Curriculum

2-Month Funk Rhythm Machine

For players who can strum chords but wonder why their funk doesn't groove

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Starting the 16th-note motor — splitting one beat into four The wrist snap — swing from the wrist, not the arm Up/down balance and empty picking — the hand never stops Weekly integration — four bars, a hand that never stops

Ghost notes — no pitch, yet the groove comes alive The ghost motor — promoting the scratch to a rhythm instrument Mixing — where to place 'ta,' where to place 'chick' Completing the ghost groove — making the guitar sound like a drum

Accents — one hard hit in the right spot makes the groove Position is the groove — same pattern, different feel One hit popping out between soft ghosts Completing the accent groove — stabbing the accent on the snare

E9 — funk's emblem, and the color the 9th gives Chuck over E9 — the contrast of chord and ghost Accents on E9, plus a spoonful of m7 Completing the one-chord jam — minutes on a single chord

The high three strings — funk's shimmering sound Change the color with one finger — minor and inversions Only three strings ring — killing the lower strings is the battle Completing the three-string cutting groove — layering the month's review

Single-note funk — drop the chord, just one string A line crossing two strings — the mute stays Fill the gaps with ghosts — a line becomes a groove Completing the single-note riff — locking with the bass

Staccato — the taste of cutting the ring clean Cut and sustain — designing within one bar Shuffle — swing the straight grid Completing the staccato + shuffle groove

The challenge begins — eight weeks' arsenal onto one track Building the cutting part — three strings + ghosts + accents Building the riff part — single notes + staccato The final recording — two months into one piece