Using just a few notes or a barrage, John Frusciante creates guitar parts which deftly guide listeners through Red Hot Chili Peppers’ songs.
Intermediate
Beginner
- Explore the hallmarks of John Frusciante’s unique stylistic and technical approach to guitar.
- Get a humdinger of a funk strumming workout.
- Learn how to go deeper to create memorable guitar parts.
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I had a bit of a strange introduction to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Back in the day, during my first week of school at New York University, I noticed a sign on the door of the student cafeteria indicating that a relatively unknown band called “Red Hot Chili Peppers” was playing a show across the hall that Saturday night. I remember thinking, “Well, that’s a silly name for a band. Those guys are never going anywhere.” Yeah. Good call.
Cut to winter 2002: I’ve been a professional music transcriber for about five years, and I find myself in the Chili Peppers’ NYC management office, transcribing an advance copy of their By the Way album, set to be released that summer. It was the band’s eighth album and fourth with guitarist John Frusciante. It was also my first deep dive into Frusciante’s playing, though it would not be my last.
Guitars Gotta Groove
One of the Chili Peppers’ breakthrough hits was their cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” from 1989’s Mother’s Milk. This performance is a barnburner:
Frusciante’s aggressive strumming contributes mightily to the bedlam, combining bluesy double-stops and percussive muted strums. With Flea’s bass and Chad Smith’s drums, it’s a full-frontal punk/funk assault, and Ex. 1 is inspired by Frusciante’s playing on this classic. A key to staying in the groove is to keep your picking hand moving in a triplet rhythm, even if it’s not actually sounding any notes, as illustrated by the indicated strum pattern.
Another of Frusciante’s early records with RHCP, 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik, has Frusciante fueling songs with his funk-inspired strumming style, melding punctuated funky single notes with, again, a lot of percussive, muted strums. Ex. 2 is reminiscent of Frusciante’s verse part in “Give It Away.” Note that even when just a single note is indicated, you should also include some surrounding muted strings, in order keep the percussiveness flowing. Focus on muting all six strings with your fretting-hand fingers and thumb, applying pressure only when an actual note is indicated. And keep that picking hand moving!
One of Frusciante’s earliest influences was Jimi Hendrix, and in “Suck My Kiss,” Frusciante fuses funk guitar with a rock-style riff that has shades of Hendrix’s “Fire.” Ex. 3 is based on this Chili Peppers’ classic and illustrates just how impactful the use of space can be. No extra muted strings here, just play as written.
Chordal Magic
Let’s give our picking hands a break and detour into Frusciante’s use of chord voicings. Among his many influences were guitarists in 1980s punk-rock bands. One such guitarist is John McGeoch from Siouxsie and the Banshees, and you can just imagine a young Frusciante being inspired by McGeoch’s playing in a song like “Spellbound.”
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In a similar vein, Ex. 4 is based on Frusciante’s playing in songs like Blood Sugar Sex Magik’s “Under the Bridge.” Frusciante doesn’t merely arpeggiate chords. He goes deeper, and creates hummable melodies. In doing so, his guitar parts often act as additional hooks throughout the Chili Peppers’ songs.
Some of Frusciante’s most memorable, not to mention fun-to-play, guitar parts are a mashup of techniques. Take, for example, his intro to “Snow (Hey Oh)” from the 2006 album Stadium Arcadium. He deftly arpeggiates chords, though here, he stops to add melodic flourishes, and Ex. 5 is based on this same approach.
Let’s Make Some Noise
As I alluded to earlier, I would have yet another opportunity to get into the nitty-gritty of Frusciante’s playing. Just this past year, I transcribed much of the Chili Peppers’ two 2022 releases, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, marking Frusciante’s return to the band after departing in 2009. Let’s explore…
Sometimes all a song needs is noisy weirdness. In the choruses of “The Heavy Wing” from Unlimited Love, Frusciante unleashes the fuzz and, in between power chords, launches into sonic assaults of wild Eddie Van Halen-inspired slide/bend hybrids, along with some awesomely noisy bends. Ex. 6 illustrates this approach. In the final measure, bring the weirdness by catching both strings with your ring finger as you bend.
Summoning Moods with Lines and Chords
On a more melodic front, Frusciante will occasionally give a nod to the closed-triad shapes from Ex. 5 in his soloing. In Unlimited Love’s “Here Ever After,” he mainly climbs up an F triad, but keeps things interesting by using a quarter-note-triplet rhythm (Ex. 7).
