Funk Pattern 1 (on a minor 7th chord)

October 19, 2025

Rhythmic patterns are a marvellous means to improve agility and create a strong muscle memory. At the same time you get a deeper understanding of harmony, chord inversions, chord voicings and rhythm.

I'll share a story on how funk patterns helped me develop my jamming skills (or about how they helped me level up).

Coming from a classical training, I was willing to hide under the piano every time I was asked to have a jam session with another musicians. I had 0 skills in improvisation and I was very aware of what I couldn't do. Still, I had to try with what I had at that time (I was about 25 yo, switching from classical to pop education, and had zero experience with bands or live performances). As I was in higher education, the teachers couldn't explain me the basics that I was needing, but they gave me the tools to survive and to deliver for the academic assignments. It was much better than with the classical education, as I could put everything I was learning into practice but I was lacking years of skills for a Bachelor's degree in pop keyboards.

It took me about two years of jamming struggles, until my friend and music colleague Frank offered me to join a band that was playing Afro fusion music. I accepted and then I met Mikke, a Kenyan guy that was the band leader, singer, bass, trumpet player, dancer and the soul of every party. I've never met a musician so relaxed and easy going before. He was making lovely danceable music with 2 or 3 chords and he was willing to show me what to do at the piano with just a few patterns (even if piano wasn't his main instrument). All he was telling me was: 'muchachita enjoy'. I remember joining the first concerts with music notation scores and then freaking out every time he would extend a musical section or play some unpredicted chord sequence. I would look at him in a panic and he would smile back and keep dancing and connecting with the audience. Bit by bit I gained the confidence to jam and most importantly, I allowed myself to make mistakes (a ton of them) without excessive self-judgment.

I was learning how to enjoy the unpredictable, and bit by bit I got used to jam. It wasn't musically great but I've got more confidence. All I needed was to have more vocabulary that could help me groove with the music. Every now and then there were some lessons at uni about funk, but I never gravitated into the style before, until one day I tried to play a funk pattern on an Afro fusion song. It worked! That gave me the motivation to learn some more patterns and more importantly, to use them in different keys. This was a game changer, now I had some cool musical resources (vocabulary) and I was finally grooving!

Thank you Mikke and Frank for trusting me and giving me that musical push and confidence :D

Here's a video tutorial of a Funk Pattern, on a minor 7th chord. Once you learn it in Cm, loop it (with a drumbeat for more fun). Afterwards learn it on 2 or 3 different keys to start with.