A Beginner's Guide To Funk Guitar

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Rhett, Great funk lesson! Thanks again for having me!

[@RhettShull]

You’re the man Tomo!

[@nicfry3061]

Tomo=Legend!

[@JustSomeGuy]

I love Tomo Fujita. He's such a great teacher. I also love when he teaches something simple and then proceeds to do 12 chord changes in a quarter of a second.

[@BordersJambo]

Tomo is an amazing dude. I would so buy his autobiography.

[@TheFir196]

Yep. 1 lesson video from Tomo can keep you busy for days.

[@normanperkel139]

He has two great DVD’s that are definitely worth getting!

[@ItsMrMcFly]

The most amazing part of Tomo's playing is his level of precision. You only hear the exact notes that he wants to hear. That level of accuracy and precision is always amazing to see.

[@RalphMercuroMusic]

Love Nile!!! He really unlocked my funk playing with two techniques. Never play more than three strings at a time and the funkier you get the less the chords ring out to almost playing nothing or VERY muted...

[@jmabs5096]

Everybody funk: Single coil, Strat Rhett:Gold top Les Paul.

[@RhettShull]

It’s the funkiest guitar I have.

[@ryaneggleston4585]

@@RhettShull To be fair, it's a Deluxe

[@jmabs5096]

@@RhettShull it's a beautiful guitar and envy it, just busting Rhetts chops, love you Rhett glad the injury is healing nicely!

[@TrainwreckNC]

A lot of funk guys played LP's SG's and es series

[@tedonyszczak3029]

Mini humbuckers rock! I have a 71 deluxe with minis and it is the most versatile ever.

[@mjohns908]

If anyone is wondering, the knee slapping exercise that Tomorrow is doing early in the video is a foundational drumming concept called gridding, which is the fundamental way that drummers develop extremely accurate syncopation even when not filling the space with ghost notes. Maybe not necessarily a concept that's too common for pitched instruments.

[@CatmanJimbo]

Just saw a Cory Wong interview where he talks about playing drumline in high school, and I've seen him discuss that same warm up in a different video. I bet that's where he took it from!

[@PragmaticDany]

Yeah the dude is a living metronome

[@charliemoody7168]

I’ve been asked countless times, how do I “keep track” of left hand, right hand, feet…it more than just muscle memory, though that’s important: it involves what I call rhythmic memory, or ‘embodying’ the beat. You can see dancers doing it if you watch them - the beat and it’s ‘fragments’, or pulses, get distributed to the head, the shoulders, hips, hands and feet, and a dance comes out. Or a drum rhythm. Or a funk strumming patterns. It’s called ‘syncopation’: “the placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't ‘normally’ occur… the correlation of *at least* TWO sets of time intervals.

[@nuthinbutlove]

I'm a guitarist and I've practiced the same exercise almost the entire time I've been playing. I would recommend it for almost all musicians.

[@rikoguitar]

Tomorrow huh 🤣

[@EthanTheMighty]

corey wong taught me the shifting-the-accent practice technique and it slaps

[@ThrillHouse666]

"Cory Wooooong!" Love that guy! One of the few guitarists that makes me happy just watching him play!

[@baimun]

When I was showing someone some funk and reggae licks I explained the correlation of the right hand rhythm picking and when to choke notes with the right hand is like a drummer's high hat. They don't just leave it open and do rolls.... it's the striking pattern along with when to let it ring, when to ring and cut, or to be closed the entire thing.

[@hyramjackson]

That comparison is perfect, in fact I have done that without thinking of it

[@yoniyampolsky2597]

Best style to emulate- Fruscantie's. Perfect blend of rock and funk. Great technique that creates a rougher, more modern punk sound

[@jarryd2018]

Was thinking exactly that watching this. I find myself trying to emulate him even when I'm not.

[@DanialAbrar]

Currently everything I play seems to emulate him lol

[@CrazyUncleSam24]

Definitely my favorite video based around an interview you made. You give plenty of room for the interview to breathe and the parts you give really expand on the ideas to explain it more. It also helps that Tomo is amazing.

[@OokisMcFlookis]

I love that idea of voice leading using different inversions, that's a great way to make a part more interesting

[@stevanvinter2835]

My dear God the thing that he does at 15:29 made me stop the video and replay it several times. What a guy! :)

[@celestxl835]

Rhett didn't use Tomo as clickbait for the thumbnail, mad respect

[@andypomeroy7447]

So cool to see this broke down to the elements. This was such a common style of playing in the mid to late 70's. We just played what we were hearing on the radio and records, not understanding what we were playing. Nice to hear the comments about over playing the rhythm and how to accent. Good content here, Rhett!

[@PulledPurk]

Funk?! Dang, you must be feeling a lot better!

