Customer Reviews

60 Of The Funkiest Keyboard Riffs Known To Mankind (Book&CD)

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I bought this book expecting it to be a collection of 'known' (as in recorded) riffs, from famous keyboardists. I expected them to be somewhat challenging to learn, but fun and useful once under the fingers. I also expected the "riffs" to be about 1-4 measures long, as most "riffs" are, and that they could be incorporated into solo playing (directly as quotations, or with alteration).

Instead, I was presented with a collection of "compositions" by Mr. Gordon, "in the style" of famous keyboardists. It seems that the author took a computer notation program, played in his 12-16 measure ideas, and printed them out without any editing. Some of the measures were incomplete, others simply didn't make much musical sense. In instances where a rhythmic pattern was obviously meant to be repeated, the rhythm would differ slightly from measure to measure. For example, if a note was short in the first instance, it would be long in the next. Other times, the beats didn't line up vertically.

The summary page states that the book is split into to sections - Clavinet and Organ. However, most of the compositions fail to make use of common funk techniques employed on these instruments (for instance, slapping the keys for a percussion sound). The riffs I'd imagined when I ordered this book would have been practically littered with such techniques, while Mr. Gordon's compositions are rather straight-forward.

Don't get me wrong, the book contains some wonderful ideas for a beginning jazz, rock or funk keyboardist looking to learn how to comp, and maybe even looking for some new solo ideas, but for the established keyboardist, this book won't offer much in the line of new ideas. And the thought that these are some of the "funkiest keyboard riffs known to mankind" is incredibly misleading.

This book contains some of the great secrets of the Funk world! No longer do you have to stare at the TV trying to see what masters such as Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea are playing. It's all here. By integrating the tricks in this book to your solos you can dramatically transform the sounds of mere pentatonic blandness into exotic 20th centuary harmony, and leave yourself amazed by the results. I tried for years to get the authentic sounds and discover the scales myself, to no avail. This book has transformed my playing and given me new directions to take my Keyboard playing. Buy this book...you won't be disappointed!

Having listened to great amount of funk and r&b in the seventies and eigties with great enjoyment I never really heard myself playing this music.It seemed rythmically and harmonically far removed from the music I grew up with. This book has opened my ears and hands to be able to play this music with the appropriate "feel" Mr Gordon has made simple and understandable what had previously seemed complex and difficult to pick up from recordings.These riffs take quite some time to master but it's well worth the effort.