THE FINEST GUITAR LESSONS ON THE PLANET! 253 MARCH 2016
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fernando sor Opus 6. No.9 arranged for solo nylon-string
ACOUSTIC Learn the art of modern percussive playing, part 1
style studies
EXTREME
Nuno Bettencourt
BLIND FAITH
Post-Cream Clapton
JONI MITCHELL Acoustic open tunings
classic traCK!
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Wishing Well
Full tab and backing track for this riffy and melodic 70s smash hit rocker
JOHN SCOFIELD Jazz-blues-rock monster
HUBERT SUMLIN
Muddy Waters ‘ guitar man!
ISSUE 253 } march 2016 Just some of your regular GT technique experts... 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!
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.
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 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 I CAN’T PLAY fast. I’ve got a few quickish licks that come out for high days and holidays but that’s about it. I never learnt to do the blur of alternatepicked notes at which guys like John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola excel; I never mastered speedy legato in the Bill Nelson, Allan Holdsworth vein and I never managed to put it all together like Guthrie Govan or Steve Morse. So this issue is especially for me (and others like me, of course!). I’ve never wanted to do tapping, or sweep picking either, as I always think you get that, ‘Here comes my huge sweep-picking lick,’ or, ‘Now it’s my big tapping moment’ scenario going on. It seems unnatural. I’d much rather insinuate new ideas into my playing than ‘bolt them on’ as these techniques can often sound like. With all this in mind, Jason Sidwell and Richard Barrett have come up with a lesson that aims to train people like us to be slicker and
speedier players, by tweaking and refining what we already do, using conventional techniques rather than clamping something like tapping or sweep picking on. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with these when used wisely; but this lesson looks to address the ordinary pitfalls we all face when trying to become speedier players. So, what Richard covers includes: overcoming string crossing problems; reaching higher on one string to reduce string crossing; speed bursts; upping the notes per metronome click; maintaining tempo; reducing strain when pushing ahead and much more. Think of it like a motor car designer trimming and tweaking to reduce drag, thereby increasing efficiency and gaining a few MPH (and MPG) as a result. Hopefully our lesson won’t be a drag! See you next month.
Neville Marten, Editor neville.marten@futurenet.com
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bridget mermikides Guildhall and Royal Academy trained, Bridget is a Royal College of Music, examiner, a respected classical player and award-winning blues guitarist.
milton mermikides One of the country’s most respected music professors, Milton’s list of credits is embarrassingly long. Go to www. miltononline to learn all about him.
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.
iain scott For over 25 years Iain has taught in the UK’s top schools and academies, as well as a stint at GIT in LA. He can also boast playing with the legend Brian Wilson!
john wheatcroft A phenomenal guitarist, John is a master at all styles but a legend in Gypsy Jazz. His new album Ensemble Futur is out now on iTunes and Amazon.
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March 2016
03
CONTENTS • C ON T E N T S • M A R C H 2 016 • LEARNING ZONE
Develop more speed using conventional guitar techniques
Lessons Introduction
41
30-minute lickbag
42
Jason Sidwell gives you the low-down on this month’s action-packed Lessons section. BIMM’s Pat Heath has six more great licks at easy, intermediate and advanced levels.
blues
44
rock
48
creative rock
60
choRD CAMP
66
HARD ROCK
70
jazz
76
Acoustic
88
music reading
92
Les Davidson looks at the style of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf guitarist, Hubert Sumlin. Martin Cooper examines Eric Clapton’s playing with Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker in their post-Cream venture, Blind Faith. Shaun Baxter shows you more new ways of bringing rock sounds to your blues playing. Iain Scott provides another in-depth look at what makes chords tick. This month: 9ths.
Charlie Griffiths delves into the funky rock style of Extreme’s guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt. John Wheatcroft gets down and bluesy with one of jazz-fusion’s greatest exponents, the scarily good John Scofield.
Stuart Ryan pays homage to the ‘Lady Of The Canyon’ herself, the enigmatic Joni Mitchell. Charlie Griffiths tests your odd-time skills in a proggy piece for you to read and play.
