the finest guitar lessons on the planet 241 APRIL 2015
20 YEARS OF THE FINEST GUITAR LESSONS
exclusive lesson!
Playing with
Fingers Ditch your pick and join a host of great guitarists that have turned on to Flesh Tone!
plus... Theory questions answered, learn to read music, give your chops a workout, & more! CLASSICAL
MOZART
your ultimate...
COUNTRY WORKOUT
Play Eine Kleine Nachtmusik for solo guitar
Get your country rhythm, lead and hybrid picking chops up to speed with our comprehensive feature
PLay like
classic tabbed!
THE WHO Baba O’Riley Learn a classic from Who’s Next - plus Paul Gilbert’s Mr Big guitar intro tabbed!
PAUL WELLER
His mellow acoustic side
BRAD PAISLEY
Scary country-blues licks!
GEORGE HARRISON Post-Beatles era including slide
THE SMALL FACES
Steve Marriott’s bluesy R&B style
ISSUE 241 april 2015
Just some of your regular GT technique experts... Shaun Baxter
One of the UK’s most respected music educators, Shaun has taught many who are now top tutors. His album Jazz Metal was hailed as 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!
pete callard
Pete’s credits include Lionel Richie, Gary Barlow, Annie Lennox and Shpongle. He can be seen and heard on numerous tv shows, recordings and film soundtracks.
Phil Capone
Phil is a great guitarist who specialises in blues and jazz. He teaches at ICMP in London, writes for GT and Total Guitar and has published 10 top tuition books.
charlie griffiths
Guitar Institute tutor Charlie first came to fame in Total Guitar’s Challenge Charlie series. He’s also one of the UK’s top rock, metal and fusion guitarists.
phil hilborne
The UK’s original magazine guitar tutor, Phil’s something of a legend. A great player, he regularly plays guitar in the Queen musical, We Will Rock You.
pat heath
BIMM Brighton lecturer, ESP product demonstrator and all-round busy musician, Pat brings you six cool licks each month in 30-Minute Lickbag.
bridget mermikides
Guildhall and Royal Academy trained, Bridget is a Royal College of Music, examiner, a respected classical player and award-winning blues guitarist.
the
finest
guitar tuition you can buy !
Welcome WHEN I LEARNT to play lead I had a cheap acoustic and I’d often lose my only plectrum and have to resort to fingers. I soon developed a method of using thumb and first finger that sounded convincing, but different to the tone that emanated once I’d retrieved my pick from down the side of the sofa. Fingers also allowed me to play things I couldn’t with a bit of plastic. It gave me another string to my bow within my relatively limited style, and it’s great to call on when looking for a softer type of attack, or a particular dynamic to suit a certain song. So successful has it been that a number of great players have copied me and are now doing the same thing themselves (joke, by the way). Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler, Lindsey Buckingham, John Mayer, Robby Krieger, Hubert Sumlin and a host of others use the technique all the time, or simply bring it to bear when the moment feels right. So Jon Bishop has come up with a feature that focuses on playing lead guitar using flesh only. If you’ve not done this before, do get into it and I guarantee it will add a new dimension to your existing style. While we were in a ‘picking’ frame of mind it prompted
this month’s other big feature - Your Ultimate Country Workout. If you’re a regular reader you’ll know that no style is an island unto itself and that licks from one genre, or techniques generally reserved for that genre, can be succesfully transplanted into others. With that in mind I don’t know of ANY guitarist that wouldn’t want a bit of Chet-style picking, Albert Lee-style pull-offs or Brad Paisley-style machine gun lead in their arsenal. So, even if you’re a rock, blues or jazz player, PLEASE give this one a go as Steve Laney has done the most thorough piece on the subject - both rhythm and lead - we’ve ever seen. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but if you glean just five ideas it will be worth at least the cost of a year’s subscription. A quick note about the main song: The Who’s Baba O’Riley is not their most guitar-heavy track, but it’s one of their best so Steve Allsworth has tabbed Pete Townshend’s synth part for guitar, and also Mr Big’s superb version. Give it a go, have fun and I’ll see you next time.
