The guitar parts of the funk and soul tunes are some of the most fun to listen to and play. The guitar parts of funks songs have their own character with 16 note strums, lots of mutes, and highly rhythmic playing. It makes the audience feel like the guitar is an extension of drum and bass.
The genre has a long history since the early ’70s with artists such as James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and Funkadelic. Later bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Rolling Stones started using funk elements on their hard rock-based tunes, creating a funk-rock synthesis. With the 80’s disco wave funk also got into the discos with dancy rhythms.

Funk is ultimately an educative, especially for strumming and rhythmic aspect of your playing, and an entertaining genre for guitarists of any kind.
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The famous Uptown Funk by British-American artist Mark Ronson is a funk-pop, soul, boogie style track with a light EDM influence. The tune also features Bruno Mars and resembles 1980’s disco-funk tunes with its upbeat, dancy, and energizing.
The straightforward main riff is played on two strings with a few notes. The chords are standard funk chords with minor and major 7’s, strummed pretty rhythmically with 16th notes.
The pop icon Bruno Mars uses many influences from funk on his pop tunes. Heavily influenced by R&B, Treasure from 2013 is one of the best examples of the disco, soul, funk-pop, and synth-pop influences that Mars fuses in one pot.
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You can play this tune with basic three-note chords and a fast-paced, funky strum pattern. To play it properly, you will need a quick strumming hand with accurate stops and mutes.
If you want to play more pop tunes, you can check out my article Top 50 Famous&Easy Pop Songs For Guitar – Tabs Included
Get Lucky by Daft Punk is the 2013 Grammy Winner funk-pop tune. Written by Pharrel Williams, it features a basic yet outstanding melody. The song topped the charts in many countries with a huge success.
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You can play this piece with four basic chords, but you have to concentrate on the strum pattern to make it sound funky. Try to play it fast with dynamics and mutes in between. With a capo on the 2nd fret, the tune sounds better and is easier to sing.
September is the disco-funk hit by Earth, Wind & Fire, released as a single in 1978. The tune was used in many movies as a soundtrack and had a role in a popular culture used by many football chants and TV shows.
It is one of the easiest songs to play on this list, with all the notes of the main riff on the same string. The riff is played with a funky rhythm and slides in between to keep things more interesting.
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If you want to play more solos rather than rhythm guitar partitions, this list might just be for you Top 50 Famous&Easy Guitar Solos For Beginners – Tabs Included
Released in 2003, Can’t Stop is, undoubtedly, one of the most famous tunes of the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. The funk-rock tune has topped the charts globally and received huge success as a worldwide hit with its fantastic video clip, funky rhythm, and the iconic chorus where the rhythm goes slower.
The riffs and chords of the tune are pretty straightforward and repetitive. Many techniques and rhythmic aspects are used, such as palm mutes, legatos, and slides, which are characteristics of funk-rock tunes.
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Heart of Glass is the 1979 hit song by the American new wave band Blondie. The tune received international success and was included in the Rolling Stones’ top 500 songs of all time. The new-wave funk tune was later covered by many artists like Miley Cyrus, Gisele, Bob Sinclar, and Crabtree.
The song is played with standard open chords and basic funky riffs with lots of dead notes, giving the tune a funky feel. As always, you have to focus on the rhythmic aspect to feel the funky soul.
American pop-rock band Maroon 5’s successful debut hit This Love rocked the world when released in tune with patience 2004. The piece features a funky foundation with Stevie Wonder-esque vocals and a funky R&B beat.

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The tune features many chords that are easy to play in different positions on the fretboard. There are many mutes that create the rhythmic groove, and the lead guitar partitions are also pretty easy. This is a great song to step up to the funk guitar.
If you are looking for more electric guitar tunes to play, do not forget to check out my list Top 60 Famous & Easy Electric Guitar Songs – Tabs Included
The disco-funk icon duo Daft Punk’s Lose Yourself To Dance was released in 2013. The tune resembles an 80’s disco and funk scene with its dancy rhythms, funky guitar strums, big multi-layered claps, and thrashing cymbals.
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The piece is played with triad chords on the higher strings with a funky pattern. You should time the mutes and strums accurately to create the funky groove.
The Bee Gees classic Stayin Alive is yet another tremendous funky tune from the ’70s. The song has global fame is considered one of the best 500 greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stones magazine.
This one may be a little challenging for beginners as it features a funky lead guitar groove along with a funky rhythm played by the rhythm guitar with many mutes and different chord shapes. Individually it is not hard to play, but you have to take your time to play the partitions accurately.
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1976 hit and a staple of disco music, Daddy Cool was Boney M.’s first hit that gave them international fame. The tune is closer to the disco genre rather than funk, but it clearly has the influence, especially in terms of the rhythm.
If you are liking these easy electric guitar riffs, you might like this list too Top 45 Famous & Easy Guitar Riffs For Beginners – Tabs Included

When it comes to funk, one of the first musicians that come to mind is James Brown. He is a significant figure and the central progenitor of funk music. He is also called the “Godfather of Soul.”
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One of his most fantastic tunes from his more than a 50-year long career is I Got You (I Feel Good), released in 1965. The piece is remembered with funky grooves and the emphasis “on the one, ” the first beat of the measure that characterizes Brown’s developing funk style.
The main riff repeated throughout the tune is pretty straightforward with funky chords and the iconic slide that gives the spirit to the tune.
The famous American funk-rock musician Prince’s Kiss was released back in 1986 with a huge success globally. The tune topped the charts for two weeks and sold more than 500 000 copies.
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The tune features many different chord variations and a basic funky strum pattern; it is an excellent song to get familiar with funk-style rhythm guitar. Some of the chord shapes may be challenging in the beginning but keep practicing to get them to the muscle memory.
Love Shack is the famous single by the American new wave funk band the B-52 from 1989. With its upbeat, lyrically positive, and infectious dance grooves, it is the signature song of the band, which became a worldwide known piece.
This tune has every characteristic of funk-style guitar playing with triad chords and mutes, funk chords, mutes, groovy lead partitions, and chord slides. Take your time with the song and try to play every detail it has.
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If you are having a hard time with the barre chords and looking for easier tunes to play, you can start from something easier like this list 35 Easy Guitar Songs Without Barre Chords/Capo – Tabs Included

The 1981 hit Never Too Much is the debut and lead single of the American R&B-funk musician Luther Vandross. The tune became an international hit and was used in many movies, TV series, and games. It was also covered by many artists such as Jessie J, Paul Kalkbrenner, and Mary Jane Blige.
The tune is easy to play with double stops and single-note repetitive fills. As in many funk tunes, it is not about the note or chord sheet but about the spirit and the style of playing that makes it a real funk tune.
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Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry is one of the most famous funk tunes from the ’70s with its iconic chorus. The single sold more than 2.5 million copies which gave it the platinum certification. With its dancy-funky groove and guitar parts, it is a fantastic funk tune.
The guitar parts of the tune are mostly single-note groovy fills that are easy to play. The chords are played with muted downstrokes and open upstrokes.
Released in 1977, Brick House is the funk tune by the American funk and soul band Commodores. The upbeat tune got its place in the top 10 charts in the U.S.A. and U.K.
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Although the main riff of the tune is pretty easy, the various chord shapes can be challenging for beginners. Some odd chord shapes require a bit
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