COVER FEATURE Guide to faster fingers Using regular techniques
Here’s the feature you’ve been waiting for if you want to gain more speed but tapping is not your thing. With Richard Barrett.
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Nev admits he’s a bit of a slow coach...
3
This classic Free track has the lot: great riffs, fantastic feel, cool tones, neat progression and a tasty but not-so-difficult-to-play Paul Kossoff solo. Just toss in a coin and off you go!
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6
Intro
8
cREATIVE ACOUSTIC
Subscriptions
58
BACK ISSUES
68
Missed a copy of GT in the last six months? See how you can get it here!
Albums
95
Roger Newell reviews this month’s best releases: from Status Quo to Axel Rudi Pell.
USER GUIDE
transcription #2
52
talkback
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allen hinds MASTERCLASS Ramp’s Letter
This super piece of playing from Allen should impress and inspire you in equal measure. Then let him talk you through it in person!
60 Seconds, Session Shenanigans, One-Minute Lick, That Was The Year, Jam Tracks and more.
transcriptIon #1
fernaNdo sor Study Opus 6. No 9
Welcome
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FEATURES free Wishing Well
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In this brand new series, acoustic virtuoso Chris Woods introduces you to modern styles like tapping, harmonics, percussion and more!
Chris Woods: new acoustic series begins
NEW VIDEO LESSON!
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Get more from GT by understanding our easy-to-follow musical terms and signs.
34
Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes another fabulous piece from the master of classical guitar études, the great Fernando Sor.
Next Month
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The Genius Of Eric Clapton; Dream Theater, The Looking Glass; Allen Hinds video; Handel’s Hornpipe; Frank Zappa, José Feliciano & more!
March 2016
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TalkBack Post Guitar Techniques, Future Publishing, Ivo Peters Road, Bath, BA2 3QS. Email neville.marten@futurenet.com using the header ‘Talkback’.
I graduated from Berklee and GIT and played for over 22 years with the last 12 having a pretty disciplined approach. Then I didn’t play for a long time, but always knew I would again. When I started putting in my second run at the 10,000 hour thing, I came across your magazine and after a few months subscribed. That was early 2010. Every month there’s always something that appeals to me and I have gone through a lot of the articles over the years. But you guys are relentless. Every month more material arrives in my mailbox to challenge me saying: ‘Hey, do you know this?’ Then every few months an issue will contain something super special to me. It never stops. Sometimes, I get feelings of guilt from the fact that my best estimate of the material I have absorbed into my playing from all these years is maybe 3% of the total content. It’s likely lower than that. Often I remember an
Nile Rogers: King of funk guitarists
06
March 2016
it’s more searchable, we’re looking into that now and it shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, if someone does have a fully up-to-date contents list going back 22 years, we’d be very happy to hear from them. Very, very occasionally we do get work experience people in. Should that happen in the near future, the job of compiling the list will be all theirs!
DISCO INFERNO! A while back I bought a triple album, Disco Inferno: A Selection Of Tracks By Nile Rogers. I can see why this type of music is beloved of bass players – great grooves and bass patterns. The more I listened to it I thought: “Hey, there is some wonderful rhythm, hooks and fills, although deep in the mix.” I decided I must drop you a line for an idea for a
You guys are relentless. Every month more material arrives in my mailbox to challenge me database driven app. Hell, I’ll even offer to manage the project remotely for you if it helps get this going. A resource such as this is something one might expect from a mature, stable, important voice of the community. And we would accept any flaws such as missing data etc, but I would also bet that the readership would be able to provide info for any ‘lost issues’. In closing I will say if this already exists, please point me to it and consider this email just a big never mind! H Schuyler Collins III Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist, as yet. I wish we did have an intern that could sort it out because we just don’t have a large enough team to do it at the moment. A longtime reader does keep a database of main transcriptions and features, but this doesn’t take into account all the regular lessons at the back of the magazine, and these would also need to be logged if we were to do it properly. As for naming the CD so
future article – a Disco Rhythm Extravaganza to beef up your strumming chops and get those feet tapping. Michael Payne Yes, indeed, Nile is a fabulous guitarist and a friend of the magazine. Some years back Jason Sidwell ran a funk series in Guitar Techniques that covered most of the great funk bands and their guitarists – including Mr Rogers. We also compiled the series into a special magazine with CD called Play Guitar Now! Funk! Unfortunately, this is out of stock too, but I’ve just done a search and it seems they occasionally come up on a well-known online auction site. So keep your eyes peeled. Meantime, a more specific ‘disco’ front-end feature might be worth a look.
