Innehållsförteckning för June 2016 från Guitar Techniques

I’M NOT ONE for hoarding dozens of guitars. In fact I’ve whittled mine down to the classics: Strat, ES-335, Les Paul (with P90s), Tele, Gretsch 6120, and Gibson jumbo and Martin dreadnought acoustics. I also don’t like my house looking like a rehearsal space so I keep just one electric, and one acoustic out. And I rotate them. Friends and I often talk – as I’m sure you do – about new gear and inspiration. Usually it’s to justify a new purchase, but I’m certain there’s truth in it. I rotate my instruments for the same reason. I tend to keep one electric on a stand for about a month, then swap it for something different – the Martin is my all-rounder acoustic so that’s a constant. As we speak,…

“A SUGGESTION FOR YOUR BACKING TRACKS: IT WOULD HELP BEGINNERS TO HAVE THE BPM INCLUDED” WHAT THE FIRK? I’ve been a long time buyer and fan of Guitar Techniques. I have learned countless great songs tabbed impeccably by the guys at GT. I was curious if GT have ever tabbed any Michael Lee Firkins songs off his first self-titled album? If so where do I find them and, if not, it would be beyond awesome if GT could tab Laughing Stacks, 24 Grand Avenue, Rain In The Tunnel or The Sargasso Sea? Dean Bloomfield I’ve just looked through our back issues list (incomplete though it may be) and discovered to my amazement that we did Runaway Train back in 1995. So we’re hardly awash with Michael’s tabs. He was one…

Here’s a crazy tapping phrase that, if used sparingly, can be very effective. The lick takes advantage of the‘straight line’elements from three different Pentatonic scales – Em, Am and Bm. You are simply tapping all the notes that you would normally play in a shape 1 Bm Pentatonic, then hammering-on from shape 1 Em to the same position in Am. This gives you a sus4 arpeggio (1-4-5) on each string. Because all these scales can be seen as deriving from G Major against an Em, the end result is an Aeolian sound (try it against other chords derived from G Major). I have phrased the notes in a 9-8 polyrhythm, which means that for each two beats you play nine 16th notes instead of the usual eight – aka‘nested tuplets.…

RICKENBACKER RELEASES ITS Spanish SP model guitar, an electric archtop with f-holes cut into the upper body bouts. The bound neck and body are actually made by Harmony but the guitar boasts an all Rickenbacker horseshoe pickup situated by the wooden bridge. Controls are fitted for volume and tone manipulation. With a strong sound and good tone, it’s a popular product; also highly sort after are their laptop steel guitars like the Rickenbacker Model B. AN 11-YEAR-OLD ELVIS PRESLEY gets his first guitar on his birthday. He actually wanted a rifle but it was too expensive for his parents but he took lessons from his uncle and learned to play. Frank Sinatra releases his first studio album, called The Voice Of Frank Sinatra. Released on Columbia Records as a set…

JON LUINI TIME LIFE / GETTY IMAGES “OFTEN GUITARISTS DON’T THINK OF THE UPPER NOTES AND BASS NOTES SEPARATELY, BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE LEARN USING ‘SHAPES’” ABILITY RATING Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 4-25 Will improve your… Harmonic theory Compositional and improvisational choices Fretboard knowledge When one thinks of harmony in popular music (in all its various forms), it may be tempting to think that the ‘sophisticated’ and ‘advanced’ harmony only belongs to the jazz-related styles that contain chords with long complicated names like D b (maj13)#11 and F#7( b 5/ b 9/13). While it’s true that jazz has explored very deeply these lush and dissonant ‘extended’ chords, there is, in fact, a huge amount of harmonic sophistication and expression to be found in all the popular music styles…

“THESE LESSONS ARE CENTRED AROUND A BLUES IN B FLAT SO IT’S VITAL TO UNDERSTAND THE 12-BAR FORMAT” ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACK CD-ROM Will improve your… Natural harmonics Artificial harmonics Slapped harmonics Tim Lerch is a much-revered jazz and blues guitarist from Seattle, Washington. He has a strong internet presence and a large band of followers who digest his online lessons with great glee. We asked Tim if he’d like to run a guest series in GT and the following three articles are the result. Tim is rare in that he is highly respected (and busy) both as a player and an educator. His concepts are clear, well presented, highly musical and effective in a range of musical contexts. All three lessons are centred around…

EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 AC/DC CD TRACK 29 Back to the classic Bon Scott days! This is a subtle Malcolm young style intro that would inevitably turn into a roaring beast of a song. Play this example with fingers and make sure the rests are included for that typically subtle AC/DC groove. EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 ROBERT CRAY CD TRACK 30 Although relatively simple in the fretting hand, the picking hand does much of the work here, adding dynamics and groove to a four-note lick. This part should be played in a controlled groove. You could add a touch of chorus and compression for Cray-style authenticity. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE 3 ANDY TIMMONS CD TRACK 31 Play this phrase with a light single-coil tone and a marginal amount of overdrive on…

LIVEPIX “NO ROCK BAND WOULD BE COMPLETE WITHOUT ITS SHARE OF TURMOIL AND TENSIONS LED TO DEVILLE BEING FIRED IN 1991” ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 41-52 Will improve your… Blues-rock phrasing Finger vibrato Hard rock attitude Poison were at the forefront of 80s hard rock. Their combination of catchy, poppy choruses and slick, raunchy guitar riffs gave them mass appeal, with songs like Every Rose Has Its Thorn, which hit the US number 1 spot in 1988. The line-up has been relatively consistent since the band’s inception in 1980, when they were originally called Paris. Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall and Rikki Rockett have been handling vocals, bass and drums respectively for more than three decades. The guitar chair has been slightly less stable. The first…

DAVID LYTTELTON “IT’S VITAL THAT YOU DEVELOP A ‘BOTTOM UP’ APPROACH... THIS WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A TECHNICAL SAFETY NET WHEN IMPROVISING” ABILITY RATING Info Key: A (A7) Tempo: 120 bpm CD: TRACK 63 Will improve your… Tension and release between chords Ability to employ chord tones Creation of articulate blues solos In the previous instalment of Creative Rock, we used three separate single-note, 12-bar blues choruses as vehicles for studying ways of applying chord tones to give shape and articulation to your blues playing. In this month’s lesson, we’re going to continue our study by looking at another three choruses. Firstly, let’s revise some of the principles covered in the previous lesson, starting with a typical 12-bar blues progression in the key of A (see chord chart on opposite…

MAY GT256 ACOUSTIC BLUES Four fantastic acoustic blues pieces for you to try – from simple to challenging. Learn BB King’s classic Three O’Clock Blues as re-imagined with Eric Clapton for Riding With The King. Plus, style studies in Mötley Crüe, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Buckley and Emily Remler. SPRING GT255 THE EAGLES Remembering Glenn Frey and other Eagles six-stringers: Leadon, Walsh and Felder. Pantera’s Cemetery Gates tabbed, with a monster solo from Dimebag plus another great video lesson from Allen Hinds and style studies in The Pixies, Whitesnake and more. APRIL GT254 GENIUS OF CLAPTON With nine pages of solos, riffs and licks, we explore the genius of Clapton! Plus, our tribute to David Bowie is a look at his personal style and an exploration of his stellar six-string sidekicks!…

TRANSCRIPTION #1 DEREK & THE DOMINOS Key To The Highway Learn this brilliant rocking blues track from Eric Clapton’s post-Blind Faith band. Richard Barrett hits the road! TRANSCRIPTION #2 ALONSO MUDARRA Fantasia X Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes this Spanish composer’s masterpiece for solo classical guitar. VIDEO MASTERCLASS #1 SOLO JAZZ-BLUES With Tim Lerch If you checked out Tim’s brilliant piece last month you’ll definitely want to hear – and learn – his second solo jazz-blues. VIDEO MASTERCLASS #2 ROCK SOLOING With Brett Garsed Brett puts down the slide this month and rips into an immaculate display of legato-led fretboard mastery! Above the 12th fret – how to play... UP THE DUSTY END! Is it somewhere you avoid? Well, fear no more! John Wheatcroft shows loads of new and exciting…

