Table of contents for November 2019 in Guitar Techniques

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. RICHARD BARRETT One of the finest blues and rock guitarist we know, Richard is a stalwart columnist for Total Guitar, Guitarist and GT. He’s also Tony Hadley’s touring six-stringer. 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…

Sitting in my studio is an incredible new pedalboard made by Schmidt Array. I’m sure you’ve seen them around because all the cool kids are using them (Ariel Posen, Joey Landreth, That Pedal Show, Andy Martin, Pete Honore etc.). They’re all kinds of awesome but have a matching price tag. But now it’s sitting here, I’m wondering if it’s all going too far, or not far enough. When I started using pedals my ‘pedalboard’ was a plywood strip (cut with a hand saw and lightly sanded) with my pedals held down using rubber bands. I wish I had a photo somewhere; maybe I should recreate it for Insta-cred? Most of the guys I knew just put the pedals on the floor and plugged them in when they got to the…

AN EXPRESSIVE way of escaping the Minor Pentatonic‘tone’bending rut is to work at using larger bends such as the minor 3rds seen here. Here they originate from the root note (A) and the 5th (E) of A – or in other words the ‘powerchord’notes. Against Am these result in a root- b 3 (A-C) movement and 5th- b 7 (E-G) movement. Against the F chord they would be 3rd-5th (A-C) and maj 7-9th (E-G). When performing string bend ideas such as these you should ideally have the finger that’s performing the bend backed up and supported by one or even two other fretting fingers to help your pitching accuracy and vibrato control. As usual, don’t forget to experiment with similar ideas of your own – and if these bends hurt…

One of my favourite aspects of the electric guitar has always been the wide variety of string bending options that it presents. Even a basic command of bending techniques provides a very effective means of defying the chromatic restrictions that the frets would otherwise impose, presenting you with new ways to connect adjacent notes of a melody and thus allowing you to phrase in a much more ‘vocal’ manner. Anyone who has dabbled in blues or rock will already be familiar with some of the best-known blues box bending clichés. So, for this first column, I thought it might be fun to begin by staying within the confines of the ubiquitous Minor Pentatonic scale, but applying a more systematic approach to locate all of the possible string bends therein, rather…

TAKAAKI HENMI 2017 This month we are delighted to have rock virtuoso Marty Friedman on board. Marty is probably best known for his work with metal overlords Megadeth, but also Cacophony with fellow ripper Jason Becker. In this feature we are looking at a transcription of Marty’s improvised performance over an emotive rock style-backing track, Komorebi (Japanese term to describe sunshine filtering through tree leaves) and was written for Marty to demonstrate some of his mannerisms and key aspects of his soloing style. As Marty explains, changing between tonalities is a trademark of his, as showcased in his classic solos like Megadeth’s Tornado Of Souls. The GT track, written and recorded by Jason, starts out with chords related to F Natural minor but pivots to an E major to Am6…

In this latest issue of our classical guitar column, we return to the work of the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) whose contribution to the opera repertoire places him securely in the pantheon of Western Art composers. His 13 surviving operas which include the beautiful La Bohème, Gianni Schicchi, Tosca, Turandot and Madama Butterfly are as steadfastly popular with musicians and the public alike through the last century as any piece in the classical music canon. Here I’ve arranged for solo guitar the beautiful aria Sogno Di Doretta from one of his later operas, La Rondine (‘The Swallow’). Completed in 1916 and premiered in 1917, this opera’s success was somewhat compromised by the outbreak of the First World War, and in typical Puccini fashion, he continued to revise it, never…

EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 DON MCLEAN CD TRACK 25 When Don met his first producer he was sent away to work on his fingerpicking. I have notated the chord changes for this example so you can practise voicing the shapes as he did - starting first with a pick, then fingers (notated). EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 BRYAN ADAMS CD TRACK 26 This Em-D -C example involves two-note double-stops playing off a droning open third string (G). Accentuate the 1 and 3 beat with a slightly overdriven but bright tone, adding chorus effect if you have it. It’s a great alternative to‘that’famous opening riff. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE 3 IZZY STRADLIN CD TRACK 27 Set up a low-gain amp tone to tackle the picking around these open chords. Play loosely, following the…

MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVE / GETTY IMAGES Formed in 1961 in California, The Beach Boys was made up of three brothers, Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, with their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. The band was highly distinguishable from their contemporaries by the tight vocal harmonies and reference to the early surf culture of the 60s. The creative brains behind the success of the band was Brian Wilson, who took on many roles within the group including songwriter, arranger, producer and engineer. Between 1962-65, The Beach Boys released an astonishing 10 albums; a feat that is very rarely replicated in today’s music scene. The majority of these albums featured the rock and roll and surf style of music with which the band made its name. Chuck Berry-inspired guitar lines,…

Mixolydian mode is made up of the intervals 1-2-3-4-5-6- b 7, which is almost the same as the Major scale, but with the 7th flattened. All of our examples are based in G Mixolydian which has the notes G-A-B-C-D-E-F. These are the same notes as C Major, but with the tonal centre shifted from C to G, so we hear the scale from G as the ‘home’. Due to this, we can call G Mixolydian a ‘mode’ of C Major; the fifth mode to be precise. The fifth mode of a key belongs with the fifth chord in a key, so naturally Mixolydian is synonymous with the dominant 7th chord. Since blues music is commonly comprised of dominant chords, the Mixolydian mode is a great sound to use in your…

GT: Do you have a type of guitar pick that you can’t live without? Make, gauge and why? MT: Dunlop 1mm nylon - it’s been my go-to pick for most of my life. It just feels right to me after all of this time. Also it contributes to my tone a lot. I feel that tone can change from pick to pick, but with the nylon it stays pretty consistent. I am always experimenting but find myself coming back to that pick all of the time. GT: If you had to give up all your effects pedals but three, what would remain on your board? MT: My Morley wah because it’s my favourite pedal of all time. I mainly use it when playing leads. G-Lab Smooth Delay SD1 - I…

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN! The first time I heard him was when my dear departed friend Jeff Pumfrett (he of Machinehead Music and World Guitars, but Fender service manager when I was their UK guitar repairer in the early 80s), gave me a cassette of Texas Flood. I have to confess, it left me feeling rather ambivalent. I could clearly hear Jimi and Albert, plus a bit of Freddie and Eric, but, despite the obvious passion and clear ability, preferred the ‘real thing’. It also slightly irritated me that everyone it seemed was citing him as the creator of this style, when to these ears he had merely repackaged my heroes with more oomph (I forgot to remember that this was me exactly when Eric and Jimi first arrived!). And, just…

➊ A Minor Blues (ReggaeVibe) We start with this simple A minor blues, which has a bit of a reggae feel to it. Use A Minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) as a starting point and then see if you can work in the arpeggios: Am (A-C-E), Dm (D-F-A), F (F-A-C-E) and E7 (E-G#-B-D). ➋ Slow Funk Jam (G) Here we have a dirty old groove in G. Your standard G Minor Pentatonic (G-B b -C-D-F) licks will work great here, but you can also have fun with G Mixolydian (G-A-B-C-D-E-F) and G Dorian (G-A-B b -C-D-E-F). ➌ Bossa Nova Blues (Gm) This is a minor jazz-blues progression with a bossa nova feel. Your first stop could be G Minor Pentatonic (G-B b -C-D-F). Other scales that work great are G Minor Blues…

Texan guitar maestro Stevie Ray was a veritable powerhouse. His style is a trickbag of blues and rock techniques, with Albert King style phrasing plus healthy dollops of Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack - not to mention a tone to die for. His vocabulary is a must-learn to spice up your bluesy rhythm and solos. Stevie wore his influences proudly, so that key ingredients can be clearly heard, but what he did so magnificently was to blend them together with his own unique approach and attitude. The SRV guitar tone is one of the most sought after in blues rock history. Modern players like Kenny Wayne Shepherd and John Mayer have made replicating it, the foundation of their own styles. There are several key components that’ll get you close, but…

In the first section of our string-bending extravaganza we looked at bending notes within the familiar shapes of the Minor Pentatonic scale. This time, we’ll apply a similar approach to seven-note diatonic scales and also introduce a few new inflections to your string bending vocabulary. The following licks are mostly based on the E Major scale (E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D#). Some of the ideas work best when applied ‘positionally’, with the fretting hand rooted in one small area of the fretboard and using multiple strings, whereas other ideas show more of their true potential when you stay on a single string and utilise the whole length of the neck to achieve melodic range. Let’s go through the licks in sequence… The diagram (Example 6) opposite illustrates a whole fretboard’s worth of the relevant…

