or eight bars.

A Funky Example

I have this one little thing for you: there's a James Brown track called Get on the Good Foot. It talks about how:

"The long hair hippies and the Afro Blacks, they all get together across the tracks and they party."

And I can't remember the bass line, but the guitar is based on rock and roll, right?

The song's in A, and I think that's the bass line. The guitar part is so effective, so beautiful and simple. Not even cool, just badass. That's on my good foot, and it's one of my favorite records.

Exploring "Sex Machine"

Then you get stuff like Sex Machine, where it's... well, I think James Brown went out to Africa, and I truly believe he must have heard Fela Kuti, who was starting a thing called Afrobeat, which is also very funky.

At this point, just to interject on myself, there's a big thing about the "one" in funk. You're always playing around that one thing. Afrobeat has a different accent, as does reggae.

The Evolution of James Brown

If you hear James Brown before he went to Africa and after, he was being more like rock and roll stuff. Upon returning, it was like the birth of soul power records, such as Sex Machine.

"Nice and easy, you get your finger, stick it across there." Anyone can do it!

But see, when you have the drum pattern going funky in the bass line, that starts to come alive in the music and really drives it along.

Conclusion

For the dancer, I think you want that kind of repetitive thing.