TASTE, TOUCH & TONE Until I bought your last issue I didn’t know much about Allen Hinds. I may have recalled you doing something with him before
Allen Hinds: a master of touch, taste and tone
but I’m not sure I saw it. Watching Monkey Swagger I was stunned by his beautiful touch and tone, and most of all his impeccable choice of notes. You hear people talking about ‘playing over the changes’ and Allen is the perfect descriptor of that. And when you hear the whole package – what I call the ‘Three Ts’, the aforementioned touch, tone and taste – it all adds up to the perfect player. I’d say he’s every bit as good as Robben Ford, Larry Carlton and Matt Schofield, and I thank you guys heartily for including such an inspiring player in Guitar Techniques. Watching his fingers is a great help when going through the tab, too – even though he’s so slick I can’t believe that what’s just come out of my speakers is the result of such minimal finger movement! More please, from this articulate musician and great teacher. Stephen Barry Yes, Stephen, Allen’s playing is as close to sublime as we can think of. He hits all the right notes, at just the right time, with just the right tone. And what more could you want? There is more to come in the series, so please do keep buying the magazine! And if you like Allen you’ll also love this month’s cover feature on Robben Ford and Larry Carlton – two other fine arbiters of taste, touch and tone.
TIM HOLT / PHOTOSHOT
BACK ISSUE APP
article I would like to revisit but it’s too hard to go through every magazine to find it. I copy every CD to my hard drive but only your special ‘Spring’ issues will copy the actual title so I can not search (Windows Media Player). What we need, and I know this is a large task, but it’s not an infinite one, is for you to provide online a searchable index of each issue/CD. It’s a big task, but I would think it’s only a tedious task, a brute force, one-time project to go back to years of previous issues to compile, because it would not be hard to then maintain and update with every new issue. I would think it’s a great job for a fledgling journalist intern. As a former developer and current technical project manager, I would suggest it be a
Intro Instrumental Inquisition!
Instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative and exciting moments. We asked some top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This month we meet the brilliant Aussie axeman, Brett Garsed GT: What appeals to you about a guitar instrumental? BG: It allows listeners to come up with their own interpretation of what the song means emotionally, without a lyric guiding them in any particular direction. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a guitar instrumental but I suppose I’m drawn to them seeing as I am a guitar player. Well, guitar owner on some days! GT: What tendencies do you aim to embrace or avoid? BG: As long as I can come up with a strong melody without being too predictable, I’ll pursue the idea and try to make a song out of it. GT: Is a typical structure still intro, verse, chorus, verse? BG: Seeing as I’m not limited to any particular genre I try to exploit that and have the song go wherever it wants without conforming to any standard model of songwriting structure. It can be 10 minutes or three minutes long and go anywhere it wants. I try to enjoy the creative freedom that a relatively unknown indie artist can have. GT: How useful is studying a vocalist’s approach? BG: I’ve been lucky to have worked with John Farnham for the past 30 years, whom I consider to be one of the greatest vocalists of all time. I’m sure his phrasing and uncanny improvisational abilities have sunk into my brain. Jeff Beck and Derek Trucks are two great examples of a guitar being used as a vocal instrument. It’s a good thing to remind some players of if they get a bit stuck focusing only on ‘guitarisms’. GT: How do you start writing one? BG: I’ll try anything to be honest. Sometimes it’s just an acoustic doing the chords and melody and then other times I’ll improvise for half an hour and listen back to see if there’s any ideas in there that get me going. I try to not write too 8
March 2016
Fantastic regular and slide guitarist Brett Garsed
many songs that sound the same – at least that’s the goal anyway. GT: Does being centre stage for the whole number affect you? BG: I don’t like to be the centre of attention, to be honest. I like being in a large band and being part of the bigger picture, but if I have to lead the whole thing then I give it everything I’ve got, try to play my best and not screw up!
the musos i play with sound great playing anything. i’m lucky that they put up with me!
