Guitar Techniques 304 (Sampler) by Future PLC

THE FINEST GUITAR TUITION ON PLANET EARTH 304 FEBRUARY 2020

Play like...

JIMMY

PAGE Learn every aspect of Page’s Zeppelin-era style to see what makes him an all-time legend! Rock • Blues • Acoustic • Riffs

RAINBOW Master Ritchie Blackmore rhythm and lead styles

Solos, chords, licks & jam tracks!

PAT TRAVERS Two great blues- rock solos for you to try

KENNY WAYNE

SHEPHERD Blues Masterclass How learning from the masters can build your own unique solo style

GONG

Learn Steve Hillage’s finest prog licks!

PLAY } BLUES-ROCK

ON THE CD

TRACKS 4-10

Jimmy Page Full style analysis! Jon Bishop unlocks the playing secrets of a blues-rock virtuoso and one of the most influential and best-loved guitarists of all time. Session superstar, Yardbird, and Led Zeppelin founder, Jimmy Page. ABILITY RATING Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 4-10

Moderate Will improve your… Lead feel and phrasing Articulation Drama, attitude and attack

immy Page began his professional career in the early 60s and quickly gained a reputation as a formidable London session guitarist. He appeared, uncredited, on hundreds of hit singles and albums of the top chart bands of the day. In 1966 he joined Jeff Beck in rhythm and blues stalwarts The Yardbirds (standing in on bass before he and Beck combined for a twin guitar assault), in which Eric Clapton had first tasted success. When The Yardbirds fell apart in 1968 Page took control and, with John Paul Jones on bass, John Bonham on drums and vocalist Robert Plant, toured briefly as The New Yardbirds before Page changed the name to the Keith Moon inspired ‘Led Zeppelin’. Here we aim to identify many of Page’s key techniques from Led Zeppelin’s more raw and rocky early period. You can then incorporate many of these ideas into your own trick bag.

TECHNIQUE FOCUS

Finger vibrato and bending Jimmy Page’s finger vibrato and string bending were at the heart of his style. His technique and approach often puts the emphasis on feel and style over clinical precision. However, the overall effect sounds great and is evocative, exciting and musical. Jimmy is a top string bender and often includes large bends in his solos (a tone and a half and occasionally even two tones!). He also often bends all the minor 3rds slightly sharp. These quarter-tone bends help the notes to fit Major keys and adds a dirty blues orientated flavour. If you combine the finger vibrato and bending styles with shape one of the Minor Pentatonic, the results will immediately transport you back to the sound of 70s blues-rock and the great Led Zeppelin.

February 2020

✪✪✪✪✪

Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin are an incredibly influential force that spawned an army of imitators. Like millions of other budding players I would huddle in front of the TV, guitar in hand and watch a worn-out VHS recording of Led Zeppelin performing for a Danish TV audience. Jimmy’s hand decorated Fender Telecaster played with a violin bow

IN ORDER FOR YOU TO TRY OUT SOME PAGE FLAVOURED IDEAS WE HAVE CREATED FOUR EXCLUSIVE JAM TRACK WITH TABBED SOLOS and augmented with effects such as wah-wah certainly was a strident and attention grabbing approach. In order for you to try out some Page flavoured ideas we have created four exclusive jam tracks, complete with tabbed out solos showing several of Jimmy’s playing approaches in early Led Zeppelin. The first track is inspired by several of the band’s riff-tastic rockers. The soloing style is frenetic ‘on the edge’ blues-based rock and showcases some of Jimmy’s favourite concepts such repeating phrases over and over and picking every note in fast succession. Led Zeppelin recorded several classic slow blues numbers so our second track gives you the chance to learn some of Jimmy’s mix of authentic sounding Chicago licks, with plenty of his own rock and roll influenced ideas thrown in. It’s all about the attitude! As any Led Zeppelin fan knows, Jimmy is

an accomplished acoustic guitarist and both six and 12-string acoustics are put to good use in the whole of the Led Zep back catalogue. Therefore our third track takes inspiration from several of the band’s standard-tuned acoustic strummers. Of course, perhaps above all, Jimmy was a master at writing iconic riffs and these were often constructed from straight Pentatonic scale notes, or, just as often, with the addition of the b5 of the Blues scale. Therefore our final jam track uses a classic Pentatonic style riff and takes it through the kind of twisted blues form found on the group’s first two albums. Jimmy is one of the key guitarists to help set the iconic rock combination of Gibson Les Paul plugged into a full Marshall stack. However he is also associated small amps from Supro, Fender, Vox and others, as well as guitar curiosities such as the Danelectro 3021, a B-bender Telecaster, his famous hand-painted Tele and and of course the infamous double-neck Gibson EDS-1275. Why not learn my solos, or the parts that you feel might work for you, then see if you can create your own over the professionally recorded GT backing tracks. Have fun!

7 8

GAIN

BASS

MIDDLE

TREBLE

REVERB

Zeppelin’s first two albums feature him on both Fender Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul through mainly Supro and Marshall amps. Page was a superlative engineer and producer and gave his guitar tracks all manner of sounds. Here we’re after a classic blues-rock tone so go for the bridge pickup on whichever guitar you choose, set the amp as above and then tweak to taste. Add distortion, fuzz, wah-wah and delay as you see fit.

STYLE STUDY { JIMMY PAGE

GIJSBERT HANEKROOT / REDFERNS / GETTY IMAGES

Jimmy Page in iconic rock star pose with 1959 Gibson Les Paul

TRACK RECORD Led Zeppelin recorded eight stunning studio records and four live albums. For a career overview the 1990 compilation Led Zeppelin Remasters contains all the classic cuts youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d expect. If you are after experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of a hardworking heavy rock outfit on the road, the documentary (if you will rockumentary!) film The Song Remains The Same is an unmissable watch.

February 2020

PLAY } BLUES-ROCK

ON THE CD

JAM TRACK 1: ROCK

TRACKS 4-10

CD TRACKS 4-5

RHYTHM [Bars 1-16] 3The trick. The use of the E9 chord acts as a punctuation point and sliding your GUITARGUITAR TECHNIQUES 0 4opening riff combines a tight rhythm JIMMY PAGE -fingers Jon Bishop on the open sixth with a pull-off on the fifth. You can add a STYLE light down the neck after strumming will provide the all-important ‘fall-off’. GUITARplayed TECHNIQUES 3 0 string 4 PAGE STYLE - Jon Bishop palm mute to accentuate the rhythmic attackJIMMY on the low E. The unison note The same riff is transferred to the fifth string for the IV chord. There are some Jam 1 -the ROCK 1 fourth string and the same open string is a classic Page between 5th fret, descending Blues scale riffs to negotiate in the turnaround (bars 11-12). Jam 1 - ROCK 1 RHYTHM

