Innehållsförteckning för January 2023 från Guitar Techniques

Istill can’t recall who said it to me, or why they said it. But it had a huge impact on me, and changed my whole perspective and trajectory: “All that great guitar playing is worthless without a great song to put it in”. Boom! Suddenly I started hearing things differently and was able to look at the big picture and well as the minutiae. The song. The thing we relate to. When I thought of all the amazing guitarists I loved they were all playing GREAT SONGS. It wasn’t just about the guitar. Time for a rethink. So I started writing songs. I knew they were not great but I assumed it would take effort, study and practice to get better at it. And because I learned guitar by listening…

➊ Slow Blues (A) We start with a simple slow Blues in A, where A Minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) and A Major Pentatonic (A-B-C#-E-F#) scale are great places to begin. Dig in! ➋ Dusty Funk Jam (E) This jam is a simple groove in E. You can go ‘Major’ on it and use E Major Pentatonic (E-F#-G#-B-C#), but you can also get some great vibes out of using E Minor Pentatonic (E-G-A-B-D) and bringing out the bluesier fills. ➌ G Phrygian Blues Jam Here’s a fun G Phrygian chord vamp (Gm-Abmaj7) on a bluesy shuffle. Use G Phrygian mode (G-Ab-Bb-C-D-Eb-F), G Minor Pentatonic (G-Bb-C-D-F) and G Minor Blues scale (G-Bb-C-Db-D-F) to get started. This is track 9 from Quist’s brand new jam album The Sexy Series, Vol. 4. ➍ Sweet Groove…

This issue we are delighted to welcome the stunning David Grissom into the fray. David has treated us to an exciting and melodic performance backed up with a super in-depth video lesson. David’s solo is over Jason’s No Muss, No Fuss, a driving Eagles-style ‘Americana’ rock track that modulates through several keys. The track is in 4/4 time and clocks in at 120bpm, a great tempo for David to let rip with some superb country-rock soloing. David started this process by listening to the track and deciding on the most musical way to navigate the form. The track starts with a descending chromatic low riff that he doubles to create an intense effect, although he points out later in his lesson that chromatic augmented chords could have worked well too…

Joe Diorio was a staggering jazz guitar player who for well over 50 years enjoyed a successful career, with worldwide renown, as both a performer and educator. He played and recorded with jazz heavyweights such as Sonny Stitt, Eddie Harris, Stan Getz and Freddie Hubbard, participated in fruitful collaborations with guitarists such as Pat Metheny, Robben Ford and Mick Goodrick, and was one of founding tutors that created the now legendary Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Hollywood, alongside legendary performer and educators, Howard Roberts and Tommy Tedesco. TECHNIQUE FOCUS Rolling fingers and crossing strings It’s easy to see 4ths on the guitar, given that in regular tuning all the strings are a 4th apart with just one exception (G-B = Maj 3rd).While this positional logic can be beneficial, the…

Few guitarists are so synonymous with the wider culture as this month’s pick. Slash is one of the most iconic rock stars the world has ever seen. Emerging in the late 80s from LA’s hard rock scene, Slash, and his band mates in Gun ‘N Roses, defined rock and roll for a whole generation. Post EVH in the late 70s and early 80s, the rock world had become dominated by the ‘glam’ movement, with huge hair, dive bombs and trying to play things as fast as possible. It might even be argued that rock was losing its attitude and had become a tad, well, let’s say cheesy. Enter Guns N’ Roses who, almost overnight, re-injected that missing badass attitude and gravitas to the world of rock. A perfect blend of…

Four-time Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett was born in Houston, Texas on November 1st, 1957. Lovett actually came to prominence in the UK in the early 1990s, sadly more for his marriage to film star Julia Roberts than his music. Lovett started his career on the Texas folk scene and by 1986 he had signed a deal with MCA records. While known primarily as a country singer, listen to any of his albums and you will hear a fantastic, diverse range of styles – there is western swing, jazz, bluegrass, gospel and much more. He is also a great guitarist, adept at creating parts to accompany his vocals with a solid, fingerpicking style often featuring a capo high up the neck, which gives his guitars a bright, rich sound.…

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. DECLAN ZAPALA Declan is one of the UK’s top classical guitarists and teachers. He is a Master graduateofRCM andhissolo 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 A tutor 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 a well studied guitarist who specialisesinhighendrockplaying and plays with top UK metal-fusion band Haken. His debut album is…

