Indice dei contenuti per November 2016 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…

“THERE ARE PLAYERS FROM 80S BANDS YOU SHOULD LOOK AT – CHARLIE BURCHILL OR JOHN MCGEOCH...” POST PUNK PLEA The Canarios transcription in the August 2016 issue caught my eye. It was the same in October 2001 when Canarios was also published in GT and I quickly and gratefully made my first purchase. (This was a completely fresh transcription and very different to the 2001 one – Ed). That issue also had a cool Robben Ford lesson by Guth Govan. In 15 years GT has unlocked a lot of what was mystifying to me as a young guitar hack – chords with more than one number, or altered note; aaaagghhh! The best part was discovering other players. I might have learned nothing but I still would have found out about…

THIS MONTH’S IDEA is a series of descending‘rootless’7th arpeggios in C Major (Cmaj7-Bm7 b 5-Am7-G7-Fmaj7-Em7-Dm7-Cmaj7). The phrasing is based on a repeating‘motif’; the first note of each triad arpeggio is always played twice, with the first note being slightly‘cut off’or‘staccato’. This sort of phrasing is not particularly‘guitaristic’– but it works great! Technically, you need to attend to the cut-off notes and also aim to play it as smoothly as possible. Also, notice that I have maintained a consistent fretting-hand fingering throughout. This is my personal preference so feel free to amend it should another fingering method suit you better. After playing through it try to come up with variations of your own and also listen out for other phrasing ideas played on a variety of instruments – piano, saxophone, violin…

LAUNCH FOR THE JACKSON KE3 guitar with an Explorer/Destroyer styled alder body, a pointed headstock and a monster sound from the two Seymour Duncan pickups. To be precise there’s a TB-4 JB at the bridge and an SH-2 at the neck with just a three-way selector switch and a master volume control! The rosewood board features Sharkfin inlays and there’s a Floyd Rose double-locking vibrato unit. Offered in a variety of colours including transparents, swirls and skulls. PAUL McCARTNEY FINALLY REACHES 64 years of age having written When I’m Sixty-Four many years ago. All Saints, Genesis and Take That get back together again; Paul Rodgers joins forces with Brian May and Roger Taylor to work on an album together. Sadly Buck Owens, Arthur Lee (Love), Syd Barrett and Freddy…

“PAUL WAS INFLUENCED BY SCOTTISH FOLK SINGER DONOVAN, WHO SHOWED ALL THREE BEATLE PICKERS THE CLASSIC FINGERSTYLE” ABILITY RATING Info KeyVarious TempoVarious CDTRACKS 33-35 Will improve your… Accompaniment playing Fingerstyle technique Awareness of different acoustic styles While the success of The Beatles undoubtedly lies in their melodies and lyrics, it’s easy to forget that behind it all was an engine room featuring three guitarists with unique styles. When these styles combined with the songwriting talents of John, Paul and George, the result was music that was staggeringly well rounded. Imagine the Fab Four on stage and you probably picture Paul and his Hofner bass and George and John with either Gretsch or Rickenbacker. However, at various points in the history of the group each of the three wrote and performed…

OCTOBER GT261 THE SHADOWS Go instru-mental with our in-depth look at Hank and Bruce’s styles. Check out this issue’s Bonamassa bonanza with two full solos in the style of the blues-rock titan. Plus, style masterclasses on Jeff Lynne, Winger, Steve Khan, Joan Baez and much more! JULY GT258 ABOVE THE 12TH FRET New licks to play and a whole new lickbag for the ‘dusty end’. Plus, we pay tribute to the staggering talent of Prince; Derek And The Dominos’ Key To The Highway tabbed and style lessons in Otis Rush, Ratt, Freddie Green, Eva Cassidy and more! SEPTEMBER GT260 AMAZING RHYTHM Discover new shapes and approaches with our study of rhythm. Twenty five years on, we honour Steve Vai’s finest album, Passion & Warfare. Plus, style masterclasses learning the licks…

LFI / PHOTOSHOT “HARDLY A DAY GOES BY WITHOUT ME STICKING ON A MUDDY WATERS RECORD”Rory Gallagher ABILITY RATING Info Key:Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACKS 45-48 Will improve your Blues soloing creativity Mixing in of scalic ideas Attitude and playing passion Loved and referred to worldwide as a fine blues guitarist with exquisite taste, a great entertainer and an awe-inspiring soloist, Rory Gallagher stormed onto the British blues rock scene in 1966 with his power-rock blues band, Taste. He would go on to have a hugely successful solo career that was sadly cut short at the age of just 47. Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal and growing up in Cork, the young Gallagher was absorbing influences from his musical family but also Lonnie Donegan, Muddy Waters, Big Bill Bronzy and Leadbelly, which…

