Table of contents for July 2016 in Guitar Techniques

SOMETIMES MY MISSING of the obvious astounds even me. This month’s cover feature highlighting the area of the fretboard above the 12th fret – often affectionately known as ‘the dusty end’ – made me realise that I’ve never taken advantage of it. But the frets are so much closer together here that not rethinking one’s approach is mad. Yet that’s precisely what I’ve done; avoided all the things that are clearly impossible: full barre chords etc and simply offered a stripped-down version of what I already do at the bottom. And that’s not me being coolly self-deprecating: I can see the same flaw in many big-name guitarists. Of course, some extremely creative players – Steve Vai and Uli Jon Roth spring to mind – go as far as having special…

“DON’T CHOOSE SOMETHING THAT’S AT THE LIMIT OF YOUR PLAYING ABILITY OR VOCAL RANGE” MARQUEE DE SADE? As someone who’s studied the guitar for some years, with your publication as one of my methods of learning and gaining inspiration, I’m after a bit of advice. Having begun my email with, ‘studied the guitar for years’ you may mistakenly have inferred that I’m quite good. That’s not really true – I’m okay: I know my chords and a few scales and can noodle about accompanying myself on simple songs. My dilemma – no, my terror – is that I’ve got to perform at a relative’s 50th birthday party, being held in a marquee in their garden in July. I acquiesced in a moment of madness but can’t back out now as…

HERE’S A CHALLENGING country rock picking idea, the sort of thing you might hear in Steve Morse’s playing. It’s based on chord tones from a C Major triad (C-E-G) and chromatic approach notes. Each beat of the lick begins with a chord tone that’s followed by another on a different string. This second note is then descended away from, and back up to, chromatically which tension and movement. It involves string skips and fast alternate picking, all of which might need work to master. I have given a suggested fingering and picking scheme. The phrases are notated to start on up-strokes; this might seem a little unusual, but because of the string skips it makes real sense and is a great workout. Use sweep picking if preferred and, as always,…

1 Slow Blues (Bm) Our first track is a slow B minor blues and uses minor chords throughout the progression (Bm-Em-F#m), with the exception of the very last chord of the sequence (F#). Use B minor Pentatonic (B-D-E-F#-A) and B natural minor scale (B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A), as well as B Harmonic minor (B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A#) for those F# chords. 2 Heavy Rock Jam (Dm) This jam is great for getting your classic hard rock shred going! The track stays in the key of D minor throughout and I suggest using D minor Pentatonic scale (D-F-G-A-C), D minor Blues scale (D-F-G-G#-A-C) and the D minor scale (D-E-F-G-A-B b -C). Let the shredding commence! 3 Easy Jazz Jam II-V-I (Am) This extra slow jazz track is based on the standard II-V-I progression in A minor. The…

ABC PHOTO ARCHIVES / GETTY IMAGES MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVE / GETTY IMAGES “ERIC WAS USING HIS 1956 STRAT ‘BROWNIE’ AND ITS DIFFERENT SONIC NATURE LED TO A CHANGE IN HIS STYLE COMPARED TO CREAM” ABILITY RATING Info KeyAmajor Tempo85 bpm CDTRACK 26-33 Will improve your… Bending and vibrato Pentatonic phrasing Blues slide technique Key To The Highway is one of those songs that doesn’t seem to have a definitive origin. It seems to have first been recorded by pianist Charlie Segar in 1940. It was subsequently reinterpreted by blues guitarists like Big Bill Broonzy and Little Walter, eventually falling into a more typical standardised format over the years, like many traditional classics do. The story behind this particular version of the song is an interesting and unusual one. It begins…