TO AVOID an insane number of permutations we’re again going to work within the C Major scale, using only perfect 4ths (not the augmented 4th between F and B) and we’re using the same ‘before’ chord progression as last time. You can of course apply your own rules – restrictions like this are a fertile source of creativity. There may be similarities to the chords you generate using 5ths, as 4ths and 5ths are closely related (C-G is a 5th; G-C is a 4th). However, the fretboard layout of the guitar means not every combination of either interval will be playable. BY STACKING two 4th intervals with a Whole Tone between them (C-F and G-C) we get sus2 chords. There’s no strict pattern to how we’ve replaced‘vanilla’ chords with new…

GT What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you? MT: When you write a guitar instrumental, it really has to be a very emotive kind of musical approach - you're replacing the emotion that a human vocal brings. So it has to be more in depth as far as the melody goes that you bring into the instrumental, and also there's lots of space for lead guitar in there. We did an instrumental song called Ahavo Rabo Taco Salad - it was a lot of work putting that together, but it was also a great challenge. GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can't? MT: It could provide a lot of imagination to what you know. I think it really lets you look…

GT:You have a broad vocabulary that encompasses rock, country and blues.What elements in those genres do you favour most? DG: For me it all starts with blues. The vocal quality of playing with areas like vibrato, bending using in-between notes, and phrasing to emulate the expressive sound of a great singer. From country I have definitely appropriated pedal steel bends and use them in all styles and modes. While country pedal steel double-stop playing centres in the Mixolydian mode, I use these techniques in every tonality. I am really influenced by the rhythm playing of Pete Townshend, Paul Kossoff, and Malcolm Young by using chords with no 3rds. I use this ‘no 3rd’ voicing concept quite often in all styles. GT: How did you develop your hybrid picking and for…

This month we return to the technical treasure trove that is the 25 Progressive Studies (Opus 60) by Florentine composer Matteo Carcassi. In issue GT331 we explored Study No.1 which improved our confidence in dealing with a continuous scale-based melody. This month we explore Study No.23; equally fiery but with the addition of melodies based around descending slurs and complex cross-string arpeggiation. The relative complexity within each two-bar phrase means that every pair of bars can almost be treated as its own ‘sub-etude’ when learning. Its structure is ABCA so once small phrases are comfortable the three main sections can be practised separately. It is always useful to have a practice strategy when picking up a new piece, and mastering the material in this order will see you make swift…

On the surface the collaboration between ex-Poison and Winery Dogs guitarist Richie Kotzen and Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith is one of the more surprising ones of recent years. However, they are united by a shared love of classic rock, having grown up listening to bands such as Deep Purple and Kiss. They both sing on records and on tour, and the live band is completed by Kotzen’s wife Julia Lage on bass and drummer Bruno Valverde. Although the debut album is built on classic rock, there are R&B, blues and soul elements here, and even moments that lean towards jazz-fusion. The pair began writing together remotely in 2019, then recorded and self-produced the album on the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos. They were joined in the studio by Nicko…

This issue’s column is based around the use of triplet quavers (eighth notes) and sextuplet semiquavers (16th notes). Our inspiration is the great German rock guitarist Michael Schenker. While Schenker’s style has something of a classical influence, predating Yngwie Malmsteen by quite a few years, he was influenced by Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Johnny Winter among others. This explains the bluesy element heard in his playing. He is a fluid improviser and his picking and legato technique were hugely influential from the mid 1970s on. The lines that I’ve written for this lesson draw on several different types of harmony - the Aeolian mode, Mixolydian mode, the Blues scale and even the Phrygian Dominant. Phrygian Dominant can in many contexts sound like it’s come from classical music but also…

FEATURE VIDEO #1 JOEL HOEKSTRA Excalibur Joel is an extraordinary player with monster chops. Learn his eight-finger tapping solo for this new track! FEATURE VIDEO #2 EMILIO SAMPAIO Five Playing Examples This award-winning Brazilian multiinstrumentalist has five superb solo jazz-style examples for you to enjoy. CLASSICAL VIDEO TRADITIONAL Greensleeves Although often attributed it’s unlikely that Henry VIII wrote it. What’s certain is Declan Zapala tabs it beautifully! FEATURE THE CROSSROADS George Benson’s Blues John Wheatcroft demonstrates that Benson’s superb jazz lines are heavily tinged with blues. Three studies in the style of the legend... HANK MARVIN! In the late 50s and early 60s The Shadows captured the hearts of every teenage boy. Starved of their ‘own’ music The Shads filled the void with a string of wonderful instrumentals. Jon Bishop…

GT: Do you have a type of guitar pick that y ou just can’t live without - make, gauge and why? BD: Herco Flex 50. Why not? GT: If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be, and why? BD: Overdrive and two delays, because they are the most essential. GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to do so in a band? If so what, and have you ever done it? BD: NO! GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it? BD: NO! GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours? BD: I’m sure they do, but I’d have to ask a guitar tech why. GT: What kind of action height…

