Editing Funk (section)

=== Harmony ===
[[File:Thirteenth chord collapsed.png|thumb|A [[thirteenth chord]] (E 13, which also contains a flat 7th and a 9th) {{Audio|Thirteenth chord collapsed.mid|Play}}]]
Funk uses the same richly colored [[extended chord]]s found in [[bebop]] jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths. Some examples of chords used in funk are minor eleventh chords (e.g., F minor 11th); dominant seventh with added sharp ninth and a suspended fourth (e.g., C7 (#9) sus 4); dominant ninth chords (e.g., F9); and minor sixth chords (e.g., C minor 6).<ref name=Gress/> The six-ninth chord is used in funk (e.g., F 6/9); it is a major chord with an added sixth and ninth.<ref name=Gress/> In funk, minor seventh chords are more common than minor triads because minor triads were found to be too thin-sounding.<ref>Studley, Greg. ''Essentials of Rhythm Guitar: Complete Guide''. Jun. 21, 2016.</ref> Some of the best known and most skillful soloists in funk have [[jazz]] backgrounds. Trombonist [[Fred Wesley]] and saxophonists [[Pee Wee Ellis]] and [[Maceo Parker]] are among the most notable musicians in the funk music genre, having worked with [[James Brown (musician)|James Brown]], [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] and [[Prince (musician)|Prince]].

Unlike bebop jazz, with its complex, rapid-fire chord changes, funk often uses a static single-chord or two-chord [[vamp (music)|vamp]] (often alternating a minor seventh chord and a related dominant seventh chord, such as A minor to D7) during all or part of a song, with [[Traditional sub-Saharan African harmony|melodo-harmonic movement]] and a complex, driving rhythmic feel. Even though some funk songs are mainly one-chord vamps, the rhythm section musicians may embellish this chord by moving it up or down a semitone or a tone to create chromatic passing chords. For example, the verse section of "[[Play That Funky Music]]" (by [[Wild Cherry (band)|Wild Cherry]]) mainly uses an E ninth chord, but it also uses F#9 and F9.<ref>Serna, Desi. ''Guitar Theory For Dummies: Book + Online Video & Audio Instruction''. John Wiley & Sons, Sep. 24, 2013. p. 156</ref>

The chords used in funk songs typically imply a [[Dorian mode|Dorian]] or [[Mixolydian mode]], as opposed to the major or natural minor tonalities of most popular music. Melodic content was derived by mixing these modes with the [[blues scale]]. In the 1970s, jazz music drew upon funk to create a new subgenre of [[jazz-funk]], which can be heard in recordings by [[Miles Davis]] (''[[Live-Evil (Miles Davis album)|Live-Evil]]'', ''[[On the Corner]]''), and [[Herbie Hancock]] (''[[Head Hunters]]'').