Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Total Guitar

This month we celebrate the genius of Led Zeppelin’s legendary guitarist, Jimmy Page. Few can claim to be as influential as Page. As a producer, he innovated on every album the band recorded. As a guitarist, he’s one of the most extraordinary riff writers of all time. Exhibits A, B and C: Whole Lotta Love, Heartbreaker, Kashmir. There are many more, of course. And just listen to Led Zeppelin’s studio albums, each an evolution in sound and style on its predecessor. Jimmy says Led Zeppelin were an ‘album band, not a singles band’; he also admitted that he always had a plan for the band’s career path – I don’t doubt it. This month, I spoke with Jimmy about the making of some of Led Zeppelin’s greatest tracks and his…

DAZED AND CONFUSED (LED ZEPPELIN, 1969) The Zep I tone, showcased here, was Page’s dragon Telecaster into a Supro amp, with a Sola Sound Tone Bender fuzz pedal when extra filth was required. Page created other-worldly theremin sounds by plucking natural harmonics and bending them behind the nut. BABE I’M GONNA LEAVE YOU (LED ZEPPELIN, 1969) This was recorded on his well-known Harmony Sovereign H1260 from the mid-60s. Joan Baez had already made the song famous. Zeppelin revolutionised it with contrasting acoustic and electric sections, anticipating the quiet/ loud dynamic of grunge and introducing the lament bassline to hard rock (Tenacious D send their thanks). WHOLE LOTTA LOVE (LED ZEPPELIN II, 1969) There’s a little-known trick to making this legendary riff sound like Page. The second note is doubled by…

Blues and traditional rock ’n’ roll are at the core of Page’s soloing style, especially in the early days on Led Zeppelin’s debut – so there are some pentatonic basics to cover. Heartbreaker’s breakdown solo, for example, gives you an idea of Page’s unending creativity though, as he explored fret-hand legato and some wacky string bends. There’s a lot to get your teeth into here, so make sure to take it slowly and break each of our licks down phrase by phrase. JIMMY PAGE RAPID-FIRE LEGATO LEAD TRACK 18 These fast, blues-based legato licks are heard throughout Jimmy’s solo work – and he’d often improvise around ideas like these. Aim to execute those rapid-fire hammer-ons and pull-offs cleanly. This might mean slowing right down to develop your technique. JIMMY PAGE…

The D blues scale (D F G A b A C) is used briefly in the second verse with an added C# note. The solo uses the D minor pentatonic scale (D F G A C), although the very last note is an A b , so you might consider this another example of the blues scale. The D natural minor scale (D E F G A B b C) is played in the outro as a run of octave shapes along the length of the fretboard, rather than the standard shape shown here.…

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s third album, so what better time to take a look at this Page-penned classic cut? With a slew of acoustic tracks, Led Zeppelin III marked a big direction change away from the band’s blues and rock beginnings – a risky move that brought mixed reviews but major success, topping album charts in both the UK and the US. Originally recorded with the Yardbirds (then titled Knowing That I’m Losing You), Page would record Tangerine for Led Zeppelin on 12-string acoustic with a second part double-tracked on a six-string. The original recording is a quarter tone below concert pitch, but we’ve kept our backing track in standard tuning, and we’ve omitted the ‘false start’, beginning at around 0:13. We’ve tabbed out the intro,…

FENDER PLAYER DUO-SONIC HS The latest incarnation of this OG Fender short-scale sports a hardtail bridge and flexible, coil-splittable HS pickup config. STERLING BY MUSIC MAN CUTLASS SHORT SCALE MM downsized its Strat-style Cutlass to offer this 24” HS version, which boasts a Fulcrum Tremolo and contoured neck heel. SQUIER CLASSIC VIBE ’70S JAGUAR If you’re serious about offset vibes, this is a faithful budget Jag, also built from poplar but featuring Alnico single coils and a floating vibrato.…

