What Makes Funk so Funky? - part 2 - Bluesy Harmony

The Blues

The blues form figures into many funk tunes, including most of the tunes on our “Intergalactic” album.  An important and characteristic aspect of the blues form is the dominant IV7 chord.  The flat-7 of the dominant IV is the flat-3 of the I7 chord, an important note indeed for the blues sound!  One commonly encountered chord in blues harmony is the dom7(#9) - as in the opening chords of Blood Sweat & Tears’ “Spinning Wheel” for example – arguably, this chord IS the sound of the blues.  It contains that basic element of bitonality we are all now familiar with, the juxtaposition of the MA3 and the mi3 (#9).  This juxtaposition is perhaps the embodiment of anguish or pain, that oh-so important feeling that exists in many blues tunes.  But there’s something about expressing that pain that feels good.  This is the paradox of the blues and maybe the reason that it connects with so many people.  

If that dom7(#9) is on the tonic chord and includes the #11, then you have ALL the blue notes of the blues scale represented: b3, b5, b7.  If you look the Phishy excerpt below, the dom7(#9) chord occurs 4 times in that small space!  Of course, they are all varieties.  The tonic one in Bb includes the natural 13 which gives it an extra bit of stank.  It has more bite because of the two major 7th intervals that exist in the voicing, one between D and C#, and the other between Ab and G.  One of the F7 chords indicates #9 and #5, commonly associated with Altered Dominant.  

Phishy, B section - Harmony

The IV chord has a special place in the sound of the blues. Its no coincidence that IV-I is considered the “amen” cadence and that it is an omnipresent part of the blues - the connection between African-American spirituals and blues music is well established. In Corinna, the IV chord is all over the place. In fact, each of the main three chords, the I the IV and the V goes to its IV chord. See the intro, which starts on the V chord: it goes F-Bb-F (Bb is F’s IV), Eb-Ab-Eb (Ab is Eb’s IV) and then eventually to the I chord, which also briefly visits its IV, Eb. We decided to use the organ sound to further the churchlike qualities of the changes. Harmonica completes the yearning blues sound.

Corinna intro.

As for the other chords in BOOMF!’s lexicon, they are informed by R&B, gospel (see previous example), and jazz. The Gbma9 and Eb/F (an analogue for F7sus) are prime instances of jazz/R&B sound in the previous example. Also the frequent use of Altered Dominant. Here is a section of Terence’s
”I’ll Get Close to You” which is heavily R&B influenced; note the F(add 2) chord, a common modern voicing version of the I-chord in major, and the Altered dominant (C7). Terence borrows some chords from the minor key - bIV and bVI - giving this some nice harmonic motion:

I’ll Get Close to You, rhythm vamp figure.

In the next and last article of the trilogy, “What Makes Funk so Funky,” well discuss weirdness, lyrics, and psychedelic rock influence.