GT: Many guitar solos start low and slow then finish high and fast. Do you think this structure is a useful way to go? BG: It’s one possible structure. It’d probably be a good idea to vary the dynamic of solo sections from song to song anyway. GT: What type of guitar tone do you prefer for instrumentals? BG: I believe that whatever suits the song is right. My personal tone is quite a dark sound but I’ll search for a tone that I feel is appropriate for the section I’m trying to play. GT: Any favourite keys or tempos? BG: No. I try to vary all of that as well so that I don’t end up writing songs that all sound the same.
GT: Do you find minor or major keys easier to write in? BG: It doesn’t matter really. I find songwriting difficult but I think this is because I try as hard as I can to be original, which is really tough for me. I’m not as prolific as I should be but that’s probably because I’ll throw out an idea if it sounds too derivative. GT: Do you have any modes that you naturally favour? BG: TJ Helmerich said I really liked the Mixolydian mode, which is probably due to my being a massive Larry Carlton fan. I didn’t notice it until TJ brought it up but if I’m trying out a guitar or just noodling then it’ll probably be that Mixolydian sound. GT: What about modulations into other keys? BG: Yeah, I enjoy that stuff. I really like trying to play over changes written by someone other than myself. GT: Do you view the backing band in a different way than you would on a vocal song? BG: No, the musos I play with sound great playing anything. I’m lucky that they put up with me! GT: What are your views on harmonising melodies? BG: I don’t do too much of it myself but I enjoy hearing how other people use it. GT: What three guitar instrumentals would you consider iconic or have inspired you? BG: Allan Holdsworth is the master of texture as far as I’m concerned. He could have never played a solo and had a great career as an ambient artist. I really love an album by Michael Brook called Live At The Aquarium. Michael Landau or Scott Henderson would have to be included too but I’m already up to four so it’s impossible for me to just have three! Ask me about how many musicians I think are great and we’ll be here for years!
Intro
P
unctuality. A deeply unfashionable word that seems to reside at the very opposite end of the music biz spectrum to words like ‘cool’, ‘hip’, or ‘wicked’. But acquiring a reputation for lateness is a surefire recipe for creating both an increase in the irritability of your colleagues and a decrease in the frequency with which your phone rings. And it matters little as to the environment in which failure to make it on time occurs. By waltzing into the rehearsal, clattering through the violin section on a high-profile session or even waking to the pummelling fists of the tour manager on your hotel bedroom door, you are delivering the same unappealing message: “My time is more important than yours.” And by implication, “I am more important than you. Obviously. Because I am your Lead Guitar God and thus an object of quasi-religious adoration. And, quite frankly, you can omit the ‘quasi’ in that last sentence as far as I’m concerned. You may wait until I am ready to walk among you, you worthless ingrates.” Time is money. And wasted time is wasted money. Here is a simple calculation. Let’s say you’re 10 minutes late to the new Bond movie. Let’s say that it’s necessary to record the cues in order for all kinds of entirely possible logistical reasons. A 90-piece orchestra rehearses the piece without you while you deign to put in a cameo appearance. And waits for you to
position as I recall. Ah. Happy days. No. I remember it well for the conversation that ensued between two of my rhythm section colleagues at the conclusion of our honest toil at 1pm. Drummer: “Where are you this afternoon?” Bass player. “Olympic at 2.” Drummer. “So am I. Fancy a beer before we go?” We were in CTS studios, Wembley as those words were uttered. The legendary Olympic Studios were in Barnes, South West London. Today, the chances of making the second date on time by horseless carriage are exactly zero. With or without access to an invigorating pint. Or a Porsche 911 Turbo. So. Aim to arrive at the date one hour early. If it’s a 2pm call, be ready to set up for 1pm. Check the travelling time, making the wholly ludicrous assumption that the traffic will run smoothly. Then add a whole hour to your calculation. Is the journey supposed to take 90 minutes? Well, call it two and a half hours. That’s right. Madness. But it has to be done. Car share if you can with keyboard players, drummers and bassists. Not trumpeters and sax players. They simply don’t get it. Trust me. I was very nearly a doctor. Rock and roll? Life in the slow lane more like!