£699 “ONE OF THE EASIEST TO USE UNITS IN THE MULTI-FX GENRE” Digital modelling has moved on apace since 2016 when Zoom launched their last multi-FX processor, but the G11 brings their G-series right up to date with innovations like a touchscreen and IR use. With 240 patch slots, built from up to 10 blocks, and with effects plus amp/ speaker simulation, the G11 offers a whole signal chain that can be used direct into a PA, FRFR speaker system or recording gear. Alternatively, you can forget about the amps and set up patches that are pure effects for a whole range of instantly accessible pedalboards to use with your own amp. This is one of the easiest to use units in the whole floorboard multi-FX genre - not only…

Create the music that you love. “Before making my new record O, I was working with hip-hop producers, experimenting with beats. Then I met up with producer Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, The Struts, Ozzy). I was like, ‘That’s the kind of record I wanna make, something raw and rough’. We did the whole record in 28 days. I was really happy with the way everything sounds really inspired. It makes you wanna hear it live. That’s the whole vibe of the album.” Make the ultimate guitar by crossbreeding your favourite designs. “When Gibson approached me about doing a signature acoustic, I was blown away. I wanted to work on a J-200 because it’s such a classic. It’s Elvis and Johnny Cash. I just find the neck a little bit like a…

Brian May recently referred to Jimmy Page as “a master of invention”, and we’d have to agree, especially on the subject of riffing. Few, if any, can claim to have laid down quite so many cracking riffs as Page. Whole Lotta Love, Heartbreaker, Kashmir - we could go on! So, what’s the secret? Well, it’s not so much a secret – just a little required knowledge. From the pentatonic scale to some signature chord shapes, we’ll look at the techniques behind the Led Zeppelin legend’s style. JIMMY PAGE START WITH PENTATONICS TRACK 10 Many of Jimmy’s riffs are based in the minor pentatonic scale (Black Dog, Heartbreaker, Moby Dick) and include octave jumps (Immigrant Song, The Wanton Song). Here we see these two techniques in A minor combined with chromatic…

Featuring on Rage Against The Machine’s self-titled debut, Killing In The Name was written about police brutality in the US following the 1992 Los Angeles riots. It’s widely considered to be the band’s signature track, and, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd this year, the song’s message seems more pertinent now than ever before. Of course, for us guitar players, Tom Morello’s drop-D tuned juggernaut riffs are the kind of thing we plug in for – and it’s all about feel. Feel for shuffle-time riffing and triplet rhythms, and for micro-timing – switching between lazy ‘behind the beat’ playing in the verses and a straighter sounding main riff that precedes it. The song’s Whammy pedal solo is also iconic, with wide two-octave sweeps giving life to surprisingly…

£399 Short-scale guitars are having a moment right now. Whether it’s because of the influx of new guitarists during the pandemic, or the raft of musicians playing guitar alongside other instruments, more accessibly proportioned models seem to be hitting the market now than ever before. But while the format lends itself to quirky-by-nature offset bodies, none are quite so bizarre as the late-’90s Squier Super-Sonic, which received a reissue this year as part of the Paranormal Series. “A PLAYING EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER FENDER MODEL” Before you ask; no, we haven’t accidentally flipped the image. The legend goes that former Squier marketing manager Joe Carducci was so inspired by an image of Jimi Hendrix playing a Jazzmaster upside-down, he took it upon himself to recreate this aesthetic for right-handed players.…

£1619 If you think the saying ‘less is more’ is becoming overused these days, how about ‘less is cool’ – because an acoustic guitar that eschews the bells, whistles, abalone and gloss to embrace a simpler approach can be a very attractive proposition. Especially in mahogany and sapele. A more minimalist approach is not something most of us might associate with Taylor, but here it is – and although it might not be obvious, there’s also some more in the mix, too. “THE V-CLASS BRACING IS VERY MUCH IN THERE HERE AND NOW” At street prices around £1349, this is still a sizeable investment for most of us, but it’s also the most affordable USA-made solid wood acoustic we’ve seen yet from Taylor. And the recent Grand Pacific slope-shouldered dreadnought…

