PLAY blues • rock • jazz • acoustic • lead • rhythm • AND MORE! 262 NOVEMBER 2016
more music than any other guitar magazine!
10 genres - 20 examples - infinite value
mixolydian masterclass Use this King Of Scales to play Blues, Rock, Country, Jazz, Rock & Roll and more. Beef up your theory and blag an exciting new lickbag right now!
Over
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Licks, chords and solos!
Jimmy Page rock lesson Find out what makes Led Zeppelin’s Pagey a true guitar legend
classical
GEORGE Handel Lascia Ch’io Pianga from Handel’s Rinaldo opera
ON VIDEO
Exclusive
BRETT GARSED
One-on-one lesson with this astounding rock soloist
CLASSIC
The
Beatles
Acoustic Styles
The genius of Paul, John and George laid out in easy-to-play examples
Your Top Style Studies
Learn the great licks of the greatest players!
Featuring: Rory Gallagher, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Gilbert & Joe Pass
ISSUE 262 } november 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.
www.myfavourite magazines.co.uk
Welcome are you ready to ‘Mix It Up’ and tackle our cover feature, all about the Mixolydian mode? Play any 7th chord then play its respective Mixolydian scale – G Mixolydian for G7, etc - and you’ll find that they’re the perfect fit. The matching Major 3rd and flattened 7th are what make it so ‘right’. But unlike some scales that seem only suited for certain things, the Mixolydian is great in any genre that uses dominant chords – 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, etc. Hence you’ll find it equally at home in blues, jazz, R&B, country, pop, soul, and all manner of styles. Jon Bishop has 10 brilliant examples of the Mixolydian in action, so nip to p14 and grab a whole new lickbag. There are few people that don’t like The Beatles. What they achieved over such a short time is more than any band in history, probably. Some of their most-beloved tracks were powered by acoustic guitar; all three Beatle pickers played and wrote on acoustic, whether it’s Paul and songs like Yesterday and
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Blackbird, John with the lovely Julia, or George with Here Comes The Sun. These are the tunes we all know, but hidden gems include Paul’s I Will, John’s I’m Only Sleeping, and George’s Anthology version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Stuart Ryan looks at these three individual legends’ markedly different acoustic styles and asserts that, yes, these boys weren’t half bad! It’s the last of Brett Garsed’s video masterclasses this month. Brett is a staggering player and, even if what he does is beyond you (it is me!), you’ll definitely learn a cool thing or two to add to your arsenal. It’s been an honour to have him in GT; so many thanks to Brett for his generosity, and to Jason Sidwell for writing and recording the great backing tracks. Enjoy the issue and I’ll see you again next month.
Neville Marten, Editor neville.marten@futurenet.com
Don’t miss our amazing digital edition Guitar Techniques’ iPad* 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.
justin sandercoe One of the most successful guitar teachers ever, justinguitar.com is a mine of information, and his YouTube channel boasts almost 500,000 subscribers!
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.
Tap the links
Finding your way around the magazine is easy. Tapping the feature titles on the cover or the contents page, takes you straight to the relevant articles. Any web and email links in the text are tappable too!
Animated tab & audio
Songs and lessons have the audio built in with a moving cursor showing you exactly where you are in the music. Simply tap the ‘play’ button then you can fast-forward or scroll back at will.
Play the videos
Certain articles have accompanying videos full of useful insight and additional information. Once again, tap the play buttons to enjoy video masterclasses on your iPad or smartphone.
PLUS! Get a FREE iPad/iPhone sample of GT. For full details and how to receive our digital edition regularly, go to bit.ly/guitartechniques (if you live in the UK) or bit.ly/guitartechus (overseas). * PLEASE NOTE: Only the Apple version contains interactive tab and audio. Zinio and others do not.