“WITH ONE LISTEN TO FANTASIA X, YOU WILL BE ENTHRALLED BY THE ROCK-LIKE CHORD MOVES” ABILITY RATING Info KeyVarious TempoVarious CDTRACKS 34-35 Will improve your… Renaissance repertoire Picking hand alternation and fluency Rhythmic syncopation In this instalment of the classical guitar series we are looking at the earliest work we have tackled so far. It is by the Spanish composer of the Renaissance era – Alonso Mudarra – who lived from around 1510 to 1580 in both Spain and Italy. Mudarra was a prolific composer of songs and instrumental music, particularly for the vihuela (a string instrument with five or six double course strings similar to the guitar) and the four-course guitar. As such, he is generally considered to be the first published composer for the guitar and his work…

DALLE / PHOTOSHOT “A GUY WILL PROMISE YOU THE WORLD AND GIVE YOU NOTHIN’, AND THAT’S THE BLUES”Otis Rush ABILITY RATING Info Key:Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACKS 37-40 Will improve your Classic blues phrasing Authentic Chicago feel Stylistic awareness Born in 1935 in Mississippi, Otis Rush says he used to listen to a radio station every day to get his fix of country and western, blues, John Lee Hooker, spirituals, the Bluegrass Boys and Eddie Arnold. Around 1948 Otis moved north to Chicago and was quickly emerged in the burgeoning blues scene both on the south and west side clubs and bars. He built up a strong reputation as a great singer and guitar slinger and was eventually offered a recording contract with Cobra records. Otis recorded several cuts for Cobra and…

DAVID REDFERN / GETTY IMAGES “I’M CONCERNED ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS MUSICALLY WITH THE BAND. MINE’S A LIGHT SOUND, PERHAPS, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT”Freddie Green ABILITY RATING Info Key:Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACKS 56-72 Will improve your Intelligent use of chord voicings Time-feel and tone Ensemble interaction If anyone in the history of jazz deserves the title of Mr Rhythm, it’s Frederick William Green. Born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1911, he was spotted playing in a New York club by jazz talent scout John Hammond, who recommended him to the Count Basie organisation in 1937. The two men worked together for almost 50 years, from the Golden Age of the big band right up until Basie’s death in 1984, and any time Basie wanted someone who could keep it swinging, he turned…

Harmonise the C Major scale in 3rds and you build Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7, G7, Am7, Bm7 b 5. Clear enough, right? Just to add some confusion in the mix, the Bm7 b 5 chord is also called a B half-diminished. To clarify this situation let’s call the Bm7 b 5 chord half-diminished and a Bdim7 chord fully-diminished. Look at the spelling of these two chords: Bm7 b 5 = R- b 3- b 5 b 7 = B-D-F-A Bdim7 = R- b 3- b 5- bb 7 = B-D-F-A b Both these chords start with a diminished triad (R- b 3- b 5 = B-D-F), then the top note decides the chord type, showing the link between half and full diminished. The Bdim7 chord has A b as a…

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN Buyit Excellent Good Average Binit! Album of the Month ROBIN TROWER WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO Manhaton/V12 Records Robin Trower consistently turns out good albums but every so often one really stands out and Where Are You Going To does that with aplomb! Singing and playing better than ever in our opinion, Trower is full of inspiration and execution on this varied collection of songs. The opening track, When Will The Next Blow Fall sets the mood and the quality of the production is fabulous. A great running order offers a good change of pace from track to track and, of course, features great guitar solos throughout. We particularly like the moody element of Jigsaw, where the Hendrix influence is still very much in evidence, but…

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…

NICK DELANEY “I’M PRETTY SURE WE DON’T WANT MARK KNOPFLER TO BE A BRILLIANT TWO-HANDED TAPPER” What you can’t do... “Practice what you can’t do, not what you can” is advice I’ve received and given over the years, so much so that it felt very wrong to question it. But when I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Stevie Vai a few years ago, he dropped some pearls of wisdom that shook my practice beliefs to the core. What I want to share with you here is some food for thought that I wish someone had shared with me when I started to get serious about guitar. The conventional wisdom of ‘practicing what you can’t do”’ makes perfect sense in many circumstances. If your timing is no good you…

