Indice dei contenuti per July 2020 in Guitar Techniques

JOSEPH ALEXANDER After stints at Guitar Institute and Leeds College, Joseph launched Fundamental Changes. He’s since published over 40 tuition books and sold 350,000 plus. 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. 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. He’s also rock legend Shakin Stevens’ touring and recording guitarist. MARTIN GOULDING One of the world’s foremost rock and metal guitarists, Martin teaches for dime-online.org and has written for many of…

Go to www.pocketmags.com, search for Guitar Techniques to purchase a single issue for just £3.99; or subscribe and enjoy GT with audio and animated tab on any device! * PLEASE NOTE: Only the Apple and Pocketmags version contains interactive tab and audio. Zinio and others do not. DISC AUDIO (PRINT VERSION ONLY) Sometimes the GT CD features some of the backing tracks as mp3 files due to space. These will be found in a folder on the CD-ROM section of the disc, accessible only via a computer, and will not work in a regular CD player.…

GT: This album was six years in the making and inspired by a Shakti tour with vocalist Shankar Mahadevan. What is it about Shankar’s voice that inspired you? JMc: Two things: His voice touches me very deeply and he is a marvellous vocal improviser. GT: You have studied Indian music and the melodic rules of the raga system. Can you explain a little about what this system involves? JMc: The system of ragas used by Indian musicians both North and South, is a system that goes back many hundreds of years if not, thousands. Moreover, ragas can be related to not only aspects of the human psyche, that is, to a great variety of moods, but also to the times of the day when they can be played or sung.…

SWEDISH MANUFACTURER HAGSTRÖM produces 200 Futurama Coronado Automatic guitars for the Selmer Company in London, to their specification. It’s a curious guitar with a Jazzmaster-like appearance, through-neck construction and a striking orangey-red sunburst finish. It sports a vibrato, three single-coil pickups with individual edge-mounted volume controls, plus a gang of 12 numbered switches on a chrome plate. The‘Acrylite’fingerboard features large white dot inlays, and the sealed-gear tuners have distinctive‘crown’-style plastic buttons. LYNDON B JOHNSON IS SWORN IN as President following the assassination of John F Kennedy in Dallas; Sir Winston Churchill becomes an honorary citizen of the United States; Kuwait joins the United Nations; and 70,000 Ban The Bomb marchers leave Aldermaston and head to London for a massive demonstration. TEISCO-MADE MJ2 SOLIDBODY GUITARS offer a cheap alternative to the…

When Greg Koch’s trio hit the UK’s shores last autumn, it left many who witnessed one of their shows in a state of bewildered amazement. With Toby Lee Marshall on Hammond B3 and Gary Koehler on drums (replacing Greg’s usual drummer, his son Dylan, for the UK gigs), the temptation might have been to compare the band with one of the great organ and guitar jazz outfits of yore, a misapprehension Greg is quick to put right. “There is a little bit of jazz in there obviously and funk, of course, and rock, and there is plenty of humour,” he insists, “But I’d say it’s much more Deep Purple than Jimmy Smith…” He rampages his way through a rich blend of genres – one minute it’s Danny Gattonstyle country rock,…

Intros and outros are incredibly important. The intro gives the listener a taster of what’s to come, and if you play it badly that’s not a great signal. The outro, on the other hand, could be what they remember about your performance - did you nail it, or fluff it? Take a listen to Jimi Hendrix’s intro to Hey Joe. Properly! Many people think they can play it, but they usually just glance through the notes, with no nuance or feel.“There, I can play that!”Jimi, on the other hand, does something with every single note. He slides up into some, down into others, hammers on to some, pulls off to others - and not a bend in sight It’s a masterclass in how to express a simple idea in a…

