Innehållsförteckning för May 2018 från Total Guitar

One of the most common frustrations with playing the guitar, particularly after a while, is getting stuck with the same old progressions and patterns. You can hear what you don’t want to sound like, but it’s not always that easy to identify exactly where to take your parts and solos next. That often comes down to one thing: vocabulary. If you know the sort of thing you’re trying to say, but don’t know exactly which musical ‘words’ to use to express it, then welcome to this month’s issue! Inside our cover feature we’re going to breakdown seven of the most common guitar-based styles in order to help you get the right words and flavours into your playing. We’ve made it as easy as possible by not getting too bogged-down in…

1 “The guitars that I use are Gibson Firebird Studios that, I think, were made for about five years in the early 2000s. They’re not really like normal Firebirds, they’re built more like an SG or something because they haven’t got the thru-neck, it’s like a glued-in neck. The body is different too, it’s rounded and also squarer and maybe bit bigger than normals ones. It’s kind of a different guitar to the Firebird that you see most of the time.” 2 “Our first ever proper tour was a big one supporting Korn around Europe in 2010. I was using an SG up until then but I broke it and Gibson lent me an Explorer. I had my guitar slung low – it felt good having an Explorer like that,…

One of the toughest parts of reading music is dealing with sharp notes. Represented with a # symbol, a sharp sign tells you a note is played a semitone higher. For example, F# is a semitone higher than F; G# is a semitone higher than G. You get the idea. We recommend tackling this tricky task with a three-prong attack: first, memorise the ‘natural’ notes (E, F, G and so on) on the fretboard; second, identify the sharp notes on the fretboard; finally, take note of where the fretboard notes are positioned on the musical stave. Read on as we show you how. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN Learn the notes on the stave Learn sharp notes on the guitar fretboard Four music-reading exercises 1 NATURAL NOTES ON THE STAVE These…

Following his 90s stint as a guitar tech for bands such as Smashing Pumpkins, Faith No More and Tool, Billy Howerdel joined forces with Maynard James Keenan to form A Perfect Circle. And, though Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads inspired the young Howerdel, you can also hear the atmospheric and emotive influence of indie rockers Depeche Mode and The Cure in A Perfect Circle’s sound. We’re taking a look at a handful of Howerdel’s signature techniques and songwriting approaches. Try our tab examples out for yourself and you’ll soon assimilate some of the APC sound. To recreate the vibe of Howerdel’s heavier tones we’ve recorded our examples in C# standard tuning (C# F# B E G# C#) – so every string is tuned three semitones lower than standard. If your guitar…

THE PLAYERS Like blues, rockabilly gained popularity in the years following the second world war as electric guitars and amplifiers became available. Stylistically, it’s an exiting fusion of rock ‘n’ roll, country, blues and jazz, and takes its name from a portmanteau of hillbilly (a country sub-genre) and rock ‘n’ roll. Early guitar innovators include Scotty Moore (Elvis Presley’s main guitarist), Chet Atkins, James Burton, Cliff Gallup and Carl Perkins. The Reverend Horton Heat and Brian Setzer revitalised interest in the 80s and 90s. In more recent years, Darrel Higham has kept the flame alight, playing with Imelda May and Kat Men. TRACK 34 THE SCALES The major pentatonic is a bright sounding and much-used scale, ideal for rocking solo lines. Like the minor pentatonic scale, the two-notes-per-string layout makes…

THE PLAYERS Rock is another style that has its roots firmly in blues. As guitar amplification became gradually more powerful throughout the 60s and 70s, riffs and solos were projected to epic volume levels and, lo, rock guitar was born. Listen out for classic rock guitar pioneers such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Walsh, Eddie Van Halen, Brian May, Angus Young… You really could list hundreds of players! TRACK 46 THE SCALES The natural minor scale is a more developed version of the minor pentatonic scale, offering more melodic options to play with. If you’ve reached a plateau with pentatonic playing, this might just do the job. For some extra sauce, the blues scale is a popular choice in classic rock.…