©»¡ºº Drum Intro ©»¡ºº# Drum # 4& 44 Intro ∑ ∑ Ó & 4

E B G D A E

# & E B G D A E

œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œœœ œœœ œœ œœœ œœ œ œ œ œœ œœœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœœ 0

& E B G D A E

Bridge Pickup Bridge Pickup With Overdrive With Overdrive

RHYTHM Em

0 7 5 7 5 7 5 5 0 0 0 70 5 0 0 0 0 0 50 0 7 70 5 0 0 70 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 5

œœ œœ œœ œœ # œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œœ œœœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œœœ

7 7 7 5 7 5 7 5 6 07 50 0 0 0 07 50 0 0 0 07 50 0 0 0 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

œœ œœ œœ # œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œœœœ œ œœ œœ E9 Am

7 7 6 7

7 5 7 5 0 0 705 0 0 0 0 70 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

œœ œ # & œœ # œ œ œ œ œ œ & œœ œœ œ œœ œœœœœœ œœ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œœœ œ œ œ œ œœ œœœ œ œœ œœœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœœœœœ #

E B G D A E

7 5

0 0

0 07 50 0 0 05 0 0 0 0 7

0 5

7 7 5

7 5 0

0 0

7 5 7 5 7 5 0 0 0 70 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 50 0 70 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

7 7 6 3 70

7 7 6 7

# œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ⋲ œ œ œ œ n œ œ œ œ‰ œ œ œœœ œœ œœ œœœ œœœ œ ⋲ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ ‰ # & œœ œœ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ⋲ œœ œ œ œ n œ œ œ ‰ œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœœ œ ⋲œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœœ œœ œœ œœœœœ œ œœ œœœ œœ œœ B5

E B G D A E

4 4 4 4 44 4 4 4 24 11 2 2 2 2

4 4 4 4 4 2 44 4 44 4 2 4 24 2 2 2 4 3 2 2 5

7 7 7 7 7 9 7 77 7 7 97 7 7 9 57 5 5 5 5 9 8 7 5 10

8 7

10 0

0 0

7 5 7 5 0 0 70 5 0 0 0 0 70 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 E9

œœ œ # œœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œœ œœœœœœ œœ œœœ œœ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œœœ œ œ œ œœ œœœ œ œœ œœœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœœœœœ

# & E B G D A E

3 2 7 7 7 7 75 7 7 7 5 5 5 5

& E B G D A E

0 0

07 50

7 5 0 0 0 05 0 0 0 0 7

February 2020

7 7

0 5 5

7 0

7 5 7 5 7 5 0 0 70 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 70 5 0 0 70 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

7 7 6 3 70

7 7 6 7

PLAY } BLUES

ON THE CD

CD-ROM & 11-15

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Interview & masterclass A protégé of BB King, jamming partner with Alexander Dumble and bandmate of Stephen Stills, we joined Kenny to talk about Dumble-modded Fuzz Faces, the essence of a great Strat, and learn some of his blues soloing strategies.

“

ne of the hardest things to do, I think, in today’s world is to write an authentic-sounding blues song, lyrically,” Kenny Wayne Shepherd observes as we sit down to a coffee at John Henry’s rehearsal rooms in London, where Fender keeps an office. Once a blond wunderkind of the blues scene, Kenny has matured into a thoughtful player with prodigious chops and a sure-footed melodic instinct that has seen him praised by no less authorities than the late BB King and CSN&Y legend Stephen Stills. “If the lyrics and the story that you’re telling are authentic and you’re not sacrificing the quality of the message that you’re trying to convey to the listener, then I think that keeps the whole thing authentic,” Kenny adds. “My band is about the guitar. It’s guitar-based music, but because I grew up in a radio environment with my dad, I grew up listening to hit songs on the radio. Having a great vocal melody and a great lyric has always been, to me, equally as important as the guitar playing on the record – even if I wasn’t doing the singing – because that’s just what I grew up around. And I also think those are the songs that people will end up remembering for the rest of time.” Seated among racks of Strats and Teles, naturally the conversation turns to gear – as well as being a very fine player, Kenny has great ears, too, so before we embark on an illuminating one-to-one soloing lesson with him, it’s time to do what guitarists naturally do in such surroundings – and talk guitars. What gear did you bring into the studio for the album? “Well, I brought a lot of stuff into the studio. Over the years, my sound has evolved. We’ve tried a number of different things on this record. I used a combination of various guitars. Some songs I was playing a Les Paul for the solo and a Strat for the rhythm. On one

February 2020

song, I would double the guitar track but do one on a Les Paul and one on a Strat to get a really full sound. One dirty, one clean, things like that. “Also, over the past, I guess, five to seven years, Alexander Dumble has been building amps for me. They’ve just exceeded anything that I have ever had prior to that. I’ve essentially found my core sound, as far as amplifiers go, are these amps that he’s built for me. I lined up about seven of them in the studio. We would do different combinations of those various amplifiers, but usually no more than three amplifiers at a time. I think if you start running seven or eight amps at once,

tremolo for the various moments in the show where it’s necessary to create an effect or a sound. I’m not like Jeff Beck, for example, who utilises the tremolo on a very consistent basis throughout his performance. I use it here and there – maybe six times throughout an entire two‑hour-long show. It’s an effect. “But the Hardtails… those guitars ring so true. Even when they’re not plugged in, they are still more resonant. They’re louder in an acoustic setting because the strings are running straight through the body. That bridge piece is just connected straight to the body; there’s no air or space in between it. I just think you’ve got a more bell-like true

DUMBLE AMPS INSPIRE ME TO TAKE DIFFERENT AVENUES AND CREATE NEW SOUNDS. HE TAILOR-MAKES THE AMP AROUND THE MUSICIAN’S STYLE it’s not necessary. Especially if you’ve got great-sounding equipment. So yes, Strats: vintage, newer stuff… Gibson: I used the Firebird; I used my Les Pauls. My grandfather gave me a Les Paul that I think is a late 70s model. Then I have a Custom Shop one, from around 2000 I think, that I used heavily. I really love that guitar. “They sent me one of the new Les Paul Axcess guitars, which is pretty interesting. It felt a little more familiar because it’s lighter and it has the ability to split the pickups and things like that. Then my Strats. I have my ’61 Strat, ’59 Hardtail, ’58 Hardtail and various Signature series models that I have with Fender and Custom Shop guitars and stuff. Really just trying to pick the right instrument to get the right sound for the right track.”

What’s the specific appeal of a Hardtail Stratocaster to you? “People should try the Hardtail – the Hardtail is actually a more appealing guitar to me than a vibrato-equipped Strat. I like having the

Stratocaster sound with that instrument. They work great for me. “Sometimes you can get a little more tension on the neck. I use heavy strings, so you can feel the tension a little more on a guitar like that, but I think it’s actually a really great sound. I don’t know why people don’t try those more. Because I think if they would – if they did – especially if they had another Strat that does have a tremolo, then they’d probably end up buying the Hardtail.”

