Guitar Techniques 242 Sampler by Future PLC

the finest guitar lessons on the planet 242 SPRING 2015

25 Licks...

you need to know! Pump up your playing today with a set of iconic licks no guitarist should be without!

good rocking tonight!

ROCK’N’ROLL RHYTHMS From Elvis to Bo Diddley, Beatles to Buddy Holly, Beach

21 YEARS OF THE FINEST GUITAR LESSONS

CLASSICAL

ERIK SATIE Play his dark but beautiful piece Gnossienne 3

Boys to Quo, learn the rhythms that drove 1000 hits!

style studies

THE DOORS

Robby Krieger soloing

THE HOLLIES

Tony Hicks’ tasty licks

ROBBEN FORD

Sophisticated jazz-blues

classic TRACK tabbed!

RORY GALLAGHER His glorious acoustic playing

Now I’m Here

Awesome riff • Great chords • Big solo Play this brilliant track in its entirety!

CARLOS SANTANA

Ultimate blues-rock improviser

ISSUE 242 spring 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.

jim clark

2002’s Guitarist Of The Year runner-up, Jim has been a busy TV and session guitarist in the UK and US, as well as working alongside a host of top artists.

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’s currently touring Europe with the Champions Of Rock show.

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.

the

finest

guitar tuition you can buy !

Welcome WHO DOESN’T LOVE to learn a great new lick? I don’t know if people do it now, but when I was in my youth and bumping into fellow guitar-playing nerds, someone was always going, “Do you know this one?” and playing you a new lick that they’d learnt. What exciting times they were. Perhaps as we get more proficient we’re less willing to share our secrets, wishing instead to retain any musical advantage we think we might have. And that’s where GT comes in. Since we are the caring, sharing magazine we invited Jim Clark to dig deep and come up with 25 of the juiciest licks he could imagine - nothing horrendously difficult to play but just the kind of thing you’d want to add to your personal lickbag. And the great thing about licks is, change a note here and there, bend instead of sliding, pick instead of hammering and, hey presto! Brand new lick! So this feature really is the gift that keeps on giving. Queen and Brian May have been in the news a lot lately - the sold-out arena tour with Adam Lambert, the potential of Brian becoming an MP (who wouldn’t love to see that?) and the resurrection of previously unheard

tracks with Freddie. So we thought it about time we tabbed a great Queen tune, since we haven’t done so for some time. Now I’m Here is a brilliant track. From the huge opening chord to Brian’s screeching bends, that awesome riff and his Chuck-meetsAngus style rock and roll solo, it’s packed with great things to learn. As usual, Steve Allsworth does an amazing job, sonically and tab-wise, so you should have hours of fun learning this. And speaking of rock and roll, we were recently chatting about the range of rhythm styles you find in the genre - from Bo Diddley and the aforementioned Chuck Berry, to Scotty Moore and Status Quo. So we thought it would be perfect as this month’s third main feature. And, as Jon Bishop plays with 80s rock and roll star Shakin’ Stevens, who better to do it for you? And as usual, that’s only the tip of the iceberg: the magazine is packed with superb tuition in all manner of styles and pretty much all levels. So dig in, have fun and I’ll see you next month.

Neville Marten, Editor neville.marten@futurenet.com

Don’t miss our amazing digital edition Guitar Techniques’ digital edition is now even better!

bridget mermikides

Guildhall and Royal Academy trained, Bridget is a Royal College of Music, examiner, a respected classical player and award-winning blues guitarist.

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.

steve allsworth Top tutor at Tech Music School, Steve has been a GT writer for years. Superbly skilled, he’s also a brilliant transcriber who takes a huge pride in his work.

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

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 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 (Please note: Zinio editions do not have interactive tab or audio).

Spring 2015 GuitarTechniques 3

WIN! AN APPLE WATCH Turn to page 27

• C ON T E N T S • SPR I NG 201 5 •

Learning Zone

Many thanks to World Guitars for the loan of our beautiful cover guitar, a Nik Huber Orca with CITES certified Brazilian rosewood neck!

