Guitar Techniques 2014 Spring PDF

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Takin’ Care

Of Business

FreddIe

KING

_{Learn a classic from the}

most influential electric

bluesman of them all!

229

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Spring 2014 GuitarTechniques 5

Of the three blues Kings it seems to me that freddie comes off worst when it comes to the reverence in which the trio of legends is held. BB is of course the sweet-toned man of taste and musical refinement, while Albert is loved for his rawness and a seeming link directly to ‘the source’, whatever that source is. But I think freddie is rather too often overlooked as the ‘one in the middle’.

In reality his influence is probably the most wide reaching. Yes, you can hear a touch of BB in a ton of people’s playing, and Albert looms large as an influence in certain guitarists’ styles; but it’s difficult to find anyone who came after freddie that doesn’t owe him a debt of sorts.

In a way, Freddie took the T-Bone Walker template, the ‘shape’ system, ramped it up a few notches, added his own brand of showmanship and his own amazing songwriting skills, and became the perfect all-round blues machine.

And let’s not forget that voice! Check out a few slow freddie songs and see if you can spot where a certain Ripley boy got his ‘rasp’. And listen to the original of this month’s transcription: could that not be Peter Green singing - and playing? Add Greeny’s out-of-phase

Welcome

Just some of your regular

GT technique experts...

jon bishop

Jon is one of those great all-rounders who can turn his hand to almost any style. No ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’, he nails every one with ease! phil Capone

Phil is a great guitarist who specialises in blues and jazz. He teaches at ICMP in London, writes for GT and Total Guitar and has published 10 top tuition books.

john wheatCroft A truly phenomenal guitarist John heads up the guitar facility at Tech Music Schools in London. He’s a master at all styles but a legend in Gypsy jazz. stuart ryan

Head of Guitar at BIMM Bristol, Stu is an acoustic guitar virtuoso who performs throughout the UK. His latest book/CD ‘The Tradition’ is available now. bridget mermikides Guildhall and Royal Academy trained, Bridget is a Royal College of Music, examiner, a respected classical player and award winning blues guitarist. phil hilborne

The UK’s original magazine guitar tutor, Phil’s something of a legend. A great player he regularly plays guitar in the Queen musical, We Will Rock You. paul bielatowiCz One of our greatest rock guitarists, Paul Bielatowicz has a new solo album Preludes & Etudes available from his website www.paulbielatowicz.com.

Charlie griffiths

Guitar Institute tutor Charlie first came to fame in Total Guitar’s Challenge Charlie series. He’s also one of the UK’s top rock, metal and fusion guitarists. shaun baxter

One of the UK’s most respected music educators, Shaun has taught many who are now top tutors. His album Jazz Metal was hailed as a milestone.

andy saphir

A top teacher at the Guitar Institute (ICMP), Andy is a phenomenal player in a host of styles. He mixes just the right degree of flash with consummate taste. terry lewis

Terry has toured the world in support of a host of big name acts. He currently teaches at BIMM Brighton, writes with canny insight and plays superb guitar.

the

finest

guitar tuition

you can buy!

Neville Marten, Editor [email protected]

jaCob quistgaard Royal Academy trained, Quist is a superb player who can turn his hand to any number of styles and topics. Look out for his album Trigger in 2014!

tristan seume

One of ACM Guildford’s leading tutors Tristan is also mega busy on the folk circuit playing with Jackie Oates. His brand new CD Middle Child is out now!

honk and the licks are a pretty good match. Pile on extra guts and spite and it’s Bluesbreakers Clapton again.

But have a listen to Stevie ray Vaughan or Johnny Winter, and you’ll also hear big chunks of freddie’s style coming out - even though in Stevie’s case he’s not the first King that springs to mind. And when you consider how hugely influential players like Clapton, Green and Vaughan were in their turn, it’s fair to say we have a lot to thank Freddie’s fingers for.

taking Care Of Business is not the hardest freddie track we could have chosen. But it’s him in his more formative years and we felt it was a good idea to bring

you the essence of this giant of a man and giant of a player. The backing track will allow you fantastic leeway to extend Freddie’s licks, add new ones of your own or perhaps even practice that silky vocal style!

have fun... see you next month.

PLUS! Get a FREE iPad/iPhone sample of GT. For full details and how to receive our digital edition

regularly, go to bit.ly/guitartechniques (if you live in the UK) or bit.ly/guitartechus (overseas). You can also find us on www.zinio.com (NB: Zinio editions do not yet have interactive tab or audio).

DON’T MISS OUR AMAZING

DIGITAL EDITION

Our digital edition for iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire and Nook is now even better!

Tap the links

Finding your way around the magazine is easy. Tapping the feature titles on the cover or the contents page, takes you straight to the relevant articles. Any web and email links in the text are tappable too!

Animated tab & audio

Most songs and lessons have the audio built in, with a moving cursor showing you exactly where you are in the music. Simply tap the ‘play’ button then you can fast-forward or scroll back at will.

Play the videos

Certain of the articles have accompanying videos full of useful insight and additional information. Once again, tap the play buttons to enjoy video masterclasses on your iPad or smartphone.

