Innehållsförteckning för June 2018 från Guitar Techniques

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. 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…

TINA K “EVEN SOME OF THE EARLY BLUES ARTISTS THAT WERE NOT AWARE OFTHEORY OFTEN NAIL THE CHANGES” There comes a time in most guitarists’ musical journey when they decide to take the plunge and ‘play the changes’ – that is to improvise over individual chords in a progression rather than playing one scale over all the chords in a particular key. For our discussion today we’re going to stay in the key of A, and assume we’re talking about improvising over the standard 12-bar blues chord changes: (A-A-A-A, D-D-A-A, E-D-A-E). Many beginners start their improvising using A Minor Pentatonic, just messing around with the five scale notes up and down, perhaps adding some random bends or vibrato but not really getting too far. Once they get to grips with…

GT needs you! We’re on the hunt for the best new guitar talent and if you’re reading this you’re already one step closer to lifting the trophy and walking away with some prize booty from the top names in guitars. Previous winners include Guthrie Govan, Dave Kilminster and James Bell (check out James’s winning 2011 Young Guitarist performance on Guitarist’s YouTube channel), so this could be your springboard to similar greatness! We’re working alongside our sister titles Guitarist, Total Guitar and MusicRadar.com to find our 2018 Guitarist of the Year, Young Guitarist of the Year and Acoustic Guitarist of the year at our brand new UK Guitar Show on 29 and 30 September 2018. Lots more details on this exciting London, Olympia event soon! So how do you get involved?…

“PHRYGIAN IS NOT JUST AN EXOTIC SOUND FOR FLAMENCO AND EASTERN MUSIC, BUT ALSO GREAT FOR NEOCLASSICAL ROCK” ABILITY RATING Info Key E minor Tempo Various CD TRACKS 20-23 Moderate/Advanced Will improve your… Use of the diminished 7 arpeggio Modal knowledge and uses Fingerstyle ‘Spanish’ strumming Today we will look at two exotic sounding modes and how to use them: Phrygian and Phrygian Dominant. Phrygian is often explained as the third mode of the Major scale and is one of its four minor modes, the other three being Dorian, Aeolian (Natural Minor) and Locrian. Phrygian’s intervals are: R- b 2- b 3-4-5- b 6- b 7 and is best viewed as a tweaked Natural Minor scale; the difference is that the b 2 is a semitone away from the Root…

SPLASH NEWS / ALAMY “THEY BLEND CLASSIC ROCK WITH BOOGIE AND PROG, WITH TIME CHANGES, HARMONIES, RIFFS AND MELODIES” ABILITY RATING Moderate Info Key: Em Tempo: 125bpm CD: TRACKS 38-40 Will improve your… Creation of parts Tone and delivery Classic rock technique Kansas is one of those bands that’s written hits you don’t even realise were them until someone says “Remember Carry On Wayward Son? That was Kansas”. During their 40-plus year career they have scored three multi-platinum albums, two million-selling singles and toured the world many times to sold-out arenas. Formed in 1970 when members of White Clover merged with the group Saratoga, they became Kansas and their self-titled debut album was released in 1972. Featuring Rich Williams and Kenny Livgren on guitar, Robby Steinhardt on lead vocals, keyboard…

DAVID LYTTELTON “IT’S POSSIBLE TO THINK IN MUCH BIGGER TERMS, WHEREBY WE TAKE TWO NOTES MUCH FURTHER APART AND FILL IN ALL THE GAPS” ABILITY RATING Moderate/Advanced Info Key: A (A7) Tempo: 120bpm CD: TRACKS 54-55 Will improve your… Use of chromaticism Tension and resolution Soloing sophistication Chromatic notes are non-scale notes that can add interesting forms of spice and tension to your playing. Significantly, you need to know how to resolve such tension if you are to apply it with control and avoid tuneless chaos. In the previous lesson, we learned how the easiest application is to approach a target note (scale or chord tone) either from a semi-tone below or above (note that, of the two, approaching from a semi-tone above is the most dissonant-sounding option). In this…

BEING A FELLOW of a certain age I can clearly remember the birth of what we now call British R&B. It began with ‘groups’ as we called them, like The Rolling Stones who originally emerged playing Chuck Berry, Rufus Thomas, Willie Dixon and other blues covers. Other beat combos like Them (with Van Morrison), The Yardbirds, Pretty Things and Animals soon emerged, all bringing a hepped-up, somewhat anglicised slant to blues standards, or self-penned tunes that followed the 12-bar form. Even The Beatles joined in with Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Roll Over Beethoven, Rock And Roll Music, You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me, Money and many more. These groups added a jumpy, rock and roll vibe to the blues, and while they tried so hard to sound authentic, never quite…

