
DJ Phillips profiles the guitarists that created and nurtured the funk sound.
Lesson 1
DJ Phillips starts out his funk guitar series with an overview of what he'll be covering in lessons to come.
Length: 2:38 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 2
In this lesson DJ profiles guitarist Jimmy Nolan, one of the original members of the James Brown band.
Length: 34:58 Difficulty: 2.0 FREELesson 3
DJ introduces Catfish Collins and begins to profile his sounds and technique.
Length: 10:03 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 4
DJ takes another in depth look at Catfish Collins' playing style with "in the style of" licks.
Length: 14:55 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 5
DJ begins to talk about Leo Nocentelli, the guitarist for The Meters.
Length: 3:57 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 6
DJ breaks down an "in the style of" lick made famous by Leo Nocentelli.
Length: 5:06 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 7
DJ provides yet another look at a famous "in the style of" lick from guitarist Leo Nocentelli.
Length: 4:02 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 8
DJ provides another "in the style of" lick from The Meters' guitaris Leo Nocentelli.
Length: 4:37 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 9
DJ provides the final lick in the style of Leo Nocentelli.
Length: 5:05 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 10
DJ begins lesson 10 of his funk series by going over one of Curtis Mayfield's signature licks.
Length: 4:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 11
DJ returns with another look at a signature look from guitarist Curtis Mayfield.
Length: 5:25 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 12
DJ returns with another "in the style of" lick from Curtis Mayfield.
Length: 6:26 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 13
DJ demonstrates an "in the style of" lick from Curtis Mayfield that centers around an F#m7 chord.
Length: 3:56 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 14
DJ demonstrates the fifth "in the style of" lick from Curtis Mayfield.
Length: 3:38 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 15
DJ offers up the final "in the style of" lick from Curtis Mayfield.
Length: 5:28 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
About DJ Phillips
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Like many guitar players who began playing around the same time, DJ began plunking out Nirvana and Soundgarden tunes when he first picked up the guitar in the mid-nineties. While these grunge-y roots certainly have their merit, it wasn't until DJ's eldest sister took him to a Led Zeppelin laser light show that the full potential of the guitar began to come into focus.
With Jimmy Page's Les Paul pyrotechnics as his inspiration, DJ began fervently practicing for hours on end in the suburban jungle of Southwestern Ohio. This newfound passion (combined with his complete lack of athletic prowess and physical coordination thus completely ruling out all sports) led him to form rock bands in junior high and high school. He grew to love the performance aspect of music and soon decided on it as a career path.
College led him to Nashville, Tennessee where he began to pursue a degree in Commercial Music at Belmont University. He also started another band and got his first professional theater gig the following summer. Since that summer, DJ has spent nearly every waking hour finding ways to play music and avoiding a real contribution to society in any other way.
He moved to Minneapolis after college, rocking out between theater gigs with his current rock band Brother Big Bad. He has now convinced the band to move to Nashville where music flows like water.
DJ is elated to be a part of JamPlay and is thankful for everyone's warm welcome and says "Now, let's ROCK, people."
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Jessica kindly introduces herself, her background, and her approach to this series.
Free LessonSeries DetailsSteve Eulberg does a quick review of this lesson series and talks about moving on.
Free LessonSeries DetailsMitch teaches his interpretation of the classic "Cannonball Rag." This song provides beginning and intermediate guitarists...
Free LessonSeries DetailsPamela brings a cap to her first 13 JamPlay lessons with another original etude inspired by the great Leo Brouwer. This is...
Free LessonSeries DetailsIn this lesson Randall introduces the partial capo (using a short-cut capo by Kyser) and talks about how it can make the...
Free LessonSeries DetailsMiche introduces several new chord concepts that add color and excitement to any progression.
Free LessonSeries DetailsMark Nelson introduces "'Ulupalakua," a song he will be using to teach different skills and techniques. In this lesson, he...
Free LessonSeries DetailsErik expounds on the many possibilities of open tunings and the new harmonics that you can use in them. He explains what...
Free LessonSeries DetailsHawkeye teaches several Robert Johnson licks in this lesson. These licks are played with a slide in open G tuning.
Free LessonSeries DetailsOur electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
Allen shows you the 24 rudiments crucial to developing finger dexterity. This is a short lesson but the exercises here can...
Free LessonSeries DetailsLauren Passarelli offers up her wisdom on purchasing a guitar. She also includes information regarding proper setup and care....
Free LessonSeries DetailsBryan Beller of the Aristocrats, Dethklok, and Steve Vai takes you inside his six step method to learning any song by ear....
Free LessonSeries DetailsSteve Stevens shows some of his go-to licks and ideas while improvising over a backing track he made.
Free LessonSeries DetailsMichael "Nomad" Ripoll dives deep into the rhythm & blues, funk, and soul genres that were made popular by artists like Earth...
Free LessonSeries DetailsThis is a crucial lesson that explains tablature, how to read it, and why it's important.
Free LessonSeries DetailsKris analyzes different pick sizes and their effect on his playing. Using a slow motion camera, he is able to point out the...
Free LessonSeries DetailsChris brings his ingenuity to this lesson on the American folk song called "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" Also known as...
Free LessonSeries DetailsLearn a handful of new blues techniques while learning to play Stevie Ray Vaughn's "The House Is Rockin'".
Free LessonSeries DetailsIn this lesson Eric talks about playing basic lead in the Memphis Blues style.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.My vote for the next guitarist would be Johnny 'Guitar' Watson. :-)
Yeah, this series opened me up to a whole new world...and sold me a telecaster.
Can we continue the Funk with a Prince lesson? He's only the greatest guitarist in the history of guitarring...
Damn just realized as of now this is the last of the FUNK series! I really do hope you or they continue to expand on this FUNK and R&B playing. It's been one of my favorites series so far and I would really be seriously bummed out if it ended here.
Another great great lick that I'm finally locking down. Awesome series DJ!
Dear DJ, Your funk series is simply awesome. Recently , I saw this video of Corinna ( at 1.10 mins) the guy is playing A7 and nearly stays on it and does some fantastic easy groove whilst playing his A7 chord. The rythm also looks simplistic. Can you include a lesson of simple groove with the simple Bar chord or 7th Bar chord. YouTube - Corinna Regards Rama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB5XlBZYmSk
Very nice!
Nice lick Mr.Phillips, thanks!