Guitar Techniques - October 2016

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shadows

The

go instru-mental!

two full solos in the

style of america’s

blues-rock titan

Bonamassa

Bonanza

nail the sound that inspired generations

in-depth look at hank and bruce’s styles

15 examples plus full new tune to play!

Featuring: Jeff lynne, winger,

steve khan, Joan baez & more!

Learn the great licks

of the greatest players!

one-on-one lesson with

this astounding rock soloist

on ViDEo

Exclusive

BReTT GaRsed

cLAssicAL

Tchaikovsky

dance of the little

swans from swan lake

Your

Style

Masterclasses

licks, chords

and solos!

79 over

t

hE

t

hrEE

K

ings

Play like Albert,

BB and Freddie

A fEAst

of bLuEs

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Just some of your regular

GT technique experts...

Neville Marten, Editor [email protected]

WElcoME

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!

IaIN Scott

For over 25 years Iain has taught in the UK’s top schools and academies, as well as a stint at GIT in LA. He can also boast playing with the legend Brian Wilson!

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.

phIl hIlborNE

The UK’s original magazine guitar tutor, Phil’s something of a legend. A great player, he’s currently touring Europe with the Champions Of Rock show.

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 themselves. His Jazz Metal album is considered a milestone.

jUStIN SaNdErcoE

One of the most successful guitar teachers ever, justinguitar.com is a mine of information, and his YouTube channel boasts almost 500,000 subscribers!

pat hEath

BIMM Brighton lecturer, ESP product demonstrator and all-round busy musician, Pat brings you six cool licks each month in 30-Minute Lickbag.

brIdgEt MErMIkIdES

Guildhall and Royal Academy trained, Bridget is a Royal College of Music, examiner, a respected classical player and award-winning blues guitarist.

lES davIdSoN

Les has worked with Mick Taylor, Rumer, Jon Anderson, Pete Townshend, Tina Turner & more. He also runs a recording studio and teaches at BIMM London.

rIchard barrEtt

One of the best players around, Richard is adept at most styles but truly excels in the bluesier side of rock. He currently plays with Spandau’s Tony Hadley.

there are very few bands that have

inspired like the Shadows continue to do.

In 1960 when hank Marvin, Bruce Welch,

Jet harris and tony Meehan released their

single apache they were already a hit as

Cliff richard’s backing band. But with its

thumping drums and bass, strident

acoustic rhythm and beautifully melodic

lead guitar, apache swept like a tidal wave

through the youth of the day. teenage boys

went bonkers over twangy, echo-laden

guitars and the image of this band of lads

– themselves still mostly teenagers. Such

was the power of those three matching

Fenders, that the British electric

guitar industry also took off, with

red the natural choice for the vast

majority of instruments sold by

companies like Watkins,

Burns and Futurama.

Compared to many acts

of the day, the Shadows’

sound was captured in

beautiful hi-fidelity by

producer Norrie Paramor

in abbey road studios.

Listening to the recordings

today it’s impossible not to be

struck by their simplistic beauty; or by the

sheer quality of the playing from all

concerned. Welch’s tight rhythm work on a

Gibson J-200 and Hank’s definitive Strat,

Meazzi echo and vox aC30 tone, set a

standard that few contemporaries came

anywhere near to emulating.

this month’s cover feature by Phil

Capone examines Bruce and hank’s styles

closely, to see just what gave them their

distinctive sounds. If you’ve ever had to

perform Shadows numbers – I’ve recorded

several for Gt including the Savage (with

Bruce’s ‘strumming hand from hell’),

apache and Wonderful Land

– you’ll know it’s way trickier

than you might think. It’s

also immensely satisfying.

even if you feel this kind of

thing is beneath you technically,

do have a go and you might be

surprised how hard it actually is.

Let me know how you get on.

johN WhEatcroft

A phenomenal guitarist, John is a master at all styles but a legend in Gypsy Jazz. His new album Ensemble Futur is out now on iTunes and Amazon.

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.

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• C ON T EN T S • O CT OBER 2 016 •

BRETT GARSED

Video Masterclass

42

In instalment #5 of his masterclass series Brett unleashes the Melodic Minor scale in a piece called The Investigation Of Johnny F.

THE THREE KINGS

Albert, BB and Freddie King

32

Create a little blues magic with this fantasy jam between three of the genre’s biggest stars: Freddie, BB and Albert.

SPECIAL FEATURE

PlAy lIKE THE SHADOWS

Rhythm and lead

14

The Shadows’ unique sound signalled a new musical era in the early 60s. Phil Capone explores the highly-influential rhythm and lead styles of Bruce Welch and Hank Marvin.

COVER FEATURE

PyOTR TCHAIKOVSKy

Dance Of The little Swans

50

Bridget Mermikides arranges and transcribes a delicate and elegant piece by the Russian composer, taken from the ballet Swan Lake.

