Expressiveness in Funk

Abstract

Abstract Funk, as a musical genre or manner of musical performance, poses significant questions for empirical research due to its typical materials. Funk de-emphasizes harmony—a primary element of western music—and uses a highly regular, almost metronomic rhythmic framework. Thus expressiveness in funk must be sought in other musical parameters, such as interplay between performers, microtiming, or timbre. This chapter examines funk from the perspective of its primary expressive aspect, that of groove. Recent relevant literature, both psychological and musicological, is reviewed, and music-structural features which seem to contribute strongly to groove are identified. These factors are then investigated through examination of musical excerpts from Stevie Wonder, Parliament, and Tower of Power. The roles of pitch, meter, microtiming, motive/gesture, and timbre in creating expressive performances within the constraints of the groove are explored, as well as directions for future research.