Disc audio Sometimes the GT CD features some articles’ backing tracks as mp3 files due to space. These will be found in a folder on the CD-ROM section of the disc, accessible only via a computer and not a conventional CD player. November 2016
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CONTENTS TURN TO PAGE 30 NOW FOR THE LATEST SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS
• C ON T E N T S • NOV E M B E R 2 016 •
LEARNING ZONE Lessons Introduction
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30-minute lickbag
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Jason Sidwell ponders on the myriad ways to approach the lessons in this and every fabulous edition of Guitar Techniques.
Pat Heath has six more licks for you to play at easy, intermediate and advanced levels.
blues
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rock
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HARD ROCK
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jazz
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Acoustic
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creative rock
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IN THE WOODSHED
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choRD CAMP
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Les Davidson pays homage to the Celtic Warrior King: Rory Gallagher. Martin Cooper examines the playing style Led Zeppelin’s architect, Jimmy Page.
Technically awesome and creatively inspiring: Charlie Griffiths honours Mr Big’s Paul Gilbert. John Wheatcroft explores the art of solo fingerstyle jazz guitar with a look at Joe Pass. Stuart Ryan revels in the talents of the wonderful Bruce Springsteen.
Part three of Shaun Baxter’s Mixolydian triad series. In this instalment: triad pairs. Charlie Griffiths gives the much underused digit – the fourth finger – a workout with a session in string bending.
Nev’s Gibson Les Paul ‘True Historic’ ’57 Custom reissue
FEATURES
Welcome 14
talkback
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Intro
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Your comments and communications... Justin Sandercoe’s instructive column; plus Session Shenanigans, Jam Tracks and more.
Subscriptions
30
BACK ISSUES
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Save time and money – get GT delivered!
SPECIAL FEATURE 32
The Fab Four weren’t all about Hofner, Gretsch, Rickenbacker and Epiphone electrics. Stuart Ryan explores The Beatles’ acoustic moments.
BRETT GARSED Video Masterclass
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In instalment #6 of his masterclass series for GT, Brett Garsed solos over a tricky, funkinfused groove entitled Chill Diggery.
Missed a copy of GT in the last six months? See how you can get it here!
Albums
95
Reviews this month include: Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Rusty Cooley and Aynsley Lister.
USER GUIDE
transcription George Handel Lascia Ch’io Pianga
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Nev celebrates the highlights of this issue.
Exploring the wonderful world of the Mixolydian, Jon Bishop provides 10 stylistically different pieces to illustrate how versatile this mode this and how it can refresh your playing.
The Beatles Acoustic styles
VIDEO tutorial
REGULAR FEATURES
COVER FEATURE Mixolydian MASTERCLASS 10 contrasting pieces
Iain Scott explores the power of three with a look at tritone substitution.
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Get more from GT by understanding our easy-to-follow musical terms and signs.
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Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes a gentle aria that requires a subtle approach to melody, taken from Handel’s opera, Rinaldo.
Next Month
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Ten ways to improve your fretting-hand technique! Five blues licks from Robin Trower on video, plus a rockabilly special feature.
Brett Garsed in his final video lesson for GT November 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’. eras in the magazine and that whole 80s raft of players would fit perfectly in such a run. Many of our guys are deeply into them too – they’re at an age where they were weaned on The Smiths and U2 rather than The Beatles and Stones. We’ll look into it – I promise!
