Indice dei contenuti per August 2022 in Guitar Techniques

Here are a few of your regular GT tuition experts... 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 graduate of RCM and his solo 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…

THE CAPO is most commonly used to raise the key of a song to suit your voice, meaning you don’t have to learn new chord shapes. For instance, with the capo at the 3rd fret, the open C shape gives Eb Major. Now, though, we’re using the capo to find different open shapes for the same chords. The result is that the two guitars coincide on fewer notes and cover a wider range, giving a bigger sound. Start by familiarising yourself with this chord sequence, then grab your capo. On the audio, you’ll hear the guitars separately, then together. IT’S WORTH experimenting with capo positions, as some will give you a better range of open chord shapes than others, and the higher you go, the wider the pitch range. We’ve…

GT What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you? If an instrumental track is well done, you forget that it ever might have needed vocals! I found that not many people can pull that off though. Strong melody is always the key to move the listener. GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can't? Different emotions. A vocal song's lyrics most times will paint the picture for you, or even give you the wrong idea, or leave it for your interpretation. That's also amazing, but with instrumentals your mind can travel and you can re-track memories, or just go to another place (if that makes sense). GT: Any musical or stylistic tendencies that you either embrace or avoid? While making Quantum Leap I…

Although arguably best known as elder brother and primary musical influence to the legend that was SRV, Jimmie Vaughan is undeniably a wonderful guitarist in his own right, and any serious student of blues guitar, or lover of fine music, really should check him out. Stevie proudly declared, “My brother Jimmie actually was one of my biggest influences on my playing. He really was the reason why I started to play.” After many years of playing in groups with revolving line-ups, Jimmie Vaughan finally settled and found success in the late ’70s as a founder member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The T-Birds were one of Texas’s favourite party bands, and their huge local popularity contributed greatly in developing the now rich and fertile Austin live-music scene, crucially providing a launch…

Prior to the death of drummer Neil Peart in 2020, Canadian progressive rock band Rush had enjoyed a 40-plus year career that saw them headline countless stadiums, sell millions of records, and influence a new generation of prog rockers. Although they were formed in 1968, it was the power trio line up of Peart, who also wrote the band’s lyrics, guitar player Alex Lifeson and bass player and lead vocalist Geddy Lee that rose to prominence and achieved huge acclaim around the world. Rush have changed and blended their style and sound over the years, from blues-rock beginnings, to more heavily synth-driven prog-pop in the ’80s, and back to guitar driven rock after that. However, complex rhythms and inventive melodic and harmonic phrasing have always been at the forefront of…

Last month in our first article we examined the difference between alternate picking and economy picking, and built a practice routine to isolate and develop ascending and descending economy picking disciplines separately. This month, we’ll look at three ways to turn around and switch directions so you can start using economy picking in your everyday playing (don’t confuse this ‘turn around’ with a blues turnaround. They are different things!).By exploring these options, you’ll be able to form preferences and your own approach to picking lines. The first strategy is something I call ‘broken economy picking’. This is a strategy used by Eric Johnson and Yngwie Malmsteen who – despite obvious style differences – only use economy picking as an ascending tool, combined with alternate picking for even numbers of notes…

ALBUM OF THE MONTH JEFF KOLLMAN EAST OF HEAVEN (Marmaduke Records) 10/10 If you like sophisticated rock instrumental albums - think Allen Hinds, Nick Johnston, Lyle Workman territory - then Jeff Kollman’s new one is for you. There is dynamic colour plus melodic and chordal richness aplenty here, drawing you into music that is well arranged and with the guitar placed front and centre. Opener, Loss is a short lament featuring Jeff playing emotively in a ‘Gilmour meets Lukather’ fashion, coaxing many tonal and articulation variations from his richly overdriven guitar. The Mass Exodus has plenty of space with a soft triplet groove over which Jeff orchestrates various guitars. Superstring Theory has an inviting Dorian vibe and punchy rhythmic chords; it’s mildly reminiscent of Satriani but Jeff’s very much…

