Table of contents for February 2020 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. 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. CHRIS BROOKS Aussie metal and prog guitarist Chris’s Speed Strategies For Guitar is published by Fundamental Changes. CDs include Axis Of All Things and The Master Plan. MARTIN GOULDING One of the world’s foremost rock and metal guitarists, Martin teaches for dime-online.org and has written for…

Even though I’ve been playing now for almost 40 years, I still feel like I have more to learn than I’ll fit in this lifetime. Recently I’ve been re-examining the process of being a beginner and the struggles people encounter, and it seems at the beginning of the guitar journey there are a few very common hurdles that almost all beginners face. Knowing about these will help beginners avoid them and teachers help them to never happen. The first hurdle almost every new player faces is Finger Pain! Many experienced players will have completely forgotten about this, but the pain is real. It’s such a big deal in fact that the next instalment of this column will be dedicated to exploring ways to avoid it – it’s the most common…

MOST GREAT LEAD guitarists are also very adept rhythm guitarists. In fact, the line between‘rhythm‘ and‘lead’often, and rightly, becomes blurred. Here we see a prime example of this in which a simple E-G#m chord change has been filled out with Pentatonic derived single notes and double-stops to result in ideas that can prove very useful. E Major Pentatonic is used on the E chord and G# Minor Pentatonic on the G#m. Try playing and embellishing this same chord change (I-IIIm) in lots of different keys in order to develop both Major and Minor phrases equally. Steve Cropper, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Vai and John Mayer have all used this approach, so check them out and remember to experiment with ideas of your own.…

‘One of the hardest things to do, I think, in today’s world is to write an authentic-sounding blues song, lyrically,” Kenny Wayne Shepherd observes as we sit down to a coffee at John Henry’s rehearsal rooms in London, where Fender keeps an office. Once a blond wunderkind of the blues scene, Kenny has matured into a thoughtful player with prodigious chops and a sure-footed melodic instinct that has seen him praised by no less authorities than the late BB King and CSN&Y legend Stephen Stills. “If the lyrics and the story that you’re telling are authentic and you’re not sacrificing the quality of the message that you’re trying to convey to the listener, then I think that keeps the whole thing authentic,” Kenny adds. “My band is about the guitar.…

LARRY MARANO / GETTY IMAGES Ritchie Blackmore was obviously one of the key components of the legendary Deep Purple, and went on to inspire countless other guitar players, including Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Morse, who himself went on to replace Ritchie in Deep Purple. Blackmore had successfully ushered David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes in to the band as replacements for Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, but found that the style of the music began to move in a direction with which he was less than happy. He recorded some songs with Ronnie James Dio and his band, and after being pleased with the results, decided to record an entire album with Dio and a new outfit, which became Rainbow. Blackmore’s departure from Deep Purple was confirmed in June 1975, and…

MICHAEL PUTLAND / GETTY IMAGES Formed in Paris in 1967, Gong was the brainchild of singer-guitarist Daevid Allen, and featured members from the UK, Australia, US, France, and Fiji. With a solid foundation in psychedelia, Gong fused world music with funk, rock, pop and jazz, coupled with excellent musicianship to produce one of the best bands of the genre. They released seven albums between 1970 and 1976, featuring incarnations of its classic line-ups. More albums followed from 1992 and a modern Gong line-up is still going strong. Our piece focuses on the early days, and the styles of Hillage and Allen. Steve didn’t play on Gong’s first album Magick Brother (1970) or Camembert Electrique (1971) which mainly featured Allen. However, he was present on Flying Teapot (1973), Angels Egg (1973)…

SOME VERY EXCITING NEWS! By far the commonest complaint we receive is that the animated tab files found on the Guitar Techniques iPad digital edition are not available for Android users. They can currently only get it in ‘page-turner’ format, with no audio, from sites like Zinio, etc. Well, with immediate effect they will be available to all from www.pocketmags.com. Yes, users of Android/Windows tablets like those from Samsung, Sony, Microsoft, etc, can now see and hear the same top-quality audio with synchronised tab as Apple iPad users have been enjoying for years. But it gets so much better! These Pocketmags issues of GT can be also used on your laptop or desktop computer - whether Windows or Mac. And this, we think, is the gamechanger. To view and hear…