TRAnSCRIPTIOn

REGULAR FEATURES

lESSONS INTRODuCTION

55

Jason Sidwell ponders on the different approaches to playing and when and where is the best time to apply them.

30-MINuTE lICKBAG

56

Pat Heath has six more licks for you to play at easy, intermediate and advanced levels.

BluES

60

Les Davidson explores the wonderful career of blues virtuoso Joe Bonamassa.

ROCK

64

Martin Cooper bows to the multi-talented frontman of ELO – the wonderful Jeff Lynne.

HARD ROCK

68

Charlie Griffiths is Headed For A Heartbreak with a look at Winger guitarist Reb Beach.

jAzz

74

Steve Khan helped bridge the gap between jazz and rock. Martin Cooper explores his style.

ACOuSTIC

80

Stuart Ryan studies folk icon Joan Baez’ exquisite approach to playing guitar.

CREATIVE ROCK

84

Shaun Baxter explores more ideas around the Mixolydian – this month, diatonic shapes.

IN THE WOODSHED

90

Charlie Griffiths gets to grips with some atypical rhythmic phrases that will provide a nice challenge for the fingers.

CHORD CAMP

92

Iain Scott takes it to the ninth degree with some altered dominant chords in various styles.

FEATuRES

VIDEO TuTORIAl

lEARNING zONE

Many thanks to Roger Newell for the loan of his Fender Hank Marvin Stratocaster

WElCOME

3

Nev salutes the vital sound of The Shadows.

TAlKBACK

6

Your comments and communications...

INTRO

8

Justin Sandercoe’s instructive column; plus Session Shenanigans, Jam Tracks and more.

SuBSCRIPTIONS

30

Save time and money – get GT delivered!

BACK ISSuES

94

Missed a copy of GT in the last six months? See how you can get it here!

AlBuMS

95

Reviews this month include: Joe Bonamassa, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai and Allen Hinds.

uSER GuIDE

96

Get more from GT by understanding our easy-to-follow musical terms and signs.

NExT MONTH

98

Mixolydian Madness! See what this scale can do for you. Acoustic Beatles: pop’s top pickers! Style studies of Jimmy Page, Paul Gilbert and more!

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Brett Garsed in his penultimate lesson for GT

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Talk

Back

Post Guitar Techniques, Future Publishing, Ivo Peters Road, Bath, BA2 3QS.

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

HIGH STEAKS

Nice to see a reply from Katie (your production editor, GT259) on the subject of female guitarists and their lack of coverage in Guitar Techniques and guitar magazines in general. But at least when you do cover them, you do so without any hint of the sexism that you see in publications from some other countries. But the reason I’m writing is as a response, or indeed a follow-up, to a letter you printed some months ago from Brian Andrews (GT258), regarding playing at a 50th birthday garden party. I have a similar conundrum: it’s a friend’s ‘singing barbecue’, where almost every guest is a musician and has to perform two songs. I play keyboards and guitar and have wracked my brain to think of songs that are both musical and performable – oh, and feature a person’s name (it’s a themed barbie). A further complication is that I recently had a larynx operation that has resulted in a loss of both high end and vocal power – I used to comfortably hit a high C but this is now down to an A, and sadly without the guts it used to have. Obviously, I have thought about my own song shortlist, but would be fascinated to see what you might

recommend. Oh, and did you ever hear how Andrew got on?

Abi P

First of all, Abi, I’m sorry to hear about your operation and the resulting effect on your vocal range. Let’s hope that with careful use and no over-straining that at least some of it will come back. Actually, we didn’t hear back but hopefully Andrew took our advice – maybe he’s on his first world tour as we speak! The obvious thing is to find songs that won’t tax your voice too much; perhaps to the point of dropping keys if this makes things more comfortable. With that in mind, I’ll slightly contradict what I told Brian: if you choose songs whose lyrical content is at least as important as the musical side, that will hold the listeners’ attention while distracting them from any ‘range’ issues, or worrying whether it’s complex enough for their musicianly tastes. So how about something like Luka, by Suzanne Vega – a chilling story that will keep them riveted; or what about another of her big hits, Tom’s Diner (especially if you do the DNA version with the big synth pad)? And you can’t go wrong with a Carole King song – so what about Smackwater Jack, from Tapestry; it’s an uptempo number that should get everyone going; it’s simple and not at all ‘rangey’. Or a bit of country, like Ode To Billy Joe, by Bobby Gentry; it’s another great

‘story’ song and you could switch from keys to guitar to show your versatility. So, to sum up, I’d say let the songs to the talking – leave artists like Aretha and Whitney well alone – and just have fun. I hope this has at least given you some food for thought.