Having been in 'Show Biz' all day, I feel the need to dispel the popular myth that studio dates represent the ultimate path to perfecting your musicianship, plying your trade and impressing the girls. In fact, one can learn a maximum of two things on any given session, excluding the size of the fee and the location of the facilities. Namely, the necessity to play in tune and in time. Okay, I’ll sweeten the deal if you insist and throw in the need to own gear that doesn’t rattle and hum or die prematurely on contact with a red light. And, er…that’s it. The reality is that you’re there to contribute the knowledge and experience that you’ve gleaned elsewhere after suffering for your art at the sharp end of the…

The British folk scene of the 1960s and 70s is sometimes maligned, but dig in and you’ll find some of the most creative and awe-inspiring guitar playing of those decades. For sure the musicianship and guitar abilities uncover hard-hitting riffs, odd-time signatures, ornate single-line playing, altered tunings and deft fingerpicking. TECHNIQUE FOCUS Odd-time signatures As its mane suggests folk-rock can encompass techniques from both camps and often features challenging examples of those techniques. From fingerpicking to lead licks, altered tunings to oddtime signatures there is much to get to grips with. Odd-time signatures are a useful thing to focus on within the folk-rock idiom.They can seem daunting but remember that time signatures like 5/4 and 7/4 are easily broken down into groups of two and three beats – all you…

In this month’s second video masterclass Shane Theriot demonstrates his phenomenal New Orleans style funk chops in a series of five exercises. Hailing from Louisiana, not far from new Orleans itself, Theriot is a master guitarist, instructor and producer. A graduate of GIT in Los Angeles he has worked with many A-list artists, including The Neville Brothers, Hall & Oates, Boz Scaggs, Willie Nelson and many more, and is Musical Director of the hit TV show, Live From Daryl’s House, with Daryl Hall. Theriot has also produced several instructional books, such as New Orleans Funk Guitar Styles, written for GT’s sister magazine Guitar Player, and recorded original albums under his own name, including Still Motion (2017), Dirty Power (2009), and The Grease Factor (2003). The classic New Orleans style funk…

EXAMPLE 1 FREDDIE STONE This Sly & The Family Stone styled riff uses the E Blues scale and includes short, repetitive phrases. Let the rests last for their full duration, as this creates space for the saxophone phrases. Bring the shorter notes to an abrupt stop by relaxing the fretting fingers after the notes have sounded. To get the tone, use your middle pickup, set your amp to clean, and add a touch of reverb. Consider a compressor to smooth out the dynamic range. EXAMPLE 2 IKE TURNER This sequence uses a repeated figure over a 12-bar blues in G. Use downstrokes to add energy and authority to your notes. Ike often used the whammy bar for vibrato as it allows for a wide, expressive delivery. If you don’t have…

NEVER MISS ANOTHER ISSUE Time to subscribe! NOVEMBER GT341 MARK KNOPFLER Learn five rhythm and lead styles that make him unique. Steve Morse and Brett Garsed video masterclasses; exclusive tutorial lessons from two masters. Plus: Michael Schenker, Earl Hooker, Scott Henderson, Glen Campbell. NOVEMBER GT340 BRITISH BLUES EXPLOSION! Learn how five British guitarists took influence from the blues greats they so admired, and sold it back to America where it sparked a music revolution. PLus: Tim Lerch video; Eric Johnson, Guthrie Govan, Chili Peppers & more! OCTOBER GT339 ACOUSTIC TURBO BOOST! Our 8 acoustic legends video will push your picking to new heights! Plus: video masterclass with Andy Timmons. Also: John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola & Paco De Lucia; Knopfler, Petrucci, Page, Gibbons; Weiss’s Fantasie - & much more! SEPTEMBER…

Alternate picking is a technique that every guitarist will encounter. From beginners to pros alike, a solid alternate picking technique is a must-have in your arsenal of techniques. There are a number of guitarists who are well known for their dexterity when alternate picking, such as Paul Gilbert, Al Di Meola, Pat Martino, Molly Tuttle, Albert Lee, Barney Kessel, and Steve Morse. So, it’s present in pretty much every genre, from rock and metal, to country, jazz, fusion and bluegrass. Fast alternate picking is articulate and percussive and there’s a machine gun-like quality to it, unlike the smoother sound of legato slurs. Therefore, this technique is favoured by players in rock and metal styles where a strong and defined sound is required. It’s also the only way to play fast…