TYPE: Multi-effects/ amp modeller pedal CONTROLS: Touch screen, Master output, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Volume, FX pedal knobs x 20, FX pedal footswitches x 5, footswitches x 6, treadle SOCKETS: Standard guitar input, stereo mini jack Aux input, standard stereo phones output, standard Main outputs L (mono) and R, standard Send outputs (1 and 2), standard Return inputs (1 and 2), Control in, Remote, MIDI In, MIDI Out, USB x 2 BYPASS: Buffered POWER: 12V power supply only (included) CONTACT: Sound Service, sound-service.eu / Zoom, zoomcorp.com…

ERUPTION On this signature piece, again from the first VH album, the tapping gets the attention, but the tone, blistering legato, and creative note choices are all equally important. Amid all that virtuosity, Eddie still played with joyous rock ’n’ roll abandon. It makes his playing appeal to people who never listen to shred instrumentals. AIN’T TALKIN’ ‘BOUT LOVE Some virtuosos forget the power of a simple song and a catchy hook, but EVH knew when to keep things simple. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love (from the debut Van Halen album) is played by palm muting and picking the notes from an open A minor chord. The singable solo is played on one string. Melodic genius. FRANKENSTRAT Eddie helped to develop the Floyd Rose, suggesting improvements like the fine tuners at…

Changing the tuning on your guitar is like learning another language. And it’s a language Jimmy Page speaks fluently, having explored several altered tunings with Zeppelin. Moby Dick is a good place to start – played in drop D (DGDGBE), it’s the easiest non-standard tuning of ’em all. But Jimmy used others too, and though he’s famed for using DADGAD (notably on Kashmir and Black Mountain Side), we should draw your attention to open C6 (CACGCE) and open A (E A E A C# E), too. ALTERED TUNINGS: OPEN G (DGDGBD) TRACK 14 Used famously inThat’sTheWayandBlackCountryWoman, open G is but one of many tunings in the Page playbook. Our example shows some typical Jimmy-style two-note shapes with open strings droning in the background creating, rich and dense harmonies. ALTERED TUNINGS:…

Featuring on influential progmetal act King’s X’s third studio album Faith Hope Love, We Were Born To Be Loved showcases the band’s heady blend of metal, funk and soul with elements of 60s British blues-rock. Guitarist Ty Tabor’s punchy riffs are in full force here, and you’ll need a clean picking hand attack with accurate fretting to keep on top of the shifting powerchords and drop-D lines. Timing is particularly crucial in WWBTBL, with long pauses and offbeat chord stabs providing a constant challenge; the drums can give a disorienting feel against the downbeat too. Try to keep the eighth-note feel in your mind, rather than the more natural quarter- or half-note pulse – it’ll help you catch those syncopated hits. Remember to keep your internal count going when the…

Besides the Super-Sonic, there’s a bevy of forgotten gems in Squier’s latest series. There’s the Toronado, a dual-humbucking nod to Gibson’s most popular designs, complete with hardtail bridge and 24.75” scale length. The Cyclone is also worth investigating, boasting a similar aesthetic to the Super-Sonic, but with Jaguar controls and a slightly longer 24.75” scale. The Offset Telecaster – aka Telemaster for its mash-up of Jazzmaster and Tele credentials – is a highlight, too. Finally, the range is rounded out by a pair of Cabronita Telecasters – one semi-hollow and one 27” scale baritone – both of which feature Jazzmaster single coils.…

TYPE: Slope-shouldered dreadnought-style acoustic TOP: Tropical mahogany BACK AND SIDES: Sapele in Urban Sienna stain SCALE LENGTH: 25.5” / 648mm NECK: Tropical mahogany FINGERBOARD: Eucalyptus HARDWARE: Taylor nickel sealed tuners, eucalyptus bridge, Micarta saddle, Tusq nut FINISH: Matte OPTIONS: AD17 Blacktop with black finish spruce top and ovankol back and sides £1715 (AD17E Blacktop with ES2 £1919), AD17 with natural spruce top and ovankol back and sides £1619 (AD17E £1835) LEFT HANDED: No CASE: Taylor AeroCase CONTACT: taylorguitars.com…