Guitar Techniques -julkaisun December 2023 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

READY TO SUBSCRIBE? www.magazines direct.com BLUES GUITAR MUSIC tends to focus on the electric guitar due to its rhythm and lead duties in a loud band. The trio format as popularised by, among others, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream certainly helped form the foundation for this. But there is a longer serving of blues as enjoyed by the acoustic guitar, ranging from Robert Johnson and Blind Blake in the 20s and 30s, all the way through to the present 20s with musicians like Eric Bibb, Keb’ Mo’ and multi-stylists like Tommy Emmanuel. Sans amp, the acoustic guitar provides a truth of touch, a raw intimacy that can move audiences like no other format. Often these musicians are in solo mode too -one acoustic, one voice. For this reason, we’re…

GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without? PS: The green 0.88mm, combined with my fingernails and thumb. I buy these picks online in large quantities and like them best when brand new, usually getting a song or two out of each pick. They’ve got to be fresh! GT: If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be? PS: A great sounding Fuzz Face or Diaz Square Face, a vintage TS808 Tube Screamer, and an early Italian Vox/Cry Baby wah-wah with the halo-inductor. Great examples of these specific pedals always inspire me, and no two sound quite the same, which keeps me always on the prowl and looking out for another great sounding unit. GT: Do you play another…

"WHEN THE GUITAR BECOMES THE LEAD VOICE, THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE TAKES ON AN EDGINESS THAT I LIKE" GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you? WH: Guitar is an ‘edgy’ instrument so when it becomes the lead voice, the overall performance takes on an edginess that I like. There’s a lot of different examples of this. Whether it’s Wes Montgomery, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, the Meters, Zappa, or Booker T And The MG’s, having the guitar be the centrepiece creates a really cool sonic picture that’s different than with a vocal. GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t? WH: When listening to a vocal your brain is also listening to the lyrics which directly or indirectly demand your attention. When you remove…

ON VIDEO Stevie Ray Vaughan remains one of the most celebrated and enigmatic guitarists to emerge from the Texas blues scene. Stevie’s career lasted only seven years from the release of his studio debut album,Texas Flood in 1983, to his untimely death in 1990. But this was enough to establish Vaughan as one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time. Stevie’s guitar playing revealed many influences which he delivered in his unique and flamboyant style. His main influence was Jimi Hendrix, with Stevie borrowing both lead and rhythm ideas including fiery Pentatonic lines, and chord embellishments. He would go on to cover some of Jimi’s tunes including Voodoo Chile and Little Wing. He was also influenced by blues greats such as Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins and Lonnie…

EXAMPLE 1 JAMES VALENTINE (MAROON 5) This progression features moving powerchords along the second, third, and fourth strings. An E note, on the open first string is included with each powerchord. This creates interest without needing to change the chord shape. Most of the phrase is played with down strokes; however, there are a few upstrokes that help with continuity when the rhythm gets busier. Use your middle pickup position, set your amp to clean, and add a long reverb. EXAMPLE 2 VICKI PETERSON (THE BANGLES) This riff alternates between a descending G Blues scale (G-Bb-C-Db-D-F) and powerchord phrases. The downstrokes add weight to the notes, while the pull-off on the fifth string brings fluidity to the chromatic note run. To get the tone use your bridge pickup, a moderate…

Mark Tremonti formed Creed in 1994 and released four albums with the band, as well as winning a Grammy for the single With Arms Wide Open. In 2004 Mark put together his new band, Alter Bridge which has to date released seven studio albums. The group’s music contains lots of melodic guitar playing, chord progressions, heavy riffs and soloing, and has gained Tremonti respect from fans and peers alike. As well as Alter Bridge, Mark has released five albums under his solo project, Tremonti, which has an even harder metallic edge. Mark describes himself as a songwriter first and foremost, which is reflected in his frequent output over the past decades. But that said, his guitar playing is as inventive as it is technical. In this lesson we will look…

Brought to you by… FUNDAMENTALCHANGES Last issue we discussed several ideas commonly used by jazz guitarists, which I took and ‘repurposed’ for the blues. This month we’ll explore one further jazz technique to help you add a modern twist. When I was in my teens, an older friend who was a jazz guitarist would listen to me play and told me that I needed to get some new ideas into my repertoire of licks. One day he got me to play rhythm while he took a solo and I made a little half-step approach as I changed to the IV chord. He stopped me and said, “What did you just do?” “You mean this?” I asked. “Yeah,’ he said, “you should do that when you’re soloing.” It was a lightbulb…

