Table of contents for April 2020 in Guitar Techniques

JOSEPH ALEXANDER After stints at Guitar Institute and Leeds College, Joseph launched Fundamental Changes. He’s since published over 40 tuition books and sold 350,000 plus . 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. MARTIN GOULDING One of the world’s foremost rock and metal guitarists, Martin teaches for dime-online.org and has written for many…

Go to www.pocketmags.com, search for Guitar Techniques to purchase a single issue for just £3.99; or subscribe and enjoy GT with audio and animated tab on any device! * PLEASE NOTE: Only the Apple and Pocketmags version contains interactive tab and audio. Zinio and others do not. DISC AUDIO (PRINT VERSION ONLY) Sometimes the GT CD features some of the backing tracks as mp3 files due to space. These will be found in a folder on the CD-ROM section of the disc, accessible only via a computer, and will not work in a regular CD player.…

GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals? GG: Well, I like The Ventures and The Shadows, but beyond that I’m not sure that purely guitar instrumentals appeal to me all that much. It’s more about the quality and feel of the music for me, rather than what instrument plays it. But, having said that, I love the sound of guitars! GT: What can an instrumental piece provide a listener that a vocal song can’t? GG: I suppose instruments could provide faster phrasing, whereas vocals might not, but they can contribute a more emotional connection to the listener perhaps. Instrumentals can also give the listener more freedom in imaginative interpretation than the literary suggestions of the vocals. GT: Are there any tendencies with instrumentals that you aim to embrace…

FENDER INRODUCES THE DELUXE Toronado spawned from the first original Fender design to originate from the firm’s Mexican plant. The Toronado’s popularity has led to a US-built model. The body is like a reduced Jazzmaster loaded with a pair of humbucking pickups with individual volume and tone controls plus a three-way selector switch. It has a hardtail and separate bridge and you can have it with two single-coil pickups if you prefer but the price is the same. THE US AND ALLIED FORCES INVADE IRAQ, take control of Baghdad and end the regime of Saddam Hussein; a record number of tornados develop over America with 393 reported in 19 states; in orbit the three-month Hubble Ultra-Deep Field project begins concentrating on a small region of space in the Fornax constellation…

The Mixolydian mode dates back to around 700BC and the music of the ancient Greeks. In its modern day form Mixolydian is the perfect scale or mode for creating beautiful melodies, lush chords and harmonically sophisticated solos. But what exactly is the Mixolydian mode and where does it come from? The starting point for any Major mode is the Major scale itself. Ascend one octave from C to C (corresponding to the white keys on a piano) and you will produce the familiar sound of the C Major scale (the ‘do-re-me-faso-la-ti-do’ scale). But what if you were to ascend an octave, still using the notes of the C Major scale, but this time starting and ending on a different note? This results in a different structure of tones and semitones…

In the video lesson, Chris explores the idea of discovering more about the fretboard both from the point of view of melody – using a mix of Major and Minor scales – and harmonically, using a chord style inspired by Jimi Hendrix. Alas, we only had enough room to tab out some of the many ideas on the video, but these are the key moments that will give you a few ideas to work on when you practise. As usual, the advice here is to take things slowly – especially Example 5, which might contain ideas that are unfamiliar to you. But, as we always like to say, patient, persistent practice will soon unlock new levels of creativity! EXAMPLE 1 FRETBOARD ORIENTIERING CD TRACK 30 In this first example, Chris…

In this latest issue, we return to a wonderful work by the operatic composer Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787). Gluck was born in Bavaria, and was urged to follow his father’s profession of forester. Thankfully for the development of Western music, Gluck resisted this and left home in his early teens, moving to Prague and supporting himself with his prodigious talent as a church musician while continuing music education. HERITAGE IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES He moved to Vienna in his early 20s, finding the necessary studies and network of people to develop what would be an illustrious international career as an opera composer. Gluck’s bold, dramatic style revealed itself through a staggering 49 operas, which transformed and reinvigorated both the Italian and French operatic traditions. “CHRISTOPHER GLUCK’S COMPOSITIONAL SPIRIT CAN BE…

EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 KIM THAYIL CD TRACK 47 This example is based on Kim Thayil of Soundgarden’s 90s grunge vibe using open chord shapes, steady picking and an exaggerated chorus effect. EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 MATT MITCHELL CD TRACK 48 Matt and his band The Coldhearts’rhythmical acoustic style using Am-C shape chords picking open strings and using hammer-ons between the bass notes. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE 3 PAUL KOSSOFF CD TRACK 49 Paul was a master riffer and great melodic soloist. Use slides and hammer-ons to accentuate this open-string example using a loud but undistorted rock tone. INTERMEDIATE LICKS EXAMPLE 4 REB BEACH CD TRACK 50 This example requires close muting at the bridge on the fourth string and a‘bounce’on and off a 4th interval on the third and second…