RICHARD BARRETT One of the best players around, Richard is adept at most styles but truly excels in the bluesier side of rock. He currently plays with Spandau’s Tony Hadley. 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. No ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’, he nails every one with ease! LES DAVIDSON Les has worked with Mick Taylor, Rumer, Jon Anderson, Pete Townshend, Tina Turner & more. He also runs a recording studio and teaches at BIMM London. CHARLIE GRIFFITHS Guitar Institute tutor Charlie first came to fame in…

The nominations keep on coming for BIMM Brighton alumnus James Bay. His hit song Hold Back The River is in the running for the PRS for Music Most Performed Work at the 61st Ivor Novello Awards. The ceremony will take place on 19th May 2016 at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London. The Ivors celebrate, honour and reward excellence in British and Irish songwriting and composing. They are presented by BASCA (British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors) and they are judged by the UK songwriting and composing community. Hold Back The River was co-written by James Bay and Iain Archer. Iain visited BIMM Brighton last year for a Q&A with students. Already an Ivor Novello award-winning songwriter and musician, Iain has shared his songwriting skills with the likes of…

1 G Blues Stomper Here we have a fairly uptempo foot-stomping 12-bar blues in G. Pull out your G minor Pentatonic (G-B b -C-D-F) or Blues scale (add a D b ) – or alternatively, try G Mixolydian (G-A-B-C-D-E-F) on the I chord (G7), G Dorian (G-A-B b -C-D-E-F) on the IV chord (C7) and finally the G Major scale (G-A-B-C-D-E-F#) on the V (D7). 2 C Lydian Mode Groove Jam Try out your best Vai, Satriani and Zappa licks on this static groove. The progression (C and D/C) is based on C Lydian mode (C-D-E-F#-G-A-B), so could open up new territory for licks, sounds and fingerings! 3 BluesyVamp (C) For this I-IV vamp in C you can get really bluesy and use C minor Pentatonic (C-E b -F-G-B b…

“THEY EXPECTED PERFECTION FROM EVERY PLAYER THEY HIRED AND WERE COMPLETELY RUTHLESS IN ENSURING THEY GOT IT” MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVE & CLAYTON CALL / GETTY IMAGES “I WANT TO FIGURE OUT HOW I CAN MAKE THE MOST IMPORTANT STATEMENT WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF INFORMATION, SO I DON’T RUN OUT OF IDEAS BY THE TIME I GET TO MY SECOND OR THIRD CHORUS”Larry Carlton ABILITY RATING Info Key Cm Tempo 120bpm CD TRACKS 26-27 Will improve your… Sophisticated solo licks Comping ideas Climactic solo construction By the time Steely Dan recorded their fifth album, The Royal Scam, the original line-up had disbanded and just the core songwriters, Donald Fagen (lead vocal, keyboards) and Walter Becker (backing vocals, guitar, bass guitar) remained. Fagen and Becker were now completely in control and…

“SOR COMPOSED THIS PIECE IN 1815 DURING HIS STAY IN LONDON, AND IS THE 11TH IN HIS BOOK OF 12 STUDIES (OPUS 6)” ABILITY RATING Info Key Em Tempo 100bpm CD TRACK 28 Will improve your… Arpeggio playing Balancing melody and accompaniment Fretting-hand stamina This month we return to the work of the Spanish guitarist and composer Fernando Sor (1778-1839). A godfather of the classical guitar, Sor was a rare individual: a highly-accomplished composer (including two operas, nine ballets and three symphonies as well as many other works); a touring solo performer (often considered the instrument’s first virtuoso) and an important guitar educator with over 100 guitar studies and pedagogical materials to his name, as well as being a well-respected international teacher. Today we’re looking at Sor’s beautiful Study in…

MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVE / GETTY IMAGES “BLOOMFIELD WAS SOON NOTICED AND SUPPORTED BY SOME OF THE GREATS INCLUDING BUDDY GUY, BB KING AND BOB DYLAN” ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 35-38 Will improve your Chicago blues licks Pentatonic phrasing Authentic feel and tone Born in 1943 in Chicago, Michael Bloomfield’s interest in the blues was piqued at an early age as he watched and learned from some of the great Chicago musicians of the day (Freddie King, Luther Allison and Buddy Guy) who were carving out a genre and electrifying the blues. Mike learned fast and, helped by his innate understanding of the blues, he was soon noticed and supported by some of the greats including Buddy Guy, BB King and the rising star Bob Dylan,…

