ISSUE 360 } MAY 2024 READY TO

Here are a few of your regular SUBSCRIBE?

GT tuition experts... www.magazines

WELCOME
direct.com
SIMON BARNARD
Simon is a graduate of ACM and The
Guitar Institute, holding a Masters
degree in music. He teaches, examines
and plays everything from rock to jazz.
WHILE AMERICA is often remembered embraces not only older virtuosos like Joe
DECLAN ZAPALA
Declan is one of the UK’s top classical for hamburgers, highways and Hollywood, Satriani and Greg Howe, but also newer
guitarists and teachers. He is a Master it is music that typically resonates as its names such as Tosin Abasi and Tim
graduate of RCM and his solo
arrangements are sublimely creative. most revered essence. Blues, jazz, and Henson who are pushing the technique
rock and roll are all primarily considered into new terrain. If you’ve never explored,
JON BISHOP
Jon is one of those great all-rounders as American originated, with a breadth of say, hammering-on with your first finger,
who can turn his hand to almost any vocabulary and star players unmatched this is the article for you. A word of advice
style. He’s also rock legend Shakin’
Stevens’ touring and recording guitarist. anywhere else in the world. For the - make sure your guitar’s action (string to
benefits of this issue though, I’d also add fretboard distance) is relatively low (aim
MARTIN COOPER
A tutor at BIMM Brighton, Martin’s Rock country - a heartland genre that’s all about for 1.5-2mm at the 12th fret) all over the
columns show an incredible breadth of great songs, emotional expression, and of fretboard. This really helps the end results
technique and style. His 2006 album
State Of The Union is out on iTunes. course great guitar playing. In this issue, as you’ll then use the same amount of
Andy Saphir (a busy UK country player) hand energy; it’s no fun having to increase
CHARLIE GRIFFITHS
Charlie is a well studied guitarist who
takes a look at amalgamating country, your hammer-on velocity as you go higher
specialises in high end rock playing and blues and rock - basically, where the ‘good up the fretboard!
plays with top UK metal-fusion band
Haken. His debut album is Tiktaalika.
chops and great licks’ live. With a brief to Lastly, GT is often celebrated for its
consider players as diverse as The Eagles’ exclusive lessons with great players. This
JAMIE HUNT
Jamie is Principal Lecturer at BIMM Joe Walsh, the UK virtuoso Albert Lee, issue, we present the jazz virtuoso, Ulf
Bristol. He also leads performance Dickey Betts from The Allman Brothers Wakenius who performs and discusses
workshops, plays in metal band One
Machine and is endorsed by ESP guitars.
Band, Glen Campbell, Vince Gill, Brad seven licks for you to learn. With Ulf’s
Paisley plus Nashville session stars video plus John Wheatcroft’s notation,
PHIL HILBORNE
The UK’s original magazine guitar tutor,
Brent Mason and Tom Bukovac, tab and advice tips, we’re sure you’ll
Phil’s something of a legend. A great Andy presents ‘must know’ licks find it fun to tackle.
player, he’s got the Phil Hilborne Band
and two bespoke tracks with rhythm There are bluesy-jazz
back together so catch them if you can.
and lead guitar parts. It’s a lines and saxophone-
ANDY G JONES jam-along that should
As well as being Head Of Guitar at LCCM
like phrases, through to
Andy has played with innumerable top provide you with a great chord grooves and fast
musicicans, from Sir Van Morrison and multitude of fresh lead
Dr Brian May, to Sir Cliff Richard & more.
picking patterns. So, until the
techniques and vibrant next issue: keep happy, keep
JACOB QUISTGA ARD chordal terrains. listening and keep playing!
Quist has been with GT since 2009.
Currently Bryan Ferry’s guitarist, his Following this, Jamie
YouTube channel is viewed by millions Hunt has a modern
and he creates our monthly jam tracks.
legato video feature that
STUART RYAN involves hammering on
Stuart Ryan is great at all styles but best
known for his superb acoustic work. He with all four fretting-hand
was Head Of Guitar at BIMM Bristol and fingers as well two-hand Jason Sidwell, Editor
has many top tuition books to his name.
tapping. Furthermore, it Jason.sidwell@futurenet.com
ANDY SAPHIR
Andy is a stunning guitarist in all styles,
but his country-rock licks are fabulous;
he’s smooth, fast, and very musical.
Check him out on Jamtrack Central. DON’ T MIS S OUR A M A Z ING DIGI TA L EDI T ION
DAV ID GERRISH
David teaches at BIMM in London across
many styles and is a busy performing Try GT’s digital edition on PC,
and recording guitarist. His jazz-blues-
pop leanings are very impressive.
Mac, Laptop, Desktop or Tablet!
JOHN W HEATCROFT
Tap the links Finding your way around the magazine is easy.
A phenomenal guitarist, John is a Tapping the feature titles on the cover or the contents page, takes
master at many styles but a legend in you straight two the relevant articles. Any web and email links in
Gypsy Jazz. His latest album First Light is the text are tappable too
out now on CD, iTunes and Amazon.
Animated tab & audio All the mag’s main lessons have
Guitar Techniques, ISSN 1352-638, is published monthly with an extra issue in July by Future
Publishing, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA, UK.
the audio built in with a moving cursor that shows you exactly
The annual subscription price is £81.25 for UK, €168 for Europe, $190 for USA, £146 for Rest of where you are in the music. Simply tap the ‘play’ button and
World. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named World Container Inc, 150-15, 183rd
St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. you’re off - you can fast-forward or scroll back at will.
Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Paid at Brooklyn NY 11256.
US POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Guitar Techniques, Air Business Ltd, c/o World
Container Inc, 150-15, 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Play the videos Certain articles have accompanying videos
Subscription records are maintained at Future Publishing, c/o Air Business Subscriptions,
Rockwood House, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3DH. UK. full of useful insight and additional information. Once again, tap
How to order and access back issues: If you are an active subscriber, you have instant access
to back issues through your iOS or Android device/s. You will only be able to access the digital the play buttons to enjoy video masterclasses on your iPad
back issues as long as you are an active subscriber.
To purchase single back issues (print format only) visit: magazinesdirect.com (click on ‘Single
(recommended) or smartphone.
issues’ tab) Or email: help@magazinesdirect.com For further help call: +44(0)330 333 1113
Lines are open Mon- Fri 8.30am-7pm and Sat 10am-3pm UK time. Magazinesdirect.com is
owned and operated by Future Publishing Limited.’

May 2024 3
 GT USER GUIDE
You can get more from GT by understanding
our easy-to-follow musical terms and signs...
œ œ œ
READ MUSIC & œ
MUSICAL STAVE TAB Under the musical stave, Tab
The five horizontal is an aid to show you where to put
Each transcription is 2nd string
3rd fret
2nd string
1st fret
3rd string
2nd fret
4th string
Open lines for music notation your fingers on the fretboard. The
broken down into 1E
2B
3G
3 1
2
show note pitches and
rhythms and are divided
six horizontal lines represent the six
strings on a guitar – the numbers on
two parts... 4D
5A
6E
0
by bar lines. the strings are fret numbers.

GUITAR TECHNIQUES: HOW THEY APPEAR IN WRITTEN MUSIC...

PICKING
Up and down picking Tremolo picking Palm muting Pick rake Appeggiate chord

œ bœ nœ n œœ w ˙ ggg # ˙˙˙
& œ œ & œ
@
œ
@ @ @ & # œœœ œœ & ¿¿
¿
& gggg ˙˙˙ ggg # # ˙˙
œ œ œ œ œ ggg # ¿˙ gg ˙
rake g
ggg 00 ggg
PM PM
E E E 5 E 4

ggg 22 ggg
E
B B B 8 8 X 5

@ @ @ @
B B
G G 5 4 7 8 G 7 7 X 4

gg X2 gg
G G
D 7 5 D D 6 6 D X D 4

≥ ≤
A A A 7 7 A A 4
E E E 0 0 0 0 0 E E 5

n The first note is to be n Each of the four notes are n Palm mute by resting n Drag the pick across the n Play the notes of the
down-picked and the last to be alternate picked (down- the edge of picking-hand’s strings shown with a single chord by strumming across
note is to be up-picked. & up-picked) very rapidly and palm on the strings near the sweep. Often used to augment the relevant strings in the
continuously. bridge. a rake’s last note. direction of the arrow head.

FRETTING HAND

≠ ≠ ≠
Hammer-on & Pull-off Note Trills Slides (Glissando) Left Hand Tapping Fret-Hand Muting
~~~~~ nœ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ œœ ¿¿ ¿¿
œ œ & œ œ œ œ # œœœ
6
œ œ ˙ (œ œ) b˙ œ
tr

& & & œ & ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ œœ ¿¿ ¿¿

œ œ œ œ œ

≠ ≠ ≠
tr ~~~~~
E E E E E

(7 5)
B B B 5 B B 8 X X X 8 X X
G 5 7 7 5 G 5 G 5 7 5 7 G G 7 X X X 7 X X
D D 8 D D 7 D 6 X X X 6 X X
A A A A 7 5 0 A 7 X X X 7 X X
E E E E 5 0 E

n Pick 1st note and hammer n Rapidly alternate between n Pick 1st note and slide to n Sound the notes marked n X markings represent
on with fretting hand for 2nd the two notes indicated in the 2nd note. The last two with a square by hammering notes muted by the fretting
note. Then pick 3rd note and brackets with hammer-ons and notes show a slide with the on/tapping with the fretting- hand when struck by the
pull off for 4th note. pull-offs. last note being re-picked. hand fingers. picking hand.

BENDING AND VIBRATO CAPO

Bend up/down Re-pick bend Pre bend Quarter-tone bend Capo Notation

n Fret the start note (here, n Bend up to the pitch shown n Bend up from the 5th fret to n Pick the note and then n A capo creates a new nut,
the 5th fret) and bend up to in the brackets, then re-pick the the pitch of the 7th fret note, bend up a quarter tone (a very so the above example has
the pitch of the bracketed fret, note while holding the bend at then pick it and release to 5th small amount). Sometimes the guitar’s ‘literal’ 5th fret
before releasing. the new pitch. fret note. referred to as blues curl. now as the 3rd fret.

HARMONICS R/H TAPPING

Natural harmonics Artificial harmonics Pinched harmonics Tapped harmonics Right-hand tapping
# ‚‚ ‚ ‚
‚ ‚ ‚ — — — ‚
‚ ‚ ‚ ‚

· · · ··
& & & &

··· ± ±± ···
NH AH16 AH17 AH19 PH TH17 TH19 TH17

E E E E
B 12 7 B B B
G 12 7 G 4 7 G G 4
D 12 7 D 5 D 7 5 D 5 7
A A A 7 A
E E E E

n Pick the note while lightly n Fret the note as shown, n Fret the note as shown, n Fret the note as shown, but n Tap (hammer-on) with a
touching the string directly then lightly place the index but dig into the string with sound it with a quick right- finger of the picking hand
over the fret indicated. A finger over ‘x’ fret (AH ‘x’) and the side of the thumb as you hand tap at the fret shown onto the fret marked with a
harmonic results. pick (with a pick, p or a). sound it with the pick. (TH17) for a harmonic. circle. Usually with ‘i’ or ‘m’.

4 May 2024
 C ON T E N T S
TUNE UP CONTENTS
Tap here for an
audio clip to help
you tune your
guitar

• ISSUE 360 • M AY 2024 • THE LEARNING ZONE

BLUES 48
David Gerrish checks out the sound of the man
with as good a claim as any to the title, King Of
COVER Chicago Blues - the great Muddy Waters.

STORY ROCK
Martin Cooper examines the dark and intricate
52
playing styles of guitarists Ed O’Brien and Jonny
Greenwood of Oxford’s finest, Radiohead.
METAL 56
Jamie Hunt has two great riffs from perhaps the
greatest thrash metal band of all, Metallica.
SHRED 58
Charlie Griffiths unravels the legato prowess of
the late and totally great Allan Holdsworth.
TASTY SOLOING 62
Andy G Jones brings you style examples plus
a full solo crafted after the greatest modern
rockabilly guitarist, Brian Setzer.
ACOUSTIC COUNTRY 66
Stuart Ryan looks at the wonderfully intricate
fingerpicking of one of the most influential
songwriters of the last 70 years, Bob Dylan.
JTC ROCK 70
This month JTC guitar brings you three fiery
and fabulous licks from the incredible Gus G.
AMERICANA 72
Stuart Ryan begins his new series with a focus
on the melting pot of fingerpicking styles.
IMPROVE YOUR 78
Simon Barnard shows you how to put instant
power into your solos using double-stops.

Learn new scale and

SCAN TO GET EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS!
note combinations
and add a country-
OUR WEEKLY MODERN LEGATO STYLES
With Jamie Hunt 21
rock edge to your
usual blues solos
NEWSLETTER Jamie brings you a video masterclass that
uncovers ways that legato lets you play unique
note combinations with minimum picking.
ULF WAKENIUS
FEATURES REGULARS Seven Hot Jazz Licks! 28
The Swedish guitarist, who played alongside
WELCOME 3 legendary pianist Oscar Peterson, plays some
C OV E R F E AT U R E Jason discusses this issue’s fantastic content. of his favourite jazz phrases and chords.
COUNTRY-BLUES-ROCK COCO MONTOYA 6
Where Styles Collide 14 The man who filled the huge boots of Clapton,
Create exciting new lead sounds by tracing Green, and Taylor in The Bluesbreakers. AUDIO & VIDEO
how players like Albert Lee, Joe Walsh, Dickey INTRO 8
Betts, Vince Gill, Keith Urban and others use
interesting note and scale combinations.
All your regulars including Justin, Mitch, Quist,
Phil, and Richard Barrett’s Substitute.
PLEASE NOTE…
All audio and video lessons are available
MARCIO PHILOMENA 12
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E The brilliant New York-based jazz guitarist online via a bit.ly link (see below) where
faces this month’s Instrumental Inquision. animated tab versions of every lesson
THE CROSSROADS SUBSCRIPTIONS 35 can be found. What’s more, you can view
Eric Johnson 36 Great offers at www.magazinesdirect.com. these on any type of computer, making
John Wheatcroft demonstrates the Texan
master musician’s almost unrivalled flair for BACK ISSUES 55 for a much more rewarding experience.
walking a tightrope between many styles. Missed it in print or digital? Grab a copy here! All the audio and video is also available
ALBUM REVIEWS 81 to download to your computer (hi or lo
MATT JELONEK/WIREIMAGE

C L A S S I C A L TA B Six of the best new guitar albums reviewed res). Simply look for the red links on the
and rated by Jason Sidwell and David Mead. landing page. Type the bit.ly link below
JOSÉ FERRER NEXT MONTH 82 into your browser to get to the GT page:
El Amable (The Kind) 42 The electric side of The Beatles’ John, Paul
Declan Zapala transcribes this beautiful piece
from the great Spanish composer and guitarist.
and George. Plus: Gilmour, Megadeth, Stones,
T-Ride, Mike Zito, Extreme and Fabio Golfetti.
https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

May 2024 5
INTRO INTERVIEW

COCO MONTOYA
A minute’s all it takes to find out what makes a great guitarist tick. Before he
jumped into his limo for the airport we grabbed a quick chat with an
American blues guitar phenomenon and one-time Bluesbreaker.

A fine solo artist in

his own right, Coco
Montoya also spent
GT: Do you have a type of pick that you
can’t live without?
CM: Not really, I use a standard medium
10 years with John
Mayall’s Bluesbreakers gauge by Dunlop. Most players I know use
a heavy pick but I always like to have a bit
of flex in my pick.

GT: If you had to give up all your pedals but

three, what would they be?
CM: I would have to keep my Hoochie
Momma pedal (made by Tim Brown)
because it gives me a lot of that old
Bluesbreakers tone. The other pedal would
be the Fulldrive 2 by Fulltone. With that
pedal I come to my own area of sound and
some of that Albert Collins tone that I really
like. And of course I need my tuning pedal.

GT: Do you play another instrument well

enough to do so in a band? If so what, and
have you ever done it?
CM: Well, I started out as a drummer and
I was actually in Albert Collins’ band in the
70s on drums.

GT: If a music chart were put in front of you,

could you read it?
CM: Absolutely not! I am self taught!

GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference?

What make are yours?
CM: I definitely believe that cables do make
a difference. I’ve had some cables that are
lacking on the high end, sounding kind of
dull. I’ve been using Dunlop for many years
and haven’t had a problem.

GT: Is there anyone’s playing (past or present)

that you’re slightly jealous of?
CM: I don’t think in terms of jealousy, but I
admire some players for different reasons.
There are far too many to name all of them
here, except the obvious ones like Albert
Collins, Albert King, Eric Clapton, Stevie
Ray Vaughan among many others.

GT: Your house/studio is burning down: which

VICTORIA SMITH

guitar do you salvage, and why?

CM: My main guitar that I work with, my
blue Strat made by Toru Nittono. That’s the

6 May 2024

Coco Montoya, like Otis
Rush, Albert King, and
Doyle Bramhall II, plays
his guitar upside down
guitar that I make a living with, and it’s my
favourite guitar.
GT: What’s your favourite guitar amplifier and
how do you set it?
CM: I have two favourite amps at this time.
There is a Steve Carr Slant 6, 80-watt amp
that I set volume at 3-3 1/2, treble at 7, bass
at 4, mid 3-4 and probably too much
reverb! The other is a Two- Rock amp called
Traditional Clean. I’m still experimenting
on the settings - volume at 4, mid at 3, bass
at 3, treble is 5, gain at 5, master at 4.
GT: What kind of action do you have on your
guitars? Any particular quirks?
CM: Other than I play upside down - is that
quirky enough?
GT: What strings do you use?
CM: I use Dunlop 9-46.
GT: Who was your first influence to pick up
and play the electric guitar?
CM: The first influence to play the guitar
was Eric Clapton.
GT: And what was the first guitar you really
lusted after?
CM: I don’t really lust after guitars, but I
appreciate what I like to play and try to get
the most I can out of it. It’s good to have a
working instrument that I connect with and
can make a living with.
GT: What is your worst playing nightmare?
CM: To be electrocuted on stage.
GT: The most important musical lesson?
CM: BB King telling me, always be humble
when you come off stage. I learned that a
little gratitude goes a long way.
“I DON’T REALLY LUST AFTER
GUITARS, BUT I APPRECIATE
WHAT I LIKE TO PLAY AND
TRY TO GET THE MOST
I CAN OUT OF IT”
GT: Do you still practise?
CM: Not like I should!
GT: Do you have a pre-gig warm-up routine?
CM: Not really.
GT: Present company excepted (and
notwithstanding the stupidity of the
question!), who’s the greatest guitarist
that’s ever lived?
COCO MONTOYA
CM: For me it’s Albert Collins!
GT: Is there a solo by someone else that you
really wish you had played?
CM: I love so many solos. For example the
work between Eric and Duane Allman on
the Layla album. But I don’t want to be the
one who played those solos, because it
wouldn’t be me. I like being me.
GT: What’s the solo/song of your own of which
you’re most proud?
CM: I’m most proud of my song Mother
And Daughter. The melody came to me as
I was watching my mother and daughter
having a deep conversation.
GT: What would you most like to be
remembered for?
CM: I’d be happy to be remembered as a
fair player but honest.
GT: What are you up to at the moment, tours,
albums, new gear?
CM: I’ve just finished recording a new
album and we’re getting ready to tour so we
can play the new songs!
Coco’s new album, Writing On The Wall is
available now, and for more info please visit
cocomontoyaband.com
May 2024 7
I NTRO FOOD FOR THOUGHT
JUSTIN SANDERCOE
The founder of justinguitar.com lends GT his insight as one of the world’s most
successful guitar teachers. This Month: Kids These Days.
A
s I get older, I find myself
worrying about the future
of music and how much it
has all changed, and nearly
always for the worse. And
then I see something like Hi Ren
(by Welsh singer-songwriter Ren
Gill) and I realise that I’m just
getting older and ‘the kids’ will
figure it out, and make something
amazing from the new and
exciting tools that are available
to them these days.
Let me start by encouraging
you to go find the Hi Ren video
on YouTube and then sit down
and give it some serious
attention. I’ll warn you in
advance that it is NOT for kids, or
suitable for listening to on
speakers at work. There is a lot of
swearing and the subject matter
is dark and powerful. It’s filmed
in one take and it’s just Ren and
his nylon-string guitar and a
bucket of talent (and some
beautifully crafted videography).
The kid is a genius and it’s one of
the most powerful performances
I have ever seen. He’s not playing
anything especially complicated,
but what he plays is just perfect
for the song, which is full of
contradictory emotions and
ragged around the edges.
It was a very welcome
reminder of how powerful music
can be, when so much of today's
charting popular music is,
frankly, bland drivel. But Ren is
not making pop music and I don’t
think it’ll make it onto BBC Radio
1 or 2 any time soon. And it
shouldn’t be - that is not who it’s
for. And he knows it. The kids
will figure it out.
When I was growing up and
beginning to get into music, the
industry was so very different. If
you were lucky enough to be in a
band that wanted to record your
music, you had to find a way to
finance time in a recording
studio, or blag your way in by
having someone believe you were
worth their time, support and
effort. It was a quality filter.
8 May 2024
Justin says don't
worry about the
future of music,'the
kids will figure it out'
"NOWADAYS RECORDING IS UNBELIEVABLY
EASY AND CHEAP, AND PEOPLE CAN MAKE
HIGH QUALITY RECORDINGS AT HOME"
Nowadays recording is
unbelievably easy and cheap, and
with a minimal budget people
can make very high quality
recordings at home. But there’s
no filter, so there are more people
making music. Which I think is a
great thing, even if they’re not
making music that anyone else
wants to hear. Creating music is a
fantastic experience and it’s fun
and rewarding - and so much
better for our souls than watching
drivel on TV or mindlessly
scrolling on social media. Right?
Back in the day, when you got
into a studio, the time was
incredibly precious. And by
today's standards incredibly
expensive. So you worked hard
on what you were intending to
put down, long before you got in
there. In our case, band
rehearsals were taken ever so
seriously, and we played the same
few songs over and over for
weeks, just so that you would get
it right when that precious
moment came to lay down your
track. You had to really want it. It
took effort and energy.
Of course it's all too simple to
say that everything is easier now,
although in some ways it is.
Technology has come such a long
way, has become miniaturised,
and many production techniques
can be easily automated. It means
that lazy people can be lazy.
People can make music with very
little effort, and as Artificial
Intelligence develops even
further it’s going to get easier and
easier to create a piece of music.
Perhaps even good music.
But the majority of people
who have any success in music
work hard. Really hard. They live,
eat and sleep music with the kind
of enthusiasm you can’t fake. And
working hard at something
consistently for years takes
courage and graft. While making
music might be easier, getting
people's attention in a world
where nobody has any… making
your music and getting it online
is not a challenge - getting people
to hear it is.
I was about 15 the first time I
recorded in a studio, and the only
thing I knew anything about was
playing guitar. I had not even the
slightest clue about the recording
process. Nothing. Had never
even considered microphone
choice or placement, gain stages,
compression, mixing, reverb…
But these days, any semi-
serious musician has a much
rounder understanding of the
recording process and very likely
has recording skills as well as
those pertaining to their chosen
instrument. And many of the
talented young producers I’ve
worked for use technology as an
instrument and explore it in
many of the same ways musicians
explore their instrument. They’re
fully into it and always looking
for cool sounds or fresh
approaches to production and
crafting great music.
I strongly believe that effort is
a key ingredient for success, and
it’s usually what separates the
wheat from the chaff.
So if you are serious about
making music - put the effort in.
Be hungry. Be curious. Be
creative. Be your best self. Be
focused. Be kind. And have fun!
BARBARA BUELEN
Get more info and links to related
lessons on all Justin’s GT articles
at www.justinguitar.com/gtmag

SUBSTITUTE
Alternative Chord Voicings WITH RICHARD BARRETT
Today we’ll look at some of the alternatives should you wish to replace
‘standard’ open chords with something more vibrant, to use alongside
standard voicings in a two-guitar line-up, or as an overdub. The most
reliable way is to know which notes make up each chord and where else
these can be found on the neck. But it can be fun to turn this approach
on its head and try familiar shapes in unfamiliar places, working out
Example 1
This has a lot in common with our regular C shape, but repositioned up
the fretboard so we hear it in the key of G. The open strings don’t shift
with it, so the open third string adds a bit of jangle. The open E could
work here, but it starts to take us a little far from the G Major sound,
so the D at the 10th fret of the first string is there to rein it in.
Example 3
By taking what is essentially a C barre chord and taking away the barre,
we lose our root note (C) but gain the jangling top E/first string. This
gives a viable alternative to the regular C Major chord, with the open
first string providing a bit of continuity with the other shapes here.
JAM TRACKS
what notes are happening where afterwards. Though using this can
be a bit hit-and-miss, it does often lead to ideas that might remain
undiscovered with a more structured approach. So I’ve taken four
‘standard’ chords: G, Em, C and A m. Mixing higher fretted strings with
open ones also gives some wide intervals within the chords, another
way of bringing fresh new sounds to the table. Explore and enjoy!
Example 2
This shape was a result of taking the notes of an E Minor chord (E-G-B)
and rearranging them away from the standard open voicing. Having an
open and fretted G in unison in the centre adds a distinctive sound, as
does the 5th (B) on the first string. You might find it's not too comfortable
to hold down at first, but believe me it gets easier!
Example 4
This A Minor shape uses the fifth and first strings open, with an A
Minor triad on the fourth, third and second strings (C-E-A). This is
useful when looking for alternative parts in a two-guitar arrangement,
or where other instruments take up a lot of space in the track.
May 2024 9
I NTRO SESSION SHENANIGANS
The studio guitarist’s guide to happiness and personal fulfilment, as related by
our resident session ace. This month: Heavy Fretting.
A
s my son Josh would say -
“Don’t get me wrong”, but
experience is a priceless
commodity that embodies
one significant drawback.
And that, dear reader, is the
learning that there's an infinite
number of ways to screw up a
recording session. Maybe more.
Much of the anxiety resides in
the fear of the unknown and
occurs inconveniently in the days
before one plants a plectrum on
one’s Peerless* at the studio.
(*Other guitars are available, but
not with optional alliteration.) I
was given a salutary reminder of
the symptoms of Premusical
Syndrome only recently when
booked to play with a well-known
symphony orchestra based in
London. For reasons of
confidentiality I cannot divulge
the name of the band but I can tell
you that their initials are LSO. My
mission, which I chose to accept,
was to participate in the last
movement of a piano concerto to
be recorded at Abbey Road Studio
1. I was sent a YouTube video of
the guitar sound that the
composer wished me to replicate.
It was on a track by a 90s
Icelandic band and was an
atmospheric, sustained effect
10 May 2024
MITCH DALTON
replete with random overtones. I
was also sent a MIDI file of the
demo of the concerto. My first
concern was that the two seemed
to be quite different in terms of
tempo and overall feel, the latter
being considerably faster. Hmm.
I persevered. After giving the
track a severe listening to, I
concluded that the original sound
seemed to embody a bowed effect
which I guessed might be
produced by an EBow. For the
uninebriated, this is a hand-held
device that produces infinite
sustain when set at the correct
height above the string of choice.
Personally, I’ve found this gizmo
to be cumbersome to operate
successfully, thus producing
erratic results. In my less-than-
competent hand it either fails to
trigger at all or bursts into life like
a battery-operated bucking
bronco with unpredictable,
unfortunate and unusable results.
In all fairness, it’s probably
necessary to spend time with the
thing but nevertheless, the
prospect of utilising this
malevolent mechanism on a live
session merely added to my
overall anxiety levels. Upon
further internet investigation, I
discovered that the consensus
Hold the Ebow
directly over the
string you want to
add sustain to
was that an ackchool cello bow
had been employed to create the
sound, in the rich tradition of
both L. Zeppelin and S.Tap, if you
will. Let’s be blunt. That wasn’t
gonna happen. Nevertheless, I
had a go at making a fist of the
required task in the discomfort of
my home studio. Finally, not
really having a clue as to whether
or not my efforts would prove
acceptable on the day, I decided
to throw the classic-rock kitchen
sink at the problem. I set up my
pedal board with a small amount
of compression (Boss), mild
overdrive (Zen Drive), digital
reverb with lots of spin using the
feedback control, a digital delay
with a long interval and a volume
pedal to feed in the sound with no
attack at the front end. I then
packed a bag with as many
alternatives as I could muster -
EBow, Mesa Boogie V-Twin, two
fancy Strymon pedals, OCD
distortion pedal, flanger, two
chorus pedals, a bottleneck and
the usual cables and tuners. I
then selected a PRS Custom
guitar and backed it up with my
Collings I-35 and Parker Fly.
Finally, I loaded both a Fender
Super Champ and a Fender
Princeton Reverb Reissue and set
off for the iconic parking crisis
that is EMI in Abbey Road, NW8.
I arrived for the 6pm session
at 4pm, quite deliberately, and
sought out the composer. A
charming man, made even more
attractive to me by listening to the
first sound I’d set up and
commenting - “That’s great”. The
guitar part appeared. It consisted
mainly of two notes - a minim and
a semibreve, repeated about eight
times. At the appointed hour the
130-odd musicians of the
orchestra assembled in the main
studio area while I remained
isolated in a booth with only two
video screens for company.
We recorded one take. At
6.10pm we performed take two.
At 6.20pm we patched two small
sections. At 6.30pm we were all
thanked profusely and, in
time-honoured tradition, asked
to leave as quickly as possible. In
short, four days of anxiety
followed by 30 minutes of
recording. As my eldest son
Jamie was wont to say at the age
of four, “It’s a funny old world,
Dad.” Nuff said.
For more on Mitch and his musical
exploits with the Studio Kings, go
to: www.mitchdalton.co.uk
Four days of worry about
an impending session
were allayed in 30
mins, tells Mitch
 JAM TRACKS
PLAY 1 PLAY 2 PLAY 3 PLAY 4

JAM TRACKS TIPS

Use these to navigate our bonus backing tracks
➊ Easy Rollin' Blues - A Minor
We start with a relatively
straightforward but fun blues
jam in A Minor, where your
reliable friend the A Minor
Pentatonic scale (A-C-D-E-G) is a
great place to begin your
improvational journey.
➋ C Minor Groove Jam
Next up is a groove jam in C
Minor (main chords Fm9 and
Cm). Use C Minor Pentatonic
(C-Eb-F-G-Bb) and C Minor scale
(C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb) to get started.
Try adding jazzy slurs and trills.
➌ Super Slow Blues (E)
Here's a very slow blues in E,
where you can mix E Major
Pentatonic (E-F#-G#-B-C#) and
E Minor Pentatonic (E-G-A-B-D)
for some bluesy vibes. Fast licks
over this slow tempo sound great!
➍Sweet Groove - A Minor
We finish with a fun groove vamp
in A Minor. Try the A Minor Blues
scale (A-C-D-Eb-E-G) on this - as
well as A Minor Pentatonic
(A-C-D-E-G) and the A Minor
scale (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). Go for
chord tones like 3rd and b7th too.

Visit www.Quistorama.com/
jamtracks and subscribe to www.
youtube.com/QuistTV for more
BOBBY BANK / GETTY IMAGES

jam tracks. Quist’s new album

Garden Beats is out now and you
Use your jazziest can find him on Spotify, Apple
George Benson Music and Instagram, as well as on
licks over jam Patreon.com/QuistJam for access
track #2 to his popular library of jam
tracks, tabs & lessons.

PHIL HILBORNE’S ONE-MINUTE LICK Phrygian Dominant, Minor V-I Licks

Here are two ideas that navigate a V-I progression in Cm (G7-Cm), but
the G7 has been extended to G7b9 and the Cm is either Cm7 or Cm9.
For the G7b9 I used G Phrygian Dominant, mode five of C Harmonic
Minor (C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-B-C). G Phrygian Dominant is: G-Ab-B-C-D-Eb-F. For
the Cm in bar 2 I used C Minor Pentatonic : C-Eb-F-G-Bb. For the Cm in
bar 4 it was C Aeolian: C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb. The first phrase in bars 1-2 relies
upon interval skips and pedal tones. Notice how well the notes fit the
chords, notably the 3d of the G chord (B) in bar 1 that changes to a Bb (
b7 of Cm7) in bar 2. The second phrase uses the Diminished arpeggio
from the G7b9 chord. In fact, bar 3 is a string-skipped Diminished
fingering. The remainder of the lick (bars 4-5) contains a descending
Aeolian line that uses legato and alternate picking. Take note of the
suggested fretting-hand fingering; I find it more comfortable this way
but you could revert to a finger-per-fret scheme if you prefer.

©»ª™ G7 9b
n £œ ¡œ £œ ¡œ ™œ~~~
C m7

¡ ™œ ¢œ ¡œ £œ œ¡ œ œ¡ ~~
£ . £œ ¡ œ
b
& b b 44 ∑ ⋲ œ nœ J œ £œ
£ ™œ
FAST

¡œ 3

E
~~~ ~~
B 6 8 9 12 9 12 9 8
G 4 5 7 7 7 10 8 SLOW
D 5 8 10
A 5
E 3
1