SAME OLD, SAME OLD John McGeoch of Magazine and Siouxsie And The Banshees
POST PUNK PLEA The Canarios transcription in the August 2016 issue caught my eye. It was the same in October 2001 when Canarios was also published in GT and I quickly and gratefully made my first purchase. (This was a completely fresh transcription and very different to the 2001 one – Ed). That issue also had a cool Robben Ford lesson by Guth Govan. In 15 years GT has unlocked a lot of what was mystifying to me as a young guitar hack – chords with more than one number, or altered note; aaaagghhh! The best part was discovering other players. I might have learned nothing but I still would have found out about Danny Gatton and Scott Henderson. Your contributors provide outstanding detail and I urge other readers to check the notes that go with the transcripts. All styles get a look-in with GT but there are some players from 80s bands you should look into. Charlie Burchill and John McGeoch perhaps. Anyhoo... Love your work. Chris Mc, Adelaide, SA
Yes, you’re right, Chris. There’s a whole slew of players that came out in the post punk years and who seemed to have slipped through GT’s net. Actually, it’s been mentioned before so there’s clearly an appetite for that style – which I might describe as ‘punk attitude, pop sensibility’. We often serialise styles or 6
November 2016
Today I received issue 260 and I was glad the moment I saw on the cover ‘40 Great Blues Intros and Outros – grab a huge new lickbag’. But I have to assert, I know these intros and outros. Six years ago in issue 174... same licks... why do you do that? These are great licks but please don’t copy and paste. I understand that new subscribers or readers won’t know, but faithful readers do. GT is an absolutely helpful magazine to extend musical understanding and get new ideas, and so I subscribed last year. But I’ve been buying it regularly here in a local shop in Vienna, Austria. I hope GT assists us in the future with ‘new’ old and modern licks. Norbert Schwarz
You are right in spotting that the Intros & Outros feature was a re-use, Norbert. But for lots of complicated reasons, which I won’t go into here, we’ve stopped tabbing actual tracks – apart from Bridget’s new arrangements of classical repertoire. So we are concentrating more on the core GT strengths, which are its brilliantly exclusive technique, style and theory articles. Stuff you won’t find anywhere else – unlike tabs, which you can Google in three seconds. However, you are right in pointing out that new readers, and those that only buy the magazine sporadically (which our distributors tell us is most of you – and that applies to all mags, not just GT), won’t have seen it. Also, it seems such a shame not to use a fabulous feature that we printed all those years ago, that’s still utterly relevant today, but that probably 90% of our current readership didn’t see. I’m sure it will have been of great use to many readers
out there. We will be running more re-used articles, but carefully selected and always from several years ago so the fewest people possible will have seen it twice. TV stations live and breathe on repeat programmes, but GT will only ever redo articles when we feel they are relevant and will not have been seen by most readers.
CLASSICAL CONGRATULATIONS I’ve been a GT fan since 1995 when I bought my first issue (#9, with the How to Play It Like... column featuring Jimi Hendrix’s take on Like A Rolling Stone) off the magazine stand at the now-defunct Tower Records. I’m not particularly keen on soloing per se (though there are many players whose solos I love); I am fascinated by chords and chord progressions first and
Renaissance lute CD there ever was, is, and will be, and I just wanted to thank you for a sterling transcription and absolutely one of the cleanest, most precise and expressive performances of this piece I’ve ever heard (on CD or YouTube). And the recording quality is such that I can actually feel as well as hear how your nails produce the sound on the strings! Kudos! Ps. Neville: You needn’t print this. I am just so gobsmacked by this latest issue that I finally decided to get off my bum – which is now 63 years old – and write to you guys to thank you for yet another fantastic issue of GT! Though you had some keen competition in the late 90s, you’ve always been the best bang for the buck (or the pound, or the Euro) in the world. I’m a language
there are players from 80s bands you should look at – charlie burchill or john mcgeoch... comping styles second. Over the past several years GT has published many, many feature articles and series on chords, harmony, and the videos often have lead sheets with the basic progressions and how to use them. Lovely stuff! Keep it coming! (The Freddie Green piece this month is especially nice because it shows how he changed his voicings according to the musical context he was in). Would you mind passing this along to Bridget Mermikides about #258’s transcription of Alonso Mudarra’s Fantasia X? Hi Bridget: I’ve got all your columns from day one. You’ve re-introduced me to tunes I only heard in their original operatic or piano form, etc – as well as to a lot of music I never knew or had heard without knowing who they were by or what their names were. But this particular issue’s piece – Alonso Mudarra’s Fantasia X – is absolutely brilliant! I’ve got almost every vihuela and
teacher so I find the How of your writers as stimulating as the What. Thanks to all of you! Allen Balaz, Taipei
That’s such a lovely letter that I thought I would print it, Allen. As you know, I passed it onto Bridget and I believe she replied separately. The people that create features for GT put in so much time and effort. It makes it so much more worthwhile when someone writes such wonderful words. So thanks again – we appreciate your comments.