Warming Up It’s always very good to warm up slowly when practising. Just 10-15 minutes of preparation can set you up for a really beneficial practice session, and protect you against injury. One (of many) possible approaches to warming up is to take a very small section of a piece you are working on, and play it extremely slowly, focusing on relaxed precision, clarity of tone and efficiency of motion. In this way you can improve your technique, warm up both hands optimally, and imprint a secure muscle memory in your repertoire.…

S GRANITZ / GETTY IMAGES Buddy Guy’s influence is evident in multiple generations of famous players, ranging from Clapton, Hendrix and Keith Richards, to the Vaughan brothers, right through to newer blues giants, Gary Clark Jr and John Mayer. He was ranked 23rd in Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 100 Guitarists of All Time, and Clapton declared him “the best guitar player alive”. So you could say he’s a big deal. “HE WAS RANKED AT #23 IN ROLLING STONE’S TOP 100 GUITARISTS EVER, AND CLAPTON DECLARED HIM ‘THE BEST GUITAR PLAYER ALIVE’” Guy was born into the blues tradition, growing up in the South in the 30s before beginning his performing career in the early 50s then relocating to Chicago. There he got his break, after securing a record deal following…

DAVID REDFERN / GETTY IMAGES So far, we’ve looked at a selection of chord progressions that form the basis for hundreds of jazz compositions. We’ve examined the power of V7-I motion for intros or outros; Major and Minor blues sequences, with their I to IV and V-I resolutions; the II-V-I in both Major and Minor forms; and, just last month,‘Rhythm’ changes, with its III7-VI7-II7-V7 I bridge. All these sequences resolve on a perfect 4th. The 4th interval is particularly powerful. Not only is it the basis for the majority of functional harmony, but if you go around this pattern in an unbroken cycle of 12, you’ll return to exactly where you started, having visited every key in the process. This sequence has huge transpositional logic and value. And the guitar…

Lately, we’ve being looking at a series of medium-paced Mixolydian solos that demonstrate various approaches and are achievable to play from start to finish, to provide you with some much-needed vocabulary in this under-used speed category. PAUL NATKIN / GETTY IMAGES The previous two lessons were devoted to the Indian and Dominant Pentatonic scales that can be extracted from Mixolydian. Probably the most commonly-used Pentatonic scale to be found within In this lesson, we are going to expand these options by throwing a minor 3rd into the mix. Mixolydian often has the minor 3rd incorporated for a bluesier effect. When the minor 3rd replaces the major 3rd, technically, we get Dorian mode: Two useful Pentatonic scales that exist within the Mixolydian mode are the Minor Pentatonic and the m6 Strictly-speaking,…

Missed one of our recent fabulous issues? Get one now while stocks last. OCTOBER GT300 50 LICKS OF THE LEGENDS! To celebrate Issue 300 we bring you five licks from the top guitarists in 10 different styles: 50 Licks Of The Legends! There’s a whole new lickbag for you here! Plus: learn two great Clapton ‘Beano’ style solos, and check out Bridget’s stunning take on The Entertainer! SEPTEMBER GT299 PLAY ACOUSTIC Stuart Ryan has four brilliant new pieces in Rock, Bluegrass, Singer-Songwriter (Drop D) and Celtic (DADGAD) to get you inspired. Barrie Cadogan’s video lesson brings you a superb take on electric blues from Clapton, Danny Kirwan and beyond. And there’s tons more! AUGUST GT298 PLAYING PROBLEMS SOLVED! We all need a technique shake-up from time to time to hone…