SIPA PRESS / REX “I WANTED TO PLAY LIKE A HORN PLAYER. I AVOIDED ALL KINDS OF GUITAR CLICHéS, BUT I COPIED CHARLIE PARKER” Joe Pass ABILITY RATING Info Key:Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACKS 64-72 Will improve your… Fingerstyle technique Part independence Sophisticated chord voicings Joe Pass is one of the most influential guitarists of all time. While famous for his collaborations with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald, Pass wrote the template for solo jazz guitar, and almost every player in this style since has taken a little, or a lot, from Joe’s ground-breaking style. Joe’s pick-based playing was staggeringly fluent and articulate and his fingerstyle mastery allowed him a piano-like freedom. However, Joe truly found his voice when playing solo or in an exposed scenario, such as his legendary duets with…

LIVEPIX “WE WILL TRAIN THE FOURTH FINGER TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH BENDING ANYTHING FROM SEMITONE TO FLAT 3RD” ABILITY RATING Info Key:Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACKS 78-85 Will improve your… Fourth finger strength Fretboard facility General technique The fourth finger is often the weakest and least used by guitarists. Whether you are shredding scales like Paul Gilbert or playing a simple blues phrase a la BB King, the chances are you try anything to avoid playing that finishing bend with your fourth finger, and find some way of landing on your third or second instead. Well, we’re here to break out of those old habits, move out of the comfort zone and expand our playing potential; just like master fourth finger benders like George Lynch and Steve Morse. In this lesson we…

AYNSLEY LISTER EYES WIDE OPEN Straight Talkin’ Records Lister’s eighth studio album sees him at the top of his game. Eyes Wide Open grabs you in, from All Of Your Love’s opening riff to the final note of Hold You To It. Lister’s music brims with blues – his influences are all the usual British and American suspects – but his music is so much more, with hooky choruses, beefy riffs and emotive vocals. Everything I Have To Give is Peter Green meets Albert King on steroids, with organ backing and horns – but watch out for Lister’s big solo at the end. Won’t Be Taken Down’s descending arpeggio-fuelled chord sequence and huge guitar sound is blues-rock at his best. Aynsley really knows how to shape a solo, when to…

FEATURE #2 ROCKABILLY Chuck  Berry to Merle Travis Play the coolest chords, the hottest licks and the classiest fills as Jon Bishop takes you through this sexy style! TRANSCRIPTION ENRIQUE GRANADOS Dedicatoria Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes this song from Granados’ Cuentos de la Juventud. VIDEO MASTERCLASS 5 BLUES LICKS With Robin Trower In this special, one-off video lesson, Jon Bishop guides us through some gems with this master of the Stratocaster. TECHNIQUE & THEORY STYLE SESSIONS Ani Di Franco to Gary Moore Check out the wonderful style of Ani De Franco in our Acoustic Legends series and Gary Moore in Blues Dues. Ten fabulous ways to improve your... FRETTING TECHNIQUE Vibrato, hammer-ons, slides, fourth-finger independence and more! Our extensive practice plan covers all the most important aspects to building…

ARE YOU READY to ‘Mix It Up’ and tackle our cover feature, all about the Mixolydian mode? Play any 7th chord then play its respective Mixolydian scale – G Mixolydian for G7, etc - and you’ll find that they’re the perfect fit. The matching Major 3rd and flattened 7th are what make it so ‘right’. But unlike some scales that seem only suited for certain things, the Mixolydian is great in any genre that uses dominant chords – 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, etc. Hence you’ll find it equally at home in blues, jazz, R&B, country, pop, soul, and all manner of styles. Jon Bishop has 10 brilliant examples of the Mixolydian in action, so nip to p14 and grab a whole new lickbag. There are few people that don’t like…

“INSPIRATION COULD COME FROM ANYTHING THAT STIMULATES THE BRAIN AND OPEN SOME DOORS” GT: What is it that appeals to you about guitar instrumentals? ON: I just like the tone of the guitar, whether it’s a nylon, a steel string or electric jazz or rock sound. I do like other instruments too, of course. GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t? ON: More colours of sounds, wider range, a level of virtuosity that’s just not humanly possible on the voice. GT: Any tendencies that you aim to embrace or avoid? ON: Beautiful melodies are always great; good groove and rhythm; nice sound; trying to avoid too many notes! If the composition and overall sound is good, most people can listen to it. GT: Is…