Mitch Dalton’s
Session Shenanigans
The studio guitarist’s guide to happiness and personal fulfilment. This month: L is for Late apply embarrassed bottom to uncomfy chair, and trembling pick to round-wound string. There are 165 working minutes in a three-hour session, excluding the 15-minute break. Ten minutes represents about 6% of the recording time. Multiply that by 90 musicians. That’s the equivalent of about five and a half individual session fees. Let’s say that the minimum fee for a ‘combined use’ three-hour engagement is around £150. I repeat. Minimum. So you
PHIL HILBORNE’S ONE-MINUTE LICK
just wasted at least £850 of someone else’s money, which may serve to explain the stony silence that greets your attempt to lighten the mood with your alleged legendary sense of humour: “Sorry I’m late back. They were changing the barrel.” I well remember one of my first ever studio dates – not, I might mention, for the quality of the music or my contribution to it, which involved the strumming of three popular chords in open
Mitch Dalton is one of London’s most sought-after musicians. His latest album, Mitch Dalton & The Studio Kings is out now. For more info go to: www.mitchdalton.co.uk
Jazz-Blues Turnaround And Ending
The final four bars of a blues progression are where you either set Notice how the thinking is always centred on the chord of the moment, things up to go into another chorus or prepare for an ending. Here we and is thus not so scale-based. On the fourth beat of bar 1 the two notes see both of these concepts. The lick is in G and consists of one bar of the V B and Ab form part of an ‘imaginary’ Db7 (b7 and 5th respectively) passing chord (D7), one bar of the IV chord (C7),MAGAZINE and either a 2two-bar ‘turnaround’ chord, creating tension before resolving to the following C7. Also see how GUITAR TECHNIQUES 53 b – A, Gb – G is repeated in bars 1 and 2, strengthening MINUTE LICK - by Phil(AHilborne or one bar of the V chord followed by an ending. Blues and rockONE players will the semitone move JAZZ /notes BLUES the TURNAROUND ENDING LICKPlay the G bass note with your thumb and often play scale-based licks that ‘target’ a few important question and&answer phrase. but don’t follow the chords in the same way as seen here. use as an anchor while you add finger vibrato to the top notes. – ©»¡™º qq=qce
E B G D A E
G7
1 G7
C7
D7
2 G7
b
A 7 G7
~~~ 3 b œ 4 b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ & 4 . œ bœnœ bœnœ bœ bœnœ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ b œ n ˙ .. œj ‰ ‰ b œœ bœ 6 F ~~~ 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 . . 5 4 . 5 6 7 5 6 7 4 6 3 4 53 5 6 53535 0 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 3 4 5 . 0 D7
C7
3
3
3
3
3
3
j œœ œ œ 3 4 3
~~~ ˙˙ ˙ ˙ ~~~
4 3
March 2016
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Intro 60 SECONDS with…
A minute’s all it takes to find out what makes a great guitarist tick. Before he jumped into his limo for the airport we grabbed a quick chat with North Mississippi Allstar, Luther Dickinson GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without? LD: My favourite plectrums are made of stone for electric and wood for acoustic. Fingerpicking is at the heart of my relationship with the guitar but some songs call for plectrum. I love the concept of guitar as a percussion instrument and attacking it as such.
GT: What’s your favourite amp and how do you set it? LD: Marshall and Fender amps are classic, they sound like rock and roll. I like to run a clean, fat amp cushioned with a second fuzzy and creamy amp. I run the amps loud and play dynamically, preferring amp break-up to pedals pushing the front end. The tone I go for is clean and fat with sustain. GT: What kind of action do you have on your guitars? LD: I like high action with light strings for playing slide and tuning way down. Open C is my favourite: C-G-C-E-G-C.
