Table of contents for April 2023 in Guitar Techniques

BLUES MUSIC and the Fender Stratocaster have been favourable bedfellows for a long time. It makes sense on many levels as the considerable tonal choices that the Stratocaster offers are so ideal for the expressive style of blues. It’s for this reason that we decided to have this issue’s prime feature focus on 12 of the best Stratocaster players and how they use Fender’s finest to sound so stunning. Fine-tuning the list to just these guitarists wasn’t easy, and many great players fell through the net. That said, the dozen that we’re spotlighting are all very well respected for their blues-based music and stunning Stratocaster tones. Spanning six decades, our chosen guitarists range from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, SRV to Buddy Guy and Robin Trower to John Mayer. It’s…

People often wonder where they are on their guitar journey. Am I still a beginner? What makes an intermediate player? What are the essential skills for each? There is no ‘global system’ of merit for the guitar. There are grades you can do that will give an indication for theory, scales and repertoire levels but many are classical based and those that are rock and pop based tend to vary in these aspects. That said, the accredited grade system is best if you’re looking for ‘official’ recognition of ability, not least because countless guitarists globally engage with them. Having some understanding of this journey can be very helpful, a kind of map that you can reference and understand where paths may be leading if you choose to follow them. For…

We are thrilled to welcome back Carl Verheyen for another fantastic video masterclass. There’s plenty of great instrumental rock vocabulary to dissect this month, so let’s get cracking. Carl is an experienced studio musician so his first job was create his own chart for Jason’s piece, Good To Go. This is a valid approach to see where all the chord changes are; it also skips the need to memorise the track. This chart is shared on both the video and in the magazine so you too can see where all the changes are. The tempo is 111bpm with a shuffle feel, so we have opted for a 12/8 time signature since Carl plays many phrases using a triplet rhythm, so using 12/8 makes for a tidy way to notate the…

Declan Zapala explores how to build speed with this energetic miniature from Argentina. It’s a rhapsody of classical technique that’s a challenge worth accepting. ON VIDEO Julio Sagreras (1879-1942) was an Argentinian guitarist, pianist, performer, and educator hailing from Buenos Aires. He is a respected figure in the guitar world as he blurred the lines between ‘educational’ and ‘concert’ music. A contemporary of fellow Argentinian Ángel Villoldo [GT334], Sagreras produced a large body of work across seven publications for guitarists to explore the instrument from the very basics through to accomplished virtuosity, all the while giving them material that belonged on stage as well as in the classroom. The piece I have chosen for this month’s issue is a short ‘toccata-esque’ study that really shows off a player’s virtuosity. Despite…

George Lynch’s name is synonymous with rock guitar, initially from his time in Dokken, starting with Breaking The Chains in 1981 and following up with the classic Tooth And Nail in 1984 and Under Lock And Key in 1985. It was the 1987 album Back For The Attack that would feature George’s calling card Mr Scary, an instrumental featuring many of his trademark techniques. In 1990 George unleashed Lynch Mob with the debut album Wicked Sensation. George’s style is inspired by the early technical rock players like Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen, but with some Jimi Hendrix blues feel for good measure. George tends to use the Minor Pentatonic scale at the core of his ideas, often with a creative twist. There is always an improvised, off-the-cuff feel to…

One of the biggest stars in today’s country scene, songwriter-guitarist Chris Stapleton is a great example of an artist who not only writes great songs but great guitar parts too. Whereas many modern songwriters simply strum chords or hire A list session players to take care of guitar duties, Stapleton’s parts are interesting and memorable…and all created and played by him! Most musicians gravitate to Nashville to kickstart their musical career as a session player or songwriter. Stapleton’s impetus for his Nashville move was actually to study an engineering degree! Thankfully for we listeners his songwriting took precedence over studies and he soon signed a publishing deal that set him on his way. His performing career started in 2007 when he joined Bluegrass group The Steeldrivers. But by 2010 his…

WHILE THERE IS a certain purity to standard chord voicings, there can be times when something a little extra adds some welcome harmonic variety and interest. Our case in point is these three open position chords of E, A and B7. It’s impossible to number the vast amount of songs written using this I-IV-V 7 chord sequence – so it seems particularly ripe for a rethink in how we might structure the chord voicings to create a fresh take on the whole thing. Though these were designed with the acoustic guitar in mind, they are also effective on the electric for jangly ‘almost-clean’ chords. Elvis Costello, James Honeyman Scott, Andy Summers and Tom Petty spring to mind as players who have implemented this kind of thinking with great results. You’ll…

GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you? HG: The fact that it leaves space for everyone to put something personal into it. Instrumentals impose less than a song with vocals. For us, instrumentals have always been a way of connecting within ourselves, it’s way more inwards. So therefore, you make it your own soundtrack and there’s this potential to personalise an instrumental song. We believe in the power of instrumental music, inspired by classic symphonic orchestras and many music scores. And since we all live our own life, our own movie, instrumentals can enforce the moments and how we perceive them. GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t? HG: Both types evoke emotions but as we said, the main difference…