£
¡ œ œ£ œ ¡œ £
b
¢ ¢œ ¡
œ ¡ œ ™ œ ¡ œ ™œ
G7 9 Cm9

¡ nœ œ £ œ £œ ™œ œ¡ £œ ¡œ ™œ £œ ™œ ¡œ £œ ™
¡ ¢œ œ œ ¡œ œ ~~~~~~
& bbb nœ ¡œ œ£ œ w

E 4 7 10 7 10 13 16 13
~~~~~~
B 16 15
G 4 7 10 7 10 13 16 13 17 15
D 18 17 15 15 17 18 17 15
A 18 18 17 15
E 18
3

May 2024 11
I NTRO INSTRUMENTAL INQUISITION!
MARCIO PHILOMENA
Guitar instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative moments.
Jason Sidwell asks top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This
month: the brilliant New York-based Brazilian jazz guitarist.
GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals
that appeals to you?
MP: I’ve always loved the freedom of
improvised music, and there’s something to
the flow of a great improvised guitar solo that
I find really appealing.
GT: What can an instrumental provide a
listener that a vocal song can't?
MP: Like a good book or movie, it leaves
things open to interpretation. You can
almost assign any meaning to it, and that
sometimes can be wildly different than what
the composer had in mind.
GT: Are there any tendencies that you aim to
embrace or avoid - rhythms, harmony,
playing approach?
MP: I always try to write the things that I
really hear. So in that sense I avoid writing
out of concepts, for instance aiming to write
a song in a specific metre or around a specific
chord. Maybe I’ll try to have more of that in
my next album to balance things out, but on
the one I’ve released, it’s mainly that.
GT: Is a typical song structure of intro, verse,
chorus, middle eight, verse, etc, always
relevant for an instrumental?
MP: Since I grew up listening to pop and
rock songs, I try to write within that
structure as much as I can. But usually things
end up falling on the classic AABA form of a
jazz standard that, as instrumentalists, we
end up getting really familiar with.
GT: How useful is studying a vocalist's
approach for creating guitar melodies?
MP: It’s incredibly useful. You learn so
much about restraint and dynamics when
you pay attention to a vocal interpretation.
GT: How do you start writing one; is there a
typical approach or inspiration for you?
MP: It usually starts with a short melody
that I hear somewhere. Recently it has been
coming from 19th-century composers like
Debussy or Grieg. From there I try to write
whatever catches that mood. Most of the
time it turns out sounding completely
different from whatever idea inspired it, but I
guess that’s what’s so cool about writing, you
never really know where it’s gonna go.
12 May 2024
GT: What do you aim for when your
performance is centre stage as it is when
playing an instrumental?
MP: I try as much as I can to have things
centred in melody, but obviously there’s so
much muscle memory involved in
improvised solos on the guitar, and it’s easy
to just do that. So whenever I can I try to
remind myself to trust the melody, which is
usually hard and nerve wracking!
GT: Many vocal songs feature a guitar solo
that starts low and slow and then finishes
high and fast. Is this approach useful for
developing pace and dynamics over an
instrumental's duration?
MP: The beauty (and the problem) with
guitar solos on vocal songs is that they have
to tell a whole story in a very short period of
time. On instrumental pieces, where you
have longer solos, you see less of that pattern
and you can take more chances.
"THE INTERACTION AND
SUPPORT OF THE RHYTHM
SECTION IS PARAMOUNT. IF
THERE'S NO CHEMISTRY, IT
DOES NOT SOUND GOOD"
GT: What type of guitar tone do you prefer?
MP: It’s a lifelong battle, I’m always looking
for this specific sound I have in my head. I
love the piano, I listen a lot to piano players
and sometimes I wish I could play it myself.
So I want to find a way of having that soft
attack and the full-bodied richness of a grand
piano on the guitar somehow.
GT: Do you have favourite keys or tempos,
either to write or play in?
MP: Unfortunately, I seem to have a
tendency of writing medium and slow tempo
tunes, so I totally gravitate towards that. It’s
just easier to make melodies shine on those. I
do have to force myself to write uptempo
tunes sometimes.
GT: Do you find Minor or Major keys more
preferable to write in?
MP: Since I usually start with a little
melody, I let that inform what key the song is
going to be in. So both are kind of the same to
me. Equally as hard!
GT: Do you have any favourite modes?
MP: Lydian! I love the openness of it. It’s
equally as bright and as mysterious.
GT: What about modulations into new keys?
MP: It’s such a great tool to add movement
to a tune. I really try to have it there
whenever the melody allows.
GT: Do you view the backing band in a
different way than you would when
performing a vocal song?
MP: Absolutely! On an instrumental tune
the interaction and support of the rhythm
section is paramount. If there’s no chemistry
in the band, no matter how good the soloist
is, the thing just does not sound good!
GT: What are your views on harmonising
guitar melodies?
MP: I love doing that on the guitar.
Specifically, if I’m playing trio with bass and
drums. I think it’s really important to learn
the fingerings for intervals like 3rds, 6ths
and 4ths, for every scale on the guitar so it
becomes easy to go for when needed.
GT: What three guitar instrumentals have
inspired you, and why?
MP: Grant Green playing My Favourite
Things on the album Matador: Grant has
always been one of my favourite guitar
players, very underrated in my opinion. The
way he makes the guitar sound huge on this,
with just a little reverb and nothing else, is
incredible. John Scofield, Wee, from En
Route: Sco is a role model for spontaneity,
he’s not afraid of taking chances, chorus after
chorus. Time feel, creativity, tone, interplay,
everything is there! Kurt Rosenwinkel,
Chords, on The Remedy. Kurt is a guitar
hero; he set the tone for what modern jazz
guitar sounds like today. All throughout this
album his playing is unbelievable!
Marcio’s debut album, Trails is out now. Or
check him out on Instagram @
marciophilomena
INSTRUMENTAL INQUISITION!

Marcio Philomena
playing his archtop
Montreux guitar by
Heeres Custom

May 2024 13
 FEATURE } Country-Blues-Rock VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

SPECIAL FEATURE
Country-Blues-Rock!
This month Andy Saphir shows how mixing Major and
Minor Pentatonic scales, adding extra notes and country
guitar articulations, can build you a whole new lickbag.
ABILITY RATING Moderate ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ the Mixolydian mode (R-2-3-4-5-6-b7).
All of these scale-based approaches can
Info https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Will improve your… Fretboard knowledge
give us a seemingly endless combination of
Key Various Tempo Various Chord/scale theory Country-blues vocabulary
potential note choices. But looking at it this
way can also seem rather daunting. So a

I
n this feature we’re going to look at how to
get some country-blues flavour into your
playing. Listening to iconic country-rock
bands such as The Allman Brothers, The
Flying Burrito Brothers and Eagles,
legendary players like Joe Walsh, Don
Felder, Dickey Betts, Clarence White, Glen
Campbell, Albert Lee and Ray Flacke, and
more recently Brent Mason, Vince Gill, Keith
Urban and Tom Bukovac, will give you an
idea of how these guitarists combine classic
blues sounds with a more country flavour.
If you’re familiar with blues, you will
doubtless be aware of how we use the Minor
Pentatonic scale (R-b3-4-5-b7) as a basis for
much of the classic vocabulary, but when we
play country music, much of our vocabulary
comes from the Major Pentatonic scale
(R-2-3-5-6). This is because so many country
songs are based firmly in a Major tonality, so
the notes that make up a Major chord
(R-3-5) are represented in the scale. Playing
licks from this scale will give a prettier,
happier sound, and when we incorporate
stylistic techniques such as pedal steel-style
string bends, double-stops etc, we going to
start to sound ‘country’.
Sometimes though, that overtly happy
sound can be too much, or not ideal,
especially when we want to sound a bit more
bluesy or rocky, so in these instances we
need to create licks and phrases that bounce
between Major and Minor Pentatonic scales
and ones that mix notes from both of them in
one phrase. Doing this well will give us that
country sound and approach but mixed with
blues - the best of both worlds!
If you look at both of these scales
combined into one, you get the following
notes: R-2-b3-3-4-5-6-b7, which is a hybrid
scale of Minor and Major Pentatonic.
Furthermore, if you add the b5th interval that
we find in the Minor Blues scale (R-b3-4-b5-
5-b7), you incorporate an even more bluesy
element. Additionally, if you remove the b3
from the hybrid scale, you get the notes of
Joe Walsh gave
the Eagles a fresh
sound with his slide
technique, raunchy
double-stops and
soaring bends
good way to approach it is by doing a lot of
listening and learning of solos, licks and
lines that incorporate these various
combinations, analysing the origin of the
various notes along the way. It won’t take
long for you to start playing this way
instinctively, and this in turn will help you
to develop your own ideas.
To this end we have five exercises which
layer the different Major intervals (2nd-3rd-
6th) onto Minor Pentatonic phrases, and
also mix Major Pentatonic and Mixolydian
tonalities to give you an idea of how these
note combinations create different sounds.
In addition, there are two mini pieces to
learn, one mid-paced and the other more
uptempo, to which I’ve given a country
flavoured blues-rock vibe.
Take your time with the examples, absorb
the ‘sound’ of the licks, hear where the key
notes of R-3-5-b7 are, note how the phrases
are structured, and the various country-style
articulations employed to create them. Do so
and pretty soon you’ll be developing your
own country-blues vocabulary. Have fun!
NEXT MONTH Jon Bishop looks at the rockier side
of George, John and Paul from The Beatles
6 4 6 6 4

GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB

A single-coil guitar will give a cleaner, more

traditional country approach, with perhaps a
little compression to add sustain and smooth
PAUL NATKIN / GETTY IMAGES

out the sound. A humbucking guitar is better

for heavier country-rock, where more overdrive
is required. A fixed bridge guitar will avoid
tuning discrepancies when playing two strings
where one is held bent. Add reverb or delay.

14 May 2024
 COUNTRY-BLUES-ROCK!

Left to right: Albert

Lee, Brad Paisley,
Glen Campbell, Brent
Mason, Dickey Betts,
Tom Bukovac (with
Heart’s Ann Wilson)

Country superstar
Glen Campbell
was previously a
‘Wrecking Crew’
session legend
who played on
countless hits
ROBIN LITTLE / RICHARD ECCLESTONE / ROBERTA PARKIN / REDFERNS / RICK DIAMOND / SCOTT DUDELSON / GETTY IMAGES

TRACK RECORD Dickey Betts’ solo on Ramblin Man (The Allman Brothers Live At University Of Florida) is a great example of country-
blues improvisation, while Albert Lee displays his virtuosity on Born To Run (Heartbreak Hill). Joe Walsh on Life’s Been Good (Eagles Live
1980) illustrates his high-energy approach, and Brent Mason’s instrumental Hot Wired shows country-blues in a super fast setting!

May 2024 15
 FEATURE } Country-Blues-Rock VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

PLAY BACKING

EXERCISE 1
[Bars 1-2] This is a standard blues lick based on D Minor Pentatonic scale (D-F-G-A-C). Make sure the tone interval bend on the second string is accurately pitched.
[Bars 3-4] This lick is similar to the previous one, except that it introduces the Major 3rd (F#) note (11th fret, third string and 9th fret, fifth string).

# 4
©»¡¡º n œ œ . œ œ œ œ.
D

nœ œ nœ
C
~~~~ n
G
œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ #œ
D

œ nœ œ
& # 4 ∑ œ. œ n œ œ ˙
. œ nœ #œ œ œ Œ

E
BU
10
~~~~ BU
10
B 13 (15 ) 13 10 13 ( 15 ) 13 10
G 12 10 12 10 11
D 12 10 12 10
A 12 10 8 12 10 8 9
E 10 10
1

EXERCISE 2
[Bars 1-2] This country-blues lick adds the Major 3rd but also the b5th ‘blue third-string tone bend on beat 1 is accurately pitched in order to appreciate the
note’ (13th fret third string and 11th fret, fifth string) from the D Minor Blues difference between this, and the subsequent b5th note on beat 3. Getting these
scale (D-F-G-Ab-A-C), which adds a more bluesy sound. [Bars 3-4] Make sure the articulations spot on is what country-blues playing is all about.

## 4 ∑
©»¡¡º œ b œ œ. n œ # œ
D C
~~~~ œ
j œ œ n œ œ œ. b œ œ œ
G
~~~~
D

œnœ œ bœ œ nœ œ bœ
& 4 . œ. n œ œ ˙ . œ nœ #œ œ œ Œ
E
~~~~ BU BD ~~~~
B 10
G 13 12 10 11 12 ( 14 ) (12 ) 10 12 10 13 12 10
D 12 10 12 10
A 12 11 10 12 11 10 8 9
E 13 10 10
1

EXERCISE 3
These phrases add the Major 6th (B note in D) to the blues licks, in addition to the Major 3rd and b5th. The 3rd and 6th can be borrowed from the Major Pentatonic
scale (R-2-3-5-6), but also from the Mixolydian mode (R-2-3-4-5-6-b7), especially when used in conjunction with the b7th (C note in D).

©»¡¡º nœ œ œ bœ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ nœ ' ~~~

D C G D
j
~~~~
1/4

## 4 ∑ nœ #œ œ nœ
œ n œ œ œ. n œ œ nœ œ bœ œœ
& 4 œ˙ œ nœ #œ Œ

E
B 13 12 10
~~~~ BU BD

12 ( 13 ) ( 12 ) 10 10 12
'
1/4
~~~
G 13 12 10 11 12 10
D 12 10 9 10 9 12 10 12
A 12 8 12 11 10 8 9
E 10
1

EXERCISE 4
[Bars 1-2] This lick has a more noticeable country flavour because it uses a D to the root note (D), going through the b7th (C) and 6th (B) to the 5th (A note) on
Major Pentatonic (D-E-F#-A-B) tonality. The b3rd to Major 3rd move gives a bluesy beats 1 and 2, give a definite D Mixolydian mode (D-E-F#-G-A-B-C) sound. The
vibe. [Bars 3 -4] The scalic movement descending from the Major 2nd (E note) following b5th and b3rd going to Major 3rd again keeps things bluesy.

©»¡¡º œœ œœ œ œ
D C
œ j œ ~~~~~ G
œ œ nœ œ œ bœ D

nœ #œ œ nœ #œ œ œ œ n œ œ n œ œ œ ~~~~
j n œ ˙
# œ
& # 44 ∑ œ Œ

E 10 10 10
BU ~~~~~ 12 10
~~~~
B 10 12 10 10 10 12 13 ( 15 ) 13 12 10
G 12 10 11 10 11 13 12 10 11 10 9
D 12 12
A
E
1

16 May 2024
 COUNTRY-BLUES-ROCK!

EXERCISE 5
[Bars 1-2] This distinctly country sounding phrase uses a mainly D Major the 10th fret, while the third finger pre-bends the third string a tone at the 9th
Pentatonic and mimicks the kind of lick of a pedal steel guitar could play. Use fret, then lets it down. Let all three strings ring. [Bars 3 -4] This Mixolydian line
your fretting-hand’s fourth finger on beat 3 to hold down the top two strings at with the familiar b5th and b3rd to Major 3rd move keeps the bluesy flavour.

©»¡¡º œ j œ~~~~
œ
#
D

œœœ œ œ œ œœ
C
~~~~~
G

œ bœ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
D
œ n œ
& # 44 ∑ œ œ nœ #œ
œ ˙
œ nœ œ Œ
Let ring

~~~~~ ~~~~
PB
BU 9 BU
BD
E 7 10
B 10 10 10 12 13 (15 )
G 9 ( 11 ) ( 11 ) ( 9 ) 7 9 13 12 10 12 10 11
D 9 7 9 10 12
A 8 9
E 10
1

MIDTEMPO PIECE, RHYTHM PLAY BACKING

NOTES
[Bars 1-8] Play the appropriate blues shuffle rhythm for each chord, and feel free to maintain a good groove. [Bars 9-16] The technical approach changes here to
to use fretting-hand muting to add percussive scratches and rhythmic interest, one of arpeggiating chords. Again, keep the timing accurate and let the notes
especially after the third beat of each bar. Aim to keep the timing locked in tight ring together to keep things flowing and fluent.

©»¡¡∞ D5 Dadd6 D 5 C5 Cadd6 C5 G5 G add6 G5 G /B D

j j
# j œœ œœ œœ œœ
& # 44 ∑ œœ œœ œœ œœ ‰ œ œœ n œœ œœ œœ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ Œ œœ‰œ œ‰
œ œ nœ œ
. . nœ . . œ œ œ œ. œ.
E
B 8 8 7
G 2 2 4 2 7 7 7
D 0 0 0 0 5 5 7 5 9 9 7
A 3 3 3 3 5 5 7 5 5 3 5
E 3 3 3 3
1

Dadd6 D5 C5 Cadd6 C5 G5 Gadd6 G 5 G/B

œœ œœ
D
j
## œœ œœ
œ ‰ œj ‰ j Œ œ œ ‰ Œ
& œ œœ œ. œœ
. nœ
œ œ œ
œ n œ œ.
œ
œ. œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ
œ œ œ œ. œ.
E
B 8 8 7
G 7 7 7
D 7 9 7 5 5 7 5 9 9 7
A 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 5 5 7 5 5
E 3 3 3 3
5

##
Bm

œ œ œ
G5
œ œ œ
D

œ œ œ
A
'
1/4
D5

& œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ
œœ œ œ nœ #œ œ œ nœ œ

'
Let ring Let ring Let ring Let ring
1/4
E 2 3 2
B 3 3 3
G 4 4 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2
D 4 0 0 0 2 4 0
A 2 0 3 4 3
E 3
9

œœ œœ œœj ˙˙
Dadd6 D 5 C5 Cadd6 C5 G5 G /B D

## œ œ œ
& œœ œœ œ œœ ‰ œj œœ n œœ œœ œœ ‰ j œ œ ‰ œ ˙
œ. . nœ . . œ œ œ œ œ. œ ˙
œ œ
Let ring
E 3
B 3 8 8 7
G 2 4 2 0 0 7 7 7
D 0 0 0 5 5 7 5 0 0 9 9 7
A 3 3 3 3 5
E 3
13

May 2024 17
 FEATURE } Country-Blues-Rock VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

MIDTEMPO PIECE, SOLO PLAY BACKING

NOTES
[Bars 1-8] These bars mix notes of D Minor Pentatonic (D-F-G-A-C) and D
Mixolydian (D-E-F#-G-A-B-C) to create some tasty country-blues sounds. Note
the quick use of the b5th (Ab) from the D Minor Blues scale (D-F-G-Ab-A-C) in bar 8.
[Bar 11] This triplet phrase uses a chromatic line from a ‘hybrid’ scale of D Minor
Blues and Mixolydian (R-2-b3-3-4-b5-5-6-b7). The chromatic ascent from b3rd-5th is
widely used in country, blues and jazz. [Bar 12] This country bend marks the A
chord using A Major Pentatonic scale (A-B-C#-E-F#). [Bar 13] For this tricky lick,
bend the first string ,15th fret (G) up a full tone to the 17th fret (A) but then re-
pick it a semitone lower (Ab). This necessitates some very accurate pre-bending of
the string, so ensure you listen carefully.

©»¡¡∞ j ~~~
œ œ œ n œ œ œ œ œ. œœ œœ
D C G

œ œ œ~~~~~
j j
# nœ #œ œ
œ nœ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
& # 44 œœ œ
∑ ˙
3
3

E
BU ~~~ 10 10 10
~~~~~
B 10 12 10 13 ( 15 ) 13 10 10 12 10
G 10 11 11 9 7 9 10 9 7 7
D 10 9 10 9 7 7
A 10

'
E
1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ œ œ œ œ~~~ œ œ œ œ
1/4
j
œ nœ
'
j C
~~~~ œ œ. œ œ œ
D
œ
## œ j œ
1/4

& nœ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
J J
œ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ '
' ~~~~
1/4
BU BD BU
1/4
E 10 10 10 10 12 12 ( 13 ) ( 12 ) 10 12 10 13 ( 15 )
B
G 5 7 9 7 9 11
D
A 8 5
7

nœ ' œ œ œ œ nœ œ
E
4

œ œ œ œ b œ œ n œ œ œ 'œ~~ ~~
G 1/4 D Bm G

##
/ 14
j œœœœ œ
j œ œ œj n œ œ ~~~
& œ œœœœ œ ˙

'
3 3 3

E
B
13
1/4

10
12
12 10
13 12 10 10
' ~~ ~~
1/4
BU

7 10 7
BU BD

10 ( 12 ) ( 10 )
BU BD ~~~
G 12 12 13 12 10 12 10 7 9 ( 11 ) 9 ( 10 ) ( 9 ) 7
D 12 11 9 7 9
A
E
7

œ œ œ œ œ~~~
D A D
j
. œj œ
√
## œ œ nœ #œ œ œ œ bœ nœ bœ nœ bœ nœ bœ
3
œ J
3
& b œ n œ
œ nœ #œ œ 3
3
Let ring
~~~
PB PB PB PB PB PB PB PB
12 BU 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
BU BD
E 12 15 ( 17 ) ( 16 ) (17 ) ( 16 ) ( 17 ) ( 16 ) ( 17 ) ( 16 )
B 10 12 ( 14 ) (14 ) (12 ) 10
G 9 10 11
D 9 12
A 8 9 10 11 12
E 10
11

# # œ œ n œ ' œ~~~œ œ .
(√) C '/ ~~~~~~~~
G D
/ 14
nœ
j œ ˙
œ nœ œ nœ
j j
14

œ œ œ œ œ
& J œ œ œ œ œ
PB
15
BD
( 17 ) ( 15 ) 13
'
1/4

~~~ '
1/4
BU BD
BU
Let ring
BD BU BD BU ~~~~~~~~~
E 13 12 ( 13 ) (12 ) 10 10
B 15 12 10 ( 12 ) 12 ( 10 ) 13 ( 15 )
G 9 (10 ) (9 ) 7
D
A
E
14

18 May 2024
 COUNTRY-BLUES-ROCK!

UPTEMPO PIECE,RHYTHM PLAY BACKING

NOTES
The technical approach to this rhythm part requires that it’s played with a good Approach relatively lightly, with an eighth-note framework (downstroke on the
degree of timing accuracy due to the overall tempo. You can sparingly add some beat, upstroke on the off beat) and with a bounce so the whole sounds rhythmic,
fretting-hand muted scratches to enhance the groove, but don’t overcrowd it. even when playing the single-string connecting notes seen in bars 4, 7 and 14.

h»¡¡º
### C
A
j
G
j
A
j j 1/4
'
& ∑ œœ ‰ œœ œœ Œ ‰ œ
n œœ œœ œœ Œ
œ œœ ‰ œœœ œœ Œ
œœ œœ ‰ œœœ œœ
œœ
œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ
E
B
G 2 2 4 2
2
2 2
2
2
'
1/4

D 2 2 5 5 2 2 2 2
A 0 0 5 5 0 0 0 0
E 3 3 3
1

j
G E
# # j œœ œ œ
‰ œœ œœ
œœ œ œ
‰ œœ œœ
& # œœ ‰ œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
Œ n œœ ‰ œœ œœ
œ œ
Œ œ
œ œ œ œ
œ
œ œ œ
Œ
œ nœ œ œ J J
E
B 2 9 9 9 9
G 2 2 4 9 9 9 9
D 2 2 5 5 9 9 9 9
A 0 0 5 5 7 7 5 7 7
E 3 3
5

#
D
j A
j
F m
j G
j
# # # œœ œ
œ œœ œ œœ œ
‰ œœœ œœ œ œœœ
& œ ‰ œ œ Œ œœ ‰ œ
œœ œœ
Œ œœ œœ Œ n œœ ‰ œœ Œ
œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ nœ
œ œ

E 2
B 7 7 2 2 3
G 7 7 2 2 2 2 4
D 7 7 2 2 4 4 5 5
A 5 5 0 0 4 4 5 5
E 2 3
9

###
A5

œœ ‰ œœj œœ Œ
E
œœ
œœ
œ
‰ œœœ
œœ
œœ
'
1/4
A

œœ
j
‰ œœ œœœ œœ ‰ ˙˙
& œœ œ n œ # œ œ ..
œ œ œ J nœ œ œ ˙˙

E
B
G 2 2
9
9
9
9
'
1/4

2
2
2 2
2
2
D 2 2 9 9 2 2 2 2 2
A 0 0 7 7 0 0 3 4 0 0
E 3
13

WE’LL MAKE YOU A BETTER PLAYER!

