Table of contents for March 2024 in Guitar Techniques

NO BAND IS LIKE The Rolling Stones. They’ve been around longer than any other, still playing, touring and recording as the surprise new album, Hackney Diamonds demonstrated last October. What makes a band last many decades is the music and those that make it. With The Rolling Stones, their songs are many, ranging from early covers like Little Red Rooster through to the recent single, Angry. It’s had 23 million YouTube views at the time of writing this, gained over a two-month period. Obviously, they’re no has-been collective. They are revered for the chemistry between the ever youthful Mick Jagger, the chilled-out Keith Richards, the often smiling Ronnie Wood and the sadly departed (and often slightly less smiling) Charlie Watts. This issue, Andy Saphir has deep dived into the band’s…

USING ALTERNATIVE voicings adds colour and variety to your chords by reshuffling the order of notes. Though there are essentially just five different categories of chord shape (C-A-G-E-D), there are almost infinite possibilities in how to arrange the notes. Starting with the classical convention, the order of root, 3rd and 5th can be‘shuffled’to create inversions. For example, using EMajor, swapping the conventional voicing of E-G#-B (R-3-5) in ascending order, how about 3rd-5th-root (G#-B-E)? Or, how about putting the 5th (B) on the bottom? This creates another feel altogether. Example 1 TAKING the C Major chord (C-E-G) and putting the 3rd (E) on the bottom gives a grander version, great for setting up a change to F Major. In fact, sitting between a regular C and F Major, you have a…

GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you? DW: I believe the guitar is the perfect bridge between all of the instruments. It’s a melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic vehicle. Russell Malone describes it as a small orchestra in your hands. It’s a headache to learn to play well, but when played well, there’s nothing like it. GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t? DW: An instrumental can reach our subconscious in a way the spoken word cannot. We spend a ton of time dealing with spoken language. I think our subconscious remains just below the surface, and requires an absence of our everyday stimuli to bring it to the surface. Think about film scores. Our eyes are distracted, so film composers…

ON VIDEO For this special feature we welcome Phi Yaan-Zek. Phi has recorded 11 albums as a composer, guitarist and bandleader and his music often explores advanced concepts and features a Zappa-esque exuberance with liberal doses of psychedelia. In this month’s video Phi demonstrates all six of the licks with backing tracks and they are included for you to practice. The phrases in the six licks are tasteful and finger twisting, coming from a mixture of patterns and string skipping ideas. However, Phi starts off by sharing some great sounding chord fingerings/voicings. These are augmented by use of a deep chorus sound, and are reminiscent of the fusion chord voicings of players such as Allan Holdsworth. If you have a volume pedal you could also experiment with swelling into these.…

ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate/Advanced Info Key: Various Tempo: Various https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Will improve your Whammy bar control Bending technique Articulation and expression As we approach the one-year anniversary of Jeff Beck’s death, it’s a suitable time to remind ourselves what a one-off talent he was, innovative and exciting at every step of his long career, and one of the best to ever pick up a guitar. Born in 1944, he played a big part in the rise of British blues. His music from those early years demonstrates a serious study and deep connection to tradition, all delivered with a youthful energy and masterful touch. While his music from this period was fairly strict to the genre, he wasn’t one to ever stay in the same place for…

ABILITY RATING Advanced Info Key: Various Tempo: Various https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Will improve your Sweep picking Hybrid picking Alternate picking Mateus Asato is was born in Brazil in 1993 and now resides in Los Angeles where he studied at the Musicians’ Institute. He gained widespread recognition through his Instagram account, through which he has garnered over a million followers. He blends elements of rock, blues, and soul and has a precise technique with blinding alternate picking, smooth fingerstyle, emotive phrasing and expert control of dynamics. In this lesson we will focus on Mateus’ more shred-rock moments as seen on his social media accounts, while also including some jazzier, neo-soul approaches. Lick 1 uses first-finger slides to move through scale positions. You can apply this manoeuvre to any scale or mode but here…

ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate/Advanced Info Key: G Major /E Minor Tempo: Various https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Will improve your II-V-I jazz soloing Scale knowledge Fretboard knowledge ON VIDEO Brought to you by… Josh Meader from Sydney, Australia is a guitarist with a penchant for wild fusion lines and modern jazz note choices. After studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Josh has gone on to cement a name for himself as one of the most exciting names on the guitar scene, with admirers including Tosin Abasi, Andy Timmons, Rick Beato and more. Drawing on influences ranging from bebop to hip-hop, he creates compositions that channel odd time signatures and textural variations, while his effortless improvisational style covers jazz, fusion and rock, and regularly seems to transcend the normal…

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.…

GT. Do you have atype of pick that you can’t live without? NS: I use Grover Allman picks in .60 gauge. My first .60 pick was given to me by the great Paul Gilbert at aNAMM convention, and I never looked back! GT: If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be? NS: I actually do my solo tours with just two pedals- a BOSS GT-1000 and a Shure GLXD+ wireless! GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to do so in a band? NS: I can play a little of everything, but not nearly well enough to be in an actual band. Maybe for some open mic nights. GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read…

ABILITY RATING Info https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Key Various Tempo Various Moderate ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Will improve your… ✓ Blues-rock vocabulary ✓ Slide playing ✓ Open-tuned rhythm playing The Rolling Stones have been around since 1962 so this is their seventh decade making music. With such a long history, the iconic band has a massive body of work, to which has been added their latest album, Hackney Diamonds. Starting out as a London-based blues group, The Stones achieved phenomenal worldwide success mixing pop, rock and blues, crafting their own unique sound that’s stood the test of time with classic songs like Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Honky Tonk Women and Angie which, even decades on, still sound fresh and exciting. The Stones have always been a two-guitar outfit, with the legendary Keith…

Robben Ford is one of the most significant electric guitarists active anywhere in the world today. For over 50 years he has maintained a successful solo career as a blues singer, guitarist and composer, with a stream of successful releases to his name. Along with this, Robben had an illustrious career as sideman to the stars, with credits that include Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Little Feat, Michael McDonald and, believe it or not, Kiss. In recent years he’s also had great success with collaborative projects alongside fellow guitar greats Larry Carlton, Mike Landau and John Scofield, and he’s also enjoyed considerable success as a producer. TECHNIQUE FOCUS Economy of motion and voice leading As you work through the music within this feature, notice how close one chord is…

VIDEO ON VIDEO ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate Info Key: A Major Tempo: 145bpm https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Will improve your Pentatonic soloing String bends and vibrato Fretboard knowledge There aren’t many bands from the past 40 years that are better known than Guns N’ Roses, and not many guitar players more instantly recognisable than Slash. The band burst onto the scene in the late 80s and even though their star as a group shone brightest for a relatively short period of time, they continue to live off the good of that legacy, and are still touring today featuring a largely original line-up. Formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, Guns N’ Roses epitomised the hard rocking and hard partying attitude of that decade, and mixed in a considerable amount of…

Kingfish hails from Clarksdale, Mississippi. Coincidentally (or not?), this is the location of the famous crossroads where legend has it that Robert Johnson traded his soul with the Devil in return for outlandish prowess on the guitar, and renown as a bluesman. Ingram has assimilated much of the heritage of blues guitar and has formed a distinctive and extremely appealing personal style - not an easy thing to do in the crowded modern blues scene. Another aspect of his playing is the influence of sophisticated soul and funk music. His harmonic language is peppered with interesting and uncommon note choices. He often mixes scales and modes over a vamp or a held chord in intros or outros. Over an intro on a Minor 7 chord, he might alternate the Dorian…

Brought to you by… FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES ABILITY RATING ★★★ ☆ ☆ Moderate Info Key: B Minor/C Major Tempo: 90/64 bpm https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Will improve your BB King-style vibrato Playing with a 4 over 3 feel Mixing Minor and Major In this month’s column I’m showing you another set of licks from my book, 100 Essential Blues Guitar Intros. This month’s subject is blues legend, BB King. King made every note count using his powerful vibrato trill to wring as much emotion from his playing as possible. Using space in his soloing made him highly melodic and many of his intro licks are like perfectly composed solos within themselves. King’s taste and restraint meant he spent as long he saw fit on an intro phrase. One of his biggest mainstream hits, The…