Formed in Aylesbury, UK in 1979 Marillion walked the line between progressive rock and punk in their early years, before going on to become one of the most successful prog bands of the next decade. They have a fanatical following, and several top 10 singles and a UK number 1 album to their name. They have recorded 19 studio albums, with their output being split into two eras – the 80s when they were fronted by Scottish singer Fish, and the 90s onwards with his replacement Steve Hogarth. The main line-up in the Fish era included Steve Rothery on guitar, Mark Kelly on keyboards, bassist Pete Trewavas and drummer Ian Mosley. The mid 80s provided their most commercially successful era, thanks to the massive hit single Kayleigh, and accompanying album…

Chromatic notes are non-scale notes that can add spice and tension to your playing. Significantly, you need to know how to resolve such tension if you are to apply it with control and avoid tuneless chaos. In the previous lesson, we learned how the easiest application is to approach a target note (scale or chord tone) either from a semitone below or above (note that, of the two, approaching from a semitone above is the most dissonant-sounding option). In this lesson, we’re going to look at developing things a bit further by seeing how two notes can be linked via a chromatic ‘bridge’. The simplest form of chromatic ‘bridging’ is where a chromatic note is used to link two notes a tone apart. For example, a B note could be…

lick we are using an ‘outside’ the scale note. The D b 9 (tri-tone substitution for Cmajor’s V7 chord, G7) added to the second bar adds tension to the progression. Example 3 uses 3rd and 4th interval jumps to add some creativity to the melodies. Also we have three different scales: D Dorian (D-E-F-G-A-B-C), G Half-Whole (G-Ab-Bb-B- C#- D-D#-F) and C Lydian (C-D-E-F-G#-A-B b ). The Half-Whole scale is an excellent scale to bring out the altered tensions over the V7 (G13 b 9) chord. Example 4 shows how you can use the Pentatonic scale shape to navigate the changes. Superimposing the A, B b and B Minor Pentatonic over the II-V-I can yield some very hip results, using a very familiar “THE ROMAN NUMERALS REFER TO THE CHORDS IN…

SPEAKING IN HUGELY general terms there’s two types of EC fans: those that say - “Clapton is a legendary blues-rock guitarist, the Beano album, Cream and all that;” and the other that goes, “I love Tears In Heaven and Wonderful Tonight and go to all the Albert Hall concerts.” After the years of childhood hurt and rejection that we heard in his early playing, I for one could never have imagined this softer side prevailing as it did. But Eric has never stood still - he’s said many times that the restless soul in him had to move on. In Cream the melodic side was surfacing on studio tracks like We’re Going Wrong, with the fluent improviser let loose in live shows on Crossroads, Spoonful, etc. Blind Faith saw a…

It’s been months now and I’m sure many of you are struggling in this lockdown. It’s a pretty scary time for many working musicians with all gigs and tours cancelled and no end in sight. One thing that you can do to help them and to help yourself is to get yourself an online lesson with one of the many amazing players and teachers who are doing them as replacements for gigs. I’ve been filming a new series for my website called Lockdown Lessons where I’ve approached a bunch of friends that are doing online teaching sessions and recording them, and I’m finding it really enjoyable on loads of levels. The first one I did was with blues master Josh Smith (who I don’t think usually does Skype lessons before…

PLAYERS OFTEN STRUGGLE to incorporate arpeggios into their playing. So this month I’ve taken the I-IV-V triads from the‘parent’scale. The idea is in E Mixolydian and the parent scale is therefore A Major. The I-IV-V of A are A-D-E; these triads will work great against the underlying E7. Here they are played a bar each in an E-D-A-E sequence that is inverted as it descends the neck. The fretting-hand fingerings might seem tricky but are worth persevering with. This isn’t easy to play cleanly with distortion, at the target tempo. So build it up gradually. Also, note the Dominant Pentatonic scale in bar 4 – this is a Pentatonic using notes 1-2-3-5-7 of Mixolydian (E-F#-G#-B-D in E). Handily these are the notes in an E9 arpeggio (or a Mixolydian scale…