A certain mythical aura surrounds Dumble amps. You’ve played quite a few – is the reputation justified? “The key word is inspiration. I’m not speaking to you as a person who has bought into some hype. I’m speaking to you as a person who has legitimate experience before and after. Quite literally, those amps, the point behind the amps that he has built for me and what they do is inspiring. It’s inspiring me to play new things. Inspiring me to take different avenues and create new sounds. The way that he goes

INTERVIEW & MASTERCLASS { KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD

Kenny Wayne shows how to take the best licks of your heroes to create your own unique blues voice

February 2020

LESSON } VIDEO

ON THE CD

CD-ROM & 16-21

Rocco Zifarelli Video Masterclass pt3

ON VIDEO

In the third instalment of this six-part video feature, Rocco Zifarelli demonstrates some evocative acoustic lead work over an orchestral backing track, Days Long Gone, with Jon Bishop as your guide.

These open-voiced triads have wide intervals and so string skips are often used to play them and generate that ear-grabbing quality. We have notated the various fingerings that Rocco employs in the video, in our eight-example box out. In addition to the full, seven-note E Minor scale Rocco also strips things back to the five-note E Minor Pentatonic and six-note E Blues scales, then demonstrates how he combines the E Minor triad, E Natural Minor and E Minor Pentatonic scales using chromatics. While we have as usual tabbed the full solo performance, this is quite a challenge and memorising the whole thing would be a serious undertaking. However, there’s bound to be be a new technique, lick or phrase in somewhere here for you to pull out, tweak and twist, or even move to different keys and use in your own solos or compositions. Once you have mastered some of the concepts in Rocco’s solo why not have a go at creating one of your own over Jason’s unique track? Have fun studying and playing and see you next time. NEXT MONTH Rocco delivers a blazing rock solo over The Moonlight Marauder 6

GAIN

BASS

7 3

MIDDLE

TREBLE

REVERB

Rocco used his Ibanez ABC-9 guitar plugged into the iRig acoustic mic system by IK Multimedia. The on-board Fishman pickup can be blended with the preamp. However, any acoustic or electric guitar will work well. If you using electric, dial up a clean tone and experiment with the guitar’s controls to achieve the desired sound. A bit of compression and reverb can be added to liven things up. Of course, any acoustic will work fine.

TRACK RECORD Since 1997 Rocco has performed regularly and tours internationally with the renowned film music composer Ennio Morricone. He’s appeared on the stages of the most prestigious theatres and arenas in all the greatest locations around the world. Rocco’s own albums include, Lyndon, and the new Music Unites with a virtuosic rendition of The Untouchables movie theme. 36

February 2020

M ZIFARELLI

instruments and likes the dynamics and resonance that they provide. As he explains, the core tonality for the Will improve your Info number is E Natural Minor, containing the Key: E minor Harmonic relationship knowledge same notes as G Major (G-A-B-C-D-E-F#). Tempo: 112 Bpm Fast paced semiquaver soloing The song briefly modulates and Rocco likes to CD: CD-ROM & 16-21 Knowledge of E Natural Minor move with these changes. An approach that he loves to employ is using triad arpeggios to construct melodic lines so that they sit his month we welcome back Italian session guitar wizard, Rocco Zifarelli to perfectly over the underlying chords. Once this foundation is nicely in place, notes of the take on another Jason Sidwell penned scale can be added along with simplifying the track, this one called Days Long Gone. tonal palette back to the useful Major and Rocco has a real passion for acoustic Minor Pentatonics. When Rocco plays ideas over a single major 7 chord that bears no relationship to the rest of the progression, he chooses the Lydian mode. So for the passage that runs Fmaj7-Bbmaj7-Abmaj7 he opts for F Lydian, Bb Lydian and Ab Lydian. We have written out fingerings for these scales (and E Minor/G Major) to provide a starting base should you which to experiment playing along with the backing track. Rocco talks us through the tone he is using which is designed to allow him to play both melodically and harmonically. The iRig acoustic pickup by IK Multimedia allows a blend of the acoustic pickup and a modelled microphone sound. He then Rocco Zifarelli demonstrates how he uses used an acoustic open-voiced triads to to play this create his melodies and to month’s track outline the chords’ sound.

ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Advanced

LESSON } VIDEO

ON THE CD

CD-ROM & 16-21

SOLO DAYS LONG GONE CD-ROM & 16-21 GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 3 0 4 [Bars 1-25] The track opens with a one-bar chord soundsAGO (16th-note) sub-division is a core ingredient of the DAYS LONG TRACK Jon transcript GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 3 0 4drum fill. The Em11 DAYS LONG AGO A--- semiquaver TRACK ---rhythmic Jon Bishop Bishop transcript GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 3 LONG Jon transcript GUITAR TECHNIQUES 30 04 4 The harmonicsDAYS most effective if you swellMAGAZINE the volume pedal. are created by AGO It may- take little practice to play accurately at this tempo, so start DAYS LONG AGO phrases. - TRACK TRACK JonaBishop Bishop transcript lightly touching the top three strings on the 12th, 7th and 5th frets.

©»¡¡™ ## ©»¡¡™ 44 & & 44

Acoustic Acoustic Guitar Guitar Acoustic Acoustic Guitar Guitar

E E B E B E G B G B D G D G A D A D E A E 1 A E 1 E 1 1

# # & &

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

### œ ~~~ ~~~ œœ .. œ & œ & & Am Am Am Am

E E B E B E G B G B D G D G A D A D E A E 8 A E 8 E 8 8

4 4 4 4

### & & E E B E B E G B G B D G D G A D A D E A E 11 A E 11 E 11 11

œœ

5 5 5 5

7 7 7 7

œ ~~~ œ ~~~⋲⋲ ⋲ ~~~ ~~~

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

5 5 5 5

9 9 9 9

February 2020

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

NH NH NH NH 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

0 0 0 0

7 7 10 8 7 10 8 7 10 10 8 8

8 8 8 8

9 9 9 9

7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

7 7 7 7

9 9 9 9

12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8

œœ 12 12 12 12

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

j̊ œœj̊ œœœ 7 7 7 7

œœ œœ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œ ## œœ 8 8 8 8

9 9 9 9

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

7 7 7 7

œœ.. œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œœ œœœ œœ œœ œ œœ œ 9 9 9 9