Neville Marten, Editor neville.marten@futurenet.com
Don’t miss our amazing digital edition Our digital edition for iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire and Nook is now even better!
jacob quistgaard
Royal Academy trained, Quist is a superb player who can turn his hand to any number of styles and topics. He’s currently on tour with Bryan Ferry.
Stuart Ryan
Head of Guitar at BIMM Bristol, Stu is an acoustic guitar virtuoso who performs throughout the UK. His latest book/CD ‘The Tradition’ is available now.
andy saphir
A top teacher at the Guitar Institute (ICMP), Andy is a phenomenal player in a host of styles. He mixes just the right degree of flash with consummate taste.
tristan seume
One of ACM Guildford’s leading tutors Tristan is also mega busy on the folk circuit playing with Jackie Oates. His brand-new CD, Middle Child, is out now!
john wheatcroft
A truly phenomenal guitarist, John heads up the guitar facility at Tech Music Schools in London. He’s a master at all styles, but a legend in Gypsy Jazz.
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
Most 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 fastforward or scroll back at will.
Play the videos
Certain of the 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 live in the UK) or bit.ly/guitartechus (overseas). You can also find us on www.zinio.com (NB: Zinio editions do not yet have interactive tab or audio).
April 2015 GuitarTechniques 3
• C ON T E N T S • a pr il 201 5 •
Learning Zone Lessons Introduction
55
30-minute lickbag
56
Music editor Jason Sidwell muses over this month’s full-as-ever lessons section. BIMM’s Pat Heath with six new licks to try.
blues
58
rock
62
vidEo
66
Creative Rock
72
chopS shop
78
British R&B
80
jazz
86
Acoustic
92
music reading
96
John Wheatcroft looks at the bluesier side of country picking wizard, Brad Paisley.
Martin Cooper focuses on George Harrison’s post-Beatles playing style, including slide.
Carl Verheyen astounds us with his ability to navigate the neck - luckily he shares his secrets.
Shaun Baxter shows how to move ‘cell shapes’ conveniently up and down the fingerboard. Andy Saphir shows how string skipping can make you sound a whole lot classier.
Phil Capone examines a band that was way ahead of its time - Steve Marriott’s Small Faces. Pete Callard examines Mike Stern’s straighter jazz side in this second in a two-part series.
COVER FEATURE play lead with fingers 14
Stuart Ryan reveals the gentler, acoustic side of revered singer-songwiter-guitarist, Paul Weller.
Many of the greatest players have chosen to ditch the pick in favour of the more organic tone of flesh. Jon Bishop says you can too!
Charlie Griffiths on the use of ornaments.
FEATURES
Welcome 3
transcriptIon #1 THE who Baba O’Riley
VIDEO MASTERCLASS
REGULAR FEATURES Nev gives this month’s issue the finger(s)!
26
No Teenage Wasteland here as Steve Allsworth not only tabs out the full Who version but also Paul Gilbert’s amazing ‘synth intro on guitar’.
talkback
7
Theory Godmother
9
Go on, get on your high horse...
66
David Mead answers your theory queries.
Intro
10
Subscriptions
71
back issues
91
Includes Phil’s One-Minute Lick, 60 Seconds With, Mitch’s Session Shenanigans and more.
SPECIAL feature ultimate country workout Nashville here we come! 34
Save time and money – get GT delivered!
Steve Laney’s comprehensive study will give you all the chops you need to survive the most stressful country gig or recording session.
Check out what you missed and how to get it!
transcriptIon #2
New guitar CDs and DVDs reviewed and rated by our very own Roger Newell.
Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Carl VERHEYEN Part 2 Check out Carl’s totally improvised piece on video - and prepare to be amazed!
Albums Next Month
48
Fancy a little night music? Bridget Mermikides has arranged and tabbed one of Mozart’s most famous and best loved pieces for you to play.
95 98
We have something for every guitar player including 25 Greatest Blues Licks Of All Time, 10 Rock’n’Roll Rhythms, Queen’s Now I’m Here tabbed; plus Rory Gallagher, Santana, The Hollies & The Doors and much, much more!