MORE OF THE WORLD’S BEST LESSONS… FEATURE #2 VIDEO GUTHRIE GOVAN String Bending Part 2 Continuing from last month’s amazing lesson, Guthrie begins to look at more interesting and exotic string bends. CLASSICAL TAB ANDANTE LARGO Fernando Sor Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes another of the Spanish guitarist and composer’s great pieces. FEATURE #3 VIDEO ROCCO ZIFARELLI Route 666 Film composer Ennio Morricone’s brilliant guitarist plays and explains a fabulous solo over an exclusive track. TECHNIQUE & THEORY GREAT STUFF TO LEARN Half diminished soloing; 4ths Play beautiful, melodic solos over the IIm7 b 5-V-I progression; and see how 4ths can modernise your jazz! MORE GREAT LESSONS 30-Minute Lickbag Six more licks to challenge you Jonny Lang Cool modern blues sensation Pearl Jam Original Seattle grunge rockers Hawkwind…

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 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. PLUS! * PLEASE NOTE: Only the Apple version contains interactive tab and audio. Zinio…

GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that particularly appeals to you? DA: Well, for one thing, there’s no stinking lead vocalist stepping on the guitar, haha! Seriously, I love it when I can feel what the guitar is saying with melody and nuances that get lost on lyrics sometimes. Sometimes I think just a guitar melody is the strongest statement you can make. GT: What can an instrumental tune provide the listener that a vocal song can’t? DA: I think it opens up the imagination for some people. Or if it’s a shred type thing, that may appeal to others. KEVIN NIXON GT: Are there any tendencies with instrumentals that you aim to embrace or avoid? DA: I look for melodies now more than ever. That’s what it’s about…

STRING BENDING Many of the phrases this month make use of the fretting-hand first finger to bend notes. This is challenging from both a physical and technical standpoint. If you are new to this concept then you need to take care not to damage yourself. At first, bending notes with the first finger may feel a little uncomfortable, so practise slowly, and use time to gradually build up the skin and finger strength required. You will find that it is best to lock the finger in position, and then use the power of the hand to bend the string. As with all string bending practice, you can use a target tone to make sure you are bending to pitch. It will be easiest to work on semi-tone (one-fret) bends first…

The systematic approach from the previous two sections worked on the premise that any melodic bend should connect two adjacent notes of a scale. In practice, most of the bends you hear in conventional playing (microtonal inflections excepted) will indeed prove to be consistent with this theory. But rules are made to be broken and you can expand your vocabulary considerably by connecting non-adjacent scale tones within a single bending motion. This section is mostly based around E Dorian (E-F#- G-A-B-C#-D). Over the page is a neck diagram (Ex. 14) illustrating where to find all the possible instances of those notes. Let’s start with a little trick that should look and sound familiar to most readers. Lick 15 illustrates the concept of the unison bend – a very popular device…

MARK METCALF / GETTY IMAGES Alice In Chains was at the forefront of the Grunge scene in the early 90s, although they were actually formed in Seattle in 1987 by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney. Bassist Mike Starr and singer Layne Staley, both of whom have sadly passed away, joined later. Alice In Chains is often spoken about in the same breath as other grunge heavyweights such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but also had their roots in rock and heavy metal, with Cantrell being a fan of bands such as Van Halen, Rush and Led Zeppelin, the playing of Hendrix and the songwriting of Elton John. Not just an accomplished guitarist, he also sang harmony vocals on albums and tours. The band has sold over 30 million…

In this last series article from his Beyond Chord Melody book Martin Taylor looks at combining 10ths, 7ths and bass movement. When we started this journey, we broke things down into a skeleton which included only the essential parts of chords: root and 10th, and root and 7th. When we combine the root, 10th and 7th into one voicing, we arrive at block chord shapes commonly used in jazz. Now, however, you have a much greater insight about how each note in the chord can function as an individual voice, and you can add musical movement to each one. It’s up to you how musical you make this process. I’ve given you some material and ways to experiment, but you can get as creative as you like. Try to break…

Harmonic Minor is a common and instantly recognisable sound which was born from the baroque period of the mid 17th century (where the tonal system we use today was developed) up until the late romantic period of the mid 19th century. This scale has become widespread in a range of diverse styles including jazz, blues, classic rock and modern metal. Consisting of the formula: R-2- b 3-4-5- b 6-7, the Harmonic Minor can be visualised as a Natural Minor scale with a major 7th degree: Natural minor - R-2- b 3-4-5 b 6- b 7; Harmonic minor - R-2- b 3-4-5- b 6-7 Originally evolving from the Natural Minor scale as a way of providing a dominant 7 V chord when composing in a minor key (as the Natural Minor…