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Conference napalm::guitar

Title:GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion
Notice:Discussion of the finer stringed instruments
Moderator:KDX200::COOPER
Created:Thu Aug 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3280
Total number of notes:61432

2136.0. "Funk and Reggae Guitar Playing" by GURU::tomg (Bassists: Stand up for your Sonic Rights!) Thu Mar 07 1991 11:59


	Lately I've developed an interest in funk and reggae guitar
playing and have come to the realization that I know virtually nothing
about these styles. 

	What really got me interested is a new column in GP called
"Rhythm and Groove" which is about funk. The article included both
guitar excerpts as well as some 2 bar drum and bass patterns. I 
programmed up the drum machine, and recorded the drums and bass on
the 4 track. I gotta tell you, those guitar bits sounded excellent!

	So, what are you're favorite funk chords and riffs? 

re: Reggae

	How do you get that "scratchy" reggae sound?
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2136.1WELCLU::GREENBWhat's the hubbub, bub?Thu Mar 07 1991 12:116
    >> How do you get that "scratchy" reggae guitar sound.
    
    Cheap guitar, no bottom end on your amp, play exclusively on upstrokes
    rather than down, use plenty of damping.
    
    Bob "Chugga" Green
2136.2Everything's four-fourMEMCL1::KELLYJTone droidThu Mar 14 1991 19:1139
    Gotta slightly disagree with .1: The scratch guitar player in a reggae
    band plays a variety of rhythms, depending on the style of reggae 
    being played.  Here's a couple:
    
    Rocksteady/bluebeat - this is old reggae...early 70's vintage.  Kinda slow.
                          The scratch player usually plays two eighth notes,
    			  a down stroke followed by an upstroke, on beats two
    			  and four.  Lemme try and tab it:
    
    			  	1	2	3	4   (quarter notes)
    
    				rest    down up	rest	down up
    					(eighths)	(eights)
    
                          Verbally, you could try saying, "Oooh cha cha,
                          oooh cha cha" to get the feel.
    
    		   	  A good example is 'Lively Up Yourself' by Bob
    			  Marley and the Wailers.
    
    Ska - More modern and usually played at a quick tempo.  This is is where
          .1 is correct: Play the offbeats only, but you don't have to play
          upstrokes:
    
    				1  and	2  and	3  and	4  and
    				rest	rest	rest	rest
    				   hit     hit     hit     hit
    
                                 Verbally: Ooh cha ooh cha ooh cha ooh cha
          
    	  When played correctly, the guitar should sound like you're playing
          a polka!   A good example is Bob, again: 'Will You Be Loved?'
    
    
    Level vibes, mon!
    
    
                     
    
2136.3You kind of half-fret the chords!CAVLRY::BUCKApril is Coaster Mania month!!!Thu Mar 14 1991 19:262
    As an addendum to .1, tghe damping comes from the LEFT hand, NOT the
    right!
2136.4James Nolan:==Godfather of funky guitarMEMCL1::KELLYJTone droidThu Mar 14 1991 20:003
    Re .1: Oh yeah, funk: Get any James Brown record.  Check out James Nolan,
    the guitar player.  He plays soem incredibly funky stuff that has that
    sixteenth note pulse underneath it.  
2136.5BTOVT::BAGDY_MLife's too short for bad TONEMon Mar 18 1991 09:395
        To get  that  feel,  listen  to  `Fools  In  Love' by Jackson
        Browne.  That's a (somewhat) reggae tune.
        
        Matt
2136.6WASTED::tomgBassists: Stand up for your Sonic Rights!Mon Mar 18 1991 10:528

	re:  . -1

	That's Joe Jackson, not Jackson Browne!!

	Cool tune, BTW.
 
2136.7BTOVT::BAGDY_MLife's too short for bad TONETue Mar 19 1991 10:245
        Whoops.  .  .that's  what I meant to say, but my fingers must
        have been in another mode.  :^)
        
        Matt
2136.8go straight to the source and ask the horseWHELIN::OMALLEYHomey Cheese Whiz KidTue Mar 19 1991 12:1610
    No offense guys, but going to Joe Jackson records to learn reggae
    is like going to Led Zeppelin to learn the blues.  Not that Joe and
    Led aren't good, but they're (at least) one step removed from the
    source.
    
    Listen to Sly and Robbie and BMW (Bob Marley and the Wailers) or
    Wilson Pickett, Booker T and the MG's, to get the 'rill thang'.
    (Not meant to be an exhaustive list.)
    
    Peter
2136.9WELCLU::GREENBMayday! Mayday! Flagship is sinking!!!!!!!Wed Mar 20 1991 08:335
    Cheers, .2, for all that. As you may have guessed, my reply (.1) was
    only semi-serious, and relates only to one type of reggae guitar
    playing, i.e. the faster ska style.
    
    Bob
2136.10VERGA::CLARKFri Nov 01 1991 22:093
    FWIW, this month's Musician mag has a feature on "guitarists of P-Funk".
    (Tune in next month for "guitarists of the Big Ten"...)
    Parliament & Funkadelic have had a few good ones.    J