MORE OF THE WORLD’S BEST LESSONS… FEATURE VIDEO #1 JOY TO THE WORLD Rock Style Jamie Humphries arranges and tabs his brilliant bluesy version of one of the season’s most uplifting songs. FEATURE VIDEO #2 SILENT NIGHT Gypsy Jazz Vibe John Wheatcroft has created a vibrant jazzy version of this firm favourite, with soloing tips! CLASSICAL VIDEO #3 DECK THE HALLS Classical Arrangement Declan Zapala transcribes his own beautiful arrangement of another joyous Yuletide anthem for you. FEATURE VIDEO #5 THE HOLLY AND THE IVY Acoustic Fingerstyle Stuart Ryan gives us his delightful take on this happy-go-lucky tune. FEATURE VIDEO #4 IN THE BLEAK MID WINTER Blues-Rock style Andy G Jones brings you perhaps the most beautiful of all Christmas ballad but here taking a great blues-rock approach. FEATURE VIDEO…

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 two 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.…

Iwas just programming some sounds in my Quad Cortex for an upcoming workshop and was thinking about how much things have changed since my first amplifier -an awful sounding Gorilla. I was buying pedals and trying to get it sounding better, but it was a lost cause. I eventually saved up and got a Marshall stack, my tone quest began and the money pit was dug. “Kids these days don’t know how lucky they got it,” I hear myself saying, and feeling old beyond my years. But it’s true. When I grew up, amps that sounded good were expensive and heavy, and loud. These days you can pull a pretty good sound out of an iPad. Whaaaat? So I was wondering where all this is going? I still buy pedals,…

The world of acoustic blues fingerpicking has a rich heritage dating back to the late 19th century. Over that time techniques and patterns have been developed and refined, tunings explored and styles generated. In this feature you’ll discover how 10 great players found their own voice with acoustic blues. Some, like Blind Blake, were pioneers of the style while others have learned from the forefathers and discovered their own take on the genre. Fingerstyle blues developed in America in the late 19th and early 20th century. Virtuoso pickers were inspired by the sound of ragtime piano players and set about trying to mimic the approach on acoustic guitar. The result is challenging, since you must coordinate basslines, chords and melodies simultaneously at varying tempos. Legends like Robert Johnson and Blind…

ON VIDEO Welcome to our second Crossroads lesson featuring Canadian jazz virtuoso Lorne Lofsky, alongside the equally talented UK-based guitarist Nigel Price. Lorne’s career highlights include working with legends such as Oscar Peterson, Chet Baker and Ray Brown and for many years he had a successful quartet with another amazing Canadian guitar virtuoso, the great Ed Bickert. Lofsky has also enjoyed an equally successful parallel career as an educator, teaching at a number of respected institutions, hosting masterclasses across the globe and in recent years moving into online teaching and mentoring. Along with an extensive resumé as a live performer, Lorne has an equally impressive portfolio of recordings, as sideman, collaborator and solo artist. Once again, it was our pleasure to feature an excerpt from this video interview, neatly coinciding…

Jimmie Vaughan is a true blues legend. With over 40 years of touring experience and a plethora of albums to his name, Jimmie’s sound has served to be a foundational source of inspiration for those in the know. Jimmie is of course the older brother of the late and great Stevie Ray Vaughan, and is perhaps unfairly overshadowed by his older brother’s success. Despite this, Jimmie has paved his own way and defined his own sound and approach while keeping the rich heritage of the blues alive throughout his career. Like most rock and roll legends of old, he started out playing in bands with friends in high school, first performing at just the age of 14 in 1965. In his late teens when he was just 19, he had…

Derek Trucks is the nephew of Butch Trucks, the original drummer in the Allman Brothers, so naturally, the child prodigy Derek was influenced early on by Duane Allman’s slide guitar style. Over time he has formulated his own highly personal approach to slide guitar playing. His style is very lyrical with a more legato approach than many great slide players. His band with wife Susan Tedeschi is one of the most popular blues-based live acts on the worldwide scene. Trucks is a great accompanist. It’s worth listening to his records just for the way he accompanies his wife’s voice and guitar solos. He is also a fine non-slide soloist, too, and in the examples here I’ve used a slide for nearly but not all of the notes. Intonation is always…

Brought to you by… The guitar fretboard is a very different beast to a piano keyboard. Whereas on a piano it’s fairly easy to reach an octave with one hand, this is all but impossible to do on a single guitar string. You would have seen in my article on tapping (GT351) how two hands can be used to play these large intervals; however, this month I will show you some licks and phrases that develop your fretting-hand reach. Before you start, it is important that you warm up before attempting to expand your finger stretch. Repetitive strain injuries are very real and something that you don’t want. So, if you experience any pain or discomfort, stop playing immediately and rest. If the symptoms persist, it’s advisable to speak to…

