response 19 of 26:

Feb 9 01:20 UTC 2002

resp:17  Yeah, I understand Bootsy Collins is one of the funk bass 
authorities.  As for James Brown, the notion that his accent placement 
for soul.. how do you mean 'irregular'?.. is different and usually 
accompanies a faster tempo, I think, might suggest some evolution 
between soul and funk.  Granted, George Clinton and Parliment are 
later performers, so naturally, I think their interpretation of funk 
is/was probably different than Brown's.

What about Earth, Wind, and Fire?  Almost forgot about them.  From 
what little I have heard of their best material, they were slightly on 
the edge of funk leading into disco-- I think I remember Kool and the 
Gang made a more abrupt shift than they did.  "Shining Star" 
and "Boogie On Down" are examples I am thinking as far as a EWF shift 
more into disco.

Between scott and cyklone's explanation's, I think my initial 
observations concerning soul and funk might not have been far off.  
The combination of accent and beat placement seem to suggest a real 
difference in mood between the two styles; i.e., soul sounds more 
mellow, mournful, etc., and funk sounds a little peppier.  With the 
latter, emphasis on more accents would probably enhance such an effect.

I think emphasis on bass accompaniment probably influences the mood 
further.. much of funk, but not all, uses some sort of bass guitar 
instrumentation, and with the proliferation of subbass sound with the 
subwoofer (I believe, tho, Infinity introduced the sub speaker in '68 
or '69), the accent can further be enhanced with a low frequency sound.

With psychoacoustics and music therapy in mind, I do strictly define 
beat by connections to the heartbeat-- many studies suggest the 
heartbeat often changes to match the tempo (beats per minute) of music 
an individual listens to, and so I suppose some sort of suggestion of 
mood would have a basis in fact.

I remember Ken said Chicago used to employ some funk in their sound, 
especially when they were still getting away with the name Chicago 
Transit Authority.  Noting that Chicago played with marrying fusion, 
pop, and some folk rock style, eventually gravitating to the overdone 
80's power ballad, I'm also curious how they fit in.  Could the power 
ballad be in any way connected to the last sound Kool and the Gang 
employed, which seemed to be a float away from disco into the "pop 
rock" or "lite rock" sound?

I am beginning to understand why a professor of mine suggested 
musicology..