April 2015 GuitarTechniques 5
Write to: Guitar Techniques, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW. Email: neville.marten@futurenet.com using the header ‘Talkback’. PERFORMANCE ISSUES
I enjoyed your editorial in the Feb issue about the organisation and techniques for live performance. Recently I’ve returned to playing solo acoustic instrumental sets local venues. This got me thinking more about preparing and performing live, particularly when as a solo performer you feel even more under the spotlight. A recent gig at a wine bar with 150 people was a big deal for me and made me focus on how I prepare and practice in advance, and deal with the performance on the night. This made me consider various areas (level of practice, extent of improvisation, choice of set, audience contact etc) which I dealt with in my own way, and led to an enjoyable night. However, how do the professionals deal with this whole area. Your editorial prompted me to think it would be great to have an article (even a periodic feature) on the psychology of taking your techniques from the bedroom into the live arena. Paul Hill
someone so eminently qualified. I’m sure our injured readers will take heed.
A DECENT LEAD TONE?
I am a long-time guitar player (55 years) and a long time ER doctor (40 years). Regarding rehab (GT239/240); my view is that you can’t get meaningful advice this way, it has to be face-to-face with a good history and physical done. However, find a physical therapist specialising in hand and wrist recovery, follow their advice and be patient - a combination of time, patience, hard work that is professionally advised, can accomplish unimaginable things! Jon Mustonen
Last night I gigged at a venue with a low ceiling and lots of hard surfaces. When I engaged the pedal I use for soloing it fed back instantly. I turned off all reverb and had no delay, but unless it was set on zero gain and no volume boost, I couldn’t use it. This is a typical problem faced by guitarists. Another problem is the lead sound disappearing into the mix. I tried out an amp in a shop many years ago and was so impressed I bought it there and then. I took this new amp to my next gig and whenever I started soloing I couldn’t be heard: I tried turning up the volume, boosting the mids, turning up the rhythm channel instead of using the lead channel. Nothing worked. I used this amp at a recording session and it was great but I couldn’t use it live. Why did the sound cut through in the studio but not on stage? How about an article on how to respond to these typical types of issues? Also, different ways to set up effects: for example, if using the distortion channel on a twochannel amp (a JCM900), what’s a good way to make a lead sound? I currently just use my distortion pedals to boost the signal on top of the amp’s dirty channel, but sometimes it feeds back and is noisy. I have in the past just left the amp on the clean channel and used pedals for rhythm and lead sounds but the amp’s distortion channel sounds better for rhythm. Is there a better way? I’ve owned different systems ranging from racks to plug in and play, but problems like this can occur regardless. You may one week play open air and the next you’re in a poky little bar and your set-up sounds completely different. My pedal board doesn’t include a compressor, buffer or EQ; could one of those solve these issues? So how about an article on sound and set-ups for working guitarists? In the meantime can you answers the above questions? Roderickdav
Thanks, Jon. I kind of said that in my long-winded way (and that a music magazine has no place giving medical advice!). But it’s great coming from
This is a huge question. First, even with the best gear on the planet, you’ll get a different sound from gig to gig; that’s the nature of sound, not the nature of
We’ve thought a lot about that, Paul. The thing is, whenever we try it we always come back to the fact that we are a magazine about playing music and we should really retain all the space for that. Yes, of course one’s state of preparation in all areas is key to playing that music live, but articles like this inevitably get pushed to the back. I will have another think, though, as a while back we received an offer from a specialist in performance anxiety, to do just such a thing.
