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Lyle Ronglien >> Jam Sessions - Funk Style >>


Jam Sessions - Funk Style - Lesson 4

Lyle: Grab your guitar and jam along! Join in on these jam sessions, which are designed to teach you theory and technique, rhythm riffs, chords, scales, riffs, and solos, as you play along to the jam tracks. Listen or watch the media clips below to see and hear what you'll learn in this lesson:

Jam Sessions - Funk Style - Lesson 4

Jam Sessions - Funk Style - Lesson 4



Lyle: Here's your jam tracks for this lesson:

Jam Track in E without guitar

Jam Track in E with guitar

Lyle: The jam track is 16 measures long, then it repeats. Here's the chord chart:

chord chart


Lyle: You have three chords in this jam. The first half is just E9, then the second half uses the C9, E9, then the B9 at the end.

Lyle: There are only 4 different rhythm riffs used to make up the rhythm guitar part for the whole jam. Here's the first riff:

rhythm riff 1

rhythm riff 1

Lyle: You can loop the TAB file, as well as slow it down to help you learn the riff and play along to it. The x's are slight mutes. I think of them as rhythm scratches.

Lyle: The next riff is made from the E9 chord which is a fancier version of the E7 chord:

rhythm riff 2

rhythm riff 2

Steven_K: For most of this funk, would it be adviseable to play close to the bridge to attain a tighter chord, or percussive note?

Lyle: I don't change where I position my picking hand, I just change the pickup selection and amp sounds to get a high and tight tone. I like to use the bridge and middle pickup combination and a clean sound on the amp. On some Funk rhythm riffs you could aim closer to the bridge but in these riffs you're going to be strumming pretty hard so I suggest aiming for the middle area.

Lyle: You can repeat rhythm riffs 1 and 2 twice to make up the first 8 measures of the jam.

Lyle: Next it changes to the C9 chord for rhythm riff 3:

rhythm riff 3

rhythm riff 3

Lyle: During the jam progression you'll play rhythm riff 1, and then rhythm riff 3 again before finishing with rhythm riff 4 - the B9 chord which is a fifth higher than where it all started:

rhythm riff 4

rhythm riff 4

Lyle: Look at the chord chart again to see where the different rhythm riffs are being played:

chord chart


Lyle: Here's a video clip of me playing along to the jam track using these rhythm riffs:

all 4 rhythm riffs

Lyle: While improvising over this progression there can be several scale choices to use. The first half is over the E9 chord. This means you can play E major and minor pentatonics, the E mixolydian, and the E minor and major blues. Examine the different parts of this solo example which uses several different scales against the whole progression:

solo example

solo example

Gin: Question RE: Solo & Scales, I attempt to use and mix scales - however, the majority of the time I end up back in a Blues Maj or Min Pent. - my ears almost always lead me there. Is there a way to break free of this? It's now becoming kind of a block to me. Heh!

Lyle: Gin, I think you have to simply make a stronger effort to combine the the pentatonics with the mixolydians so you have a little of both. That's how this solo example is made, I combined them both.

roy: Lyle, I am starting to learn improvising in jazz....and one technique is the use of arpeggio's. Guess that is sound in almost any type of playing. Cool sound on the B7 arpeggio!!

Lyle: roy, Yes, arpeggios help you make up cool riffs!

Steven_K: Initially should I be expected to know the fingering and scale (right off the bat) for let's say E scale Phrygian mode ? or is that an unreasonable expectation ?

Lyle:
Steven, if there is a scale you want to know, you should memorize evrything there is to memorize about the scale, the formula, the whole step/half step formula, the name of the different degrees within it, the many different patterns all over the neck etc...

Lyle: Let's take a break. See if you can play all the rhythm riffs along to the jam track, then examine the solo example and the use of the different scales. Email lyle@theguitar.net me if you run into questions about this or other lessons. Also let me know if you would like me to make you a custom lesson on the topic of your choice. Thanks, Lyle


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