Bridget: great touch, tone and technique
Intro Food For Thought
Every month, Justin Sandercoe of justinguitar.com lends GT his insight as one of the world’s most successful guitar teachers. This month: five minute miracles.
W
NICK DELANEY
hen I was 18 years old and I was accepted into the local classical conservatoire I had a lot of stuff I had to study. On top of the classical repertoire, techniques and harmony I had to study for the course, I was desperate to learn more about jazz and rock guitar. Luckily, I had a great teacher (thanks Johnny Mac!) who helped me sort out a proper practice routine for the first time to cover everything I needed. I was doing eight hours a day broken into half-hour chunks and I got into ticking boxes on a chart I would make up, and found it to be a very self motivating and rewarding way to practice. The big personal breakthrough came when I realised how much better I could focus when I had a set amount of time to practice any given exercise, rather than just working on things as I felt like it and for as long as I liked. I started experimenting with the amount of time I could keep properly focused and how much time I needed between exercises. I’ve since looked more into the concept and found that many people have studied the effect of using a timer to maintain focus, and it’s pretty much proven that it is more effective to work with a set end point than not (I’ll add some links on the website link shown in the footer of this article). What I recommend for practice is to divide your total available practice time in two. Have half for completely free fun play – just enjoy the guitar, play songs, explore sounds, techniques, whatever – and then make a routine for the other half, though I recommend doing the routine first or you might jam your way out of time for the serious stuff (eat your vegetables before dessert!). Start small, pick yourself four technique exercises that you would like to work on and try
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Justin suggests you practise in five-minute stints
using this timer idea. Do five minutes on each exercise and have yourself a two-minute break between exercises. I find the countdown timer on my phone easiest to use but a kitchen timer or whatever you have is fine; but try to find something with a ‘beep’ at the end so you are not clock watching. Don’t be tempted to leave out the breaks; it’s believed they help information move from short-term to long-term memory – it also allows muscles a break from physical workouts. One thing you will find is that random thoughts can drift into your mind and you want to help them pass by renewing your focus on the exercise you are on. Try not
to let your mind wander at all – it’s very likely it will when you start trying out this method so the challenge is as much to keep focus as the exercise itself! Remember you need to know what to focus on for everything you practice. If you’re not sure why you are practicing something, then either find out, or don’t practice it! Make sure you are fully prepared before you start; get your amp on and the tone right; make sure you have any notes you need out (scale diagrams, transcriptions or whatever) so you’re ready to start playing as soon as you hit start. You’ll find it helpful to turn your phone off (or at least on silent) and don’t let yourself get
divide your practice time into two: half for fun play and a set routine for the other half
distracted for five minutes unless it’s an emergency. Make tea, go to the loo, check emails or Facebook or whatever you need to do before you start. Ask family not to disturb you for the next half hour. I found that I go into a kind of ‘practice zone’ as soon as I hit the start button on my timer and very rarely do random thoughts interrupt me, but I consistently worked on my focus to get that. The results can be profound and I had many students say that they were making noticeably more progress once they started employing the timed practice approach. I highly recommend giving it a try to see if it works for you – you might find your own five-minute miracle! Get more info and links to related lessons on all Justin’s GT articles at www.justinguitar.com/gtmag
Intro
W
e all need a vacation sometimes, a break from the rigours of freelance frenzy or forlorn phone staring. No matter that the perception in the minds of the average Brexiteer still remains that a musician’s life comprises of a melodic mélange of noon narcosis, Twitbook maintenance and nightly bar billiards. The fact that I write this at 7am over a black coffee in an overpriced Islington branded outlet while awaiting the start of a commercial at 8.30am at Angel Studios is clearly an aberration. As are the TV sessions that follow it at 10am. Incidentally, this is my real job, in response to those altruistic individuals who appear regularly at the end of gigs with my welfare clearly their primary concern. And thus it was earlier this month that I’d had my fill of fretwork and with metaphorical bucket and spade securely fastened, boarded the ferry at Fishguard en route to Rosslare. The plan embraced a leisurely week of touring, sampling some of The Republic’s boutique hotels and fine dining establishments. I was not about to be disappointed. Having pottered through County Wexford (Dunbrody House Hotel), up through Kilkenny to Adare (Dunraven Arms Hotel) and on to the delightful Ballinalacken Castle Hotel near Doolin, I took the stunning route along the West Coast. I arrived at County Galway and the Connemara Coast Hotel near Galway City. At which point, you may be relieved to hear, my story starts.