A DOCTOR’S ADVICE
Tone: is it a bottomless pit of woe for guitarists?
gear. That’s what your EQ is for – to tweak a hard-edged room softer; or add presence to a room full of carpets and cushions – and people! My first port of call would be to make sure your amp has enough headroom: what might deafen you in a shop could be killed once the drummer and bassist kick in, in a proper live situation. Secondly, lay back on the distortion: by its nature distortion removes definition, but also often removes middle and adds bass and treble; these can be wiped out by bass guitar, keyboards, hi-hat and cymbals, whereas the middle frequencies are where good guitar tone lies and where those other instruments don’t excel. Most guitarists imagine great rock tones are all about distortion, but listen to EVH or Hendrix and you’ll be surprised at how clean their tones mostly are. So I would always start with the cleanest sound you can get away with and work up, not the other way around. Many GT tutors swear by compressors, so that might be a way to help your sound punch through the live mix. This is the kind of series that Guitarist would do brilliantly – so I’ll talk to the editor and suggest it!
not too much BLUES! I was just going to write you an email telling you how much I enjoyed GT236, Blues Workout, when I got my February issue and read the Talk Back letter titled Too Much Blues. Though it’s shockingly hard to understand, I guess not everyone loves the blues as much as I do. I found the GT236 issue incredibly valuable. My band plays a couple gigs a month (we’re in the Seattle, Washington area) and I try to find a way to integrate all that I’ve learned about the blues into whatever song we’re playing. I love Guitar Techniques and only hope you’ll continue to cover as much blues-related material as possible. I couldn’t disagree with Mr. Wilkins more - no, we HAVEN’T had enough! Ken Craig Ha-ha! Thanks, Craig. As I keep saying, we try to balance the styles but blues keeps dong best on the news stand and so we use it on the cover to sell issues. But if non-blues-lovers open the mag they will find loads of stuff in other genres. And I mean loads!
April 2015 GuitarTechniques 7
Q&A
Theory Godmother Post your playing posers and technical teasers to: Theory Godmother, Guitar Techniques, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW; or email me at info@davidmead.net - every wish is your Godmother’s command! Root Of The Problem Dear Theory Godmother
I am trying to learn and practise scales. The problem is how am I supposed to practise them in different keys? I’m told all you need to do is find the root notes, but it isn’t that simple is it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Louis When you first start out practising the scales in different keys it can seem a little bewildering. But there is a system and, once you’ve mastered it, you’ll find it becomes easier and easier to traverse from one key to another. The first thing you need is a chart of the guitar neck that shows you where all the notes are. I’ve provided one in Ex 1, but it would be better if you copy it out onto a large sheet of paper and hang it somewhere that you’ll see every day. Don’t worry about the sharps and flats for now; it makes things a lot clearer if you notate only the ‘whole notes’ and remember that ‘sharp’ means one fret to the right and ‘flat’ means one fret to the left as you view the fretboard from the playing position. Next, I’m assuming that you have a book detailing the scales you want to learn and I’m hoping that, in all instances, the root notes are clearly marked. Then, all you have to do is take a scale pattern, locate the relevant root and play it. To begin with, you’ll have to perform this task slowly and methodically, but as you get more used to the system you’ll find that matching up a scale with any particular root note takes no time at all. In Ex 2 I’ve written out a couple of examples of scale diagrams with the root marked; one major scale, the other minor. If I wanted to play the major scale example in the key of B, all I have to do is find a B on the sixth string – at the 7th fret – match it to the root and play the shape in the diagram. It’s very important that you begin on the root, as I’ve outlined in Ex 3. Even if there are a few ‘spare’ notes at either end of the scale, always begin and end on the root note as this will go a long way towards tuning your ear into the correct sound of each scale
EXAMPLES 1 - 6 Ex 1
Ex 2
Ex 2 Xxxxxxxxxxxx Ex 3 Xxxxxxxxxxxx Ex 4 Xxxxxxxxxxxx Theory Godmother - David Mead
GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 2 4 1 Natural Minor Ex 33 DDNatural MinorScale Scale
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 œ . œ .. œ b œ œ œ œ œ & 4 . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E B G D A E
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1 2 b 3 4 5 b 6 b7 1 D E F G A Bb C D 5
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Economic Sanctions Dear Theory Godmother
I gave up the idea of ever becoming a flashy lead player a long time ago. I can pull off a reasonable solo as long as it’s short, sweet and fairly slow but anything else is virtually out of the question. So I’m turning my attention to rhythm, my goal being that I can one day join a band and play a useful role as a solid accompanist. The trouble I’m having is translating the chords I see in songbooks into something that sounds right. If I play whole barre chords in some rock songs, it just sounds wrong, too crowded and not at all like the record. I know that rhythm players often play reduced versions of chords, but how do I know how much is enough? How economical can you be with a chord and still get the point across? Jed
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You can be amazingly economical with chord voicings, Jed. The basic major or minor chord comprises only three notes so it’s feasible to break the fuller chord shapes on the guitar neck down to root, 3rd and 5th (Ex 4). You can even go with root and 5th or root and 3rd. Dominant 7ths can be pruned down to essentials, as in Ex 5 where we’re only playing the 7th, 3rd and 5th. Get a chord book to see where the intervals fall within the various shapes, then try trimming them down and playing them in different songs to see if they sound more like what you’re hearing on records. And get transcriptions of rhythm parts so you can see specifically what different players do to trim their chords down.
