Styles analysis of
Funk and Metal
Metal
Instrumentation
Generally, metal music consist of the use of two one or two
electric guitars (using distortion) an electric bass guitarist, a drummer and a
vocalist. Some funk music also incorporates piano/keyboard.
Structure
Basic verse, chorus, verse, bridge chorus, structure. Guitar
solos are also often incorporated into the structure of metal songs. Some metal
songs may have introductions and outros.
Rhythm
Emphatic beats with aggressive rhythm.
Melody
The melody of metal most metal music is similar to that of roots
in blues rock and psychedelic rock but is often faster and more aggressive,
with heavier distortion.
Lyrical Content
Many metal musicians have used their lyrics to challenge the
media, especially for the large amount of censorship in it.
Metal lyrics, much like Funk lyrics, carry lots on
anti-establishment themes.
Use of technology
Guitar distortion was discovered in the 1950's by blues
musicians experimenting with broken amplifiers. This development of guitar
distortion became part of Metal music, with almost all metal musicians ever
using this technology in their music.
Rather than an upright double bass, metal musicians more
often than not use the electric bass guitar, similarly to funk musicians who
also opt for the electrified version of the bass rather than its acoustic
counterpart.
Production
Many metal songs can be tricky to record and produce due to
them involving extremely complicated guitar solos (For example see 2 minutes 23
seconds into the song ‘Psychosocial’ by Slipknot, up until 2 minutes 44 seconds) however this is not too much
of an issue so long as the guitarist recording the solo can produce the solo
multiple times in exactly the same way for multiple recordings/takes.
Lots of metal bands use
Funk Music
Instrumentation
Drums, often just the one guitarist, prominent electric
bass, vocals. Often funk artist will incorporate brass instruments such as
trumpets into their songs, as well as choral backing vocals. In comparison to
metal music, funk songs often incorporate more emphasis on the bass playing
then in metal songs.
Structure
Often funk music uses repeated verses, with some choruses in
between. In some cases middle eights are used in funk songs.
Funk music often has a polyphonic texture.
Rhythm
Strong rhythmic groove of a bass line played by an electric
bassist and a drum part played by a drummer to the foreground.
Complex groove with rhythm instruments playing and
interlocking.
Emphasized the first beat of every measure
Melody
Funk uses the same richly coloured extended chords found in
bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant
seventh chords with altered ninths.
Lyrical Content
Black Americans struggled for racial equality in the 1950's
and 1960's and as a result, the civil rights movement came to be. Funk music is
directly linked to this as it was created by the very black Americans that were
being segregated. Funk soon became music of solidarity amongst the black
Peoples.
Funk lyrics contain anti-establishment themes and represent
black solidarity. Metal music also carries anti-establishment themes, like
challenging ideas about religion and other societal norms.
Use of technology
Funk uses the technology of the electric bass guitar
heavily. This sets the genre aside from slimier genres like early Blues music
were an upright double bass is used instead.
This is slimier to metal music as the electric bass guitar
is used in metal music as well.
Production
Lots of metal bands use