Funk Rhythm Masterclass

Nile recorded the following six examples in his studio to demonstrate his unique rhythms and chord voicings. His comments and observations reflect deep insights into numerous musical genres over decades as a musician.

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EXAMPLE 1 PENTATONIC SINGLE-NOTE RIFF

This single-note rhythm is based mainly on one string, like John McLaughlin, which I love doing. A style which we used to call ‘dancing around the groove’. The only thing I’ve ever had a big hit with that had a guitar part that was dancing around the groove was Sister Sledge’s He’s The Greatest Dancer. So it is sort of like that or the Diana Ross song Upside Down. I used the Roland VG8 set to a Twin amp emulation and hooked up to a Tokai Strat copy. The sound is a rich Strat tone as opposed to my typical ‘in-between’ Strat sound.

EXAMPLE 2 11TH CHORD RHYTHM