Jazz Nines
Dear Theory Godmother I have been playing guitar for a few years and can play open and barre
chords successfully and with relative ease. I am now trying to move into jazz and add 9ths but, apart from the dominant 9th shape, I find the major 9th and minor 9th such a finger-twister that I can’t get to either fast enough. I know practice makes perfect, but can you tell me if there is an easier, finger-happy configuration to play major and minor ninths? Andrew Of the chord shapes you sent me (see Ex 6) the major version is a bit of a handful, but the minor shape is quite common and shouldn’t be causing you too much of a problem. Regarding the minor 9 chord, a lot of players leave out the two lower bass strings and just play the top four strings as a barre with the 9th played by the fourth finger. It’s a lot easier and, in context with bass and even keys, no one will hear any difference.
April 2015 GuitarTechniques 9
60Seconds with...
• G u i t a r T e c h n i q u e s • A P RI L 2 0 1 5 •
MIKE PRIOR
We ask a famous guitarist all those little questions you really do want the answers to. This month, ex-Procol Harum and solo blues-rock guitar legend, Robin Trower. GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without? RT: Ernie Ball medium. GT: If you had to give up all your pedals except three, which ones would they be? RT: That would be my Fulltone RTO (my signature overdrive), Fat Boost, and Deja Vibe. GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to do so in a band? RT: Not really. GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it? RT: Not a note! GT: Do you believe that guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours? RT: Not sure if they do but I use Fulltone cables. GT: Is there anyone’s playing (past or present) that you’re slightly jealous of? RT: I would not say I’m jealous, but I do love the playing of Albert King and Jimi Hendrix. GT: Your house or studio is burning down: is there one particular guitar you would save? RT: The two latest signature models received from Fender. GT: What’s your favourite amp and how do you set it? RT: Marshall 1987X GT: What kind of action do you have on your guitars? RT: I use a quite high action but tune down a whole step. GT: What strings do you use? RT: E Ball 12-15-17-26-36-48 – heavy on the top for better tone. GT: Who was your first influence to play the guitar? RT: Scotty Moore. GT: What was the first guitar you really lusted after? RT: A Strat. GT: What was the single best gig you ever did… RT: Winterland, in San Francisco in 1974 GT: …and your worst playing nightmare? RT: Playing to an empty room!
10 GuitarTechniques April 2015
Jam tracks tips Use these tips to navigate our bonus backing tracks. 1. Blues Shuffle in G Here’s an uptempo 24-bar blues shuffle in G to get you started. For scales, consider using G minor Pentatonic (G-Bb-C-D-F), G minor blues (G-Bb-C-C#-D-F) as well as G Dorian mode (G-A-Bb-C-D-E-F) and G Mixolydian mode (G-A-B-C-DE-F). Of course knowing and outlining the arpeggios for this basic I-IV-V (G7-C7-D7) blues is more than helpful too! 2. F Dorian Funky Rock Jam This is a specifically F Dorian mode two-chord vamp (Fm-Bb), which means if you were to play a seven-note scale on this, F Dorian is your top choice (F-G-Ab-Bb-C-DEb). Of course you can also stick with F minor Pentatonic (F-Ab-BbC-Eb) and even add the ‘blue note’ B to make it the F Blues scale for extra bluesy colouring. 3. Lydian Grooving (A) Here’s a groove-based A Lydian mode track, which you can use to get your Zappa/Vai/Satriani licks out! It features a basic two-chord vamp, which alternates between the chords A and B/A. A Lydian mode consists of the notes A-B-C#-D#-E-F#-and-G#.