Lessons Introduction

30-minute lickbag

Music editor Jason Sidwell introduces another action-packed lessons section. BIMM’s Pat Heath has six new licks to play at easy, intermediate and advanced levels.

blues

rock

CREATIVE ROck

chopS shop

British R&B

jazz

Acoustic

music reading

Les Davidson takes over from Wheaty this month with a look at the soloing style of the Latin legend that is Carlos Santana.

Martin Cooper looks at Robby Krieger’s playing style in iconic psychedelic band The Doors. Shaun Baxter shows how four-note moveable ‘cells’ allow maximum fretboard coverage.

Andy Saphir wants to beef up your technique: this month; string skipping, part 2.

Phil Capone explains the inventive guitar style of The Hollies’ precocious genius, Tony Hicks.

Pete Callard uncovers the jazzy side of modern blues maestro Robben Ford.

COVER FEATURE

Stuart Ryan gets the blues this month as he delivers a Rory Gallagher appreciation.

25 LICKS YOU NEED TO KNOW! 16 Jim Clark has selected 25 great licks that could form the basis of a solid blues-rock vocabulary. There’s a ton of great stuff here!

FEATURES

Welcome 3

Nev talks about this issue’s main features.

Jon Bishop pulls out the rock’n’roll rhythms every guitarist should know; from Berry to Bo Diddley, Beatles to Beach Boys and more!

Surely one of this mega-band’s greatest ever tracks, it has the lot: huge riff, clever chords, great solo and more power than a jumbo jet!

Theory Godmother

David Mead sorts out your musical woes.

Intro

Subscriptions

back issues

Save time and money – get GT delivered! Missed one? See how you can get it – here!

Albums

New guitar CDs and DVDs reviewed and rated.

transcriptIon #2 ERIK SATIE Gnossienne No.3

talkback

More of your insights and opinions.

Carl VERHEYEN Part 3

This month Carl delivers a jaw-dropping firsttake solo over a track he’s never before heard!

News and regulars, plus Phil’s One-Minute Lick, That Was The Year, Hot For Teacher and more.

transcriptIon #1 QUEEN Now I’m Here

VIDEO MASTERCLASS

REGULAR FEATURES

SPECIAL feature #2 10 ROCK’N’ROLL RHYTHMs From the giants of the genre

In instalment 10 Charlie Griffiths puts all the reading elements together in four pieces.

TAB GUIDE

Our terms and signs explained.

Bridget Mermikides arranges a sublime piece by this mis-judged French composer who only latterly received the credit he deserves.

Next Month

Blues Theory - Everything You Need To Know; Soloing With Chromatics; Yes’s ‘Clap’ transcribed; The Django Legacy... and more!

Spring 2015 GuitarTechniques 5

Post: Guitar Techniques, Future Publishing, Ivo Peters Way, Bath, BA2 3QS. Email: neville.marten@futurenet.com using the header ‘Talkback’.

LFI / PHOTOSHOT

Simon Jay Price/ PHOTOSHOT

ALL ABOUT DA BASS After reading the articles about injured guitarists, I know bass guitars have been mentioned before in Guitar Techniques but this is worth bearing in mind... I’ve been playing guitar and bass ever since I started playing 40 years ago. My older brother played the bass and I often fiddled with it, much to his annoyance, and I’ve dabbled with both instruments ever since. Practising scales and riffs on the bass can do wonders for strengthening your fretting hand and, if using a pick, can improve your picking technique no end as well. Your fretting hand will feel like it’s been give a shot of steroids once you pick up a guitar afterwards, believe you me! Doodling on a guitar-like ‘thing’ while recuperating will put you in good stead for when you recover. I bought a Westfield Precision Bass copy from Cash Generators for £59.00 and it’s a great instrument. I’d recommend anyone having a go at playing the bass in a band situation, for when the ‘ego tripper’ takes a lead break you and the drummer have all the space in the soundscape to fill, which is great fun - that is unless you have a keyboard player pinching your bottom or, heaven forbid, a rhythm guitarist who’s competing with the lead player. I’ve been off work for nigh-on two years now after suffering a nervous breakdown and music as been my salvation! I’m writing my own songs and I can now play the bass fingerstyle - which I couldn’t do before, strangely, as I’ve been able to play the guitar fingerstyle since not long after I started playing. Anyway, it won’t hurt to dabble with a bass guitar! Lee Ruscoe The injury topic dominated the letters page for a month or two so, so as not to depress anyone further, I’ve halted it for a while. But I think playing bass for guitarists is a wonderful thing so I