➊ Chicago Style Blues Jam (D) Here’s a really fun 12-bar blues at a comfortable 90 beats per minute tempo, with the added twist of a Chicago-style turnaround at the end of each cycle. This results in the chords D-D7/C-G/B-Gm/ B b -D/A-A7. Try mixing D Minor Pentatonic scale (D-F-G-A-C) and D Major Pentatonic scale (D-E-F#-A-B) for that old-school Chicago blues sound. ➋Jazz-Blues (Medium Swing) (C) This one is a little more challenging. It’s a traditional jazz-blues progression at a much scarier 160 bpm, but remember it’s essentially blues, so you can ‘get by’ with the C Minor Pentatonic scale (C-E b -F-G-B b ) as an easy starting point. Try adding in the arpeggios as well: C7 (C-E-G-B b ), F7 (F-A-C-E b ), Gm7 (G-B b -D-F), F#dim7…

“BRETT PLACES THE SLIDE ON THE SECOND FINGER OF THE FRETTING HAND, RATHER THAN THE MORE COMMON THIRD” ABILITY RATING Info Key:D minor Tempo:102bpm CD:CD-ROM Will improve your… General slide guitar technique Ability to angle the slide Integration of fretting fingers In the final instalment of this six-part Brett Garsed video masterclass series, we are going to look at Jason Sidwell’s Chill Diggery, in which Brett once again solos with his secret weapon: a glass slide. Regular readers will remember Brett’s stunning slide solo over the first backing track, Dark Highway (GT251), in part one of this series. So let’s review the key points of Brett’s unique slide guitar style. Firstly, he places the slide on the second finger of the fretting hand, rather than the more common third. This…

PICTORIAL PRESS / ALAMY ABILITY RATING Info Key:E major Tempo:90 bpm CD:TRACKS 49-51 Will improve your… Creation of parts Use of complex rhythms String bending and legato Led Zeppelin and their guitar legend Jimmy Page really need no introduction. But for those who are new to the band they were formed in London in 1968, with Page, singer Robert Plant, bass player John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. While often seen as pioneers of heavy metal their songs were just as likely to feature blues, folk or classical elements. After launching as The New Yardbirds (Page having replaced Jeff Beck in the band), they changed their name, signed to Atlantic Records and released their eponymous debut album in 1969. Massive success followed, with sales estimates in the 200-300 million…

ALAMY “SPRINGSTEEN FIRST DEVELOPED AN INTEREST IN MUSIC FROM THE STARS OF THE DAY – ELVIS, SINATRA AND THE BEATLES” ABILITY RATING Info Key:D Major Tempo:101 bpm CD:TRACKS 73-74 Will improve your… Rhythm playing dynamics Double dropped D tuning Range of chord voicings Over the course of a hugely successful 40-year long career Bruce Springsteen has proven himself to be the consummate rock and roll songwriter with both electric and acoustic guitars always at the fore throughout his writing. In the early days the acoustic was used in the most traditional way – as an accompaniment device to the burgeoning hit maker. Seminal tracks like Atlantic City showcase simple open-chord accompaniment ideas, but as Bruce’s writing developed and progressed through the years his acoustic parts also become far more sophisticated,…

Tritone substitution is a harmonic technique that can be used to creatively modify chord progressions, either when playing rhythm guitar behind a soloist, for creative substitution in a chord melody arrangement, or as a basis for improvisation. The ‘tritone’ is the distance between two notes that are three tones (two semitones or two frets) apart. So, in the run of notes, C-D-E-G b , the distance between C-G b is a tritone. This may not seem too exciting so far, but wait until we apply this harmony to Dominant 7th chords. Initially, there doesn’t seem to be much connection between a G7 and a D b 7 chord, but on closer inspection you will see that they share two very important notes, the 3rd (B) and the b 7th (F)…

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…

 GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without? “LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM IS MY HERO. HOW HE CAN MAKE A GUITAR SPEAK ISAMAZING. I LOVE EMOTIONAL PLAYERS” MD: Dunlop 1.5mm Maxgrip picks. When I have some of those I know it’s gonna be a good show. I can’t play with floppy soft picks, it honestly does my head in. GT: If you had to give up all your effects pedals but three, what would they be? MD: The only pedal I use and can’t live without is my Zoom G5 multi-effects pedal. The sounds that come out of it are just insane and you’re guaranteed to find something you like. GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it? MD: If…