In “Not the One,” from the same record, Frusciante finds his inner Allan Holdsworth, providing moody, volume-swelled chords and single notes (Ex. 8).
In a track from Unlimited Love, “Whatchu Thinkin’,” Frusciante simultaneously uses chords and lines to create a triadic rhythm part, the melodic line of which complements Anthony Kiedis’ vocal. Remember, to create a solid groove, keep your picking hand moving in a steady 16th-note rhythm, even when not striking any notes (Ex. 9).
Technique as a Means to an End
While he generally eschews shredding, Frusciante grew up a fan of guitarists such as Steve Vai and Randy Rhoads, and honed his technical abilities by, among other things, playing challenging Frank Zappa tunes. In “Eddie,” their tribute to Eddie Van Halen from Return of the Dream Canteen, Frusciante lets loose, especially live, and Ex. 10 is based on the fiery EVH-inspired licks he unleashes to honor the passing of the guitar legend.
Through the years, one of the hallmarks of Frusciante’s guitar style has been his boundless creativity. Whether he’s adding a percussive funky rhythm part, a subtle melodic line, or an onslaught of fiery mayhem, his guitar parts are a defining element of the Chili Peppers’ sound. If you take away only one thing from this lesson, I hope you’ll make it this: Frusciante’s view of technique as a means to an end, rather than an end itself, illustrates the power our attitude has in making good musical choices and uncovering our own unique creativity.
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Yes, you can get funky with a single chord shape.
Chops: Intermediate
Theory: Beginner
Lesson Overview:
• Learn one of the most essential chord shapes for funk music.
• Play a variety of rhythmic strumming patterns, from simple to complex.
• Gain an understanding of how the guitar locks in with the bass and drums in funk music. Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
Theory: Beginner
Lesson Overview:
• Learn one of the most essential chord shapes for funk music.
• Play a variety of rhythmic strumming patterns, from simple to complex.
• Gain an understanding of how the guitar locks in with the bass and drums in funk music. Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
Believe it or not, you can play a large number of classic funk songs using one chord shape. Of course, you’ll still have to develop a relentless strumming hand, but we’ll work on that too.
The D7 Shape
Oh, the humble D7 shape. From the primordial music of James Brown to the psychedelic sounds of Parliament Funkadelic and punk/funk of the Minutemen, the humble D7 shape is not to be underestimated. We’ll learn to appreciate the shape’s usefulness and versatility in this lesson, but first, a quick note on the naming of a shape versus its contextual chord name.
The visual layout of the guitar fretboard makes it very “shape friendly.” This is perhaps best illustrated by the popular CAGED system, which is based on a simple premise: Once you learn the 1st-position chord shapes of C, A, G, E, and D, you can then move those shapes up and down the fretboard to play any major or minor chord, arpeggio, or scale. Our lesson is based on the same principle, but all our attention will be focused on the 1st-position D7 shape.
Unfortunately, there is one possibility for confusion: In addition to moving this shape up and down the fretboard, we will also be moving it across the fretboard, and, from a theory and nomenclature standpoint, once we do that, the name of the chord will also change and sometimes it can have more than one name! In other words, when we play a D7 shape along the top three strings of the guitar, its root will change, but not its function—it will still be a rootless dominant 7 chord. But if we shift that same shape across the strings it could be a C#m, E6, or even F#9 depending on the context. Even though the focus of this lesson is on the D7 grip, you will also want to keep an eye on the proper, contextual chord names.
One-Shape Funk Evolution
Without question, James Brown invented funk. But Brown’s musical creation has its roots in the 1950s R&B and early-’60s soul music. So, before we investigate the syncopated strums of such funk classics as “Cold Sweat” and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,” let’s try our hand at a foundational rhythm found in the precursors to funk.
Ex. 1 begins with the D7 shape in its everyday, 1st-position setting, but then quickly moves up and down the fretboard through a funky 12-bar blues similar to James Brown’s “Out of Sight.” (Many of Brown’s earliest songs are based around a 12-bar blues.) In this example, not only is the shape easy to finger and maneuver, but the strum is also rudimentary. But keep in mind, the simplicity of the guitar strum allows the bass and horns to get busy. Full disclosure: Although this D7 shape works perfectly in this context, it is not the shape used in “Out of Sight.” What actually gets played is a C7 shape, but that’s for another lesson.
Click here for Ex. 1
16th-note Strums
Before we get to the next song-based example, we’re obliged to work on your strumming hand. At the risk of oversimplifying, much of funk guitar comes down to 16th-notes, strummed up and down, with various accents and mutes/chokes thrown in to create an almost infinite variety of rhythmic syncopations. To work on this type of strumming, practice Ex. 2 as notated, then start experimenting with your own variations using different chord shapes and playing up and down the neck.