Get your groove on with this month’s funky jam track inspired by some of rock’s giants Funk-rock is a blues-based style, combining staple blues progressions and the feel and groove of funk with a hefty dose of rock attitude. Jimi Hendrix was an early pioneer, particularly with Band Of Gypsys, and the style became popular in the 90s, with players such as Nuno Bettencourt, Tom Morello and Vernon Reid all pushing the envelope. Mainstream success came for Lenny Kravitz and John Frusciante (with Red Hot Chili Peppers) who both enjoyed huge hit albums. More recently, a slew of virtuoso rock players including Richie Kotzen and Jonny Lang are getting funky. This month’s jam track has three sections for you to jam along to. You only need to know a handful…

FULL TAB [DON’T FEAR] THE REAPER Music & Lyrics by Donald Roeser © 1976. Sony/ATV Tunes LLC and Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Limited. UK/EU  reproduced by kind permission of Music Sales Ltd US/CAN reproduced by kind permission of Hal Leonard Corporation All Rights Reserve\d. International Copyright Secured BLUE ÖYSTER CULT (DON’T FEAR) THE REAPER Intro/Main riff Let the strings ring out for as long as possible. The open third string G note, in particular, should ring out clearly. Fret right on your fingertips so that you don’t accidentally mute out any vital ringing notes. We’ve added a picking suggestion under the tab but you can use alternate picking if you prefer. BLUE ÖYSTER CULT (DON’T FEAR) THE REAPER Pre-Chorus You can fret these powerchords…

What is tab? Tab is short for tablature, a notational system used to give detailed information as to where notes should be played on the fretboard. Tab appears underneath conventional music notation as six horizontal lines that represent the strings of the guitar, from the sixth (thick) string at the bottom to the first (thin) string at the top. On these lines, numbers represent which frets you place your fingers. For example, an A note on the 2nd fret, third string, will be shown as a number ‘2’ on the third line down on the tab. Unfretted strings are shown with a ‘0’. The key and time signatures are shown in the notation. TG also includes a timestamp to tell you where in the original track you’ll find each example…

The Floyd Rose locking vibrato unit divides opinion. ‘Isn’t it a faff?’ cry the naysayers. Anyone who plays in a band that frequently changes tunings might well agree. But we can all concur that it opens doors to techniques that can redefine your lead playing. The SL4X’s double-locking vibrato is perfectly balanced and easily adjustable – seated flush in a recess, it’s a comfortable seat for your picking hand to palm-mute riffs. With the Floyd Rose locking the string at both nut and bridge, it holds its tuning as well as any guitar. But most guitars won’t let you fret harmonics and divebomb them until the strings go slack before returning to pitch, wobble or scoop while fretting notes, or make your guitar talk, or rev like a motor engine.…

There are no easy answers. There are many guitarists for whom the Venn diagram of their spec dreams overlap all four of these single-cut electrics. Certainly, the PRS SE Tremonti’s vibrato sets it apart. Some will hate it, but it’s a great vibrato, stable, neat and a lot of fun. Some players can’t live without it, and that’s why a Floyd Rose option is available on the MF-1 (at a price). Like the Tremonti, the MF-1 has the kudos that comes with an elite shredder’s name (or, in this instance, logo) on the headstock. Its emaciated neck plays great, though some might feel this is a guitar that’s all body, at least at first. Unlike the Tremonti, which is in the Les Paul weight category, there’s a whole lot of…

Recording your guitar doesn’t have to be difficult, however, for some it is still confusing. The array of mics, cables, software, boxes and buttons is a necessary learning curve for newcomers to achieving what you really want to do: get your ideas recorded. AN EXTREMELY SOLID ENTRY-POINT TO THE WORLD OF RECORDING Rode’s Complete Studio Kit takes the stress out of this by providing an all-in-one solution straight out of the box. The kit consists of an old favourite in the shape of the Rode NT-1A condenser mic, the newly-launched AI-1 - the first interface from microphone veterans, Rode - a suspension mount, vocal pop shield and even a copy of Ableton’s Live Lite recording software. The NT-1a should be no stranger to budget-recording enthusiasts - since its introduction it…