HIROYUKI ITO / GETTY IMAGES A single note in isolation has limited value and weight. It’s neither sad nor happy, colourful or dissonant. Only when used in combination with other notes do relationships reveal themselves. While a C note by itself might suggest a tonality of C, place an A underneath and we’ll begin to hear and sense an A Minor tonality. Change A to A b and A b Major begins to emerge. The way that we attribute value to notes, 3rds, b 7ths, 4ths and so on, is by measuring these relationships, counting the distance between the floor and the ceiling, from lowest to highest note; and we quantify this distance in relationship with the Major scale. Most traditional harmony is taught in this way, starting with the…

In this lesson, we’re looking at another solo study that utilises various Pentatonic scales that reside within the Mixolydian mode. We’re going to focus on those that stem from the 6th note of each Mixolydian scale. Remember, the purpose of trying to extract Pentatonic (five-note) scales from a seven-note scale, is to provide us with fresh musical perspectives. These not only sound different, but make us play in a different way too. When extracting any Pentatonic scale one could simply choose to systematically omit two notes from that parental scale. For example, by leaving out the 2nd and 4th degrees of Mixolydian we get a m7 b 9 arpeggio when viewed from the perspective of the 6th note. A Mixolydian –F#m7 b 9 arpeggio –But, by putting all five notes…

A COUPLE OF months ago I mentioned that GT’s digital edition, which previously was only available to Apple iPad users, is now on www.pocketmags.com and can be viewed on pretty much all devices and platforms. So, tablets, desktops, laptops; and on Mac, PC, Android... you name it. Well, recently Google Play has decided to stop publishing digital magazines (theirs didn’t have audio and animated tab anyway), so our own subscriptions website at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk now routes people to Pocketmags. This means if you buy a digital edition direct from us you get the full working version with audio, etc. Many readers like to take advantage of ‘bundle’ deals where you get both print and digital versions at a special price. This means you can interact with GT pretty much wherever you…

I’m a bit of a dinosaur in the online teaching game, been around since the beginnings of online education and seen a lot of changes. Technology has grown incredibly fast and the quality of work and amount of people providing content is staggering. But one thing didn’t change – and that is that we’re human. I’m pretty well connected in the scene and personally know many of the people teaching and performing online. But I’m noticing a worrying trend of depression, self-doubt and anxiety among my peers – and a lot of it is caused by many thoughtless comments on YouTube videos and in social media, people sharing their opinion in ways that very few would dare to do face-to-face. Perhaps people have forgotten that behind a video or social…

We’ve included fretboxes for the A Mixolydian mode in the five CAGED shapes, so give yourself time to work through these thoroughly before you start the lesson. Even if you know them already it’s well worth taking time out for a bit of revision. This is a dominant mode so why not set up an A7 vamp (or just a sustained chord) using a loop pedal (or get a mate to play it for you on guitar or piano). This will allow you to hear how each note works against the chord and allow your ear to develop as you practise. Remember also that practising the A7 arpeggio alongside the mode will enable you to identify the chord tones, an invaluable skill if you’re serious about improvising.…

D NARDACCI This month we are delighted to have yet another chance to study with and learn from Italian fusion wizard, Rocco Zifarelli. This time we are looking at a very harmonically challenging piece by Jason Sidwell; Fortitude. The first thing to note is the piece has a 6/8 time signature. There are moments though where you could feel it as 3/4 time. The tempo here is 180bpm for each of the six quaver pulses so it’s well worth having a fretboard roadmap established prior to setting sail on a freeform-improvised solo. As Rocco explains, the track has a lot of different chords and many of them are from different keys, so it’s not possible to navigate the song with just one or two scales. In fact trying to improvise…

Alternating the picking-hand fingers is an integral part of classical guitar playing and it is essential for a proficient and fluent technique. If you play with a habit of repeating one finger or if you don’t pay attention to your alternation it will be worth addressing. Try practising a simple one-octave scale on the top three strings with the combinations: i m, m i, a m, m a, i a, a i. Practising this in both rest stroke and free stroke regularly (even for a few minutes) with the best tone you can muster will hugely benefit your technique.…

The blues is at the root of modern rock, pop and jazz and became popular on the guitar around the turn of the 20th century. Artists who popularised early blues guitar include Lead Belly, ‘Mississippi’ Fred McDowell, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake and Charley Patton. These players were among the first to record and preserve the tradition of early acoustic blues. While the music of these players varied, there were certain things that linked their styles and approaches. The first and most obvious factor was that they intricately wove chords, bass lines, and single line soloing into one cohesive piece of music. Fingerstyle blues can often sound like two, or even three guitars are playing at the same time. As modern guitarists, learning to play acoustic blues guitar in this…