May 2024 19
 FEATURE } Country-Blues-Rock VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

UPTEMPO PIECE, SOLO PLAY BACKING

NOTES
[Bars 1 -6] These phrases are based on mixing notes taken from the A Minor
Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) and A Major Pentatonic (A-B-C#-E-F#) scales, but as in the
lick in bar 3, can also be looked at as being from A Mixolydian (A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G)
as we have a descending line going from the b7th (G note) through the 6th (F#),
5th (E) and 4th (D). [Bars 7-8] This typical country bend marks the E chord here,
and uses the root, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th from the E Mixolydian scale (E-F#-G#-
A-B-C#-D). Ensure the second-string bend remains accurately at pitch before it
descends. This almost ‘mechanical’ bending style is typical of country guitar.

h»¡¡º
### C
Ó
A

Œ ‰ œ œ œ b œ n œ b œ œ n œ œ n œ œ œ œ œ . œj n œ œ œ œ œ
G A
'
1/4
~~~~~~
& J . œ nœ w
E
B
G
BU

4 (6)
3 4 5 4 3
5
3
5 4 2 2
'
1/4 ~~~~~~
D 4 4 5 4 2 2 4
A 5 3
E 5
1

œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ.
j G E

# # # œj œ œ œ œ n œ œ œ œ
œ œ
j œ œ œ œ w~~~~~~
&
PB

E
BU
5
BU
5 7 9 5 8 7 5 7 5
BU hold bend
5 7
7
BD ~~~~~~
B 5 5 8 (10 ) 7 5 7 (9 ) (9 ) ( 7 ) 5
G 7 (9 )
D
A
E
5

#
œ œ b œ n œ b œ œ œj œ œ ˙~~~ œ œ œ ~~~~~ œ œ œ n œ~~~~
D A F m G
j œ
### œ œ œ œ œ
œ ˙ œ. œ œ
J
&

E
BU
10 11 12 11 10
BU BD ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~ BU
B 10 12 10 12 ( 14 ) 12 (14 ) ( 12 ) 10 9 10 9 10 12 10
G 11 11 12 12 16 ( 18 )
D
A
E
9

œœ œœ œ œ n œ ˙ ~~~
j j
œ nœ
j
œ œ œ œ œ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ
A E A
nœ
# œ œ ~~~
nœ #œ ˙
##
&
Let ring

E
hold bend
RP
RP
BD BU BD BU
17
~~~ BU ~~~
B 17 17 17 19 17 19 ( 20 ) ( 19 ) 17 19 17 20 ( 22 ) 20 17 17 20 ( 22 )
G ( 18 ) ( 18 ) (16 ) 14 16 18 19 17 18
D 19
A
E
13

Love this magazine?

You’ll love guitarworld.com
20 May 2024
 MODERN LEGATO { JAMIE HUNT
EXAMPLES STUDY 1 STUDY 2

VIDEO MASTERCLASS ON VIDEO

Modern Legato
In this special feature Jamie Hunt taps into a variety
of techniques designed to make your playing sound silky
smooth, effortlessly fast, and highly impressive.
ABILITY RATING Moderate/Advanced ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ inclusion of palm muting, and selective
picking make way for a more rhythmic,
Info https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Will improve your… Hammer-ons and pull-offs
textural effect, as heard on songs like
Key Various Tempo Various Tapping across strings String muting
Ka$cade, from the Animals As Leaders’
album, The Joy Of Motion.

H
ammer-ons and pull-offs have served
guitarists faithfully over the decades,
evolving from subtle embellishments
through to trills and flamboyant flurries
of notes. During the 70s, players like Jimmy
Page (Stairway To Heaven), Eric Clapton
(Crossroads), Paul Kossoff (Alright Now),
Alvin Lee (I’m Going Home), and Jimi
Hendrix (Little Wing) saw the potential for
legato technique to facilitate Pentatonic licks
that generated speed without requiring
much effort from the picking hand. By 1978,
Van Halen’s self-titled, debut album saw
Eddie expanding the hammer-on and
pull-off concept to the picking hand, making
way for tapped arpeggios sequences along
the strings on songs like Eruption. In the
80s, Joe Satriani took legato a stage further
Joe Satriani is a
renowned legato and
tapping virtuoso
by combining it with three-notes-per-string
scale shapes, making way for fast, cascading
sequences across the fretboard. By the early
90s, Greg Howe had developed a more
intervallic approach to legato, seeing the
hammer-on as a vehicle to start new phrases,
change string, or access wide interval jumps
without involving the picking hand. Howe
labelled this technique ‘hammer-ons from
nowhere’ and this approach is a feature on
the tracks such as A Delicacy, from Howe II’s
1991 album Now Here This, and Desiderata
from Greg’s 1993 album, Introspection.
In more recent years, Tosin Abasi has
taken the Hammer-Ons From Nowhere
technique to new levels by using extended
range guitars to expand the number of notes
that can be accessed. In addition, the
Other contemporary approaches to
tapping have seen it evolve from linear,
single-string phrases, á la Eddie Van Halen,
to a vehicle to access wide intervals that skip
strings. Players like Polyphia’s Tim Henson
achieve this by fretting barre chords while
tapping melodic sequences across the
strings. Alternatively, Guthrie Govan often
uses string-skipped arpeggios combined
with tapping; check out the scary stretch and
tap plus string skip lick on his track, Fives.
In this lesson, we’ll explore the principles
of hammer-ons from nowhere, intervallic
phrases led by the fretting hand, tapping
sequences that occur on a single string, as
well as tapping arpeggiated sequences across
multiple strings. Once you’ve worked
through the individual exercises, each of the
components will be brought together within
the following two study pieces.
NEXT MONTH Jamie Humphries celebrates the
San Francisco rhythmic rock sound of T-Ride

6 5
7 7

GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB

Use your bridge pickup and raise the gain until

you get some bite in your notes. A compressor
with the threshold set low and the ratio set high
will balance the attack between legato and
picked notes. Most importantly though, make
DAVID REDFERN/REDFERNS VIA GETTY IMAGES

sure your guitar’s action isn’t too high; aim for

1.5-2mm at the 12th fret. Finally, a set of .009 or
.010 strings is common for easier legato.

TRACK RECORD Check out Eruption on Van Halen (1978) as the outro arpeggio tapping is genuinely revolutionary, quite a step up from
the slinky pull-offs in Led Zeppelin’s Heartbreaker middle solo that inspired it. Another special arpeggio hammer-on moment can be heard
in Joe Satriani’s The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing. Alternatively, visit Youtube to see Tosin Abasi playing at NAMM; he’s really stunning!

May 2024 21
 PLAY } STAR VIDEO VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

EXERCISE 1 DESCENDING ARPEGGIOS

This exercise is a starting point for fretting-hand control. It alternates between E Minor and Major triads played with a picked note, followed by hammer-ons for the
remaining two notes. Don’t sustain any notes for too long (the palm muting helps here). Pick with a light upstroke to balance the volume with the hammer-ons.

©»¡¡º Em E
#
& 44
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
.. œ œ œ œ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ œ # ≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ ..
œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
∑
PLAY

PM

E
. .
. .
B
G
D
A
E
1,
3
9

≤
≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠
10
12
9

≤
10
12
9

≤
10
12
9

≤
10
12
9

≤
11
12
9

≤
11
12
9

≤
11
12
9

≤
11
12

EXERCISE 2 DOUBLE-PICKED STARTING NOTES

Here are the E Minor to E Major arpeggios again, but with the first note double picked to create four 16th note groupings per triad. Each beat begins with a down
and an upstroke before hammering-on to the remaining notes. Palm muting will stop notes sustaining. Tosin Abasi is a fan of this double pick/hammer approach.

©»¡¡º Em E

#
PLAY & 44 ∑ .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠œ œ œ œ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠
PM

E
. .
. .
B
G
D
A
E
1,
3
9

≥ ≤
9
≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠
10
12
9

≥ ≤
9
10
12
9

≥ ≤
9
10
12
9

≥ ≤
9
10
12
9

≥≤
9
11
12
9

≥≤
9
11
12
9

≥≤
9
11
12
9

≥≤
9
11
12

EXERCISE 3 OUTLINING A CHORD PROGRESSION

Now we move our triad shapes along the fretboard to outline a chord progression in E Minor. Make sure you only have one finger on the fretboard at any time. This
helps the fretting hand to move between the fretboard positions at speed as you’ll only need to get your first finger in position before playing each new triad.

©»¡¡º Em D C Bm Am C Bm D

#
PLAY & 44 ∑ .. œ œ œ œ œ
≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠
œ
.
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ.
œ
PM

E
. .
B
G
D
A
E
1,
. ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠
9 9
≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ .
10
12
7 7
9
10
5 5
7
8
4 4
5
7
2 2
3
5
5 5
7
8
4 4
5
7
7 7
9
10
3 ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤
EXERCISE 4 OCTAVE JUMPS AND MELODIC SEQUENCES
Here we move between Amaj9, A9, and Am9 chords, with a fretting-hand hammer-on to achieve octave jumps between the roots of each chord. Further hammer-
ons and pull-offs allow the 3rd, 7th, and 9th to form a melodic sequence. Downstrokes create momentum while the change in timbre brings shape to the sequence.

©»¡¡º
### 4 ∑
A maj9 A9

PLAY & 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ≠ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ≠ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ ≠ œ œ œ œ œ œ ≠
PM
≠œ ≠œ ≠œ ≠œ
E
B
G
D
A
E
7
≠ 5
4 6 4
≠ 7 6 7
≠ 7
5
4 6 4
≠
7 6 7
≠ 7
5
4 6 4
≠
7 5 7 7
≠ ≠ 5
4 6 4
7 5 7

1
≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥
22 May 2024
 MODERN LEGATO { JAMIE HUNT

EXERCISE 4 OCTAVE JUMPS AND MELODIC SEQUENCES (CONTINUED)

###
Am9 Amaj9
~~~~~~
& œ œ nœ œ œ nœ œ œ ≠ œ œ œ œ œ œ ≠ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ ≠
≠œ ≠œ ≠œ
E
~~~~~~
B
G
D
A
E
7
≠≥ 5
4 5 4
≠
7 5 7
≠7
5
4 5 4
≠7 5 7 7
≠≥
5
4 6 4
≠ 7 6 7 7

3
≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥
EXERCISE 5 TAPPING EXERCISES
In this sequence, we outline arpeggios along the sixth string by fretting root notes with the first finger, Major or Minor 3rds with the fourth finger, and tapping the
5th interval with a finger of the picking hand. For the Asus2 arpeggio, use your second or third finger to fret the 2nd degree of the scale. To stabilise the tapping hand
and help with tapping accuracy, rest your wrist against the body, toward the upper side of the neck.

©»¡¡º
### 4 ∑
A Am

L L L L L L L L
PLAY
& 4 ..
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

.
L L L L L L L L
E

.
B
G
D
A
E 5 9 12 9 5 9 12 9 5 9 12 9 5 9 12 9 5 8 12 8 5 8 12 8 5 8 12 8 5 8 12 8
1,
5 ≥
Adim Asus2

# #
& # L
œ nœ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
L L L œ œ Lœ œ œ œ Lœ œ œ œ Lœ œ œ œ Lœ
..

L L L L L L L L .
E

.
B
G
D
A
E 5 8 11 8 5 8 11 8 5 8 11 8 5 8 11 8 5 7 12 7 5 7 12 7 5 7 12 7 5 7 12
3,
7

EXERCISE 6 RHYTHMIC DISPLACEMENT

This E Phrygian riff is created by tapping an E note at the 12th fret of the sixth string, pulling-off to an E on the open sixth string, and then hammering-on to another
E note on the 7th fret of the fifth string. This three-note sequence displaces across the bar when repeated over the 16th-note subdivision and makes the phrases
sound musical and more interesting. For melodic variation, the tapping finger moves to F and D notes during phrase endings.

©»¡¡º > > > > > > > > > > > > .
Lœ œ ≠œ Lœ œ ≠œ Lœ œ ≠œ Lœ œ ≠œ n Lœ œ Lœ œ Lœ œ ≠œ Lœ œ ≠œ Lœ œ ≠œ Lœ œ ≠œ Lœ œ Lœ œ
Em F/E Em Dm/E

#
& 44
PLAY
∑ .. .

.
L ≠L ≠ L ≠L ≠ L L L ≠L ≠L ≠L ≠L L .
E

. .
B
G
D
A 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
E 12 0 12 0 12 0 12 0 13 0 13 0 12 0 12 0 12 0 12 0 10 0 10 0
1,
3

May 2024 23
 PLAY } STAR VIDEO VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

EXERCISE 7 TAPPING ACROSS SEVERAL STRINGS

This textural sequence is achieved by fretting Em7 and D chords and tapping chord harmony to Em11 and Dsus4 add9 creates a more interesting sonic
diatonic notes at the 12th fret of the first, third, fourth, and fifth string. The landscape. Use the first (i) and second (m) fingers of your picking hand to tap

Lœ œ Lœ Lœ œ Lœ œ Lœ Lœ œ Lœ œ Lœ Lœ œ Lœ œ Lœ Lœ œ
tapped notes create a cascading, intervallic effect while extending the fretted through the string changes at speed, taking it slowly at first if you find it tricky.

©»¡¡º E m11 D sus4add9

Lœ œ œ Lœ œ Lœ œ œ Lœ œ ..
m
#
& 44
m
.. œi
œ

L L L L L L L L L L L L ..
PLAY
∑ i

E
B
G
D
A
E
1,
5
.
.
12 7

L L
12 9 L12 7
L 12 7
12 7

12 9
12 7
12 7
12 5

12 7
12 7
12 5
12 5

12 7
12 7
12 5

EXERCISE 8 ARPEGGIOS ACROSS TWO OCTAVES

This Guthrie-like sequence combines picking hand-tapping, fretting-hand make sure you lift your tapping finger before the fretting hand hammers on to a
hammer-ons and pull-offs, and string skipping to play ascending and new string. Additionally, use the inside of the fretting hand’s first finger to mute
descending arpeggios across two octaves. To keep string changes defined, treble strings while the inside wrist of your tapping hand mutes idle bass strings.

©»¡¡º Amaj7
### 4 ∑ . œ œ œ
L L
Am7

L L L L ≠≠
nœ œ œ œ œ
PLAY & 4 .
œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
L≠
œ œ œ ≠
œ œ nœ œ≠≠ L ≠
n œ œ n ≠
œ œ œ œ œ ..
œ

L ≠L L L ≠ L L ..
.
L ≠≠ L
E

. ≠ ≠
B 5 9 10 9 5 5 8 10 8 5
G
D
A
E
1,
5 9 12
6 7 11
≠≠ 11 7 6
7
9 5 8 12
5 7 10 10 7 5
7
8
3 ≥ ≥

Tosin Abasi with his Guthrie Govan combines

radical Abasi Concepts string-skipped arpeggios
eight-string guitar with tapping to create
long, flowing sequences

TIM MOSENFELDER/GETTY IMAGES

STEVE THORNE/REDFERNS VIA GETTY IMAGES

24 May 2024
 MODERN LEGATO { JAMIE HUNT
PLAY BACKING

STUDY PIECE ONE MAJOR TONALITY

This piece begins with double-picked notes on open strings with the fretting
hand hammering on arpeggio notes on the lower strings. It then moves to a
string-skipped, two-octave Amaj7 arpeggio using tapping, plus hammer-ons
and pull-offs from the fretting hand. Next, the piece moves to arpeggios using
single notes played on open strings while the fretting hand hammers on Major
and Minor 3rd intervals along the fourth and fifth strings. Finally, a series of
Major triads are executed along the second, third, and fourth string by playing
the 5th interval of each triad with an upstroke from the first finger of the fretting
hand, while hammering on each corresponding 3rd and root note with the
second and third fingers of the fretting hand.

©»¡™º E

#### 4 .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& 4 ∑ œ œ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠
œ œ œ œ œ œ
PM

E
.
. ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
G
D 6 6 7 6 6 7 6 6 7 6 6 7
A 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
E
1, 5
≥≤ ≥≤ ≥≤ ≥≤ ≥≤ ≥≤

L œ Lœ œ œ œ
L
B/D # Aadd9 (no root) Amaj7

#### nn#
& ≠œ ≠œ ≠œ ≠œ ≠œ œ Lœ ≠œ
œ œ ≠œ œ œ ≠œ œ œ ≠œ œ œ ≠œ œ œ œ
≠ œ œ ≠œ ≠œ .
. n

≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ L ≠ L ≠ L L ≠ ≠ ..
PM

E
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 9 10 9 5
G
D 4 4 2 2 6 7 11 11 7 6
A 6 6 4 4 7
E 5 9 12 9
3, 7
≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥

C D add11

# . 3 3 3 3

& . œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ

≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠
PM

E
.
. ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠
B
G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4
A 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5
E
9, 13
≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤

Em
1
#
F add11

# œ
3 3 3

& ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ œ #≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
PM

E
.
≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ .
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
G
D 5 5 5 5 5 5 8 8 8 8 8
A 7 7 7 7 7 7 9 9 9 9 9
E
11, 15
≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ 12

May 2024 25
 PLAY } STAR VIDEO VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

STUDY PIECE ONE MAJOR TONALITY (CONTINUED)

2 #
F add11 #
F add11/A #
# ###
3

& œ #œ ≠ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ #œ ≠ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ

E
B
G
D
A
E
0

≥
≠ ≠
8
9
0
≠ ≠
8
9
0
≠ ≠
8
9
0
≠≠ ≠≠
11
13
0
11
13
0

16 ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥

≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ œ #≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ ≠œ œ ≠œ n≠œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ
A C B D

### œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ
& œ œ
PM

E
B
G
D
A
E
5
≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠
6
7
5
6
7
5
6
8
9
10
8
9
10
8
9
7
8
9
7
8
9
7
8
10
≠ ≠ ≠≠
11
12
10
11
12
10

17 ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤
#
### œ œ œ œ nœ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ # œ
A C G G A

≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ . ˙.
D. C.

& œ œ nœ œ #œ œ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ Œ
6 6
6 6
PM
E
B
G
D
A
5
≠≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠ ≠≠ ≠ ≠
6
7
5
6
7
8
9
10
8
9
10
3
4
5
3 ≠≠ ≠ ≠
4
5
4
5
6
4 5

E
19 ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≥

PLAY BACKING
STUDY PIECE TWO MINOR TONALITY
The piece opens with an E Phrygian riff featuring tapped notes on the sixth
string and fretting-hand hammer-ons on the fifth string. From here, a new
riff outlines Am9 and Am11 chords by hammering octaves of the root note,
followed by hammer-ons, pull-offs, and strategic downpicked notes facilitating
the accompanying melody. Each phrase ends with a series of powerchords using
fretting-hand hammer-ons along the fourth and fifth string while the picking
hand repicks the notes on the fourth string. Finally, the piece ends with the
fretting hand holding down Em7, D, and C barre chords while the picking hand
taps melodic sequences and extended harmony notes at the 12th fret of the
first, third, fourth, and fifth strings. You may want to take things slowly at first.

©»¡™º 1, 3
> F/E
L ≠L ≠ L ≠ L ≠ L L L ≠ L ≠L ≠L ≠L L
# >
Em
> > > > > Dm/E Em
> > > >
G/E
>
& 44 ∑ ..
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ .
.
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
.
L ≠ L ≠ L ≠ L ≠ L L L ≠L ≠ L ≠ L ≠ L L .
E

. .
B
G
D
A 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
E 12 0 12 0 12 0 12 0 13 0 10 0 12 0 12 0 12 0 12 0 15 0 13 0
1, 3, 2,
5, 7 6

26 May 2024
 MODERN LEGATO { JAMIE HUNT

STUDY PIECE TWO MINOR TONALITY (CONTINUED)

2, 4

L
#> >
L
E dim7 A m9

.. n .. œ
&
œ bœ b œ œ œ œ
L œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
œ nœ œ
≠œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ≠ ≠œ œ œ œ ≠œ ≠œ œ œ

L L
PM

. .
L
E

. . ≠ ≠ ≠≠
B
G 4 5 4 4 5 4
D
A
E
4,
8 ≥
3 6 9 6 3 0 6 9 12 9 6 0 3 6 13 6
9,
12
7
≠
≥ ≥
5
7 5 7

≥
5
≥
5
7
5

≥
7

1
Am11 C5 D5 F5 G5

≠œ œ œ œ .
≠
&œ ≠ œ œ œ ≠œ œ
3 ≠œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ 4 œ
≠ œ
œ
≠ ≠œ .
≠œ ≠œ œ
≠ œ
≠ œ
≠
PM PM

E
≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ .
B
G
D
A
E
10,
≠ 7 ≠ ≠ 5
≠ ≠
4 5
≠ ≥≠ ≥≠ ≥≠ ≥.
4
7 5 7
5
4 7 4
5
7
5 7

11
3
5 5
5
7 7
8
10 10
10
12 12

≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥
L L
13

L L
2

L L
C5 D5
œ œ G5
œ œ A5 Em E m11

& ≠œ œ
≠œ ≠œ ≠œœ
≠ œ œ
≠ œ
œ
≠ œ œ
≠ 4
4
˙. Œ # 7
8 .
. œ œ
œ œ L
œ œ œ
œ œ
Lœ
L L
E
B
G
D
A
E
14
≠
≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ 3
≠ ≠ 5 5

≥
5
7
. L
. 7

≥
L 10 L LLL 12 12

≥
12
14 14

≥
9

16,
12 7

12 9
12 7
12
12 7

12 9
12 7
12

Lœ œ Lœ Lœ œ Lœ œ Lœ Lœ œ Lœ œ Lœ Lœ Lœ œ Lœ Lœ
20

Dsus4add9 C 6/9

&
#
œ Lœ œ Lœ œ œ Lœ œ œ Lœ

L L L LL L LLL LLL
E
B
G
D
A
E
17,
21
12

L L5

L
12
L 7
12 7
12
12 5

12 7
12 7
12
12 3

12 5
12 5
12
12 3

12 5
12 5
12

Lœ œ Lœ Lœ Lœ œ Lœ Lœ œ 4 Lœ œ Lœ Lœ Lœ œ Lœ Lœ œ
C 6/9 Dsus4add9
2
C 6/9 Dsus4add9 E5

œ œ Lœ Lœ .. 4 œ œ Lœ œ Lœ œ
# ~~~~~~~ D. C.

