Welcome to the
School of Funk!

Our objective is to seriously improve your skills and knowledge of Funk and have fun doing it. Let’s work together and make this happen!

Topics of the 24 course lessons include: serious bass drum studies, hi-hat patterns, groove studies, linear playing, displaced backbeats, layered coordination, groove construction, the King Kong groove, analysis of classic funk tunes and much more.

The School of Funk follows the Berklee teaching format and includes text, demonstration videos, rhythm transcriptions, charts, song examples and Funk tracks to play along to, as well as videos giving students the opportunity to play exercises along with Jim.

You can also set up your own Lesson Plan and concentrate on the lessons and material that fit with your own interests and level.

If you haven’t already done this… check out the Sample Lesson Video and Sample Lesson Plan to get an idea of what’s ahead. Keep reading for the Lesson Overview, Required Materials, and Additional Information.

Required Materials

Lesson 1-11
We’re going to work with some of my books and also some of the most respected and tried and tested books in the field. There’s a lot of information here. You can check these books out on your own and we’ll be working with these materials in the course as well.

1.

Funk Drumming

by Jim Payne
book + audio mp3s
Mel Bay Pubs

Paperback + online audio: $24.99
eBook + online audio: $19.99

“It is one of the best conceived books I’ve seen in a long time and very informative.”
— Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
“Jim Payne has written the book that takes you from the very roots of Rock and Rhythm’n’Blues drumming to the highly complex, multidirectional Funk styles of today.”
— Mike Clark
 
 

2.

Advanced Funk Drumming

by Jim Payne

book + audio/video files

Paperback: $24.99 (Amazon)
eBook - Book + Audio/Video files: $24.95 or FREE with 1st month’s sign up

“This new project from the celebrated funk guru Jim Payne has the immediacy of an extended private lesson. The transcriptions and videos of all the examples offer the nuts and bolts of these beats. I can recommend this set for any drummer looking to expand Their funk vocabulary.”
— Peter Erskine

FREE with 1st month’s sign up

or

 
 

3.

Groove Essentials, The Play-Along 1.0

by Tommy Igoe

A wonderful book with many, many funky play-along tracks that we will use in the course.

Paperback + audio files: $24.99
eBook + audio files: $14.99

 
 

4.

Give the Drummers Some!

by Jim Payne

This 276 page book includes 26 biographies of famous funk drummers, interviews, discographies and archival photos.

Both editions include a link to 90 audio mp3s of Jim playing many of the famous R&B and funk grooves created by these drummers.

Paperback + mp3 Audio files: $24.99 (Amazon)
eBook + mp3 Audio files available on this site and FREE with purchase of 6 months access for a discounted price of $150.

Note: purchasing this book is optional for this course.

“A monumental achievement, sets a new standard to which future educational music books will have to aspire.”
— Adam Budofsky
Modern Drummer (5 stars)
“Give the Drummers Some!” is brilliant. It was pretty much my guidebook in doing my whole Groove Alchemy project. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jim.”
— Stanton Moore

FREE with purchase of 6 months access for a discounted price of $150

or

Additional Information

Workbook

The Workbook section at the end each lesson is the fun part! It includes specific exercises and Funk tracks to play along to. Each Workbook section will challenge the student’s understanding of the material in the lesson. i.e. it will let you know if you’ve been “putting in the time!” And of course the more time you put in, the more fun you’ll have with this section!

 

1-on-1 with Jim

Subscription Model

Students using the subscription model can send one submission or question to Jim each month.
This can be question in text format or a video of one of the Workbook tracks. 
Jim will read or watch the submission and send back personal, individual audio comments and suggestions. Use the Feedback Submission Form to submit your videos and questions.

Personal Study Model

Students video themselves playing the Workbook exercises and tracks. A personal relationship will be established and Jim will personally review all the submissions and send each student, individual audio comments and suggestions for improvement. Again, this will be like taking private lessons with Jim.

 

FREE Bonus Material

The School of Funk has an extensive library of bonus material that can be accessed at any time: The Power of 3 in 4/4 Funk, Funky Stickings, A Short History of Funk and 4-Way Coordination are a few examples of the subjects. Check out the Bonus Material →