Funkstandards

Funkstandards refers to a core repertoire of funk songs that are widely learned, rehearsed, and performed by funk bands. The term functions similarly to standards in jazz, providing a shared vocabulary that musicians can rely on and audiences recognize. The exact list is informal and evolves with taste, scene, and era, but tends to cluster around groove-driven, horn-forward material.

Musicians use funkstandards as study material, audition pieces, and common ground for jam sessions. They help new players acclimate to a band's approach and enable inter-ensemble performances across clubs, festivals, and educational settings. While not codified, the repertoire circulates through teaching circles, cover bands, and professional circuits.

Musically, funkstandards emphasize a tight, interlocking rhythm section, with bass and drums driving the groove, guitar and keyboards locking in syncopated figures, and horns or synth delivering punctuated stabs and melodic hooks. Form is often groove- or vamp-based rather than long, through-composed solos, reinforcing collective interaction and call-and-response.

Common examples widely treated as funk standards include Papa's Got a Brand New Bag and Sex Machine by James Brown, Jungle Boogie by Kool & the Gang, Brick House by the Commodores, Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker) by Parliament, and Thank You (Falettinme Be Moppin' on the Floor) by Sly & the Family Stone. Other groups contribute additions, resulting in a living, scene-dependent canon.