Robin Trower: one of our great blues guitarists
GT: What’s the most important musical lesson you ever learnt, and can you share it with us? RT: To never try to learn other players’ licks. GT: Do you still practise? RT: I try to play every day if I can. GT: Do you have a pre-gig warm-up routine? RT: I always play for 15-20 minutes before a gig. GT: If you could put together a fantasy band with you in it, who would the other players be? RT: I would have loved to play with James Brown. GT: Is there a solo by another guitar player that you really wish you had played?
RT: Crosscut Saw by Albert King GT: What’s the solo or song of your own of which you’re most proud? RT: Have not recorded that yet. GT: What would you most like to be remembered for? RT: For being a soulful musician. Robin Trower’s new album, Something’s About To Change is released by Manhaton Records on March 9th. He tours the UK from March 26th to April 17th with special guest artiste Joanne Shaw Taylor. 24 hour box office: 0844 478 0898 or book tickets online from www.thegigcartel. com. Further information: www.trowerpower.com.
4. Medium Swing Jazz Blues (G) This is a jazz blues in G and although you can attack it from a basic blues perspective mixing the G major Pentatonic (G-A-B-D-E) and the G minor Pentatonic (G-Bb-CD-F), you can also arpeggiate your way around the chords – effectively bringing out more of the colour inherent in this brilliant progression. This is especially handy when dealing with bar 6 (C# dim chord, arp = C#-E-G-Bb) and bar 8 (E7 chord, arp = E-G#-B-D) of the 12-bar progression. Created for you by Jacob Quistgaard. For free scale maps and hundreds more tracks, visit www.quistorama. com. Also subscribe to www.youtube. com/QuistTV to get all the latest free jam tracks and licks!
Dances From A Small Island
Mitch Dalton’s
After a week of rehearsals in London’s deeply untrendy Kings Cross Industrial Estate, The Strictly Come Dancing Tour tangos out of town. Four continuous weeks of sell-out arena gigs, culminating in six shows in London (two at Wembley Arena; four at The O2 Arena). Make no mistake, this is a proper tour. Any band would kill to make it this big. By the time we hit the billowing pillows of The Canary Wharf Marriott Hotel on the last night, we will have played to nearly 200,000 foxtrot fanatics. We perform the opening waltz of this Ballroom Bonanza in Birmingham, at The National Indoor Arena for a week of full company rehearsals and then five performances. Sixteen trucks, four crew buses and two artiste coaches disgorge their contents into the giant Brummie shed that describes this passable imitation of all the other giant sheds that we will visit for the next month. Somewhere in the midst of this terrifying scene of half-erected scaffolding, lighting, cameras, hard hats and shouting, is the primordial outline of a stage. And on that stage my five instruments, flight-cased amp and accessories await me. I proceed to set up amid the chaos. It’s a tad laborious but I
Our hero finds himself on 31-date, major arena jaunt. Playing second guitar in a reformed Led Zeppelin? Helping out The Stones? McCartney? Elton? U2? Nothing so passé, dear... it’s the Strictly Come Dancing Tour!
have learned from experience that it will get easier with repetition. And repetition there will most certainly be. Thirty-one bits of repetition.