[@bkebradley]

The triplet thing he did at 15:28 was so sick

[@BlueL1n3]

Yes! I was about to say the same thing! It was like muted raking or something. I keep scrubbing back to it and replaying it.

[@mikecito1717]

Play it at .75 speed to really catch the trick.

[@Garythefireman66]

Nile Rodgers is a legend. He worked with so many greats, including David Bowie. His riffs are iconic 🎸

[@RemyTrahant]

Awesome, thank you Rhett, thank you Tomo! At GIT my instructor Pathik Desai who taught the funk guitar class turned me on to the late, great Ross Bolton who used to be the funk guitar guru at GIT, and Pathik based his entire funk beginner course around Ross' curriculum and I highly recommend to everyone to pick up Ross Bolton's Hal Leonard Funk Guitar book, it's a great workbook to get you on your way!

[@stevegodard4697]

Wow! Not even a funk aficionado, but was blown away by Tomo's skill. Very nice lesson, provides great practice material. Thanks so much!

[@bryangarcia662]

Glad to see your recovering so quickly man, great video! Already signed up for the Inner Circle, can't wait to see what comes next!

[@PNWGuitar]

Nile Roger's is one of my biggest influences so I was excited to hear your thoughts about funk. It's gotta swing its got to support the sing and in my Roger's opinion "If there's not many notes it's not funky"

[@istvandejesus]

Is great how good you are healing from your injury. God bless!!!

[@DADA-ey2ir]

This is why social media platforms are so great nowadays. You get to learn from great minds like Tomo when it used to be a privilege.

[@bendayze]

Rhetts clean tone is my solo tone

[@RobHarrisGuitar]

Great stuff Rhett. Love the Tomo stuff too.

[@ChristianoSts]

can't stop from the RHCP is a great example of not playing full chords and filling very well the harmony.

[@guppybill]

Tower of Power! That's where my favorite funk and soul comes from. East Bay Grease. Got ya' some right here!

[@J.D....]

Stratocaster 4th position Righthand motor going FUNK

[@JakeTerch]

I like position 3 or even position 2 on a Tele for funk!

[@abcrx32j]

*Me being confused for a second* *Remembers how pickup switch positions are numbered*

[@unitoftemp]

Firmly flexed tape to that 4th position.

[@ferramirez4570]

Just to confirm 4th position is Middle and Neck or not?

[@TokeGerdts]

@@ferramirez4570 Yep!

[@TheOdieD3]

Thanks for this Rhett ! So fun!!! My favorite video so far

[@Jesse615]

Lately I've really gotten into funk-style playing more. I play bass too, and a lot of the same practices, like muting and a focus on the right hand, carries through easily. One thing I realize that makes the great guitar and bass funk players so great isn't so much their ability to play, but their keen ability to listen. Listening to the other players, the vocal melody, rhythm, etc. is how they find that pocket and create space. I'll take Nile Rodger's tasty playing over the flashy stuff any day!

[@vstags]

Love it Rhett!! Great coverage of funk guitar. I was born in 65 and have great memories of this type music all over the radio. Any chance of putting together a beginner lesson to counting and keeping the beat while playing? I'm a beginner and would find it very useful. Thanks bro!

[@booyakuhsha24]

i love rhett! thank you so much for all you do. my mind was blown when you said Tomo was gonna be a part of the video. absolutely incredible stuff! everyone can learn from musicians like you and tomo because you're both so positive and always looking to collab with others. fookin love it rhett! thank you again this was awesome! BRING ON THE FUNK

[@notbraindead7298]

I’ve been a huge fan of Rhett Shull for a long time. He’s an incredibly talented and versatile guitarist.

[@jasonmccarthy3370]

Great video! I always love to see @TomoFujitaMusic . Fantastic player and musician. More please!

[@davidshortino1138]

Rhett, great funk lesson by you and Tomo Fujita. I learned some new funk techniques. Glad you're back to playing again!!

[@davroshalfbeard8368]

Anchoring the pinky genius just tried it funk is the toughest style for me some times you get the groove sometimes you don't lol. thanks for all the very interesting content . digging that gold top at the start the only les paul i like to cheers now

I love those guitar fadeouts when you change the scene, so satisfying.

[@ChaseandMelia]

Soooo cool!!! Can’t wait to go practice this!!! Love the accent exercise! Soooo tricky!

[@larryhall2805]

So Al is playing the perfect rhythm guitar part in Serpentine Fire: one almost doesn't hear it but if it's taken out, something's sorely missing.

[@rochellecarter7683]

That was useful. My main take aways were use expensive chords, voice leading (good thing I learned my triads), and most importantly, you don't have to scratch every sixteenth note; just the important ones. Thanks :)

[@danmorrison8746]

Damn Rhett. This is a supreme episode.