Click here for Ex. 2
Which brings us to Ex. 3, which employs both the D7 shape and a highly syncopated strum. Based on a common I–II–V progression, this groove is based on Funkadelic’s “Sexy Ways” and, like “Out of Sight,” has its roots in R&B music.
Click here for Ex. 3
Move It!
Now that we have a firm grasp of the D7 shape, let’s move it around and start getting busier and funkier. The following two examples are going to use the exact same shape that we used in Ex. 1, but we’ll move it over one string. As mentioned in the introduction, the shape will remain the same, but the name will change. In fact, even though we will use the same shape in the next two examples, we will give them different names in each example, because the bass line will dictate the overall harmony.
Ex. 4 is similar to another James Brown song, “Funky Drummer.” And while that tune is well-known for its drum break—which is sampled in literally thousands of hip-hop songs—Alfonzo Kellum’s rhythm guitar is also noteworthy. This phrase imitates Kellum’s part (there is a second, single-note guitar line in the original, not mimicked here) using only the D7 shape, but, thanks to the bass line, we can create the sound of a B9 chord moving to E9. It’s a laid-back funky groove.
Click here for Ex. 4
Punk Funk
To the uninitiated, it might seem a stretch to jump from James Brown to the seminal 1980s punk trio the Minutemen, but for those in the know, it’s not so surprising. The Minutemen had a wide range of influences, and funk played a big role in their music. Plus, one of their songs uses the D7 shape to great advantage. Ex. 5 pays homage to the Minutemen with a tight, five-chord, one-shape groove reminiscent of “Viet Nam.” Notice that the bass line creates a new harmonic context for our D7 shape. Also, pay close attention to the choked/muted strums in this example—they add to the piece’s overall momentum.
Click here for Ex. 5
Keep Movin’
Now let’s continue with our process of hopping over a string, which, coincidentally, makes our D7 shape, when its lowest note is played at the 5th fret, a D7 chord! Some players might notice that this shape, on these strings, is similar to both B7 and C7 shapes, minus a couple of notes, which is exactly the case. Nevertheless, in this context, we will continue to call this a D7 shape.
Ex. 6 is an exceedingly fun exercise, reminiscent of Ex. 2, which will test your 16th-note strumming skills. What we have here are three different strum patterns, each played four times in a row, and finally strung together to create a longer four-measure pattern. This groove is based on Prince’s “The Everlasting Now” and, in combination with Ex. 2 and diligence on your part, should improve your strumming significantly.
Click here for Ex. 6
Alternating between D7 and C#7, Ex. 7 slows things down and adds a hip chromatic move, comparable to Parliament’s “Dr. Funkenstein.” The interplay between the guitar and bass here is vital, with the bass playing the root and b7 over the D7 chord, followed by the b7 only over the C#7. For the audio example, I’ve added a second guitar with an envelope filter/auto-wah effect.
Click here for Ex. 7
Based on Jeff Beck’s “Constipated Duck,” Ex. 8 has the same chromatic move as Ex. 7, but with a slippery slide added for a bit of accent color. This example also changes keys. To accomplish this modulation, you merely move down two frets in measure five, then back up again at measure seven.
Click here for Ex. 8
Funky Beatles?
Okay, I know this last example is not the funkiest, however I couldn’t resist including it because this allows us to shift our D7 shape across the fretboard one last time. Also, I can’t think of any other songs that have this particular chord shape in it. (I vaguely recall playing it in at least one other tune; if any readers know of other recorded examples of this shape, in this fretboard position, please feel free to mention them in the comments.) Thus, the Beatles stand as pioneers for yet another reason, as Ex. 9 is based on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
Click here for Ex. 9
Or Less?
The title of this lesson is “Funk Guitar in One Chord Shape or Less,” so what about the less? Easy. Just rest. Stop playing. Lay out. As James Brown declared, “Give the drummer some.”
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Get on the good foot with a handful of soulful, gospel-inspired riffs from Snarky Puppy’s guitarist.
Chops: Advanced
Theory: Intermediate
Lesson Overview:
• Understand how to outline pentatonic harmony with double-stops.
• Create funky muted lines using hybrid picking.
• Strengthen your internal time. Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
Theory: Intermediate
Lesson Overview:
• Understand how to outline pentatonic harmony with double-stops.
• Create funky muted lines using hybrid picking.
