Word Up: Guitar Tab

This tab gives students direct access to how a landmark modern rock band approaches a classic funk groove. The combination of Korn's heavy production sensibility with Cameo's infectious pocket creates a genuinely engaging learning tool that speaks to contemporary players while building their understanding of funk fundamentals.

Funky and relentless. The guitar work sits in that sweet spot between laid-back groove and driving intensity, creating a hypnotic pocket that makes your fingers want to stay locked in one pattern even as the harmonic landscape shifts around it.

Guitar students who respond to modern rock and funk styles will find this arrangement particularly motivating. It's also valuable for rhythm section players learning to recognize how different instrumental approaches can interpret the same harmonic foundation.

• Lock in with the drum pattern rather than chasing individual note events; the groove lives in how the guitar sits behind the beat.
• Experiment with the tone controls to find clarity in the lower frequencies without losing definition on faster passages.
• Record yourself playing along with the original recording at reduced tempo to isolate the pocket before pushing to full speed.

Consider programming this during a unit on contemporary covers or genre fusion, pairing it with discussion about how classic songs get reimagined for modern audiences. It's also effective as a motivational piece for students who gravitate toward rock and hip-hop but need exposure to funk vocabulary.

• Funk groove pocket and syncopation
• Reading and executing rhythmic notation in a heavy production context
• Maintaining rhythmic consistency over harmonic changes
• Tone shaping for clarity in lower registers