œœ ## œœ

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

4 4 4 4

œœ # œ #œ 5 5 5 5

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

3 3 3 3

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

œœœ œœœ œœ œœœ 4 4 4 4

b5 C6 C6 bb 5 C6 b 5 5 C6

œœ

4 4 4 4

œœ ⋲⋲⋲ œœ 8 8 8 8

8 8 8 8

.~~~ œ ~~~ œ. ~~~ ~~~ 7 7 7 7

œœœ 5 5 5 5

5 5 5 5

5 5 7 5 5 7 7 7

~~~ ~~~

7 7 7 7

8 10 10 8 10 8 10 8

~~~ œœœ ... œœ œœœ~~~ ... œ œœ . œœ . 7 7 7 7

7 7 7 7

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

5 5 5 5

0 0 0 0 5 0 5 0 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

9 9 9 9

8 8 8 8

~~~ ... œœ~~~

7 7 7 7

4 4 4 4

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

œœ

œœœ

œœ œ ⋲⋲ œœ œ

œœœ

7 7 7 7

5 5 5 5

4 4 7 7 4 4 7 7

4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5

œœœ

œœ

œœœ

œœ

œœ bbb œœœ

5 5 5 8 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 5 5 7 8

5 5 5 5

7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8

10 10 10 10

œœœ

~~~ ~~~⋲⋲ œœ ~~~ ⋲

œœ

B/D ## B/D # œœ œ B/D ~~~ œ œœœœ ~~~ ~~~ œ œ B/D œ œ œ œœ œ ‰ œœ ‰‰

œœ

˙˙˙

˙˙˙˙˙ ˙˙˙ ˙˙

œœœ

œœœ œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ 4 4 4 4

4 4 4 4

œœ

œœœ ..

6 6 6 6

œœ

#m7 bb 55 F F ##m7 F #m7 m7 bb 5 5 F

4 7 4 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 4 4 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7

A A m11 m11 A A m11 m11

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Em Em E Em m

‰ .. ‰

VERSE VERSE 2 2 VERSE E m2 VERSE E m2 E m Em

## & & & E E B E B E G B G B D G D G A D A D E A E 14 A E 14 E 14 14

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

~~~ ~~~ œœ œœ ˙˙ œ ~~~ ~~~

~~~ ~~~

B7 B7 B7 B7

7 7 7 7

5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

A Am m A Am m

33 33

~~ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœ œœ .. œœ~~ œœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ~~ ~~ 555 0 5 7 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 7 0 0 0 0 5 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 7 5

œœœœœ œœœ œœ œ 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 0 5 5 0 5 0 5 0 0

E E B E B E G B G B D G D G A D A D E A E 5 A E 5 E 5 5

‚‚ ... ‚‚ .. ‚

·· ··· ···

ÆÆ ÆÆ

∑∑

‚‚ ‚‚

‚‚ ‚‚‚

gg wwww ggg w ggg w gw ggg 77777 ggg 577555 gg 0000

DRUM DRUM FILL FILL DRUM FILL FILL DRUM

‚‚ ‚‚ ‚

slowly and then bring the speed up.

VERSE 1 1 VERSE VERSE 1 VERSE 1 E E m11 m11 E m11 E m11

7 7 10 8 7 10 8 7 10 10 8 8

œ œœœ œ 8 8 8 8

~~~ ~~~

7 7 7 7

9 9 9 9

œœœ ### œœœ 7 7 7 7

~~~ œ. ~~~ œ.

8 8 8 8

~~~ ~~~

7 7 7 7 10 10 10 10

Am Am Am Am

⋲⋲⋲

œ œJJJ  9 9 9 9

œœœ œœ œœœ œ œœœ œ 10 9 9 10 9 9 7 7 9 9 9 10 10 9 9 7 9 9 7 9

œœ œ œœ~~~ ... œœ ~~~ 10 10 10 10

11 11 11 11

9 9 9 9

~~~ ~~~

10 10 10 10

PLAY } CLASSICAL

ON THE CD

TRACKS 22-23

Mauro Giuliani La Rose

This month Bridget Mermikides introduces us to the music of Mauro Giuliani, a leading Italian guitarist and cellist from the early 19th century.

ABILITY RATING Info Key A major Tempo 37 CD TRACKS 22-23

Moderate Will improve your… Rhythmic subdivision Grace notes Melodic phrasing

n this issue, we are for the first time looking at the work of one of the founding figures of the classical guitar, Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829). Giuliani was born in Italy and after an initial musical training on the cello and violin, become fully dedicated to the guitar and would become one of the world’s most respected guitar virtuosos, interpreters and concert artists. Not only did he perform widely on the guitar, he was also a professional cellist and in 1813 performed

David Starobin has recorded La Rose on contemporaneous parlour style guitar

✪✪✪✪✪

cello in the first performance of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. His legacy endures in his compositions for guitar which he first started publishing in 1807, and which remain staple repertoire and learning material for classical guitarists well over 200 years later. I’ve taken one of his Opus 46 Choix de Mes Fleurs Chéries (‘choosing my cherished flowers’) published by Artaria in the early-mid 19th century. This is a collection (sometimes referred to as a ‘bouquet’) of 10 solo guitar

pieces depicting various flowers. It’s the No 9 La Rose the I’ve arranged this issue. It’s written in a late classical style with a gentle pace, with very schooled harmony, and ornamented with appropriately florid decorations. These semiquaver and demisemiquaver subdivisions, as well as grace notes (bar 8) and arpeggios with slurs (bar14) showcase Giuliani’s guitaristic virtuosity and

HIS COMPOSITIONS FOR GUITAR REMAIN STAPLE REPERTOIRE AND LEARNING MATERIAL WELL OVER 200 YEARS LATER invention, and provide a technical challenge to the player. This is a delicate and masterful ‘miniature’ work, accessible but musically and technically sophisticated. I’ve supported your learning with tab captions, and engaging with this piece should provide both technical instruction as well as musical enjoyment. NEXT MONTH Bridget arranges one of the UK’s favourite hymns, Lord Of All Hopefulness

TECHNIQUE FOCUS Technique is not improved by simply playing a piece over and over in the hope that you will eventually get it right. Your brain needs to be fully engaged and continuously observing and moderating your activity. Make sure you are adopting a good posture that is poised and aware of any unnecessary tension. Are you fully aware of the notes and fingering you are working on? Are you playing at a slow enough tempo to allow for consistent accuracy? We all make mistakes in performance but the quality of our practice will determine our level of control when playing under pressure.

TRACK RECORD To hear this played on the smaller-bodied and intimate voiced ‘parlour’ guitar of the time, listen to David Starobin’s version, and on a contemporary classical guitar I recommend Matt Palmer (Un tiempo fue Italica famosa 2014 Palmer). This piece has not been recorded as much as it should but there’s a rather nice version by Christoph Denoth on his Tanguero album (Signum 2018) 48

February 2020

HIROYUKI ITO / GETTY IMAGES

Perfect practice makes you perfect!