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Learning

Zone

FeaTUreS

• C O N T E N T S • S P R I N G 2 0 1 4 •

LIVEPIX

REGULAR FEATURES

Lessons IntroductIon

55

Jason Sidwell introduces this month’s feature packed Lessons section.

30-mInute LIckbag

56

BIMM’s Terry Lewis has six more licks for you at easy, intermediate and advanced levels.

bLues

58

Jim Clark looks at the electric guitar approach of blues singer-songwriter Joe Louis Walker.

rock

62

Martin Cooper gets cat scratch fever while he plays in the rock guitar style of Ted Nugent.

jazz-funk specIaL

66

Jason Sidwell pays tribute to Ronny Jordan, a great guitarist who recently passed away.

creatIve rock

70

Shaun Baxter combines sweeping and tapping to produce exceptionally smooth arpeggios.

sessIon

74

Andy Saphir turns to session country guitar with a look at the extraordinarily gifted and successful Brent Mason.

prog

78

Paul Bielatowicz on the prog guitar style of Ty Tabor from the hugely underrated Kings X.

jazz

82

Pete Callard looks at the soloing style of New York based jazz virtuoso Chuck Wayne.

acoustIc

88

Stuart Ryan unveils the acoustic approach of singer-songwriter Laura Marling.

rockscHooL

92

Charlie Griffiths continues his A-Z with U for Ultra Locrian, Unisons, Unison bends, Upbeats and Upstrokes. Until next month...

WeLcome

5

Nev talks about the influence of Freddie King.

tHeory godmotHer

8

David Mead addresses your technical, musical and theoretical issues.

taLkback

9

Tell us your views... How are we doing?

Intro

10

News, One-Minute Lick, 60 Seconds With, What Strings, That Was The Year and more...

subscrIptIons

87

Save time and money – get GT delivered!

back Issues

91

Missed one? See how you can get it – here!

aLbums

95

Top guitar CDs and DVDs reviewed and rated.

tab guIde

96

Our terms and signs explained.

next montH

98

Play extreme guitar and use the pentatonic in different genres. Plus Chilis’ tab and more!

complete rock workout

be ready for that gig!

16

John Wheatcroft presents the ultimate rock guitar workout to make sure you hit that stage like a seasoned pro!

CoVer FeaTUre

mozart

Symphony 40 (1st Mvt)

48

Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes one of Mozart’s most best-known pieces for classical acoustic guitar.

TRAnScRipTon #2

freddIe kIng

Takin’ Care Of Business

30

Jon Bishop transcribes a classic and hugely influential track by a true titan of blues - the one and only Freddie King.

TRAnScRipTon #1

exotIc scaLes...

...over a Dom 7 chord

38

Bored playing the same old things over a dom 7 chord? Jacob Quistgaard shows six alternatives that sound fabulously exotic.

SpEciAL FEATURE #2

Laura Marling: featured in Acoustic this month (p88)

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GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 2 2 9 Theory Godmother - David Mead

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8 GuitarTechniques Spring 2012

Theory Godmother

Post your playing posers and technical teasers to: Theory Godmother,

Guitar Techniques, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW; or email me

at [email protected] - every wish is your Godmother’s command!

Q

&

A

Star

LETTER PRIZE

Blackstar are giving our star TG letter one of their brilliant pedals each month. Visit www.blackstaramps. co.uk and tell us which you’d like, should your letter be the lucky one.

EXAMPLES 1 - 4

Ex 1

Ex 2

Ex 3

Ex 4

Old King Cole was a merry old soul

Breakdown On A6?

Dear Theory Godmother

I’ve just bought the Play Guitar Now: Rock & Roll and on Lick 1 of Danny Cedrone you have an A6 chord. However, due to its shape, which is the same finger position as a open Dm just five frets up, why isn’t it a F#m?

Cynthia

The reason behind this is that F# is the relative minor key to A major and A6 and F#m share many of the same notes. Let’s look at the two scales (Ex 1): in A major, the triad is made up from the notes A, C# and E - and if we add the 6th to turn it into a major 6th chord, we need the note F# as well. Now check out F#m: once again we need the root, 3rd and 5th of the scale which adds up to F#, A and C#. So the two chords are near as dammit the same thing to begin with. In fact, if we add the missing E to the F#m we’ll produce F#m7, then the two chords would be an exact match.

In the case you’re quoting, a Dm shape at the 5th fret would produce the notes C#, F# and A - the 3rd, 6th and root of A, and just enough information to confirm it as an A6 chord. I suspect there would be a prominent A in the bass to confirm this so all would be well.

This sort of thing crops up many times in music - we’ve only got 12 notes in the chromatic scale and thousands of chords that can be made from them. So it’s inevitable that many shapes are either going to look similar or, as we’ve found here, exactly the same!

Yngwie B Goode

Dear Theory Godmother I’ve played for years and stuck to rock/blues type songs where I can use the pentatonic or blues scales to improvise a solo. However, I want to learn to play more like Yngwie Malmsteen as I love the sound of the harmonic minor scale.

My problem comes in the songs I play. I can’t play Malmsteen’s style lightning fast so how would I incorporate his style licks into a solo to Johnny B Goode or All Right Now? Please help, as I’d love to change my solos to sound like his.