1 Slow Jazzy Blues -Em We start with a slow jazzy blues in E Minor, where the E Minor Pentatonic (E-G-A-B-D) and E Minor scale (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D) are your first points of interest. Spice up the Dominant chords (B7), using E Harmonic Minor (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D#). 2 Sweet Groove Blues -A Here we have a simple threechord blues in A, where you can mix the A Major Pentatonic scale (A-B-C#-E-F#) with A Minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G). 3 Latin Blues -Am Here’s a Latin style blues jam in E Minor. Start with E Minor Pentatonic (E-G-A-B-D) and the E Minor scale (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D) and then see if you can whip out some B Altered scale ideas (B-C-D-D#-F-G-A) on the Dominant chords (B7). 4 7/4 Groove Blues -Am We finish with a fun 7/4 groove blues in…

This month we are taking a look at the various styles of Irish guitar legend Rory Gallagher. Rory successfully fused together blues and rock guitar vocabulary with home-grown folk and Celtic influences, and his albums have sold over 30 million copies worldwide. The various key ingredients of Rory’s influences can be clearly heard, but they are beautifully blended together with his own nuances. We have written five fresh tracks for you to learn. Each of these is in the style of a landmark Rory recording, and each highlights a different signature approach. One of the key ingredients of Rory’s style is to keep the delivery organic with the emphasis on feel and delivery, as opposed to clinical accuracy. TECHNIQUE FOCUS Finger Vibrato & Bending Two techniques that are key to…

Sometimes referred to as the Chopin of his time, Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was born in the Italian city of Naples in 1685, at the epoch of the hotbed of musical discovery and innovation that was the Baroque period. The sonata is a musical form that gained popularity during the Baroque period as it was a simple yet empowering musical structure that, when adhered to, allowed the composer to write a relatively short piece but then flesh it out into a larger work while retaining an overall sense of musical cohesion. Scarlatti clearly found an affinity with the form as he wrote no less than 555 sonatas in his lifetime. His Sonata K.208 is a perfect example of this form as it adheres to the three main sections of the form:…

Born in the summer of ’69, Jason Becker signed to the infamous Shrapnel label at the age of 16 and soon after released two albums alongside Marty Friedman, under the banner Cacophony. Speed Metal Symphony came in 1987 and Go Off! in 1988. In ’88 Jason also released his debut solo record, Perpetual Burn. A few short years later he landed one of the most coveted gigs in rock when he played lead guitar on David Lee Roth’s A Little Ain’t Enough. Sadly, Lady Luck was not on Jason’s side as he was forced to retire from live playing due to the onset of ALS, or Motor Neurone Disease. With the help of specialised computer equipment, Jason is still able to compose music, and players such as Michael Lee Firkins,…

American fingerstylist Doyle Dykes is regarded as one of the finest standardbearers of the Chet Atkins tradition. Influenced by Atkins, The Beatles and Duane Eddy, his style is very much in the Merle Travis, Chet Atkins mould, thumping out propulsive bass notes while weaving melodies, chords and licks over the top. Although tricky to master, once you have this style in place you can keep your audience enthralled with just one guitar. What’s more, almost any tune can be adapted to it (witness Tommy Emmanuel). At the heart of it all is the alternating bass line, usually either the sixth and fourth string, or fifth and fourth, although there are variations on this. If you are new to this style, isolate the bass line from this month’s study and practise…

Music is a fascinating thing. It can reach deep inside us and connect with our emotions in a very powerful way; change or enhance our mood, fire us up or soothe our hurt. I’m not sure anyone yet really understands the science of how this works, although I’m sure they will one day. But I have several ideas on how these connections happen which, even if there’s more to it (which there almost certainly is), makes for some very interesting food for thought. Thinking about how music works and how you might deepen your own connection with it, can have a noticeable impact on your playing. I would therefore encourage you to spend some quality time with an open mind and get curious about musicality. Music is known as the…