wholly endorse your suggestion that we have a go too – although playing heavy strings with a weak or injured hand, at least in the early stages of recovery, I’d be more than a little cautious about recommending. Musically though it can do nothing but good. I love playing bass and did so in a couple of bands for several years. It really allows you to focus on the song’s structure, how it works rhythmically as well as harmonically, and how the various instruments knit together to become the whole. I’d even go as far as to say that playing bass will enhance any guitarist’s musicality.

BUCKIN’ ’IM? I was very much surprised to see that Fleetwood Mac frontman, Lindsey Buckingham did not get a mention in Jon Bishop’s otherwise excellent and informative fingerstyle lead feature (GT 241). Clearly, it’s not possible to include every lead fingerstylist, however, I’m sure there’s a good many of us that will agree that Lindsey is certainly one of the most cogent and energetic exponents of the style! John Noble Yes, we realised with hindsight that we’d omitted this fine fingerstyle player from the feature. Lindsey is without doubt a most musical and inventive musician, and whether playing tricky acoustic pieces or coming up with memorable lead lines on electric guitar, a powerful statement is inevitably made. Luckily we’d done a feature on him (in Martin’s Rock column) not long previously, so it’s not as though GT has ignored him completely!

Steve Hackett: well respected by those in the know but too often overlooked

So, as I see it... Major scale: R-1-2- 3-4-5-6-7 Melodic minor: R-2-b3-4-5-6-7 Harmonic minor: R-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 I hope you don’t mind being corrected; as an instructional mag I do think it’s important to be accurate, but understand these things can happen. David Newman You are indeed right, David. We try to be as accurate as we can and things are checked by several people; inevitably silly mistakes will get through - like that one and, coincidentally as the previous letter was about Lindsey Buckingham... when we spelt his name ‘Lindsay’ on the cover. Oops! Slapped wrists all

DIMINISHED POWERS? With reference to your Guitar Techniques 238 (Jan 2015) article, ‘Diminished Responsibility’: on reading the article I think I may have noted an error. In particular you have written half way down the first column that “…both Melodic minor (R-2-3-4-5-6-7) and….” I stand to be corrected but shouldn’t that be (R-2-b3-4-56-7) as the Melodic minor has a b3rd relative to the major scale?

Lindsey Buckingham: we missed him out of our fingers feature

round – and no, we never mind our mistakes being pointed out.

CHICKEN SATIE? Bridget Memikides’ excellent article on Satie, one of the most underrated composers out, could have mentioned in the Track Record examples Steve Hackett’s Sketches Of Satie, which is Satie’s Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes played on classical guitar and flute (the flautist being brother John Hackett). The album is very haunting and excellent late-night relaxation music. When I first purchased it, I didn’t realise how many Satie pieces I knew, so I then had to dig further. By the way, how about some Steve Hackett features? He is one of the best players out there, equally proficient in progressive rock and classical genres, and his solo career has eclipsed what he did in Genesis in terms of diversity and styles and number of released albums. Derek Cook I take your point, Derek. However, Bridget’s listening suggestions are usually piano or orchestral as that was how the majority of her choices were first conceived and she wants to show readers how the original concept might relate to her solo guitar performance– and possibly spur them on to trying their own arrangements. Regarding Steve Hackett, I couldn’t agree more about how under-rated he is - a hugely important figure. Let’s see what we can do at some point.

Spring 2015 GuitarTechniques 7

Q&A

GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 2 4 2

Theory Godmother - David Mead

GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 2 4 2 Ex 1

Theory Godmother - David Mead

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Theory Godmother

E B G D E A B E G D A E Ex

8 8

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Email your playing posers and technical teasers to Theory Godmother at info@davidmead.net - every wish is your Godmother’s command! Signature Licks? Dear Theory Godmother

