Inhaltsverzeichnis für February 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! LES DAVIDSON Les has worked with Mick Taylor, Rumer, Jon Anderson, Pete Townshend, Tina Turner & more. He also runs a recording studio and teaches at BIMM London. CHARLIE GRIFFITHS Guitar Institute tutor Charlie first came to fame in…

“THIRTEEN YEARS AGO GT DECIDED WE WOULD CONFORM TO TRADITIONAL MUSIC CONVENTIONS” CLASSICAL DVD PLEASE The reason for my enquiry is to ask if you could reissue or redo a transcription of Rodrigo’s Concierto De Aranjuez, 2nd Movement, Adagio. I know from the Guitar Techniques index it was done many years ago. Incidentally, I have a copy of GT Feb 2007 with a transcription of Tarrega’s Recuerdos De La Alhambra by Bridget Mermikides. Bridget gives a lesson and plays the piece on a DVD that came with that issue. I know you don’t issue DVDs now but it would be fantastic if Bridget agreed to transcribe it for us and play it on video which you could possibly make available for download from the Vault. Thanks for listening, love your…

➊Blues Ballad (Am) Slow Blues in A minor with an F7-E7 turnaround at the end of each cycle. Use A Minor Pentatonic scale adding (A-C-D- the E-G b 5 ) ( as E ba ) starting to the mix point as well , . The basic triads will come in handy: Am (A-C-E), Dm (D-F-A), F (F-A-C) and E (E-G#-B). You can also search for ‘A Minor Blues Copycat Jam’ on YouTube to learn some great blues licks created especially for this jam. ➋Jazzy Funk Jam (Dm) The basic chord progression here is Dm-G, but when practising your rhythm playing I recommend trying out chords like Dm7-Dm9-Dm11 and G7-G9-G13. Start with D Minor Pentatonic scale (D-F-G-A-C) for your funky riffing and soloing and then move on to D Dorian mode…

PICTORIAL PRESS / ALAMY “THE GOAL OF THIS FEATURE IS TO GET YOU SOUNDING MORE AUTHENTIC IN A RANGE OF VINTAGE BLUES STYLES” ABILITY RATING Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 24-30 Will improve your… Slide technique Intonation and vibrato Blues feel and phrasing In the late 1940s and early ’50s a number of guitarists started to use newly available amplification to augment their sound. Electric instruments made it possible to play at louder volumes enabling solos to be heard over drums and other loud instruments, such as horn sections. The sound of a valve amp turned up loud also focused the tone and helped with sustaining long notes. Many blues players would use this sustain to emulate the long, lonesome notes and vibrato created by the harmonica (known…

LIVEPIX “CARLOS REMARKED TO RANDALL SMITH, ‘MAN THAT LITTLE AMP REALLY BOOGIES’ CAUSING SMITH TO CREATE THE NAME MESA BOOGIE WHEN HE BEGAN TO MAKE AMPS.” ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate Info Key: Bm Tempo: 114 bpm CD: TRACKS 43-44 Will improve your… General soloing fluidity Picking and bending technique Minor scale phrasing Carlos Santana formed the band that shares his surname in 1967 and has been guiding it towards sold-out tours and multi-platinum album sales ever since. It was in 1969 when Santana played at Woodstock that the band first came to the attention of music fans, partly because they provided a contrast to many of the other acts that played that weekend. The band and its leader have tried their hand at many styles of…

“BOWIE’S LATE ’60S, EARLY ’70S SOUND IS CHARACTERISED AS A BLEND OF FOLK-ROCK BUT WITH AN EDGE THAT OTHERS OFTEN MISSED” ABILITY RATING Info Key:Fmajor Tempo: 88 bpm CD:TRACKS 73-74 Will improve your Fretting hand chord work Strumming patterns Dynamics and attack When David Bowie passed away earlier this year the world lost not only one of its greatest songwriters but also a guitarist with a unique, quirky style. While his genius lay in his songwriting, Bowie’s abstract chords and spiky, funk-inflected acoustic guitar rhythms underpin many of his classic tracks. It’s hard to imagine classics like Starman without the dissonant, crashing opening acoustic guitar chords; and remove the classic acoustic break from Space Oddity and you’ve lost one of the most distinctive features of that track. David Bowie was…

