Table of contents for September 2017 in Guitar Techniques

RICHARD BARRETT One of the best players around, Richard is adept at most styles but truly excels in the bluesier side of rock. He currently plays with Spandau’s Tony Hadley. SHAUN BAXTER One of the UK’s most respected music educators, Shaun has taught many who are now top tutors themselves. His Jazz Metal album is considered a milestone. JON BISHOP Jon is one of those great all-rounders who can turn his hand to almost any style. No ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’, he nails every one with ease! PHIL CAPONE Phil is a great guitarist who specialises in blues and jazz. He teaches at ICMP in London, writes for GT and Total Guitar and has published 10 top tuition books. LES DAVIDSON Les has worked with Mick…

➊ Chicago Blues Jam (C#) Let’s start with a fun Blues shuffle with a Chicago style turnaround. C# is not the most common of keys of course, but remember it’s the blues, so you can get great vibes from simply using the C# Minor Pentatonic (C#-E-F#-G#-B), which contains the same notes as E Major Pentatonic. Next up, try blending in some C# Major Pentatonic (C#-D#-E#-F#-G#-A#). ➋ F Mixolydian Shuffle Groover Here’s a simple two-chord vamp for you guys to have fun with while exploring your F Mixolydian mode (F-G-A-B b -C-D-E b ). Try mixing in the occasional bluesy colour, by way of F Minor Pentatonic (F-A b -B b -C-E b ) and F Minor Blues scale (F-A b -B b -B-C-E b ). ➌ A Minor Jazz Jam…

WENN UK / ALAMY ANDRE CSILLAG / REX / SHUTTERSTOCK “ THESE IDEAS ARE DESIGNED TO BECOME A PART OF YOUR STYLE, NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR THE MORE CONVENTIONAL PLAYING APPROACH” ON THE CD TRACKS 16-31 ABILITY RATING Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 16-31 Will improve your… Vocabulary Coordination Improvisation skills As aspiring soloists, we guitarists are given plenty of advice involving the learning or practising of scales, or perhaps playing melodic lines to polish our skills, if we’re not quite so ‘academically’ inclined. Though all of these approaches are absolutely sound – and structured lines are arguably an essential part of any solo, they don’t take account of the fact that intervallic skips can play a very important role in melodic development. Intervals that may not always…

PAUL BERGEN / GETTY IMAGES “ANDREW LATIMER’S LEAD PLAYING IN PARTICULAR IS VERY HIGH IN MELODIC CONTENT” ON THE CD TRACKS 45-47 ABILITY RATING Info Key: D Tempo: 145 bpm CD: TRACKS 45-47 Will improve your… Tight and melodic soloing Changing time signatures Theory knowledge Progressive rock band Camel were formed in 1971 by guitarist Andrew Latimer, and also featured Andy Ward on drums and bassist Doug Ferguson. A little while later they were also joined by keyboard player Peter Bardens. The band signed to MCA Records in 1972, but after their eponymous debut failed to sell they left the label and signed to Deram Records, which was part of the Decca group. Latimer also played flute on the band’s albums, as they pushed the boundaries of progressive rock, even…

DAVID LYTTLETON WHEN NOT SILENT PUNNING UP THE HILL OR WITH THE FAMILY.ALAN MURPHY LOVED RUNNING DOMINANT PENTATONIC LICKS ON THE CD TRACKS 60-62 ABILITY RATING Info Key: A (A7) Tempo: 115 bpm CD: TRACKS 60-62 Will improve your Dominant Pentatonic knowledge Vertical line repertoire Dominant CAGED vocabulary What’s the best Pentatonic scale to use over a straightforward Dominant chord? If you’re not sure, try a few options over each of the chords in the following progression. G7/ / /, / / / / F7 / / /, / / / / A7/ / /, / / / / F#7/ / /, / / / / The Minor Pentatonic scale (1- b 3-4-5- b 7) will work as a bluesy effect in an extended static one-chord vamp but, because of…

FEATURE #2 ARRANGING A POP TUNE Create great modern parts We have some great ways to bring life and colour to your pop tracks, which transfer well to many styles. CLASSICAL TAB JOHN DOWLAND Fantasia Bridget tabs this fabulously famous piece so you can impress the folks on these balmy summer nights. VIDEO LESSON TAP A TEXAS SHUFFLE Or... SRV meets EVH! Paul Bielatowicz continues his video tapping series with a piece that might surprise you - a fully tapped blues! TECHNIQUE & THEORY THINGS TO LEARN & PLAY Nailing CAGED; slide in open D CAGED really can unlock the fretboard so crack it now! Plus: learn new slide moves in the bluesiest of tunings. Play 10 solos from 10 heroes of... SOUTHERN BLUES-ROCK! Southern Rock covers every flavour from…