& œ ˙. Œ

L L L L L L .. L L L L L L
L L L L
E 12 3 12 5 12 3 12 5
~~~~~~~
B
G 12 5 12 7 12 5 12 7
D 12 5 12 7 12 5 12 7
A 12 12 12 12 5 7
E
19 23

May 2024 27
 FEATURE } VIDEO MASTERCLASS VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

ULF WAKENIUS ON VIDEO

Seven Jazz Licks VIDEO

John Wheatcroft brings you an exclusive lesson from

the Swedish ex-Oscar Peterson virtuoso, showcasing
his phenomenal technique and incredible jazz lines.
ABILITY RATING Advanced ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ playing here somewhere, no matter what
Info https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Will improve your… Jazz vocabulary style you generally prefer.
Key Various Tempo Various Rhythmic phrasing Articulation and expression Ulf presents a set of seven of his favourite
jazz lines for us here, based around a range
of ideas such as static Dominant 7th and

T
his month GT is thrilled to present an
exclusive video lesson from Swedish jazz
virtuoso Ulf Wakenius, with seven fully
transcribed examples that showcase a
broad range of melodic ideas, chord
voicings, concepts and approaches.
Ulf is perhaps best known for his work
with the legendary jazz pianist Oscar
Peterson, performing in his trio with the
equally incredible Danish double bass
virtuoso, Niels-Henning Orsted Peterson.
Wakenius also toured and recorded with jazz
royalty, Ray Brown’s trio, and along with his
successful career as a solo artist he has
collaborated with an impressive list of A-list
guitarists, including Pat Metheny, Martin
Taylor, Biréli Lagrène, Jimmy Rosenberg
and many more. Perhaps the most touching
of his recent collaborations, though, is
Father & Son, the album he released with
son Eric, a fine player in his own right.
As you might expect, Ulf’s playing is
steeped in the history of jazz, with a clear
assimilation of swing and bebop based styles
coming across loud and clear in every note
he delivers. His sense of time and melodic
intention is phenomenal, so much so that he
performs each of our lines today
unaccompanied, and for the majority of the
time we’re dealing with single notes. This
level of command, confidence and authority
comes from a combination of technique,
experience and intense listening, so make
sure to watch the video or listen to the audio
for each lick several times before you reach
for your guitar. His playing is also extremely
bluesy and at times funky, so even if jazz isn’t
your main focus, we’re certain there will be
new techniques, concepts, phrases, licks and
lines for you to learn and incorporate in your
Minor 7th grooves, chromatic outside lines
and Major II-V-I ideas.
Don’t be put off if at first these ideas
sound too fast or look too involved. Building
technical facility doesn’t happen overnight,
so patience and persistence are your friends
here. While it’s a great idea to learn these
ideas as written and in their entirely, you can
also gain a huge amount and expand your
options greatly from taking just small pieces
from any idea that grabs your attention and
see if you can assimilate these melodic
fragments into your existing vocabulary.
It’s a really powerful strategy to approach
new material from the perspective of
enhancing things you already know, rather
than from an alien or completely foreign
perspective, where you might struggle to
actually use these ideas when you play. And
this, surely, is the ultimate goal.

Swedish jazz virtuoso Ulf NEXT MONTH Jon Bishop brings you six glissado
Wakenius plays seven of whammy bar licks from Fabio Golfetti
his coolest licks for GT
5 6 5 4
3

GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB

Ulf’s tone is classic jazz all the way, so we’re

looking at an archtop Benedetto hollowbody
on the neck pickup with medium gauge
flatwound strings into a full-bodied clean amp,
with a moderate amount of reverb to add
breadth to the tone. Select your guitar’s neck
pickup and consider picking a little closer to the
neck to add bass and body to the tone.

TRACK RECORD Ulf has an extensive portfolio of albums and they’re all great, but to narrow it down we’d like to recommend Taste Of
Honey (Act 2020), Ulf’s Paul McCartney tribute, Father & Son (Act 2017), a touching recording of Wakenius with his son Eric, and A Summer
Night In Munich (Telarc 1999), a live recording with the legendary Oscar Peterson, Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson and Martin Drew.

28 May 2024
 SEVEN JAZZ LICKS { ULF WAKENIUS

EXAMPLE1 JAZZ-BLUES LICK FOR Bb13

Ulf begins this extended jazz-blues lick over a Bb13 tonality with a pick-up idea chromatic decoration in the subsequent lines. We’re alternating a little between
derived from Eb Melodic Minor scale (Eb-F-Gb-Ab-Bb-C-D), before heading towards Eb Melodic Minor and Bb7 lines here, and it’s evident that Ulf is creating these
more stable Bb Mixolydian (Bb-C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab) terrain. Wakenius is supremely ideas freely and on the spot. With this in mind, you can take even just small
comfortable and confident with chromaticism, so you’ll find a huge amount of pieces of this idea and add them to your blues phrasing.

©»¡ªº j
B 13 b B 13 B 13b
bœ œ œ
b 4 ‰ b œœœ Œ œœœ # œœœ œœ œœ œ 2 œ œ
&b 4 ∑ œ œ b n œœ 4 ⋲ œ b œ
œ œ ¿ nœ ¿ œ œ ¿ bœ
All tempo indications
are approximate Pull back accel

E 6 8
B 3 3 4 4 3 7
G 5 5 6 6 5 7 8
D 6 6 7 7 6
A 6 9
E 6 6 X 7 X 7 X 6
1

bœ nœ œ nœ œ œ bœ œ bœ nœ œ bœ nœ œ bœ œ œ œ
b 4 œ n œ b œ b œ n œ œ
&b 4 œ bœ œ œ
œ œ #œ
œ

Slightly rushed
E 9 10 11 12 13 13 11 13 9 10 11 9 10 6 8
B 9 6 8 11
G 9 8 6 7 8
D 8 6 8
A 8 6 5 9
E
4

œ œ bœ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ nœ œ œ
&b
b œ œ œ bœ nœ œ nœ œ #œ œ #œ œ nœ bœ œ œ œ nœ œ

E 11 15 14 12 13 10 11 13 9 10 6
B 11 8 5 6 7 8 9 10 8 9 7 8 7 6 5
G 10 8 6 7 8
D 8
A
E
6
#
œ œ n œœ œœ b œ b œ n œ
B7 9

b œ œ b œ j
n œ œ j j
3 3
# œœœ Œ Ó
&b œbœbœœnœ œ œ ⋲ ⋲ ⋲œ œ œ œ œ ⋲ œ ⋲ œ ‰n œ ‰ œ œ œ œ
œ
b
œ œ œ œœ
Pull back
E 5 6
B 6 8 6 5 6 6
G 8 7 6 6 7 8 6 7 6
D 7 6 8 8 8 8 8 5 7 8 6
A 9 6 7 8 8 6 5 6 7 8 5
E 6 6
8

EXAMPLE 2 SAXOPHONE LICK FOR Bb13

More bebop-inspired vocabulary from Ulf here and while the overriding tonality to a bluesy line that moves in octaves. Ulf uses a couple of stealthy open strings
is Bb13, you’ll see a lot of chromatic embellishments throughout. Wakenius is to facilitate position shifts here also. After a short salvo of connected 13th
thinking about the type of language pioneered by players such as Charlie Parker, chord voicings, we up the tempo for a rapid-fire blues line before ending on a
so you’ll see small thematic triad ideas, decorated chromatically and connected beautifully voiced E13(#11), the tritone substitute of Bb.

©»¡ªº b
œ. œ œ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ
B 13

b œ œ œ œ nœ bœ œ œ
& b 44 Ó Œ ‰ œ
J

E 6 6
B 6 6 8 5 5 8 6 6 7 7
G 7 7 7 7 8 5 8 6 7 8
D 9
A
E
1

May 2024 29
 FEATURE } VIDEO MASTERCLASS VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

EXAMPLE 2 SAXOPHONE LICK FOR B b13 (CONTINUED)

œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ nœ œ œ
b b
œœ ww
G13 A 13 A13 B 13
œ
b nœ œ œ n œ œ œb œ n œ œ n œœœ ‰ b œœœ ‰# # n œœœ ‰ œœ ww
&b œ œ œ. n
¿ œ b œ n œJ J
J
accel

E 8 5 5 0 11 13 9 10
B 8 5 8 6 11 8 9 10 11
G 10 9 0 8 10 6 7 9 10 11 12
D 8 9 10 11 12
A 8 6 X 8 9 10 11
E
4

œ œ œbœ œ E 13 # 11 b
b œ # # œœœ ww œœ
B

b œœ œ œ
j
# ww
b j œ œ ‰ J œ ‰ n œj œ Œ Ó
3
bœ œ œ bœ œ
3
& # œœ w œ œ
3 3
3 nœ œ w
rall a tempo
E 11 13 11 6 5 6
B 14 11 7
G 13 10 6
D 13 15 6 8
A 13 11 13 5 7 8
E 13 11 9 10 0 0 6
9

EXAMPLE 3 G MIXOLYDIAN LICK

Next up were looking at an idea that toggles between G Mixolydian (G-A-B- (4-#4). While these are the scales chosen, Ulf breathes life into these academic
C-D-E-F) and G Lydian Dominant (G-A-B-C#-D-E-F). If you look closely, you’ll structures by using some intervallic skips, often based on 3rds and stacked 3rds
notice that there is only one note that separates these two related sounds, C-C# (triads), along with the occasional chromatic decoration note.

©»¡™º F maj7/G G Fmaj7/G F/G G

œ œ œ nœ #œ œ œ nœ œ
# — ˙.
& 44 gg ˙˙ .. œœ œœœ œœœ ˙˙˙ ... œ œ nœ œ
#œ œ œ œ nœ œ
˙
∑ ggg n ˙ . œ. n ˙˙ œ ˙.
⋲
gg ˙ . ˙ œ
Rubato
—0
E
gg 12 5 8 12 13 9 12 10

ggg 3
B 5 1 3 5 6 13 10
G 4 5 2 4 5 10

g3
D 5 3 3 5 5 7
A 5 5 6 7 7 8
E 3 3
1

œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ
œ œ œ
Fmaj7/G

# œ ⋲ œ œ nœ œ bœ #œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ nœ œœœ ...
& j
œ œ. œ.
œ œ.
rall
E 12 17 12 15 13 12 10 0
B 13 10 13 13 10 1
G 9 12 9 10 12 14 10 9 12 10 9 7 2
D 14 13 11 12 14 15 12 10 7 3
A 12 8 7
E 10 3
5

WE’LL MAKE YOU A BETTER PLAYER!

30 May 2024
 SEVEN JAZZ LICKS { ULF WAKENIUS

EXAMPLE 4 C MINOR 7 GROOVE WITH OUTSIDE LICK

Here Ulf sets up a funky groove in C Minor, before launching into a highly the open third string. These phrases morph into a second melodic development
chromatic motivic line inspired by modern saxophone players such as the late based around both G Superlocrian (G-Ab-A#-B-Db-D#-F) and a G Augmented triad
great Michael Brecker, of Brecker Brothers fame. We begin with a four-note (G-B-D#) before coming to rest on the note G, the perfect 5th of our C Minor
Minor Pentatonic idea moved around in tones and semitones, punctuated with tonality, before heading back to our groove to finish.

©»¡™§ Cm11 œœ .. œœ
œ. œ ¿¿ œœœ œœœ œœ .. œœ
œ. œ
b 4 Œ ‰ . j̊
&b b 4 Ó ¿ œ
⋲
¿¿¿œ œ¿œ
⋲ ⋲
¿¿¿œ œ
⋲
¿¿¿œ

E 11 13 11 13 11 13
B 11 13 X 11 13 11 13
G 10 12 X 10 12 10 12
D
A
E 8 X X X 10 8 X 8 X X X 10 8 X X X 10
1

¿¿ œœœ œœ œ œ œ œ nœ œ
bb
œ œ œ bœ nœ bœ œ
& b œ ¿ œ ⋲ ⋲
¿ ¿ ¿ œ
⋲ œ ⋲ œ

E 11 13 8
B X 11 13 11 8 10 12 9
G X 10 12 10 8 0 12 10 0 11 11
D
A
E 8 X 8 X X X 8
4

b n œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ nœ nœ bœ bœ nœ bœ nœ bœ œ nœ bœ œ œ œ œ œ
b
& b œ n œ b œ œ œ bœ nœ n œ œ

E
B 14 11 11 12 10 11 9 10 9 8 11
G 9 0 13 13 11 11 10 9 8 8 12 8 12
D 9 8 9 9
A 11 8 9 10
E
6

n œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œœ .. œœ
b bœ nœ œœ œœ œ. œ
&b b ‰ nœ œ œ œ ⋲
¿¿¿œ
nœ bœ œ œ bœ nœ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ
E 11 15 11 10 7 6 3 11 13
B 12 8 4 11 13
G 11 12 8 4 3 10 12
D 6 1
A 2 1
E 4 1 2 3 X X X X 8 X X X 10
8

b ¿¿ œœœ œœœ œœ .. œœ
œ. œ ⋲ ¿¿ œœœ œœœ
&b b œ¿œ ⋲ ⋲
¿¿¿œ œ ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ œ¿ œ
⋲ ⋲ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ⋲ œœ Œ Ó

E 11 13 11 13 11 13
B X 11 13 11 13 X 11 13
G X 10 12 10 12 X 10 12
D 10
A
E 8 8 X X X 10 8 X X X X X X X 8 X 8 X X X X X X 8
11

May 2024 31
 FEATURE } VIDEO MASTERCLASS VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

EXAMPLE 5 II-V-I PHRASING IN Bb MAJOR

The bluesy-jazz phrasing from Wakenius continues, this time outlining a II-V-I-VI between the intervals selected and the underlying implied chord at each point
sequence in Bb Major, specifically Cm7-F7-Bbmaj7-G7. Again, Ulf’s lines contain in the sequence. The effectiveness of this style is also down to the relentless
both intervallic leaps and chromaticism, so make sure you make a comparison rhythmic delivery, so start slowly to build speed, stamina and duration over time.

b
œ œ bœ nœ œ œ œ œ bœ nœ œ
Cm 7 F7 B maj7 G7

b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&b œ b œ n œ œ œ œ œ œj ‰ ‰
œ œ J

E 11 15 14 12 13 10 11 13 9 10 6
B 11 6 6
G 10 8 6 7 8 7 5 7
D 8 8 7 8
A 8 6 5 8
E
9

b
œ œ nœ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ bœ √O
OO
Cm 7 F7 B maj7

b œ nœ bœ œ bœ
&b œ bœ bœ œ nœ bœ bœ n˙ OO
··
3 3

·
rall AH
17
E 5 6 7 8 7 6 5 5
B 9 8 7 6 6
G 9 8 7 6 5
D 7 6 5
A 9 8 7 6 4 5 5
E
13

EXAMPLE 6 CHROMATIC LICK OVER A MINOR 9-E7#9

The title says it all here, starting with a four-semitone-in-a-row motif, developed nature so, like Wakenius, be bold and play this line like you really mean it. Ulf
by moving along the second string. Again, commitment to maintaining the ends this phrase by superimposing Cmaj7 (C-E-G-B) against A Minor, to give us
rhythm and a sense of melodic intent carries a lot of weight with ideas of this the delightful final chord of Am9 (b3-5-b7-9).

©»¡ª¢ A m9 E7 9 #
‹ œœ Œ œœ Œ
Am9 #
E7 9

& 44 œœœ Œ œœœ Œ # œœ œœ œœœ Œ œœœ ‰ ‹# œœœ Œ ‰ ‹# œœœ ‰ œ œ œ

∑
œ ¿ œ ¿ ¿ œ œ œ œ J
J J
E
B 0 0 8 8 0 0 8 8 5 8
G 5 5 7 7 5 5 7 7 4
D 5 5 6 6 5 5 6 6
A 0 X 0 7 X 7 X 0 0 7 7
E
1

bœ œ œ #œ nœ bœ œ œ #œ œ œ nœ bœ bœ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ nœ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ bœ œ nœ
&

E
B 7 6 5 9 8 7 6 10 9 10 9 8 7 11 10 9 8 12 11 10 9 13 12 13 12 11 10 14 13 12 11 15
G
D
A
E
5

œ
bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ — œ
Am6 (maj7)

U Ÿ ~~~ ggg # # œœ
& bœ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ ggg œ Œ Ó
œ œ œ œ œ ggg œ
g
Ÿ ~~~ —
E 15 12 ggg 129
ggg 1011
B 14 13 12 12 15 13 12
G 12 9

g0
D 12 10 9
A 13 14 14 15 10 7
E 8 7 (8 )
9

32 May 2024
 SEVEN JAZZ LICKS { ULF WAKENIUS

EXAMPLE 7 REPETITIVE LICK FOR Bb7

We round up this energetic set of Ulf’s favourite phrases with a repetitious lick in 3rd (D and Db). Again, we see another ‘stealth’ open string, with the low second
Bb7, using a lot of semitone enclosures (the notes on either side) of the Major 3rd string (A), being used as a transitional position shifting device, rather than for its
(D). The idea here is to think ‘riff’, along with toggling between Major and Minor intrinsic melodic value against the harmony.

©»™ºº B b13
j j B13 B b13
j j B 13

b
& b 44 ∑ œ
bœœ ‰ œœ Œ
œ ¿¿¿ ‰ # # œœœ ‰ œœœ Œ
J
¿¿¿ ‰ b œœœ ‰ œœœ Œ
J
¿¿¿ ‰ # # œœœ ‰ œœœ Œ ‰ ¿
J J
œ œ nœ œ œ œ nœ œ
E
B 3 3 X 4 4 X 3 3 X 4 4
G 5 5 X 6 6 X 5 5 X 6 6
D 6 6 X 7 7 X 6 6 X 7 7 X
A
E 6 6 7 7 6 6 7 7
1

Bb 1

b œ œ bœ nœ œ œ œ bœ nœ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ bœ nœ œ œ œ bœ nœ œ bœ œ œ œ .
& b .. œ œ œ œ .

E
. .
. .
B 6 6 6 6
G 8 6 7 8 6 7 6 5 8 6 7 8 6 7 6 5
D 8 5 8 5 8 8 8 5 8 5 8 8
A
E
5, 9 8

bœ nœ bœ nœ œ
œ œJ 4
2

b œ œ œ œ
& b b œ n œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ 98 œ . œ œ b œ n œ 4
3

E 6 9 10 9 10 6
B 6 8 6
G 6 7 6 5 6 7 8
D 8 5 8 8 8 8

'
A 8
E
12

b œœ
1/4

3
b œ bœ nœ œ
& b bœ nœ œ œ b œ n œ œ.
œ Œ Œ ‰ J Ó
œ œ
E 13
'
1/4

B 14
G 6 7 8 6 7
D 8 8
A 8 6 0 4 5 8
E 6
15

“I hear so many great

sounds but I try to not
copy them or clone them
but try, in an organic
sense, to melt them into
my own expression”
Ulf Wakenius

May 2024 33
 WORTH
OVER
£40

SUBSCRIBE TO

TODAY & GET A FREE!

BOOMPODS HEADPODS PRO + JUICE POWER BANK!
www.magazinesdirect.com/GTQ/C99C
or call 0330 333 1113 and quote C99C
(Lines are open Monday-Friday 8:30am-7pm, Saturday 10am-3pm UK Time)
 NEW!
DI
ACCE SGITA L
S TO
I S SU E S 10 0+
WHE
SU B SC N YOU
R I BE
PR I N T! ** TO ERIC BIBB ED SHEERAN

356
Six chord patterns demonstrated on video The tunings, chord picking and rhythms

GUITAR TECHNIQUES FEBRUARY 2024 www.guitarworld.com

by the masterful blues picker of the acoustic superstar. With video

356 UKFEBRUARY 2024

£6.25/US $15.95

WATCH!
VINN IE MOOsse REs ON VIDEO
ys and discu
pla ur
Ramp up yo g like

EPIC CHORDS!, VINNIE MOORE SOLOING MASTERCLASS VIDEO, ERIC BIBB’S ACOUSTIC BLUES VIDEO, ED SHEERAN, GARY CLARK JR, INCREASE FINGERPICKING SPEED, BLACK SABBATH, BERNIE MARSDEN, JIMMY BRYANT, GRETA VAN FLEET & MUCH MORE!
his stunningth fingerpickinncuso!
rock solo wi! Matteo Ma
full tab
UR
TURBOCHAERGWEITHYO

ECHPORIDCS!
TECHNIQU PAGE
HUGE 12 ON THE
TUTORIAL
STYLES OF
MateusenAsato
rix
Jimi HMayder
John ong
Cory W pper
Steve Cro
re & mo

ONICS!
CHORDS RULE HARM
STUNNING SUS
LE-STOPS
MAXIMISE SLIDES HARNESS DOUB

BLUES METAL
Play the tasty licks of Gary Two Black Sabbath styled riffs
Clark Jr. With video to mosh on! With video
FEBRUARY 2024 PRINTED IN THE UK £6.25

JAZZ ROCK
Learn the swinging lines of Riff & solo like Greta Van Fleet’s
Telecaster titan, Jimmy Bryant Jake Kiszka. With video

PRINT
+ FREE GIFT & DIGITAL ACCESS!
DIGITAL ONLY
• Only £51.99 SAVE Only£41.99
every 12 months by Direct Debit 30% every 12 months by Direct Debit
• SAVE on shop price • SAVE on shop price
• FREE DELIVERY direct to your door • YOU’RE IN CONTROL - manage your
or device subscription online via our dedicated
• NEVER MISS an issue self-service site
• DIGITAL ACCESS to all prior
and future issues **

Terms & conditions: Offer closes 1st May 2024. Direct Debit offer open to new UK subscribers only. Subscription rates are £51.99 (print magazine) and £41.99 (digital magazine) by 12-monthly
payments via UK Direct Debit. This price is guaranteed for the first 6 months and we will notify you in advance of any price changes. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. The full subscription rate
includes postage and packaging.† Your gift will be delivered separately within 60 days after your fi rst payment has cleared. Gifts only available to subscribers on the UK mainland. Gifts not available
with a digital subscription. Juice power bank colour/style may vary. In the unlikely event that we run out of this gift, we promise to offer you an alternative gift of the same value.
**Access to the digital library will end with your subscription. Payment is non-refundable after the 14-day cancellation period, unless exceptional circumstances apply. For full terms and conditions,
visit www.magazinesdirect.com/terms. For enquiries, please call +44 (0) 330 333 1113. Lines are open Monday-Friday 8:30am-7pm, Saturday 10am-3pm UK Time (excluding Bank Holidays), or email
help@magazinesdirect.com. Calls to 0330 numbers will be charged at no more than a national landline call, and may be included in your phone provider’s call bundle.
 FEATURE } JAZZ TO BLUES VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

THE CROSSROADS ON VIDEO

Eric Johnson
This month John Wheatcroft looks at the iconic
guitarist from Texas, a true ‘crossroads’ artist with a
phenomenal command of touch, tone and technique.
ABILITY RATING Moderate/Advanced ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ let this get in the way of the musical
intention. While Eric freely draws from a
Info https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Will improve your… Fretboard fluency and technical articulation
diverse sonic palette of influences, he is
Key D Minor Tempo 120 bpm shuffle Minor Pentatonic vocabulary Mixed rhythmic groupings
quick to acknowledge the significance that
each guitarist has played in the formation of

T
exan virtuoso Eric Johnson is no
stranger to readers of this magazine or
to any self-respecting fan of both great
guitarists and good music. From his
earliest fusion recordings in the early 70s
with The Electromagnets, through his
session work with artists such as Cat Stevens
and Christopher Cross, collaborations with
Steve Vai, Mike Stern and Joe Satriani, on to
his ever expanding collection of releases as a
solo artist, Eric has consistently produced
cutting-edge guitar-based music. He has
roots in the blues but is not afraid to push
TECHNIQUE FOCUS
Fuzz As Faux Neck Pickup
Eric’s lead tone is often obtained by using a
combination of overdrive and fuzz, usually a
BK Butler Tube Driver and Fuzz Face, either
independently or together, with the fuzz
driving the overdrive. One of the beautiful
side-effects of this combination is the huge
amount of bottom end on tap, so that when
you’re using the bridge pickup, especially when
it’s super-bright, as with a Strat, you can obtain
a smooth and full tone not dissimilar to what
you might achieve using, say, a Gibson’s neck
pickup. One advantage of this approach is that
all the harmonics you can achieve from the
bridge pickup are still available, but with extra
breadth and body. Using fuzz and overdrive
in tandem can also smooth out some of the
savage peaks that fuzz units can generate, and
focuses the tone by accenting the midrange
frequencies while taming some of the extreme
treble range. Another trick is to keep the gain
controls fairly moderate on both units, as the
level of drive will accumulate when both are
engaged. As always, keeping your ears open,
and remember that being willing to experiment
will usually produce the best results.
the boundaries with flawless playing and
meticulous attention to detail and tone. He’s
back on tour this year with Joe Satriani and
Steve Vai, recreating the classic G3 line up,
and his playing and artistry is as cutting-
edge, vital and relevant as it has ever been.
Eric’s playing has majesty and
intelligence, but can also be edgy and driving
when required. He successfully balances his
influences, ranging from Jeff Beck, Jimi
Hendrix and Eric Clapton through Wes
Montgomery, Chet Atkins and John
McLaughlin, distilled through his expansive
“That’s the originality of a
player, it’s who they infuse
into their musicality. I
remember just being a
kid, and liking all kinds of
music.” Eric Johnson
musical imagination to create a sound that is
stylistically authentic and highly original in
equal measure. There is a real breadth and
depth to Johnson’s knowledge of the guitar,
both in terms of playing and in getting the
best tone possible by using the optimum
equipment for each musical situation.
Indeed, this prompted Stevie Ray Vaughan
to famously remark “Eric has done more
trying to be the best that he can be than
anybody I’ve ever seen. He works hard on his
tone, sound, and techniques.”
Although Johnson is undoubtedly a
‘guitarist’s guitarist’ (Eric Gales, Andy
Timmons and Andy Wood are just three of
his many famous fans), at no point does he
his personal sound.
The musical examples that accompany
this article explore a range of crucial areas of
Johnson’s playing. We begin with a selection
of 10 classic EJ-inspired ideas, moving
through examples that promote fretboard
fluency, illustrate classic blues and rock
vocabulary, develop intervallic dexterity,
display mixed rhythmic groupings and
more. We then round off this exploration of
Eric’s playing with a cohesive solo study, in
the key of D Minor, that contextualises these
ideas and techniques into a set study that
can be considered a microcosm of how Eric
might improvise. And I’m utterly certain
that this would be completely freely and
totally on the fly. He’s a wonderfully
impressive player, and I’m sure you’ll get a
huge amount, as I do, from studying his
remarkably inventive and original style.
NEXT MONTH John examines how a guitarist can
assume the pianist’s roll in a Jazz-Blues Trio
5 4 5 5
8
GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB
Select your bridge pickup and dial in an
overdriven tone on your amp or model. Add a
moderate amount of fuzz before this and a
healthy amount of reverb and delay. When
stacking distortion like this the level of drive will
accumulate with each gain stage so go easy. Dig
in with your pick to get an appropriate amount
of attack and energy into your sound.

TRACK RECORD Eric’s releases are full of sublime guitar moments, but we used just one album for musical reference this month, deep
diving into Alien Love Child: Live & Beyond (Favoured Nations 2000). The Book Of Making, and Yesterday Meets Today (both Blue Elan 2022)
are both also highly recommended. Also you really can’t go wrong with Eric’s first two releases, Tones (1986) and Ah Via Musicom (1990).

36 May 2024
 ERIC JOHNSON { THE CROSSROADS

Eric Johnson pulls all

manner of tones from
his trusty vintage
Stratocaster
SCOTT LEGATO/GETTY IMAGES

May 2024 37
 FEATURE } JAZZ TO BLUES VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

PLAY BACKING

EXAMPLE 1 10 ERIC JOHNSON CONCEPTS AND IDEAS

We begin with a collection of ten EJ-inspired lines, concepts and licks, all in
the key of D Minor against a static D5 boogie shuffle groove. In turn, these
ideas highlight fingering flexibility in 1a) mapping out all the various D Minor
Pentatonic (D-F-G-A-C) positions by shifting with the first finger. Then we have a
selection of classic blues-rock phrases echoing his Clapton-inspired vocabulary
in 1b). We continue with a line that alternates between D Minor and A Minor
Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) in 1c), giving us the cumulative sound of Dm11 (D-F-A-
C-E-G). For example 1d), we’re focusing on Johnson’s remarkable prowess with
intervallic leaps, before taking a look at a pair of lines that illustrate his amazing
facility with economy picking and artificial harmonics (1e and 1f). Double-stops
are the focus of 1g) before moving onto some repeating Pentatonic patterns in
1h), followed by expressive arpeggios in 1i). We conclude this section with 1j), a
mixed line of rhythmic groupings that moves between quintuplets (5s), 16ths
(4s) and triplets (3s).

©»¡™º œ œ ¡ œ ¡œ œ œ
1a) Fingering flexibility
Swing shuffle
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ¡œ œ¡ œ œ œ
¡œ œ¡
& b 44 œœœœ œ
œœœœœœœœ œœ œ
3 3 3
∑
3
¡ ¡ 3 3
3 3 3 3
3
3

E 8 10 8 10
B 3 8 10 10 13 10
G 5 2 5 7 5 7 10 12 10 12 14
D 5 3 3 5 7 7 12 10 12 15
A 5 3 3 5 8
E

1b) Classic blues rock phrasing

œ œ œ ¡ œ ¡ œ œ œ œ œ n œ ~~~ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
D5
j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
&b ‰ œ ‰
3 3 3 3 3 3
3

E
~~~ BU
B 13 15 13 15 15 10 13
G 14 17 14 9 ( 10 ) 9 10 12
D 17 15 12 10 12
A 12
E
4

œ œ œ' œ œ j
1/4
j
nœ
j œ œ œ œ ~~~ œ
j œ~~~ œ œ œ œj œ œ œ œ
œœ œ ~~~
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&b ‰

