Welcome to the Scott Paddock Sax School Funk Improv Course! This course is laser focused on teaching you how to improvise in a funk style. Using a step by step process, I break down everything you’ll need to learn to feel confident soloing over funk songs. The course starts off with an overview of the basics and then we dive right into learning new songs. With each new song, I teach you a new concept or technique, and by the end of this course, you will know 10 classic funk songs.
When you finish this course, you will:
- Understand the concept of funk articulation
- Understand how to use syncopation in your improv
- Know how to use note combinations
- Understand the concept of soloing over a vamp/groove
- Know how to improvise with the blues scale in a funk style
- Know how to improvise with the mixolydian scale in a funk style
- Know how to improvise using minor scales in a funk style
- Be able to weave your way over a tonal center using differnt types of scales
- Learn how to swtich between tonal centers in a funk style
- Learn how to develop a solo
- Learn how to create intesity in your solos
- Understand how to use functional overtones in your solos
- Know how to build to a climax in your solos
- Know how to solo over funk songs
- Feel comfortable sitting in at a jam session
- Know enough funk songs to cover a full set of music
THIS IS NOT A BEGINNER IMPROV COURSE. This course will teach you how to improvise in a funk style, but to be successful with this course you need to already know how to improvise. If you are looking to start your journey into the world of improvisation click here.
Prerequisites for the Funk Improv course:
- Have your major, mixolydian & dorian minor scales memorized.
- Know how to improvise using a blues scale.
- Be able to recognize and improvise over a major 7th chord, dominant 7th chord, and minor 7th chord.
- Have a basic understanding of how chords work together (1 chord, 4 chord, 5 chord, etc)
- Have a basic understanding of articulations (tongue, slur, accent, etc)
If you are coming to this course after completing the Intermediate: part 2 Pathway of the SPSS, you are good to go. If you have only completed the Intermediate: part 1 Pathway, you will understand most of what I am talking about, but you would be better off completing Part 2 first.
If this is your starting point at the SPSS, please make sure that you are able to do the prerequisites listed above.