PLAY } CLASSICAL

ON THE CD

TRACKS 22-23

PLAYING TIPS

CD TRACK 23

[Bar 20] The piece changes gear as it dives into sextuplets. Refer to your original tempo to check that you are playing at the correct pace for the flow, shape and phrasing. To get rid of over ringing bass notes, for example at bar 22, mute the open sixth string (using the thumb) from the previous bar. E aug E

& E B G D A E

###

B7/F

[Bar 28] Here we can slightly pull back the tempo before landing on the E7 chord with the fermata (pause) and then we switch gear again but this time to regular semiquavers. These should be played legato and are nice and easy – notice the use of open strings for slight over ringing legato at bars 32 and 40. B

j #œ

⋲ œ £œ ¢œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ # œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ ‹ # œœ œ œœ œ œ œ œ 6

0 1

3 5

0 1 2

2 E

B/D

0 9

œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ

11 9

0 Baug

E aug

B 7/F

6 6 ¢œ ¡ œ ™ # œ ¡ ¢œ ¢œ ¢œ # œ n œ œ # ¡œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ £ œ £ ¢œ ### œ ‹ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ & œ #œ ‰ #¡ œ ¡ ⋲ £ œ œ œ 6 6

E B G D A E

0 6

¢œ ™œ ¡ ¢œ £œ œ

4 10

#œ

10 9

A/E

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ

10 9

7 10

E 7/B

# # & # ⋲ œ œ œ ⋲ œ œ œ œ œ 4

February 2020

2 2

A /C

B m/D

⋲ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ œ œ Œ

0 4

œœ œ # ¡œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ ¢£ 2 4 5

1 0 2 0

œ œ œ œ £œ ¡ œ œ œ œ œ 9

6 U ⋲ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ nœ œ

nœ œ

Dm6/F

¡œ ¢ £ ¡ œ œ œ œ£ ™ £œ # ¢œ £œ œ¡ ™ 6

11 9

œ # # # ⋲ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # ¡œ ¡œ œ œ œ & œ œ Œ Œ

E B G D A E

12 11 10

# # # ⋲ ¢œ ™œ œ ¢œ ¡œ œ & Œ £œ

E 7/G

E B G D A E

0 7

A/E

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ⋲

4 0

1 0

LESSON } 30-MINUTE LICKBAG

ON THE CD

TRACKS 24-29

30-Minute Lickbag Pat Heath of BIMM Brighton brings you another exciting selection of licks to learn at easy, moderate and advanced levels. On your marks. Get set. Go! GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 3 0 4

Brought to you by…

Pat Heath's LICK BAG

EASY LICKS JOHNNY CASH

CD TRACK 24

This Am to ETECHNIQUES chord change MAGAZINE can be applied folk songwriting. Try with a pick or fingers, applying steady timing on the changes, and a GUITAR 3 0as4a tool for melancholic Pat Heath's LICK BAG GUITARofTECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 304 slight the plucking fingers for a Latin-flamenco feel.Pat Heath's LICK BAG Ex 1rollJohnny Cash style GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 3 0 4 Pat Heath's LICK BAG

4 &4 444 & 4 &4 &

Ex 1 Ex 1 Ex 1

©»ªº ©»ªº ∑ ©»ªº ©»ªº ∑ ∑∑

Johnny Cash style Johnny Cash style Johnny Cash style

.. . ....

œœ œ œœœ œœœ

œ œ F œœ œœœ œ F .F 2 .F 0 Am Am Am

# œœœ œ ### œœœœ œ

E E E

œ œ œ œœœ œœ

Play 3 times

.. Play 3 times Play 3 times Play 3 times . ....

. .. .. ..

Am — j

j œEœ # EEœœjj œj ## œœœœ # œœ 0 œœ0

j œ œ Am Aœm j Aœm œœjj œœœ œœ œ01

œœ gggAm Am œœjj ——gggAm —gg œœœj gœ —ggg œœœ ggg œ01 ——g 2 —ggg 02001 ggg 011222a ggg m2200 gg 20paai m

‰ ‰ ‰‰

Œ Œ ŒŒ

0 1 0 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 1, 2, 3 p 4 p a p p a 2 1 1 2 1 0 0 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 m m 2 1 1 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 2 2i 2 2 0 0 i 0 0 1, 2, 3 0 4 2 0 p p a p p a 1, 2, 3 p 4 p a p p a 0 0 m m 4 Ex 2 Robert Cray styleCRAY1, 2, 3 p CD TRACK 25 EASY LICKS ROBERT p ai p p ai ai m m m i i ip m m m N.C. E m7 m7 or pick m7 maj 7 D m7 His style encompasses blues with a mix of 7th chords and this with a slightEgroove in the bassEand funky staccato on the higher notes. pi ia single-coil tone.FPluck i Ex 2 Robert Cray style p Ex 2 Robert Cray style Ex 2 Robert Cray style N.C. E m7 F m7 E m7 E maj 7 D m7 N.C. E m7 F m7 E m7 E maj 7 D m7 N.C. E m7 F m7 E m7 E maj 7 D m7 E B G D E A E B E B E G G B D D G A A D E E A E

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

. ... .

©»ªº #4 ∑ ©»ªº & 4©»ªº ## 4©»ªº & # 444 ∑∑∑ & & 4

Ó Ó ÓÓ

‰ j œ ‰‰ œj jœ ‰F œœœj œœ F F F 7 p

Ex 3

Richie Sambora

©»ªº # ©»ªº44 &©»ªº ©»ªº ## 444 # & & 44 &

7 7 p p 7 p

1 1 1 style

œ œ œœ

p 5 5 5 p p p

p 7 7 7 p p p

œœ Jœ ‰ ¿ œ œJœJ ‰‰‰ ¿¿ J ¿ 8 7

8 8 7 7 8i 7 a i i a ai a E5

œœ ##œœ ‰ œœ #œœœJ œ œœ ‰‰‰ œœ œJJ J 8 10 7

j œœ œœ œœ bb œœ ‰ ‰ bb œjj œœœ œ œ œ œ œJœ ‰ ¿ œœ ‰ bb œœœj œ œ œœ œœ œJœJ ‰‰ ¿¿ œœ ‰‰ bbbb œœœœ œœ J œœ œ œ œ 8 ¿ 8 b œ8

˙˙ ˙ ˙˙˙

9 8 10 8 10 7 9 p 8 p 7i 9 10 9i X 7 a X 9 a X 9 p i p p i p ai i p a p ai ai a D5 E5 a

5 7 p p p 5 7 5 p 7 p 5 p p 7 p p p p p

p 7 7 7 p p p

8 8 7 7 8i 7 a

8 8 7 p 7 8i X 7 a X X p i p i ai p a a D5

i i a ai a

7 8 6 8 8 7 p 7 8 8 7 6 6 8 6 p p p

œœ œœ œœ œœœ œ

œ bb œœ œ bbbbb œœœœ bœ 7 8 6 7 p 7 8 8 7 6 6 8 6 p p p

j . n œ ‰ œjj œœ . nn œœ œœ . ‰‰ nn œœj œœ ... ‰ nn œœ œœ .. nœ œ .

