Funk History

History of the BLUES MUSIC is full of curiosities and mysteries. Critics describe it as a soulful and emotional music. Lyrics is about the lives of African-Americans - their hardships, hopes and loves. It was created in the 19th century on Southern plantations. Slavers or descendants of slaves originated the genre. African spirituals and work songs or chants evolved to create a new genre. In the early 1900s they were mixed with American country folk music gaining characteristic features.

At the beginning Afro-Americans were using very primitive instruments like washboards, handmade guitars, hand claps. Over the years the genre was developing and instruments like piano, saxophone, trumpets, xylophones, bass guitar or drums stared to be used

It was created in mid-1960s in United States by African-American musicians as a danceable type of music. Instruments such as the electric guitars, bass guitars, drums and electric organs were used to emphasize the rhythm. Very often there was a horn section with instruments such as trombones, trumpets or saxophones. James Brown is a musician that took a very important role in creating the genre. In funk everything relies on the beat, every single sound is congruent to the rhythm. Funk is about timing. Time signature is usually 4/4.

The major genres that influenced funk were R&B and soul music. Artists tried to create an easier to dance and more groovy type of music.

PROGRESSIVE ROCK is a subgenre of rock music originated in United States and the United Kingdom throughout the late 1960s. Listeners can perceive characteristics commonly associated with jazz, classical music or folk. Virtuosic solos, long songs with instrumental parts, use of electric sounds, very deep lyrics - very often philosophical, albums which meant to be perceived as a whole became distinctive features of the genre. Progressive rock also took hippy ideas. Time signature is unstable and variable.

The Beatles is a great example of the band that who influenced progressive rock music. Their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the essence of the musical genre. On the cover we can find inspirations from the avant-garde composers like

People were experimenting with vocals creating characteristic "talking-singing" " called rap, pre-recorded tapes on beats usually in 4/4 time signature. DJing, unique stage presence like breakdance was a big factor in hip-hop culture. At the beginning of creating the genre, lyrics was focused on topics such as: racial inequality, government issues, economy, hardships in life. Today, especially in America, topics are more about making money, sex, drugs