FEATURE } VIDEO MASTERCLASS VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3iNZFCG ON VIDEO London-based British guitarist Ant is “a game changer” according to The Guardian. He released his fifth album, Same Moon In The Same World (Outside in Music) in 2022. In addition to leading his own projects, Ant plays in Tim Garland’s band with Jason Rebello & Asaf Sirkis. Ant is also the ‘L’ in Trio HLK who record and tour with Dame Evelyn Glennie. During his summer semester at Berklee College Of Music, Boston, he had discovered and started using perfect 4ths tuning. Ant’s book on 4th tuning is ‘3rd Millenium Guitar’, published by Mel Bay. NEXT MONTH Ant concludes his mini series with a look at Chords In 4ths Tuning NEW ALBUM RELEASE Ant Law and Alex Hitchcock’s new release,…

With plaid shirt and battered Strat this Irish folk hero needs no introduction, so join David Gerrish as he investigates one of blues’s greatest performers. Brought to you by… This month we take a look at an unsung member of the late 60s guitar god hierarchy and one of Ireland’s first rock stars, Rory Gallagher. Despite his immense talent, prolific recording output and extensive touring, Rory never really achieved the fame or the guitar star status he so deserved. Throughout his career he was determined in his rejection of compromise for commercialism’s sake, refusing to allow the release of singles to attract a wider mainstream audience that might well have brought him worldwide success. Regardless of this shunning of the mainstream, Rory earned a solid fanbase that has grown considerably…

The profound shift from soul and R&B into funk during the 70s saw many bands take up the mantle of James Brown’s innovations of the late 60s. In the early part of the decade, African American bands gained crossover success by moving into funk. Many blended Hendrixstyle psychedelia with the JB ethos. This was also the era of so-called ‘Blaxploitation’ movies, which featured some amazing funk soundtracks, many including the ubiquitous wah-wah (no better demonstrated than by the great ‘Wah Wah’ Watson of Funk Brothers fame). Funk s ablend of many genres, and all the guitarists in this month’s lesson are skilled at combining elements of R&B, soul, Motown and funk to create a groovy rhythmic soup. We’ll look at ideas from Leroy ‘Sugarfoot’ Bonner (The Ohio Players), Tony Maiden…

The Fender Stratocaster is one of the most famous and widely used electric guitars in the history of the instrument. Originally launched in 1954, it had a revolutionary design with its contoured body, three single-coil pickups, six adjustable bridge saddles and ‘synchronised tremolo’. It has remained largely unchanged ever since, and continues to be played and loved by countless guitarists of all musical walks due to its versatility, sounds and looks. The ‘Strat’ has always been a highly popular guitar with blues and blues-rock players, and has been synonymous with the careers of several of the most famous and highly regarded players around, such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In this month’s feature, we look at the styles of 12 legendary Stratocaster wielding blues…

For this month’s meeting at the jazz-blues Crossroads, John Wheatcroft explains how we can add fire to our Pentatonic phrasing, courtesy the great Jimi Hendrix. ON VIDEO Jimi Hendrix was among the most significant musicians of the last century. For many he was the ultimate electric guitarist, with an innate understanding of previous generations of guitar masters, along with a clear vision of how he could interpret this music in his own personal and dynamically charged way. Jimi’s playing was bold, hip, at times brutal and at times sophisticated. Super creative, very very loud and exciting as hell, for any guitarist around at the time when Jimi exploded on the scene, and this included most of the members of the UK’s rock elite such as Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Jeff…

Deep Purple maybe forever associated with their original rock star guitar player Ritchie Blackmore, who played with the band from the late 1960s on and off until 1992, but it is an American guitar hero Steve Morse who held down the fort with Deep Purple from 1995 until last year. The Steve Morse years led to a rejuvenation in both Deep Purple’s sound and enjoyment of their craft, with the band featuring Ian Gillan on vocals, Roger Glover on bass, drummer Iain Paice and keyboard player Don Airey who replaced the sadly deceased Purple c0-founder, Jon Lord. Steve Morse recorded six albums with Deep Purple, culminating in the 2022 covers project Turning To Crime, until he unfortunately had to leave the band permanently to take care of his wife who…

Finger vibrato is one of the most emotive and expressive techniques in a guitarist’s tool kit. More often than not, a player’s approach to vibrato separates them from others, and can add a distinct and often identifiable signature to their playing. There are many ways of applying finger vibrato, from the subtle horizontal approach used by classical guitarists to a full on wide rock vibrato, where the fretting-hand wrist is employed to create a wild and thrilling sound. The ability to use vibrato, unlike on a piano, makes the guitar an incredibly expressive instrument, able to mimic the human voice, wavering between pitches without being bound to the interval of a semitone. The ability to employ microtones within one’s playing is one of the most expressive tools out there. There…

This month we’re going to examine the use of seven-note groupings.The seven-note group is different to most of the rhythms we’ve looked at to date, as it can’t be evenly divided. There are a number of ways to groups the notes within the seven, but they are always uneven. Common subdivisions are 4+3 and 3+4. Example 1 shows these subdivisions in both 7/4 and 7/8 time signatures - the only difference being the length of the basic unit of the pulse. Then we’ll look at a riffy melodic line over a last 7/4 groove. Within the 7/4 groove if we play eighth notes, there are many different ways to groups the notes - some of the bars of this line suggest a 3+4 beat grouping and others seem to want…