JASON AND I often chat about music. We have broad tastes and love loads of stuff; some, but not all, guitar based; some high-level technically, and some quite simple. I love stonking guitar playing, but great music isn’t all about that. I was recently on holiday and one night we decided to watch some music videos. I can never see Hell Freezes Over by The Eagles too often so we put that on. Now, there’s very little in their music that one might describe as ‘high technique’. However (and this is something Jason and I talk about a lot), the headroom between what each one of them plays and what they probably could play, is enormous. Hence, they make it look easy. But watching that DVD for the zillionth time…

“THE INSTRUMENTAL ALLOWS THE LISTENER TO FORM THEIR OWN SENSE OF WHAT THAT PIECE MEANT” GT: What is it about instrumentals that appeals to you? SK: Even though I grew up in a musical home (my father was lyricist Sammy Cahn), filled with music and songs, sung by all the great singers from 40s and 50s, when I heard jazz for the first time, and all of those Freddie King R&B instrumentals, I knew that this was the music for me. What helped me along the way in interpreting standards was that I had already absorbed almost all of the lyrics from having heard them so much. But, I love the challenge of crafting a personal interpretation of any song that I choose to play and record. If I can’t…

RELATING TAB TO YOUR FRETBOARD HAND LABELLING Here are the abbreviations used for each finger: Fretting hand: 1, 2, 3, 4, (T) Picking hand: p (thumb), i (first finger), m (second), a (third), c (fourth). CHORD EXAMPLE The diagram represents the G chord in the photo. The ‘O’ symbol is an open string, and a circled number is a fretting finger. Intervals are shown below. SCALE EXAMPLE The diagram shows the fret-hand fingering for the A major scale (root notes in black). The photo shows part of the scale being played on the fourth string with first, third and fourth fingers. NUT & FRETBOARD The fretbox diagram above represents the fretboard exactly, as seen in the accompanying photo. This is for ease of visualising a fretboard scale or chord shape…

CARLA HUNTINGTON ABBATE “FROM A GUITAR POINT OF VIEW THIS PIECE SUITS A TAPPING APPROACH PRIMARILY USING TWO FINGERS ON BOTH HANDS” ON THE CD TRACK 32&CD-ROM ABILITY RATING Info Key: C Tempo: Moderate CD: CD-ROM Will improve your Legato playing Two-hand tapping Left/right hand independence Welcome to GT’s new, three-part series on two-handed tapping. During the series, we’ll be looking at applying the technique to different styles and using it in different contexts. To kick it all off we’re going solo with an arrangement of a classical piano piece by Debussy from his 1908 Children’s Corner collection. Born in France in 1862, Claude Debussy was one of the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, best known for his piano pieces. Debussy was the leading…

ON THE CD TRACKS 35-40 EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 DIO CD TRACK 35 As Guthrie Govan once put it:“E is the loudest of all keys”and this E-C/E progression exemplifies classic metal in all its glory. Play off the sixth string with a dead, muted sound moving between a B note (9th fret, fourth string) and a C note (10th fret, 4th string). EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 PAUL KOSSOFF CD TRACK 36 A classic A Major Pentatonic lick is presented here, sonicaklly exemplified by a loud valve amp and plenty of picking-hand attack - aggression, even. This idea can be varied with simple movements up and down the octave, and the tweak of a note here and there will make it fit over other blues progression chords. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE 3…

CTK / ALAMY “SOMETIMES, I WILL BE HEARING AN ORCHESTRA IN MY HEAD AND I’M TRYING TO GET THAT SOUND TO COME OUT ON THE GUITAR” Bill Frisell ON THE CD TRACKS 48-57 ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 48-57 Will improve your… Melody and chords integration Hybrid picking Harmonics and chord fragments Bill Frisell is one of the most influential and unique guitar players active on the scene today. With a career spanning four decades, Frisell has played and recorded with legendary jazz artists and peers such as Paul Motian, Jan Garbarek, Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Mike Stern. Bill has had a longstanding association with ECM records and from the mid 80s has produced a steady stream of unique albums as a bandleader. Always evolving…