Welcome to this month’s column on fretboard fluency, the sixth part in our series on the Harmonic Minor scale: R-2- b 3-4-5- b 6-7. 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 Over the course of the series, we’ve looked at the five A Harmonic Minor shapes based around the CAGED system, as well as the harmonised scale which consists of a family of seven diatonic chords, arpeggios and modes. Last month, we started a mini series focusing on the fifth and most commonly used mode – Phrygian Dominant. This mode consists of the formula: R- b 2-3-4-5- b 6- b 7 and is commonly applied over…

Album of the Month JAMES TAYLOR AMERICAN STANDARD Fantasy It’s uncanny how some of the greatest artists from the rock and pop world are compelled to release an album of show tunes at some point. Some work majestically where others fail, but we have to admit James Taylor was the last person we would have expected to follow this particular course. Butthis is no Sinatra-esque croon-along complete with Nelson Riddle strings; quite the opposite, in fact. These are some of the greatest of the Great American Songbook canon, reimagined for acoustic guitar and JT’s stellar band that includes Steve Gadd (drums), Jimmy Johnson (bass), Larry Goldings (keyboards) plus Jerry Douglas (dobro) and Stuart Duncan (fiddle). It’s a clever turnabout, presenting the classics in a fresh, acoustic-led setting, where songs like…

MORE OF THE WORLD’S BEST LESSONS… FEATURE #2 VIDEO MOLLY TUTTLE Bluegrass picking masterclass Molly Tuttle is astounding! Her acoustic bluegrass fingerpicking is something to behold. Molly shows us how she does it. CLASSICAL TAB VIDEO JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Violin Sonata 2, Andante Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes another great work from the German genius composer. FEATURE #3 VIDEO ROCCO ZIFARELLI The Return Of Johnny F... Ennio Morricone’s brilliant guitarist plays and explains his superb solo over an original Jason Sidwell track. TECHNIQUE & THEORY GREAT STUFF TO LEARN Altered and Mixolydian scales Play the ‘outside’ sounding Altered scale for some cool fusion ideas; and learn a Mixolydian Pentatonic solo with Shaun. MORE GREAT LESSONS 30-Minute Lickbag Six more nice new licks to try John Mayer His…

Try GT’s digital edition on PC, Mac, Laptop, Desktop or Tablet! 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 two the relevant articles. Any web and email links in the text are tappable too Animated tab & audio All the ’s main lessons have mag 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.…

Tis the Saturday before the Saturday before Christmas. The alarm goes off at 6am. I resist the temptation to throw the thing at the cat, Bill Murray/Groundhog Day style. Mainly because I no longer possess one. Sadly, Fenda passed on to the great gig in the sky some years ago. It’s cold, dark and wet. And not much better outside. I dress quickly if inaccurately, chuck a mug of organic, free trade, on-message caffeine at my face and stumble into the night. The saving grace is that I’ve prepared all my gear and stage wear the previous evening, thus reducing the chances of mishap and delay. It’s now 6.30am and to no one’s surprise, the M1 is already replete with happy, lobotomised folk going about their Yuletide business. Surely they…

➊ Slow Blues Jam (Ab) We start with a slow blues in A b . It’s a slightly unusual key for a guitarist, but not if you’re tuned down a semitone, Hendrix-style of course. Mixing A b Minor Pentatonic (A b -B-D b -E b -G b ) and A b Major Pentatonic (A b -B b -C-E b -F) is a great place to start. ➋ Epic Atmospheric Jam (Am) Here’s a simple atmospheric jam in A Minor. A Minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) and A Minor scale (A-B-C-D-E-F-G) will both work well, but really focus on your time-keeping. Sometimes playing with tracks as slow and sparse as this can really expose our clarity of phrasing – or lack thereof. ➌ F Minor Jazz-Blues Here we have a jazz-blues in the…

The above was the case with Chris Buck, whose soulful bluesy Strat tones ripple tonefully throughout his band Buck & Evans’ debut album, Write A Better Day. The album is causing a stir, with singles receiving A-list play on radio and live dates creating a buzz at venues across Europe. He’s even got his own set of signature Strat pups from Radioshop Pickups and we hear that they’re the company’s top-seller. He’s still in his 20s, and Chris’s reason for starting to play guitar is laced with juvenile cunning. “I guess I’d have been about 12 or 13 when I started and, hand on heart, it was an excuse to get out of maths lessons in school, because I realised the guitar slots coincided with my maths lessons,” he tells…

GARY MILLER / GETTY IMAGES The Black Crowes formed in 1984, and released their debut album Shake Your Money Maker in 1990. The band has had numerous line-up changes over the years, but has always been built around the Robinson brothers, Rich on guitar and vocalist Chris. The band took influence from fellow Georgians REM, plus southern rock acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd, with a healthy nod towards The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. After turning down initial record label offers, the Crowes eventually signed to A&M, and went into the studio with producer George Drakoulias to record the debut album. By the time Shake Your Money Maker had run its course, it had sold more than five million units, and the band recently announced a 2020 tour to celebrate its 30th…