DIGITALLY TONGUE-TIED

I’ve noticed some really bad habits creeping into my playing of late. I don’t seem to be able to control string noise when playing at decent volume, even in the

house; my fretting hand gets all ‘tongue-tied’ (or the digital equivalent); and my inter-hand synchronicity has become appalling. I’m getting on a bit, and possibly don’t play as much as I used to. But I’ve just recently had a full physical check-up and don’t seem to be suffering from anything untoward, so do you think it’s simply a case of creeping old age and lack of practice? And

do you have any solutions that might assist my plight?

Peter Lewis

I think the major clue there, Peter, is ‘possibly don’t play as much as I used to’. Even younger musicians’ hands need a modicum of regular play, or practise, to keep their chops in shape. Look at old-timers like Clapton, Beck and co – and even the next generation down, that’s started to be not quite as young as they used to; they keep playing regularly because they have to perform. Perhaps you don’t play with other people any more (I’d bet that’s the case). So why not make that your first project – stick an ad in your local music shop window, on Facebook, or in the local paper, and see if you can get a practice partner. There’s nothing more stimulating than knowing another player is coming round for a jam. And find a local teacher and say you need some exercises to get your fingers and musical brain back to what they were. Any decent teacher can put together, say, a six-week programme aimed at honing your chops. Do this, along with having a jam-buddy, and I’d bet your problem will soon sort itself out.

TOO LOUD, MAN!

CAN’T HEAR YOU, MAN!

I know you’re not a gear magazine but I’ve recently started playing in pubs and I just can’t seem to get

the volume right with the equipment I’m using. My rhythm is too loud so I’m constantly being told to turn it down by other members or by the landlord, while my solos are indistinct at best and plain inaudible at worst. I’m using a Fender Hot Rod Deville, a 72-style Tele with humbuckers, and a small selection of delay and drive pedals. I don’t use channel-switching but jump on my distortion pedal for solos. Any ideas, as this is driving me and my band up the wall!

Simon Delaney

Those Hot Rods are notoriously powerful beasts – having used them many times I don’t recall ever having the master volume above three! However, they are brilliant sounding things so you should be fine. The commonest mistake newbie performers make is to assume that piling on the gain is the way to a good solo tone. And while we often do want the sustain that this brings, we don’t want it at the expense of the ability to cut through. Too much overdrive will simply mush your sound up, wiping out the mids and engulfing the

fundamental note to create a sound that the drummer’s cymbals, the bass guitar and keyboards, simply wipe out. Try turning the amp down a bit so your rhythm’s not in everyone’s face, then reduce the gain on your distortion pedal a tad while boosting its volume. This should add clarity and put some of the mids back. It’s a big topic for such a small space, but use this as the basis for your experimentation and it should at least help.

You can’t beat a good ‘story’ song for an intimate BBQ

Turn down the gain and turn up the volume!

I’vE RECENTLY

HAD A LARYNx

OpERATION THAT

RESULTED IN A

LOSS Of bOTH

HIGH END AND

vOCAL pOwER

ALA

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Intro

if you draw the notes of a major

triad on a big neck diagram they

fall into the five caged shapes

What we find is that by moving any chord (works with scales and arpeggios too!) down a string we can use the same shape but we need to move the second string note (or notes) up a fret. This is useful and helpful in many ways; most obviously it can help with memorising chords and scales and arpeggios, but can also be great for

finding new chord shapes on different string sets and for moving licks or lines to another part of the fretboard.

One exercise that can be really good fun to start with is looking at how the minor Pentatonic shapes change as you move them down a string set – you’ll see that all the shapes are remarkably similar

when you look at them from this new perspective.

Give this thought and you’ll find many other interesting uses for this little nugget to help you understand our six-string friend.

food for thought

I

want to share a little bit of fretboard logic that I discovered a few years back that really helped me unlock the guitar neck. I’d been messing about with tuning in 4ths (E-A-D-G-C-F) and was trying to figure out how chord logic worked in this tuning when I stumbled onto something that really helped me unlock regular tuning.

Perhaps you are aware that there are five major chord shapes we have on the guitar. If you draw all the notes of a major triad on a big neck diagram you can see how they fall together into the five shapes, commonly known as the CAGED system – named after the chord shapes of C, A, G, E and D. But it gets deeper than that, and to explore it I’d like you to try playing along with this little adventure and find another way to find the CAGED shapes.

Play an open E chord. Now move all your fingers down (towards the ground) one string. Now move the note on the second string up one fret. You’ve got yourself an A chord, right? Now move this shape down again, by another string, and again move the note on the second string up one fret – now you’ve got a D chord. Now put down a G chord (the three-finger ‘folk’ shape using second, third and fourth fingers). Move it down one string and move the note on the second string up a fret, you got a C chord. Try again, move the C chord shape down a string and move the note on the second string up a fret and you’ll find yourself with a small F chord (which is an E shape barre chord). I hope you see the logic going on there, and also notice that I skipped over the change from D to G; it works, but it’s just not quite as obvious. Moving the D down and moving the second string note up gives us XX0033 which is the top part of a big four-finger G and you’d have to add the notes on the thickest two strings.