“OPEN TUNING ALLOWED FOR ROBERT JOHNSON’S BASS ACCOMPANIMENT, THAT MADE KEITH RICHARDS THINK HE WAS HEARING TWO GUITARS” ON THE CD TRACKS 63-66 ABILITY RATING Info Key: G Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 63-66 Will improve your Slide playingand control Open tuning knowledge Intonation accuracy The earliest slide players were country blues guitarists, often using open tuning. The recordings of Bukka White, Son House and Robert Johnson have influenced virtually every slide player since, and many of these songs are now standards for slide guitarists, such as Dust My Broom, Walkin’ Blues and Rollin’ And Tumblin’. Open G tuning (low to high DGDGBD) has been popular with many players, including Robert Johnson (though Johnson himself tuned each string a semitone higher and then used a capo at the 2nd fret). The…

“THE SEVEN EIGHTH-NOTES CAN BE SPLIT INTO SMALLER GROUPS OF TWO AND THREE. THIS IS AN EASIER WAY TO PROCESS ODD TIME” ON THE CD TRACKS 71-80 ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 71-80 Will improve your… Odd time playing Sense of groove General ability The 7/8 time is one of the most easily comprehensible and usable odd time signatures due to its close similarity to 4/4. We usually count regular 4/4 in terms of eighth notes; ‘1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &’ and so on. 7/8 literally means ‘seven eighth-notes per bar’, which is essentially a 4/4 bar with an eighth-note removed. Try counting ‘1 & 2 & 3 & 4, 1 & 2 & 3 & 4’ repeatedly to get a sense of…

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN Album of the Month SONNY LANDRETH RECORDED LIVE IN LAFAYETTE Mascot Records Here’s a live two-CD release from Sonny, the first CD being acoustic, the second electric. Sonny’s last live album was 12 years ago (Grant Street) so it’s great to hear him with his trio augmented by keys, accordian and second guitar. Experiencing Sonny play slide is one of the guitar world’s best offerings and he shines mightily here. Blues Attack is richly arranged with a bubbling cajun infused feel that Sonny sings and slides over. The blues classic, Key To The Highway has been covered by many but this presentation is a real joy with a rhythmically rich pocket. The pounding Creole Angel has wonderful accordion work, vibrant backing vocals and Sonny in fine…

Tap the links Finding your way around the magazine is easy. Tapping the feature titles on the cover or the contents page, takes you straight to the relevant articles. Any web and email links in the text are tappable too! Animated tab & audio All the mag’s main lessons have the audio built in with a moving cursor that shows you exactly where you are in the music. Simply tap the ‘play’ button and you’re off - you can fast-forward or scroll back at will. Play the videos Certain articles have accompanying videos full of useful insight and additional information. Once again, tap the play buttons to enjoy video masterclasses on your iPad (recommended) or smartphone. PLUS! Get a FREE iPad/iPhone sample of GT. For full details and how to…

TINA K THIS s LICK OFFERS a nice workout for your fretting hand and illustrates legato ideas in the style of Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci or Zakk Wylde. It is based on a sequenced G Minor Pentatonic scale (G-B b -C-D-F) with an added 9th (A). Take care with fretting-hand accuracy, particularly when performing the fourth-finger stretches. Gradually building speed is the key to success. In the penultimate bar I revert to a first and third finger only fingering, as this is how I would play it - the frets are closer together in these higher positions and I find it easier. Try this fingering then amend it to suit your preferences. Of course, experiment with ideas of your own invention - in other keys and using differing scale types.…

HOFNER DRAWS UPON ITS YEARS OF CLASSICAL expertise to produce their first violin shaped body for the guitar family. The 500/1 bass makes its debut at the Frankfurt Music Fair with an arched spruce top and maple back and sides, with two black pickups at bridge and neck positions, each with a volume and tone control set on an oval plate. It’s destined to become one of the most iconic instruments of all time and although guitar versions were soon introduced, it’s this full sounding bass that captured the imagination. PETROL RATIONING INTRODUCED DUE TO Middle Eastern supply blockades during the Suez Crisis; Chew Valley Lake in Somerset is inaugurated by the Queen as a reservoir to serve Bristol; the RAF retires its last Lancaster bomber; the Gower Peninsula of…