It would have been impossible to predict that the introspective schoolboy born shortly before the end of the Second World War in Ripley, Surrey would go on to become one of the most influential blues-rock guitarists of all time. If Eric Clapton found himself in the unlikely position of having to put himself forward for a gig today, his resume would certainly make impressive reading; including The Yardbirds, The Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek And The Dominos, The Beatles (on While My Guitar Gently Weeps), BB King and dozens of others, plus his own hugely successful solo career. “ERIC HIT 75 THIS YEAR. WHAT BETTER WAY TO CELEBRATE THAN BY LEARNING THE LICKS THAT HELPED TO SHAPE MODERN BLUES-ROCK!” Eric is one third of what is affectionately known as the…

For this latest issue, we turn to a work by the extraordinary pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849). Despite his astonishing piano virtuosity, Chopin possessed the rare ability and sensitivity to compose works that employed - and even sacrificed - this technical flair in the service of powerful, expressive depth. This rare intersection of instrumental and compositional skill, established an enduring legacy of Romantic repertoire for pianists, music lovers and the general public alike. Despite his tragically short life and bouts of physical and psychological ill health, Chopin left us a body of over 200 works that seems to express every aspect of human emotion, from the witty to the deeply emotional. This month, I’ve arranged his beautiful solo piano study Opus 10, No 3, the 3rd of his Etudes…

30-Minute Lickbag Pat Heath of BIMM Brighton has yet another set of licks to challenge you, at easy, intermediate and advanced levels. Go on, have a go! EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 PAUL WELLER CD TRACK 58 This simple part in the Weller style involves moving up and down the open E Minor Pentatonic scale, but taking in the Blues scale’s b 5 (B b ) note at the 1st fret on the fifth string. Play the lick with a loose feel and a clean neck pickup sound. EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 KEITH NELSON CD TRACK 59 California’s Buckcherry have made big noise with rock and roll sounds reniniscent of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. This riff involves a strong picking-hand attack, so move up and down the A chord voicings using…

Chromaticism is a great way to add bebop flavour to your solos. Here I’ll explain how to add passing notes to the Major scale and illustrate chromatic enclosures. Both techniques will help you start to capture that bebop or hardbop sound. NURPHOTO / GETTY IMAGES Chromaticism is a way to highlight ‘target’ notes. Chromatic notes are not scale notes, so in isolation they sound out of place. But if they are used to target a scale note, they are a great way to introduce tension and resolution. This is precisely why they appeal to our ears in solos: a chromatic note is a ‘surprise’ that leads somewhere. We can hear that it needs to resolve and it satisfies our ears when it does. I have a method for adding in…

The Harmonic Minor scale consists of the formula: R-2- b 3-4-5- b 6-7, and can be visualised as a Natural Minor scale with a Major 7th degree. Natural Minor scale: R-2- b 3-4-5- b 6- b 7. Harmonic Minor scale: R-2- b 3-4-5- b 6-7. Over the course of the series, we’ve looked at the five Harmonic Minor shapes based around the CAGED system, as well as the harmonised scale which consists of a family of seven diatonic chords, arpeggios and modes. More recently, we’ve been focusing on the fifth and most commonly used mode – Phrygian Dominant: R- b 2-3-4-5- b 6- b 7. This scale is commonly applied over V7 chords in Minor progressions as a means of heightening tension before resolving back to the tonic I Minor…

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 ’s main lessons have mag 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.…

I dunno about you, but I’ve been devoting time recently to an analysis of both The Oxford Book Of Stand Up Comedy and The Racing Post. Although not much of a betting man, I’m waiting for the first mirthmeister to open with “Is it just me or has it been a funny old year?” After forensic research, I’ve decided that my hard-earned 50 pence is best invested with Messrs Betfair and Michael McIntyre. Riches beyond the dreams of Croesus surely await. Alternatively, you could (and perhaps should) utilise the unexpected gift of enforced incarceration to better advantage, if only to avoid the guilt that will inevitably follow the eventual resumption of life-based hostilities. Here’s my handy cut-out-and-keep guide to alleviate Les Paul Lockdown Lonesomeness, based on years of experience that…