There’s been a modicum of what daytime TV refers to as 'de-cluttering occurring at Stately Mitch Manor recently. The builders are in, the scaffolding is up and the Euroloo occupies pride of place on the front drive. This has necessitated the decision to decommission most of my instrument arsenal and put it beyond use, if I may borrow a phrase latterly from the world of Irish politics. I must admit that this enforced reappraisal of my collection caused me surprise bordering on astonishment. I mean, I knew I owned a fair few guitars but I never consciously purchased the damn things as canny investments, for pure indulgence or just to hang on the wall. Whenever the necessity arose along the way, I merely attempted to acquire the appropriate instrument for…

ON VIDEO This month’s star video features American guitarist Jeff Kollman, a musician known for his stunning chops as both a solo artist and as band member with Alan Parsons (The Alan Parsons Project, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Al Stewart), Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatballs, Glenn Hughes and Cosmosquad. For this feature, Jeff filmed himself playing and discussing a solo for Jason’s specially written track, Hot To Trot, a mid-tempo rocker with unusual chord changes; perfect for Jeff’s savvy musicality. Jeff’s performance is powerfully rock orientated; he uses a Gibson SG Special guitar (fitted with humbuckers), and plays with a rich overdriven tone that provides clarity for both single-note runs and occasional double-stops and chords. His techniques include string bends, hammerons, pull-offs, slides, fast picking and strong finger vibrato. Another great…

This month we revisit the mighty Eric Gales, with two exciting solos in his style. If you were with us for GT313 where we first investigated his sublime playing, you’ll remember that we looked at his take on traditional blues forms. This issue we’ll see how in the last few years Eric has expanded and grown his playing with some truly terrifying guitar skills on display. The release of his latest album, Crown, has drawn critical acclaim, in particular the track I Want My Crown featuring Joe Bonamassa (who produced the album, with Josh Smith). Crown is diverse, with a wide range of stylistic influences from heavy rock, to funk and soul. If you’re new to Eric’s playing, he was influenced by many of the usual suspects. Stevie Ray Vaughan,…

Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, Julian ‘Junior’ Marvin has played guitar for a number of high-profile artists, including T-Bone Walker, Ike & Tina Turner and Steve Winwood, to name a few. However, he is most famous as being a member of Bob Marley And The Wailers; a tenure he held from 1977 to Marley’s death in 1981. Marvin continued to record and tour with The Wailers up until 1997, when he left for pastures new. Marvin’s early influences were firmly rooted in blues and rock music, although time spent playing guitar for Toots And The Maytal’s and Chris Blackwell helped him forge a name in the ever growing reggae scene. One of his earliest influences, apart from his father who was a budding jazz pianist, was Elvis Presley, who Marvin had…

This month we’re exploring the use of the Blues scale over Major 7th chords. This can be a tricky thing to make work. The Blues scale features some very discordant notes - the flat 7th, the Minor 3rd and the raised 4th. Just blasting through the Blues scale based on the root of a Major 7th chord is therefore going to be very awkward! If you examine any of the great players using the Blues scale in this way, it’s likely that the dissonant notes are used very briefly, almost as an inflection. Indeed, you’ll notice in the examples that often after using the Blues scale, I’m reverting back to the ‘correct’ scale - the Major (or Ionian mode). At some points, I’m using last month’s suggestion which was to…

FEATURE #2 VIDEO NICK JOHNSTON A Joy Fulfilled The brilliant Canadian guitarist plays and then explains his solo on another great track from Jason. FEATURE #3 VIDEO KRIS BARRAS Four lead licks The Devon guitarist presents four great soloing licks to learn in his stunning blues-rock style. CLASSICAL TAB FAREWELL LAD (Catalan folk song) Bridget Mermikides returns witha one-off arrangement of a delightful Catalonian folk composition. FEATURE #3 ERIC GALES Using sequences John Wheatcroft shows how this astounding player creates Eric Johnson style cascading lines. Learn the various styles of melodic master... GEORGE HARRISON He was great at coming up with the perfect lick, riff or fill to serve the song. He devised brilliant acoustic parts, created ‘tune within a tune’ melodic solos, and invented an all-new, non-blues-based slide guitar…