GT: If you had to give up all your guitar pedals but three, what would they be? LD: The Radial JX-2 Switchbone is crucial, splitting the signal to two amps with phase and polarity switches as well as a tuner out and a quiet mute switch and a nice boost. The Switchbone and a Boss tuner are all I need but I also love a nice timed delay. GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to be in a band, and have you ever done it? LD: Bass guitar has become a great joy as it’s powerful, a huge responsibility and rarely played properly. Bad bass playing and bad, loud bass tone drives me insane. GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it? LD: We learned to read chord charts in the studio. The Nashville number system works well. Sheet music with notes on a staff has to be decoded. I do it often for my own purposes but that rarely comes up at my work.
hot for teacher
GT: What strings do you use? LD: DR strings are killer. They can take a beating. String gauge is as important an aspect on your tone and stylist approach as guitar and amp choices. For example, if I am playing 50s-style blues or rock and roll, light strings don’t sound right to me and make me play inappropriately. So I would prefer heavier strings, maybe even flatwounds, to play trad blues or rock and roll. North Mississippi Allstar guitarist Luther Dickinson
GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours? LD: Free ones sound the best when running around town but on the road my guitar tech makes cables to various degrees of fidelity and satisfaction.
Your
ZACH HUNDLEY
Name: Des Sherwood Town: Halesowen, Dudley, West Midlands Styles: Rock, blues, funk, classical, fingerstyle and slap bass Speciality: Rock lead Levels: Beginners to advanced, RGT exams to Grade 8 if desired Sight-reading: Intermediate Charges: £22 per hour, £13 per half hour Special: Parking, guitars and amps supplied Tel: 07814 763623 Email: des.sherwood@ btinternet.com
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March 2016
Teacher
GT: Is there anyone’s playing (past or present) that you’re slightly jealous of? LD: Ry Cooder plays so intelligently and is a master of the American melodic vernacular, while Derek Trucks has evolved the vocabulary of slide guitar forever, adding jazz, Indian classical and soul singing styles for everyone to digest. GT: Your house or studio is burning down: which guitar do you salvage, and why? LD: For that reason I keep special guitars spread out in different locations. My father’s Gibson 175 and my mother’s little Martin would be most beloved.
i run a clean amp cushioned with a second fuzzy, creamy amp. I prefer amp break-up to pedals GT: What are you and the band up to at the moment (gigs, tours, albums, new gear). LD: North Mississippi Allstars made a record with (Swedish-born blues guitarist who now live in New Orleans) Anders Osborne called North Mississippi Osborne, Freedom And Dreams. Touring that record has been a blast. Check out www.nmallstars.com for info on tours, CDs and more!
That Was The Year...
Intro
1959
e, Combos como combos g
IN THE USA ALASKA and Hawaii
are admitted into the Union to become the 49th and 50th states respectively. TV audiences delight to episodes of The Twilight Zone, Rawhide and Bonanza (the first ever weekly TV show to be broadcast in colour), Barbie Dolls appear in the toy shops and Boeing puts its 707 airliner into service.
RICKENBACKER DECIDES TO CEASE
production of its Combo 600 and 800 guitars. These single and doublepickup models are struggling against the popular Fender and Gibson products in spite of the recent 800 upgrade to a single horseshoe treble pickup and a bar pickup at the neck. The current catalogue shows both models with a ‘cresting wave’ body but none have actually been built.
CLIFF RICHARD AND THE DRIFTERS
(Hank, Bruce, Jet and Tony) play their first performance together at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall and Cliff had his first number one record with Living Doll. Richie Sambora, Brian Setzer, Bryan Adams, Morrissey and Susanna Hoffs are born but Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper are lost when their plane goes down in a snowstorm over Iowa.