‰ ‰‰‰

6 5

5 6 6 5 p 5 6 5i 5 a 5 p p i p ai ai E 5aCD TRACK 26

N.C.LICKS RICHIE SAMBORA A /C G5 INTERMEDIATE Ex 3 Richie Sambora style Ex 3 Richie Sambora style Approach this with a smooth but gutsy tone. Slide in with lots of attitude and picking-hand attack, muting with the fretting hand to achieve the percussive sound. Ex 3 Richie Sambora style N.C. E5 D5 E5 A /C D5 G5 E5 N.C. E5 D5 E5 A /C D5 G5 E5 N.C. E5 D5 E5 A /C D5 G5 E5

E B G D E A E B E B E G1 G B D D G A A D E E 1 A E 1 1

E B G D E A E B E B E G4 G B D D G A A D E E 4 A 4 E 4

Ó Ó ÓÓ

Œ œ Œ ŒŒ Fœœœ F F F 15

# & ## # & & &

œœ œœœ œ

œœ œ œœœ œœœ

E5 E5 E5

9 9 7 9 9 9 9 9 7 7 9 7

≥ ≥≥ ≥ February 2020

≥ D5 ≥ ≥ œœ D5œœ .. ≥ Eœœ5 D5 œœ D5 œœ .. EEœœJ55 œ œ .. œ œœœœ œœ ... œœœœJ œ . JJ 15 15 E5 15

7 7 5 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 7 5

≥ ≥ ≥≥

9 9 7 9 9 9 9 9 7 7 9 7

≥ ≥ ≥≥

œ œ œœ

œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ 9

≥ 0 ≥≥≥00 ‰ ‰ ‰‰

≥ 0 ≥≥≥00 œ. œ .. œœ . 15

≥ 15 15 ≥ 15 ≥≥

9 7 9 9 9 9 9 7 7 9 7

œœ .. œ. œœœ .... œœœ ... 7 7 5 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 7 5

≥ ≥ ≥≥ #œ ### œœœ

œœ œ œœœJ œœJ JJ9

9 7 9 9 9 9 9 7 7 9 7 N.C.

≥ ≥ ≥≥ N.C. N.C. N.C. œ œœœ

‰ ‰ ‰‰

¿¿ ¿ ¿¿¿ ¿¿

X X X X X X X X X X X

≥ ≥ ≥≥ œ #œ œ #œ œœ ## œœ

≥4 4 ≥≥4 ≥

≥5 5 ≥≥5 ≥

¿¿ ¿ ¿¿ ¿¿¿

X X X X X X X X X X X

⋲ œ #œ ⋲⋲ œœ ⋲ ## œ #œ

≤ ≤ ≤≤

œ œ œœ

4 4 4

0 0 0

œ œœœ 5

≥ 5 5 ≥≥≥5

## #

œ œ œ #œ œ œ œœ ## œœ œ #œ

œ œ œœœ œ

œ œ œ œœ œ

œœ œ œœœœ

œœ œœœœ œ

7 4

7 5

≥77 7 ≥≥≥

≥774 4 7 ≥≥≥4

≥775 5 7 ≥≥≥5

œ œ œœ

œ œœœ

≥775 ≥775 5 7 5 7 ≥≥≥5E ≥≥≥5 œ. # EEEœœœ ... œ. ## œœœ .... # œœœ ... œœ00 ..

œ œ œœ 0

≤ ≤ ≤≤

0 0 0

≥ 5 5 ≥≥≥5

≤ ≤ ≤≤

3 3 3

œ œœœ 0

≥ 0 ≥≥00 ≥

1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 2 2 2 0 0 2 0

≥ ≥ ≥≥

œœ .. œœœœ .... œ. 5 3

≥5 5 3 ≥≥≥533 œœ œœ œœœ œœœœ œœ00 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 2 2 2 0 0 2 0

≥ ≥≥≥

œœ œ œœœœ 2 0

≥2 2 0 0 ≥j≥≥20 œœ œœjj œœœj œœœœ œœ

œœ œ œœœ

œœ œ œœœœ

0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

‰ ‰ ‰‰

≥ ≥ ≥≥

LESSON } BLUES

ON THE CD

TRACKS 30-33

Brought to you by…

was noticed by local rock legend and talent scout Ronnie Hawkins, who invited Travers to work with him. Not long after this Pat moved to the UK to sign a record deal and release his own first self-titled album. Although coming from a blues heritage, Travers has a heavier, rockier approach, with lots of aggression and attack to his delivery. Wider vibrato (which would later become a staple of many rock guitarists’ approach) and more heavily distorted tones are the backbone of his colossal guitar sound. As well as expressive, blues vocabulary and big bends and vibrato, Pat also blended speedy

THE TRACK SPEAKEASY FEATURES SOME SUBLIME PLAYING, WITH TONS OF LICKS AND RUNS AND AN AWESOME TONE FROM PAT’S GIBSON LES PAUL JR

Pat Travers This month Phil Short checks out the ‘fire and brimstone’ style of a criminally undersung Canadian blues-rock powerhouse: Pat Travers. ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate to advanced Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 30-33

Will improve your Fire and vibe! Rhythmic control Speed and fluidity

rom the mid 60s to the mid 70s, some very exciting things were happening in music. In 66/67 heavy guitar was coming into its own; Hendrix blowing people’s minds with his heavy, fuzz-laden

blues-rock tones, and Cream with their extended live jams. Then from 1968 into the early 70s saw the foundation of what would become heavy metal, with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath all releasing ground-breaking albums. Fast forward just a few years to 1976, and we welcome Canadian rocker Pat Travers to the scene. Inspired by a mesmerising performance by Hendrix as a teenager, Pat started performing with Toronto bands and playing in local clubs. While gigging with his own band Merge, his fiery blues-rock style

NEXT MONTH Phil pays homage to a genuine legend of blues guitar, the great Albert King 6

GAIN

BASS

MIDDLE

TREBLE

REVERB

Travers played Gibson LP Juniors and Melody Makers into mid-70s Marshall JMPs. With the abundance of high-quality overdrive pedals and more affordable amps, it’s possible to get very close to that original sound. Don’t be afraid of the presence control to get good articulation on the notes, and hit the strings hard to give them the energy they need to project well.

TRACK RECORD With a career that spans more than 40 years, Travers has released over 30 albums. Arguably, his most successful single release was Snortin’ Whiskey from his 80s album Crash And Burn, featuring his signature aggressive blues-rock sound. Travers has also had success with some of his work being used for film soundtracks. His hit single I La La La Love You featured in the 1983 movie Valley Girl. 56

February 2020

PAUL NATKIN / GETTY IMAGES

Pat Travers here playing a modified Melody Maker

Pentatonic runs into his solos, providing real excitement and edge to his sound. The track Speakeasy off his second album Putting It Straight, features some sublime playing by Pat, with tons of licks and runs and an awesome tone - probably from the simple Les Paul Junior or Gibson Melody Maker guitars that he legendarily favoured. Study 1 focuses on Pat’s fiery blues delivery with plenty of those large bends and typical wide vibrato. Study 2 provides more of the same but also showcases some fast Pentatonic sequencing, so crucial to his approach.