• Strengthen your internal time. Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
Double- and triple-stops are a hallmark of blues, rock ’n’ roll, and country guitar playing. They offer a cool way to add harmony and texture to what would could otherwise be thin sounding single-note phrases. In this lesson, however, we’ll explore the “stop” concept and focus on its use within funk, R&B, soul, and gospel realms. I’ve always liked how these small note clusters can mimic the way a horn section would approach a chord stab. Keep this in mind when learning these licks and crafting your own. FYI: Many of these examples are best played using a hybrid-picking technique.
Think of Ex. 1as a warm-up for the rest of the lesson. It’s a two-octave D major pentatonic scale (D–E–F#–A–B) harmonized in fourths. (The D pentatonic scale is the top line; harmonizing it a fourth below introduces one note outside of D pentatonic. Can you spot it? Hint: It’s lurking under F# and belongs to the D major scale.)
You can use either your first or second finger for just about every double-stop, except for the slides in the second measure. This concept of pentatonics in fourths is quite prevalent in modern neo-soul guitar styles. (Just search on Instagram for proof.)
Click here for Ex. 1
Staying within a D major tonality, we’ll combine the double-stop fourths with some thirds to craft the triple-stop, or triadic, shapes in Ex. 2. This kind of moving harmony adds an old-school gospel vibe. For an authentic feel, pay attention to the slides—it’s important to keep them in time with the beat.
Click here for Ex. 2
Ex. 3combines a little of Ex. 1 and 2 but adds some heavy right-hand muting. The muting gives the double-stops that “sampled” feel found in hip-hop and R&B. Make sure those slithery, half-step 32nd-note shifts are clean, and keep those palm mutes nice and crisp. The last sequence of triple-stops is an essential gospel guitar maneuver that works over a I-IV–IIIm–IIm–I progression.
Click here for Ex. 3
Ex. 4makes use of major and minor voicings for a Latin-crossed-with-classical feel. To make the double-stops short and clear, hybrid-picking is a must. Plus, it will help with the three shapes in the second measure that use the 6th and 4th strings, rather than adjacent ones. To experiment with individual note dynamics, first try this lick using both pick and fingers, and then just fingers.
Click here for Ex. 4
Thanks to its sliding-sixth voicings, Ex. 5is perhaps the most country sounding of all these examples.It features some techniques I picked up from studying guitarists in gospel quartets. If anything, that should tell you that country and gospel have a lot in common. The only difference is the groove! The mid-tempo feel is what gives this lick some bounce, but it’s also fun to play over a fast shuffle.
Click here for Ex. 5
Let’s check out some more triple-stops with this Maceo Parker-inspired groove (Ex. 6). For the first set of triple-stops in measure 1, use your first finger to barre the 4th and 2nd strings, and third finger on the 3rd string. This way, your first finger is in position to grab the D triad at the 7th fret, freeing up your second and third fingers to fret the F to F# line on the 5th string. For measure 2, use hybrid-picking to play the triple-stops and pluck the D on the 1st string with your pick. It goes by quickly, but the trick is to fret a full D6 grip on the top four strings. Your third, second, and fourth fingers fret the sliding triple-stops, and your first finger is right there, waiting for you to attack the high D.
Click here for Ex. 6
Ex. 7uses some familiar funk voicings at the top. It’s best to use the pick for this one, and as many downstrokes as possible, which will give everything a more staccato feel when combined with right-hand muting. For the set of double-stops anticipating the third beat of measure 1, use your first finger to barre the 8th fret, starting at the 5th string—this will keep your third and fourth fingers free to play the remaining figures. Use this same technique for the stops in measure two.
Click here for Ex. 7
Well, Ex. 8is kind of a handful, but not impossible. The lick starts with more of the country/gospel crossover we looked at earlier. In fact, this type of phrase can also be heard in the guitar part to Herbie Hancock’s “Hang Up Your Hang Ups,” played expertly by one of the godfathers of funk guitar, Wah Wah Watson. It can also be found in “I’ll Take Jesus,” by one of my favorite current gospel groups, The Soul Seekers (with John “Jubu” Smith and Charlie Bereal on guitars). In measures 3 and 4, definitely go with hybrid picking. It’ll help target each stop clearly and keep the phrases in time. I try to pluck “up and away” from the pickups—kind of like Eric Johnson does—for maximum cleanliness and separation between each group of notes.
Click here for Ex. 8
Well, cool! Hopefully these licks will provide you with some fresh concepts for adding a little extra harmony to your groove lines.
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