FENDER REVEALS ITS NEW
range of Brownface amplifiers. The 40-watt Concert combo is loaded with four 10-inch Jensen speakers and along with the brown control panel the unit is covered in a pinkish brown Tolex with a light brown (wheat) grille. It has an all-valve, two-channel amplifier plus vibrato and the earliest models from the production line have a centre placed volume control; however this soon shifts to the left of the array.
DIXON OF DOCK GREEN AND JUKE BoX
Jury premiere on BBC Television; house prices reach an average of £2,400; and the cost of a family car like the Austin 7 is £500 more that a fifth of the price of a house; direct dial payphones are introduced; and Southend Pier Pavilion is destroyed by fire.
FIDEL CASTRO BECOMES LEADER OF CUBA;
the Chinese suppress an uprising in Tibet causing the Dalai Lama and tens of thousands of Tibetans to seek refuge in India; the St Lawrence Seaway is finally completed and opened, linking the Great Lakes to the ocean; and the Soviet Union successfully send their Luna 2 spacecraft crashing into the moon to become the first man-made object to reach the surface.
Jam Tracks Tips
Use these tips to navigate our bonus backing tracks ➊ Slow Rock Jam (Am) We start with a slow acoustic guitar-infused jam in A minor. A minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) works throughout the track. In terms of seven-note scales, I’d use A Natural minor (A-B-C-D-E-F-G) for the ‘verse’ sections and A Dorian mode (A-B-C-D-E-F#-G) for the ‘chorus’ sections (where the chord sequence goes: C-D-Am).
➋ Acid Jazz Funk Jam (E) Here we have a fun, acid-jazz style funk track. Harmonically speaking there are two sections. The main section is based on an E7#9 (aka the ‘Hendrix’ chord) and the B section is an A9 (IV9). E minor Pentatonic (E-G-A-B-D) works great throughout. To get more jazzy colours, use the E Half-whole tone scale (E-F-G-G#-A#-B-C#-D) on E7#9 and A Mixolydian mode (A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G) on A9.
➌ Reggae Blues (Am) Essentially, this is a simple minor blues progression, but with a reggae feel to it. Use A minor Pentatonic scale (A-C-D-E-G), A minor Blues (A-C-D-D#-E-G) or A Natural minor; (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). Knowing the 7th arpeggios will
also come in handy. They are: Am7 (A-C-E-G); Dm7 (D-F-A-C) and Em7 (E-G-B-D).
➍ Funky 3/4 Blues (Gm) Here’s a fun odd-metre curveball – a groovy G minor blues in 3/4. For soloing, G Dorian mode (G-A-BbC-D-E-F) works throughout. As does G minor Pentatonic (G-Bb-CD-F). You can also find some cool colours playing around with the 7th arpeggios: Gm7 (G-Bb-D-F), C7 (C-E-G-Bb) and Dm7 (D-F-A-C). Happy jamming! Jam tracks by Quist. For free scale maps and hundreds more tracks, visit www.quistorama.com. You can also subscribe to www.youtube.com/ QuistTV to get all the latest tracks and licks. Or find Quist and his jam tracks on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Gary Moore in Guitarist mag To commemorate five years since Gary’s sad death, Guitarist has an exclusive look at some of his great guitars and amps. Neville Marten demos some of these instruments including the Still Got The Blues 59 Les Paul, a 63 Strat, 64 Gibson Firebird I, and more. There’s also
a recently-discovered David Mead interview with the great man, and Neville chats to Gary’s long-time assistant Graham Lilley about life with Gary and his gear, and the forthcoming sale of guitars, amps, pedals and more. Don’t miss Guitarist issue 403 – out now!
GIBSON INTRODUCES THE ES-330T GUITAR
with a centre-mounted P90 single-coil pickup for unique tonal qualities. It has twin f-holes on a thinline, arched hollow maple body with a mahogany neck all bound at the edges. The Brazilian rosewood fingerboard sports pearl dot inlays and the guitar has a tune-o-matic bridge, a trapeze tailpiece and a floating scratchplate. It’s offered in cherry, natural or sunburst finishes.