“THE MIXOLYDIAN MODE HAS A MAJOR TYPE SOUND, BUT WITH A DIRTY EDGE” ABILITY RATING Info KeyVarious TempoVarious CDTRACKS 3-32 Will improve your… Stylistic awareness Mixolydianknowledge Hybrid picking Tapping and legato Whammy bar use Welcome to our mega Mixolydian feature. One of the most useful of all the modes, the aim of this month’s lesson is to apply the Mixolydian to a wide variety of stylistic settings, using both rhythm and lead ideas. It’s hoped that by the end of the lesson your Mixolydian trick bag should be fully topped up. But first, let’s review what the Mixolydian mode is and how it functions. We’ll be looking at it in the guitar-friendly key of A, but of course everything here applies equally to all other major keys. Mixolydian is the…

“BEETHOVEN SAID OF HANDEL: “HE WAS THE MASTER OF US ALL” AND, “THE GREATEST COMPOSER WHO EVER LIVED”” ABILITY RATING Info KeyVarious TempoVarious CDTRACKS 37-38 Will improve your… Tone control of chords Muting bass notes Baroque repertoire In this instalment of our classical guitar series we tackle a work by one of the greatest composers in the history of Western Art music, George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). Born in the same year as both Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti (a good year for music!), Handel’s long and productive career – mainly based in London – would leave an indelible print on the development of concert and opera music. As is not always so with the great composers, Handel was both critically acclaimed and successful during his lifetime, and admired by…

EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 EAGLES OF DEATH METAL CD TRACK 39 A simple line from a great modern band. The Eagles Of Death Metal are happy to experiment in chromatic ideas and you can tell that they have their roots firmly in grunge. Keep the strumming hand downstrokes solid and in time against a 120 bpm metronome beat. EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 BIOHAZARD CD TRACK 40 Using lazy powerchords you could down-tune this example by a tone (D-G-CF-A-D) to match the classic albums and play with a loud, aggressive amp. The riff (shown in standard tuning) is a mix of perfect 5ths and major 3rds, so why not create your own example around this idea for a post-modern 90s sound. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE 3 JEFF HEALEY CD TRACK 41 Healey…

LIVEPIX “PAUL GILBERT’S STYLE IS ASTOUNDING TO WITNESS; BLISTERING PICKED RUNS PLAYED WITH PRECISION, POWER AND ATTITUDE” ABILITY RATING Info Key:Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACKS 52-63 Will improve your… Two-handed tapping Alternate picking String skipping Paul Gilbert co-founded Mr. Big in 1988 with Billy Sheehan, ex of David Lee Roth’s band. Gilbert was previously shredding alongside Bruce Bouillet in Racer X, but Mr. Big allowed him to focus more on songwriting with tracks like Green Tinted Sixties Mind and the acoustic anthem To Be With You. From 1989 to 1996 Mr. Big released four studio albums and enjoyed worldwide success. As is often the case with intense touring schedules, tensions built up and Paul left in 1996 to pursue his solo career and reconvene with his mates in Racer X. Mr. Big…

DAVID LYTTELTON “WORK AT CREATING IDEAS WITH RHYTHMIC INTEREST AS THIS HELPS TO MAKE TRIADS SOUND LESS MECHANICAL” ABILITY RATING Info Key:A (A7) Tempo:120 bpm CD:TRACKS 75-77 Will improve your… Visualising triad pairs in a scale Playing triads on the guitar Developing triad-based lines In this series, we’ve looked at ways of deriving triads from A Mixolydian mode (A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G) in order to use them as the basis for creating new and more interesting musical lines. This is because triads can help to introduce harmonic propulsion into your single-note lines by implying chord motion, thereby creating results that sound both ear-catching and powerful, and really pull the listener in. In the previous lesson, we took all of the triads that exist within Mixolydian to play lines that shift laterally along the…

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN Buyit Excellent Good Average Binit! JOHN SCOFIELD COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Impulse One of the world’s most exploratory modern jazz guitarists, it was only a matter of time before Sco ventured into country. He avoids ‘Stetson’ stereotypes though, as this mix of old and new classics vibrates well with his own funky phrasing within a jazz quartet setting. On pieces like Mr Fool, Jolene and Red River Valley his guitar sings, rasps and syncopates, in keeping with country guitar’s sensibilities. While he works his emotive magic on Shania Twain’s You’re Still The One (those chord changes and interval jumps are explored wonderfully here), he’s not shy to jazz out on Hank Williams’ I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry; his guitar twists with intervallic jumps and biting…

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). 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 quickly. 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. CHORD EXAMPLE (WITH CAPO) The blue line represents a capo – for this A chord, place it at fret 2. Capos change the fret number ordering – here, the original fret 5 now becomes fret…