Mitch Dalton’s
Session Shenanigans
The studio guitarist’s guide to happiness and personal fulfilment. U is for Unexpected.
PHIL HILBORNE’S ONE-MINUTE LICK
due to dystonia affecting his lips. So he has switched instruments and learned to play this way. In two and a half years. He then asks me for lessons when he next visits London. The image of Einstein asking his dog for assistance with the theory of relativity forms in my head but I concur for the sake of etiquette. Later, I emerge into the balmy night air, questioning my already tenuous grip on reality. But it has happened. I know this because Paul (double bass player and vocalist) later sends me a Facebook friend request. And that, members of the jury, is conclusive if unexpected proof. Well, isn’t it?
there is... a jazz guitar trio and they’re playing Out Of Nowhere. Did I mention that the leader of the combo looks about 20 years old, is playing a battered Antoria guitar and is absolutely brilliant? Fluid lines cascade effortlessly from the lad in a seemingly endless sequence, combined with a warm tone and prodigious technique. It’s almost as if Pat Martino and Chet Baker have somehow fused into a single human entity. I boldly go and introduce myself and tell them that they’re sensational. Whereupon a guitar is duly thrust into my hand and I am instructed to join them. ‘No’ appears not to be an option and the evening passes in suitably surreal fashion. Turns out that Connor is a trumpet player who has been forced to abandon his studies
An excursion to Galway proper seemed mandatory, and in short order I found myself in this vibrant, cosmopolitan city; a friendly mix of students, tourists and locals all mingling with good humour and gaiety on the streets. What happened next is neither explicable by way of rational thought nor the result of an hallucinatory experience. Whatever the explanation, within 20 minutes I’m at a party in a picturesque restaurant and club on the bank of the river Corrib in the town centre. I know no one but no one seems to mind. In fact, I seem to have been invited along in a typical act of Irish hospitality for no apparent reason. There are canapés, there is tapas, there are beverages and, as I descend the winding staircase,
For more info on Mitch Dalton and his Studio Kings go to: www.mitchdalton.co.uk
Descending 7ths arpeggio lick
this month’s idea is a series of descending ‘rootless’ 7th arpeggios in it as smoothly as possible. Also, notice that I have maintained a consistent GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 2 6 2 C Major (Cmaj7-Bm7b5-Am7-G7-Fmaj7-Em7-Dm7-Cmaj7). The phrasing is LICK fretting-hand fingering throughout. This is my personal preference so feel ONE MINUTE - by Phil Hilborne based on a repeating ‘motif’; the first note of each triad arpeggio is always free to amend it should another DESCENDING SEVENTHS ARPEGGIO LICK fingering method suit you better. After played twice, with the first note being slightly ‘cut off’ or ‘staccato’. This sort playing through it try to come up with variations of your own and also of phrasing is not particularly ‘guitaristic’ – but it works great! Technically, listen out for other phrasing ideas played on a variety of instruments – you need to attend to the cut-off notes and also aim to play piano, saxophone, violin and even vocals are all great places to start.
©.»¡™º Cmaj7 ¢ œ. œ œ¡ ™ œ. œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ 6 œ &8 (Dm) (C) (Bdim) f (Em) E B G D A E
19 19 15
17
17 17 13
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15 15 12
13
13 13 10
12
œ. œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ . œ œ j Œ Œ. ¡œ
(Am)
12 12 8
(G)
10
10 10 7
(F)
8
8
(Em)
8 5
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(C)
7 3
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November 2016
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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: jazz-blues-fusion virtuoso, Oz Noy.