ALLEN JAMES LIPP “JEFF BECK MAKES HIS GUITAR SOUND LIKE A SINGER, AND I DON’T THINK ANYONE DOES IT BETTER” GT:What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you? DP: Being a guitar nut, I can think of nothing better than guitar music being thrusted down my throat for an extended period of time. GT:What can an instrumental provide that a vocal song can’t? DP: Tone! I don’t care who you are singer-wise, nothing can beat a great guitar tone. Guitar instrumentals can take you on a journey that only six strings can. Words don’t get in the way, just melody, harmony and tone. GT: Is there anything with instrumentals that you aim to embrace or avoid – rhythms, harmony, playing approach? DP: Playing approach I embrace. I think…

“PRINCE WAS THE MASTER OF THE ‘LESS IS MORE’ APPROACH” ABILITY RATING Info Key: Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACKS 4-5 Will improve your Funky strumming Timing and feel Rock soloing technique The music world was shocked and saddened to hear of the recent passing of a true music great. Prince (born Prince Robert Nelson) was a musical innovator with a career that spanned five decades. His debut, For You (1978), was the first of 39 studio albums. He was a prolific songwriter, often writing songs for other artists. The GT Prince tribute track features a pastiche of style ideas all played over a funky backing track. Prince was famous for fusing funky, James Brown-style ideas with Hendrix-esque rock riff action and lead solos. Our track follows this template featuring classic funk guitar…

“THE COMBINATION OF SOPHISTICATED PHRASING, CLEVER NOTE CHOICES AND A MODERN SOUNDING, OVERDRIVEN TONE MAKES THIS ONE A ‘MUST STUDY’ PIECE” ABILITY RATING Info Key:D dom & A minor Tempo:135 bpm CD:CD-ROM Will improve your… Switching between tonalities Rock fusion lead work Use of semi-quaver syncopation The difficulty goes up a notch this month with an up-tempo backing track to navigate as we continue our video masterclass series with fusion maestro Brett Garsed. Here we are going to look at how Brett tackles the second of Jason Sidwell’s backing tracks, entitled Slam Bam. The track’s fast tempo is good for establishing improvised lines and rhythmic syncopation. Brett’s home base scale for the one-chord (D7) verse section is D Mixolydian mode (D-E-F#-G-A-B-C). To this scale, various chromatic notes (eg b 5=A…

GT has been leading the way with guitar tuition since the early 90s, with lessons penned by the world’s most knowledgeable tutors. It’s this range and depth that makes us such a great resource for all levels, styles and generations of guitarist. This issue is an excellent example: a fantastically funky appraisal of music legend, Prince; an in-depth examination of that part of the fretboard that terrifies many guitarists – the dusty end; a virtuosic solo from one of the world’s finest fusion guitarists, Brett Garsed; a deep appreciation of some of the loveliest solo jazz-blues playing you’ll ever hear, courtesy of our other guest, Tim Lerch and an arrangement of the exquisite Fantasia X, composed by Alonso Mudarra. And you’re not even halfway through! Here within the Learning Zone…

INTERFOTO / ALAMY “THE COMBINATION OF PERSONAL UPHEAVALS AND A HEDONISTIC LIFESTYLE HAD BEGUN TO TAKE ITS TOLL ON THE BAND MEMBERS” ABILITY RATING Info Key:G major Tempo:130 bpm CD:TRACKS 41-43 Will improve your Rhythm and groove Mixolydian phrasing Psychedelic rock feel Jefferson Airplane formed in 1965 in San Francisco and became pioneers of the psychedelic rock movement. They headlined some of the greatest festivals in history, including Woodstock, Monterey and the Isle Of Wight; their songs feature in Rolling Stone’s top 500 ‘most influential’ list and their album Surrealistic Pillow was highly influential in the psychedelic movement. They have also been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. The classic line-up featured Marty Balin and Grace Slick on…