Gibson ES-330T Guitar
Gary Moore: an unbelievable five years since he passed away
March 2016
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Play } FASTer
ON THE CD
TRACKs 4-25
Guide to faster fingers In an exclusive feature, Richard Barrett takes you through a systematic process to develop speed with transcribed exercises, an example solo and a great backing track to practise over. ABILITY RATING Info Key Em/Am Tempo 90 bpm CD TRACKS 4-25
I
Moderate Will improve your… Alternate picking Economy picking
t’s an undeniable thrill to hear someone really nail a fast, technical passage on any instrument. While not everyone wants to make this their main goal, there are few players that would turn down the chance to improve their technical facility in one way or another. So, where do you start? We’ve taken a few common ‘problem’ areas and zoned in on specific patterns or exercises to break out of them. We’ve broken these down into three main areas: alternate picking, legato and economy picking. Let’s start with alternate picking – a technique that traditionally eludes guitarists, whose early attempts usually involve taking a deep breath and holding it while tensing up ready for action. Seems logical enough, but this approach usually leads to a cycle of inconsistency, frustration and possible injury. The brain and fingers become ‘wired’ to stumble over trickier areas, with messy results. Easy enough to gloss over when you’re sitting at home, but what about when your band is covering The Drill Song and you’re expected to deliver consistently? Legato presents a different challenge – generating lines of notes with minimal to no
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Legato playing
input from the picking hand requires stamina and control. Many less experienced players reach for the gain control, assuming (correctly) that the increased sensitivity and compression will help bring out those hammer-ons and pull-offs. The trouble is, it brings out all the handling noise too, so what you gain in ease of playing, you lose in articulation. More on this later...
small errors you forgive yourself for at home may lead to coming unstuck when playing in public Economy picking is a great compromise, allowing easier and more fluid articulation for groups of notes, but many of the previous issues apply here too – plus the dilemma of when to pick and when to play legato. Okay, time for some answers. When approaching (or reappraising) any technique, it’s important to look at every aspect and make sure you’re doing it as efficiently as you can. Minimum movement at the tip of the pick
choosing the most comfortable angle, using only your wrist, not the whole forearm. Choosing the most logical fretting fingers and not lifting them any more than necessary, saving effort and time. Economy in motion and logical up and down strokes when crossing the strings. Perhaps most importantly, always practise to a click, a drum machine, or some other point of reference for timing – otherwise small errors that you forgive yourself in private may lead to coming unstuck in public. While all this might not sound awfully artistic or creative, it actually does facilitate greater creativity when you have incrementally built up the conditioned reflexes – or ‘muscle memory’ – to allow you the choice of exactly where and when you employ a particular technique to best serve the solo, or song. Regular practise is essential, even if it’s only for a few minutes a day. In fact, this may be preferable to long, punishing sessions that can actually further entrench any problem ‘habits’ or mental attitudes you may develop about your playing as a result of impatience and boredom. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can improve your coordination – and in turn your speed – as long as you always warm up and stay on top of the details.
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Technique Focus Practising A completely different approach to playing, practise should be an organised way of reaching a goal. Once the initial excitement of getting to grips with some of the featured techniques has faded, it’s easy to become stuck in a rut with a few go-to phrases that can feel stale after a while. A good way of breaking free of this is to record yourself playing and listen with a critical ear. This is a process best done in private, so you can really listen and decide what changes, if any, need to be made. It’s usually a good idea to leave a couple of days between recording and listening, so you can be objective. You may be surprised how much you like what you hear! If you don’t, make a mental (or physical) list of what the problems are and work through them methodically, applying logic and rehearsing the movements slowly. Remember, though – having personality in your playing is more important than flawless technique to most listeners, so while it can be a great way to further musical expression, at the end of the day it’s simply another tool in the musical box.
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March 2016
Gain
Bass
Middle
Treble
Reverb
Avoid going too far down the ‘high gain’ route, as the increased handling noise, potential feedback and loss of definition will work against you. Experiment with the minimum amount of ‘saturation’ you can work with to see what can be achieved with the gain set slightly lower (and the volume up). You may find your preferences for the ideal lead sound changing!
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