'
3 3 3 3 3 3
3

~~~ ~~~ 10 ~~~

1/4
BU BU BU BU BU
E 10 13 ( 15 ) 13 10
B 12 ( 13 ) 12 10 13 ( 15 ) 13 10 10 13 10
G 12 10 12 ( 14 ) 12 ( 14 ) 10
D 12 12 10
A 12
E
7

1c) Combining pentatonics (Dm and Am)

D5
œ œœ œ
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œœœ œ œœ œ 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&b œ œœœ œ
3

3
œ œ œ 3
3 3 3
3

E 10
B 13 10 10 10
G 12 12 9 10 9 12
D 12 12 10 10 10 12 10 12
A 12 12 10 10 12 12
E 13 10 13
10

38 May 2024
 ERIC JOHNSON { THE CROSSROADS

EXAMPLE 1 10 ERIC JOHNSON CONCEPTS AND IDEAS (CONTINUED)

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ ~~~~ œ ˙ ~~~
1d) Big intervalic leaps
j j
œ œ œ œ
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
D5
œ
&b Ó œ œ
3 3 3 3
œ
3

E 10 12 10 13
BU ~~~~ 10
~~~
B 10 13 10 13 13 13 ( 15 ) 13 15
G 10 12 12
D 12 12
A
E 10
13

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ
œ œ œ œ œ b œj n œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ J
3

&b ‰ œ œ œ ‰ Œ ‰ œ
3 3 3 3 3
3 3

BU
E 13 13 10 13
B 13 15 15 13 15
G 12 14 14 13 ( 14 ) 10 14
D 15 12 15 12 12
A 15 12 12
E 13
17

'
1e) Economy picking five note phrasing

œœœ
D5 1/4

¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ œ œ
&b ‰ œœœœœœœœœ œœ œ Œ œ œ œ œ ‰
3 3 3

œœœ œ
3

œœ 3 3 3

'
3 3 3

1/4
E
B 6 8 6 10
G 5 7 5 7 7 10 12
D 5 7 5 7 7 10 12 10 12
A 5 8 8 10 12 12
E 8 13
20
≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ etc
√‚ ‚
œ œ œ œ œ œj œ ~~~
.
œ œ œ ‚ ‚
1f) Artificial harmonics

œ
D5

œ œ œ J ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ

··· ·
&b Œ Œ
3 3 3
AH AH AH

E 10
BU ~~~ 22
10
24
12
AH
25
22
10
B 10 13 10 13 13 ( 15 ) 10 13 13
G 10 12 12 10 12
D 12 12
A
E
24

√
œ œ œ
·. 1g) Double stops

¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
œœ .. j œ
#œ nœ œ
œ
3

b ‰ œ Œ ‰ ‰ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
3
&

·
3 J
3
AH
27
E 13 15 17 10 10
B 13 15 15 10 9 8
G 12 14 12 14 10
D 15 15
A 12
E
28

May 2024 39
 FEATURE } JAZZ TO BLUES VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

EXAMPLE 1 10 ERIC JOHNSON CONCEPTS AND IDEAS (CONTINUED)

˙'
1/4

œ œ œ œ jœ œœ n n œœ œœ œ œ n˙
#œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ Jœ œ
&b œ Œ
3 3

'
Let ring
1/4

E 10 10 10 13
B 13 13 13 12 10 13 12
G 13 14 13 12 10
D 10 12 12 12
A 12
E
32

1h) Repeating patterns

œ œœ œ œ œ œ ˙
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
D5

b ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ
&

E
B 10 10 13 10
G 10 12 10 12 10 12 10 12 12 10 10 12
D 10 12 10 12 10 12 10 12 12
A
E
35

œ œ ' œ œ œ œ~~~
1/4
j 1i) Expressive arpeggios

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
&b ⋲

E 10 10 10 10 10
BU
13 ( 15 ) 13
'
1/4

10 13 10
~~~
B 13 10 13 10 13 10 13 10 13 10
G
D
A
E
38

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ ~~~
1j) Mixed groupings

œ œ œ œ
D5

œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
3
œ œ
3

& b ‰ J œ œœ ‰
3
œ œ œ
œ œ
3 3 3 3
3

E 13 17 13 12
~~~
B 15 15 15 13 15
G 10 7 9 5 14 12
D 7 5 12 15 12 15
A 8 7 12 12
E 13
41

œ œ œ œ ‚ ·
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
D5

œ œœ œœ
5
œ œ œœœ
&b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ó

·
3 3 3 3
5
AH
27
E 13 15 17
B 10 13 10 13 15 15
G 10 12 12 12 14 12 14
D 10 12 10 12 12 15 15
A 10 12 12 12 15
E 10 13
45

40 May 2024
 ERIC JOHNSON { THE CROSSROADS
PLAY BACKING

EXAMPLE 2 FULL SOLO

We conclude with a cohesive solo, again based around a boogie shuffle-feel
blues in D Minor. In this short but jam-packed study we see a number of Eric’s
concepts put to work, such as the intervallic line in bar 1. There’s a really hip
tritone substitute triad idea that Eric is particularly fond of in bar 4, where Ab
Major (Ab-C-Eb) is juxtaposed against D, to imply D7b5b9, resolving to G in bar
5. There’s also some artificial harmonic action in bars 8 and 12 (he uses note
specific pinch harmonics too), along with a host of classic Pentatonic lines
throughout. Learn this solo entirely then break it down into smaller component
parts. With the smaller parts, compose and/or improvise something along
similar lines, blending your original ideas with these EJ licks and phrases.

œ œ'
©»¡™º nœ œ œ œ
D5
œ ˙~~~ j œ
œ œ nœ œ œ œ
1/4

4
Swing
œ œ j œ œ œ œ
‰ J œ œ œ
&b4 Ó nœ
3 3

E
B 12
10
12
13
10
~~~
13 10
10
10
12 10
'
1/4
PB
12 BD

G 10 10 10 12 10 10 ( 14 ) (12 ) 10
D 12 12 12 12 9
A
E
1

œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G5

j bœ b œ œ
j œ œ œ~~~ j œ œ
& b ‰ bœ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ
3
3 3

E 8 11 8 10
BU ~~~
B 9 13 10 13 13 13 15 13
G 8 12 ( 14 ) 10
D 10 12 12
A 11 12 12 12 12
E
4

œ œ œ~~~
D5
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ √· A5

œ œ œ œ
J ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
j
3

&b ‰ J

·
3 3 3 3 3
3

~~~
AH
27
E 13 10 13 15 17
B 13 15 13 15 15
G 12 14 14 10 12
D 10 12 10 12
A 10 12 12
E 13
7

~~~ œ œ √·
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ
D5

œ œ œ œ œ
&b œ ‰ œ œ œ

·
3 3 3 3

E 10 12 10 13 15
~~~ 13 17
AH
27
B 10 13 10 13 13 10 15 15
G 10 12 12 14 17 14
D 12 12 15 12 15
A
E
10

Love this magazine?

You’ll love guitarworld.com
May 2024 41
 FEATURE } CLASSICAL VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

JOSÉ FERRER ON VIDEO

El Amable (Andante Sostenuto)

This month Declan Zapala explores a hidden gem from
19th-century Spain’s heritage of composer-educators of
the classical guitar, whose influence is still felt today.
ABILITY RATING Moderate ✪✪✪✪✪ virtuosic entries in the repertory and as such
he is not necessarily remembered for his
Info https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Will improve your… Ascending slurs
abilities as a performer. Instead, Ferrer’s
Key A Major Tempo 172bpm Chord shifts Melodic control using first finger
legacy is his contribution to the pedagogy of
the guitar and his compositions are stalwarts

T
his month’s piece comes in the form of a
short prelude from Coleccion 8a de
Ejercicios y Preludios para Guitarra,
which is an unpublished collection of 15
exercises and preludes by the 19th-century
Spanish guitarist, composer, and educator,
José Ferrer. With a charming melody and
chirpy upbeat harmonic flavour, this piece is
the 14th out of the aforementioned collection
and is similar in vein to Ferrer’s Ejercicio
No.7 Op.51 which we covered in GT347. Both
pieces explore some of the core aspects of
classical guitar technique, as was the way
with a great deal of Ferrer’s creative output.
The original score for this is held in the
archives of London’s Royal Academy of
Music and can be viewed online via their
digital archive which, at the time of writing,
is freely available to the public on archive.
org and is well worth checking out.
Hailing from the Catalonian region of
Spain and a former student of José Brocá,
José Ferrer is perhaps one of the more niche
names in the guitar world to have emerged at
the time. This would be largely down to him
having spent a majority of his career being
overshadowed by the far-reaching success of
his peers Francisco Tarrega and Miguel
Llobet, not to mention his Paraguayan
counterpart Augustín Barrios later on. This
disparity was largely down to the nature of
what Ferrer composed - as previously
mentioned his compositions were usually
simple in nature as opposed to bombastic
in many an educational book.
El Amable has a song-like quality and is a
great piece for students exploring guitar at
an intermediate level who want something
upbeat and fun to perform to their friends
and family. If this sounds like you then be
sure to explore the preparation exercises to
really boost your technical control of the
music as this will help you to relax when
performing. Certainly, they will allow you to
focus your energy on expressing the lines
and harmonies, and not feeling like you’re
chasing various chords and semiquaver runs
around the fretboard! Enjoy!
NEXT MONTH Declan presents the justly famous
Lagrima by Francisco Tárrega

Swedish classical
TECHNIQUE FOCUS
guitarist Jonas Lefvert Internalisation of pitch
has recorded a superb and rhythm
version of El Amable
Creation of muscle memory is the end goal
when practising a piece of music, but the act of
practising need not always involve holding the
guitar and physically playing notes, especially
if our hands are tired. We can instead practise
clapping through the rhythms of different
parts of the musical texture, isolating either the
melody, bass notes, or accompanying chords.
Clapping the rhythm of just one of these will
enhance your understanding of their place in
the musical texture and improve your ability to
control their dynamic level independent of the
adjacent notes. If you can go one step further
and hum the pitch of the rhythm also then even
better. Having the pitch and rhythm of different
layers of the musical texture internalised makes
memorisation when practising far deeper,
musical, and precise. Give this idea a try on
preparation exercises 3 and 4.
PHOTO COURTESY JONAS LEFVERT

TRACK RECORD Although Ferrer’s music is often found in student guitar books and syllabuses but little elsewhere, studio recordings
are therefore rather rare. So once again YouTube is a treasure trove as it contains countless performances of this piece, and one standout
performance I recommend taking a watch and listen to out is by Swedish guitarist Jonas Lefvert on his YouTube channel of the same name.

42 May 2024
 EL AMABLE (ANDANTE SOSTENUTO) { JOSÉ FERRER
VIDEO PLAY EXAMPLES

PLAYING NOTES
[Bars 1-22] In bar 1 you can hold an A Major chord in your fretting hand for
the first half of the bar so that the picking hand only needs to pluck the finger
pattern found in exercise 4. Similarly in bar 2 you can hold an E7 chord and then
let go of the D to leave an E chord all while plucking the same finger pattern
EL AMABLE
from the beginning. In bar 6 hold the A Major chord with second - JOSE
finger on the
2nd fret of the fourth string and keep it on this note for the duration of the bar
to simplify the chord change halfway through. Similarly, in bar 19 hold the first
finger on the 1st fret of the third string throughout as an anchor finger between
all of the chord changes. At the end of bar 18 a bass melody enters; pluck
this with the thumb to connect the line into the opening bass note of bar 19,
FERRER
continuing - byany
to pluck Declan Zapala
notes with the stem facing downwards with the thumb.
In bar 22 hold a barre across the 1st fret for the opening chord.

e»¡¶™
A E7 E

### 4 Ó Œ œ œ œ œ .. œ ™ œ £ œœ œ ‰ ™ œ £œ œ ™œ œ £œ ¢ œ œ Œ œœœœ
& 4 ‰˙ ¡ œ œ œ Ó˙ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œœ ..
œ œ œ
J ˙ J ˙
E
. 0 0 2 0

.
B 2 3 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 0 0 2 0 2
G 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 0 0
E 0 0
1, 9

A # d im7
j
˙ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ £ œ ¢ œœ œ ‰
E7 E A

# # ‰ ¡œ ™œ ¢œ ¡œ œ
£
œ œ œ
& # ¢ œ‰ œœ œœœ œœ Ó œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œ Œ ‰ ™œ œ œ ‰ n œœ œœ œœ
˙ J ˙ ˙ J ˙ J ˙ J #˙ ™J

E 2 4 0 0 0 0 0
B 3 0 0 2 3 5 2 3 2 3 2
G 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 0 0 0 1
E 0 0
3, 11

j ¢B7œ . j E
1 2
E /B

### œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ Œ Œ œ œ œ œ .. œ Œ Œ œ œ œ œ
& ‰ # œœ œœ œœ œ ¢£ œ ¢£ œœ ¡ œœ .. œ œ £ œ . # œ œ ¡ œ œ œ œ
™ J
˙ œ Œ ‰ J œ ‰™ ¡ œ ‰ œ
J™ ¢œ œ Œ ‰ J œ œ œ Œ
J
E 0 0 0 2 2 0
. 0 0 2 0 2

.
B 0 4 2 0 2 3 2 3
G 1 1 1 1 4 2 1 1 2 2 1 1
D 2 2 2 2 1 2 2
A 2 2 2 2 2 2
E 4 0 4 0
6, 14 8 16

A/C #
j
E7 A E 7/B E 7/D E 7/B A

### œ . j ¢œ œ Œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œœœ Œ Œ

& œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ £ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ ¢ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ
œ
œ œ
‰ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰˙ œ œ œ œ œ ¡ œ¢ œ œ . ¡ œ œ œ
œ œ œ
˙ J ˙ J J J ™ ¢ Jœ ˙ œ œ œ œ
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 0 2 3 0 2 3 3 0 3 2 2 2
G 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 2 4 0
A 0 0 2 4 2 4 0
E 0 0 0 2 4
17

E /G # B7/F # E A6 A # d im7 E /B B E Badd11 A

### œ œ œœ œ œ œœ ¡ œ #¢œ œœ œ œ œœ £¢œœ n œœ # œœ #¢œœ œ œ œ œ #¢œœ œ ¢ œœ œ

& ˙ £ £
œ œ œ œ ¡œ œ œ œ œ ¡#œ œ ¡ œ £ w
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 2 2 0 0 4 4 4 4 2
G 2 2 1 1 2 0 1 1 4 2
D 4
A 0 0 0 1 2 2
E 4 4 2 2 0 0 0
21

May 2024 43
 FEATURE } CLASSICAL VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

PLAYING NOTES
[Bars 24-28] Here we see an inverted pedal (a repeated upper note in the top), changes in bar 37, so be sure to use the fretting-hand fingerings indicated so as
which can be a little tricky to juggle at first so try practising exercise 3 to get to to make this as relaxed as possible, using your third finger as an anchor finger
grips with it. The ending of this piece has a particularly gruelling series of chord between the first two chords.

E 5 A/C # E 5 E 5 A/C # E 5
j ‰ œj œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ œ œ Œ
E5 A Bmadd11 A E5 A A E5 A

# # # ‰˙ œ œ œ œ œ Œœ n œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ .. œ œ œœ œ .. œ œ œœ
& œ œ ¡œ œ œ œ J œ
˙˙ ˙˙
™˙ ™ ¢œ ™ J

E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 0 2 0 0 3 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 2
G 2 2 4 2 2 2 2 2
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 4 4
E
25

Bm A E5 A E7 E

# # Œ Ó Ó Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ . œ œ œ œ
& # œœ Œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ Ó ‰ œœ œœ œœ ‰ œœ .
¡ œ ¢£ œ ¡ ˙˙ Œ Œ ˙ J ˙ ˙ J ˙
E 0 0 2 0
B 0 2 3 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 0 0 2 0 2
G 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
D 2 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 2 4 2 0 0
E 5 0 0 0
29

Œ ¡œ £œ ¢œ
E7 E A
### œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ
‰ œœ œœœ œœ Ó œ œ ‰ œœ œœ œœ ‰ œœ œŒ œ ‰ œœ œœœ œœ Ó ¡ œ
˙ ™
&
˙ J ˙ ˙ J ˙ J ˙ J ˙
E 2 4 0 0 0 2 4 5
B 3 0 0 2 3 5 2 3 2 3 2 2 3
G 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 0 0 0 0
E 0 0
33

Bm7/D Bm A /C # B m/D A/E D # d im7 A/E E9 E 7/A A

# # # œ œ ™¡ œœ œ ™œ ¡ £œ
¢ œœ œ ™ # œœ œ £ œœ œ ™ œœ
¢ £˙ ¢œ Œ
& ¡œ £œ £œ ™œ
™˙
‰ œ œ œ ¡œ
¡ œœ
œ œ £
¡#œ Œ
¡œ £œ ™ ¡
œ ˙ J œ
E 5 2 0 0 2 0 2 4 4 5
B 0 3 2 3 2 1 2 3 3 2
G 4 2 2 2 6
2
D 0 0 2 1 2 2 2 2
A 2 4 0
E 0
36

EXERCISE 1 CLOSED-HAND SLURS

Slurring notes can be a little tricky to get loud so we will use the first two string and that you are simply trying to tap the wood of the fretboard as loudly
exercises to help improve your volume and timing of slurs. In exercise 1 aim as possible; this should loosen up the motion of the finger. If necessary tap the
to make the slur movement come from just the slurring finger without any wood of the fretboard beside the string and once that is nice and loud adjust the
movement from the palm or wrist. If that feels too tight imagine that there is no finger so that it lands over the string as intended.

©»¡¡¢ ¡œ b œ™ ¡œ œ£ ¡œ ¢œ œ¡ œ£ ¡œ b œ™ ˙¡ . ¡ œ™ ¡
œ œ œ£ ¡œ œ¢ œ¡ œ£ œ¡ œ™ ˙¡ .
& 44 ∑

E 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5
B 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5
G
D
A
E
1

44 May 2024
 EL AMABLE (ANDANTE SOSTENUTO) { JOSÉ FERRER

EXERCISE 1 CLOSED-HAND SLURS (CONTINUED)

¡ £ £
œ b œ™ œ¡ œ œ¡ œ¢ ¡œ œ ¡ ™ ¡
œ bœ ˙ .
& œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ ˙ .
¡ ™ ¡ £ ¡ ¢ ¡ £ ¡ ™ ¡

E
B
G 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5
D 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5
A
E
5

& œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ™ ¡ ˙ .
™¡ £ ¡ ¡ ¢ ¡ £ ¡ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ™ ¡ ˙ .
¡ ™ ¡ £ ¡ ¢ ¡ £ ¡
E
B
G
D
A 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5
E 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5
9

EXERCISE 2 OPEN-HANDED SLURS

Exercise 2 explores the same ascending slurs but with an open hand with each
finger confined to its own designated fret. Again keep the slurring motion
isolated to just the finger, if necessary try holding onto the fretting hand with
your plucking hand to keep the wrist and palm static. As each finger gets further
and further away from the first finger you may find that the loudness of your
slur diminishes so, as with exercise 1, again imagine you are merely trying to tap
the wood of the fretboard behind the string with an equal volume across each
finger. Try thinking of each slurred note as a staccato note that you are trying to
voice as short and sharp as possible, this will ensure that all tension empties out
of the finger as soon as the slur lands.

©»¡¡¢ £œ œ¢ b™œ œ¢ ¡œ ¢œ b™œ œ¢ £œ œ¢ b™œ œ¢ ¡˙

#œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ ˙
& 44 ∑
(repeat same fingerings
in fretting hand)

E 7 8 6 8 5 8 6 8 7 8 6 8 5
B 7 8 6 8 5 8 6 8 7 8 6 8 5
G
D
A
E
1

bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ bœ œ ˙
& œ bœ œ bœ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ bœ œ ˙

E
B
G 7 8 6 8 5 8 6 8 7 8 6 8 5
D 7 8 6 8 5 8 6 8 7 8 6 8 5
A
E
5

& œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ nœ œ bœ œ ˙ œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ nœ œ bœ œ ˙
E
B
G
D
A 7 8 6 8 5 8 6 8 7 8 6 8 5
E 7 8 6 8 5 8 6 8 7 8 6 8 5
9

May 2024 45
 FEATURE } CLASSICAL VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

EXERCISE 3 PLUCKING-HAND FINGER PATTERN WITH CHORD SHIFTS

In this exercise aim to connect the lower chords which are plucked with either one another. In bars 1-2 keep the first finger held on the 2nd fret to make the
p and i, or p and m legato, and similarly connect all the open Es above legato, changes easier. In bars 3-4 use the second finger as an anchor, sliding up and
ignoring the quaver rests which are there to guide the rhythms. Working with down the third string between the 2nd and 4th fret. Do the same in bars 5-8 but
legato in mind will create a sense of two distinct lines running adjacent to slidie the first finger up and down the third string between the 1st and 2nd fret.

e»¡∞º
# # ‰ œj œ ‰ œj œ ‰ œj œ ‰ œj œ ‰ œj œ ‰œ . œj œ œ ‰ œj œ ‰˙ œj œ
& # 44 ∑ œ . œœ ™£ œœ .. œœ œœ .. œœ ˙˙
¡ œ. J
£œ.
™œ.
œœ ¡ œ . œ œœ .. œœ ˙
J™ J J
J J
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 3
G 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 2 2 4
D 2 2 2 2
A
E
1 i a m i m a m i m a m i m a m i i a m i m a m i m a m i m a m i
p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p

# # # ‰ œj œ ‰ œj œ ‰ œj œ ‰ œj œ ‰ œj œ ‰ œj œ ‰ œj ˙ .
& ¡œ. œ ¡ œœ .. œ
œ œ. œ ˙˙ ¡œ. œ ¡ œœ .. œ
œ w
™ œ. œ¢
J
œ. œ ™ œœ .. œœ ¢ œ . œ ww
J J J J
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B
G 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 1
D
A 2 2 4 4 2 2 4 2 2 4 4 2
E 0 0 0 0 0
5
i a m i m a m i m a m i m a m i m a m m m a m m m a m
p p p p p p p p i i i i i
p p p p p

EXERCISE 4 VOICING THE ‘A’ FINGER OVER CHORDS AND BASS NOTES
As the title hints, this exercise is all about boosting control of the volume and
tone of your ‘a’ finger in the plucking hand. There are three layers to the texture
in this exercise: the bass notes, the inner chords, and the melody notes. The goal
here is to ensure that the melody notes at the top played by the ‘a’ finger are
always audible above whatever is plucked beneath them, whether it be bass
notes or chords. Spending time with this exercise will ensure that your melody
always sings over your musical texture in El Amable. Enjoy your playing!

e»¡º¢
### 4 œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ
& 4 ∑ ‰ ¡ œœ ‰ œœ œ œœ œ œœ ‰ £¢ Jœœ ‰ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œ J œ J œ œ œ œ J œ œ
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2
G 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2
D
A 0 0 0 0
E 0 0 0 0
1
a m a m a m a m a m a m a m a m
p i p i m i m i p i p i m i m i
i i i i
p p p p

# # # œ ¢ œ œ œ œœ œ œœ œ œ ¢ œœ œ œœ œœœ œœ œœœ œœ
& ‰ ¡œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ £J ‰ J
˙
¡¢ ˙˙ Ó
™œ J œ J œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2
G 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2
D
A 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
E
3
a m a m a m a m a m a m a m a m a
p i p i m i m i p i p i m i m i m
i i i i i
p p p p p

46 May 2024
 ON
SALE
NOW
GE T T HE NE W I S SU E F RO M W W W .M A
G A Z I NE SD I RE C T. C OM
 LESSON } Blues AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

MUDDY WATERS
Brought to you by…

The father of Chicago blues is in the spotlight this

month. Join David Gerrish as he examines the
man who electrified and defined the genre.
material is vital for any blues guitarist.
McKInlay Morganfield, Our solos this month focus on Muddy’s
aka Muddy Waters,
early electrified sound, the first being a slide
with his trademark
red Femder Tele piece in open G tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D). This
tuning was traditional for many country
blues slide players, and many of Muddy’s
early recordings utilised it. If it’s unfamiliar
to you, we recommend spending a little time
exploring the fretboard. You will notice that
the second, third, and fourth strings remain
the same as standard tuning, so familiar
shapes will still work here. The remaining
strings are all tuned down a tone, so a little
adjustment in your thinking will be required.
Do not be deterred, as this tuning can give
you access to an abundance of new language.
Our second study delivers more essential
vocabulary, this time in standard tuning, as
Muddy switched to this later on. The vibe of
this is just as important as the notes, and
capturing some of Muddy’s swagger is the
hardest element of emulating his style. He
would push and pull rhythms and play
heavily with dynamics, so aim to capture
some of these details for added authenticity.
Check out as much of Muddy’s music as
possible, as it’s best to learn from the real
deal. Just listen to Voodoo Chile, and you’ll
hear that Jimi did, too!
country-blues tradition. By his teens he was
ABILITY RATING
supporting his powerful voice with intricate NEXT MONTH David explores the soulful mastery
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate guitar work and harmonica embellishments, of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.
Info Will improve your but his career would really take off when he
Key: Various Blues slide guitar moved to Chicago in the early 40s. Arriving 5 4 6 4
Tempo: Various Open tuning knowledge in the big city, Muddy realised he would 7
https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Chicago blues vocabulary need to amplify his guitar in order to be
heard over the crowds of the music clubs. In

T
here are few figures in blues history as
notable as Muddy Waters. Born
McKinley Morganfield in 1913, Muddy
was cetral to the evolution of the genre,
from its beginnings as the folk music of the
southern states to the electrified Chicago
sound that served as a bedrock for all later
guitar-based music. Like many early blues
artists, Muddy’s musical education came
from church. Singing in Sunday service and
GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB
doing so, he helped to develop the sound of
electric guitar as we know it and secure its
place at the forefront of popular music.
His music during these years was raw and
emotive. The cranked amplifiers delivered a Muddy was synonymous with his red Telecaster,
rugged, powerful tone that perfectly suited but many of his early tracks were recorded with
a Gretsch Synchromatic or a Gibson Les Paul.
the music’s primal nature. The licks may be
These were likely paired with a tweed Fender
considered somewhat primitive when we combo. Aim for an edge of breakup tone with
listen with modern ears but then it was the plenty of mids and treble. You may need a little
dawn of an exciting style never heard before.
VAL WILMER/REDFERNS/GETTY IMAGES

more gain than expected for slide, in order to

emulating local musicians gave him a rich Muddy and others were essentially inventing allow the notes to sustain.
education and deep connection to the a language, and so the study of this source

TRACK RECORD Early recordings such as I Can’t Be Satisfied and You’re Gonna Miss Me typify early country-blues and are full of essential
blues vocabulary for guitarists. Muddy’s recordings with Chess Records are also incredibly important in the chronology of the genre. Tracks
such as Rollin’ Stone, Hoochie Coochie Man, and Got My Mojo Workin’ are excellent examples of how the sound electrified the blues.

48 May 2024
 MUDDY WATERS
PLAY BACKING

STUDY PIECE ONE SLIDE GUITAR SOLO IN OPEN G

Our first study demonstrates Muddy’s open G slide guitar chops and showcases tune. Fingerstyle is probably the best bet here, or pick and fingers, or perhaps
some fundamental moves for this style. Intonation is always key when it thumbpick and fingers. But if you prefer to go the ‘pick only’ route, be careful of
comes to slide guitar, so practise these licks slowly to ensure you are dead in any unwanted strings ringing out.