BRAM / LFI / PHOTOSHOT “EVA’S GUITAR STYLE WAS SOPHISTICATED AND SERVED A FAR GREATER PURPOSE THAN MERELY ACCOMPANYING HER AMAZING VOCALS” ABILITY RATING Info Key:G major Tempo:91 bpm CD:TRACK 73 Will improve your Rhythmic fingerpicking Jazz-influenced chords Embellishing melody figures Since her tragic death from skin cancer back in 1996, Eva Cassidy has attained legendary status within the world of the singer-songwriter. Like our other recent acoustic column star, Jeff Buckley, Eva was taken from us before she had really found mainstream fame. She had been popular in her native Washington State for many years and had worked as a professional musician since the early 1980s. It wasn’t until the early 2000s though, and some years after her tragic death, that the compilation album Songbird really caught people’s ears…

“WITH THE MIDDLE TWO STRINGS WE HAVE THE OPTION OF BENDING IN AN UPWARD OR DOWNWARD DIRECTION TO CHANGE PITCH” ABILITY RATING Info Key:Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACKS 89-98 Will improve your First finger strength Hand to ear co-ordination General accuracy and control In our previous visits to the Woodshed, we looked at bending strings with all four of our fingers. We made sure that the forearm muscles took the strain and not the fingers themselves, so as not to cause pain and even injury. Then, last month, we took those same skills and applied them to vibrato. Today we return to string bends, but focusing solely on the first finger. The first finger requires a bit of dedicated practice time as it often feel quite weakest and tricky to control. Proper…

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 (firstfinger), 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 3,…

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…

PRS CONTINUES THE QUEST for Piezo equipped perfection with its P245 semi-hollow Singlecut guitar. With a mahogany and figured maple carved top and a bound rosewood fingerboard with bird inlays it offers the company’s usual quality, and with a pair of their new 58/15 humbuckers and that piezo it delivers equally as well on sound. BAD YEAR FOR BASS PLAYERS AS Chris Squire, Andy Fraser, Trevor Ward-Davies (aka Dozy), Lemmy and Mike Porcaro take their leave. Also gone are guitarists BB King, John Renbourn, Eddie Hardin (Spencer Davis Group), Slim Richey, Jeff Golub and pedal steel player Buddy Emmons. Drummers Bruce Rowland (Fairport Convention), Mac Poole (Warhorse) and John Bradbury (The Specials) and vocalists Cilla Black, Steve Strange, Errol Brown (Hot Chocolate), Twinkle, Joy Beverley (Beverley Sisters), Jim Diamond, Percy…

“THE ADVANTAGES TO THE UPPER POSITIONS INCLUDE EASIER WIDE STRETCHES, ENHANCED BENDING AND NOTES CUTTING THROUGH” TIM MOSENFELDER / GETTY IMAGES “ON THE FIRST STRING I CAN REACH FROM THE 5TH FRET TO THE 12TH. FROM THE 12TH FRET I CAN HIT ANY NOTE ON THE FINGERBOARD ABOVE” Edward Van Halen ABILITY RATING Info KeyVarious TempoVarious CDTRACKS 6-25 Will improve your… Clarity of execution Dexterity Range Playing guitar in the upper register higher octave can be an exciting experience for both audience and performer. There’s a wonderfully romantic and iconic imagery associated with the lead guitar player, head back, foot on the monitor wailing away up at the highest fret locations. Using the extreme ranges of the fretboard is not without its challenges, so the purpose of this article…

“IDEALLY, YOU’LL HAVE WORKED THROUGH LAST MONTH’S PART 1, AS YOU’LL WANT TO BE FAMILIAR WITH THE 12-BAR FORM” ABILITY RATING Info Key:Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACK CD-ROM Will improve your… Harmonics of all types Jazz-blues comping Using approach chords Welcome to our second masterclass with Seattle’s superb jazz-blues guitarist and educator, Tim Lerch. Tim presents concepts that are highly sophisticated but also clear and usable; somewhat rare in the world of jazz harmony. Ideally, you will have worked through last month’s part 1; if not, I recommend you do as it’s an excellent introduction to jazz-blues guitar, and you’ll want to be familiar with the 12-bar jazz-blues form for lesson 2. There are many variations, but here Tim pretty much sticks to this skeleton (Figure 1). If you glance at Example…