“I CONSOLE MYSELF THAT MOST OF THE AUDIENCE (NOT THE TIMES MUSIC CRITIC, SADLY) THOUGHT IT WAS ALL INTENDED” My personal hunch is that this pioneering colossus of 20th century British classical music might well have added a third activity - “avant garde music” - to his encouragingly brief list of circumscribed lifestyle choices, had the fellow lived long enough to hear any. Inevitably, I have only myself to blame for my latest brush with modern music related disorders both pre- and post- traumatic in nature. To say nothing of the performance induced stress itself. After all, I had surfed this particular wild wave many years before. As a gullible whippersnapper I had put my rosewood neck on the line some decades previously and accepted an invitation to give the…

LIVEPIX ➊ A Minor Blues We start off with this fun blues jam in A minor. Use A Minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G), but mix in A Dorian mode (A-B-C-D-E-F#-G) as well as A minor scale itself (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). For the final chord (E) I recommend A Harmonic Minor (A-B-C-D-E-F-G#). ➋ Jazz Jam - A b Minor 2-5-1 Here’s a jam track for one of the most essential building blocks of Jazz, the II-V-I progression. You can use A b Minor scale (A b -B b -C b -D b - E b -F b -G b ), changing it to A b Harmonic Minor (A b -B b -C b -D b -E b - F b -G) for the V chord (E b 7). ➌ Bm Slow Blues You can get…

RELATING TAB TO YOUR FRETBOARD HAND LABELLING Here are the abbreviations used for each finger: Fretting hand: 1, 2, 3, 4, (T) Picking hand: p (thumb), i (first finger), m (second), a (third), c (fourth). NUT & FRETBOARD The fretbox diagram above represents the fretboard exactly, as seen in the accompanying photo. This is for ease of visualising a fretboard scale or chord shape quickly. CHORD EXAMPLE The diagram represents the G chord in the photo. The ‘O’ symbol is an open string, and a circled number is a fretting finger. Intervals are shown below. CHORD EXAMPLE (WITH CAPO) The blue line represents a capo – for this A chord, place it at fret 2. Capos change the fret number ordering – here, the original fret 5 now becomes fret…

ABILITY RATING Advanced Info Key: B Tempo: 110bpm CD: TRACKS CD-ROM Will improve your Switching scales and arpeggios Blues fusion lead work Use of hybrid picking This month provides a chance to relax and kick back somewhat, with one of Brett’s most accessible solos to date. The medium, 110bpm tempo of Jason’s backing track allows for a sparser than usual approach, with simple yet effective and ‘hooky’ melodies being introduced. As Brett explains in the video, the baritone guitar Jason used to record the backing track allows for lush sounding B 6/9 and Esus2 chords to be produced. Nearly all of the chords in the verse section are diatonic to the key of B, so B Major scale (B-C#-D#-E-F#-G#-A#) is the safe and sensible kicking off point. For a bluesier…

EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 1 RICHIE SAMBORA CD TRACK 28 As Richie reunites with Bon Jovi for the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame we bring you a cool Sambora-style country rock lick. Try it with the round end of your pick, or with fingers, with emphasis on the hammer-on harmonies, and with a gentle feel in the licks in between. EASY LICKS EXAMPLE 2 BILLY GIBBONS CD TRACK 29 This example is a little more aggressive than the last and again is best approached with fingers, or indeed hybrid picking. If you have a humbucking guitar, great, but if not simply roll the treble off for a fatter, warmer sound than usual (try this with the humbuckers too, for a‘woman tone’style wall of sound). INTERMEDIATE LICKS…

WARING ABBOTT / GETTY IMAGES “WHENEVER THERE IS EXTRA TIME I TEND TO PICK UP A GUITAR AND START PLAYING” Tuck Andress ABILITY RATING Advanced Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 41-50 Will improve your… Fingerstyle technique Integration of multiple ideas Sense of swing and groove Tuck Andress is half of the husband and wife duo, Tuck and Patti and, simply put, he’s also one of the best fingerstyle guitarists in the world. Over the last 30 years he’s thrilled live audiences and left jaws flapping across all corners of the world. He’s also delighted listeners with a steady stream of album releases, both in the company of Patti Cathcart and as a solo performer. Tuck’s playing balances mind-boggling technical dexterity with beautifully sensitive musicality and taste.…

