Nathaniel School of Music

How to Play a Funky Clavinet Groove on Keys (Percussion Techniques)

To get a funky clavinet-style groove on keys, keep chords in the right hand and add very short, percussive left-hand ghost notes on the octave or fifth of each chord's root, in eighth notes, swung eighths or triplets, filling the gaps in your right-hand rhythm.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 12 min

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Key points

This lesson from Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music shows keyboard players how to use ghost notes in the left hand to make a groove sound tight and percussive. It suits anyone who backs up a band with chords and wants more funk. It works on piano, but sounds best on percussive sounds such as clavinet, organ or electric piano.

The chord progression

The groove uses a simple four-chord loop:

Bm7 is held for eight beats in the loop. You can voice the chords higher or lower on the keyboard. This is the same progression used in the Deep Purple song Strange Kind of Woman, so it is worth playing along with the original recording.

Step 1: Right-hand chords, left-hand roots

Start with the right hand playing the chords as steady quarter notes. In the left hand, play the root of each chord in time with every chord. This is your basic pattern.

Step 2: Add percussive eighth notes

To make it more interesting, add eighth notes in the left hand. When the left-hand part is quicker or more prominent, use the octave or the fifth of the root rather than full chords. For Bm7, the octave is B and the fifth is F#.

Count it as 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, with the short octave landing on each "and". Once the octave feels comfortable, try the fifth instead.

Step 3: Swing and triplets

Next, explore other subdivisions:

Practise these slowly first, then bring them up to normal speed.

Step 4: Define a groove in the right hand

So far the right hand has played plain quarter notes. Now turn it into a real groove. The right hand is where the rhythm sounds most prominent, so decide there whether you are playing:

You can also play some chords slightly before the beat to push the feel. Any pattern works.

Step 5: Fill the gaps with the left hand

Once your right-hand groove is set, identify the beats it plays. The beats it leaves out are where your left hand comes in, filling those gaps with short, percussive ghost notes. The two hands lock together into one groove.

Why it works

This copies what other players in a band already do. A drummer plays ghost notes on the snare, and a bass player uses muted notes for a percussive sound. These short left-hand notes are the keyboard version of that.

How to practise

  1. Loop Bm7 – A – Em7 – Bm7 with right-hand quarter notes and left-hand roots.
  2. Add short left-hand octaves on the eighth notes, then try fifths.
  3. Repeat with swing, then triplets, starting slowly.
  4. Build a right-hand groove and fill only the gaps with the left hand.
  5. Play along with Strange Kind of Woman, ideally on a clavinet, organ or electric piano sound.

Questions about this lesson

What is a ghost note on keyboard?

It is a very short left-hand note, usually the octave or fifth of the root, played so briefly that you hear it more as a percussive click than a pitch. It works like a drummer's snare ghost notes or a bassist's muted notes.

Which keyboard sound works best for this technique?

Percussive sounds such as clavinet, organ or electric piano suit it best. You can also use it on acoustic piano.

Should I play the root and octave together in the left hand?

No. Playing them together sounds too heavy. Play the root slightly longer, then the octave or fifth very short, one after the other.

How do the two hands fit together in the groove?

Define your groove in the right hand first, using eighth, sixteenth or swung divisions. Then fill the beats the right hand leaves out with percussive left-hand notes.

Practise it

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