Pat Heath of BIMM Brighton brings you another fine selection of fresh licks to learn at ‘no trouble’, ‘hmmm’ and ‘yikes!’ levels. EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 RICHIE SAMBORA CD TRACK 36 Sambora is a seasoned electric and acoustic guitar player and this example can be applied to either. Pick the country-esque chord pattern with a steady arpeggiated technique, while maintaining close attention to steady timing. EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 BRIAN MAY CD TRACK 36 This is a Major scale ascending lick that involves a controlled down-pick using pinch harmonics. Catch the string with your thumb almost simultaneously as you down-pick: the pick provides the note and the thumb’s flesh generates the pinch harmonic. Use distortion and your bridge pick-up. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE 3 BB KING CD TRACK 36 Use small,…

LIVEPIX “THE CLASSIC LINE-UP CAME TOGETHER WHEN THE GUITAR DUO ROBBIN CROSBY AND WARREN DI MARTINI BEGAN THEIR PARTNERSHIP” ABILITY RATING Info Key:Various Tempo:Various CD:TRACKS 44-55 Will improve your Rhythm and time keeping Note choice and creativity Rock lead techniques Ratt was one of the 1980s’ most hard rocking glam-metal acts. They still exist today in some form; albeit with the predictable disputes and wrangles. Surprisingly, Ratt’s beginnings were in the mid 70s and they had a revolving door of members, including future Ozzy Osbourne axe-man Jake E Lee, but the classic lineup came together in 1982 when the guitar duo Robbin Crosby and Warren DeMartini began their partnership. Both were important songwriters penning classics such as Round And Round, Lay It Down and Body Talk; all big commercial successes…

DAVID LYTTLETON “IT’S NOT IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE NAME OF EACH TRIAD WHEN YOU IMPROVISE. INSTEAD, RECOGNISE THE SHAPES WITHIN EACH SCALE” ABILITY RATING Info Key:A (A7) Tempo:120 bpm CD:TRACKS 74-76 Will improve your Use of triads within scales Execution of triads on the guitar Development of triad-based lines In our recent mini-series we combined the minor Blues scale with Mixolydian over a dominant chord. In the next few lessons we are going to explore Mixolydian in greater depth, starting with triads. Triads are the primary colours of western music, and developing the ability to extract them from a scale and play each note as part of a single-note line will help to give your playing a fusion-like sophistication. Many self-taught players use a ‘linear’ approach comprising ‘steps’ (intervals of…

JUNE GT257 FABULOUS CHORDS! Instant inspiration from our cover feature, Fabulous Chords! Learn new shapes, get great music ammo and compose a classic. Plus, Steely Dan’s Don’t Take Me Alive tabbed and studies in Mike Bloomfield, Blue Öyster Cult, Wes Montgomery and Ben Harper. 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…

TRANSCRIPTION GASPER SANZ Canarios Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes a Baroque gem from the Aragonese composer and guitarist. VIDEO MASTERCLASS #2 ROCK SOLOING With Brett Garsed Brett uses his Gibson SG for some classical-tinged emotive rock soloing over a track called Beyond The Void. VIDEO MASTERCLASS #1 SOLO JAZZ-BLUES With Tim Lerch The final instalment in a wonderful series of masterclasses in solo jazz-blues from a genuine guitar wizard! Using the altered scale... EXOTIC BLUES! Inject some sophistication in your playing with the altered scale. John Wheatcroft showcases iconic guitarists and how to use it in passing chords, arpeggio and scale soloing. MORE GREAT LESSONS Lonnie Mack Influential blues-rock pioneer Hotei Japanese rocker with a unique perspective John Mayer American pin up and blues megastar Al Di Meola Exquisite jazz…