STEVE MORLEY / GETTY IMAGES “HE PLAYED ON LENNON’S IMAGINE, CO-WROTE BADGE WITH CLAPTON, FORMED THE TRAVELING WILBURYS, AND ORGANISED THE CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH” ABILITY RATING Moderate Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 56-63 Will improve your Melodic slide playing Slide intonation Solo construction While undoubtedly one of the most famous musicians in history, many people underestimate just how talented a guitarist George Harrison was, a talent that becomes even more evident in his solo work. Even more overlooked is how important Harrison was as a slide player. George Harrison embraced a multitude of musical styles including his influences in Indian music, writing and recording with sitar legend Ravi Shankar. But following the break-up of The Beatles in 1970, he released the triple album All Things Must Pass, his…

ZUMA PRESS / ALAMY “WHEN STRING SKIPPING THE AIM IS TO MAKE YOUR FINGERS DO THE WORK RATHER THAN MOVING THE HAND TOO MUCH” ABILITY RATING Moderate/Advanced Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 70-79 Will improve your… Fretting accuracy Picking accuracy Hand synchronisation String skipping is a great approach for inspiring different melodic ideas. Skipping over strings provides wide interval jumps which can sound more exciting than just playing up and down a scale. Our first two examples are on the more technical side, designed to develop the hand movements required for string hopping. We have Pentatonic based, two-notes-per-string patterns which start on adjacent strings and gradually become wider apart. First focus on your fretting hand to make sure the notes are fretting cleanly and accurately. When string skipping,…

 GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without? “MY MOM DIDN’T HAVE THE £3 THAT MY FIRST GUITAR COST SO SHE ASKED IF THEY WOULD TAKE TWO PRAMS IN EXCHANGE” JA: I use Jim Dunlop 1mm picks. They allow you to grip the pick really well. GT: If you had to give up all your guitar pedals but three, what would they be? JA: I don’t think there’s a pedal that I couldn’t live without, certainly in terms of an acoustic guitar. For the electric there’s only one pedal that is a must-have and that’s a distortion pedal. GT: Do you play another musical instrument well enough to do so in a band? JA: I think I could play the bass in a band but…

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 All the mag’s main lessons have the audio built in with a moving cursor that shows you exactly where you are in the music. Simply tap the ‘play’ button and you’re off - 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 (recommended) or smartphone. PLUS! Get a FREE iPad/iPhone sample of GT. For full details and how to…

GT: What exactly is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals? AJ: I think when I was younger, Joe Satriani wrote music that melodically spoke to me, and was technically interesting to a budding guitarist trying to get better. It never occurred to me that someone can be a solo guitarist outside of a band, as I guess in the grand scheme of things most people don’t really listen to anything other than vocal music whether it be guitar driven or not. I used to listen to songs and just wait for the solo, but nowadays I appreciate good music whether it has a guitar or not; it’s just been an evolution. GT: What can an instrumental tune provide a listener that a vocal performance can’t? AJ: If the mood has…

RICKENBACHER IS ONE OF THE LEADING manufacturers of lap steel guitars and its popular moulded black bakelite Model B undergoes a couple of changes. The‘T’shaped logo plate is dropped but more importantly the company name is now spelt as Rickenbacker! Otherwise it’s business as usual with hollow cavities in the body, screwed-on neck with integral moulded frets. It features the famous horseshoe magnet pickup and comes in black and white tuxedo finish. MOTOR FUEL RATIONING, INTRODUCED IN 1939, finally comes to an end and post-war soap rationing ends as well. Full-time military service for conscripted National Servicemen is extended from 18 months to two years in response to the British involvement in the Korean War. A landslide in the Knockshinnoch Castle colliery in Ayrshire traps 116 miners. The rescue operation…

“WHEN WE WERE LEARNING GUITAR OUR STYLES WERE VERY DIFFERENT; I WAS VERY SYNCOPATED, BUT RAY’S STYLE WAS MORE PEDANTIC Dave Davies” ABILITY RATING Moderate Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 4-19 Will improve your… R&B rhythm chops Soloing skills using double-stops Understanding of 60s style It was as if the 1960s began in black and white and finished in vivid Technicolor; everything changed in this incredibly creative decade. The years 1960-63 were awash with American music; pop, blues, R&B, and soul. Young British musicians, who had never set foot in America, absorbed these exciting new sounds and recycled them to create something new and exciting. The resulting ‘homegrown’ R&B and blues bands enjoyed huge successes not just on their home soil, but on the other side…

“PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY’S TORTURED LIFE FEELS SOMEWHAT AT ODDS WITH THE ALMOST CHILD-LIKE INNOCENCE IN HIS WORKS” ABILITY RATING Info Key D major Tempo 60bpm CD TRACKS 26-27 Moderate /Advanced Will improve your… Melody and accompaniment coordination Fretting-hand stamina Position shift accuracy Tchaikovsky had an extraordinary knack of writing pieces that were at once completely accessible, theatrically apt and technically brilliant. This skill explains his enduring international appeal to concert, opera and ballet audiences, and musicians alike. Despite being plagued by personal issues, critical reception, self-doubt and depression throughout his life (which may well have contributed to his suicide aged 53), he was remarkably prolific producing music for 11 operas, three ballets and six symphonies among a large body of works for a wide variety of instrumentation. Many of his works…

MICK HUTSON / GETTY IMAGES ABILITY RATING Moderate Info Key: Various Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 34-37 Will improve your Pentatonic phrasing Delivery and attack Vibrato and legato Albert Collins, known as the Ice Man, was born in Leona, Texas, on October 1, 1932. He studied piano as a boy but was taken by the guitar once his cousin Lightnin’ Hopkins was on the scene. Another musical cousin of Collins, Willow Young lent him a guitar and gave him a few lessons, showing him the open F minor tuning (F-C-F-A b -C-F) that became the foundation of his sound. At 18 Collins was out gigging the local scene with his own group, the Rhythm Rockers. The band worked hard and by the mid 1950s Collins found himself sharing the bill with…

HAYLEY MADDEN / GETTY IMAGES “WATCH YOUR TIMING, AS WITH THIS STYLE IT’S EASY TO PLAY BEHIND OR AHEAD OF THE BEAT AND NOT REALLY LOCK IN” ABILITY RATING Easy/Moderate Info Key: G Tempo: 128bpm CD: TRACKS 51-52 Will improve your… Strumming fast chords Fretting barre shapes Knowledge of major 6th Think of The Shadows and I bet Hank Marvin and that red Strat is the first thing that comes into your mind. However, remove the engine room that was The Shadows’ rhythm section and you’d take away the core of that legendary band. If you’re looking for a masterful study in acoustic (and electric) rhythm guitar playing then you’ve come to the right place with this month’s subject. Bruce Welch was born on November 2nd, 1941 in County Durham…

JOEY FOLOEY / GETTY IMAGES ABILITY RATING Moderate/Advanced Info Key: D Tempo: Various CD: TRACKS 64-69 Will improve your: Strength and stamina Muting, barring & rolling techniques Intervallic recognition T this month we’ll look at D Mixolydian mode, the fifth mode in the key of G (D-E-F#-G-A-B-C). Often described as a Major scale with a b7th, Mixolydian is a popular scale choice when improvising over dominant 7 chords (R-3-5- b 7). Based around our usual format, we’ll arrange the Mixolydian mode as two ‘master exercises’ in positions 1 and 4, with the chord, scale, arpeggio and intervallic pattern all incorporated into a single exercise for maximum efficiency. We’ll be playing through the scale firstly in 3rds and then in 4ths, with strict alternate picking used throughout. Playing through these intervals…

Album Of The Month SONS OF APOLLO PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY Inside Out This huge sounding album is so well played and produced you’ll want to upgrade your hi-fi to do it justice. Comprising four virtuoso legends, Sons Of Apollo is one of the best supergroups of the last decade. Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal has superhuman chops and a vocabulary full of Zappa-esque sparkle. Armed with his double-neck Vigier, a thimble for tapping over the pickups and monstrous guitar tones he shines alongside drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr Big), keys Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, solo) and Jeff Scott Soto (Journey). With nine tracks bookended by two 10-minute prog rock epics, fans of huge vocals, blistering riffs, odd time signatures and crazy solos are in for a treat. God Of…

FEATURE #1 THE GUITARISTS OF OZ! Iommi, Rhoads, Wylde & more With Ozzy headlining Download we look at all his guitarists, from Iommi to Randy, Zakk, Jake, Brad and Gus G FEATURE #2 FOLK GOES ELECTRIC Steeleye, Tull, Fairport, Runrig After Dylan traded his Martin for a Strat a new music, Folk Rock was born. We examine its movers and shakers CLASSICAL TAB RACHMANINOV Paganini Variation Opus 43 Bridget arranges Variation #18 in Rachmaninov’s Paganini suite.Used in the film Somewhere In Time VIDEO MASTERCLASS BRETT GARSED: BIG UP! Uptempo R&B rocker This fantastic rock piece from Jason Sidwell lets Brett take to his wings and fly. Just hang onto your hats! Crank up your amps for the Guitar Techniques ROCK SPECIAL! With Zakk and Ozzy headlining Download; Sambora reuniting with…