GT: What is it that appeals to you about guitar instrumentals? ON: I just like the tone of the guitar, whether it’s a nylon, a steel string or electric jazz or rock sound. I do like other instruments too, of course. GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t? ON: More colours of sounds, wider range, a level of virtuosity that’s just not humanly possible on the voice. GT: Any tendencies that you aim to embrace or avoid? ON: Beautiful melodies are always great; good groove and
rhythm; nice sound; trying to avoid too many notes! If the composition and overall sound is good, most people can listen to it. GT: Is a typical song structure still relevant for an instrumental? ON: If you want to make a
important in terms of getting a melody or a lyrical idea across. I believe that the most important thing is to understand that the human voice is still the strongest form of communication we’ve got. I try to communicate my music
inspiration could come from anything that stimulates the brain and open some doors statement and make sure the listener grabs it, I’d say you have a better chance using this structure. GT: How useful is studying a vocalist’s approach? ON: I think it’s incredibly
– melodies and rhythm – to the audience, and the closest you get to a human expression, the best results you’ll have communicating your music to people, which is what all musicians want. Oz Noy: a superb player of guitar instrumentals
GT: How do you start writing one – any particular method or typical form of inspiration? ON: No, not really. Inspiration could come from different places; it could be a simple drum groove, just a rhythm idea, a melody, a chord melody, or even a sound effect, anything that will stimulate the brain and open some doors. GT: Many vocal songs feature a solo that starts low and slow then finishes high and fast. Is this useful for instrumentals? ON: It depends to some degree on the song and the style of music. But you can do anything you want if it sounds good to you; there really are no rules. GT: What type of guitar tone do you prefer for instrumentals – clean, distorted, fat or trebley? ON: Just whatever will deliver the idea of the particular song. GT: Do you have any favourite keys or tempos? ON: No. GT: Do you find minor or major keys easier to write in? ON: No, the same. GT: Any favourite modes? ON: No. GT: What about modulations into new keys? ON: Only if it’s necessary. If it fits I’ll do it; it if doesn’t, I won’t. GT: What are your views on harmonising melodies? ON: I love it. GT: Are there any particular guitar instrumentals that have inspired you, or that you would describe as iconic? ON: I can’t really choose, because there’s so many of them. But I really love Last Train Home by Pat Metheny, because it’s one long melody from beginning to end – including his solo. That’s the kind of stuff I like! Oz Noy’s new album, Who Gives A Funk is out now with guests including Robben Ford, Dweezil Zappa and Joe Bonamassa.
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Intro 60 SECONDS with...
A minute’s all it takes to find out what makes a great guitarist tick. Before she dived into her limo for the airport we grabbed a quick chat with Mie Debray of South African garage-punk rockers, The SoapGirls. GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without? MD: Dunlop 1.5mm Maxgrip picks. When I have some of those I know it’s gonna be a good show. I can’t play with floppy soft picks, it honestly does my head in. GT: If you had to give up all your effects pedals but three, what would they be? MD: The only pedal I use and can’t live without is my Zoom G5 multi-effects pedal. The sounds that come out of it are just insane and you’re guaranteed to find something you like. GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it? MD: If it were a simple music chart, yeah; but if you’re talking about sheet music for an orchestra, then no. GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours? MD: Shitty thin cables can really mess up your sound. We usually use Fender or Kirlin. GT: Is there anyone’s playing (past or present) that you’re slightly jealous of? MD: Lindsey Buckingham. He’s my guitar hero; how he can make his guitar speak is amazing. I love emotional players and he uses his fingers – you just have to watch him live on an acoustic song to want to play like him. John Frusciante too, he’s also an amazing player; very emotive with his playing. I’m big on the melody and emotion. And Steve Vai. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play like him? GT: Your studio is burning down: which guitar do you salvage? MD: It would be my Ibanez Jem77 Black Rock Mirror guitar because that is my baby! GT: What’s your favourite amp and how do you set it? MD: Blackstar have an amazing range of different amps but my favourite right now is the HT Metal 100. I usually go through the clean channel. Because of my
Mie and sister Mille of The SoapGirls
effects pedal I find the patches work better that way with my volume turned up nice and high; treble at around 6 o’clock and the bass at 4 or 5. I like using the Modern voice setting on this amp (it has different style channels). If I’m not using my pedal then I like the OD1 channel for its aggressive tone, again with the volume nice and high. GT: What kind of action do you have on your guitars? MD: I prefer higher than lower but not too high. I feel that the tone is warmer and wider when it’s higher. GT: What strings do you use?