[@ehabsh9427]

Hi Rhett! One of the challenges I faced when I started learning Funk was playing over a shuffle groove. I mistakenly played it straight 16th first before getting it right. Maybe you can illustrate the difference in a later video. Shuffle grooves are not clear for many! Wish you the best and I am looking forward to more videos like this one.

[@NoNameNo.5]

Rhett, this was dope. Looking forward to more of these, and I love the funk guitar intro lessons.....(cant wait for the bluegrass lesson!)

[@ilyatishchenkov6501]

When it comes to learning funk quitar I will always remember that VHS with Ross Bolton's guitar course my dad gave me when I was a kid. It literally rocked my world!

[@iavor9365]

Really enjoyed the video, Rhett. Love to see two of my favorite KZbinrs talking about a style of playing I'm trying to learn myself. Would be awesome if you covered common gear used in funk or what to do to get a good funk tone.

[@elizabethanderson2968]

You're lucky ... my folks had the great wall of vinyl in the 70s, and a few lodgers that included founding members of the Average White Band and Blockheads, so having that kinda grounding is SO valuable! Great lessons

[@MrWillyCC]

Great guidance, makes it super easy to understand and follow! And kudos to ur parents for instilling the funk in u at a young age 😃. One of my favorite 80s funk rhythm guitar lines is Sexy Dancer-Prince.

[@stevepethel6843]

Mute with left hand to determine length of note , alternating. Staccato accents rhythm line 16ths like a drummer percussion leaving out some chords more syncopated. And not so overplaying busy leaving some space and hitting. Sparse. Chords. Thanks for demonstraing guitars part isolated.

[@TheDeugsy]

thanks to Tomo and you, such a refreshing listening !

[@charlescdt6509]

Nile Rogers would be proud of you, really proud of you were using a fender lol. Keep up the good work. Can we get some more bass love?

[@scottfrommaryland7658]

Thanks Rhett, this was a great introduction to funk playing. Something I had been avoiding because I didn't understand it.

[@banditsbikeco3439]

So glad I watched this video. I’ve always been that guy who loves mutes, and it’s always been pleasing to me…so much that my style is pretty much all based around muting strums. Started doing it from Punk rock influence. At times I’ve thought it was a hindrance, but now I know I need to dive into funk….I think it’s going to help me branch out more.

[@adriengahery9471]

I didn't expect you covering that genre of music! Great content, as always.

[@zedcarr6128]

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! This lesson. I am SO trying some of these uber cool sounding chords. I occasionally play 9th chords but find them a bit hard and one of my favourite sounding chords, the minor 9th takes me a few seconds to nearly break my fingers to play it. 😥

[@AF-fb6yp]

Playing less to create more space and not playing full chords etc! So simple but very easy to not realise. Great video

[@TeeDOG6]

When I was a did, I was a classic rock guy. Then as I got older, I started to appreciate blues, then funk. Funk is awesome.

[@suzannecoholic1467]

whew! that was fun! 2 of my fave Rhett and Tomo - amazing

[@TheJuggernautv2]

LOL, it always comes back to Tomo. The power behind the Throne!

[@Rebelconformist82]

Tomo is a Guru of guitar. I like the guy with the silver guitar technique . Nice sound

[@karlsmith3281]

Your right hand seems to be all wrist, Tomo's is sometimes all arm, but on his Le Chic take he does wrist. Please comment. Thanks from county Devon, England.

[@antoniofalanga5846]

Hey Rhett! very well done lesson. Your channel is always inspiring, but man that video quality is super! would you consider doing guides or tips to help us improving home video recording or youtube/instagram/video related stuff? thank you in advance!

[@dracul74]

Been a longtime subscriber of Tomo’s... love his channel. So many good tips...

[@timchalmers1700]

Excellent ! I love funk, but can I do it? Not yet. Totally amazing to watch Tomo changing chords. His hands are quicker than my eyes.

[@vietnammg]

Took me around 2 years to learn the basic of funk guitar. But just like Tomo said it's 90% in your ability to mute strings with left hand fingers and the strumming flexibility of the wrist your right hand. It takes time but it's very learnable. You will send picks flying a lot though.

[@didyma]

Loved this video. Just what a former metalhead needs to get out of his comfort zone when realizing what he's been missing out 😊

[@GUSCRAWF0RD]

4;30 this guy is a train-ed rythm machine I couldn't change accents in a tapping pattern like that, I bet real drummers train that kind of thing... Impressive

[@santiagohaller2414]

Rhett!! Love your new studio

[@EasyHeat]

My mom took me to see the Ramones live on my 7th birthday in 1983. Forever influenced my musical journey.