Every month,

Justin Sandercoe of justinguitar.com lends GT

his insight as one of the world’s most successful guitar teachers.

This month: unlock the neck with a step up on the B!

TINA K

Justin Sandercoe has a neat trick for memorising the guitar fretboard

Get more info and links to related lessons on all Justin’s GT articles at www.justinguitar.com/gtmag

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Mitch Dalton’s

session

shenanigans

T

wo unrelated events occurred in my world this month, sufficient to divert me momentarily from my sun lounger, my investment portfolio and my Waitrose Essentials Prosecco.

The first item arrived in the form an email attachment containing a YouTube clip, sent for my consideration by an old friend. It featured an interview with a not entirely unattractive young lady. It was conducted by a person who clearly shared at least one common interest; their mutual fascination with one specific area of modern music culture. The subject of this masterclass referred to herself as a ‘shredder’ and I see no reason to contradict her. The dialogue was illustrated with examples of ‘the shredder’s art’, if I may be permitted to mangle my oxymorons. The exchange of shredding-based information concluded with a duet between the protagonists, rounding off the entertainment in fitting style. The participants chose to dispense with artistic convention and employed instead the daring strategy of dispensing with rhythm, melody and the outmoded notion of paying attention to each other’s contribution. I applaud their risk-taking and sense of adventure. You may have noticed that I haven’t used the word ‘guitar’ in the previous description. Or ‘music’. And I won’t.

The second bookend to this month’s musings concerns a pleasant summer barbecue with

another chum. Over a flavoursome repast featuring sea bass and appropriate accompaniments, the conversation turned to his work on the jazz guitar degree course that he has enrolled on as a mature student. He was keen to show me the considerable work he has put into the four modules comprising the syllabus in year two: harmony, arranging for small ensembles, instrumental tuition... and more. All undertaken with his customary zeal, intelligence and no little aptitude. Many folders and work sheets were produced, all deeply impressive. Coltrane changes. Chord substitution. Modes of all shapes and sizes. All were discussed with authority and comprehension. It’s been a while

since I’ve discussed the Lydian Dominant mode and what to do with it, I can assure you. Unsurprisingly, he’s well on his way to a First.

And I couldn’t help but conclude that, in a perfect world, one could fuse Ms Shredder’s attitude and confidence with my friend’s dedication to study and self-improvement and then have one helluva guitarist on your hands. You might even have a ‘musician’ to contend with, perish the thought.

Here’s the thing. You only get out what you put in. And what’s there in the first place. Try to get out a bit. Look at a few paintings. Watch a few movies that don’t have ‘Nemo’, ‘Bourne’ or ‘Harry’ in

the title. Live your life. Suffer a little – as if you have an option. Essentially, become a sentient human being. Discover what you have to say as a musician (this may take a while). Try to say it with a sound that attracts, not repels. Just like a real voice. With a beginning, a middle and an end. Using, like, ‘form’, man. If it turns out you don’t have much to say, your audience will listen anyway. Apparently.

And above all, avoid DVDs with titles like Shred Mastery, Shred Like Bach and The All You Can Shred Buffet.

This month we have some ‘stretchy’ intervallic ideas from D minor Pentatonic with added 2nd/9th: D-E-F-G-A-C. It’s a repeating 16th-note sequence that starts with the notes you would usually play with your first finger in ‘shape 1’ of the scale, connected to the notes in that you would play at the beginning of shape 2. This yields a lot of 4th and 3rd interval skips, and various ‘doubled notes’, and is one

of the reasons Steve Morse and Allan Holdsworth love the idea. You can play the entire lick using first and fourth fingers, but I’ve fingered it slightly differently. Experiment until you find something that works for you. Take care with the stretches and build up your

technique over time. Have fun!

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The studio guitarist’s guide to happiness

and personal fulfilment. T is for Taste

(10)

Intro

Instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative and exciting moments.

We asked some top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This month:

top session musician, touring and recording artist and GIT tutor,

Allen Hinds

i gave up trying to ‘out-shred’

anyone long ago. too many players

get caught in the shred quagmire

GT: What is it about guitar

instrumentals that appeals to you?

AH: My whole life the ‘sound’ of stringed instruments has struck a nerve. Guitar is such an emotional and nuanced instrument; so much can be said with the turn of a phrase or the smallest inflection.

GT: What can an instrumental provide that a vocal song can’t?

AH: To me, it’s a bit like reading a book as opposed to seeing the movie. You really have to use a sensibility, an antenna inside that creates images that maybe you don’t depend on when a song has vocals. I totally understand the challenges of pulling off a melody on guitar. Ballads are crucial to focus on the melodies and, just like a voice, the guitar can conjure up so much emotion. It has a wider range, and there are just so many effects and sounds to choose from.

instrumental

inquisition!

GT: What do you embrace or avoid?