Sixteen trucks, four crew buses and two artiste coaches disgorge their contents into a giant Brummie shed. For those that have quickstepped their way thus far, I send three separate feeds to the sound desk. A simple microphone suffices to waft my banjo stylings to an unsuspecting world for
If You Could See Me Now. A DI box receives a jack input from both my electro-acoustic and electro-classical guitars. I interface a volume pedal between it and them, thereby allowing me to use one jack plug to switch between both instruments without detonating unwanted acoustic explosions throughout the arena. It seems to be appreciated by the sound chaps, who even provide me with a cute mini foldback wedge to monitor my efforts. The third feed is from my miked up Mesa-Boogie amp, through which I play my heavily modified Clapton Strat (or Upper Clapton Strat, as this former Hackney boy refers to it) and Gibson L-4. In between is my
pedal board, containing the usual stuff. Compressor, overdrive (Fulltone OCD), a rather nice retro Boss Digital Dimension pedal in lieu of chorus, a noise gate and a combined delay and reverb. Another volume control sits at the end of the chain. It’s all rather retro. However, the computery, digital fun is all around. We listen on headphones to click tracks for all the dances. The clicks are ‘mapped’ for each dance arrangement. That way the dancers get to hear the music exactly as they wish to perform to it. And means that there can be no complaints. It’s the same every night. The fact that I start to doubt if I will actually play in time ever again is but a small price to pay. At the conclusion of our stay in each of Britain’s mostly northern cities we pack down the gear. This consists of a speeded-up backwards movie version of the set-up, as the stage is invaded by dozens of locally hired crew. I disassemble the gear as if my life depends on it (which it almost certainly does) and flee the vicinity to the soundtrack of Apocalypse Now. Within an astonishingly few minutes the entire staging has been reduced to its component parts. I slip out of my fetching black suit and matching accessories and head for the artiste bus. There’s No Business Like Show Business... Which is the last tune of the night. Every night.
PHIL HILBORNE’S ONE-MINUTE LICK Non-Diatonic Arpeggio Idea Emerson use similar ideas. It works well because you can There are often situations in music when you are not still hear a logical progression of arpeggios. I have used a playing over any chords at all – just a single pedal bass mixture of ‘mini sweeps’, legato and slides – all the fingering note. This particularly applies to a bass, drums, guitar lineand picking directions are given. However, feel free to up. When this occurs – or also when you are composing – you don’t have to slavishly follow strict harmonic guidelines, experiment with your own chosen articulations and don’t forget to compose other similar ideas of your own invention rules and schemes. This month’s lick is a great example of using as much variety in terms of scale choice, rhythms this. Here I have harmonised E Natural minor (E-F#-G-Aand techniques as you can think of. Bear in mind that some B-C-D), but with every note as a major chord as opposed to GUITARusual TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 2 4 1 ONE scheme. MINUTE LICK bynot Phil Hilborne scales-will work so well using this approach – but you the more Em-F#dim-G-Am-Bm-C-D ‘diatonic’ NON DIATONIC ARPEGGIO can have a LICK lot of fun experimenting. This is an interesting sound, and keyboardists like Keith
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≤ ≤ ≥ April 2015 GuitarTechniques 11
That Was The Year...
1935 Presley, Cremona and Kit Kat
HARMONY’S CREMONA ACOUSTIC RANGE gets a major overhaul with several new models being introduced; from the H1263 Grand Concert version to the top of the range H1307 Cremona VII with its distinctive Wine Red Shaded carved spruce top, herringbone top trim, flamed maple back and sides. The neck has a soft-V profile, pearl inlays and a racing stripe on the fingerboard. During wartime the whole range is modified with the tuners and tailpiece quality downgraded due to metal shortages, but it remains a great series of guitars. IN CELEBRATION OF KING GEORGE V’s Silver Jubilee the London North Eastern Railway introduces the Silver Jubilee streamliner service between Kings Cross and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, employing Nigel Gresley’s LNER Class A4 steam locomotives. The driving test is made compulsory, populated areas are given a 30 mph speed limit for the first time and ‘cat’s eyes’ are introduced on British roads. THE FIRST DEMONSTRATION OF RADAR takes place in Daventry conducted by Robert Watson-Watt; the new steelworks at Corby begins production; and the Hawker Hurricane fighter performs its maiden flight. Designed in the International style the De La Warr Pavilion opens in Bexhill-On-Sea; Penguin Books publishes paperbacks for the first time; and Rowntree produces its Chocolate Crisp bar soon to be renamed Kit Kat. NEW TADPOLES IN THE POND include Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Alex Harvey, Gene Vincent, Luciano Pavarotti, Barry McGuire, Sonny Bono, Herb Alpert, Dudley Moore, Ronnie Hawkins, Jim Dale, John Phillips (Mamas & The Papas), Johnny Mathis, Julie Andrews, television presenter Simon Dee, Rod Hull (and Emu?) and actors Donald Sutherland, Woody Allen and Doug McClure. Leaving the pond is The Sorcerer’s Apprentice composer Paul Dukas. GIBSON’S ‘NEW MODELS’ BROCHURE reveals the new Super 400 archtop guitar, and in true Gibson fashion it’s named after its sale price of $400. This is a truly staggering price during these times of depression. No flat-tops are included in the brochure but the small L-30 archtop is now presented with a highly striking all-black finish.