Andy

I’ve been doing a little research and found that when Yngwie takes on either straightforward rock or blues based material, he doesn’t venture into the harmonic minor at all. He’s far more likely to leave that for his own material where the underlying chords call for it.

The reason for this is that the harmonic minor scale is an extremely awkward fit for a lot of pop or rock ’n’ roll. The two songs you mention are both in major keys and the harmonic minor would just sound wrong unless you did a lot of re-arranging; you might be able to make it fit, but you’d have to bend both songs out of shape first.

If we look at the harmonic minor scale (Ex 2), the thing that gives it its essential flavour - that ‘middle eastern sound’ - happens at the top end of the scale, as detailed in Ex 3. This is going to clash terribly if you drop it into a solo over Johnny B Goode!

What Yngwie tends to do is to make use of the minor pentatonic or blues scale with some notes from the Dorian or Aeolian modes thrown in (Ex 4). This would sound quite run-of-the-mill

unless you played it at high speed, adding the Yng’s characteristically wide vibrato at the end

If you want to use the harmonic minor in your solos, find some transcriptions and backing tracks of Malmsteen material and practise that until you can get it up to speed. And as far as that speed is concerned, I’m afraid that there’s no quick solution. Playing scales and exercises against a metronome is really the only way and it takes time and patience. But if you stick at it and do your speed-increasing exercises on a daily basis, you’ll see results after a short period of time.

So, leave the harmonic minor for songs that are in a minor key, but when playing the material you mention like Johnny B Goode or All Right Now, stick to your pentatonics or blues scales.

Time On My Hands

Dear Theory Godmother OK, I’ll admit it: my timing sucks. The problem isn’t actually playing in time - that I can do. But when I’m working out a transcription I’m mainly

using the tab and while the more straightforward stuff doesn’t give me any problems, some of the more complex rhythms floor me every time. I listen to the track, but sometimes that’s just not enough to get it inside my head. I want to do things properly and work the rhythm out from the music, but I get easily flustered. Is there a way around this situation?

Ian

Ordinarily, I’d say that it’s a question of working out the maths of the situation and sitting there with a metronome, tapping rhythms out with a pencil. But we live in modern times and these days there is help out there.

If you look around the net, you’ll find that there are free notation programmes with cut-down features that will allow you to type in rhythms and hear them played back to you. One that I know of is Finale Notepad, but there are others and I’m sure a quick search will reveal them all. Then, when you find a rhythm that you have trouble with, copy it into the programme to hear it played back to you. I would recommend that you don’t bother about the pitches of the notes - copy it all onto a single line on the staff so that you can hear the rhythm of the phrase in isolation. After a while, you’ll begin to recognise rhythmic phrases at sight as more and more of them become familiar to you.

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Star LEttEr

May 2014 GuitarTechniques 9

GREAT LESSONS

I’ve got to tell you guys that issues 227 and 228 had two of the best music features I’ve ever seen in Guitar Techniques: Your Instant Guide

To Better Chords, and How Good Are You?

I’ve often watched great guitarists, effortlessly running their hands up and down the neck, playing the kinds of chordy rhythm stuff that I simply couldn’t comprehend! Well, although I still don’t get it all, your Better Chords feature put so much information in one place that it’s opened doors to things I could never work out for myself. I’m still going through it bit by bit, and feel my technique and knowledge are gaining ground simultaneously.

The How Good Are You feature looked a bit scary at first. I’ve never taken any exams and, although I’ve been playing guitar on and off for over 20

years, felt I wasn’t a contender for any such gongs. But I did go through it (still am, actually) and quite honestly I’ve surprised myself. I’m not sure where I sit – it would seem somewhere around Grade 6 in general terms – but I now have a goal to attain in a whole variety of areas. Also, I downloaded the issue on my iPad as the tab’s moving cursor and synched-up audio helps enormously.

I know I’m preaching to the converted, but if they haven’t already, everyone really should go through both of those brilliant articles – I guarantee you’ll

come through them with your eyes opened. Like me, you’ll probably feel quite a bit better about your guitar playing, too.

Brian Wilkin

I’m glad that these features are going down so well. In fact, several people have said the same to me. When tab became so expensive to do legally, we had to look at other ways to reach our audience, while still giving them great tuition. It quickly became apparent that these features should be on topics that people can’t simply Google. While online tabs were pretty dire back in the day, they are getting a lot better and, in this climate where everyone seems to think everything should be free, we needed a compelling proposition to retain our most loyal followers. It was to that end that we began the kind of lessons you are talking about, Brian: they are incredibly in-depth and insightful, packed with nugget after nugget of information; they are written by the country’s top tutors and you can’t get them anywhere else but here. So thanks for your appreciation of everyone’s work. More to come soon!

JAM TRACK TAB

Is it possible to include the written music for your jam tracks, even if it was a PDF on the disk if you couldn’t fit into the mag? There have been some real great accompaniments over time. I’m not the greatest transposer by ear, although you would undoubtedly say I should develop that skill by using these! I’ve often thought when listening to them, “I’d like to be able play and practise that...” as they are very varied and could be used to back a variety of music genres. By the way, I’ve been buying and reading the mag since 1999.