AH: I gave up trying to ‘out-shred’ anyone long ago. Too many players get caught in the shredding quagmire. It can be exciting for a minute, but in the long run it’s much less interesting. And because there are so many palates of sound out there it’s easy to lose sight of what you originally intended. We all know smart people who command attention by speaking thoughtfully and often softly. We lean in closer to listen, as opposed to being hammered over the head with information.

GT: Do you like to stick to a typical song structure?

AH: It’s art. You wouldn’t tell Picasso his paintings didn’t look right because they didn’t look like Norman Rockwell’s. Same with music. There are always examples of following the normal ‘form’ of traditional songs, but some of the

best stuff is the unpredictable.

GT: How useful is studying a vocalist’s approach?

AH: Very, I always tell my students to approach a solo like it’s a melody he or she is creating for my song. As soon as my students begin singing along with themselves and internalising, their solos improve immediately. And when I play ballads I am always singing along.

GT: Is there a typical approach?

AH: Anything can spawn an idea for a song; a drum groove, a phrase you happen to discover while

warming up. Anything, really.

GT: What do you aim for when your performance is centre stage?

AH: Connecting and feeling the audience. It’s hard to describe. Maybe it’s a bit of a sixth sense, but I strive to get to that ‘zone’. Music can be very powerful. David Sancious used to talk about this: how do you get there?

Concentration? Meditation? Tequila? (laughs).

GT: Many songs feature a solo that starts low and slow then finishes high and fast. Is this structure useful for instrumentals?

AH: You want it to tell a story, so that would make sense a lot of the time. But look at Van Halen’s solo on Beat It, or Allan Holdsworth’s solos on Metal Fatigue; sometimes it’s effective to come blazing out of the gate. It depends on the song.

GT: What type of tone do you like?

AH: The more vocal the better – not too compressed, not too distorted, but singing, where you can hear all the little subtleties your fingers are doing.

GT: Favourite keys or tempos?

AH: I tend to write in guitar keys, but on my next CD I purposely tuned town to Eb or D. But generally no favourites. I like 6/8 grooves, but it all depends on the groove, the song, the chords.

GT: Are minor or major keys easier?

AH: It all depends on the melody, and the mood you want to convey.

GT: Any favourite modes?

AH: I grew up hearing Clapton, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Freddie King, so the Blues scale, or the Mixolydian combined with Dorian. And later, all the stuff in between, a la Scofield, Mike Brecker, Holdsworth, etc.

GT: Modulations into new keys?

AH: I figure if I am bored in one key, so the listener may also be, but if there are too many changes,

the listener will also get bored. So I try to keep myself interested first, whether that means changes or not. But I worked hard on playing over chords when I was younger. And I still play around with real book songs like Fee-Fi-Fo Fum, Giant Steps or Falling Grace.

GT: Do you view the backing band differently on an instrumental?

AH: No, they have to support the melody and vibe of the song first.

GT: What are your views on harmonising melodies?

AH: It’s good practise to do when learning any song – get inside the song structure by harmonising. Having said that it drives me crazy when people sing harmonies to a Beatles melody that wasn’t there originally!

GT: What three guitar

instrumentals have inspired you?

AH: Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers, by Jeff Beck; Flashes, by Ry Cooder; Little Martha, by Duane Allman; Lafayette Railroad, by Little Feat. Any of the Joe Pass Pablo series. I loved the Steve Morse solo pieces. Lenny Breau. Ted Green.

Allen has two new albums out; one with his trio, Wonderland, called Just Get In and his latest solo album, Fly South.

Allen looking at home in his recording studio

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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

Marillion’s guitarist and creative powerhouse,

Steve Rothery

jeff beck has a mastery of the

strat that is unequalled in the

history of guitar playing

GT: Do you have a type of pick that

you can’t live without?

SR: Mostly I use a standard 0.73mm medium plastic pick, but during the recording of my solo album I used a Reefer Pickboy 0.75mm carbon/nylon pick.

GT: You have to give up all your pedals but three...

SR: Kingsley Jester valve overdrive/boost, the best overdriven chord and riff sound I’ve ever heard. Analogman modded Boss DS-1, the solo sound I used through the 80s and 90s; and the Analogman micro chorus, the only chorus pedal that approaches my rack-mounted Boss CE-300.

GT: Do you play another

instrument well enough to do so in a band, and have you?

SR: I play bass reasonably well. I play it on Don’t Hurt Yourself from the Marillion album Marbles and on the second album by my project, The Wishing Tree.

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

SR: If you gave me a few hours!

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

SR: Yes, they affect the amount of high frequencies that pass through to the amplifier. I’ve found you usually have to bring down the treble and presence on the amp after upgrading. I use mainly Evidence Audio cables.

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

SR: Jeff Beck because he has a unique approach and a mastery of the Strat that is unequalled in the history of guitar playing. Also he still plays with passion and fire after all these years.

