What makes a song Funky?

Funk features strong bass lines, or music lines played by low-pitched instruments and has a heavy syncopated beat, meaning a beat with emphasis changed from strong beats to off beats and accents. Funk music also possesses a distinctive groove, or sense of rhythmic movement that makes you want to get up and dance.

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Characteristics of Funk Music

Defining characteristics of funk music include the following: syncopation, downbeats that are followed by sixteenth note grooves, seventh chord variations, and groove lines that are played by bass guitars. Funk music's usage of syncopation is driven by the guitar and bass lines in the band. These are the musical notes providing a rhythm that inspires dance. An example of a song with this type of syncopation is ''Papa's Got a Brand New Bag,'' which was performed by James Brown and his band. Funk music downbeats were introduced by James Brown due to his music directing and requirement that the band play on the one beat. He accented those beats and then the band followed them up by playing sixteenth note improvisation or riffs that completed each section of music. The bass guitars were the most prominent players of what is known as ''grooves.'' Two legendary musicians who played bass were Larry Graham with Sly and the Family Stone and Bootsy Collins, who played with the group Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk). Vamps in funk music are often played at the end of a song utilizing an ostinato groove played over a one chord. When a group is using a recording, the sound engineer plays the vamp over the end of a song in order to move onto the next recording. During the 1970s funk music bands began to play one or two music bars as an introduction to the piece. The song titled ''Funky Drummer'' by James Brown utilized the idea of a vamp throughout the entirety of the piece. During the 1960s James Brown and his band, along with Sly and the Family Stone, combined lyrics and music to explore various themes of society and culture. They guided their lyrics, along with the beats, to place a commentary upon social inequality, the African American community, violence against people, and racial strife in the United States. During the early 1970s funk lyrics began to expand upon the beats driving the rhythm with continued themes that provoked thought among its listeners. The group Parliament-Funkadelic, among other bands, felt that the genre allowed for the liberation of self and an exploration of inner humanity. During the 1980s the genre was explored by such artists as Rick James and Prince, whose works explored sexual expression while utilizing funk beats. As the decade progressed and new genres of music were formed such as rap and hip hop, the genre of funk became more of a representation of Black tradition and a cultural movement.

James Brown during a performance in 2003.

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70s Funk Music

The music of the 1970s began in the late 1960s. James Brown and his band were focused on creating visual uniformity in their costume and clothing choices. Their suit colors were all uniform and their ties needed to be the same size as well. As the new decade of the 70s emerged, so did the uniqueness of many funk bands such as Parliament. At any given show there would be 25 to 30 colorfully costumed performers singing, playing music, and dancing on the stage. The show itself was a spectacular event that included the landing of a spacecraft known as ''The Mothership'' at the start of the show. Funk style in performance and clothing evolved throughout the decade to include otherworldly costumes that included oversized sunglasses, platform shoes, bright-colored outfits, exuberant flair, decorations galore, and the image of color evoking the music itself. The exemplary icon of this fashion was known as a musician and performer named George Clinton. His work with the bands Funkadelic and Parliament demonstrated not only his and the other bands' work, but later impacted numerous performance groups. Some of his style included glittered hot pants, floor length fur coats, oversized hats and sunglasses, and specialty shaped guitars to match the performance theme. Another star performer of the bass instrument of the time was Bootsy Collins, who enjoyed utilizing star motifs on his clothing, jackets, shoes, and glasses. Bootsy channeled his alter ego through his style known as ''Bootzilla'', donning his stars to embellish his work and performance.

study.com - Funk Music Characteristics, Artists & Songs | What is Funk? - Study.com

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