“KEEPING THE THUMB NEAR THE CENTRE OF THE NECK POINTING TOWARDS THE HEADSTOCK CAN HELP WITH WIDE STRETCHES” ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACK 86-95 Will improve your… Fretting hand finger stretches Harmonising scales and modes Note finding on the fretboard Close voicings are chords in which the notes are played in order from low to high. Often guitar chords are played in ‘open’ or ‘drop’ voicings such as those used in typical barre chords. Close voicings can open the door to more creative guitar parts akin to shapes usually associated with piano parts. For example, Cmaj7 with the root on the 5th string is typically played with the voicing 1-5-7-3 (C-G-B-E). The same notes played as a close voicing are 1-3-5-7 (C-E-G-B). Our examples are all…

FEATURE #2 GO LATIN! Bossa Nova, Samba & more! This most delightful music is simply made for guitar. No matter what style you play, try this - you’ll love it! TRANSCRIPTION HANDEL Largo - Ombra Mai Fu Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes a brilliant piece from this legendary German composer. VIDEO MASTERCLASS AYNSLEY LISTER Soloing Secrets One of the UK’s finest blues-rockers plays another improv to show you how he composes a solo off the top of his head! TECHNIQUE & THEORY THINGS TO LEARN & PLAY Artificial harmonics and more Artifical or ‘harp’ harmonics, create a beautiful eerie sound. Alternate picking with string skipping is a stunning combo! Cover Feature: Sort Out Your... TOP 10 TECHNIQUE PROBLEMS! Honing each facet of our technique can improve performance drastically. Cleaner picking,…

MOST MONTHS I focus this page on the main articles in the magazine - the big technique features at the front. Jason then introduces the stylistic lessons at the back - like the proverbial pantomime horse, if you will. This time, however, I’m bringing to your attention the wealth of insight contained in GT’s Intro pages. We are so privileged to have Justin Sandercoe, that amazingly successful online teacher, adding his weight to each issue. Here he ponders on whether having one ‘forever’ guitar is the real answer to great playing and tone. What say you? Then there’s Mitch Dalton. Mitch is a sublime player, a staggering reader and probably the UK’s number one session guitarist. Read this month’s wittily dry piece, where he casually drops the fact that he’s…

THIS LICK WILL work great in a jazz swing or blues setting. It’s a question and answer idea, each two bars long with a short pick-up into the first bar. Observe how the phrases are chord-tone based as opposed to the notes being drawn from any particular scale. Also, notice the frequent use of the b 3-3 move, the sweet sounding 6ths (F#), the b 5s (E b ) and the chromatic connecting notes. This last point particularly applies to the second phrase, which is based upon an A13 chord. Similar ideas can be heard in Roy Buchanan’s playing. Licks like this sound far more sophisticated than conventional scale-based ideas and the possibilities for developing others are endless! So be sure to come up with variations of your own.…

BRIAN MOORE CUSTOM GUITARS are finally making an appearance in the UK although the stunning MC-1 has actually been around for a couple of years. Brian worked previously with Ned Steinberger so it’s hardly surprising that this guitar has a graphite body with a thru-neck configuration. Its Super-S-style appearance is enhanced by a quilted maple top and matching reverse headstock with a 2/4 Sperzel tuner placement. TAKING THEIR VERY FIRST BREATHS are Harry Styles and Justin Bieber but as they pop into existence a few others take a final bow including Kurt Cobain, Danny Gatton, Harry Nilsson, Nicky Hopkins, Dinah Shore, Henry Mancini, Roy Castle and Fred‘Sonic’Smith (guitarist with MC5). CARVIN’S AC175 IS A SLIM BODIED ELECTRO acoustic in a range of super finishes. The hollowed out mahogany body with…

EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 THE CRANBERRIES CD TRACK 33 This idea is a descending‘chromatic’chord progression. Notice how the bass notes (E, D#, D, C#) are the leading‘voice’in the sequence. Use heavy downstrokes. EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 THE ANIMALS CD TRACK 34 My father used to call a certain famous Animals song,‘House Of The Rising Damp’and this idea is intended to evoke Hilton Valentine’s same arpeggio approach. Use light palm muting on the raked strum of each chord to recreate the vibe, and use a continuous up pick stroke at the top of each triad. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE 3 ROBBEN FORD CD TRACK 35 This Major Pentatonic idea should be swung to a 4/4 time. Bend some quarter-tones on notes you feel appropriate for‘feel’- I have illustrated some as examples. KAZIMIERZ…

EPA / ALAMY “YNGWIE’S MUSICIANSHIP AND COMPOSITIONAL SKILLS ARE STAGGERING, AND HIS GUITAR TECHNIQUE UTTERLY BEYOND REPROACH” ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 45-56 Will improve your… Alternate and sweep picking Modal rock soloing Rock bending and vibrato Yngwie Johan Malmsteen was flown over from his native Sweden to the USA in 1982 by Shrapnel Records boss Mike Varney, after being blown away by Yngwie’s demo tape. After some experience playing in the bands Steeler and Alcatrazz, Yngwie released his first solo album, Rising Force. This 1984 release was to become the first of 21 studio releases; the most recent being 2016’s World On Fire. For over three decades he has remained true to himself and uncompromising in his style. He…

“YOU SHOULD AIM TO ESTABLISH SIMILAR IDEAS STEMMING FROM ALL OF THE CAGED SHAPES OF MIXOLYDIAN THAT YOU ” ABILITY RATING Info Key: A (A7) Tempo: 128 bpm CD: TRACKS 75-77 Will improve your… Seeing 4th triads within a scale Execution of sus4 triads Development of sus4 lines A good cook is selective with any available ingredients in order to prevent the palate from becoming jaded. If you always throw everything in the pot, you’ll end up eating stew every day, whereas, if you limit yourself to just a few things each time, you can eat differently every day. The same applies when improvising. If you use every note in the scale, you’ll end up with the same homogenised results (musical stew); however, by being selective with our note choice,…

JANUARY GT264 TEXAS BLUES Through10 Top Texas Titans we show you the licks and tricks of this awesome style. If fingers are more your thing, try our 10 picking patterns: essential if you are to become a great fingerstylist. Style studies with Johnny Marr, Lenny Kravitz, Charlie Christian & more! DECEMBER GT263 FLAWLESS FRETTING Better accuracy for chords and soloing, improved hand-to-hand coordination and clarity in tone and expression. Plus! Learn the touch and tone of Gary Moore and style studies in Skid Row, Ani DiFranco, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Louis Stewart. NOVEMBER GT262 MIXOLYDIAN MASTERCLASS Use this king of scales to play blues, rock, country, jazz, rock and roll and more! Plus Jimmy Page rock lesson, George Handel’s Lascia Ch’io Piango; exclusive video lesson with Brett Garsed and style studies…

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 Songs and lessons have the audio built in with a moving cursor showing you exactly where you are in the music. Simply tap the ‘play’ button then 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 or smartphone. PLUS! Get a FREE iPad/iPhone sample of GT. For full details and how to receive our digital edition regularly, go to…

PAUL NATKIN “ALBERT COLLINS SAID, “YOU’LL NEVER BE YOUR DAD OR ME, BUT TAKE WHAT YOU CAN AND MAKE IT YOU” GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without? RBB: I use a custom heavy shell celluloid pick. I like heavy picks because I play hard sometimes and I like the feel of the resistance. GT: You have to give up all your pedals but three. Which ones stay? RBB: My producer Steve Jordan wouldn’t allow me to use any pedals on my new record! But for my live shows I would keep my Fulltone Deja Vibe, my Vox wah and my Fulltone Fat Boost. GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to be in a band? RBB: I’ve done shows on bass when…