I wonder if you can help clarify something for me? There are 12 notes in the chromatic scale sharing a major and minor key signature for each. But some notes have two names: C# and Db, G# and Ab, etc. So does this mean that there are more than 12 key signatures to learn? I’ve searched the net and browsed a few books, but this point seems to be passed over in most cases. Jeff This does seem to be an anomaly and loads of music students expect to find only 12 key signatures available until they do the maths. In fact, there are 15 key signatures recognised by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and I’ve laid them out below. No sharps/flats: C major/A minor One sharp: G major/E minor One flat: F major/D minor Two sharps: D major/B minor Two flats: Bb major/G minor Three sharps: A major/F#minor Three flats: Eb major/C minor Four sharps: E major/C#minor Four flats: Ab major/F minor Five sharps: B major/G# minor Five flats: Db major/Bb minor Six sharps: F# major/D#minor Six flats: Gb major/Eb minor Seven sharps: C#major/A# minor Seven flats: Cb major/Ab minor They are governed principally by the fact that you can only have a maximum seven sharps or flats in any key signature: sharps and flats are never mixed together in key signatures and are worked out by adding one flat or sharp at a time until the full complement is reached. As such we have what are called ‘enharmonic equivalents’; ie key signatures that are effectively the samesounding scales flying under a different flag, like Db and C# or F# and Gb. You’ll find that some crop up more than others on the guitar – E, A, D, G, C and so on – and some only occur occasionally as few composers for the instrument find themselves drawn to writing in C# major or the looney Cb!

Hendrix à la Mode? Dear Theory Godmother

I am a big fan of Jimi Hendrix and have figured out that he uses some modal licks. Could you show me some modal scales so I can solo over backing tracks? Huw

GUITAR TECHNIQUES EXAMPLES 1-5 MAGAZINE Ex Ex11

Theory Godmother - David Mead

242

Minor pentatonic + 6th mode

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œ aœ b œ n œ Hendrix was predominantly & player and not a modal Pentatonic player as we would define it today. So you possibly wouldn’t achieve the effect E 8 you’re B after by studying 11 8the modes of G 10 8 9 D the Major scale in their standard form. A But itE is possible to add modal elements to Pentatonic scales and there are Ex 5 plenty of examples œ ofœthis in œ theœplaying œ of guitarists that era. Hendrix’s œ b b from b & primary influence was the blues and he learned by listening to some of the principal bluesmen from the early E 8 11 9 8 part BGof the 20th century. However, 10 8 D experimentation was always key and so A E it’s no surprise that the occasional foray into modality would be on the cards. So let’s look at a couple of examples of how the Pentatonic can be embellished with modal overtones. The most obvious would be what is known as the ‘Minor pentatonic + 6th’ (Ex 1). Here, the major 6th has been added to the regular minor pentatonic, mimicking the presence of the major 6th in the Dorian mode (Ex 2). This is something that occurs in the playing of BB King and has gone on to inspire many other players like Robben Ford, too. Used over a minor chord, it adds a sweet edge to a bluesy solo. Another mode that Hendrix would definitely have found his way into is the Mixolydian or dominant 7th scale (Ex 3)

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and if we enhance the Pentatonic with b œ a dash of blues we end up œ add it and with licks like the one in Ex 4. A further example would be the Aeolian, a mode favoured by players such as 8Jimmy Page and Carlos Santana 10 to spice up a minor blues (Ex 5). If you experiment with these three modal additives to Pentatonic soloing you œ find might œ yourself straying into the territory you’re after. But it’s worth remembering that no scale by itself can instantly turn you into a soloing superstar. You need to supplement your 7 10 modal explorations by getting hold of some transcriptions of Hendrix in full flight – or, better still, transcribe some yourself – so that you can appreciate the context into which these ideas were introduced.

Jazz Scale Knockout Dear Theory Godmother

I realise that it’s almost impossible to generalise but if you really had to choose, which scale would you say is the most prevalent in jazz? It’s been the topic of discussion between some friends recently and no one can really offer a definitive answer, but statistically there must be one and I’d be interested to hear your take on the question. Carl