LESSON } ROCK

Rainbow

ON THE CD

Brought to you by…

Martin Cooper checks out the iconic style of Rainbow, in which Ritchie Blackmore took a more melodic role than with Deep Purple.

TRACKS 34-36

1975, and the debut album from Rainbow was soon released to huge critical acclaim. Blackmore and Rainbow headlined the first Monsters Of Rock Festival at Castle Donington, and went on to achieve significant success, albeit with some fans and band members not quite taking to the more pop influenced direction in which they were heading. On albums such as Down To Earth, however, Blackmore’s playing sounds superb, and nothing less than inspired. In general of course, the quality of his playing has never been in dispute, and his classically influenced playing is in evidence on songs such as the AOR classic I Surrender, which featured Joe Lynn Turner’s vocals. The track this month draws from the classical and rock sphere and is in the key of G

BLACKMORE’S PLAYING NEVER SUFFERED FROM GRATUITOUS FLASH AT THE EXPENSE OF MELODY AND HARMONY Minor (G-A-Bb-C-D-Eb-F) but also uses phrases that are built on the G Harmonic Minor scale, which is the same notes except F# in place of F. This gives us the D major chord and its associated harmony. The implied A m7b5 chord has the notes A-C-Eb-G. The track features plenty of space around the chords, as Blackmore often did with Rainbow, as well as some single-note Baroque-era classical style melodies in the main parts. The solo is built around melody and technique, but Blackmore’s playing never suffered from gratuitous flash at the expense of tunefulness and harmony.

ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate Info Key: G minor Tempo: 122bpm CD: TRACKS 34-36

Will improve your Harmonic Minor phrasing Classically influenced lead Soloing with melody

itchie Blackmore was obviously one of the key components of the legendary Deep Purple, and went on to inspire countless other guitar players, including Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve

Morse, who himself went on to replace Ritchie in Deep Purple. Blackmore had successfully ushered David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes in to the band as replacements for Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, but found that the style of the music began to move in a direction with which he was less than happy. He recorded some songs with Ronnie James Dio and his band, and after being pleased with the results, decided to record an entire album with Dio and a new outfit, which became Rainbow. Blackmore’s departure from Deep Purple was confirmed in June

GAIN

BASS

MIDDLE

TREBLE

REVERB

Blackmore is one of the best known players of Stratocaster and Marshall Major amps (although more recently he has used Engl) .The middle pickup of his Strats is not used, so it’s the bridge and neck pickups we need to focus on, depending on what’s required. Ritchie’s sound, while hugely powerful, is never distorted, so go for a classic valve type tone with minimum front-end gain and only a smidgen of reverb or delay.

TRACK RECORD Russ Ballard (of Argent and Zombies fame, who also wrote God Gave Rock And Roll To You) wrote a number of Rainbow’s hits including Since You’ve Been Gone from 1979’s Down To Earth and I Surrender from the Difficult To Cure album, released in 1981. There is also a live album from the early years called On Stage and various ‘best of’ releases including Catch The Rainbow from 2003. 60

February 2020

LARRY MARANO / GETTY IMAGES

Ritchie Blackmore and his Strat with scalloped board and sunken middle pickup

NEXT MONTH Martin checks out the wild rock sound of Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society

LESSON } JAZZ

ON THE CD

TRACKS 37-52

Modal Pentatonics (Mixolydian) John Wheatcroft concludes his two-part series aimed at allowing you to access the almost limitless potential of Pentatonic scales in jazz. This month, Dominant 7th sounds. (R-b3-4-5-b7) and the Major Pentatonic (R-2-3-5-6). Last time, we explored the jazz potential of the bluesy Minor option; this time Will improve your Info we direct our attention towards the Major Key: G7 Application of Pentatonics in jazz variety and some of its common variations. Tempo: 120bpm Superimposition of sounds One of the most useful improvisational CD: TRACKS 37-52 Transposition and development qualities of both Major and Minor Pentatonic scales is that they avoid completely the most dissonant intervals in music, the maj7 very guitarist knows that Pentatonic (or b2) (B-C) and the tritone (C-Gb). In fact, it’s scales are a vital resource for creating music in a huge variety of musical styles. mathematically the only possible combination of five notes available with no semitones or Musicians have been employing these tritones. All that happens if you change a note five-note devices for centuries in both compositional and improvisational settings to is you introduce one of these tensions, which may create an unwanted clash in an great effect. While there are numerous improvised situation, or you simply create a permutations and variations, the two most new Pentatonic option in a different key. common options are the Minor Pentatonic There are also the valid ideas that its construction is Steve Khan based on a series of five uses Pentatonic scales in many consecutive perfect 5th inventive ways intervals, the most stable interval after the octave (C-G-D-A-E, in order C-D-E-G-A), along with the relationship these notes have with the first notes found in the harmonic series. While the Major Pentatonic definitely works against dominant 7th chords (R-3-5-b7), there is an argument that it misses out one of the most important notes, the flattened 7th degree. To this aim, the ‘Dominant’ Pentatonic addresses this omission, by replacing the sweet sounding 6th with the darker, bluesy and slightly tense sounding b7 (R-2-35-b7). There is a tremendous amount of music that you can make with just these three Pentatonic options: Minor (R-b3-4-5-b7) Major (R-2-3-5-6) Dominant (R-2-3-5-b7). We have eight musical

ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate/Advanced

examples that each typifies a new application or approach for either the Major or Dominant Pentatonic scale, along with some other related alternative Pentatonic options that can be used to articulate Major or Dominant harmony. These range from establishing the three Major Pentatonics embedded within each diatonic tonal centre, creating ‘hybrid’ sounds that can address all chord types, superimposing these against different harmony, exploring the Pentatonic potential of the Lydian Dominant/Melodic

REGARDLESS OF WHERE I AM, ANYWHERE, EVERY AUDIENCE GETS THAT, THE PENTATONIC SCALE Bobby McFerrin Minor scale, including ‘altered’ chords and II-V7-I resolutions. As with last month’s exploration into the Minor Pentatonic scale, our objective here is to use these concepts to expand your range of applications with ideas that you already know and use. So while there may be some new musical phrases here that take your fancy, there is a great deal you can learn and develop from playing familiar things in unfamiliar places. There’s lots of great music to make so, as always, enjoy! NEXT MONTH John begins a new mini-series on the notable jazz technique of walking bass 5

GAIN

BASS

MIDDLE

TREBLE

REVERB

As we’re dealing mainly with conceptual ideas here, you can use pretty much any guitar sound you like, although the most popular choice is to select the neck pickup and dial in a warm and balanced clean tone. but these ideas work just as convincingly with a more modern, fusion type tone. For this you’ll need a warm overdrive (not distortion) tone (neck or bridge pickup are both fine) with a splash of reverb or delay.