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

SR: My Jack Dent SR Raven that I used on my solo album. It’s about as perfect as a guitar can get!

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

SR: I use either a Groove Tubes

60 seconds

with...

Trio/Dual 75 combo or a Pitcher Shadow SE. I run a Lexicon MPX G2 and TC 2290 in between the Groove Tubes and Strymon delay and reverb pedals in the loop of the Pitcher.

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

SR: Not extremely low as I prefer control during bends to a fast action. I think guitars ring more with a bit more height in the action.

GT: What strings do you use?

SR: Ernie Ball Cobalt Super Slinky

9-42. They handle the amount of bending and vibrato I do better than any other string I’ve tried.

GT: Who was your first influence to play the guitar?

SR: Dave Gilmour, Steve Hackett (Genesis), Andy Latimer (Camel), George Harrison.

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

SR: A Yamaha SG2000.

GT: What was the single best gig you ever did?

SR: Hollywood Rock festival in Sao

Paulo in 1990. 80,000 people going crazy and the first ever concert in Brazil.

GT: …and your worst playing nightmare?

SR: Falling off stage in pitch blackness at the end of a gig in Germany, around 1987, wearing a double-neck guitar!

GT: What’s the most important musical lesson you ever learnt?

SR: To steal from as many people as possible!

GT: Do you still practise?

SR: Sometimes, but I prefer to write when I’m playing.

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

SR: Put the book that I’m reading down and empty the bladder before going on!

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

SR: Paul McCartney, bass; Steve Gadd, drums; Rick Wright (Pink Floyd), keys; Paul Buchanan (The Blue Nile) vocals.

GT: Present company excepted (and notwithstanding the stupidity of the question!), who’s the greatest guitarist that’s ever lived?

SR: Jimi Hendrix.

GT: Is there a solo by anyone else that you really wish you had played instead?

SR: David Gilmour, Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb.

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

SR: The second solo in This Strange Engine (title track of Marillion’s ninth album).

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

SR: For playing what the song needed and no more!

GT: What are you and the band up to at the moment: tours, albums, new gear, etc?

SR: We’re about to play a festival in Poland, and are currently touring to promote the new Marillion album F.E.A.R. which is released on September 23rd.

Marillion’s Steve Rothery with his Jack Dent guitar

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Intro

➊

Rocky 12-bar Blues (E)

Here’s a fun 12-bar blues in E. The turnaround chords in bars 9-10 of the progression are C5 and B5 (bVI-V), so slightly different than your standard V-IV. E Minor Pentatonic scale (E-G-A-B-D) works a treat throughout, but you can add in some E Major Pentatonic (E-F#-G#-B-C#), E Mixolydian (E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D), E Dorian (E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D) and E Natural Minor scale (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D).

➋

Medium Swing Minor II-V-I (Em)

Here’s a jazz jam track in E minor. The chord progression is F#m7b5-B7-Em7-Em7, although you will hear extended versions of these chords, as is common in jazz. The E Minor scale (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D) works great for the F#m7b5 and Em7 chords, while E Harmonic minor (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D#) is perfect for the B7 chords. Next up, try out some more advanced colours on the dominant B7 by treating it as an altered chord and using the B Altered scale (B-C-D-Eb-F-G-A).

➌

Whole-Tone Jam

Try this Whole-Tone scale jam based around G! The scale itself goes G-A-B-C#-D#-F, all notes being a whole tone apart, of course. The progression is based purely on notes of the scale, with the bass notes being G-D#-F. Top tip: try finding cool patterns and licks and then move them up and down in whole tones – or major 3rds (which

equals two whole tones). The Whole-Tone scale is completely symmetrical, so you can easily move your ideas around!

➍

C Minor Rock-out

The progression here is Cm-B b-Ab-G-Cm-G/B-Ab/C-F/C. You can effectively mix C Natural Minor scale (C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb), C Harmonic Minor scale (C-D-E b-F-G-Ab-B) and C Dorian mode (C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb) on this track. I’d suggest using C Minor scale for the Cm, Bb, Ab and Ab/C chords; C Harmonic Minor for the G and G/B chords; and C Dorian mode for the F/C chord. Have fun!

Use these tips to navigate our bonus backing tracks

hot for teacher

your teacher

WHO? Helen Sumner, head teacher at Little Strummers TOWN: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

STYLES TAUGHT: Rock, classical, electric, acoustic, folk, flamenco, bass – and ukulele. SPECIALITY: Rock, classical and acoustic are most popular lessons QUALIFICATION: BSc (Hons), MBA

LEVELS: We teach adults and children of all ages and levels. Exams in all styles with respected Exam Boards (RGT, Trinity, ABRSM) are offered termly READING: Music reading is encouraged and we always include appropriate music theory as well as practical skills

CHARGES: £15 per 30-minute lesson, shared and group rates from £6 per 30-minute lesson SPECIAL: Lessons available in several locations and in schools; fully-equipped music rooms; books, guitars and accessories supplied; lessons can be recorded. Our vision is to offer accessible music tuition in an informal and fun way, offering students an excellent start – and a lifelong love of music

TEL: 07941 282311

WEBSITE: www.littlestrummers.com EMAIL: [email protected]

Jam tracks by Jacob Quistgaard. For free scale maps and hundreds more tracks, visit www.

quistorama.com. You can also subscribe to www.youtube.com/ QuistTV to get all the latest tracks and licks. Or find Quist and his jam tracks on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

That Was

The Year...