When I was getting curious about jazz, I went into Ivor Mairant’s music store in London looking for a book of jazz scales, hoping it might provide me with a database from which I could explore the genre. It was Ivor himself who served me, and he gave me some advice that I’ve remembered ever since. He told me that there was no such thing as a ‘jazz scale’ because every scale is neutral until it’s placed in a context that defines it. So if you were to take the natural Minor or Aeolian mode and employ it in a jazz solo, only then does it become ‘jazz’. Of course you wouldn’t play the scale from bottom to top and hope it fits; or play it randomly in the hope that something might work. But with the skill that only comes from practice you’d quote from it and turn it into something melodic. Eventually, with more practice, the choice of notes lives outside the world of schoolroom recitation and becomes inspired and practically subconscious. However, many musicians opt to use the Jazz Minor scale (R 2 b3 4 5 6 7). It’s the ascending version of the melodic minor scale so the name helps distance itself from that. You can think of it as a ‘jazzy Natural Minor’: try playing the A Jazz Minor scale (A B C D E F# G#) over the chords Bm7-E7-Am.

Spring 2015 GuitarTechniques 9

• Gu i ta r T e ch n iqu e s • Spr i ng 201 4 •

Jam tracks tips

Walter Trout: continues his blues career!

1. B Minor Blues Here we have a blues progression in B minor. Chords are Bm (Im), Em (IVm), G (bVI) and F# (V). For scales, I’d suggest starting with B minor Pentatonic (B-D-E-F#-A) as well as the B Minor scale (B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A). For the F# chords you can also use B Harmonic minor (B-C#-D-E-F#G-A#), emphasising the A# in the process, which leads nicely back to the B minor chord following it.

2. Bossa (Cm) This is a bossa style backing track for a II-V-I progression in C Minor. If you want to conquer the classic tune Blue Bossa or just get some more jazz in your system, learning how to play on a II-V-I progression is a great place to start. Chords are Cm9-Cm9Dm7b5-G7(#5). Use C Minor scale (C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb) on Cm9 and Dm7b5 chords and then C Harmonic minor (C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-B) over the G7 chord.

3. Groovin’ On Phrygian Mode

Walter Trout is back! AFTER a liver transplant, and extensive rehabilitation, Walter Trout feels strong enough to resume his career of 50 plus years and has announced his plans to return to stages across the globe in 2015. Trout shares; “The last year has been one where the blues truly came calling, and I came face to face with death more than once. My wife moved me to Nebraska to improve my chances of getting a life-saving liver transplant, and after a long wait, I got my new liver on May 26th, 2014. Since then I have been filled with immense gratitude - for the

10 GuitarTechniques Spring 2015

fans who supported me via fundraisers, cards, messages, thoughts and prayers, for the donor and his or her family, for medical science, for my family, and for life itself. Everything matters more to me now. Now, seven months after my transplant I feel like a new man. I have strength and energy. In some ways I feel like I am in my 20s again! The past couple of years of playing I was getting dizzy spells, severe cramps in my hand and forearm and played many shows in severe pain. It turns out that was a result of my deteriorating liver. That is gone now! I am able to play

better than I have in years. I feel reborn. I cannot wait to get back out on the road again and do what I love to do for my fans. The future looks great!” Walter will make appearances across Europe and North America in the coming months. The UK dates are as follows: 15 June – London, Albert Hall; 17 Nov – Stockton, Arc; 18 Nov – Glasgow, ABC; 20 Nov – Holmfirth, Picturedrome; 21 Nov– London, Forum; 24 Nov - Leamington, Assembly; and 25 Nov – Frome, Cheese & Grain. Visit www. waltertrout.com for further details.

4. Mixolydian b6 Jam Here we have a bit of an exotic sound happening. The progression is based around E and A Minor chords and the harmony is drawn from E Mixolydian b6 mode – aka the Hindu scale. The notes are E-F#-G#-A-B-C and D. The DNA of Mixolydian b6 is 1-2-3-4-5-b6-b7, in relation to the standard Major scale. It’s basically the 5th mode of the Melodic minor scale, so in this case A Melodic minor. Experiment with tension and release. As a rule of thumb, you can land”on any note of an E Major arpeggio (E-G#-B) every four bars and expect a sense of resolution. Happy jamming! 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!

jeff katz

The last year is when the blues truly came calling and I came face to face with death more than once.

This track consists of a specifically Phrygian-based two-chord vamp, moving between Bm and C. B Phrygian mode (B-C-D-E-F#-G-A) stems from the G Major scale – and being Phrygian, you will probably notice a ‘Spanishey’ vibe happening. You can also use B minor Pentatonic and B minor Blues scale for some cool colouring!

