The Classical Guide to Funk: Saxophone Edition

18th September 2025

If you’ve come up through the world of études and sonatas, funk might feel like a different planet. The good news? You already have the control and discipline – now you can channel that into crisp articulation and improvisation. Funk solos don’t demand endless runs; they thrive on short riffs, rhythmic variation, and space. With the foundation you already have, it’s about loosening the edges and letting groove take the lead.

1. Articulation

In funk, clarity comes from short, percussive articulations rather than long legato lines – take a step away from the rules of classical playing and enter the realm of (as Preston calls it) ‘Stupid Short’ notes.

Aim for “DUT” or “TUT” instead of a rounded “TOO.” Use your tongue on the reed for that abrupt stop to the sound.
Keep notes short and snappy to give the sound some bite.
Add ghost notes: lightly tongue without letting the full pitch ring. It gives your line grit and forward motion.

Exercise: Run a scale staccato, accenting every other note, then add ghosted off-beats to build rhythmic variety.

2. Rhythm

Funk is about groove more than harmony. Even the simplest riff can sound huge if it locks in.

Always feel semi-quavers ticking under everything. Think of the subdivision: ‘1 e + a, 2 e + a’ etc
Place accents on the off-beats (the ‘e’ and ‘a’).
Use silence as much as sound — a well-placed rest can be funkier than another note.

Exercise: Using a metronome or drum click, pick one note and play only on the ‘e’ and ‘a.’ Once that feels comfortable, start mixing in syncopated stabs and practicing the ‘stupid short’ articulation.

Image of 2 groups of 4 semi-semiquavers, each semi quaver has a sound to it, for example '1 e + a' with accents over the 'e' and 'a'

3. Tone

Your classical tone is clean and centred – keep that control, but learn to rough it up when needed.

Push a little air to add brightness and bite.
Use tight, fast vibrato for energy, not wide romantic waves.
Experiment with subtone in quiet moments for contrast.

4. Putting It All Together

When it comes to improvising in funk, keep it simple and rhythmic. A great place to start is the blues scale, which you can think of as a dominant 7th chord (root, 3rd, 5th, flat 7th) expanded with a few ‘blue’ notes in between. Here’s a breakdown:

Chord foundation: Root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, flat 7th (the dominant 7 chord tones).
Blue notes: Add the flat 3rd for grit, the flat 5th for tension.
Keep it small: Use two or three chord tones to create short riffs, then build variation through rhythm.
Call and response: Treat your phrases like a conversation – one idea answered by another.

A funk solo isn’t about note density; it’s about groove, attitude, and timing. Repetition, syncopation and space will always sound funkier than focusing on scale runs.

Closing Thought

You don’t need to throw away your classical training – just bend it. Use your precision to shape funk riffs with clarity, then let go of the idea that every note has to be polished.