TRACK RECORD UK session ace Alan Murphy was a master at applying Pentatonic ideas in inventive ways. We’d suggest tracking down a copy of SFX (Koch International 1997), featuring Alan with his instrumental fusion band. Likewise, Steve Khan’s elegant style frequently employs Pentatonic scales in intelligent and unexpected ways. His new album, Patchwork (Shrapnel 2019) comes highly recommended. 64

February 2020

LESSON } NEOCLASSICAL SPEED

ON THE CD

TRACKS 53-57

Brought to you by…

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN DITCHES THE CONVENTIONS OF PURE ALTERNATE PICKING TO HANDLE THEM WITH A COMBINATION OF APPROACHES

Sequence this! Join Aussie shredmeister Chris Brooks as he continues his new series looking at strategies for gaining speed, Yngwie Malmsteen style. ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate/Advanced Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 53-57

Will improve your Mixed picking styles Note sequencing Speed and fluidity

icking sequences and pedal-tone licks are staples of Yngwie’s vocabulary. While sequences can be challenging for the layout of the guitar, Yngwie

Malmsteen ditches the conventions of pure alternate picking to handle them with a combination of approaches. Last month, we looked at three stringchanging approaches used by Yngwie Malmsteen in scalar picking lines that are applied based on how many notes occur per string. The approaches were: alternate picking with even numbers; economy picking with ascending odd numbers; and alternate picking plus a pull-off for descending odd numbers. This unique mix of strategies

NEXT MONTH Chris delivers his final lesson on the speed strategies of Yngwie Malmsteen 5 3

7 3

GAIN

BASS

MIDDLE

TREBLE

REVERB

Unusually for a player with such a heavily driven tone, Yngwie is a Strat man through and through, following his hero Ritchie Blackmore. He also has his fretboards scalloped to aid finger vibrato, is a Marshall man and runs his amps hot. You could either use the above settings with a good distortion pedal; or dime the preamp to 8 or 9 and add delay/reverb.

TRACK RECORD Yngwie Malmsteen’s picking sequences had more to do with Niccolò Paganini than Edward Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai et al, crystalising the baroque and classical influence that had been hinted at in the styles of Ritchie Blackmore, Ulrich Jon Roth and Randy Rhoads, but never fully realised until Yngwie’s 1984 album Rising Force. Many fans name the Trilogy album as peak Malmsteen. 72

February 2020

STEVE THORNE / GETTY IMAGES

Yngwie Malmsteen: explore his brilliant speed strategies

creates a lot of character but also fulfils a technical consistency in Yngwie’s picking orientation, regardless of the lick. In this lesson, let’s explore how the system addresses licks that don’t seem to fall within these categories. First up, we examine pedal-tone licks where a line pivots off one or more repeated notes. Next month, we’ll be concluding our four part series with an etude combining everything you’ve studied so far!

LESSON } PSYCHEDELIC

ON THE CD

Psychedelic: Gong Put the kettle on and grab your guitar as RGT’s Simon Barnard explores the psychedelic sounds of Gong. But watch out for flying teapots!

TRACKS 58-59

Brought to you by…

instruments, and there was some superb guitar from Hillage. So, expect rock riffs, drawn heavily from the Blues scale, plenty of chromaticism and a dash of quirkiness. The solo showcases Hillage’s technical ability and phrasing during his early time with the band. In terms of gear, Allen was often seen sporting a Hohner GT-3, along with some classic instruments such as Gibson Les Pauls and SGs. Hillage was also a fan of the Les Paul, but also a keen Fender Stratocaster player and could often be seen playing what looks like a stripped body 60s Strat. Hillage has often been seen with a Fender Twin or

THERE WAS SOME SUPERB PLAYING FROM HILLAGE. SO EXPECT ROCK RIFFS, PLENTY OF CHROMATICISM AND A DASH OF QUIRKINESS

ABILITY RATING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate/Advanced Info Key: E Minor Tempo: 100bpm CD: TRACKS 58-59

Will improve your Sextuplet phrasing Legato soloing Chromaticism

ormed in Paris in 1967, Gong was the brainchild of singer-guitarist Daevid Allen, and featured members from the UK, Australia, US, France, and Fiji. With a solid foundation in psychedelia, Gong fused world music with funk, rock, pop and jazz, coupled with excellent musicianship to produce one of the best bands of the genre. They released seven albums between 1970 and

1976, featuring incarnations of its classic line-ups. More albums followed from 1992 and a modern Gong line-up is still going strong. Our piece focuses on the early days, and the styles of Hillage and Allen. Steve didn’t play on Gong’s first album Magick Brother (1970) or Camembert Electrique (1971) which mainly featured Allen. However, he was present on Flying Teapot (1973), Angels Egg (1973) and You (1974), hailed as one of the best prog albums ever by Rolling Stone. Gong had many sounds during this period, but one stands out above the rest; that of funky, psychedelic rock. Syncopated drum lines were coupled with tight rhythmic bass, often played in unison with the guitar. Solos abounded on a variety of woodwind

NEXT MONTH Simon examines the heavy, heavy sounds of American band Vanilla Fudge 4 5

6 5

GAIN

BASS

MIDDLE

TREBLE

REVERB

Whichever guitar Steve Hillage and Daevid Allen used, they always got a smooth, fat sound. Go for a warm and natural overdrive, with more power amp than preamp gain; ofrset the amp as above and add a smooth drive pedal and then whichever effects you feel might work with each example - chorus, echo, wah-wah, phaser all sound great for this style.

9000

TRACK RECORD To hear both Hillage and Allen in action the albums Flying Teapot, Angels Egg and You are a must. But we’d also highly recommend searching for Gong Live In Bremen, Germany in 1974 on YouTube. This was the same year that the aforementioned album You came out, and showcases Gong at their finest. The track Flying Teapot from the album of the same name is also well worth a listen. 76

February 2020

MICHAEL PUTLAND / GETTY IMAGES

Steve Hillage playing his 60s stripped body Stratocaster

similar Fender amplifier. Twins are known for their huge volume and would have been a perfect amp in which to run pedals. Speaking of which, Gong’s guitar sounds are often drenched in reverb, chorus, delay, overdrive, phaser and wah in various combinations. Essentially, they were very experimental with their approach to creating sonic soundscapes. You’ll find some pretty challenging sections in this month’s piece, so don’t be worried if you need to take some of the phrases a little slower at first. The use of a metronome is greatly advised for this!