David Newman, Tasmania

At the moment, unfortunately we just don’t have the resources to do that, David. The backing tracks are made up and played on the spot (mostly by me!) and no music is ever written down. We should always make sure that the chords are written out (or spelled out if they are a bit weird) in the jam track notes at the front of the magazine, though, as that would certainly help. Also we are desperately short of jam tracks as they take a lot of time to do and we have no budget for creating them. We are trying to sort something, however, and if things work out there’s a slim chance that we could even tab them too (no promises though).

THE HOLLIES

I read your editorial welcome in the February issue with interest and no small amount of nostalgia - it described exactly the musical environment I grew up in - talk about being spoilt! And then, I unexpectedly had the chance to go and see The Hollies play in Wellington last Saturday. I had forgotten just what a great guitarist and exemplary professional Tony Hicks is, even in his, ahem, senior years. He is an object lesson for us all - still capable of playing well constructed, at times blistering and technically excellent solos, but

Write to: Guitar Techniques, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW.

Email: [email protected] using the header ‘Talkback’.

Yes it’s hard to convey to people who grew up in later decades, just what it was we had. I only scratched the surface with my list of groups but really they were exceptional times – even watching Clapton’s career grow through The Yardbirds, John Mayall and into Cream; and seeing The Beatles’ extraordinary development from Yeah Yeah Yeah to the Golden Slumbers medley in six short years; witnessing the British R&B boom turn into the blues boom, and then into all kinds of rock. There will never be times like those again. Tony Hicks is a lovely man, a great player and a fine ambassador for the music business. Whether or not we tab Look Through Any Window (it might have a rather restricted fan base in this day and age), we will most certainly look at Tony’s playing style very soon, in a new series from Phil Capone all about British guitar-driven pop/rock/R&B.

always remembering that everything he plays must serve the song. And the intro to Look Through Any Window is an all-time classic - as well as being fiendishly tricky to learn and play at pace. One

of my all-time best gigs, and like most of us, I’ve seen a few bands in my time. Maybe you could do a tab of Look Through Any Window at some time…. Colin Gibbs LFI / PHO TOSHO

T Graham Nash, Alan

Clarke and Tony Hicks fronting The Hollies mid 60s...

WritE onE and Win a prizE!

STAR LETTER PRIZE

Our friends at Sound Technology are donating a fab DigiTech HardWire pedal to our Star Letter writer every month.

Did you take the Guitar Techniques ‘How Good Are You’ challenge?

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• G u i t a r t e c h n i q u e s • s P r i n G 2 0 1 4 •

Jam tracks tips

Use these tips to navigate

our bonus backing tracks.

1. T-Bone style slowie: A

A Mixolydian (A B C# D E F# G) will be perfect for this. But when playing the major 3rd (C#) either hammer on to it from the b3rd (C) below, or play the C and bend it slightly sharp for a blues ‘curl’.

2. Neil Young style rocker: Am

Two approaches work well here: A minor pentatonic will fit pretty much all the chords; but A natural minor (A B C D E F G) will sound more authentically Neil Young - especially with a searing tone and manic tremolo picking.

3. Anthemic ballad: E

The chords here are: E, G#aug, A, D9, then G# aug, A, D9, then Eadd9/G#, G7add6, F#m11, Esus4/B, B7 (the final two chords played in the space of the previous one). E major pentatonic (E F# G# B C#) is a worthy starting point, but you’ll need to adjust the scale to suit the ‘out of key’ notes in many of the chords. Instead of trying to jam it, why not create your own rock instrumental anthem over this interesting sequence?

4. Brit style minor blues: G

Minor pentatonic and natural minor scales are your best friends here. Try mixing them up! But this time don’t sharpen G minor’s minor 3rd (Bb) as it doesn’t sound right in a minor context. Of course the b5 ‘blue’ note (Db) can be brought in to add nice chromatic touches, and don’t forget to target strong notes in the chords, like the Eb in the Cm (IVm chord). Have fun!

2014 is a huGe year for

anniversaries, with ac/Dc celebrating their 40th and Walter trout his 25th. also Fender’s strat and Gibson’s Les Paul Junior will reach the almost pensionable age of 60, while the Jackson soloist is now a mature 30.

ac/Dc have already revealed plans to go in the studio to mark their anniversary and record a first new album since Black ice (2008). they have also planned a 40th

anniversary tour, comprising 40 very special gigs.

“it’s been 40 years of the band’s existence,” explains frontman Brian Johnson, “so i think we’re gonna try to do 40 shows to thank the fans for their undying loyalty. Our fans are just the best in the world, and we

appreciate every one of them. so, we’ll have to go out, even though we’re getting a bit long in the tooth. it’s been four years, and i’m really looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile the american blues legend Walter trout is celebrating his 25th anniversary as a solo artist, and in joyful celebration Provogue will be releasing ten of his classic back catalogue albums as a limited edition deluxe vinyl series throughout 2014. the high quality 180g vinyl editions will be limited to 2,000 copies per album (worldwide), and will have a maximum of 20 minutes of music per side for enhanced sound quality.