EPIPHONE INTRODUCES THE MIGHTY EMPEROR acoustic archtop to take on its main rival for jazz guitar supremecy Gibson, over in Kalamazoo. It features a carved spruce top, maple back and sides, carved back and multi-bound body. The maple neck has a 20-fret bound ebony fretboard, split block pearl inlays, a bound headstock with a pearl vine logo inlay and gold tuners. The guitar also has a raised bound tortoiseshell scratchplate, an adjustable ebony bridge and an engraved trapeze tailpiece. The finish is Cremona Brown Sunburst.
12 GuitarTechniques April 2015
A lot of exciting new gear has been shown for the first time at this year’s NAMM Show in Anaheim, including Fender’s highly-awaited Hot Rod DeVille ML. Designed in conjunction with Michael Landau himself, the new ML model is based on the Fender Hot Rod DeVille III, with tube circuitry and 60-watt output, two 12” speakers, spring reverb and an effects loop. The ML version ups the ante by incorporating volume-switching and boost capabilities. Visit www. fender.com for further details. Those craving the warmth of old tape echoes can now buy the real
thing in the form of T-Rex’s new Replicator, which boasts an extra tough proprietary cassette, two playback heads, chorus, plus tap-tempo and expression-pedal control! Visit www.t-rex-effects. com for more. And EHX have introduced cool new pedals including: Super Pulsar, a state of he art tremolo with powerful controls; Octavix, for that late 60s fuzzed-out, octave up sound with great modern enhancements; and Good Vibes, a Uni-Vibe-alike, blending chorus and vibrato into one little box. Visit www.ehx.com for more.
See Satch play in November!
(drums, percussion). The dates are: Manchester O2 Apollo (Sunday Nov 1); Birmingham Symphony Hall (Monday Nov 2); Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (Tuesday Nov 3); Sheffield City Hall (Wednesday Nov 4); Cardiff St. David’s Hall (Thursday Nov 5); Southend Cliffs Pavilion (Saturday Nov 7); Bristol Colston Hall (Sunday Nov 8); Portsmouth Guildhall (Monday Nov 9); and London Eventim Apollo (Tuesday Nov 10). Don’t miss it!
Joe Satriani has announced his ‘Shockwave UK Tour’ which will take in nine dates from 1st November 2015 to promote Joe’s next studio album. A ticket pre-sale has commenced via the 24hr Box Office: 0844 888 991 and www.ticketline. co.uk/joe-satriani. Joe’s band comprises Bryan Beller (bass), Mike Keneally (keyboards, guitars) and Marco Minneman
HOT FOR TEACHER your RGT TUTOR Name: Jo Harlow Town: Maidstone, Kent Styles: Jazz, rock, pop, soul, blues, folk, Latin jazz, classical Speciality: Chordal playing, chord-on-melody, fingerstyle, singing and playing Qualification: BA (Hons) Levels: Beginner to advanced, RGT grades if desired Sightreading: Reading taught Charges: £30 per hour Special: Can travel out to students; materials provided (music paper, plectrums, leads), string changes Tel: 01732 490824 Email: joharlow.guitarmagic@yahoo.co.uk
JON LUINI
BRITAIN IS CONCERNED by the German re-armament and the country’s introduction of conscription, so the government responds with plans to increase the size of the Royal Air Force. Somewhat surprisingly, Britain comes to an agreement with Germany that allows it to increase its navy.
New gear unveiled at NAMM 2015!
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