DAVID REDFERN / GETTY IMAGES ➊ Slow Blues Jam (Gm) We start with a fun and easy slow blues in G Minor. You can get off to a good start here with G Minor Pentatonic (G-B b -C-D-F), while also aiming for the arpeggios Gm (G-B b -D), Cm (C-E b -G), E b maj7 (E b -G-B b -D) and D7 (D-F#-A-C). ➋(1-VI-II-V) Jazz Jam (C) This swinging jazz jam is perfect for beginners, as all four chords (C-Am-Dm-G) are diatonic to C Major. Therefore, you can use the C Major scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B) and then start aiming for the arpeggios: C (C-E-G), Am (A-C-E), Dm (D-F-A), and G (G-B-D). ➌ TimeTo Shuffle (D) Here’s a fun shuffle groove jam in D. You can use both D Major Pentatonic (D-E-F#-A-B)…

There is always a perceived level of expertise above where we presently sit, and Eric has not been immune to this. He’s said it took two years to get to grips with vibrato, and had in-depth discussions with Paul Kossoff about his vibrato when Free toured the US with Blind Faith. There is much to be learned from watching. For instance, Eric’s thumb often lifts away from the back of the neck when applying vibrato on unbent strings. When bending he always supports the bending finger, and to add vibrato he mixes an up-down movement with rotating the wrist. Learning how others do these things is a great route to finding your own approach.…

What do Chuck Berry, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix and countless others have in common? No, there isn’t a punchline: the answer is a knowledge of the basic blues format and the ability to blend it into their own contemporary styles. The first thing you often hear on any blues record is a ‘taster’ of what is to come, courtesy of some fancy or soulful licks. Sometimes this is called a ‘turnaround’ – the bit at the end of a 12-bar progression when everything is gearing up to go round to the start of the sequence again. You could say it’s like starting with an ending. “ROBERT JOHNSON’S FINGERSTYLE ACOUSTIC BLUES EMPLOYED UNUSUAL DIMINISHED VOICINGS AND CHROMATIC MOVEMENTS TO LEAD FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER”…

The picking-hand fingernails for the classical guitarist are very important in order to create a good clean tone. An effective nail shape is key and must be established and maintained. The length should extend just beyond the fingertips and should be shaped in a basic curve following the shape of the fingertip. Next, file a slight slant on the left side of the nail (right for left-handers; back of the hand facing you) to create a‘ramp’for the string to glide off the fingertip as you pluck. You will need an array of nail files and fine sand paper to shape and polish the nails for a smooth finish. Aim for a consistent tone with each fingertip and work on projecting a decent amount of volume.…

Los Angeles guitar legend Michael Landau is one of the greatest guitarists to have ever graced our ears. His open, dynamic and harmonically rich tone and compositions have become the benchmark for many players in the blues-fusion world. CHRIS MCKAY / GETTY IMAGES As well as a successful solo artist, Michael was one of the go-to session guitarists along with close friend, Steve Lukather. Michael has played on a huge number of records as a sessioneer, but his own career highlights are working with artists like Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, BB King, Ray Charles, Rod Stewart and James Taylor. After nearly 10 years in the session industry, Landau released his first album in 1990. His style and sound are rooted in the blues guitar tradition, with muscular tone…

There’s no denying that Morrissey was the focus of The Smiths for many fans, but it was Johnny Marr’s guitar lines that separated them from other bands of the time. The song This Charming Man from their debut album is a classic of the era, and still very much alive today as younger musicians discover Marr’s playing. This song in particular was a defining moment for Marr and showcased his use of jangly syncopated arpeggios, thoughtful chord voicings and the use of fluent double-stops. Make no mistake, this song can be tricky to master. Other defining songs from that debut album were Still Ill with its sliding 6ths and arpeggios, and What Difference Does It Make?, which featured an excellent cross-picking riff. However, it wasn’t all about Marr and his…