Classical and jazz guitar courses

Bonamassa with horn section

Christie Goodwin

Following the success of their first guitar course last year in Andalucía, Helicon Arts are delighted to be running this holiday again with eminent tutors Bridget and Milton Mermikides in the spectacular Palazzo Mannocchi in the Marche region of Italy. The course is open to classical and jazz guitarists from the enthusiastic amateur to the professional, and is an excellent opportunity to further your skills in a relaxed and supportive environment. The course will take the format

of small group teaching, one-toone sessions, and ensemble coaching, culminating in a final performance in the Iride theatre at Petritoli. Workshops and lessons will take place in the mornings and early afternoons, leaving the rest of the day for planned excursions or time out. At least three years’ minimum experience is recommended, but enthusiasm counts! The holiday costs £995 per person. Visit http://heliconarts. co.uk/guitar2015 for bookings and further information.

They call me Muddy Wolf! Joe Bonamassa’s latest release is a unique concert experience - a tribute to blues legends Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. The concert, filmed near Denver in May last year, is now released as a DVD and CD. For Muddy Wolf, songs were carefully selected from the catalogs of Howlin’ Wolf, one of Chicago’s most influential bluesmen, known for his deep, scratchy voice, and Muddy Waters, considered the father of modern Chicago blues. The concert features a selection of songs from each artist, followed by a 30-minute set of songs from Bonamassa’s own extensive catalogue. The line-up of players is also different from Bonamassa’s touring band, dubbed the Muddy

Wolf Band, and includes Anton Fig (drums), Michael Rhodes (bass), Reese Wynans (piano, Hammond organ), Lee Thornburg (trumpet, horn arrangements), Ron Dziubla (saxophone), Nick Lane (trombone), Mike Henderson (harmonica), and Kirk Fletcher (guitar). Of the experience, a humbled and grateful Bonamassa says: “Inspired was the feeling that permeated the camp from the very downbeat. It was the gig of a lifetime for me. What you see on this DVD is what it was like to play in front of the largest audience of my career, playing music that I loved, love, and fell in love with again in a much bigger way than I had before.” Check it out!

Learn in Italy!

Xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxx xxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx Bridget Mermikides: classical maestro

GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 2 4 2

Milton Mermikides: jazz virtuoso

ONE MINUTE LICK - by Phil Hilborne LYDIAN BENDING AND HARMONICS LICK

PHIL HILBORNE’S ONE-MINUTE LICK Lydian Bending And Harmonics Lick Our lick begins with some scale-based bending ideas, using notes from the C Lydian mode: C-D-E-F#-G-A-B C. This scale is derived from the key of G Major and therefore contains exactly the same notes as the G Major scale, only starting from its 4th degree. The first bar-anda-half is the same six-note motif played three times descending by an octave on each repeat. This repetitive concept is good for adding continuity to a phrase and also offers a technical exercise that will test your bending accuracy on every string. The second part of the lick features three chords played using a fretted note in the bass and natural harmonics in the upper registers. Make sure the chords and bass notes ring out as much as possible. Steve Vai is among the many players that have used this sort of idea. As usual, see if you can develop similar ideas of your own!

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Spring 2015 GuitarTechniques 11

The Studio Guitarist’s Guide To Happiness & Personal Fulfilment This month our session hero begins a new, A-Z-style series that guarantees to make your life as a recording or gigging guitarist go so much smoother. In this first article Mitch looks at A) for Attitude and B) for Be Prepared!

EMILE HOLBA

A: For Attitude At the point at which you walk through the studio door, it’s worth reminding yourself of the following truism. It applies equally to a one-hour commercial for cat litter or a week comprising three sessions per day for a major Hollywood movie. And that is simply the fact that what you are about to record represents the most significant event since the Dawn Of Man. Or, at the very least, should be treated as such. Because, for days, weeks, months - and even years - the project to which you are about to lend your fretting fingers has been agonised over, revised, rewritten, reviewed, cancelled and re-started by any permutation of the composer, director, production company and a plethora of very interested parties. Many of them will know something about music. Meetings have been held. Heels have been dug in. Fights have erupted. Resignations have been tended. And accepted. Money is at stake. Quite often, a lot of money. Your mission is to love this project as if it were your only child. Assuming you happen to like kids, naturally. You must love it, nurture it, respect it and show that you care. A few right notes along the way are always appreciated, for sure. But you can usually drop those in later. And one other thing. Several persons will greet you upon arrival with “Hi! How are you doin’?”