SIMON BARNARD Simon is agraduate of ACM and The Guitar Institute, holding aMasters 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 aMaster 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 Atutor 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 awell studied guitarist who specialises in high end rock playing and plays with top UK metal-fusion band Haken.…

Believe it or not I embarked upon my guitar teaching journey at the tender age of 12. While I couldn't boast virtuoso status, my skills were good enough to hold my own in a band and clumsily figure out simple songs by ear. My exact start into teaching remains hazy in my memory, but I recall getting started by teaching neighbourhood kids, word got around and soon adult students were knocking on my door for weekly lessons. But the prospect of new students always filled me with apprehension. I dreaded the possibility of being confronted with a question I couldn't answer. Consequently, I devoted substantial time to exploring and understanding my own technique and playing approach. This process, it turned out, was as beneficial for my own playing as it…

ON VIDEO ABILITY RATING Info https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Key Mostly D Tempo 105bpm Moderate/Advanced ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Will improve your… ✓ Artificial harmonics ✓ High-fret string bends ✓ Use of target tones for soloing This month we are looking at Steve Morse’s performance on Jason’s track The Pledge. For this, Steve used a combination of composed phrases and improvised ideas to link up the melodic hooks. There are plenty of chord changes and pivots in tonality, and Steve skilfully negotiates these with simple melodies that are based around the chord tones. No single scale can be used effectively, so Steve’s combination of composed ideas and chord tone playing helps to ensure the melodies fit with the track. Studying Steve’s solo will hammer home the concept of playing arpeggio notes…

ON VIDEO The traditional Irish folk music archive is a treasure trove of timeless beauties, and the song featured this month is no exception. The origins of the melody of She Moved Through The Fair (or Thro’ The Fair) are unclear. The Eastern influence of the Mixolydian mode hints at the Moorish connection to Celtic culture, which goes all the way back to the first and second century BC, but as to whether the melody goes back this far or is merely inspired by this musical heritage is another question; the answer to which has likely been buried by the sands of time and will never be answered. “The Eastern inf luence of Mixolydian mode hints at the Moorish connection to Celtic culture” The music for the piece was first…

ABILITY RATING Moderate Info Key: Various Tempo: Various https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Will improve your Palm muting 16th-note alternate picking Mixing riffs with melodies Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career showcases a range of outstanding guitarists, who have each brought inspired ideas to the table. From Randy Rhoads’ blend of hard rock riffing and classically influenced phrasing, Jake E Lee’s fast 16th-note rhythm figures interspersed with melodic turnaround sequences, to Zakk Wylde’s mid-tempo, groove-based stomp, Ozzy’s six-stringed gunslingers have utilised a smorgasbord of rhythm guitar approaches that form the ear-grabbing riffs and memorable choruses we associate with Ozzy’s back catalogue. “Common ground was the ability to integrate riffs with fills and runs” Alongside the distinguishing features from each player, common ground was the ability to integrate riffs with fills and melodic runs. This month’s style…

ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate Info Key: C Major Tempo: 92 bpm https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Will improve your Jazz chord voicings Soloing with chords Use of passing tones You may not realise it, but Willie Nelson is one of the music world’s true ‘hitmakers’, the legendary songwriter behind Patsy Cline’s Crazy, and many more. A performer in his own right he has been crafting hits for over 60 years. Nelson started his career as a songwriter and DJ in Texas in the late 1950s, and while he found success early on it’s almost unbelievable to think several major country artists had already turned down Crazy, a track Nelson wrote in 1961 while he was still struggling in the music industry. Nelson took up the guitar aged six and had…

Brought to you by… ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate Info Key: G Tempo: 120 bpm https://bit.ly/3QPJWk7 Will improve your Major Pentatonic positioning Hybrid picking Legato phrasing The Major Pentatonic provides a great alternative to the standard Major scale, and is common in country, blues and rock, through to indie and pop. Like the Minor Pentatonic it features a five-note formula but with the intervals 1-2-3-5-6 instead of the Minor’s 1-b3-4-6-b7. Perhaps the most helpful aspect of this scale and its five fretboard positions, is that it uses the exact same shapes as the Minor Pentatonic, based on each other’s relative Major and Minor scale. For example, E Minor Pentatonic uses the same shapes as G Major Pentatonic. But you need to think about your phrasing because, although…