“to have some of the best parts

of my earlier recordings re-released and celebrated in high-quality audio, is a thrill of the highest order,” says trout. “i hope my friends and fans will enjoy this commemorative series as much as i will. there is something about re-hearing the music on vinyl. the

warmth and the expansiveness of the sound takes me right back to the day it was recorded.”

the release dates are as follows: no More Fish Jokes (March 3), Deep trout (april 7), the Outsider (May 5), Positively Beale street (July 7), Breakin’ the rules (august 18), Life in the Jungle (sept 8), unspoiled By Progress (Oct 6), transition (nov 3), Prisoner Of a Dream (Dec 1), and Face the Music (Dec 15).

Visit www.acdc.com and www. waltertrout.com for additional details and further updates.

Anniversaries galore!

Brian Johnson and Angus Young: still rockin’ out!

It’s been 40 years of the band’s

existence, so I think we’re gonna

try to do 40 shows to thank the

fans for their undying loyalty.

Brian Johnson, AC/DC

KE VIN M AZUR / WIREIM A GE / GE TT Y IM A GES Walter Trout: 25th anniversary

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PHIL HILBORNE’S ONE-MINUTE LICK

DANNY GATTON STYLE CHORDAL LICK

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GUITAR TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 2 2 9 _{ONE MINUTE LICK - by Phil Hilborne}

DANNY GATTON STYLE CHORDAL LICK

Spring 2014 GuitarTechniques 11

Here’s a Danny Gatton influenced idea that’s played

around a standard chord fingering. The chord

outlined is a 5th position A7 (A C# E G). However,

the notes D and F# are also briefly added to imply a

typical D-A7, or IV-I move. Licks like this have their

origins in jazz and blues Hammond organ phrases

– this facet is particularly evident through the use of

repeating pedal tone of A (on the fourth string) and

also the frequent chromatic approaches – played

here as sliding double-stops. Technique-wise, pick

and fingers or just plain fingerstyle would be the

best approaches to use. Keep your timing ‘tight’ and

attack the strings fairly hard so that the notes sound

percussive and ‘snappy’. After you have this mastered,

see if you can develop licks of your own, around other

chord types all over the neck.

Paco de Lucia 1947-2014

A new network for musicians!

it is with deep sadness that we report the death of Paco de Lucia, regarded by many as the finest flamenco guitarist in the world. Paco was born Francisco sanchez Gomez in algeciras, spain. his father was the flamenco guitarist antonio sanchez, who encouraged Paco to take up the guitar at an early age and practise 12 hours a day. Paco made his first public appearance on radio algeciras at age 11 in 1958, and had become an established flamenco solo artist by the late 1960s.

Paco’s name reached a wider audience via his collaborations with jazz-fusion guitar virtuosos during the late 70s and the live album Friday night in san

Francisco (1981), with al Di Meola and John McLaughlin, is one of the most celebrated acoustic live albums of all time.

Paco was an innovator who took Flamenco guitar to new levels. however his biographer, Donn Pohren, described him as an extremely shy and private person, who “was dismayed at the increased pressure fame placed upon his shoulders, demanding that he constantly innovate and work harder to achieve technical and revolutionary perfection”.

Paco died on February 26 while on holiday in Mexico, of a heart attack while playing with his children. he will be sorely missed by the music world. riP señor!

Paco de Lucia: greatest flamenco guitarist of all time?

D ALLE / IDOLS / PHO TOSHO T

a new site for musicians called Meet & Jam has launched with the intention of helping musicians to find and connect with each other. Musicians can put up profiles, list their influences and instruments, post video and audio, and then connect with each other. the videos mean you can have a good look at another musician’s level and style before you contact them - saving time and embarrassment in the studio.

the site is for all genres and levels of ability. there are professional drummers on the site, looking for a new band, as well as enthusiastic amateurs looking to play more. there are singer-songwriters, violinists, trombonists, pianists, death metal guitarists, vocalists, rappers... all

wanting to meet and jam. the free classified ads are a chance for bands and musicians to connect; but also the perfect place for music teachers and students to get together. it’s a great place to get noticed. Put up a profile (it doesn’t matter if you’re an engineer, a guitarist, a producer or a vocalist) and you have a chance of being found - not just by other musicians, or by bands looking for new members, but also by the industry.

Meet & Jam is also an online booking system for rehearsal and recording studios. Bands and musicians can browse through dozens of uK studios, view their rooms and kit, and then book online if they so choose.

Visit https://meetandjam.com for further information.

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60 Seconds with...

Half a minute’s all it takes to find out what makes a great guitarist tick.

This month: First Lady of US AOR sensations, Heart,

NANcY WilsoN

GT: Who WAs Your first influence to play the guitar?

NW: The Beatles!

GT: What was the first guitar you really lusted after?

NW: The cheapest one in the local music store.

GT: What was the best gig you ever did?

NW: Kennedy Center Honors.

GT: And your worst playing nightmare?

NW: When you’re asleep and you have a ‘Rockmare’ - you’re nude on stage, don’t know the song and the show has already started.

GT: What’s the most important

musical lesson you ever learnt?

NW: When to shut up and not play.

GT: Do you still practise?

NW: Every night on stage!

GT: Do you have a pre-gig warm-up routine?

NW: Sometimes we have an acoustic vocal session with the other band members - like a Hootenanny.

GT: if you could put together a fantasy band with you in it, who would the other players be (dead or alive)?

NW: The current line-up of Heart is my fantasy band.