Ray Swinfield, a wonderful saxophonist (and classy exponent of the clarinet and flute too), once turned to me in the break on a big band studio session and spoke to me thus: “Mitch, do you know what jazz improvisation really is?” And without pausing for an unwelcome reply, he continued; “It’s playing spontaneously all the things that you’ve been practising your entire life.” At which point he ripped out three choruses of All The Things You Are, returned his tenor to its case and was gone like The Cheshire Cat, leaving only his smile. And a large invoice. There’s no trick to producing a great solo. It isn’t divine inspiration. The romantic notion of mind and body miraculously in perfect sync as the muse hits is hokum, honey. It takes…

➊ Slow A Minor Blues We start with this straightforward blues progression in A Minor with a jazzy swing. Am Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) and A Minor scale (A-B-C-D-E-F-G) both work we here, as do the arpeggios: Am (A-C-E), Dm (D-F-A), Fmaj7 (F-A-C-E) and E7 (E-G#-B-D). ➋ A Dorian Groove Jam Here’s a two-chord groove jam track for you guys to rock some funky Dorian licks on. The progression specifically implies A Dorian mode (A-B-C-D-E-F#-G); and of course our old friend A Minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) is always there when we need it. TOM COPI / GETTY IMAGES ➌ Bossa Blues Jam (Dm) This jam is a rather nice blues progression in the key of D Minor, set to a bossa nova style groove. D Minor Pentatonic (D-F-G-A-C) and D Natural Minor scale…

Jimmy Page began his professional career in the early 60s and quickly gained a reputation as a formidable London session guitarist. He appeared, uncredited, on hundreds of hit singles and albums of the top chart bands of the day. In 1966 he joined Jeff Beck in rhythm and blues stalwarts The Yardbirds (standing in on bass before he and Beck combined for a twin guitar assault), in which Eric Clapton had first tasted success. When The Yardbirds fell apart in 1968 Page took control and, with John Paul Jones on bass, John Bonham on drums and vocalist Robert Plant, toured briefly as The New Yardbirds before Page changed the name to the Keith Moon inspired ‘Led Zeppelin’. Here we aim to identify many of Page’s key techniques from Led Zeppelin’s…

HIROYUKI ITO / GETTY IMAGES In this issue, we are for the first time looking at the work of one of the founding figures of the classical guitar, Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829). Giuliani was born in Italy and after an initial musical training on the cello and violin, become fully dedicated to the guitar and would become one of the world’s most respected guitar virtuosos, interpreters and concert artists. Not only did he perform widely on the guitar, he was also a professional cellist and in 1813 performed cello in the first performance of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. His legacy endures in his compositions for guitar which he first started publishing in 1807, and which remain staple repertoire and learning material for classical guitarists well over 200 years later. I’ve taken one…

EASY LICKS JOHNNY CASH CD TRACK 24 This Am to E chord change can be applied as a tool for melancholic folk songwriting. Try with a pick or fingers, applying steady timing on the changes, and a slight roll of the plucking fingers for a Latin-flamenco feel. EASY LICKS ROBERT CRAY CD TRACK 25 His style encompasses blues with a mix of 7th chords and a single-coil tone. Pluck or pick this with a slight groove in the bass and funky staccato on the higher notes. INTERMEDIATE LICKS RICHIE SAMBORA CD TRACK 26 Approach this with a smooth but gutsy tone. Slide in with lots of attitude and picking-hand attack, muting with the fretting hand to achieve the percussive sound. INTERMEDIATE LICKS OZ NOY CD TRACK 27 Dig in with…

Every guitarist knows that Pentatonic scales are a vital resource for creating music in a huge variety of musical styles. Musicians have been employing these five-note devices for centuries in both compositional and improvisational settings to great effect. While there are numerous permutations and variations, the two most common options are the Minor Pentatonic (R- b 3-4-5- b 7) and the Major Pentatonic (R-2-3-5-6). Last time, we explored the jazz potential of the bluesy Minor option; this time we direct our attention towards the Major variety and some of its common variations. One of the most useful improvisational qualities of both Major and Minor Pentatonic scales is that they avoid completely the most dissonant intervals in music, the maj7 (or b 2) (B-C) and the tritone (C-G b ). In…