PICTORIAL PRESS / ALAMY “THE CONCEPT OF THIS FEATURE IS TO POINT OUT SOME OF THE ‘ALTERED’ PATTERNS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU” ABILITY RATING Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 4-23 Will improve your… Left and right-hand coordination Interval recognition and ear training Improvisation vocabulary We’ve all been there – your turn comes to show what you’re made of and you come away feeling there is a level of improvisation that still eludes you; that you’re trapped inside the ‘box’ Pentatonic shapes. Before we go any further, I should point out that this isn’t in itself a terrible thing. Many classic – even iconic – guitar solos have been created within this relatively limited framework. However, this is no reason to rest on one’s laurels – after all,…

ALAMY “YOU’LL NEED A DEGREE OF FLUENCY IN YOUR FRETTING HAND AS MANY OF THESE CHORD SHIFTS REQUIRE A LEVEL OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE WORK” ABILITY RATING   Moderate/Advanced ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Info Key Am Tempo 58 bpm CD TRACKS 31-32 Will improve your… Three against two rhythms Melodic phrasing Melodies in 3rds In this issue we are going to tackle for the first time a work by the great composer Franz Schubert. Despite barely reaching his 30s, Schubert produced over one and a half thousand works, including 20 string quartets, seven completed symphonies, several masses and operas and a staggering number (over 600) songs for piano and voice. In one year alone he composed over 20,000 bars of music (half of them for orchestra). Throughout this remarkable…

PICTORIAL PRESS / ALAMY “DESPITE THE ARENA-FILLING SUCCESS OF THE EAGLES, JOE HAS ALWAYS FOUND TIME TO MAKE SOLO HIT ALBUMS” ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate/Advanced Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 39-42 Will improve your String bending and vibrato Mixolydian soloing Fresh Pentatonic ideas Many readers will associate Joe Walsh with his tenure in The Eagles, when he brought his rock-influenced blues flavour to the band, debuting on their best-selling ’76 album, Hotel California. Joe was born in 1947 in Wichita, Kansas. The family home was alive with music as his mother was a keen piano player. She had a huge influence on the young Joe and, alongside tuning into rock and roll on the radio, music captured his spirit and he resolved to become…

EPA / ALAMY “I WOULD ALWAYS CONTEND THAT TALENT IS AN ELEMENT, BUT ULTIMATELY IT IS MOSTLY HARD WORK” Pat Metheny ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 57-72 Will improve your Integration of chromatic ideas Legato articulation Motific development Pat Metheny is a phenomenal guitarist, composer and all-round musician. From the early ‘70s and while still in his teens, Metheny began to gain exposure as a member of vibraphonist Gary Burton’s band on recordings with bass virtuoso, Jaco Pastorius, and as the youngest ever lecturer at Berklee College of Music. From then to now Pat’s career has been staggeringly fruitful, as band leader, in collaboration with artists such as Michael Brecker, Ornette Coleman and John Scofield, as sideman for Joni Mitchell, Bruce Hornsby and many more, and…

A natural harmonic happens when an open string is stopped on a node point and produces a higher harmonic pitch. These nodes occur most easily on a guitar string at the 12th, 7th and 5th frets where you can touch the string right over the fret wire and it produces a strong harmonic. But they also occur at other node points as you move down the string past the 5th fret towards the nut, but these are harder to find. Even so, many players have exploited them by using overdrive with the bridge pickup, as these appraoches help to bring these more tricky-to-find harmonics to the fore. Today we will be looking at the natural harmonics from the 12th, 7th and 5th frets and showing how they can be combined…

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN Album of the Month NIGEL PRICE HEADS & TALES VOL 2 Whirlwind Recordings Those of you who followed Nigel’s recent GT columns will attest to his amazing abilities. Heads & Tales Vol 2 is a double CD, the first comprising self-penned compositions, the second a set of solo or overdubbed duet jazz standards so we get to hear both sides of the man. Joined on CD 1 by his trio with Hammond organist Ross Stanley and drummer Matt Home, plus guest stars Alex Garnett and Vasilis Xenopoulos on sax, Price bounds through the material, displaying influences from Wes Montgomery to Pat Martino and beyond. On disc 2 we hear his approach to a range of jazz standards, and tunes like Have You Met Miss Jones and…

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…