Nominations for the funkiest chord in the world?

[TeleHawg]

I'm looking for the funkiest dominant-seventh-based chord fragment possible. So far, mine is this: an E7 sus 4 or E11 (or whatever else it may be) voiced like this: high E and B stings fretted at the eighth fret, G and D strings fretted at the seventh fret.

Anyone care to offer something nastier?

[Brad Miller]

9th chord...............just ask Jimmy Nolen!

[dconeill]

Someone said it best: "It ain't the meat, it's the motion".

[Wally]

[quote=TeleHawg;2098095]I'm looking for the funkiest dominant-seventh-based chord fragment possible. So far, mine is this: an E7 sus 4 or E11 (or whatever else it may be) voiced like this: high E and B stings fretted at the eighth fret, G and D strings fretted at the seventh fret.

TElehawg, in forming that chord in my mind, it occurs to me that if it is to be thought of as an 'E' based chord; that it is an Em7 with a sus4(11) and a 6th from a natural E minor scale. What does that make it....Em13? I'm not so good with this theory.
IT is also a C6add9....or a D7sus4(11)...or an Am7sus4...I think.

Funky? Well, there is no funk without the 9th chord, now is there? Brad makes a goog point. ANd...as dconeill notes, the rhythm puts the funk in the junk. So, I vote for a fat 9th chord and some make ya move rhthym.
I do agree that with the open 6th string, this chord..Em13?...that TElehawg thros out there does funk a bit.

[jazztele]

rootless ninths (top three strings) and the good 'ol 3rd and 7th of the chord played on the D and G string work for me.


and you couldn't have james brown without these two chords

F9: x 8 7 8 8 8

F13: x8 7 8 8 10

and again, feel free to leave off the lower strings.

also, less is more. i see a lot of decidely un-funky groups playing funk and the guitarists right hand inevitably never shuts up, pumping sixteenth note stabs in between string rakes. ARRRGGGHHH! that's about as funky as my mom's last trip to pottery barn.

and when in doubt--no chords. double the bass player! (old kool and the gang records are killer for this, as well as any of the 70's stax stuff)

[BigDaddyLH]

Do you mean "funky" as I'm subbing in a band that plays funk, or do you mean "funky" as in generally cool sounding? Context, please.

[Ptrallan01]

minor 9ths on the four highest strings

[cousinpaul]

I like to play around with tritone shapes over funk grooves. For instance, in the key of A: X456XX, XX56XX, or X45XXX. Move it down half a step and you've got your 4 chord; up half a step for the 5. These voicings usually sit well in a mix and, to me, are kind of cool because they don't contain any roots or 5ths. To play them in a higher octave, again in A, try XXX689, etc. Funkier still, flat the high 3rd (XXX688). BTW, great post!

[Bhallguitar]

Any Dominant 7#9 chord will take you to funkytown!

[octatonic]

I like 13 chords with the 9 on the top.

[brewwagon]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrelmsey/3584415963/


bw

[redstringuitar]

9ths and 13ths, 2 handed rhythm.

[warmingtone]

I'm not sure what the "most funkiest chord" would be...9ths are the obvious choices for your james brown effect. Still a classic even if it can sound a little cliche and "old school"....

With that in mind, these can sound funky and different...these bigger voicings sound great on acoustic for instance....

----x---------3----|---------------------------
----3--------3-----|----12------------------------
----2--------5-----|----11------------------------
----2--------5-----|----12------------------------
----x--------x------|---10------------------------
----3--------5-----|----0------------------------

..G6/9.....Am11.......Em7/9

Apply a funky rhythm to taste.

Not sure where I got these from, but that last chord is interesting and things that interest me a lot...it looks like a plain old Gmaj7 but with the E in the bass makes for a funky fancy Em7/9 chord.

Otherwise, a lot of my fave funky sounds are not much in the way of "chords" but interesting repetitive single note runs.

Oh yeah, here's one...this little shape appears a bit...well, at least in my playing...

-----12-----14----15---14---------------
-----13-----13----13---13---------------
-----14-----14----14---14---------------
--0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-------------
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------

The same thing kind of works as a minor chord too (say if the bass were A instead of D. In this version the moving upper line gives you the 9th, 7th, sus4 and resolution to 3rd...think of it as a D7 shape up an octave. Again, suitable staccato choppy rhythm is the prescription!

[strat a various]

Minor 13th, voiced b7, b3, 13, 1 on the 4th -1st strings. In "C" it would be Bb, Eb, A, C.

[slowpinky]

Originally Posted by dconeill

Someone said it best: "It ain't the meat, it's the motion".

+1

[Bob Mc]

I learned this one from Scofield (Boozer), in the (online) chart it's refered to as F#7, but I'm not sure I would. Me likey.

-5-
-5-
-8-
-8-
-x-
-x-

[klasaine]

Originally Posted by Bob Mc

I learned this one from Scofield (Boozer), in the (online) chart it's refered to as F#7, but I'm not sure I would. Me likey.

-5-
-5-
-8-
-8-
-x-
-x-

It's an F#7(#9) with the 6th.
I call it F#13+9 and yes ... possibly the 'funkiest' chord. Definitely one of the nastiest chords.

[slowpinky]

Originally Posted by klasaine

It's an F#7(#9) with the 6th.
I call it F#13+9 and yes ... possibly the 'funkiest' chord. Definitely one of the nastiest chords.

yep -from the Scoey collection of dirty dominants..


heres another....A7alt.
----x------
----6------
----6------
----9------
----0------
----x------

[Al Watsky]

I would like to nominate, my personal friend ,the 13, #9 chord.
Although I respect the earlier nominees , particularly the 9th chord and the 9,13 chord, I would like to commend the 13, #9 for its particular poignance.
It can be voiced G,C#,F#,C natural.
This is starting with the first finger on the 4th string on the 5th fret. Its a rootless voicing with the dom7th in the bass.
This chord also exploits the Tritone shapes mentioned earlier by an esteemed thread brother.
When I'm scratchin' this one you can't keep still, but rhythm is another story. A very good story if I do say so myself