POPPERFOTO / GETTY IMAGES “IT’S IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO FEEL LIKE THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO DO A THING. I THINK IT’S A BAD HABIT. I BELIEVE IN RANGE”Wes Montgomery ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 53-61 Will improve your Articulation with the thumb Single notes, octaves and chords General jazz vocabulary Wes Montgomery was a monumentally significant jazz musician and one of the most unique and talented guitar players the world has ever seen. Pat Metheny considers Wes’s Smokin’ At The Half Note to be the best jazz guitar album of all time and he’s far from alone in considering the impact of this colossal player. Montgomery’s playing literally had it all, with a beautiful tone, impeccable phrasing, harmonic intelligence, rhythmic sophistication and detailed articulation. Wes…

In western music ‘chords’ are made by stacking 3rds to create four-note chords derived from Major or Minor scales. This approach is called tercial harmony (tercial, as in three). But you can also use 4ths as building blocks and this gives a different sound that can be very useful in modern music. This approach is called quartal harmony. Stacked fourth chords are strong, open and because of the lack of a 3rd these usually sound neither major or minor. We use them in two different ways: first, as perfect 4ths – thereby ignoring Major scale harmony; and secondly, by harmonising them to fit into the Major scale so they co-operate with our usual understanding of modes and chord progressions. EXAMPLE 1 QUARTAL HARMONY – BLUES SCALE, HARMONISED MAJOR SCALE AND…

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN Buy it Excellent Good Average Binit! Album of the Month KING CRIMSON LIVE IN TORONTO 2015 Panegyric In the continued quest to keep their multitude of fans happy, Crimson have released this double ‘official bootleg’ CD as a taster for a bigger, forthcoming package from last year’s tour. Their current seven-man line up benefits at times from three drummers – the force of this onstage is well captured here thanks to astounding sound quality. Playing guitar alongside Robert Fripp is Jakko Jakszyk who also handles the vocals, although, as always, this is a predominantly instrumental set. New material sits comfortably with old favourites with the dark, riffy Radical Action running into Meltdown, which features dual guitar riffing as employed in the early Adrian Belew years. For…

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 Songs and lessons have the audio built in with a moving cursor showing you exactly where you are in the music. Simply tap the‘play’button then 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 or smartphone. PLUS! Get a FREE iPad/iPhone sample of GT. For full details and how to receive our digital edition regularly, go to bit.ly/guitartechniques (if you…

EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY / ALAMY “FOR ME, THE KEY TO A GOOD INSTRUMENTAL IS A SINGABLE, OR AT LEAST A MEMORABLE MELODY” GT:What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you? CV: I’ve been a fan of the sound of our instrument since I was a kid. Growing up in Los Angeles, we had surfing shows on TV every day after school, and that twangy, clean surf guitar music was super cool. This was pre-Beatles, so a rocking guitar wakes up a certain part of my brain and makes me smile. GT:What can an instrumental provide that a vocal song can’t? CV: Wordless recordings are a more perfect soundtrack to your season or period in your life. Songs without words help to enhance the feeling you have. GT: Any…

WHO? Nick Mackey – Clitheroe Guitar Studio TOWN: Clitheroe, Lancashire STYLES TAUGHT: All styles of guitar, bass, ukulele and mandolin SPECIALITY: Acoustic and electric guitar QUALIFICATION: RGT Examiner LEVELS: Structured but informal style-based tuition from beginner to advanced – RGT grades if desired READING: Any level CHARGES: £25 per 1hr lesson, £14 per half hour SPECIAL: Fully-equipped music room/ studio; can record lessons, vast library of resources TEL: 01200 422933 (07952 550712) EMAIL: nick_mackey@hotmail.com…