©»¡ºº D7
~~~
C7 G7
~~~
# 4
& 4 Ó Œ ‰ . j̊ œ
j
˙. œ nœ œ nœ
j
˙ œœ œj œ j œ œ œ nœ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ
œ

~~~ ~~~
Open G tuning With slide

D
B
G
D 5 7 5 3 0 3 5 3 2 0 0 0 5 3 2 0
G 4 2 4 0 2 4
D
1

D7
~~~~~~
G7 j
œ œj œ . b œj n œ . ~~~~~ j
œ œj œ . ˙~~~~
#
#œ
J ⋲ J œ œ #œ
J ⋲ J
& ‰ j ‰ ‰ ‰
œ œ œ œ.
j
œ

~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~

With slide

D 11 12 11 12 11 12 11 12
B 11 12 12
G 12
D 0
G 2 4 7
D
4

#œ
j œ œj œ . œ bœ nœ œ j
bœ nœ
j
bœ nœ . ˙ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
C7
# J ⋲ J J ⋲ J j ˙. œ œ œ
& ‰ ‰ bœ

With slide

D 11 12 11 12 12
~~~~~ ~~~~~
B 12 11 12 11 12 11 12
G 12 3 5 5 3 0
D
G
D
7

~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
G7 D7

# j ˙~~~ œ œj œ j ~~~ ~~ j
& bœ œ œ bœ nœ œ . j œ œ nœ ‰ œ œ œ nœ ˙ œ . œ nœ
nœ œ j
œ œ œ œ
With slide
œ œ
D
~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
B
G 3 5 5 3 0 5 7 3 4
D 5 5 5 3 0 0 5 3 7 7 3 0
G 4 2 4 0 7
D
10

œ. œ
j D7
bœ nœ ~~~~
C7 G7

# j ~~~~ ~~~~ j
œ
J ‰ ˙
& nœ œ . œ œ œ j œ œ œ œ nœ œ ⋲
œœ œ œ
j j
œœ œ œ œ
With slide

D
~~~~ ~~~~ 12
~~~~
B 8 12 11 12
G 12
D 3 5 3 2 0 0 0 5 5 3 0
G 0 2 4 2 4 0 2 4
D
14

May 2024 49
 LESSON } Blues AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

Like many early

blues artists,
Muddy’s musical
education came
from church

IAN DICKSON/REDFERNS

50 May 2024
 MUDDY WATERS
PLAY BACKING

STUDY PIECE TWO SLOW SHUFFLE SOLO

We’re back in standard tuning for our second study which demonstrates string melodies. If this is a challenge, work on each bar individually before you
Muddy’s vocabulary over a slow shuffle in E. Keeping the rhythm going is what’s puit together. The style of this piece is foundational to so much of the blues that
important here, as the low strings provide an accompaniment for the higher- came later, so study it carefully and learn from its simple brilliance.

©»•£ qq=qce E7
~~
#### 4 œ œ n œ œj œ œ
3 3 1/4 3

œ œ œ œ
j j
& 4 ∑ nœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ nœ œ
nœ œ
j
œœœœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ
E 0 0
BU BD ~~ BU BD
1/4
BU BD
B 3
G 2 ( 4 )(2 ) 0 2 (4 ) ( 2 ) 0 2 (4) (2) 0
D 2 2 2 0 2 2
A
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 0
1

#### nœ œ œ œ 1/4
3 n œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ 1/4
n œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ 1/4

& œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ
1/4 1/4 1/4
E 3 3 3 0 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
B 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
G
D 2
A
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
4

A7 3

#### nœ œ œ nœ j n œœ œœ œ œ 3
3 1/4 3

& j
n œ œj œ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ
nœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ
œ œœ œ œ
j
œ œ 3 œ œ nœ
1/4
BU BD BU BD
E 3 0 0 3 3 0 0
B 3 0 3 0 2 2 2 2
G 2 (4) (2) 0 2 (4) (2) 0
D 0 2 2 2
A 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
E 0 0 0 0 3
7

3 E7

#### n œœ œœ œ œ œ n œ œœ œ œ œ œ b œ œ n œj # œ œœ n œ Ÿj ~~~ œ ‰ 3
3

& œ œ œœœ j
nœ #œ nœ #œ
œ œ œœ 3 œ 3 3 œ œ œ. nœ œ
Ÿ ~~~
E 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 2 2 2 2 2 0 3 0 3 3 0 0 3
G 2 0 1 3 2 0 1 0 1
D
A 0 0 0 0 0
E 0 0 0 0 3
10

B7 3 A7 E7 1/4

# # œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ n œ œ œj œ œ
& # # n œœ ˙˙
1/4 3

œ
3 3 3
j œ n œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ nœ œ œ œ œ ˙
j
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ nœ
1/4 BU BD 1/4
E 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0
B 3 0 3 3
G 1 2 (4 ) ( 2 ) 0 1
D 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 2
A 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 2 1 0
E 3 0 0 0 3
13

May 2024 51
 LESSON } Rock VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

RADIOHEAD VIDEO

Martin Cooper checks out the sound of an

era-defining band from Oxford, and guitarists ON VIDEO

Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and Ed O’Brien.

guitar, but in the blink of an eye those are
replaced by synths and electronic
arrangements, in some ways making the
band sound unrecognisable from one album
to the next. Yet somehow Radiohead always
retains their unique musical identity.
Our track this month is built around a
clean guitar part played with finger and
thumb, which outlines the chord changes
and harmony before giving way to fuzz-

“The Bends was followed by

one of the most influential
albums of the 20th century,
OK Computer.”
driven barre-chord mayhem. The solo
Jonny Greenwood follows the chord tones and uses tremolo
flailing on his
picking for the lead lines. We’re in the key
stripped-body Les
Paul Standard of G Minor (G-A-Bb-C-D-Eb-F), with extra
C Major (C-E-G) and A Major (A-C#-E)
chords adding tension and the occasional
ABILITY RATING from Queen to Siouxsie Sioux, while the ‘awkward’ sound of the track.
Greenwood brothers grew up listening Check out the Playing Tips and Get The
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate mostly to Classical music. Tone boxes for more information, and look
Info Will improve your After attracting record label interest, they at the video to see the specific playing
Key: G Minor Playing with fingers signed with EMI in 1991 and, at the label’s articulations. Good luck!
Tempo: 87bpm Tremolo-picked lead request, changed the band name. Radiohead
https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Atmoshere and dynamics
is taken from the Talking Heads song of the NEXT MONTH Martin looks at the sound of early
same name. The debut album Pablo Honey Extreme and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt

R
adiohead made a huge impact on music was released to minimal critical acclaim at
in the latter years of the 20th century the time and the first single, Creep, was a
and into the 21st. Along with bands like concern for BBC for being downbeat and 3 7 7 7 3

U2 and REM, they recorded some of the
most classic songs in recent memory.
Formed in Oxfordshire, England in the
mid 1980s by school friends Thom Yorke on
lead vocals and guitar, Ed O’Brien and Jonny
Greenwood also on guitar, Jonny’s brother
Colin on bass, and drummer Philip Selway.
They found solace and inspiration in their
school years from music, and would rehearse
on Fridays which led to the formation of the
band called On A Friday.
Their musical influences are wide
ranging, and include rock, jazz and avant
garde film music. Yorke’s influences range
(originally) containing the f word. However,
the group picked up traction with their live
GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB
gigs and some commercial exposure on the
radio, also helped by becoming the opening
act for bands such as Tears For Fears.
They hit the big time in 1994 with the
John Leckie produced album The Bends, It’s the sound of Fender guitars, Vox and Fender
which was followed by one of the greatest amps, and pedals like Marshall’s Shredmaster.
Basically, a nice chime to the clean sound, and
records of the 20th century, OK Computer.
distorted fuzz tones will get you in the right
Like many of the great groups, Radiohead ballpark. The tone on the track is the same on
have constantly pushed musical boundaries the amp for the clean and overdriven parts, but
and anyone wanting OK Computer Part II is there is a Rat style fuzz plugin added for the
still waiting for it. Their style has often overdriven parts. Add effects to taste.
incorporated songs built around fuzz-driven
RICK KERN/GETTY IMAGES

TRACK RECORD Debut Pablo Honey from 1993 contained the epic Creep, while classic album The Bends from 1995 features High And
Dry, Fake Plastic Trees and Just, while the era-defining follow-up OK Computer from 1997 included Paranoid Android and No Surprises. Kid A
from 2000 was a total change in musical direction for the band, and featured the hypnotic sound of Everything In Its Right Place.

52 May 2024
 RADIOHEAD
PLAY BACKING

PLAYING NOTES RHYTHM

The main clean rhythm guitar part is played with the second finger and thumb throughout the first 18 bars. It’ll probably work best to use this finger for the higher
notes and the thumb for the lower notes each time. From there onwards it’s played with a pick, starting with the muted fuzz notes in bar 18.

©»•¶ b b b
.. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
Gm E F Gm E D /DF Cm

b 2
& b 44 œ œ œ œ
RHYTHM
GUITAR Clean

2
E
. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
.
. .
B 4 4 1 1 4 4 3 1 4
G
D 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 3 3 5
A
E
3, 7

2
b 1
b
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ
Gm F E D m Cm Gm F E Cm Dm Cm

b œ œ œ œ œ
& b .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .. ˙ ¿¿ ¿¿ ‰ Œ
˙
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ¿¿ ¿¿
Distortion

E
. .
. .
B 11 11 11 11 10 10 8 6 4 11 11 11 11 10 10 8 4 6 4
G X X
D X X
A 10 10 10 10 8 6 5 3 10 10 10 10 8 6 3 5 3 X X
E X X
11, 15 14 18

Gm A B b Cm Gm A B b F C

b œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
& b .. œœœ œœœ œœœ n# œœœ œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
#œ
n œœœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ n œœœ œœ
œ
œœ
œ
œœ ..
œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ

E
. .
. .
B
G 3 3 3 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 6 7 7 7 7 2 2 2 2 9 9 9 9
D 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 3 10 10 10 10
A 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 3 10 10 10 10
E 3 3 3 5 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 5 6 6 6 6 1 1 1 1 8 8 8 8
19, 23

Gm A B b Cm Gm A B b F

b œ œ œ #œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ #œ œœ œœ œœ œœ
&b œœ œœ œœ n œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ n œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œ œ œ œ
E
B
G 3 3 3 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 6 7 7 7 7 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
D 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
A 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
E 3 3 3 5 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 5 6 6 6 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
27

Gm A B b Cm E b Gm A B b F C

b œ œ œ # œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
&b œœ œœ œœ n œ
œœ
œ
œœ
œ
œœ
œ
œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ œœ œœ œœ # œœœ
œ œ œ œn
œœ
œ
œœ
œ
œœ
œ
œœ
œ œœ œœ œœ œœ n œœœ œœ
œ
œœ
œ
œœ
œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ

E
B
G 3 3 3 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 12 12 12 12 3 3 3 6 7 7 7 7 2 2 2 2 9 9 9 9
D 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 13 13 13 13 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 3 10 10 10 10
A 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 13 13 13 13 5 5 5 7 8 8 8 8 3 3 3 3 10 10 10 10
E 3 3 3 5 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 11 11 11 11 3 3 3 5 6 6 6 6 1 1 1 1 8 8 8 8
31

May 2024 53
 LESSON } Rock VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

SOLO

PLAYING NOTES LEAD

The tremolo-picked lead lines involve picking as fast as possible on each note. The string bends (not tremolo picked) in the final bars 33-34 are deliberately
on the loose side since it’s mainly attitude to aim for here. That said, still pay attention to your string bending intonation so the unison’s aren’t overbent.

©»•¶ œ
Bb
œ.
G A Cm

b 26 ˙ ˙. œ
& b 44 @ @J @ @ @
LEAD
GUITAR Distortion (using tremolo picking)

E 26
@ @ @
B 8 10 11

@ @
G 8 8
D
A
E
27

Bb Bb Eb
G A
œ w
F G
œ
A Cm

b œ. œ. w
˙ ˙
& b @ @J @ @ @ @J @ @

@ @ @ @ @ @ @
B 8 10 11 13 8 10 11 4
G
D
A
@
E
29

Bb
j j j
œœ œœ œœ œœ
Gm A
j
j
œœ j
œœ j œœ j œœ bœ œ œ œ
bb œ œ œ œ
&

BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU
E
B 8 8 8 10 11 11 11 11
G 10 (12 ) 10 (12 ) 10 (12 ) 12 ( 14 ) 13 (15 ) 13 (15 ) 13 (15 ) 13 (15 )
D
A
E
33

F C

b j œœ j œœ j œœ j œœ œ n œœ
j j œœ j œœ j œœ
&b
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU
E
B 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5
G 8 (10 ) 8 (10 ) 8 (10 ) 8 (10 ) 7 (9) 7 (9 ) 7 (9 ) 7 (9 )
D
A
E
34

WE’LL MAKE YOU A BETTER PLAYER!

54 May 2024
 NEVER
MISS
ANOTHER

BACK ISSUES
ISSUE
Time to
subscribe!

The last six months still available!

Missed one of our recent fabulous issues? Get one now while stocks last.

SPRING GT359 APRIL GT358 MARCH GT357

JUMP, JIVE & WAIL
Learn from this exciting genre’s most important
players, and add swinging jazzy lines to your
rock and blues. Plus: Martin Miller and Matteo
Mancuso videos; Robin Trower, KW Shepherd,
John Mayer, Iron Maiden, Johnny Cash & more!
PLAY BETTER SOLOS!
It’s what every guitarist wants! Using some of
blues-rock’s greatest players, we help you to ‘up’
every aspect of your soloing game. Plus: Marcio
Philomena jazz, The Eagles, Eric Johnson, Judas
Priest, Albert Collins, bluesy Django & more!
GIMME LICKS!
We celebrate The Stones’ career with a look at
the band’s four guitarists: Brian, Keith, Mick T,
and Ronnie. Lots of licks and full pieces to play.
Plus: Steve Morse, Slash, Jeff Beck, Christone
‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Robben Ford, Phi Yaan-Zek.

FEBRUARY GT356 JANUARY GT355 DECEMBER GT354

EPIC CHORDS!
Through the playing of Jimi Hendrix, John
Mayer, Mateus Asato, Steve Cropper and Cory
Wong, spice up your rhythm with a variety of
techniques. Plus: Vinnie Moore, Eric Bibb, Black
Sabbath, Jimmy Bryant & Gary Clark Jr.
JINGLE BELL ROCK!
Learn six fabulous Christmas carols to entertain
and impress friends and family. In jazz, fusion,
blues, rock, acoustic, and classical styles, there’s
something for all to enjoy. Plus: Mr Fastfinger,
Josh Smith, BB King, Tim Lerch & Play Slide.
FINGERPICKING THE BLUES!
10 fantastic patterns to play, each showing one
of the top blues pickers of all time (on video!).
Plus: Rocco Zifarelli (on video), SRV (on video),
Paco De Lucia (on video) Derek Trucks, Lorne
Lofsky (on video). Plus: Neal Schon & more!

TO ORDER BACK ISSUES: Call 0330 333 1113 or visit www.magazinesdirect.com

Please do not call or email the magazine directly as we cannot deal with subscriptions or back issues. We regret that we cannot photocopy transcriptions from back issues.
Each back issue costs (including postage and packing) UK: £6.25

May 2024 55
 LESSON } Metal Rhythm VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

METALLICA STYLE
This month Jamie Hunt brings you a brace of thrash
metal riffs inspired by the ferocious palm-muted ON VIDEO

down picking of rhythm guitarist James Hetfield.

S
ince the release of the Kill Em’ All ABILITY RATING
album in 1983, Metallica have ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate / Advanced
established themselves as the Info Will improve your
undeniable architects of the thrash Key: Various Down picking
metal subgenre. Metallica’s music has real Tempo: Various Palm muting
purpose and authority, and is held in high https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Chromatic powerchord slides
esteem by many music greats outside the
world of metal. The unrelenting pace and
ferocity of James Hetfield and Kirk
6
Hammett’s riffs took the metal world by
8 8
storm, and paved the way for generations to 8
come. Much of Metallica s intensity comes 0
GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB
from the speed and accuracy of James
Hetfield’s palm-muted down picking. This
provides the aggression and attack that
drives the band’s songs along. Kirk Hammett
Use your bridge pickup and a healthy amount
and James Hetfield often make effective use
of gain. However, instead of scooping the
of chromatic movement, too, which brings
middle on your amp and losing the weight of
extra drama and tension to their single-note your sound, keep the middle at 12 o’clock and
riffs and chord sequences. then boost the bass and treble. When palm
James Hetfield muting, rest your hand where the string meets
is Metallica’s NEXT MONTH Jamie follows up his Metallica the bridge, as this will bring chunk to your

JESSE WILD
riff monster lesson with two metal riffers inspired by sound while retaining the pitch definition.
Dave Mustaine’s Megadeth

STYLE STUDY 1
We open with a stomping groove in E Minor. Palm muting brings weight and shape in contrast to the melodic pull-offs. The second section features
arpeggiated chords that move chromatically for a change in pace and some harmonic tension before resolving back to the opening riff.

©»ª∞
1, 3
E5 D5 D #5 E5 F5

# 4 .. œœ # # œœ .
& 4 œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ n œœ .
∑
œ œ #œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
VIDEO
œ œ œ nœ
PM PM PM PM PM PM
E
. .
. .
B
G 7 8
PLAY D 2 2 2 7 8 2 2 2 3
A 2 2 2 5 0 5 6 2 2 2 5 0 3
E 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1
1, 3, 2,
5, 7 ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ 6 ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥

BACKING
B b5 F #5 F #m
2, 4
E5 Gm F5 G5

# ###
D. C.

& œ œ œ b œ .
. nœ bœ œ œ œ œ nœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ n b œœ œ œ n n œœ n œ œ œœ
œ œ œ œœ œ œ nœ œ œ nœ œ œ
PM PM PM Let ring PM Let ring PM PM
E
.
.
B
G 3 3 2
D 2 2 2 3 4 5 5 4 4 3 5
A 2 2 2 5 0 1 4 3 5
E 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 3 3 2 1 1 1 3 3 3
4, 9
8. ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥≥ ≥ ≥≥ ≥
56 May 2024
 METALLICA STYLE
VIDEO PLAY BACKING

STYLE STUDY 2
This study begins with fast-paced downstrokes and strategic upstrokes for the second section maintains the palm muting; however, the opening and closing
16th notes within the sequence. Use palm muting to again focus the rhythms notes of bars 5 -7 are unmuted. This helps to bring dynamics and overall shape
and contrast against the sliding power chords during phrase endings. The when playing riffs at speed.

©»¡¶∞ E5 G5 B b5
# 4 ..
& 4 ∑
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œœ b œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ
PM
E
.
.
B
G
D 5 8
A 7 7 7 7 10 7 7 7 8 7 10 5 8

≥ ≥0 ≥ ≥0 ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≥0 ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≥0 ≥ ≥0 ≥ 3 6
E
1,
5

F #5 B b5

.. # # #
G5 B5
# œœ n b œœ
& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œœ # # œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ
PM
E
.
.
B
G 4 3
D 5 4 4 3
A 7 7 7 7 10 7 7 7 8 7 5 4 2 1
0 0 0
≥0 3 2
E
3,
7 ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥
F #5 F #dim F #5
# #
C5

& # .. œ œ nœ n nn œœœ
œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
PM PM
E
.
.
B
G 5
D 4 4 5
A 4 3 3
2
≥2 2≤ ≥2 ≥2 2≤ ≥2 ≥2 ≥2 2≤ ≥2 ≥2 ≥2 2≤ ≥2
E
9,
13 ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥
F #5 F #dim E bm B bm
###
Em Bm G5
D. C.

& n œœ ..
œœ œ nœ b b œœ œœ b b œœ n n œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ
PM PM PM PM
E
.
.
B
G
D 4 4 5 4 5
A 4 3 7 6 5 4 5
E 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 7 6 0 3
11,
15 ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥

WE’LL MAKE YOU A BETTER PLAYER!

May 2024 57
 LESSON } Shred
ALLAN HOLDSWORTH
Experiencing Metal Fatigue? Sinking in quick
Sand? Then join Charlie Griffiths as he unlocks
the secrets of the master of Wardenclyffe Tower.
ABILITY RATING
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Advanced
Info Will improve your
Key: Various Legato
Tempo: Various String skipping
https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Fretboard knowledge
A
llan Holdsworth was born in Bradford,
Yorkshire in 1946. An early member of
bands like Soft Machine and UK, in the
80s he released a slew of masterpiece
albums that changed the landscape of jazz
and fusion guitar. His style was so influential
that his name is mentioned by the likes of
Van Halen, Satriani, and Vai as one of the
greatest guitarists to have walked the planet.
Allan had a linear melodic style that
defied tradition. He also possessed a unique
self-taught perception of theory and and the
guitar fretboard, quite removed from the
more formulated structures we are used to
today. His approach was idiosyncratic and
TRACK RECORD All of Allan’s solo albums are ‘must listens’, but highlights such as Metal Fatigue (1985), Sand (1987), Secrets (1989), and
The Sixteen Men Of Tain (2000) will provide a good overview. He also appeared as a guest on many recordings, but his work with Planet X on
Quantum 2007 and 1996’s Heavy Machinery alongside Jens and Anders Johansson show how he adapted to rock and metal environments.
58 May 2024
Allan Holdsworth is
often cited as one of
the world’s finest
ever musicians
his music sounds almost alien. Although he
would use jazz-inspired ‘outside’ harmony,
he would also often use typical scales and
modes, albeit heavily disguised.
Our first three examples use the Lydian
mode, the Minor Pentatonic and the Dorian
mode, with no passing notes. Allan’s use of
legato, string skipping, and his skill at
finding patterns within scales gives the
music its otherworldly dimension. Add to
this his smooth legato technique and large
hands and the result is something that
enables wide stretches and a flow of notes
not naturally available to most players. With
practice we can achieve this sound by
making each note the same volume and
blending in softer picked notes to disguise
string changes and create seamless links
between notes across the entire fretboard.
Allan enjoyed finding symmetry and
patterns that could be applied to different
strings. Example 4 is based in the Half-
Whole Diminished scale, constructed in half
AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6
and whole tones to create an eight-note
pattern. It offers a great deal of scope for
creativity and has many elements to explore,
which of course Allan did to its limits.
Example 5 is built around another
symmetrical scale, a repeating ‘tone-
semitone-semitone’ sequence. Start from
any root note and repeat this pattern and the
nine-note result is: 1-2-b3-3-#4-5-b6-b7-7.
The pattern repeats every Major 3rd, which
lends an Augmented flavour to the
proceedings. There is also a blend of Lydian
and Aeolian modes for an interesting
simultaneous Major and Minor sound. In his
1992 instructional video Allan simply refers
to this as the symmetrical scale, but more
specifically we can identify it as ‘Messiaen
mode 3’. The name originates from French
20th Century composer Olivier Messiaen,
who created a list of seven ‘modes of limited
transposition’, which are all symmetrical
scales. The list includes the familiar
Whole-Tone and Diminished scales, as well
as various lesser-known ones including this
Allan Holdsworth favourite.
Play each example slowly and accurately
at first and gradually speed up in small
increments as your muscle memory and
finger dexterity improves.
NEXT MONTH Charlie brings you five great new
shred licks from the fantastic Nita Strauss
4 4
7 7
1
GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB
Allan played Steinberger, Bill DeLap, and a
Kiesel signature model guitar with a single
bridge humbucker. He also also used the
Yamaha UD-stomp pedal and had a Rockett
Pedals signature overdrive. The Holdsworth
tone is very smooth and even, with boosted
mids and not much presence or treble which
created his mellow sound. Just add reverb.
PAUL NATKIN/WIREIMAGE/GETTY
 ALLAN HOLDSWORTH

EXAMPLE 1 IONIAN ARPEGGIO LICK

This lick is based entirely within D Ionian (D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#), and uses arpeggios, wide stretches and string skips for an Allan style phrase. Hold the whammy bar
loosely in your palm throughout and use it to add vibrato and scoop into the notes indicated for a synth-like pitch bend.

©»¡™º
#
F m/D

œ œ œ
~~~~
w/bar
œ . œ
G /A

œ œ œ œ
A /B scoop
'œ œœ '
D/F # G/E

œœœ œ
scoop
## 4 .. ‰ œ œ œ
& 4 ∑ œ œœ œ œ œ
œ PLAY

~~~~
w/bar
'
scoop
scoop
'
E
B . 12
10 14 10
10 14 10 10
G
D
A
. 11 12
11 14 14 9 14
14 9 14 14 9
14 10 12
E 14 10
1

œ œ œ ˙ ~~~~~~
A /D w/bar

## ~~~~
w/bar Play

œ œ œ ..
3 4 times

&
œ œ œ œ 6

~~~~
w/bar
~~~~~~~
w/bar
E
B
10 12 14 12
.
G
D
A
11 12 14 .
E 9 9 10 12
3

EXAMPLE 2 WIDE-STRETCH DORIAN LICK

Based in E Dorian (E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D), this lick uses string skipping and wide stretches to repeat the same note on different strings. The latter half of the lick uses a
wide stretch shape on each string using the 12th, 14th and 19th frets. If this is too much of a finger stretch, feel free to tap the 19th-fret notes.

©»¡¡º E m13

œ
√
~~~
œ œ œw/bar œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ /' œ~~~
w/bar ~~~
œ
w/bar 14

# œ œ
& 44 ∑ .. œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ PLAY

'
6 6

~~~
w/bar
1/4
~~~
w/bar
~~~
w/bar
E
B . 12 15 12
15 14 12 12
G
D
A
. 12 14
12 14
14 12
16 14 12 14 16 16 14 12 14 16 12
16 14 12
14
16 14 12
16

E
1

Play

œ
C maj7/D √ 4 times

# œ œ œ 6
~~~~
w/bar

œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ
3

& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
3 6

~~~~
w/bar
12 14 19 14 12
.
E
B 19 14 12
G
D
A 12 14 19
12 14 19
19 14 12 .
E 19 14 12
3

EXAMPLE 3 STRETCHY SEXTUPLET LICK

Continuing the wide stretch theme, this lick begins with B Minor Pentatonic targeting with the particular finger that lands on each downbeat. This is made
(B-D-E-F#-A) played with three notes per string, then extends to B Dorian by more challenging with a five-note melodic pattern embedded within
adding C# and G# in the second half. Keep the sextuplet phrasing even by the six-note feel.

©»¡¡º B5
œ œ œ √œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ
## 4 .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& 4 ∑ PLAY

6 6 6
6

E
B . 14 17 19 17 14 14 19 21 19 14
21 19 14
G
D
A
. 14 17 19
14 16 19 19 16 14 16 19

E
1

May 2024 59
 LESSON } Shred AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

Allan’s legato technique

and vocabulary spanned
modes to synthetic scales
and was revered by many

STEVE THORNE/REDFERNS

60 May 2024
 ALLAN HOLDSWORTH

EXAMPLE 3 STRETCHY SEXTUPLET LICK CONTINUED…

(√)
Play

## œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ~~~~~~~~
D5 4 times

œ œ œ œ
& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
6

~~~~~~~~
6 6

E
B 19 21 .
G
D
A
14 19 21 19 14
21 19 14 19 21
14 19 21 19 14 12
.
E
2

EXAMPLE 4 HALF-WHOLE DIMINISHED LICK

This lick uses D Half-Whole Diminished which contains eight notes (D-Eb-F-F#-G#-A-B-C). There are various symmetrical patterns within the scale that offer many
Holdsworthian options for accessing movable shapes, transferrable to different strings. Use this lick to generate your own ideas (It Bites’ Francis Dunnery did).

b
©»ªº
D 13 9

#
√ œ #œ nœ
& # 44 ∑ .. n œ b œ b œ œ b œ n œ # œ n œ œ ∫ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ nœ nœ œ PLAY

6 6 6 6

E
B . 10 11 13 14 13 11 10 11 14 17 16 13
G
D
A
. 10 11 13 14 13 11 10 11 14 17 16 13

E
1

## œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ œ
~~~~~~~
œ
4 times
..
& ∫œ nœ œ œ nœ œ
6

~~~~~~~
6 3

14 16 19 16 14
.
E
B
G
D
A
14 16 19 19 16 14
20 17 15 14 17
.
E
2

EXAMPLE 5 MESSIAEN NINE-NOTE SCALE LICK

This lick is based in Messiaen’s 3rd mode from an A root (A-B-C-C#-D#-E-F-G-G#). Focus on picking at the same volume as your legato notes in order for the
notes to flow together in a liquid like fashion. As the phrasing switches between 16th-notes and sextuplets be sure not to speed up in tempo.