Wayfarers, Rebels

And Outworlders

1969

AFTER A SIX-YEAR PRODUCTION RUN

Guild pulls the plug on its Duane Eddy 400 model. This single-cutaway archtop is loaded with two covered humbuckers with individual volume and tone controls, a mix control and a three-way selector switch. It has an adjustable metal bridge, a Guild style Bigsby vibrato and a black stepped scratchplate with the Duane Eddy signature and Guild Star logo. Predominantly maple, the guitar has a mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard and peal block inlays.

THE BEATLES PERFORM ON THE ROOFTOP

of Apple Records in London, their last ever public performance. New bands emerging include Yes, King Crimson and Led Zeppelin. Cream break up and release their final album, Goodbye, a mixture of live recordings and three new studio tracks. Jimi Hendrix is the headline act at the Woodstock Festival in the USA.

THE MCA CORPORATION ANNOUNCES THE

end of Danelectro guitars production after purchasing the company in 1967. It’s a severe blow to the lovers of the distinctive styling of these instruments and budget prices, but as catalogue sales have fallen (where most of their guitars are sold) it’s no longer seen as a viable concern. It marks the end of a remarkable era that started in 1954.

GRETSCH INTRODUCES THE WAYFARER

Jumbo 6008 acoustic guitar. In spite of the name it has dreadnought styling with a spruce top, red maple for the back, sides and neck and a rosewood fretboard The round soundhole is bound with three stripes and the lucite scratchplate has a row of sailboats engraved into the surface. The headstock is black faced and features a logo inlay and Grover tuners. The guitar is available as natural finish only.

THE PORSCHE 917 RACING CAR

is produced; the Boeing 747 and Concorde have maiden flights; the Harrier jump-jet takes to the air; the Queen opens the new

Victoria Line of the London Underground; Apollo 11 lands on the moon; the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner starts her maiden voyage; and BBC1 and ITV begin broadcasting in colour.

STUDENTS PROTEST AGAINST THE

closure of the London School of Economics; Paul

McCartney marries Linda Eastman and John Lennon

marries Yoko Ono. The Kray twins are sentenced to life

imprisonment; Sikh busmen in Wolverhampton win the right to wear turbans on duty and Swansea is given city status.

IT’S THE ERA OF HARMONY’S

Rebel guitars, the single pickup H81 and the H82 with twin DeArmond pickups. It’s a classy dual cutaway archtop with a Rickenbacker like outline to the bound

body that features a stylised f-hole. The pickup(s) are supported by slider controls and switches mounted

on the scratchplate. There is an adjustable bridge and a top-loaded vibrato unit. The headstock has a six-in-a-row tuner configuration and the rosewood board has white dot inlays.

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Play

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_{instrumentals}

T

he Shadows started as Cliff Richards’ backing band in the late 50s. But with the release of Apache in 1960 they unleashed a new and exciting sound on gloomy post-war Britain. Audiences loved it. Apache was a monster, topping the UK charts for five weeks and began a string of hit singles that included FBI, Foot Tapper, Man Of Mystery, Kon Tiki, Wonderful Land and many more.The band at this time featured Hank Marvin (lead), Bruce Welch (rhythm), Jet Harris (bass) and Tony Meehan (drums).

Bruce Welch’s rhythm work is the foundation of The Shadows’ sound. His deft strumming technique is never sloppy; even at brisk tempos his playing remains tight and focused. In the studio Bruce primarily played acoustic, simply because that’s what complemented Hank’s electric sound best. His guitars of choice were generally Gibson, including J-45, J-50, and J-200 models. Bruce was a huge fan of Buddy Holly and you can clearly hear this influence coming through on The Shads’ early recordings.