CHRIS BIRD This month’s issue features Blue Öyster Cult’s classic [Don’t Fear] The Reaper – and Chris has been widdling away in the corner of the office, muttering something about ‘more cowbell’ all month. You’ll find another classic arpeggio on p22 in the form of AC/DC’s Hells Bells. A full 40+ bpm slower than DFTR, it’s a great primer to get you up to speed. MICHAEL ASTLEY-BROWN This month, Mike has been left reeling after listening back to his disquieting performance on the inaugural Total Guitar podcast. “The red light goes on, and I just lose it,” our gear guru confides. “I enter an altered state of unhinged broadcasting hysteria.” Who knows what he might say next… tune in to find out. ROB LAING Rob’s been learning valuable lessons from…

“AS MUCH AS I LOVE GEAR... THESE THINGS ARE JUST TOOLS... I FIND ‘GEAR LUST’ A BIT BORING” Got my first real six string “It was a Fender Strat copy made by a company called Boogie, which even had the Mesa-Boogie logo. It could have been an early incarnation of the company, or someone just ripped it off. I’d say it’s probably why I’ve always ended up preferring that Strat feel, I’ve never been into the baseball bat-style Les Pauls. It was a cheap guitar, but my father took me to a local luthier who put some original Strat parts and pickups in there. I actually got it back from my dad a few years ago and I ended up recording with it!” Can I play with madness “I had…

BLACK STONE CHERRY FAMILY TREE Our chat with Milk Teeth and Fangclub on page 32 raises an interesting development in rock music; cross-generational appeal. The idea of a band who are modernising a classic sound and offering appeal for both a more veteran rocker parent and their teenage child isn’t a rarity anymore. This Kentucky four-piece are a prime example of that balance between the old and new in rock, and on their sixth album they are nailing that idea better than ever before. A huge part of that is just how much Chris Robertson and Ben Wells have matured as guitarists. Their earlier heavy down-tuned inclinations have shifted to allow a more layered and soulful side to seep in. More Duane Allman than Enter Sandman, you could say. They…

Whether playing in Dixie Dregs, Flying Colours or here with the legendary Deep Purple, Steve Morse has proved to be one of the most unique guitar voices in rock. He’s also used that creative mind to collaborate with Ernie Ball and Engl on some new approaches to versatility with his signature guitar line and amp. As Deep Purple headed out on an arena tour in support of latest album InFinite, Steve showed us around his rig and the ideas behind it with a special preview of a new prototype model too. 1 ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN STEVE MORSE SIGNATURE “This is my number one – with serial number one; Sterling [Ball] gave me serial number 2 at the NAMM show last year. I’ll be using this for three or four…

THE PLAYERS There are dozens of jazz sub-genres and countless players to listen to. Gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt and swing pioneer Charlie Christian were recording as far back as the 1930s. Post-war, amplification would change the landscape and see players like Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell and many more plugging in and crossing over between uptempo bebop and slower jazz-blues styles. The 70s saw jazz fusion players, such as Pat Metheny and John Scofield come to the fore. More recently, Remi Harris puts a gypsy style take on jazz, rock and blues classics. TRACK 38 THE SCALES Start your jazz odyssey with these cool-sounding scales. The D Dorian mode is great for solos over a Dm7 chord. The melodic minor scale (often referred to as the jazz minor scale) is…

THE PLAYERS Originally a mix of rock and blues, all delivered with distorted guitar tones, heavy metal has diversified into many forms and sub-genres. Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi was a pioneer and the style was driven forward by Judas Priest, UFO and The Scorpions. The 70s and 80s saw a new wave of British heavy metal acts like Diamond Head and Iron Maiden, while in America the nascent thrash scene spawned such giants as James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Marty Friedman, Dave Mustaine, Kerry King – all influencing Pantera’s groundbreaking Dimebag Darrell. Today, a mix of thrash-inspired acts (Lamb Of God, Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold) and progressive bands (Opeth, Mastodon) rule the roost. TRACK 50 THE SCALES The minor pentatonic and natural minor scales are popular choices for earlier bands, but, honestly,…