#
©»¡º∞ Aadd # 9
~~~
œ nœ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ #œ
#
& # 44 ∑ .. œ # œ nœ PLAY

~~~
. 5 8 7 8
E
B 6 9 6 9 12 8 9
G
D
A
. 9 6 8
10
E
1

œ nœ #œ œ~~~~
. # œ œ n ˙~~~~~
.
# # œ nœ #œ œ nœ œ œ
Play
nœ
œ œ œ nœ #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ
4 times

& # ..
6
~~~~11 ~~~~~
6 6

E
B
7 8 9 12 9 8
.
G
D
A
9 12 8 9
10 13 9 10
11 14 10 11 12
8 9 10
9 10 11 .
E
2

May 2024 61
 LESSON } Rockabilly
BRIAN SETZER
For this issue Andy G Jones is looking to
unravel the style of rockabilly’s most ardent
torchbearer, the stupendous Stray Cat himself.
ABILITY RATING
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate/Advanced
Info Will improve your
Key: XX Picking technique
Tempo: XX Rockabilly language
https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Use of chromatic notes
B
rian Stetzer revitalised the rockabilly
scene with his band The Stray Cats in
the early 1980s, during the time he was
living in the UK. After the initial success
of the band and his various solo projects,
Setzer had a fantastic second wind with his
Brian Setzer Orchestra which adds jazz and
swing influences to the rockabilly core.
A jazz enthusiast from an early age, Setzer
blends Charlie Christian-tinged inflections
into his lines and shows a sophisticated way
of navigating the chord changes. This
approach is not that surprising for a
rockabilly player, but the more complex
music that his band plays really brings this
TRACK RECORD Setzer’s recordings with his trios are always great but there’s some lovely playing on Brian Setzer Orchestra albums too.
Stray Cat Strut is a favourite from The Stray Cats and features some wild lines. Check out Rock This Town from their Dirty Boogie album for
great double-stops and blues bending, and check out the way he accompanies himself, often using Travis picking-inspired approaches.
62 May 2024
VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6
Brian Setzer is Gretsch
Guitars’ most ardent and
prominent performer
aspect of Brian’s playing to the fore.
In the big band setting, Setzer is very
involved in the arranging process and his
obvious grasp of the harmony is again
displayed in some lovely chord melody
moments. Setzer is one of those players that
uses a particular kind of guitar and its sound
is difficult to emulate on another type of
instrument. His Gretsches generally have
Bigsby vibrato arms - a big part of his sound.
Musically he often demonstrates bolder
use of chromatic notes than you might
expect from this style. However, some of the
early rockabilly players also used lines that
elegantly observed the chord changes. You
may recall from earlier columns that we
mentioned the ‘Bebop’ scale. This is an
amended form of the Mixolydian mode
where the Major 7th degree is added
between the root and the b7. It’s one surefire
way to know that you’re using chromatic
notes that will work on a standard Dominant
7th. Brian’s approach is organic but it’s also
VIDEO
ON VIDEO
obvious that he has seriously worked at his
understanding of jazz harmony.
Another element of Setzer’s playing is the
blues phrasing and blues-influenced string
bends. Country guitar influences are also in
evidence. Travis picking is common in both
straight rockabilly and traditional country
guitar styles. And in his 1981 classic, Stray
Cat Strut, Setzer breaks out some really
ear-catching economy picking - that’s
certainly what it sounds like, but if it’s
turbocharged alternate picking then that’s
even more impressive!
In country, western swing and rockabilly
styles it’s common for players to use hybrid
picking - a combination of pick and fingers
that really helps with double-stop playing,
small chord fragments, and string crossing
for arpeggios . It’s best to hold the pick as
you normally would but grab at the strings
with the other fingers. This is an approach
that would have grown out of the demands of
the music. If you’re playing Travis picking
accompaniment patterns (as Setzer often
does) while also playing conventionally with
a pick, it’s easy to bring the other picking
fingers into play when needed. If you adopt
this approach, aim to keep the picking hand
relaxed, as it can be easy to tense up.
NEXT MONTH Andy checks out the very tasty
playing of St Louis blues supremo Mike Zito
4 4 6 4
7
GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB
A clean American style sound drenched in
reverb and slap-back echo is a good place to
start. Treble or middle pickup will help you cut
through, although for the jazzy parts, the neck
pickup can be better. Just a touch of overdrive
will add a bit of authentic grit to you sound. On
held chords, a little waggle on the vibrato arm
TIM MOSENFELDER / GETTY IMAGES
would be in character with Brian’s vibe.
 BRIAN SETZER

EXAMPLE 1 MINOR KEY WORKOUT

Brian might scrape muted notes across adjacent strings before hitting the quarter (crochet) notes. Watch your timing, don’t rush, and play with attitude.

©»¡∞∞ œ bœ œ œ
Gm6

œœ œ œ œ
D7

4
&4 .. bœ œ œ œ n œ n œ œ b œ œ n œ œ œ n œ œ ..
#œ œ #œ nœ #œ J J
∑ PLAY

E
. 10 6 6
.
. .
B 8 8 8
G 9 7 7 7 10 7
D 8 8 7 10 9 7 7 9
A 10 9 11 10 8 9
E 9 10
1

EXAMPLE 2 CHROMATIC ‘SPICE’ NOTES

Using chromatic notes to spice up a simple Minor Pentatonic idea works great. This lick ends with some classic double-stop ideas.

©»¡£∞ œ b œ œ œj # œ n œ œ œ b œ
D7

& 44 ∑ .. œ nœ œ œ bœ œ
nœ œ œ œ nœ œ PLAY

E
.
.
B 10 10
G 13 12 10 11
D 12 12 11 10 10
A 12 12 11 10 10
E 13 13 12 10 8
1

œœ ~~~~~~~
w/bar
œœ
J n œœ b œœ œœ n œœ œ
œœ
œ b œœ # n œœ
& œ ‰ œ ..

~~~~~~~
w/bar
E 13 10
.
.
B 12 10 13 12 10 12 9 10
G 13 12 10 12 10 11
D 12 10 12
A
E 10
3

EXAMPLE 3 ASCENDING REPEATED PATTERN

This a classic rockabilly move going up chromatically using a repeating pattern . Jimmy Page, a huge rock and roll fan, also used this approach with Led Zeppelin.

©»¡¢∞
œ œ #œ nœ #œ œ œ œ #œ nœ #œ œ
A7 D7

4
&4 ∑ .. œ # œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ n œ b œ n œ œ
3 3 3 3 3 3 PLAY
3 3

E
.
.
B 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
G 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13
D
A
E
1

n œœ œœ b œœ n œœ
D7

œ nœ #œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ
n œ # œ n œ n œj œ ..
3
3
&
3 3

E 13 10
.
.
B 12 10 13 12
G 13 12 10 11 12 12 10
D 12 12 12 10
A 12 11 10
E 13 10
3

May 2024 63
 LESSON } Rockabilly VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

EXAMPLE 4 TWO-STRING PULL-OFFS

This one’s a little tricky as it uses pull-offs on two strings by covering them with one fretting-hand finger. It sounds best if the amp is cranked a little bit.

©»¡™ª œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ
œ œ # œ n œœ œœ œ œœ œœ # œœ n œœ œœ
D

œ œ # œ n œœ œ œ œ œ
PLAY
& 44 ∑ .. ‰ J
3 3 3 3 3 3

E
. 13 12 10 10 13 12 10 10 13 12 10 10 10

.
B 13 12 10 13 12 10 13 12 10 13 12 10 13 12 10 13 12 10 12 12
G 13 12 13 12 13 12
D
A
E
1

œ ' œœ ..~~~~~w/bar

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& J œ œ œ œ ..

' 13 ~~~~~
3 3 3 3
3
w/bar
E 10 10 13 12 10
.
.
B 12 10 12 13 12 10 10
G 12 10
D 12 10 12
A 12
E
3

EXAMPLE 5 ECONOMY PICKING

' b œ ..
Try economy picking in places like bar 3, one stroke across several strings (useful for arpeggios). Note the chromaticism provides b3, 3 plus #4, b6,b7 and 7. Colourful!
Ex 5

©»¡º¢
1/4
Cm7
n œ œ n œ n œœ b œ n œ b œ
nœ #œ œ #œ
3
b œ n œ
& 44 .. œ J
3

bœ b œ n œ
œ bœ nœ œ #œ
PLAY ∑
3
'
1/4

E
. 7 8 11 8

.
B 7 8 9 10 8
G 5 8 9 10 11 10 8
D 6 8 9
A 6 7 8 9
E 8
1

œ bœ œ nœ œ œ
& œ œ œ Œ ..
3
bœ œ bœ œ œ œ
E
.
.
B 6 8
G 7 8 8 7
D 10 9 10
A 9 8 6 6
E 8 8
3

Love this magazine?

You’ll love guitarworld.com
64 May 2024
 BRIAN SETZER

COMPLETE SOLO BRIAN SETZER STYLE

œ~~~~œ œ œ
w/bar

©»¡¶• D7
œœ œ œ œ bœ œœ n œœ œj # œœ
& 44 ∑ j J œ ‰ # œj n œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ n œ b œ n œ n œ
œ 3
3 3 3 PLAY

E 10
~~~~
w/bar
13 10
B 10 12 10 13 12 10 10 3 4 5 6
G 13 12 10 10 11 2 4 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9
D 0 12 4
A
E
1

n œœ
G6
œœ b œœ œ n œ
œ œ #œ nœ #œ œ œ œ #œ nœ #œ œ n œ n œ œ œœ œœ œ
œ œj b œ œ œ œ n œ œ
&
3 3 3 3

E 13 10
B 7 8 9 10 12 10 13 12 10 10
G 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 12 10 10
D 12 12 9
A 10 11 10 8 10 12 8
E
4

A 7/C #
D7 A7
œ
Bdim7
œ
C dim7
nœ œ
œ nœ œ #œ œœœœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ n n œœ ‰ J
b œ œ
& œ #œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ nœ #œ nœ œ J J
3 3 3
3

E 5 7 8 10
B 5 6 7 8
G 7 10 7 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9
D 10 9 7 7 9
A 12 11 10 8 9
E 10 14
7

D7
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ #œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G6

n œ
' nœ œ œ œ 1/4

œ
3
œ
3

& œ #œ nœ œ #œ œ

'
3 3 3 3 3 3

1/4
E 13 10 10 10
B 13 10 13 10 10 8 10 12 8
G 13 13 12 10 12 10 7 10
D 12 12 10 7 9
A 12 11 10 8 9
E
11

#
œ œ œ œ #œ œ #œ nœ
G dim7 D7

#œ bœ nœ #œ œ nœ nœ #œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ nœ #œ œ œ œ
& œ J œ J
BU
E 9 10 13 10 13 ( 14 ) 10
B 9 11 12 14 13 10 10 12 13
G 12 10 11 7 7 7 10 11
D 12 9 7 0
A
E
14

œ œ œ #œ œ œ nœ
œ nœ #œ œ bœ œ œ
œ #œ œ œ ‰
1/4
' Œ Ó
& n œ # œ n œ œj œ œ
E
B
G
12 10 9 12 10
12 9 10 11
'
1/4

D 12 11 10 9
A 12 11 12 5
E 10 9 8 5 8
18

May 2024 65
 LESSON } Acoustic Legends
BOB DYLAN
This month Stuart Ryan shows how the fleet
fingerpicking acoustic style of the protest song
legend enriched song accompanient forever.
ABILITY RATING
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Easy
Info Will improve your
Key: C Major Midtempo folk fingerpicking
Tempo: 100 bpm Giving simple chords colour
https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Varying fingerpicking
T
his month I’m starting a new series
focusing on the acoustic legends from
the 1960s folk, rock and pop scenes. We
start off with Bob Dylan, an artist who
emerged as a folk musician but had an
impact way beyond the confines of the genre.
Robert Zimmerman was born on May
24th 1941 in Minnessota. His early
influences were rock and roll artists like
Little Richard and Buddy Holly but it was
when he went to the University of Minnesota
in 1959 that he really developed a passion for
American folk music, drawn by the
melancholy and depth this material offered.
As with many of the folk artists of the 1960s,
TRACK RECORD You can’t go wrong with 1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, which contains the classics Blowin’ In The Wind, Girl From
The North Country, and Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right. Follow this with 1964’s The Times They Are A Changin’ which was his first album to
contain all self-penned material with classics such as With God On Our Side, Only A Pawn In Their Game, and the title track.
66 May 2024
VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6
Bob Dylan in
classic pose with
Martin guitar and
harmonica harness
inspiration came in the form of Woody
Guthrie whom Dylan befriended. Dylan was
also influenced by Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and
lent his harmonica playing to his eponymous
album. These associations and recording
sessions led to Dylan coming to the attention
of Columbia Records and producer John
Hammond, and in 1962 his debut album,
Bob Dylan, was released. However, it was
1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan that
began to bring him more attention, laden as
it was with protest songs, a very popular
style of the day.
Acoustic guitar serves as the engine room
for his songwriting, and it really propels his
songs along. It’s worth noting that Dylan’s
acoustic rhythm playing in many ways
defines the American folk sound of the
1960s; it’s never intrusive but always solid,
serving as a perfect backdrop to the lyrics
and melody. There are two distinct sides to
Dylan’s approach to acoustic guitar as he
either strums basic chords or weaves deft
ON VIDEO
fingerpicking patterns, usually focusing on
the open position as is traditional with the
folk style. It’s the latter we’ll focus on here, as
while Dylan’s strumming is quite basic, his
fingerpicking is full of clean, articulate
picking patterns and characterful chords.
Listen to tracks like Girl From The North
Country and Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right
and you’ll hear the core of his fingerpicking
approach. Folk fingerpicking follows a
quasi-classical technique where the
picking-hand thumb is reserved for the
sixth, fifth and fourth strings and the first,
second and third fingers take care of the
third, second and first strings respectively.
Dylan typically uses repeating patterns with
slight variations as you’ll see here, and the
main challenge is to get to the speeds he
picks at. When learning parts like this it’s a
good idea to learn the fretting-hand shapes
first (and there are several variations to get
to grips with) and then bring in the picking
hand. Remember that, as with the fretting
hand, muscle memory comes into play so if
you are new to patterns like this take some
time to let the picking hand process what’s
going on and, before you know it, picking-
hand muscle memory will set in and you’ll no
longer need to look at the music.
NEXT MONTH Stuart delves into the fantastic
acoustic playing of The Rolling Stones
6
3 7 7
2
GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB
Bob Dylan is best known for playing a Gibson
Nick Lucas model or a Martin 000-18 guitar
when still a purely acoustic artist. For this style a
smaller-bodied model can give a tight, punchy
TRINITY MIRROR / MIRRORPIX / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
tone but anything within the Martin/Gibson
sphere of sound will get you that classic 1960s
American vibe. I recorded this on a Martin
Custom Shop Expert 1937 D-28.
 BOB DYLAN
VIDEO PLAY

STUDY PIECE BOB DYLAN

Bars 1-16: The alternating bassline is a real folk staple and there are two ways you can fret all the notes of the chord together so the third finger takes care of
for the fretting hand to approach it. First you can finger a C chord as normal and the 3rd fret, sixth string, the fourth is on the 3rd fret, fifth string, the second is at
simply move the third finger over to the 3rd fret of the sixth string. Alternatively, the 2nd fret, fourth string and the first is at the 1st fret, second string.

©»¡ºº C C/G C C/G C C /G C C/G C C/G C C /G

& 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
∑

E
B 1 1 1 1 1
G 0 0 0 0 0 0
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 3 3 3 3 3 3
E 3 3 3 3 3 3
1 p p p i p m

G C /G G7 C C /G C C/G

& œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ
œ œœ œ œ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E
B 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
G 0 0 0 0 0 0
D 0 0 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2
A 3 3
E 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
4

C C/G C C /G F C G /B Am G5

& œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œœœœ œœ œœœœ œœ œ

œ œœ œ œ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
E
B 1 1 1 0 1 1 1
G 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 0 0
D 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 0 2 0
A 3 3 3 2 0
E 3 3 1 1 1 1 3
7

D6/F # D 7/F # G C /G G7

& œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ
#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E
B 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
G 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
D 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 3 3 3
A
E 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
10

G7 C C/G C C /G C C/G C C /G

œœ œ
& œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ
œ œœ œ œ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E 0 1
B 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
G 0 0 0 0 0 0
D 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 3 3 3 3
E 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
13

May 2024 67
 LESSON } Acoustic Legends VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

STUDY PIECE BOB DYLAN

Bars 17-32: The F Major chord here is a particular idiosyncrasy to the folk genre. finger must be at the 3rd fret of the fourth string and the first finger is at the 1st
The hammer-on on the third string means that you need to hook the thumb fret of the second string. With these fingers in place you can play the hammer-on
over the neck so it frets the sixth string at the 1st fret. At the same time the third to the 2nd fret of the third string using the second finger.

D7/F # F G C C/G C C/G

& œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œ Nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
œ œ œ œ
œ
œ œ œœœ
#œ œ œ œ Nœ œ œ œ
E
B 1 1 1 0 0 1 1
G 2 2 2 2 0 2 2 0 0 0
D 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 2 2 2 2
A 3 3
E 2 2 2 2 1 1 3 3 3 3
16

C C/G C C/G C C7 F

& œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ b œœ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œœ œ œœ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
E
B 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
G 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 2 2 2
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3
A 3 3 3 3 3 3
E 3 3 1 1 1 1
19

C G add 9 C C/G C C/G C C/G C C /G C G /B Am Am/E

& œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E
B 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
G 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
D 2 2 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 2 2
A 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 0
E 3 3 3 3 3 3 0
22

Am A m/E Am Am/E D 6/F # C C/E C C/E

& œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œ
œ œ
œœ œ œ
œ œ
œœ
œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ
E
B 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1
G 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0
D 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
A 0 0 3 3
E 0 0 2 2 2 2 0 0
26

—
F C C /G G C/G G7 G7 C

& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ gggg ˙˙˙

˙
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ gg ˙
—
E
gg 01
B
G 0 2
1
2
1 1
2
1
0
1 0
0
0 1
0
1 0
0
0 0
0
0
g0
3 gg 2
D
A
E 1
3
1
3
1
3
1
3
3
2
3
2
3
0
3
0
3
2
3
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
g3
29

68 May 2024
 Find Your
Perfect Tone
Every issue, Guitarist brings you the best gear, features,
lessons and interviews to fuel your passion for guitar

Available to order online at www.magazinesdirect.com/guitarist-magazine

Guitarist magazine is also available on iOS & Android

 LESSON } Thrash Metal VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

GUS G: SPEED PICKING VIDEO

ON VIDEO
In this month’s JTC Guitar column the Firewind and
Ozzy Osbourne guitarist with a successful solo career,
has three licks to help you sharpen up your picking.

ABILITY RATING
Gus G with his
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate/Advanced rocktastic pinstriped
Info Will improve your Jackson Gus G Star
signature guitar
Key: C Minor/E Minor Alternate picking
Tempo: Various Economy picking
https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Speed and fluency

W
elcome to another column from the
folks at JTCguitar. If you want to be
a master of metal soloing, you need
to work HARD at your picking
technique. Legato and tapping are of course
great, but when you want to dig in and add
real impact to your solos, only super-tight
picking can deliver. Think of players like
Paul Gilbert, Steve Morse, Al Di Meola,
Gary Moore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Frank
Gambale, John McLaughlin, and so many
others in many and various styles and
genres, not all of them metal.
However, since this column is dealing
with that very subject, today we have Greek
metal star Gus G to help you fine-tune your
picking skills. A supremely gifted player
who can most definitely be added to that
illustrious list, Gus has years of playing
experience with his band Firewind,
alongside Ozzy Osbourne, and many
others. Gus uses a mix of alternate picking
and economy picking in a wide variety of
metal soloing styles, but these techniques
really come to the fore in his high-tempo
thrash licks, as we are about to see.
We’re going to look at three examples
here, just a small selection from Gus’s
JTCguitar package, Speed Picking
Concepts. For the video licks Gus is tuned
down a whole tone (D-G-C-F-A-D). If you
want to stay in standard tuning, just play
everything two frets lower. Of course, feel
free to play these licks at much slower
speeds to begin with, and then gradually
build up to tempo against your metronome,
increasing it day by day until you can play
these ideas cleanly and accurately.

NEXT MONTH JTCguitar brings you four

fantastic licks from Claudio Pietronik

TRACK RECORD For Gus’s work with his band Firewind try their 2002 debut, Heaven And Hell, and their latest, 2020’s Firewind. With Ozzy
Osbourne, 2010’s Scream has some great soloing from Gus, while guest appearances with Jason Becker on Triumphant Hearts, and Arch Enemy
on Doomsday Machine, are worthy listens. Solo career-wise, I Am The Fire from 2014, and his latest, 2021’s Quantum Leap, are great albums.

70 May 2024
 GUS G

EXAMPLE 1
We start things gently with this triplet-based lick. It’s all C Minor Pentatonic (C-Eb-F-G-Bb), although we’re at the 10th fret because of the tuning (it’s the 8th fret if you’re
in standard tuning). This is mostly a repeating pattern, except for the changing top note. Start with a downstroke and use strict alternate picking throughout.

©»¡ºº ©»™ºº Cm
œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
(slow), (fast)

b 4
PLAY

&b b 4 ∑
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Tune down one step or lower all fret
numbers by 2 (15th fret = 13th fret)
D 15 10 10 13 10 10 12 10 10 13 10 10
A 13 10 13 13 10 13 13 10 13 13 10 13
F
C
G
D
1
≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤
b b
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Eœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ w ~~~~~~~~~~œ
Fm A
j
b œ œ œ œ œ
&b b Œ Ó
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

D 15 10 10 13 10 10 12 10 10 13 10 10
~~~~~~~~~~
A 13 10 13 13 10 13 13 10 13 13 10 13 13 15
F
C
G
D
3

EXAMPLE 2
This example is in E Minor (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D). The trickiest aspect of alternate picking is moving from string to string in a strict fashion, starting a new string with either
a downstroke or an upstroke. Practise slowly with the picking suggestions shown and then later switch to start with an upstroke (= developing a flexible technique).

©»•∞ ©»¡¶º
œœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœ ~~~~~~~~
(slow), (fast) Em
# 4 œœ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œœœ
& 4 œ œ ˙.
PLAY
œ
∑
Tune down one step or
lower all fret numbers

D
by 2 (15th fret = 13th fret)
2 2 4 5 7 4 5 7 9 5 7 9 10 9 7
~~~~~~~~
A 2 3 5 5 3 2 3 5 10 9 7
F 9 7 6
C 9 7 6
G 9
D
1
≥≤ ≥≤ ≥≤ ≥≤
EXAMPLE 3
For certain note combinations, Gus switches to economy picking, minimising the movement in his picking hand. This sequence-based line in E Minor Pentatonic
(E-G-A-B-D) is a good example. Instead of four separate pickstrokes for each group, (eg down-up-down-up, Zakk Wylde style) he just plays two small sweeps.

©»•∞ (slow), ©»¡¶º (fast) Em

œ œ ˙~~~~~~~~
œ
# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ PLAY

& 44 ∑ œœ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Ó
Tune down one step or
lower all fret numbers

D
by 2 (15th fret = 13th fret)
~~~~~~~~
A
F 9 11 9 11 11 14 11 14 14 16 14 16 18
C 9 11 9 11 11 14 11 14 14 16 14 16
G
D
1
≤ ≥≥≤ ≤ ≥≥≤

May 2024 71
 LESSON } Americana AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

AMERICANA PT 1 Brought to you by…

This month Stuart Ryan brings you 10 superb

fingerpicking ideas from his new Fundamental
Changes release, The Americana Guitar Book.
ABILITY RATING
Steve Earle, who’s
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Easy one of the modern
Info Will improve your artists shaping the
sound of Americana
Key: Various Americana fingerpicking
Tempo: Various Carter picking
https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Travis Picking

A
mericana is a century-old musical
melting pot where country, blues, folk
and bluegrass collide. Originally this
music would have been performed on
banjos, fiddles and mandolins with guitars
arriving later. The earliest known guitarists
in this style would have been the country
music pioneers like Hank Williams and
mandolin genius Bill Monroe. Americana
came into its own via artists like Woody
Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Elizabeth Cotton and

“Today Americana is
shaped by hard-edged
artists like Steve Earle
and Jason Isbell”
The Carter Family, blending country, blues
and folk to create the genre’s blueprint
sound, before superstars like Bob Dylan and
Johnny Cash made it their own.
Today it’s shaped by hard-edged artists
like Steve Earle, and other Americana heroes
like Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton and
Lucinda Williams. Fingerpicking is at the
core of Americana. Iconic artists Pete Seeger
and Woody Guthrie used fingerstyle
techniques extensively. They influenced the
next generation of players like Bob Dylan
and Paul Simon, who took folk Americana
into the mainstream. In our examples you’ll
find simple pieces that will help to get your
fingers working, others where chords are
added to or altered, others where bass runs
and fills are added, and some that will test
your fretting and picking-hand skills.
STEPHEN LOVEKIN/FILMMAGIC/GETTY

NEXT MONTH Stuart brings you another great

lesson from The Americana Guitar Book

TRACK RECORD Americana is a huge genre and it’s worth listening to all the artists mentioned above, as well as The Byrds, The Band,
Wilco, and many, many more! If you want a softer entry to the style, try Johnny Cash’s American Recordings, the fabulous albums from
Alison Krauss and Union Station, her superb releases with Robert Plant, and Dolly Parton’s work on her 1999 album The Grass Is Blue.

72 May 2024
 AMERICANA PT 1

EXAMPLE 1
Here’s a basic accompaniment pattern to get you playing Americana fingerstyle. i denotes the first finger and is often used to pluck the third string; m refers to
Try my suggested picking pattern first – p means that you pluck the note with the second finger and can often be found playing the second string. Finally, a
the picking hand thumb and this usually applies to sixth, fifth and fourth strings; refers to the third or ‘anular’ finger and this is usually used for the first string.