In this current series, we have been using medium-paced solo studies as vehicles to apply various useful Pentatonic scales that reside within Mixolydian. So far, we’ve studied those whose root notes stem from the root, 2nd and 3rd notes of Mixolydian; so, now it’s time to turn our attention to useful Pentatonics that stem from the 4th note. Remember, the purpose of trying to extract various triads, arpeggios and Pentatonics from within a scale is to provide us with fresh musical perspectives. Each new perspective not only sounds different, but will make us play in a different way too. “EXTRACTING VARIOUS TRIADS, ARPEGGIOS AND PENTATONICS FROM WITHIN A SCALE PROVIDES US WITH NEW MUSICAL PERSPECTIVES” When extracting Pentatonic scales (which always have five notes) from a seven-note scale like Mixolydian,…

Using 4th intervals to create patterns, melodies, riffs and chords gives us a different perspective on our scales and can be very creatively inspiring. In this lesson we will use 4ths in the context of D Minor, or more specifically D Dorian mode (D-E-F-G-A-B). As there are no sharps or flats in this scale it should help you to find the notes on the guitar with more confidence. First we will look at using 4ths in a low register to play hard rock or metal riffs in styles as diverse as Deep Purple, Soundgarden and Mattias Ia Eklundh. The 4th interval is an inversion of a 5th, so this is a great alternative to powerchords; however, but single-finger fretting allows us to stay in position and pull from a scale…

GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without? MZ: I literally have about 5000 guitar picks laying around the house and studio. I try different ones at different times, but the two I have used the most over the years is a Clayton 1.0 Delrin triangle (three picks in one!) and a Dunlop Blue Tortex 1.0. They always seem to get the job done. GT: If you had to give up all your pedals but three, which ones would remain? MZ: Well, that’s easy because I rarely have three pedals anyway. I do currently love the Strymon Flint and my Analogman KOT - that’s usually my rig right there. Mike at Analogman makes me the double high-gain version of the KOT. I don’t necessarily love…

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 instrumentals that appeals to you? MW: I’ve written poetry since I was about 10 years old. So words really matter to me. I listen to Joni and Dylan and James Taylor and Jimmy Webb etc, and I get into the text. Instrumental writing takes me to other places. I can use my imagination more. I can infer things, try to create moods and scenes. My instrumental music is usually about something. I write about the people and places that matter to me. I try to communicate that through the music. GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t? MW: Apart from my previous answer, not much, I think. I work with Norma Winstone who uses her voice beautifully as a…

PEAVEY PULLS THE PLUG ON ITS  budget range T-15 guitar with double-cutaway offset body and maple neck. Although amply equipped with a pair of oversized single-coil pickups and even the option to buy an‘electric case’with a 10-watt amp and a five-inch speaker built in the guitar failed to cause much interest. THE LARGEST RECORDING CONTRACT IN HISTORY  signed by Rolling CBS a $ million; Kiss officially appear in public without makeup for the first time on MTV; The Red Hot Chili Peppers release their eponymous first album; the first ever Now album is released and during a TV special to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Motown, Michael Jackson introduces the moonwalk during his performance of Billie Jean. BAD NEWS FOR THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY  following a series of major incidents. The…

Finger vibrato and bending Jimmy Page’s finger vibrato and string bending were at the heart of his style. His technique and approach often puts the emphasis on feel and style over clinical precision. However, the overall effect sounds great and is evocative, exciting and musical. Jimmy is a top string bender and often includes large bends in his solos (a tone and a half and occasionally even two tones!). He also often bends all the minor 3rds slightly sharp. These quarter-tone bends help the notes to fit Major keys and adds a dirty blues orientated flavour. If you combine the finger vibrato and bending styles with shape one of the Minor Pentatonic, the results will immediately transport you back to the sound of 70s blues-rock and the great Led Zeppelin.…

This month we welcome back Italian session guitar wizard, Rocco Zifarelli to take on another Jason Sidwell penned track, this one called Days Long Gone. Rocco has a real passion for acoustic instruments and likes the dynamics and resonance that they provide. As he explains, the core tonality for the number is E Natural Minor, containing the same notes as G Major (G-A-B-C-D-E-F#). The song briefly modulates and Rocco likes to move with these changes. An approach that he loves to employ is using triad arpeggios to construct melodic lines so that they sit perfectly over the underlying chords. Once this foundation is nicely in place, notes of the scale can be added along with simplifying the tonal palette back to the useful Major and Minor Pentatonics. When Rocco plays…