Hank Marvin’s influences included Scotty Moore (Elvis Presley), Cliff Gallup (Gene Vincent) and James Burton (Ricky Nelson and later on, Elvis). Hank speaks about the impact of these players in Just Hank Marvin, an instructional video from the late 90s: “We’d never heard anything like it in the UK. As soon as I heard them I wanted to play like

that!” Hank loved the echo sound used by Scotty Moore on early Elvis songs like Mystery Train. “One aim I had in the early days was to sound like that, but it was impossible without tape echo. I don’t even know if Scotty sounded like that on stage because it was a studio effect. In 1959 I came across one of the first echo boxes, made by an Italian firm called Meazzi and sold in Britain as a Vox echo. It had five heads so you could have a series of echoes, not just a short ‘slap’ echo. Within a week of using it I was convinced there was no other way to go. I use that kind of thing, still, today”. Hank’s pioneering multi-tap delay sound was fully formed by the time Apache was released. The vibrato bar (mistakenly called ‘tremolo arm’ by Fender) was also a huge part of Hank’s sound as it enabled him to add vibrato (difficult to apply with fingers on heavy strings – especially the wound third that Strats came with in those days), dip into

Play Like

The Shadows

Phil Capone reveals how The Shadows created their

unique sound, focusing on the hugely influential rhythm

and lead styles of Bruce Welch and Hank Marvin.

notes, incorporate string bends, and apply his trademark ‘waggle’, the incredibly musical and vocal vibrato that he would add to sustained notes for dramatic effect.

It’s hard to appreciate exactly how new and exciting The Shadows, and in particular the guitar work of Hank Marvin, would have sounded back in 1960. Hank famously owned the first Fender Stratocaster to be imported into the UK, so these guys were right on the cutting edge of the electric scene. To put it into perspective, this was five years before Bob Dylan ditched acoustic folk to go electric, and six years before the release of The Blues Breakers’ Beano album with Eric Clapton.

One thing is clear: The Shads are as popular as ever, that instantly identifiable sound still proving a source of inspiration for legions of guitarists over half a century later. And when you consider that the roster of formidable players that cite Hank Marvin’s beautiful melodic style as a primary source of inspiration, include Mark Knopfler, Brian May, George Harrison, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend and Jeff Beck as the tip of a gargantuan iceberg, the band’s influence appears all but incalculable.

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Technique focuS

Holding the whammy bar as you play

If you’re used to just occasionally grabbing the whammy bar to create effects or dive-bombs, executing accurate pitch changes can seem tricky at first. One tip for improving your accuracy is to play the pitch you’re bending down to first; then with practise you will then be able to hit the desired note with ease. Hank holds the whammy bar in the palm of his hand, clasping it with his second, third and fourth fingers. Note: Hank Marvin favours the VML ‘Easy-Mute’ tremolo system because it has an extra bend in the arm to facilitate palm muting of the higher strings.

aBiLiTy raTing Moderate

Key various Tempo various CD TRACK 3-19

Info

Ability to mimic tape echo Acoustic rhythm playing

Will improve your… Whammy bar control

✪

For Bruce, a good sounding acoustic is the way to go. Hank’s tone relies on various ‘tripping’ echoes originally produced by multiple heads. A

good way to mimic this is with two echo pedals set at different tempos. Have your guitar’s whammy bar set to at least a tone bend up on the

third string. Use a bridge pickup but pick near the neck pickup to add ‘plumminess’.

GAIN BAss MIddLE TrEBLE rEVErB

6 5

7 6 4

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The Shadows post Jet Harris and Tony Meehan with Brian Bennett (drums) and Licorice Locking (bass)

Track record

The milestone singles include Apache (1960); FBI (1961); Wonderful Land (1962); Foot Tapper (1963); and Atlantis (1963).

Try The Shadows (1961) and imagine how this otherworldly sound would have affected the pre-Beatles youth of the day. Other worthy

additions include At Their Very Best (1989); Complete Singles A’s and B’s 1959 – 1980 (2002); and Platinum Collection (2005).

PIC

TORIAL PRESS / ALA

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This is an example of Bruce’s playing in the early days of The shadows, when those Buddy Holly influences can be clearly heard. Notice the use of open strings at the end of each bar, facilitating a smooth change without disrupting the groove. Much of The shadows’ material was based on basic major and minor triads, the A7 is used here only to create the temporary modulation to d major in bar 5.

The shadows drew their rhythmic influences not just from rock and roll, but also from the dance music of the day. Latin music was hugely popular during the late 50s and early 60s. This example illustrates Bruce’s cha-cha style of accompaniment that was used on several shadows songs. Notice that instead of maintaining the 16th-note picking pattern, he reverts to eighth note alternate picking on the second beat. This improves the delivery and groove of the eighth-note rhythms.

EXAMPLE 1 Bruce Welch rhythm style: Buddy holly influence

EXAMPLE 2 Bruce Welch rhythm style: cha-cha influence

ON THE CD TRACKs 3-19

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Another popular dance rhythm at this time was the Bolero. In bars 5 and 6 this driving rhythm is applied to good effect. To keep the delivery smooth, use the 16th-note picking pattern indicated here. Notice that the chords in this example are all basic triads (7ths would have sounded too bluesy in this context). The resolution to the C chord in bar 7 (a IV-I plagal cadence) fools the listener into thinking the song is in C major, but is immediately followed by the V of A minor (E) in bar 8.