[@Alexander-rx7jj]

Brilliant video Rhett. Hope you will expand on this in the future!

[@TraneFrancks]

Yeah, but what does Tomo Fujita know anyway? It's not like he's John Mayer's guitar teacher ... Oh, wait.

[@Krullmatic]

Tomo is an absolute badass! Thanks Rhett, I lot of my style is blues, funk and jazzed base. This really helped me out big time! Especially the not playing to busy part. After all, you know how us guitarists are lol! ♥🙏🤘😝🤘

[@MikeKGullion]

Awesome! I've been meaning to practice funk (and improving my overall right hand rhythm).

[@brushstroke3733]

Great lesson, Rhett! This is what music is all about - rhythm and feel baby!

[@gcoudert]

This has to be the best funk guitar video on YT. Thank you so much from a frustrated keyboard-playing guitarist. I'm going to give this another go.

[@charliemoody7168]

Terrific…*and* USEFUL. Thanks, Rhett, and Tomoe!

[@BryanSorensen]

Where I live, we are lucky enough to have an original Detroit “funk brother” (Leroy Emmanuel) that fills the dance floor with nothing but a 335 (sometimes wah) and a Fender Twin (clean). You can actually hear his guitar on the opening sample/riff of Snoop Dogg’s “Who am I”. After hearing him play, you realize the power of great clean guitar playing. (You’ll get rid of your pedals and your on-the edge-of-breakup amps...)

[@MichaelMYouTube]

Thanks for continuing to deliver GREAT content!

[@mattquinn8022]

Awesome mate, loved this!!

[@eadonayre]

That strat sounded amazing

[@jamaisvu2815]

Thank you

[@kalvinbaker6398]

Great stuff, I learned so much in such a short space of time. Keep up the good work.

[@willhayes1035]

Man this was such a great video! Your parents sound like they would’ve been friends with mine. Love me some funk!

[@marcoscamillo6606]

We need a collab video between you and Chris Buck too...

[@michaeld.mahoney9106]

Well done, great funk lesson. Thanks.

[@TheDankCat127]

“You see, the funk is a living creature. It’s about the size of a medicine ball, but covered in teats.” -Old Gregg

[@mrjljjl]

Bootsy collins has your back when it comes to funk bass. Funkadelic baby, Groovy vibes.

[@harrysachs2274]

It's all about the 1

[@bobo3838]

i love tomo fujita! especially his casiopea - ayasake lesson.

[@Bomber848480015]

Perfect video for me as I am working on this now.

[@hedgy369]

Jim Dunlop jazz 1 picks (not 3), got rounded points and chunky enough to smoothly chucka chucka without getting snagged , you can turn them and use the edge kinda 30 degrees and sounds real smooth and just glides over the strings.

[@lexo30]

Glad to see you back in full action and revitalised, Rhett. I really like your videos, but in the months before your accident I did think you were looking a bit burned out and unenthusiastic. But not here. Great stuff.

[@solanowithano]

Whats the model of that Strat Rhett??? Its gorgeous!

[@tim5749]

Watching someone play funk on a les Paul is so awesome I’ve never seen that before. Adds a really bold, dissonant sound that I was not expecting at all. The cleanness of the Strat is replaced with this punchy sound: really interesting. Your picking feels aggressive to me; I wonder how your playing would translate on a strat, might not be as clean as you would expect. Interesting playing! Thanks for the video!

[@marksaxton4868]

Ray Parker Jr did it all the time

[@tim5749]

@@marksaxton4868 never have heard of this guy damn I love Aretha Franklin I want to hear how he sounded in her band

[@permit40]

Amazing lesson. Thank you both!

[@Stu-Vino]

Wow, really useful stuff, cheers, Rhett

[@かわいい89]

I’ve been watching Tomo for a minute now so great

[@CentaurusRelax314]

Nice stuff. I would have liked to have heard about how you both are getting that ‘dead’ tone. Just rolling the guitar tone knob down, or is there more to it? EQ? And what about the role of compression? Related: ironic, that there is a fortune in guitars and amps shown in this video, but that ‘beautifully lifeless’ guitar tone could probably be achieved just as well with a Squier and a solid state practice amp.

[@matthewh6119]

Thanks Rhett! Love the beginner lessons.

[@marccano1609]

Great lesson and nice job!! THX!

[@aquiel2760]

@Rhett Shull Thanks for the lesson, especially pointing that you dont‘t have to be busy playing chicken scratchs all the time…may I ask what string gauge you use on the Strat and the Gold Top (Heritage?). Take care!

[@globaltrekkerexplorer]

There is a band The Floozies that has some cool funk guitar. Groovy lesson!

[@alexry6025]

This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank You :)