Outta Sight Funk and R&B Riffs for Piano/Keyboards

Book excerpt: Outta Sight Funk and R&B Riffs for Piano/Keyboards by Andrew D. Gordon is designed to help piano/keyboard players improve their playing technique with a wide range of different Funk & R&B riffs and grooves. While living in London during my early 20’s I had the opportunity of developing my Funk & R&B skills by playing or jamming with musicians of mainly African & Jamaican descent 3 to 4 times a week. We would jam for hours on end including doing gigs to the early hours of the morning. From this experience it is my feeling that it is important to play and learn from other musicians, however, if one is unable to do so then incorporating this product into your practicing routine is the next best thing. By using this book your Funk/R&B keyboard playing will definitely improve. What is Funk Music Funk is an Afro American musical style originated by James Brown and later Sly and the Family Stone emphasizing the rhythm and putting melody and harmony in the background. Funk often consists of a complex groove where every instrument is playing a different rhythmic part fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle. Entire songs are written without any or minimal chord changes where one or two riffs form the basis of the song as represented by the examples in this book. One of the most distinctive features of funk music is the role of the bass line as a foundation with melodic bass lines at the centerpiece of a funk tune. The left hand parts in this book capture both the rhythmic and melodic essence of funk bass while the right hand parts capture the percussive syncopated rhythms of funk music similar to what a guitarist may play. Funk music uses the same type of extended chords as in jazz, including minor chords with added sevenths, ninths and elevenths, or dominant seventh, ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords. Each of the 55 examples has been recorded three times: 1. The left and right hand parts are played through twice with drums & percussion, guitars and keyboards at the regular tempo. 2. Rhythm tracks at the regular tempo of guitar, bass, drums & percussion to practice the keyboard parts along with. 3. Slowed down track of the left & right keyboard parts with the drums so that you can precisely hear what the keyboard parts are playing. For musicians/students who would like extended 2 minute Play A Long tracks for each of the 55 examples ADG Productions offer downloadable mp3 files or MIDI files.