12 GuitarTechniques Spring 2015

These people may or may not be familiar to you. ‘Tis of no matter. Do not - under any circumstances - tell them. Even if your wife decamped with your best mate this morning. Don’t tell them how much you miss him. They don’t care. Remember all this as you strike your first wrong chord of the day and you will circumnavigate the musical maelstrom as easily as Joey Barton sees red.

B: Be prepared The recording studio is an unforgiving mistress. A harsh environment. And a clinically accurate assessor. Think that you sounded like the Celestial Choir and Mark Knopfler combined last night at that gig? Sure? Because every buzz at any fret, any valve hiss, every speaker rattle or amp hum will be accurately captured and reproduced before your very ears and those gathered in the control room. If it’s audible it’s likely to render your performance unusable. Recording engineers will tell you this gladly and in no uncertain terms. The level of gain on a microphone needed to record an acoustic guitar, is such that your merest immodest thought can spill onto ‘tape’. To say nothing of your breathing, the rustling of your strumming sleeve or the slightest adjustment of your instrument on those TK Maxx designer jeans. So. Your instruments must be professionally set up. They must

play in tune. Use top quality leads and patching cables. Carry a spare amp, strings and a guitar tool kit. And expect the unexpected. If you’re booked on electric guitar, bring a few. One should make a noise not unlike a Strat. And another not unlike a Les Paul. And take an acoustic, too. I know: you were booked on electric. What use is that when ‘they’ change their minds? Or rewrite the part? When booked on acoustic guitar, take a Spanish along for the ride. Think ahead. That love scene might suit nylon strings perfectly. I’m moist eyed at the very thought. When booked on 12-string it doesn’t hurt to bring an acoustic six-string and a hi-strung guitar (with the low strings tuned up an octave) as well. It offers another blend of sound if there is time and budget to overdub. And it all shows that you care. So. Think ahead! Next month, we move on. C is for... Behave, you at the back. Mitch Dalton has enjoyed a varied career as a studio guitarist. His credits include dates with jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock and Melody Gardot, pop hits with Robbie Williams, Monty Python and Van Morrison, The James Bond movies, TV shows and commercials. Many of his performances have been deemed adequate. Meet Mitch Dalton & The Studio Kings is available on Regius Records.

Rock icons Whitesnake are set to return with their 12th studio album this spring. The Purple Album will be released in Europe on May 15th, the UK on May 18th and in North America on May 19th via Frontiers Music. It is a re-imagination of classic songs from David Coverdale’s time as the lead singer for Deep Purple. “It’s a tribute, a homage,” explains Coverdale. “It’s a huge thank you from me to Deep Purple for the opportunity I was given over 40 years ago. As I said to Richie, you guys set me on an incredible journey that continues today and I couldn’t have asked for better teachers. The University of Deep Purple is an extraordinary, amazing school to learn from. We can’t wait to play these songs in concert.” From the opening notes of Burn to album closer Stormbringer, Purple’s songs are given a new energy in the very capable hands of the current Whitesnake line-up. Visit www. noblepr.co.uk for further details.

New PRS Santana Having unveiled the warmlyreceived new SE Standard range at the end of 2014, PRS Guitars has announced the arrival of the SE Standard Santana models to round out the series. In common with the rest of the high-performing but affordable SE Standards, the Santana and Santana Special feature all-mahogany construction, design touches including PRS’s iconic birds inlays – and a choice of PRS designed humbuckers (Santana Standard) or P90s (Santana Standard Special). Despite their high spec, the new models carry a retail price of £399/€499 and are supplied in a high quality PRS SE gig-bag. Click over to www.prsguitarseurope.com for further details and exact specifications of each model!

ASH NEWELL

Mitch Dalton’s

Coverdale’s purple snake is unleashed!

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