More of this Feature • Part 1: funk guitar primer • Part 3: funk rhythms • Part 4: funk riffs

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If you're coming from the world of rock and roll, the chords used in funk music may be a bit foreign to you. Power chords, one of the staples of rock music, are very rarely used by funk guitarists. In fact, funk guitarists tend to focus on the upper strings of the instrument, rather than playing the lower (deeper sounding) strings. Additionally, they'll often play only partial chords - a few notes at a time, rather than full chord shapes. Although far from complete, the following represents a few of the favored chord shapes used in funk music.

The 9th Chord

The 9th chord is a funk guitar staple, used constantly by most funk guitarists. Especially the chord on the left, with the root (notated by the red dot) on the fifth string. Be careful about playing the sixth string root 9th chord in the lower register - it can sound very muddy.
The 9th chord is a 7th chord with one extra note, added for color. Try replacing 7th chords in songs you know with 9th chords. There are some situations where this substitution doesn't work, but use your ear to tell you what sounds right.
It is also EXTREMELY common for funk guitarists to only play the top three strings when playing the fifth string root 9th chord. Sometimes, they'll even only play the top two strings.

The 13th Chord

Played on it's own, this is a pretty "jazzy" sounding chord, that might feel a little out of place in funk music. It is commonly used, however, as a "passing chord". Note that the above 13th chord is essentially a 9th chord, with the note on the first string being two frets higher. Many funk guitarists will play the 13th chord, then quickly resolve it to the 9th chord, by removing their pinky from the first string, and playing the chord again. Give it a try.

Basic Chords

Of course, there are dozens of small chord shapes like these that funk guitarists can, and do use. There does seem to be a preference, in funk music, towards using these chord shapes, that have the root on the first string.
The major chord above gets used reasonably often, although many times, funk guitarists will instead play the two note 5th chord above.
The minor chord is also used extensively. The following should be recognized - the above minor chord shape is identical to the 9th chord with root on fifth string, when the bottom two strings are not played. So, the above minor chord shape, when played on the fifth fret, could be an A minor chord, OR a D9 chord with the bottom two strings missing.
The above 5th chord is extremely popular. This two note chord is VERY versatile, and can be used for many things. Since a 5th chord can be used to play either a major or minor chord, the above shape, played at the fifth fret, could be an A major or an A minor chord. It could ALSO be the top two notes of a D9 chord. This chord shape is most definitely used to represent all of these chords - it's a popular one - so get comfortable with it.

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