Piano Funk Groove in F
Here’s another little piano funk groove for you. This one falls squarely in the “funk” category (not as jazzy as the last one). I’ve put together some sheet music which is reasonably true to what I played. I made a few intentional alterations where I feel like I should have played something slightly different. You can also get an MP3 of the audio, as well as three different speeds of the backing drums and bass to practice with.
- Sheet Music: Funk Groove in F
- MP3 with Piano
- MP3 Drums & Bass at 104 bpm
- MP3 Drums & Bass at 120 bpm
- MP3 Drums & Bass at 132 bpm
24. December 2008 at 22:19
Another great funk piece – showing some different techniques, like the doubling up of the bass and some great chord voicings – great stuff.
Of course as soon as you have the notation figured out I would love to add it to my ‘groove tutor’ application (I’m working on a stand-alone version now and plan to add some more of your grooves to it, if that’s still ok with you).
BTW, playing it on a digital piano and recording the MIDI would make it much easier to score assuming you have the right SW (and a digital piano).
26. December 2008 at 15:59
Ok – I uploaded the sheet music and backing tracks. Have fun!
Dirk, I did all the scoring of this using a GNU open-source program called Lilypond, which I really like. You might take a peek as it might appeal to the coder in you ;) — I do have a keyboard, but I find it a little tough to play with the right feel (mine doesn’t have weighted keys), so I tend to play these funk grooves on the acoustic. I also have a MIDI file of this, but it’s a little hokey due to some tricks I had to do in the notation to get my glissandos to work properly. Drop me a note and I can send it to you (maybe clean it up a bit first).
27. December 2008 at 10:10
Hi Jonathan,
The funk groove in F is another hit in my view. I look forward to diving into it as soon as I get the first funk groove up to a decent tempo.
Question – Is there any way to get the videos of the first funk groove (2007)? I’m assuming there is some copyright stuff that prevents it, but it not please let me know. I’d like to slow the videos down on my computer to study them. It would also be nice to have them locally in case something changes on the “Village” web site.
BTW – Sorry to hear about Sunny. We lost two cats earlier this year, but they lived long and happy lives with us. (18-years and 21-years). The bright spot is that we rescued a young kitten at a shelter a couple of months ago. She’s a real trip.
Thanks,
Larry
27. December 2008 at 12:10
Hey Larry – Glad you’re working through the first funk groove. As you guessed, I don’t actually own the first funk groove’s video (I do own the music), so I can’t pass out the raw videos. However, as I do own the music, I plan to create new tutorial videos for both the funk and blues series, and incorporate much of the feedback people have offered — some of which is more playing at various slower and intermediate tempos. Once I find the time to do that, you’re welcome to have copies :) This will also remove some of the EV requirements that don’t necessarily lend themselves to this type of video.
Similarly, the video above for the Funk Groove in F is just my own ‘rough draft’ at the piece. I intend to get this one broken down into a series of lessons as well, so that you don’t just have to pick it up from the full-speed version and the sheet music.
15. January 2009 at 13:05
Hi Jonathan,
Yes this is awesome in my view.. I think once you publish this on youtube you’ll get as big a response as the first series.
By the way, I noticed in one of your posts you mention you’ve tried playing with a digital piano but you found glissandos difficult – I have a digi piano (Yamaha P120) and also (having tried one in a shop) find acoustic pianos much easier – is it a Yamaha U3 you have?
Thanks
John
16. January 2009 at 13:13
Jonathan,
I just found your site today, which is great because I just recently purchased a Yamaha T118 and can’t wait to get playing again. Simple question (or maybe not).. but I can read music and play about anything with enough practice and I pretty much burnt myself out on that when i was younger. Your post where you are showing off the hand held recorder and just doing improv.. thats what I have long been determined to do. I just want to sit down and PLAY. How would you personally recommend going about this? Diving into theory? (I just bought the Jazz Book by Mark Levine) or just playing different tunes, getting comfortable with every key? I know its a combination of alot of things, but I was just wondering what your opinion is since you’ve accomplished this already. Anyway, I love the site, I’ll be back all the time! Keep playing :)
16. January 2009 at 20:34
Paul! Welcome! and thank you for your excellent questions. I think many people are looking for just what you are: being able to sit at an instrument (maybe piano) and play for fun without needing music. To do it purely for the enjoyment of doing it. It’s an important question, and I can’t answer it in a comment, so I’m off to write a full post on the topic. Give me a couple days to collect my thoughts into something that doesn’t sound like a crazed wandering vagrant spouting about nothing… Great question!