©»§™ G C C/G G

# 4 œ œ œ PLAY

& 4 ∑ œ œ
œ œœ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ
œ œœ œ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E 0 0
B 0 0 1 1 1 0
G 0 0 0 0 0 0
D 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 0 0
A 3 3 3 3
E 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
1 p p m p i p p p a p m i p p m p i

EXAMPLE 2
Next, bass notes are played alongside notes on the third, second and first strings for a more ‘open’ sound. This style leads to instrumental fingerstyle guitar and you’ll
hear Paul Simon perform some complex solo fingerstyle pieces early on in his career.

#
©»§∞ G C/G G C

& 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ PLAY
∑
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
œ œ
E
B 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0
G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 2 0
A
E 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
1 m i p m p i
p p

EXAMPLE 3
As guitars superseded the banjo in early Americana and folk styles it became more of an accompaniment tool to the voice. Creating the illusion of more than one
instrument playing was important, so alternating basslines became a huge part of fingerstyle guitar too. The bass movement typically alternates root-5th.

©»¶¢ C C /B Am C /G C C/G Am

& 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œœ œœ œœ
œ PLAY

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
∑
œ œ œ œ œ œ
E
B 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
G 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 2
D 2 2 2 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 3 3 2 0 0 3 0 0
E 3 0 3 3
1 p mp i pmp i

EXAMPLE 4
An alternating bass/picking pattern thickens the sound by combining the bass notes with melody strings (the third, second and first strings). This fuller sound
allowed many artists from the early American folk scene, like Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, to perform with just their voice and guitar.

©»§§ C Am Em G C C/G C

& 44 œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ
PLAY

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
∑
œ œ œ œ
E 0 0
B 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1
G 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 0
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 2 2 2
A 3 0 3 3
E 3 0 0 0 3 3 3
1 m i p m p i m a
p p p p

May 2024 73
 LESSON } Americana AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

Lucinda Williams
is another one of
Americana’s harder-
edged modern artists

ROBIN LITTLE/REDFERNS VIA GETTY IMAGES

74 May 2024
 AMERICANA PT 1

EXAMPLE 5
There are also techniques like Carter picking, developed by Maybelle Carter of the famous Carter Family. Rather than using the typical pima picking finger
combinations, Carter would pluck a note with the thumb and then follow this with a downward first finger flick to sound a chord.

©»¡ºº C
—œ —œ —œ —œ
G7
—œ —œ
C
—œ —œ
gg œ gœ œ gg œ gœ gg œœ gg œœ gg œ gœ
PLAY
&C ∑
œ gg œ œ ggg œ œ g gg œ gg œ gg œ œ œ g
œ
—0 — — — — — — —
gg 1 gg 01 gg 01 gg 01 gg 10 gg 10 gg 01 gg 01
gg 0 g gg 0 g
E
B
G
D
gg 0 2
0 g 0
gg 0 0
gg 0 0 2
A 3 3
E 3
1 p i i p p i p i p i p i p i p i

EXAMPLE 6
This second Carter picking example develops the technique further with embellishments such as hammer-ons to the fourth string and the down/up first finger
brush/flick technique to make you play on and off the beat. Ask yourself this question “How many artists have had a technique named after them?”

©»¡•• C
—œ œ —œ —œ œ —œ
G7
—œ —œ œ —œ œ
C/G
—œ
g g
PLAY

&C gœ gœ
ggg œ ggg œ œ ggg œœ gœ gœ
œ g ‡g œ œ gg œ ggg œœ œ œ gœ gœ gœ
œ ggg œ ‡ggg œ œ g ‡g œ œg
∑
œ ‡ g œ g œ
— — — — — — — —
ggg 01 ggg 01 ggg 01 ggg 01 gg 01 ggg 01 ggg ggg 10 gg 10 ggg 01 gg 01 ggg 01
‡g ‡g
1

g 0 ‡gg 0
E

g0 ‡g 0 g0 g
0
B
G 0 0 0
D 2 0 2 0 2 0 2
A 3
E 3
1 p i i p i p i i p i

EXAMPLE 7
In this example the thumb has a more detailed role and plays simple bass runs in the 2nd and 4th bars These ‘connecting lines’ were a mainstay of the Carter style
forming both intros and accompaniment patterns, or filling the role of a bassist. Listen to Maybelle’s Wildwood Flower and you’ll hear all these elements at play.

©»¡•• C
—œ —œ œ
G7
—œ —œ œ
C
—˙. PLAY

&C gg œœ gœ gœ ggg œœ œœ g g gg ˙˙ ..
∑ gœ gœ
œ gg œ œ gg ‡gg œ œ œ œ g œ œ ggg œ ‡ggg œ œ œ œ œ œ gg
œ
— — — — —
E
ggg 01 ggg 01 ggg 01 ggg 10 ggg 10 ggg 10 ggg 01
g0 g 0 ‡g 0 g0 2 g ‡g
g0
B
G 0 0
D 0 2 3 2 0 2 0 3 2 0
A 3 2 3
E 3
1
p i p i i p p p p p i p i i p p p p i

EXAMPLE 8
Carter frequently used bass runs to connect chords together, say from the 3rd to 4th bar. The first-finger flick approach is quite arbitrary; although there are times
when I’ve indicated to brush just the first and second strings it won’t matter if you catch the third too, as total precision is not an essential element of this style.

©»¡ªº C
—œ —œ œ
G7
œœ œœ œœ
C

˙˙ ..
PLAY

&C Ó œ œ œ gg œ œ œ g ‡g gœ gœ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙.
œ œ œ œ œ
— —
ggg 01 ggg 01 gg 01
‡g
E 1 1 1 0
B 0 0 0 1
G 0 0 0 0 0
D 2 3 0 2 3 2 0
A 3 0 2 3
E 3
1
p p p i p i i

May 2024 75
 LESSON } Americana AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

EXAMPLE 9
Did I say name another artist with a technique named after them? Merle Travis’
Travis picking style allows for two independent parts to be picked together; a
bassline, usually on the sixth and fifth or sixth and fourth strings, and a separate
melody over the top. Place the heel of the picking hand lightly on the saddle so
it rests on the sixth, fifth and fourth strings, as a ‘half palm mute’ , while letting
the third, second and first strings ring out. Play this simple alternating bassline
with the picking-hand thumb, making sure that the notes are muted all the way
through. While not essential, most Travis pickers use a thumbpick.

©»¡ªº
#### 4
E

PLAY & 4 ∑ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
PM
E
B
G 1 1 1 1
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 p p p p p p p p

EXAMPLE 10
Here’s another version of the Travis-picked bassline. The previous example was root-octave (sixth to fourth string) but this pattern is root (fifth string), fifth (fourth
string) to fifth an octave below (sixth string). This is just as common so spend as much time as you can on this and the previous example before progressing.

©»¡£ª
### 4
A

& 4 ∑ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œ œ œ œ
PLAY
œ œ œ œ
PM
E
B
G 2 2 2 2
D 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 0 0 0 0
E 0 0 0 0
1 p p p p p p p p

Paul Simon’s
sophisticated style
took Americana into
the mainstream

EDU HAWKINS/REDFERNS

76 May 2024
 The No.1 website for musicians

Love this magazine?

You’ll love musicradar.com
Thousands of gear Tips and techniques
reviews and killer to help you create
video demos your own sound
 LESSON } Improve your… AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

DOUBLE-STOPS
Brought to you by…

Playing two notes together is a useful addition to

any guitarist’s arsenal. Simon Barnard shows
how this can be used in a variety of styles.
lines. The addition of a second note to some
Ritchie Blackmore of these lines adds so much more power to
used double-stops
the phrases. Angus Young is another great
to create his Smoke
On The Water riff rock guitarist who loves his double-stops.
Jimi Hendrix inspired generations with
his use of diads. His beautiful song Little
Wing is still covered by players to this day,
with its double-stop laden introduction a
legendary piece of guitar playing. Hendrix
effortlessly uses double-stops to play
through a set of chord changes, using colour
tones and trills to add colour and depth to
his guitar lines. This approach has been
borrowed by a whole slew of guitarists ever
since (think SRV) and is known as an
integral part of his style of guitar playing,
and arguably more legendary than his
wah-wah and fuzz-filled lead style.
This month’s examples showcase how
double-stops can be used in a variety of
settings and genres, in the context of both
lead and rhythm playing. It will add another
layer to your playing if not currently
accustomed to this technique. The study
piece is a homage to Jimi Hendrix, and
incorporates double-stop licks over a simple
chord progression, demonstrating a number
ABILITY RATING forging an exciting new guitar sound in the of ideas which you might want to consider
process. Buddy Holly’s Heartbeat and Hank employing in your own playing.
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Moderate Marvin’s playing on Summer Holiday are
Info Will improve your other examples of double-stops in pop-rock, NEXT MONTH Simon investigates how the Caged
Key: Various Double-stops along with Van Morrison’s classic Brown system can help with your 7th Chords
Tempo: Various Neo-soul slurs Eyed Girl. The players all use 3rds to add an
https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6 Playing over chord changes
extra layer of depth and harmony. This 5 5 5
6
approach has been taken even further over

I
7

n case you’re not sure, a double-stop is
when two notes are played simultaneously,
regardless of the interval used. This
technique was originally first documented
in the 17th century, and has been used by
guitarists since the dawn of the instrument.
Double-stops, also known as diads, or dyads,
are often used in jazz to allow the guitarist to
explore chord-based soloing, without having
to tackle full chord voicings. Rock and roll
from the 1950s is another good example, and
Chuck Berry’s guitar introductions to songs
the years; think of Johnny Marr’s iconic
introduction to This Charming Man, which
GAIN BASS MIDDLE TREBLE REVERB
uses double-stops to superb effect.
While the technique works well with a
clean guitar sound, from rock and roll
through to funk, as heard a little in Chic’s Le
Freak chorus riff for example, adding gain Since this article spans the gamut of guitar
can create some raunchy guitar licks. Slash’s tones, from fairly clean to pretty heavily
overdriven, we suggest that the neck pickup,
playing during the introduction of Guns N’
especially a single-coil, is perfect for the clean
Roses’ You Could Be Mine is a great parts, and the bridge pickup for the overdriven
demonstration of this. Slash manages to sounds. A slight edge of breakup on your clean
grab two notes on adjacent strings, while parts is nice for a little extra bite, along with
MICHAEL PUTLAND/GETTY IMAGES

such as Johnny B Goode and Roll Over bending the notes and adding vibrato to some added reverb and a touch of light delay.
Beethoven are built around this technique, produce some exciting and expressive guitar

TRACK RECORD Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing is the perfect example of soulful double-stops, while Johnny Marr’s intro to This Charming
Man showcases the technique in a different light. Let’s not forget the opening riff to Smoke On The Water, for which Ritchie Blackmore
created one of the most famous guitar riffs of all time, or Mark Knopfler’s Money For Nothing, plus all the tracks mentioned in this article.

78 May 2024
 DOUBLE STOPS
PLAY BACKING

EXERCISE 1 ROCK AND ROLL

' n œœ ''
This first example utilises double-stops in 3rds, which is synonymous with Buddy Holly’s style. Use downstrokes to get an even sound throughout.

©»¡¶º œœ n œœ '
1/4 1/4

œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ # œ œ
A7
# #
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ .. œ
& # 44
œ nœ #œ œ ..

''
1/4
''
1/4

E
. 5 5 5 5 5 5 8 8 5
.
. .
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 5 7 5
G 7 5 6
D 7
A
E
1
≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥
EXERCISE 2 MELODIC 3RDS
Here’s a melodic series of 3rds, as Hank Marvin might play. Downstrokes offer consistency, but try alternate strumming or my suggested down picking.

©»¡™º C Dm C Dm
™ œœ £¢ œœ
Em F
¢£ œœ
G
œœ œœ
F Dm Em
œœ
Dm

& 44
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ .. ¡¡ œœ £™ œœ œœ œœ £ ‰ J ™ œœ
¡ œœ ..

E
. .
. .
B 5 6 5 6 8 10 12 10 6 8 6
G 5 7 5 7 9 10 12 10 7 9 7
D
A
E
1
≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥
EXERCISE 3 FUNK DOUBLE-STOPS
We’re using alternate strumming with colour tones to tackle 16th-note rhythm. Mute unplayed strings with your fretting-hand fingers to avoid unwanted noises.

#
©»¡ºº A7sus4

n œœ œœ œœ œœ
D/A A m7 A7sus4

n œœ œœ œœ œœ
D /A
œ œ #Aœ7
A7sus4

œ œ œ
# ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
& # 44 .. Œ n n œœ œœ œœ ⋲ Œ ⋲ ..
œ. œ.
E
. 10 10 9
.
. .
B 8 8 8 7 8 8 8 7 8 8 8
G 7 7 7 7 5 7 5 7 7 7 7
D 5 7 5
A
E 5 5
1
≥ ≥≤ ≥≤ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≤ ≥
EXERCISE 4 HENDRIX COLOUR TONES
Here’s Hendrix’s approach to playing over a C Major chord with added double-stops. Aim to identify the intervals used, to help with your understanding of this style.

©»¶º C
œœ œœ œ œ
& 44
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œœ œœ ..
œ œ œ
⋲

E
. 10 8
.
. .
B 6 5 8 8 10 8
G 5 5 5 5 9 9 10 9
D 5 5 10 10
A 3 5 7
E
1 ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥
EXERCISE 5 ROCK DOUBLE-STOPS
Here’s a tip of the hat to Slash and other rock guitarists like Angus Young. The use of double-stops adds real weight to guitar lines in this style of playing.

©»¡£º ' œœ # œœ œ œ /''

œœ '
Am
œ
œœ œœ # œœ ‰ Jœ
1/4 14

¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ œœ
& 44 .. œœ œœ œ ..

.
1/4
'' ''
1/4
E 8 7 5
.
. .
B 5 5 7 8 7 5 7 5
G 5 7 5 7 5 7 7 5
D 5 7 7 7
A
E
1 ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥
May 2024 79
 LESSON } Improve your… AUDIO https://bit.ly/3uvNmB6

PLAY BACKING

STUDY PIECE
This month’s piece is based around a repeated eight-bar chord progression
using the sequence, C-Am-F -G. As a general rule as seen in the example licks, I
used downstrokes almost exclusively for this piece, as it helps to create an even
delivery, but of course feel free to experiment if you’d rather.
[Bars 1-8] Here we see a variety of ways to play double-stops around each of the
chords. Chord extensions are used for colour along with diatonic 3rds and 4ths
to add movement. The amp is set on the edge of breakup and I used a fairly light
pick attack to keep the guitar sounding clean and clear.
[Bars 9-16] In this section I dug in a little harder with the plectrum to push the
sound somewhat, and add a little more gain into the signal. The trickiest parts
are in bars 11 and 12, where we encounter some neo-soul style slurs, followed
by a whole bar of descending 3rds. Take it slow and steady, and good luck!

©»¶º œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ
œœ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
C Am

4 œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ
&4 œ œ œ œ œœ œ.
œ œ œœ œ œ œœ ..
∑
œ œ
E 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 3 5 5 5 5 7 5
B 1 5 5 5 1 1 1 3 3 5 5 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 6 5
G 0 5 7 5 5 5 5 0 5 5 5 5 5
D 2 2 5 7 5 5 2 2 7 7 7
A 3 3 7 3 3 0 0
E
1
≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥≥≥ ≥≥≥
œœ .. œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ
F

œœœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ
& œ œœ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ.
E 5
B 5
G 5 5 5 7 7 9 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 10
D 7 7 7 7 9 9 10 10 12 12 10 10 12 10 10 10 10 12 10 10 12 10
A 0 0 8 10 12 12 12 10 8 10 12 10 12 10
E
4

œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
G C
œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ
˙˙ œœœœ ˙˙
& œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ

E 12 15 12 12 12 12 10 10 5 5 7
B 12 13 13 13 13 13 15 13 15 13 13 13 13 12 12 6 6 8
G 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 14 14 14 14 12
D 12 12 14 12 12 9 12 12
A 10 12 14 14 14 12 10 14
E
7

œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ
œœ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ
Am F
˙˙
œ œ œ œœ œ
& œ œ

E 8 8 10 8 12 12 15 12 13 13 15 13
B 10 8 10 8 8 10 8 13 13 13 13 13 15 13 13 13 13 13 13 15 13
G 9 9 9 9 14 12 12 12 12 14 12 14 14 14 14 14 14
D 10 14 14 14 14 14 15 15 15
A 12 12
E
11

œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ G
œœ œ œœ œ ww ww
C

œ œ ˙˙
œ œ w ww
& ⋲ ˙
w

E 17 17 15 15 13 13 12 12 10 10 8 8 5 5 7 7 7 7 8
B 18 18 17 17 15 15 13 13 12 12 10 10 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
G 7 7 7 7 9
D 10
A 10
E
14

80 May 2024
 ALBUM } REVIEWS

NEW ALBUMS
actually taught her), she’s MARK KNOPFLER
grabbed the guitar world’s ONE DEEP RIVER
attention and has now released British Grove/EMI 9/10
her debut album. Enhanced by When Dire
A selection of new and reissued guitar various guests including Matt
Heafy (Trivium) and Nathan
Straits took its
final curtain
releases, including Album Of The Month James (Inglorious), her classic call in 1995,
rock and metal roots shine Mark Knopfler
through, be it with palm-muted engaged upon a
ALBUM OF THE MONTH powerchords or slippery legato solo career that has seen him
leads. The title track begins with release nine albums to date. One
OZ NOY TRIO clean ambient guitar before thick Deep River is the 10th, the title
TRIPLE PLAY distorted chords take over. With song of which is a personal paean
(Abstract Logix) 10/10 Lzzy Hales on vocals, it’s a to the Tyne that flows through his
Oz Noy remains one of the most big-sounding song with one of beloved Newcastle. Recorded at
colourful of modern fusion Lloyd’s more chilled solos. The Mark’s Grove Studios, it features
guitarists, happy to blend jazz, funk, drop D fuelled Let It Hurt 12 songs in its single CD release
and rock for stylistically features Chris Robertson for a format, with four or five bonus
appreciative audiences. Often husky American-styled rocker, tracks depending on which deluxe
favouring a trio format for tours, big on production and sonic package you choose. The songs
this album features Noy with Jimmy punch. For a more modern shred cover everything from trying to
Haslip (Yellowjackets, Robben presentation, Fall Of Man with make it in the music biz, to a Wild
Ford) and Dennis Chambers (John Matt Heafy is worth a listen, not West railroad robbery on Tunnel
MclLaughlin, Mike Stern) in a live least for the tapping legato intro 13. Aside from the signature Strat
setting during a European run. The result is fresh, vibrant and and later solos. (JS) tones, there’s sensitive acoustic
virtuosic without overdone grandiosity; they instinctively know on tracks like Sweeter Than The
how to shape dynamics to create variety and space. Zig Zag is the UNPROCESSED Rain. And it’s the songs that bask
opener, a Meters-esque instrumental with great rotary and clean AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN in the spotlight, the guitars
Strat tones, used with precise pedal stomping shifts. Groovin’ (Unprocessed) 8/10 playing only what’s necessary and
Grant is a rocky jazz-blues as Grant Green may have done today, a Modern nothing more. It’s a masterclass
great showcase for Oz’s more dirty single-coil tone. The exotically virtuosic guitar in the art of restraint that will sit
moody Bemsha Swing, originally by Thelonious Monk is sultry, playing that happily alongside Knopfler’s
dark and groovy with great band interplay. For the intimacy and straddles both finest work. (DM)
space alone, their take on Charlie Parker’s Billie’s Bounce is worth a super clean and
listen or three as they solo, dart and chill around each other. The raging low ERIC BIBB
swinging soul-blues of Chocolate Soufflé still tickles the ears; Oz’s tuning tones is evident LIVE AT THE SCALA THEATRE
confident dragging of the groove behind the beat sounds so fresh throughout Unprocessed’s third STOCKHOLM
and tense, the emotive chord changes resonate well and the later studio album. Blending prog, Stony Plain Records 9/10
solo spots are really outstanding. Live blues-fusion at its best! (JS) thrash and ambient, the band is “The Live At
fronted by vocalist and guitarist The Scala
Manuel Gardner Fernandes who concert was,
TROY REDFERN anthemic guitar work and often surprises with his abilities. without a
INVOCATION dynamic shifts. The swampy Like Tosin Abasi, Plini and Tim doubt, the most
(RED7 Records) 9/10 stomp of The Fever is a particular Henson, Manuel has a modern ambitious gig
This British standout, with a span that nods ownership of what clean and recording project of my
blues-rocker back to ZZ Top and forwards to single-coil fuelled techniques can career…” says Eric Bibb of his
sure knows modern rock production do, blending neo soul, computer brand new live album. Ambitious
how to wield a intensity. If one hankers for game, and K-pop influences with it certainly is, too. Perhaps known
slide! With a further rock pulverising, then a machine-like precision as he more for playing solo,
new batch of 11 Voodoo Priestess is outstanding; slurs, picks and taps. Alongside accompanied only by an acoustic
stompers, his playing and vocal grungy guitars, screaming slide this are lashings of intense and guitar, this album sees the
delivery are sure to grab attention work and exclamatory vocals will angular distorted riffing, just as bluesman with a full band and a
with songs that are well crafted shudder your speakers. (JS) happy to provide powerchord string section adding a brilliant
and arranged. Opener, The pads under the vocals as to spurt extra dimension to songs old and
ALBUM REVIEWS BY JASON SIDWELL AND DAVID MEAD

Strange is a pounding, low C
throb rocker with huge chorus
vocals and a cracking slide solo.
Getaway has a Rolling Stones
meets Mötley Crüe vibe with
slinky guitar action and raucous
vocals. Low C tuning occurs again
on Van Helsing, with clipped
Clash-esque verse chords and
propulsive chorus guitars and
rhythm section. The Calling nods
towards The Cult, with great
SOPHIE LLOYD sextuplet patterns that seemingly new. Eric tells us that the mission
IMPOSTER SYNDROME defy logic. So, alongside moshers here was to deliver a live album
(Autumn Records) 8/10 such as Hell, Lore and (sic) that offered songs that had not
UK shred- Thrash, Blackbone and Glass been visited on live outings
rocker, Sophie have moments of reprieve, with before, plus a few fan favourites,
Lloyd has been emotionally melodic vocal and it succeeds on every level.
a social media passages and guitar playing. If The band proves to be a perfect
whirlwind, you fancy a taste of how the new foil for the pristine guitar work
drumming up breed of musicians is playing with soulful ballads like Along
gazillions of views on YouTube heavy progressive music then The Way and Rosewood being
and other outlets. As an ex-BIMM check out Unprocessed, as they particularly effective in this
student (a few of GT’s tutors may well float your boat. (JS) context. Simply fabulous. (DM)

May 2024 81
 NEXTMONTH SUBSCRIPTIONS & BACK ISSUES
NEW ORDERS: www.magazinesdirect.com
Phone orders: 0330 333 1113
Email: help@magazinesdirect.com
MORE OF THE WORLD’S BEST LESSONS… RENEWALS: www.mymagazine.co.uk
Customer service: 0330 333 4333
Email queries: help@mymagazine.co.uk

Future PLC, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA

Tel +44 (0) 1225 442244 Fax 01225 732275
Email jason.sidwell@futurenet.com
FE AT U R E V I D E O #1
EDITORIAL
T-RIDE Editor Jason Sidwell
jason.sidwell@futurenet.com
Lesson and interview Art Editors Philip Cheesbrough, Meg Culliford,
Jamie Humphties celebrates the Mark White, Mixie von Bormann
release of the San Francisco metal Sub Editor Neville Marten
Music engraving Chris Francis
band’s debut over 30 years ago. Audio and video mastering Adam Crute
Production, animated tab & audio syncing Cliff Douse
CL A SS I C AL V I D E O THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS
Simon Barnard, Richard Barrett, Jon Bishop, Martin Cooper,
FRANCISCO TARREGA Mitch Dalton, Gus G, David Gerrish, Charlie Griffiths,
Lagrima Phil Hilborne, Jamie Hunt, Andy G Jones, David Mead,
Declan Zapala arranges and tabs Coco Montoya, Marcio Philomena, Jacob Quistgaard,
this delicate but beautiful piece built Stuart Ryan, Justin Sandercoe, Andy Saphir, Ulf Wakenius,
John Wheatcroft, Declan Zapala
around the use of 10th intervals.
ADVERTISING
Commercial Director Clare Dove
FE AT U R E clare.dove@futurenet.com
Advertising Sales Director Lara Jaggon
THE CROSSROADS lara.jaggon@futurenet.com
Piano-style guitar approach Account Sales Director Tanya Ely
John Wheatcroft shows how jazz guy.meredith@futurenet.com
giant Jim Hall might take the role INTERNATIONAL LICENSING
of the piano in a trio setting. Guitar Techniques is available for licensing and syndication.
To find our more contact us at licensing@futurenet.com or view
our available content at www.futurecontenthub.com.
FE AT U R E V I D E O #2 Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw

CIRCULATION
FABIO GOLFETTI Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers
Whammy bar glissandos PRODUCTION
Brazilian guitarist Fabio has been Head of Production Mark Constance
a member of Gong since 2012. Production Project Manager Keely Miller
Here he shares 6 whammy bar Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby
Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson
glissando licks.
Production Manager Nola Cokely

MANAGEMENT
Managing Director, Music Stuart Williams
Head Of Design, Music Brad Merrett

Play electric guitar like the Fab Three with...

Content Director, Music Scott Rowley
Group Art Director Graham Dalzell

BEATLES ROCK!
PRINTED BY William Gibbons & Sons Ltd.
DISTRIBUTED BY Marketforce, 2nd Floor, 5 Churchill
Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. For enquiries,
please email: mfcommunications@futurenet.com

We are committed to only using magazine

paper which is derived from responsibly
managed, certified forestry and
John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison’s individualistic guitar styles were in chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this

evidence throughout the band’s short but stellar career. Jon Bishop reveals the rocky riffs, magazine was sourced and produced from
sustainable managed forests, conforming to

soloing approaches and note choices that characterised each of their Fab-ulous styles! strict environmental and socioeconomic
standards. The manufacturing paper mill
holds full FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
Five mini pieces revealing each guitar-playing Beatle’s riffs, soloing styles, chord, and note choices certification and accreditation.

All contents © 2024 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved.
No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without
the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number
2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath
BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as
we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility
for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and
retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication.
Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not
responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully
independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
Tasty soloing - If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have the necessary
STYLE STUDIES & MORE Mike Zito southern blues-rock PLUS ALL THIS… rights/permissions to supply the material and you automatically grant Future and its licensees
a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions of

David Gilmour - blues The Stones - acoustic Mitch Dalton, Justin Sandercoe, publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated websites, social media
channels and associated products. Any material you submit is sent at your own risk and,
Tasty Pentatonic licks and bends Keith Richards-style picking the GT Interview, Instrumental although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or
licensees shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is for publication
Extreme - rock Americana Inquisition, One-Minute Lick, unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend, adapt all submissions.

Early style Nuno Bettencourt Stuart Ryan continues his series Substitute, Jam Tracks Tips
and Albums Reviews!
Megadeth - metal JTCguitar
Two fantastic thrash riffs Claudio Pietronik, hybrid picking
Nita Strauss - shred Improve your...
Five challenging licks CAGED system 7th intervals

Future plc is a public Chief Executive Jon Steinberg

company quoted on the Non-Executive Chairman Richard Huntingford
London Stock Exchange Chief Financial and Strategy Officer Penny Ladkin-Brand
(symbol: FUTR)

NEXT ISSUE ON SALE WEDNESDAY 1ST MAY 2024 www.futureplc.com Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

NOTE: CONTENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

82
82 GuitarTechniques August 2012
November 2015
9000 9021