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SIMON BARNARD Simon is a graduate of ACM and The Guitar Institute, holding a Masters degree in music. He teaches, examines and plays everything from rock to jazz. DECLAN ZAPALA Declan is one of the UK’s top classical guitarists and teachers. He is a Master graduateofRCM andhissolo arrangements are sublimely creative. JON BISHOP Jon is one of those great all-rounders who can turn his hand to almost any style. He’s also rock legend Shakin’ Stevens’ touring and recording guitarist. MARTIN COOPER A tutor at BIMM Brighton, Martin’s Rock columns show an incredible breadth of technique and style. His 2006 album State Of The Union is out on iTunes. CHARLIE GRIFFITHS Charlie is a well studied guitarist who specialisesinhighendrockplaying and plays with top UK metal-fusion band Haken. His debut album is…

DIMINISHED CHORDS are most often heard in jazz chord progressions, though not unheard of in more‘contemporary’styles. George Harrison, for example, was very fond of a Diminished chord. My Sweet Lord, Got My Mind Set OnYou and Here Comes The Moon (from his 1979 album entitled George Harrison – no, we’re not mixing up our names!) are all great examples of this. Sometimes considered an oddball to solo over, we can actually see that by putting a Diminished chord in context, looking at patterns that fit and comparing those with some more widely known shapes such as Major, Minor and the best-known Pentatonic scales, we are expanding usable vocabulary without having to feel too lost at sea! THIS C MAJOR 7 chord comprises the notes C-G-B-E-G and is our ‘home’ from…

➊ Super Slow Blues (D) We start with a very slow blues in D. Focus on mixing dark D Minor Pentatonic (D-F-G-A-C) with the sweeter sounding D Major Pentatonic (D-E-F#-A-B) for some uplifting Major key blues vibes. ➋ D Lydian GrooveVamp Next up is a D Lydian(D-E-F#-G#-A-B-C#) vamp. Remember that D Lydian contains the same seven notes as the A Major scale (and its relative Minor, the F# Minor scale). You can find more jams like this on the album Groovin’ Through The Modes, Vol 5. ➌ Slow Groove Jam - E Major For this jam, E Major Pentatonic (E-F#-G#-B-C#) is a great place to start. E Major Pentatonic contains the same five notes as its relative Minor C# Minor Pentatonic(C#-E-F#-G#-B), so give this idea a go. ➍E…

ON VIDEO This month we are delighted to welcome back Italian virtuoso Rocco Zifarelli to take on another Jason Sidwell penned backing track. This brand new backing track is entitled Lickety Split and features a slick sounding 100bpm tempo with a shuffle 16th-note rock feel and a healthy amount of chord changes and modulations. As the track weaves through multiple keys we have used an open key signature (no sharps or flats). This will allow you to clearly see the note choices in relation to the underlying chords and not keep reverting back to the start of each music line to see what notes are altered. As mentioned, the track is more harmonically advanced than just one key so the melodic and improvisational approach requires a variety of scales and…

ON VIDEO The unmistakably lively and fierce sound of Flamenco music has its origins in the southern Andalusian region of Spain, and is seen as such an important cultural phenomenon that it was recently inscribed into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. And rightly so. Flamenco music is not just a single style of music, but rather a rich and far-reaching tapestry of different styles of dance (‘baile’) married with poetry and song (‘cante’), and musicianship (‘toque’), with a long history shaped by artists and performers not just in Spain, but also the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe. The presence of traditional Flamenco spills out into many areas of every day Spanish life, from weddings and parties, to concerts and festivals. Dances such as the…

ON VIDEO Journey was formed in 1973 in San Francisco, California by ex-Santana guitarist Neal Schon, the only original member left in the line-up. The band’s most successful period was in the 1980s, where Schon featured alongside singer Steve Perry, bassist Ross Valory, keyboard player Jonathan Cain, and drummer Steve Smith. This era saw the release of legendary songs such as Don’t Stop Believin’, Any Way You Want It, and Open Arms. Journey in many ways epitomise the sound of rock from the 1980s, and this era saw them blend guitar riffs with what was then modern synth sounds, big choruses, and shredding solos. During this time they toured as a headline act with support coming from artists such as Bryan Adams, and headlined festivals with special guests Van Halen…

Waylon Jennings is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of the ‘outlaw country’ movement that developed in the 1970s. In essence, this meant working outside the confines of the dominant Nashville sound that dictated country music, and resulted in a harder edged sound influenced by country, honky tonk and rockabilly. Jennings was part of a scene that included Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson among others. The main approach to outlaw country was to move away from Nashville’s sleek production, and ironically away from the sound of beloved producers like guitar legend Chet Atkins. Lyrical themes were darker and the music began to take on more of a rock influence as the genre developed. Waylon Jennings had a fascinating history before he crossed over into the outlaw…