GT: Present company excepted,

who’s the greatest guitarist that’s ever lived?

NW: Unanswerable. There are too many great guitar players.

GT: is there a solo you really wish you had played?

NW: The solo on Third World Man from Steely Dan’s Alive In America.

GT: What’s the solo/song of your own that you’re most proud of?

NW: Can’t pick one.

GT: What would you most like to be remembered for?

NW: My music, my comedy, and my humanity.

GT: And what are you up to at the moment?

NW: Our new record, Fanatic Live from Caesar’s Colosseum, is released by Frontiers Records on CD and DVD Deluxe Edition, DVD and Blu-Ray on 24th February. Further info from: www.heart-music.com

My worst nightmare would be a

‘Rockmare’, where you’re nude on

stage, don’t know the song and the

show has already started!

Orange goes white!

Orange amplification are launching a limited edition white finish of their rockerverb guitar amp heads and combos, thunderverb 200 and 50 heads, legendary PPc412 and the more compact PPc212 speaker enclosures. For a limited time only, these sought-after heads and speaker cabinets will be available finished, as never before, in a prestigious white Levant covering trimmed with traditional gold piping and gold capped handles – the ultimate in luxury!

the matching white PPc412 and lighter PPc212 speaker enclosures are built to the usual high standards and deliver the distinct warm, midrange tones synonymous with Orange. the white limited edition ranges will be available for general distribution from april 2014.

Visit www.orangeamps.com for further information.

Dave Davies returns

Dave Davies of the Kinks will be performing his first uK concert for 13 years at London’s Barbican hall on Friday 11th april. this concert will see him celebrating the 50th anniversary of the revolutionary guitar sound he created, which also launched the Kinks to international stardom.

“as lead guitarist and co-founder of the Kinks, Dave Davies is one of the most unpredictable and original forces in rock,” enthuses writer Bill crowley. “his distinctive guitar style went on to have a major impact on several key guitar-rock styles, including heavy metal and punk.”

tickets are already on sale from the Barbican hall box office, so contact www.barbican.org.uk or phone 0207 638 8891).

Nancy Wilson: always at the heart of Heart!

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Spring 2014 GuitarTechniques 13

What Strings Do You Use?

ZAKK WYLDE

We ask a great guitarist all

those little questions you

really do want the

answers to… This month:

six-string rock legend,

Zakk Wylde

GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without?

ZW: Dunlop ultex Picks, super heavy

GT: if you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be?

ZW: Black Label chorus, Zakk Wylde Overdrive and Zakk Wylde wah pedal - all made by Dunlop.

GT: Do you play another musical instrument well enough to do so in a band?

ZW: Bass, piano and keyboards - i’ve jammed with people, but not as a band.

GT: if a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it?

ZW: Yes.

GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours?

ZW: Yes, good cables make a difference - i use Monster.

GT: is there anyone’s playing (past or present) that you’re slightly jealous of?

ZW: Yes, there are many guitar players i get jealous of - especially if they have a nicer sock collection than me! CLA Y P ATRICK MCBRIDE Zakk Wylde: ‘sock’ legend!

Yes, good cables

do indeed make a

big difference to

your guitar sound.

I use Monster

cables.

Alongside their fast-selling string of UK dates, Foreigner today add a special ‘Evening With Foreigner: Unplugged’ show at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London on Saturday 12th April. A Q&A session with the band, hosted by Team Rock’s Kylie Olsson (presenter of The AOR Magazine Show), will also take place on the night with fans invited to submit questions.

The announcement of the Unplugged show, comes ahead of the release of the band’s new album, I Want To Know What Love Is – The Ballads. The album features 14 of Foreigner’s best and most timeless ballads, never released before on one

album. It will be available in both CD, and 2CD Special Edition-digipak formats, with 200 exclusive signed copies available to purchase at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire show.

The April 2014 dates are as follows: Thursday 3 - O2 Apollo Manchester; Friday 4 - Newcastle City Hall; Saturday 5 - Glasgow Clyde Auditorium; Monday 7 - Nottingham Royal Centre; Tuesday 8 - Sheffield City Hall; Wednesday 9 - Portsmouth Guidhall; Friday 11 - Bristol Colston Hall; Saturday 12 - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (Unplugged); Sunday 13 Hammersmith Apollo; and Tuesday 15 - Wolverhampton Civic Hall. Visit www.foreigneronline.com for more.

GT: Your house or studio is burning down: which guitar do you salvage?

ZW: the Grail and the rebel.

GT: What’s your favourite amp and how do you set it?

ZW: Marshall Zakk Wylde 2203, 100-watt signature amp - i set it on low heat for 45 minutes so my socks come out perfectly fluffy and warm for my footsies.

GT: What kind of action do you have on your guitars?

ZW: i set the action very low; although i can still play slide on the guitar.

GT: What strings do you use?

Dunlop Zakk Wylde icon series signature strings.

GT: And what are you up to at the moment?

ZW: Black Label society’s new album, catacombs Of the Black Vatican, is released by Mascot records on Monday april 7th. Further info at http://blacklabelsociety.com

An evening with Foreigner!

Foreigner: the latest line-up

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That Was

The Year...