GILLES PETARD / GETTY IMAGES “THE KEY TO SOUNDING AUTHENTIC LIES IN CONTROLLING BOTH SWING AND STRAIGHT EIGHTH-NOTE PHRASING AT SWIFT TEMPOS” ANDREW LEPLEY / GETTY IMAGES ON THE CD TRACKS 4-15 ABILITY RATING Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 4-15 Will improve your… Swing phrasing Blues scale choices Chord vocabulary An up-tempo cousin of the blues, jump blues directly preceded the rock and roll explosion of the 1950s. Rhythmically, the style is closer to rock and roll than jazz with a strong backbeat groove. So, in come Pentatonic licks and out go the bebop lines? Well, not exactly! There’s more to playing jump blues than Minor Pentatonic noodling, so if you’re looking to jazz up your blues playing then you’ve come to the right place. Above and…

“THIS IS NOT ONE OF THE HARDER PIECES IN THE SERIES, BUT THERE’S NO LIMIT TO HOW EXPRESSIVELY AN APPARENTLY SIMPLE PIECE CAN BE PLAYED” ON THE CD TRACKS 33-34 ABILITY RATING Info Key E minor Tempo 60bpm CD TRACKS 33-34 Will improve your… Melody and accompaniment separation Melodic phrasing Playing with emotion For this month I’ve arranged a popular song (and then instrumental work) by the German American 20th century composer Theodore Moses Tobani. Although not a household name, Tobani was a fascinating individual. Born in Germany in 1855, he took to the violin at the age of five and had become a concert violinist by the age of 10. He also had a remarkable compositional knack, writing so many works that his publisher Carl Fischer advised him to…

SIPA PRESS / REX / SHUTTERSTOCK “IT’S A PROCESS, BUT THE GREAT THING IS, YOU CAN WORK ON IT EVERY DAY”Jimmie Vaughan ON THE CD TRACKS 41-44 ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 41-44 Will improve your Blues and rock vocabulary Rhythm playing and articulation Authenticity of approach Born in Dallas County, Texas, Jimmie Vaughan began playing guitar as a child. Inspired by the sounds of AM radio, Vaughan’s young life revolved around learning the music of Jimmy Reed, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, BB King, and Freddie King among others. When Vaughan left Dallas at age 19 and moved to Austin his career started to take shape with his own outfit The Storm, which supported many touring blues musicians. It was in Austin that Jimmie Vaughan would meet…

SANDY YOUNG / ALAMY “BORN IN TENNESSEE DOLLY WAS BROUGHT UP IN A ONE-ROOM SHACK, BUT BY THE AGE OF 10 SHE WAS PERFORMING ON LOCAL RADIO” ON THE CD TRACKS 58-59 ABILITY RATING Info Key: G Tempo: 92 bpm CD: TRACKS 58-59 Will improve your Carter-style fingerpicking Awareness of bass runs Basic country rhythm The undisputed Queen Of Country, Dolly Parton is a bona fide superstar, both within that genre and beyond. Even if you are not familiar with her work you may be astonished to discover that she has penned over 3,000 songs and was the author of Whitney Houston’s 90s mega-smash I Will Always Love You. Of course, there are her own hits - Jolene, Coat Of Many Colors, Here You Come Again, Love Is Like A…

ILPO MUSTO / REX / SHUTTERSTOCK ON THE CD TRACKS 67-70 David Bowie was a musician of many guises and it was his ability and desire to embrace a rainbow of genres that made him such a fabulously versatile artist. From the mid 70s David Bowie released a series of albums, such as Young Americans, Station To Station, Heroes, Scary Monsters, that had a new sound combination of rock, funk and disco. In this issue’s Essential Rhythm we are looking at the influence of Carlos Alomar on the rhythm section during his time with David Bowie. Alomar was an experienced player, having worked in the house band at the Apollo Theatre and toured with James Brown. He proved a vital part of this new sound, bringing choice elements of R&B…

AUGUST GT272 LES PAUL HEROES! Fancy 50 fabulous licks from 50 fabulous Les Paul players? Well, GT272 is the place to go, with blues and rock (both classic and heavy) licks that will expand your repertoire over night! Plus: Soloing with jazz chords, Schumann classical & lots of other great stuff! JULY GT271 TAPPING CHORDS Tapping whole chord based pieces is a really wonderful sound - think Stanley Jordan. We show you how! GT pays its respects to the amazing Allan Holdsworth with tributes from great players and a ‘doable’ style guide. Huge 10pp Jimmy Page style guide & loads extra! JUNE GT270 SESSION SECRETS Learn what’s required on a studio or show session, then let nine studio legends tell you their inside stories. From the vault: Play like the…