Funky piano: When we hear someone do it well, we think “Wow! I really wish I could do that.” Unfortunately, its typical speed and complexity make it difficult for a beginner to learn. The trick is to slow down (to half speed) as you learn and also study the transcriptions of the funky patterns.

While proper funky patterns need to be learned, sounding funky isn’t just about playing fast and complex. In fact, if you haven’t developed a good rhythmic feel for playing less loaded material, you won’t be able to make more complex things sound right!

Developing a good sense of rhythm can take a bit of time, but the good news is that if you find yourself fond of those funky styles, you definitely have what you need to funky yourself. At first it may seem impossible and it’s common to hear people say, “I have no sense of rhythm.” – which is almost never the case. People who enjoy rhythmic music often have the potential ability to play as well.

1- Listen to the music you want to play.

This is incredibly important for all styles of music. Even music that is less obviously rhythmic has a unique feel that you must “get” in order to imitate.

When listening to funky music, you can help develop your rhythmic feel by snapping your fingers, dancing, or picking up a shaker and playing.

Next, try playing simple repetitive patterns on the piano, like bass lines, riffs, or vamp chords.

2- Practice with a metronome/drum track.

Now this one can be a bit controversial. Playing along with a metronome at 4 clicks per bar can leave everything sounding stiff and soulless. However, what jazz musicians do is set the metronome to the middle of the beat and then play against it so that the clicks fall on beats 2 and 4. This really helps to play with a swing feel, but even if is playing right, it allows you a little more. freedom to develop a feeling while remaining in time.

Many people find it very difficult to play with a metronome at first, so start by playing simple patterns or just play along with it by playing 4 regular beats per bar. If you can’t do this first, you won’t be able to play against 2 and 4 and you won’t be able to play properly against a drum track. The good news is that once you get past the initial hurdle of playing simple patterns against a metronome, things get easier quickly, and the benefits are definitely worth it.

3- Listen to yourself / Record yourself playing (and listen critically to the recording!).

Yes, it’s surprising how few people actually listen to themselves while playing. This can be quite tricky at first, so try to do it while playing something you’re already pretty solid at. By concentrating on the sound you’re creating while repeatedly playing something, you should be able to notice and correct minor mistakes.

Recording yourself is also a big ordeal, albeit an excruciating one. Yes, it can be painful at first, but don’t let that put you off. By the time you start hearing all the little blemishes, you’re well on your way to correcting them and starting to sound much better as a result.

4- Play with other musicians.

This is a fantastic thing to do! Playing with other people will improve your feeling, musical communication and spontaneity. You can really only learn the skills of musical interaction by playing with other people, so get out of your room and find some muse!

Playing with better musicians than you can do wonders for your playing. One way is to go to jam sessions. If you don’t feel ready to sit down at the piano, go ahead and play the tambourine or a maraca.

However, playing with other musicians is just as important. Even if you are a beginner, it will add a whole new dimension to your playing.

Developing rhythmic feel is the most important and subtly challenging aspect of sounding funky.

5- Develop your Left Hand

People tend to shy away from it, and yet it’s such an important element in funk! Here are some areas where you can improve

Scales and arpeggios

A little technical practice playing scales and arpeggios can go a long way

bass lines

Work on the bass lines of your left hand. Find a book of funk, jazz, or blues bass lines and spend some time playing them with your left hand (always while practicing your feel). Soon you will see the benefit and begin to see how to incorporate them.

A couple of initial tips on how to build your own left hand bass parts is to find some chord progressions (4 bars-8 bars long) and use them for practice. Learn to play only the low notes, learn to walk in octaves (playing notes on beats 1 and 3), learn to add the fifth as other options. Another common move is to move closer to the new chord a semitone higher or lower.

chord shapes

Learn some typical funky patterns and chord shapes. Pianists are often looking for a punchy percussive sound, using fourths and fifths in their patterns in places where they want to add accents.

7#9 chords are also commonly used (eg voice C7#9, left hand is already playing C, right hand can play E, Bb, Eb, stretched out so sounds very punchy).

Another classic is the fourth chord. This is essentially just two quarter intervals stacked on top of each other (eg C, F, Bb). Using such chords warrants a tutorial in their own right, but these have a great punchy sound and commonly move in parallel quite freely, even non-diatonically. Of course, there are many more ways that can be used, but this tutorial will have to do with that for now.

I hope you found some of this useful. Above all, make sure you have fun and don’t get discouraged when the going gets tough. These things can take time, but it’s definitely worth it when you get there!