“BRETT USES SEVERAL ADVANCED CONCEPTS WHEN PLAYING SLIDE, AND PREFERS TO PLAY IN STANDARD TUNING” ABILITY RATING Info Key: B minor Tempo: 95 bpm CD: TRACK CD-ROM Will improve your… General slide technique Ability to angle the slide Integrate fretting and slide For this new fusion, six-part series we invited Aussie session ace Brett Garsed to improvise a two-minute solo over six backing tracks by Jason Sidwell. Each of these is designed to present a unique set of harmonic and technical challenges and it will be fascinating to see how Brett negotiates them. Each month the performance will be transcribed and analysed from a technique and theory point view, so you can learn the concepts with a view to broadening your own vocabulary and musicianship. The backing track is, of…

Guitarists often talk about what they’re happy with in their playing (“I’ve worked hard at…”) and then venture into the areas that they’re not (“But the area that needs work is…”). As to what that area actually is, it’s as broad as the day is long: theory, picking, speed, timing, use of the fourth finger, jazz, odd time signatures. For this issue, we decided to address one area that crops up with guitarists of all levels – the world of ‘adult chords’. The term describes chords that sound sophisticated in a classical or jazzy way, and are considerably more enhanced than the common open shapes we learnt when starting out. Whether these will appeal or find use in your own playing is your prerogative. From our perspective, being informed can…

LIVEPIX “GUITARIST BUCK DHARMA WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY THE BRITISH INVASION BANDS OF THE SIXTIES, SUCH AS THE BEATLES AND THE KINKS” ABILITY RATING Info Key: A minor Tempo: 130 bpm CD: TRACKS 39-40 Will improve your… Part writing for guitar Lead guitar melodies Playing in minor keys Blue Öyster Cult formed in 1971 in Long Island after four years under the name Soft White Underbelly, and have so far sold over 24 million albums. The most commercially successful line-up comprised Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser on lead guitar and vocals, Eric Bloom on lead vocals and ‘stun guitar’, Allen Lanier on keyboards and rhythm guitar, bass player Joe Bouchard and drummer Albert Bouchard. They released their eponymous debut album in 1972 and achieved reasonable success due in part to tours…

INFOPHOTO / PHOTOSHOT “DROP D TUNING IS USEFUL AS IT ALLOWS US TO HINT AT THE HEAVIER BLUES RIFFS INHERENT IN HARPER’S STYLE” ABILITY RATING Info Key: D Tempo: 79 bpm CD: TRACK 62 Will improve your… Use of drop D tuning Fingerpicking rhythm Fretting hand legato Over the course of 12 albums and nearly 25 years, Grammy Award winning American songwriter-guitarist Ben Harper has forged an impressive career with multi-platinum album sales. His unique sound and approach to writing is a curious fusion of blues, reggae, folk, soul and rock, and he can be found dividing his time between electric and acoustic guitar work. Much of his early attention came thanks to his mastery of Weissenborn lap slide playing and the unique approach to slide playing that this allowed…

WENN UK / ALAMY “IT MAKES SENSE TO EMPLOY EVERYTHING THAT NATURE HAS PROVIDED, IN ORDER TO EXPAND YOUR POTENTIAL AS A GUITAR PLAYER” ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 70-74 Will improve your… Fourth finger strength General fretboard facility Economy and speed The fourth finger on the fretting hand is an often overlooked and under used digit as it feels considerably weaker than fingers 1, 2 and 3. But by focusing and practising with it for a while your smallest digit can quickly become as useful as your favourite fret feelers. It makes sense to employ everything that nature has provided in order to expand on your potential as a guitar player so, if you’re a tad tridactyl, these examples should provide the perfect workout. We…

RELATING TAB TO YOUR FRETBOARD HAND LABELLING Here are the abbreviations used for each finger: Fretting hand: 1, 2, 3, 4, (T) Picking hand: p (thumb), i (first finger), m (second), a (third), c (fourth). NUT & FRETBOARD The fretbox diagram above represents the fretboard exactly, as seen in the accompanying photo. This is for ease of visualising a fretboard scale or chord shape quickly. CHORD EXAMPLE The diagram represents the G chord in the photo. The ‘O’ symbol is an open string, and a circled number is a fretting finger. Intervals are shown below. CHORD EXAMPLE (WITH CAPO) The blue line represents a capo – for this A chord, place it at fret 2. Capos change the fret number ordering – here, the original fret 5 now becomes fret…