MD: Rotosound Pure Nickels, either .009s or .010s. They last really long and the tone is amazing. On my acoustics I use Rotosound Jumbo King Bronze – 010s – the tone and feel are just great. GT: Who was your first influence to play the guitar? MD: I fell in love with the guitar playing on Billy Idol’s track White Wedding. Steve Stevens is a very underrated guitar player. Then I heard Fleetwood Mac and fell in love with Lindsey Buckingham. GT: First guitar you lusted after? MD: A neon pink Ibanez Jem 777 – I still do!
lindsey buckingham is my hero. how he can make a guitar speak is amazing. i love emotional players
GT: What was the single best gig you ever did… MD: Definitely at the Rock And Bike festival in Derby this year. Performing to such a huge crowd who just love music and are having a good time is priceless! GT: …and your worst playing nightmare? MD: We performed at one venue and red liquid was thrown full in my face and all over my guitar, pedalboard and mic. It sucks playing with only one eye working and having your hard-earned equipment trashed! GT: What’s the most important musical lesson you ever learnt? MD: When it comes to music there’s no wrong or right way; experiment and express yourself. GT: If you could put together a fantasy band with you in it, who would the other players be? MD: My sister, Mille on bass, definitely; Lindsey Buckingham and John Bonham. GT: Is there a solo by someone else that you wish you had played? MD: Jimmy Page on When The Levee Breaks – I love that! GT: What’s the solo/song of your own of which you’re most proud? MD: I love what I did on the song Waiting In The Wings – the quiet breakdown I think is beautiful. GT: What would you most like to be remembered for? MD: For our music and for our message of non-judgment, and anti-animal abuse. GT: What are you up to at the moment - gigs, recording, etc? MD: We are currently just finishing this leg of our tour in the UK, and about to do a music video for an upcoming single. Then we are touring the rest of the EU from September before coming back to the UK from mid-October for some final shows before we head back to South Africa. But we will be returning in 2017! November 2016
11
That Was The Year...
Intro
2006
me s Trussart, Thaer and Twitt LAUNCH FOR THE JACKSON
KE3 guitar with an Explorer/Destroyer styled alder body, a pointed headstock and a monster sound from the two Seymour Duncan pickups. To be precise there’s a TB-4 JB at the bridge and an SH-2 at the neck with just a three-way selector switch and a master volume control! The rosewood board features Sharkfin inlays and there’s a Floyd Rose doublelocking vibrato unit. Offered in a variety of colours including transparents, swirls and skulls.
PAUL McCARTNEY FINALLY REACHES 64
years of age having written When I’m Sixty-Four many years ago. All Saints, Genesis and Take That get back together again; Paul Rodgers joins forces with Brian May and Roger Taylor to work on an album together. Sadly Buck Owens, Arthur Lee (Love), Syd Barrett and Freddy Fender all play their final chords, while a new form of social media is launched under the name of Twitter.
NASA IS EXCEPTIONALLY BUSY.
Its Stardust probe successfully returns to Earth with dust from a comet; the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reaches its destination and as the Cassini–Huygens spacecraft encounters Saturn’s moon Enceladus it discovers geysers of liquid shooting from the surface, which could indicate the presence of water. The New Horizons spacecraft is sent on a nine-year journey to Pluto just as the International Astronomical Union demotes Pluto to the status of ‘dwarf planet’.
