Funk: static harmony, rhythm up front
In funk (James Brown from the mid-1960s, then Sly & the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic, Tower of Power, Earth, Wind & Fire, Chic, Prince) the harmony is often a single chord (vamp) or two chords for long stretches. The interest lies in the rhythm (the “One,” the sixteenth notes, the interlocking parts), and the harmony has to leave room.
Typical funk chords
| Chord | Notes (E) | Use |
|---|---|---|
| E9 | E G# B D F# | the James Brown chord: “static” dominant |
| E7#9 | E G# D G | the “Hendrix chord,” blues-funk |
| E13 | E G# D F# C# | bright |
| Em7 / Em9 | E G B D (F#) | minor vamp (Dorian) |
| E7sus4 | E A B D | suspended |
The chords are played by the guitar high on the neck (3–4 note voicings on the treble strings), with ghost notes and “chicken scratch” in sixteenth notes; the clavinet and keyboards play rhythmic riffs.
Typical vamps
| Vamp | Chords | Example of color |
|---|---|---|
| static I7 | E9 | James Brown |
| i7 – IV7 (Dorian) | Em7 – A7 (or Am7 – D9) | Latin funk, disco |
| i7 – iv7 | Em7 – Am7 | dark funk |
| I7 – IV7 | E9 – A9 | blues-funk |
| bVII – I | D – E | funk-rock |
Examples
- Stevie Wonder, Superstition (1972): the clavinet riff in Eb minor pentatonic over an Eb vamp; the harmony changes only in the chorus.
- Chic, Good Times (1979): Em7 – A7 vamp (E Dorian), with Bernard Edwards's bass line that made history (it was reused in Rapper's Delight).
- James Brown: many songs on a single ninth chord for the whole verse, with the “bridge” on a second chord (often the IV).
R&B: from sevenths to modern pop
R&B (1970s to today) inherits from gospel, jazz and funk:
- 1970s–'80s (Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross): ii–V–I with 9ths and 13ths, secondary dominants, modulations, slash chords (F/G).
- 1990s (Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight, Babyface, Jodeci): IVmaj9 – iii7 – vi9 – ii9 – V13sus4, gospel plagal cadences, tight vocal harmonies, semitone modulations.
- 2000–today (Frank Ocean, SZA, Daniel Caesar, H.E.R.): loops of 2–4 maj7 and m9 chords, modal borrowing (iv, bVI), minimal production with 808s.
R&B progressions (C major)
| Progression | Chords |
|---|---|
| 1990s ballad | Fmaj9 – Em7 – Am9 – Dm9 – G13sus4 |
| Gospel-R&B | C – C/E – F – F#°7 – C/G – Am7 – Dm7 – G7 |
| Slow jam (12/8) | Cmaj7 – Am9 – Dm9 – F/G |
| Modern R&B | Fmaj7 – Fm7 – Cmaj7 – Am7 (IV – iv – I – vi) |
Arrangement tips
- Leave space between guitar, keyboards and horns: each on a different sixteenth note.
- Rootless voicings (the bass plays the root): the guitar plays 3 – 7 – 9 or 7 – 3 – 13.
- Bass that plays the “One” (first beat) with force and then syncopations and ghost notes.
- Horns (trumpet, sax, trombone) with stabs on ninth or thirteenth chords.
Producer exercise
- Funk: E9 vamp for 8 bars at 104 BPM, guitar (or clavinet: Clavinet V) in sixteenth notes with ghost notes, slap bass on the One.
- Change for 4 bars to A9 (IV9) and return to E9.
- R&B: ballad in 12/8 at 66 BPM with Fmaj9 – Em7 – Am9 – Dm9 – G13sus4 and three-part vocal harmonies.
Related
Dorian vamp, neo-soul harmony, gospel harmony, groove, swing and microtiming, syncopation and anticipation.