I can’t play real guitar, can I emulate funk rhythm parts authentically on my ROMpler? Most ‘ROMpler’ keyboards or modules are stacked full of rhythm guitar samples and patches, so firstly pick a patch that sounds authentic to your ears. Once you have a patch that fits with the track you’re working on, then practice along with your track, tweaking the sound as needed. Concentrate on playing tightly and keep chord shapes simple; most rhythm guitar parts use chords made up of three notes (max). These stripped down chords leave space for other instruments to breathe/interact within the music.
Keep chords to three notes max and play tightly, with clean note-offs as well as clean attacks. Alternate between longer and more percussive feels, adding ‘ghost’ notes in between for extra flavour. Example voicings – G major: F/A/D, D major: C/E/A, C major: E/Bb/D.
For minor chords, again, keep to three-note chords for a stripped-back feel. Again, pay attention to note lengths, making sure attacks are clean and releases tight against the drums and bass. Example voicings: G minor: F/ Bb/D, D minor: C/F/A, C minor: Eb/Bb/D.
Some DAWs offer the creation of groove templates from audio. Find isolated funk rhythm guitar breaks on records, import the audio, get your DAW to analyse it and extract a groove template to add to your quantise list and apply to your own parts.
Experiment with effects such as auto-wahs, standard wahs, phasers and short reverbs/ delays with your rhythm guitar parts. Generally, keep reverb on your rhythm parts to a minimum. If your timing is off, don’t be afraid to use quantising to tighten up.