Back in 1975, while writing and recording their third studio album, Agents Of Fortune, Blue Öyster Cult couldn’t possibly imagine they would be penning one of rock’s all-time greatest riffs, but that’s exactly what happened with (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. The track spent 20 weeks on the US Hot 100 breaking the UK Top 20 two years later. The track’s iconic guitar line was played, unexpectedly, on a Gibson ES-175 (generally considered to be a jazz guitar) through guitarist Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser’s Music Man 410 combo. It’s a tone the band never really attempt to recreate so there’s a different vibe to live performances – Dharma has favoured Gibson SG and Steinberger M series guitars over the years. CHORDS With the exception of the sustained Am7 chord at the…

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ Fender’s colourful new acoustic series officially released The most visually striking new line we saw in acoustics at this year’s NAMM show was easily Fender’s California Series electros, and now the company has them ready for players to try and buy. These guitars suggest the company is keen to push in a bolder direction with acoustic design, alongside its more traditional Paramount series, but the Californias are also reflecting Fender’s roots as a company. That’s not just with the distinctive and instantly recognisable headstock, unlike the usual six-a-side design found on most contemporary acoustics, but the series and models names too. All three of the series’ three designs is named after an iconic coastal area of the state with the Malibu, Redondo and Newporter. And within those ranges…

George Harrison was not The Beatles’ most prolific songwriter, but his work was hugely influential. The cool descending arpeggios in this tune are similarly echoed in Cream’s Badge and Yes’ Starship Trooper. The guitar part is based around the vocal melody with just a few added bass notes. We’ve tabbed the intro, but note that the chorus follows a similar line. Once you’ve nailed the intro you’ll find the verse pattern easier to work out. For the closing section at the end of each chorus, play an ascending three-string pattern (starting on the third string) using the D6, Asus2, Bm7 and E7 chord shapes shown below. A similar idea is used in the bridge: start your picking pattern on the lowest note of each chord and think in terms of…

Welcome to the GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome*) Station! Every issue, TG scours the market for the hottest new gear and brings you transparent reviews that you can trust. From the smallest of accessories that make your life easier, to big investments such as brand new guitars, amps and effects pedals – if it’s worth your attention, you’ll find it here! HOW WE TEST CURATION Our product selection is driven by our love of gear. We select the most exciting products on the market every month to bring you opinions you can trust. FACE-VALUE REVIEWS We’re not gear snobs here at Total Guitar. We judge it on whether it looks good, sounds good and plays well – not by the name on the headstock. NO SNAKE OIL You won’t find us…

Fender’s tweed and blackface amps from the 1950s and 60s are revered for their great tones and historical significance – however, they’ve both been outlasted by the massively popular Blues Series, which has been in production since around 1993. While the larger Deluxe and DeVille combos were transformed into the Hot Rod range in 1997, the Blues Junior, introduced slightly later in 1995, has stayed with the same name ever since, despite a number of updates over the years. Its compact dimensions, light weight and pedal-friendly credentials have made it one of the most popular gigging combos in the world, but for 2018, Fender has updated its Pro Junior, Blues Junior and Hot Rod amps to the new Mark IV specification, which features various tweaks, including Celestion’s excellent A-Type loudspeaker.…

A bit of spring reverb is all well and good, but there are plenty of players who lust after just a little bit more. From maximalist ambient textures to modulated, filtered, horror soundtrack-like oddness, the boutique pedal revolution has brought with it a reverb pedal for every taste imaginable, especially as powerful dedicated delay ICs have been successfully deployed by boutique builders. In this issue, we’re digging a little deeper into several compact units that are ideal for characterful, ambient soundscapes. From the slapback and long decay of Paris metro tunnels to the event horizon of a black hole, these lean, mean reverb machines can do it all... EarthQuaker Devices Transmisser £225 A SPACE ODYSSEY Based on the venerable Spin FV1 delay chip, a favourite of boutique builders, the Transmisser…

“It’s a 1960 Classic Reissue but I think it was manufactured in ’91. When I was working as a guitar tech for Trent Reznor he broke many guitars and that was the very first guitar I was given [to work on]. It just arrived in the box on the day I arrived in Georgia. We were doing production rehearsals in Atlanta and I’d just got the gig. I was removing the pickups and the soldering iron slipped out of my hand and burned a tiny little spot. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m fired and we haven’t even done a show.’ But the tech next to me reassured me. I didn’t know anything about Nine Inch Nails. I’d heard Head Like A Hole once or twice in a goth…