THE MUCH-LOVED CLASSIC GUITAR SHAPES
have been ‘borrowed’ many times by various manufacturers over the years but never in such an unusual way as with the Trussart Holey Rusty Steelcaster! Essentially, it’s a Tele-styled guitar with a steel body with mesh front and back. There’s a ‘gator’ engraving to the scratchplate and control plate and a heavily patterned inlay at the headstock. Curiously, with all this metal around, the Kluson tuners sport plastic buttons but it plays great and sounds superb.
HYSHOT III IS SUCCESSFULLY TESTED
at Woomera in South Australia. It’s a scramjet engine that’s designed to create flying speeds up to seven times the speed of sound! The last chromosome sequence for the Human Genome Project is published; the Qinghai-Tibet Railway begins trial operations; the Anglo-American post war loan from 1946 is finally paid off; a whale is seen swimming in the River Thames; and Russia cuts the supply of natural gas to Ukraine following a dispute over the price.
THE DANELECTRO LONGHORN
guitar retains the company’s distinct small-bodied shape and recent hardware upgrades, which do nothing to distract the eye from this iconic instrument. The latest presentation features three Danelectro Lipstick Case single-coil pickups, a five-way pickup selector plus mater volume and tone controls. Colour options include Blackburst and Beatnik Burgundy.
12
November 2016
Jam Tracks Tips
Use these tips to navigate our bonus backing tracks ➊ Chicago Style Blues Jam (D) Here’s a really fun 12-bar blues at a comfortable 90 beats per minute tempo, with the added twist of a Chicago-style turnaround at the end of each cycle. This results in the chords D-D7/C-G/B-Gm/ Bb-D/A-A7. Try mixing D Minor Pentatonic scale (D-F-G-A-C) and D Major Pentatonic scale (D-E-F#-A-B) for that old-school Chicago blues sound.
➋ Jazz-Blues (Medium Swing) (C) This one is a little more challenging. It’s a traditional jazz-blues progression at a much scarier 160 bpm, but remember it’s essentially blues, so you can ‘get by’ with the C Minor Pentatonic scale (C-Eb-F-G-Bb) as an easy starting point. Try adding in the arpeggios as well: C7 (C-E-G-Bb), F7 (F-A-C-Eb), Gm7 (G-Bb-D-F), F#dim7 (F#-A-C-Eb), A7 (A-C#-E-G), Dm7 (D-F-A-C) and G7 (G-B-D-F).
for soloing, as does E Dorian mode (E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D).
➍ Blues Shuffle Jam (A) Blues jam in A at 120 bpm, with a Chicago-style turnaround similar to track 1. Knowing the main 7th arpeggios will come in handy: A7 (A-C#-E-G), D7 (D-F#-A-C) and E7 (E-G#-B-D). A Minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) and A Major Pentatonic (A-B-C#-E-F#) work a treat here as well. Happy jamming – see you next time!
➌ Funk Jam (E Dorian Mode) Here’s a fun funky groove jam at 112 bpm. A sections are on Em7 and B sections are on A7. To up the funk factor I suggest grooving on Em9-A9 and Em13-A13 chords as well. Good old E Minor Pentatonic (E-G-A-B-D) works
Jam tracks by Jacob Quistgaard. 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.
Remember to visit our Next Month page (98) to find out all the exciting features, lessons and video masterclasses that GT has in store in the December issue. Or why not take out a subscription? Simply visit www. myfavouritemagazines.co.uk and make sure you never miss a copy of the world’s best loved and longest standing guitar tuition magazine!
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WHO: Rick Holmes TOWN: Wigan STYLES TAUGHT: Rock, metal, blues, jazz, and classical SPECIALITY: Advanced technique and Improvisation Qualification: BA (Hons), LRSL LEVELS: All ages and abilities READING: Advanced CHARGES: £20 per 45 minute lesson SPECIAL: Fully-equipped studio. High pass rate across various exam grades. WEBSITE: www.rickholmesguitar.co.uk TEL: 07743 265432 EMAIL: rickholmes@hotmail.co.uk
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