Perfect practice makes you perfect! Technique is not improved by simply playing a piece over and over in the hope that you will eventually get it right. Your brain needs to be fully engaged and continuously observing and moderating your activity. Make sure you are adopting a good posture that is poised and aware of any unnecessary tension. Are you fully aware of the notes and fingering you are working on? Are you playing at a slow enough tempo to allow for consistent accuracy? We all make mistakes in performance but the quality of our practice will determine our level of control when playing under pressure.…

PAUL NATKIN / GETTY IMAGES From the mid 60s to the mid 70s, some very exciting things were happening in music. In 66/67 heavy guitar was coming into its own; Hendrix blowing people’s minds with his heavy, fuzz-laden blues-rock tones, and Cream with their extended live jams. Then from 1968 into the early 70s saw the foundation of what would become heavy metal, with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath all releasing ground-breaking albums. Fast forward just a few years to 1976, and we welcome Canadian rocker Pat Travers to the scene. Inspired by a mesmerising performance by Hendrix as a teenager, Pat started performing with Toronto bands and playing in local clubs. While gigging with his own band Merge, his fiery blues-rock style was noticed by local rock…

STEVE THORNE / GETTY IMAGES Picking sequences and pedal-tone licks are staples of Yngwie’s vocabulary. While sequences can be challenging for the layout of the guitar, Yngwie Malmsteen ditches the conventions of pure alternate picking to handle them with a combination of approaches. Last month, we looked at three string-changing approaches used by Yngwie Malmsteen in scalar picking lines that are applied based on how many notes occur per string. The approaches were: alternate picking with even numbers; economy picking with ascending odd numbers; and alternate picking plus a pull-off for descending odd numbers. This unique mix of strategies creates a lot of character but also fulfils a technical consistency in Yngwie’s picking orientation, regardless of the lick. In this lesson, let’s explore how the system addresses licks that don’t…

Welcome to this month’s column on developing fretboard fluency, with the fourth part in our series on the incredibly useful Harmonic Minor scale. This scale consists of the formula R-2- b 3-4-5- b 6-7, and can be visualised as a amajor 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 last three months we’ve looked at the five A Harmonic Minor scale shapes based around the CAGED system, as well as the harmonised scale which consists of seven diatonic chords, arpeggios and modes outlined in the panel below. STEPHEN FOURIE In addition, we’ve worked through a range of scale and arpeggio sequences, which we’ve used to develop our technique and visualisation of the whole diatonic system in one…

Album of the Month THE POLICE EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE: THE STUDIO RECORDINGS UMC/Polydor The Police’s studio career lasted from 1978’ Outlandos D’Amour until Synchronicity in 1983 and this six-CD boxset sets out to feature those monumental bookends and everything in between. Five – fully remastered – studio albums plus a bonus disc of B-sides and sundries, entitled Flexible Strategies, make up the complement with the studio albums presented in faithfully reproduced mini gatefold sleeves. Vinyl warriors should note that everything is available in this format, too. With 14 top 20 singles that include five number ones, there’s a lot here for fans to enjoy. But the most remarkable thing is the somewhat modest price: around £18 for the CD collection. That’s a lotta pop for your poppy! MICHAEL J…

MORE OF THE WORLD’S BEST LESSONS… FEATURE #2 VIDEO TOMMY EMMANUEL Chet & Merle picking lesson The great Tommy returns with another lesson demonstrating how to master the picking styles of Atkins and Travis. CLASSICAL TAB VIDEO LORD OF ALL HOPEFULNESS Traditional Hymn Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes a piece performed at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. FEATURE #3 VIDEO ROCCO ZIFARELLI The Moonlight Marauder Ennio Morricone’s brilliant guitarist plays and explains his dazzling solo over another superb new track. TECHNIQUE & THEORY GREAT STUFF TO LEARN Walking bass; Mixolydian b 6 Learn to play walking bass in jazz; and discover the evocative sound that the Mixolydian b 6 scale brings to solos. MORE GREAT LESSONS 30-Minute Lickbag Six more tasty licks to test you Albert…