19. February 2009 at 22:41
These ‘Funk Grooves in F’ are now available for the ‘Piano Groove Tutor’. For those interested, you can download it at http://www.dirkbertels.net/computing/dbTutor.php#chap_04
7. April 2009 at 06:35
Hello Jonathon,
I would like to say that I am very grateful for your videos/tutorials etc. I’ve has a lot of fun trying them out.
I have been teaching myself the piano for about two years now and so find tutorials like yours very useful. I can play most of the separate had parts fine on their own and some together although I struggle to get them to sound like your playing.
I know you are in the process of making tutorials for your ‘funk groove in G’ (which I like very much) but hope that you make some for this ‘funk groove in F’ as well because it is even better I think.
Thanks again, Daniel
16. October 2009 at 06:18
Hello Jonathon,
Thank you very much for posting. That realy helps me practicing my funk rythem.
Can you please publish it in midi format as well?
Thank again,
Edo
13. March 2010 at 00:54
Hey Jonathon,
I so appreciate the music that you have made available! I am having so much fun with the blues/funk grooves and the Groove in F is absolutely amazing. I love it!!
Can’t wait to learn this one!!
Thanks again for sharing your music and talent.
Debra
14. March 2010 at 13:55
Jonathan,
Wow. This is incredible. When will you be breaking it down? I can’t wait to try and learn it.
You are just amazing.
Thank you.
Debra
14. March 2010 at 18:21
Thanks for the nice comments, Debra! Things are coming along. Stay tuned, lots of background work happening, but pretty soon, things will start showing up on the site.
@Edo — MIDI files will be coming soon with new videos -
21. April 2010 at 13:11
This funk groove is amazing: it is easy to get going, anybody who can read music should be able to figure out the first part, and the second is also easily doable (except perhaps for the sneaky 16th note).
But then, in the third part, bar 25, you do something really tricky (which gets even more tricky because of the bass key). I really tried, but couldn’t figure it out (same for my dad, but he’s just too old ;)).
When do you plan to have this groove cut into pieces?
14. July 2010 at 02:29
I agree to mbvlist but i did a trick, like blues stuff to avoid the non-understandable part in bar 25 ^^
29. August 2010 at 11:44
Jonathon you mentioned something about that you’ll post some tips how to improvise:
“I’m off to write a full post on the topic. Give me a couple days to collect my thoughts into something that doesn’t sound like a crazed wandering vagrant spouting about nothing… Great question!”
Have you already written it?
Thunderbird
29. August 2010 at 13:56
(sheepish grin)… I… umm… well…
No.
Sorry — that slipped through the cracks, and it is a great question!
I still want too wrap up my current project before starting anything new, but I think it makes sense to write a post starting to discuss this question in between finishing the current series (funk groove #4) and the next one — which is this one — the one in F. That’ll make for a nice connection.
29. August 2010 at 14:45
That’s really no problem, you and that what you do deserve for big approbation!
14. September 2010 at 08:34
[...] up for full production: The often-requested full tutorial for Funk Groove 3 in F. Here’s the rough draft, if you haven’t heard it yet. I have added additional music, and have gotten many questions [...]
16. October 2010 at 23:22
[...] I hope you like it, and you’re free to download this and spread it around as freely as you’d like. Watch for the video, coming soon — and, of course, the next tutorial series, which is the single-most-requested tune of mine: Funk Groove #3 in F. [...]
8. November 2010 at 03:04
i was wondering if you could leave a midi file for this song, so that it could be practiced on synthesia. that’d be great.
thankyou, ethan
22. February 2011 at 04:42
Hi Jonathan,
Just thought I’d send you a link to a silly little jam me and a friend (Andy) did over new year which we discovered the other day and mixed… Unfortunately each track was done in 1 take so there’s a bit of odd timing and we used an organ instead of piano, but you can hear your “Funk Groove in F” as the bed of the jam.
http://www.themrw.com/music/nyeve.mp3
Still loving all the tunes… might get one sounding good one day! :)
Dex (Cambridge, UK)
18. August 2011 at 03:29
Still stuck at bar 25. Please help :)
8. March 2012 at 13:09
locadora de Piano…
[...]Piano Funk Groove in F | GrooveWindow[...]…
30. March 2012 at 11:10
Hey Jonathan,
This one i try but not enough strong in notes reading. Do you have the midi, this will permit me to load it in reading software.
30. March 2012 at 11:14
Ok i just read all the posts i’m not the only one to work on this and would like to try the midi in synthesia !
It’s your fault you play too fast in this video ;o)
Thanks anywhay to groove so good !
cheers
guigui