Artists, Anniversaries

& Nighthawks

HOT FOR TEACHER YOUR RGT TUTOR

GIBSON INTRODUCES THE NIGHTHAWK with a radical

new look. Although the basic body shape is similar to a Les Paul it has a sharper cutaway, a nipped in waist and through-body stringing. Available as the Custom, Standard or Special, (depending on cosmetics), all three Nighthawks are fitted with two or three pickups. The covered mini-humbucker at the neck and the slanted open humbucker at the bridge are common to all, while the third unit is an NSX single-coil situated between the two.

THE BANK OF ENGLAND lowers the interest

rate to 6%, the lowest in 15 years; the

unemployment figure has fallen, inflation is down and with the economy growing by 0.6% the government declares the official end to the recession. Hospital waiting lists reach one million for the first time; although not fully operational until next year the first high-speed train successfully travels through the Channel Tunnel from France to England; British Airways admits liability after a ‘dirty tricks’ campaign against Virgin Atlantic is revealed; and the odds on the monarchy being abolished by the year 2000 are shortened from 100 to 1 to 50 to 1 by bookmakers.

CREAM REFORMS BRIEFLY to perform at

their Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony; Depeche Mode reach number one on the Billboard 200 with their Songs Of Faith And Devotion album; Suede’s eponymous first LP enters the UK charts at number one, the fastest ever for a UK debut album; a concert at the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate Earth Day is headlined by Paul McCartney and the bill includes Steve

Miller, Don Henley and Ringo Starr; Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles gets

married; and the US Postal Service introduces an Elvis Presley stamp. New to the world are Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Niall Horan - all destined to

become members One Direction.

PRS GUITARS REPLACE the Artist Series I with Series II; it

has a figured carved maple top and a reduction of frets from 24 to 22. The neck has a maple-bound rosewood

‘board with abalone bird inlays; the pickups are PRS Artist Series Humbuckers and the guitar features a wrapover bridge/tailpiece. Options include PRS vibrato system,

semi-hollow body and a quilted maple top.

GRETSCH UNVEILS THE G6118 Anniversary,

in glorious two-tone green. Originally introduced in 1958 to celebrate 75 years of the

Company, the guitar is now reintroduced to mark an amazing 110 years of Gretsch

instruments. The green comes from Cadillac’s 1958 colours and with a laminated maple body and neck, multiple body binding, a pair of Filter’Tron pickups and a ‘G’ Tailpiece, this is one very smart cookie indeed.

1993

New Dunlop products unveiled

Jhs has announced the release of new accessory lines from the award winning Jim Dunlop range. the brand new Primetone sculpted plectra are intended to provide an effortless way for guitarists to play

superfast runs and tight rhythm. Made from super-durable ultex, they are available in three different shapes and a wide range of gauges. the ever popular Jazz iii pick series has some new additions - getting the ultex treatment. the ultex Jazz iii XL adds the lightweight and smooth feel of ultex to the larger

size plectrum with the precision of the sharp tip. the bright, familiar tone of tortex has also been introduced to the tortex Jazz iii XL series with five gauges available to choose from.

For modern metal guitarists, the Dunlop strings range now includes 7 and 8 string nickel wound electric sets. With tonal and tactile balance and a warm, aggressive midrange, they are intended for a wide range of styles.

Visit www.jimdunlop. com or www.jhs.co.uk for further information about these and other Dunlop products.

Shepherd is back!

Five-time Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum-selling blues-rock guitarist Kenny Wayne shepherd has confirmed that his new studio album, Goin’ home, will be released on May 5th through the Mascot Label Group. Kenny Wayne will also embark on a 15-date whistle-stop tour of europe to coincide with the album release, including a concert at London’s O2 academy islington on Wednesday april 30.

Goin’ home is an exploration into the music of Kenny Wayne’s

biggest influences, and it features songs originally recorded by many of his musical heroes, such as BB King, albert King, Bo Diddley, stevie ray Vaughan, Johnny Guitar Watson and Lee Dorsey. the album includes guest performances by some of Kenny Wayne’s closest friends including ringo starr, Joe Walsh, Warren haynes, Keb’ Mo’, robert randolph, Kim Wilson(Fabulous thunderbirds), Pastor Brady Blade, sr and the rebirth Brass Band.Visit www.kennywayne shepherd.net for further details and tickets.

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd band!

M

ARK

SELIGER

Who? Gordon Rivers (Rivers Way Guitar Tuition) ToWN: Eastleigh, Hampshire sTYlEs TAuGhT:

Rock, metal, pop, electric and acoustic blues.

sPEciAliTY: Songwriting, lead improvisation and

popular music theory. lEVEls: Beginners to intermediate; RGT electric guitar to Grade 5, and acoustic grades to Grade 2. rEADiNG: Beginner only. chArGEs: £15 per 45-minute lesson.

sPEciAl: Fully equipped music room/studio. TEl:

07584 32791 EMAil: info@riverswayguitartuition. co.uk WEBsiTE: www.riverswayguitartuition.co.uk

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play:

ROCK

Been a long time since you rock and rolled? Fear not,

as John Wheatcroft takes you through all the steps

required to prepare you for that Big Rock Gig.

