Immediately recognizable and always fun to move to, these James Brown funk tunes are sure to win over your audience. The driving interlocking rhythms, the short melodic and rhythmic phrases, and the bluesy harmonic vocabulary help to make these two pieces quintessential funk. Stretch yourself as a string player by allowing rhythm to master the timing rather than melody. Bring out a nice crunchy sound by chopping. Experiment and improvise with soloing. You’re sure to enliven your repertoire with these contemporary string tunes.

(Excerpted from the Performance Notes)

Recorded in 1965, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” stands as a powerful piece of music. It’s not usually part of string pedagogy, so I’m delighted that it is now in a form that can be played and enjoyed by string players. This piece and “I Got You (I Feel Good)” are two songs that defined funk as a genre. They are immediately recognizable and almost everyone has danced to or sung along to them at one time or another. The driving interlocking rhythms, the short melodic and rhythmic phrases, and the bluesy harmonic vocabulary help to make these two pieces quintessential funk.

There are three techniques that make playing funk different from playing classical music: The first big difference is who dictates the timing. In classical music, the melody is the master of the time. If the melody needs to stretch, then the accompaniment stretches with it. Likewise, if it needs to move ahead, the accompaniment will follow. In funk (and other kinds of dance music), the rhythm is the master. Since people are dancing along, the time must be strong and solid. If the melody stretches or rushes it must compensate and find its way back to the steady rhythm. Being part of a strong, powerful rhythm section is some of the most fun you can have playing music.

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

James Brown wrote and recorded the Top 10 pop hit “I Got You (I Feel Good)” in 1965, and it has become one of the most recognizable pieces of American pop music ever written. The song has appeared on numerous soundtracks for both movies and TV. Just as in “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” it’s the clear, interlocking rhythms, the short rhythmic phrases, and the bluesy harmonic vocabulary that define this tune as funk.

I Got You (I Feel Good)

One string-playing technique that is used in this arrangement is the “chop.” First used widely by fiddler Richard Greene and further developed by Darol Anger, chopping has become an indispensable part of contemporary string technique—it’s very useful for defining the rhythm when there isn’t a drummer in the group. It’s also taking on a life of its own as a unique rhythmic voice with its own range of colors and timbres. In this arrangement, chops are signified in both these arrangements by “x” note heads (Violin 2 in mm. 1–8 and everyone in m. 63).

—Mimi Rabson