THE PLAYERS There are far too many blues innovators to mention them all but listen to Delta pioneers Charley Patton, Son House and Robert Johnson to appreciate the roots of the genre. Chicago greats Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker and Buddy Guy were at the forefront of electric blues alongside Mississippi legend BB King from the 40s, and Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck headed the ‘British Invasion’ in the 60s and 70s. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Johnny Winter developed the Texas sound and since the 90s there has been a slew of players taking blues in new directions – Gary Moore, Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dan Patlansky, Gary Clark Jr and John Mayer to name but a few. TRACK 30 THE SCALES Many, perhaps most, blues guitarists use…

THE PLAYERS Funk came to prominence in the 60s and early 70s. Early pioneers like James Brown combined soul music with R&B to create a syncopated hypnotic groove-based dance style. Jimmy Nolen was Brown’s sideman; Freddie Stone was the singer and guitarist in the psychedelic funk outfit Sly And The Family Stone. Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers is one of the genre’s best-known players, crossing over into disco and pop, and racking up a huge list of production credits to his name. Prince is one of funk’s underrated players – worth checking out. Bruno Mars flies the pop flag today, while Snarky Puppy offer their own brand of jazz-funk fusion. TRACK 42 THE SCALES Dominant 7 (E7, A7 etc) chords see a lot of use in funk, and the scale of…

“I DON’T EXPECT MY MUSIC TO BE REVOLUTIONARY BUT I THINK IT’S A PIECE OF THE PIE” On first listen, Laura Veirs’ 10th solo album, The Lookout, has all the trappings of the singer-songwriter genre: soft vocals that embrace the ears, whimsical guitar lines and bittersweet lyrics. But it’s also quietly revolutionary: since Trump took office, the Portland-based artist has felt a compulsion to reference the state of the world. “It certainly feels more feverish now,” she says. “I know many artists are struggling with trying to tackle these issues because they feel so pressing now. Waves of darkness and light come through the political world, and this is really a point of darkness in America.” Having begun her career in a punk band, it’s not surprising to hear that…

As a child of the 80s, and a veritable moral retort to frumpy, Kumbayaplaying disciples of acoustic guitar, the Jackson Soloist is a celebration of technological excess that’s purpose-built for seeking out new sonic frontiers. It was more of a weapon, an Excalibur-esque co-opting of the S-style electric blueprint, chiselling a little danger into the body shape, whittling away at the neck, deploying high-powered pickups, and a double-locking Floyd Rose vibrato to accommodate whammy-bar gymnastics. Its success coincided with the advancement of shred guitar and, to a degree, it facilitated it. Alongside high-powered S-style electrics such as the Ibanez RG, ‘Saber’ S, and JEM series, not to mention various hot-rodded marques from Charvel, it armed a new generation of shredders with an aggressively spec’d instrument that was played fast and…

The only visual evidence that the new SE TX20E electro-acoustic is a Paul Reed Smith guitar at all is the classic PRS headstock shape, as well, of course, as that recognisable and famous flock of flying bird inlays on the fingerboard. That said, the beauty of this guitar is far more than just skin deep here with its J-200-esque Tonare Grand-shaped body playing host to a solid Sitka spruce top, laminate mahogany back and sides, a mahogany neck, glued in place, and an ebony fingerboard and bridge. You’re basically getting all the tasty stuff a woodworm on death row would choose as its last meal. “BAGS OF SIZZLE AND PUNCH FROM THE TOP AND MIDRANGE” The bone bridge saddle and perfectly-cut top nut are quality appointments, and attention to detail…

The first song I remember… Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix “I know it sounds cliched but my dad played me it and I heard that riff… before that I wasn’t really into music. I thought, ‘Wow this is incredible!’ After that I put a massive poster of Jimi with his white Strat in my bedroom. I looked at it every day and I knew that was what I wanted to do.” The first song I learned… House Of The Rising Sun – The Animals “My dad taught me to play that and luckily enough in 2015 I was able to play that onstage with Eric Burdon at the Royal Albert Hall. We were invited to play a festival and it was Sir Van Morrison, Eric Burdon, Walter Trout, Ruby Turner…