“The disgusTing sTink of a too loud electric guitar: now that’s my idea of a good time”. so said Frank Zappa, an incredibly diverse and articulate musician who could create in a wide variety of styles. Put an electric guitar in his hands, however, and it was time to rock and roll.

The purpose of this article is to hone a variety of techniques that you might wish to develop when preparing for that big rock gig. it’s no different whether it be for the start of a 30-date tour, or a Friday night pub gig where you need to impress - your family is coming, or perhaps other musicians will be there (potential future bandmates?). The better prepared you are, the more ‘headroom’ your playing has. Play at the limit of your abilities and mistakes are much more likely to occur.

We have eight studies designed to develop particular areas, such as open-string and moveable power chords, riffs and melodic hooks, all the way to bending in the pentatonic scale, string skipping, tapping and so on. We round the lesson off with a short piece that incorporates many of these concepts, with a couple of cool new ideas thrown in.

execute each study as written; then, once you’re comfortable with them, it’s up to you to create equivalent studies using the same concepts, but in your own way. We’ve aimed for mainstream techniques that you can hear in action if you do some careful listening. in fact, listening and absorbing is as important as any other area of your practice routine. An actor, preparing for a role that requires a specific dialect, would research by listening to that accent, and maybe even visit the area for a while. Likewise, you’re never going to be able to play convincing rock guitar if you’ve not absorbed it by listening - thoroughly.

TRACK RECORD The world is your oyster in terms of listening, and with YouTube and Spotify you’ve never had it so good! But here are five unmissable rock albums: Free - Fire & Water (1970 Island), AC/DC – High Voltage (1976 Sony), Thin Lizzy – Live And Dangerous (1978 Mercury), Van Halen – Women And Children First (1980 Mercury), Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction (1987 Geffen).

Complete Rock Workout

Think of learning a new idea as a process of ‘turning on’ various sounds that you are familiar with; this speeds up the intuitive side of learning tremendously.

Your approach to gig ‘etiquette’ can really make a difference too. Other musicians notice if you turn up to shows or rehearsals knowing the tunes inside out, with the right equipment, on time and with a positive attitude - they notice the opposite, too. Make sure you have a tuner, preferably one that allows you to tune silently between songs; spare strings, valves, fuses, leads and batteries if you need them. A spare guitar is a good idea too - break a string and you can do an impressive quick change.

it’s a great idea to record performances and rehearsals. it doesn’t need to be anything fancy; most phones have the facility to record and, for the purposes of reviewing your performance, the quality will be fine. It’s important to be kind but firm to yourself. While it’s good to be critical, you need to strike a balance between acknowledging the areas that need work, and those aspects of your playing personality that you actually like and should aim to accentuate.

Make your tone work for you

Your choices regarding tone can make a dramatic difference to the way your guitar sounds and is perceived. Most rock players agree that a quality valve amp turned up loud with a couple of select pedals is the way to go. We’re generally after one good tone, varying the gain level by using the volume on your guitar and kicking an overdrive or distortion pedal in or out. The gain structure is the most crucial factor in establishing your tone, and can have a dramatic effect on the playability and ‘feel’ of your guitar.

here are some points to consider: Moderately overdriven tones are particularly expressive, especially at stage volume. The tone is rocky but still responsive to pickup changes and picking dynamics. Paul kossoff and Angus Young are two leading exponents of this approach to tone production. Take care when mixing picked-notes and hammer-ons, as volume imbalances can be apparent.

if you’ve ever witnessed Zakk Wylde or James Hetfield in action you’ll be aware of the power, projection and sustain that a fully distorted sound is capable of. The drawbacks are limited dynamic range and increased handling noise. Techniques such as vibrato need to be exaggerated as the gain increases, if they are to be truly effective.

single-coil pickups produce a clear, bell-like tone. They are particularly good at reproducing picking dynamics and excel in clean and moderately overdrive settings. noise can be an issue with high gain though, prompting a number of makers to design hum-cancelling options. Full humbucking pickups produce a more strident, bold and fatter sound that fills a lot of tonal space. The unit closest to the bridge produces the brightest sound while things get progressively warmer, closer to the neck. generally speaking, the bridge pickup sees the most action in rock as overdrive and distortion fatten the tone considerably, although the neck pickup can sound particularly flute-like, and flatters a range of high-gain techniques such as sweep picking and string skipping. Just watch any video of Yngwie Malmsteen and the number of pickup changes from bridge to neck and back again, is likely to run into double figures in every piece he plays!

i hope you enjoy our ‘technique tune-up’, and remember to refer to it any time your playing needs a shot in the arm.

Get the tone

7

6

5

6

3

Gain Bass Middle TReBle ReveRB While it’s perfectly possibly to get a fantastic rock tone with single-coils, the general consensus is a good quality guitar with a top class bridge position humbucker is the way to go. Amp-wise we’re looking at a moderately driven valve head (find its sweet spot) or combo for rhythm with an additional overdrive or even a distortion pedal to push things over the brink for those moments of high-gain lead excess.

ABILITY RATING

Easy/Advanced

key: Various

teMpo: Various

CD: TRACKS 4-21

Info

WIll ImprovE your

Musical confidence Technical headroom General playing skills

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COMPLETE ROCK WORKOUT

IST

OCK