WIN A $3, =“ PRS GUITAR! 8|S°NSs [an BACK INTHE USSR. The Beatles The Magazine You o Play mers ™ system of a Down WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE Bon Jovi ‘TLER'S SONG Coal Chamber Pec mt Years (™ 10 ran aa fe ie ir an Oasis a No Douht * Filter * ‘Shannon Curfman Carlos Santana « Static-X Special Report: The New Year in Gear Plus! Classic Metal Riff Blowout!i AEST Tye aoa Dear GuitarOne: In past Issues, you've discussed how 10 hhaose which seales shouldbe used aver differ: rat chord changes. But if you already have a melody line, haw do you determine which chords belongin the harmony? John Mortenson ia e-mail Dear John: That's great question on an under-appre ated aspect of songwriting, and the answer is depends. There are many factors that go into feciding the harmony for any given melody ine, What style of music is if How "busy" isthe sielody® What is the feel ofthe song? And, of urse, what notes make up the melody line? Lets addeess that one first. The melody should always be supported by the harmony 1 example, let say you wrote a one-measure wlody consisting of four quarter notes: D-E-G, Since the first note of the line is C ‘start with some sort of € chord Upon inspection, you'll note that the four nes presen in this melody are from the key of major. Three these tones (C F, and G) form CC major chord, so you could choose to simply 2y a C major chord to support the melody what about the D note? Since D isa scale ne (dhe majar 2nd or major Sth, depending the octave, you ean sill play the C major rd, oF you could incorporate that D note >the harmony and playa Cadd9 chord, You uld also choose to play more than one chord hac measure Let's split it in half We already know that Jor works, so lets play that chord over the Si two beats. The notes E and G compose 1 and 4, Why noc try some sort ofE chord? nce Eis the root, and G is the minor 3d, we plug an Em chord into the second half of measure, And sire enough, Em isthe il rin the key of C-major, so it works. This brings us to another factor to consider eveloping harmony: the “Tet” of the song, ou Want it to have a major tonality 10 express one type of emotion, ara minor tonal something diffrent? To demonstrate this pt, here are a couple of examples that sve the exact same melody in in the key of E In each example, all three chord tones ‘major (E, Gf, and B) are present inthe celody, as are couple of scale tones (F# and Fig. usesa very simple harmonic applica Only the I 1%, and V chords (E, A, and B) in the harmony—popular harmonyin songs. This progression lends a bouncy, feeling to the melody lin. Conversely, Fie. 2 contains a couple of diatonic minor and i in addition to the I and IV ds, The minor chords give this same elody a sense of urgency, ora slightly darker Fig. 3 fs yet another version of the same =F "rae ae fete = ae é = melody line. This harmony, however, helps demonstrate how the siyle of musi ean ini fence your chord choices. This example is arranged ina jazz context, with more frequent ‘chord changes and the introduction of non. diatonic notes (D in Bin? and C in Notice that in the frst two figures, the chord changes were a litle more sparse. The melody Tine writen for these examples Isnt terribly busy” 0 You can use an eighth-note strum ring pattern if you‘ like, but there’ still ‘enough happening that you can getaway with sustained chords too, In the jazz example, the frequency f chord changes increases, S010 of set the change, strum each chord aniy once. Also notice thatthe top nate of each chord in this example (with the exception of the final CCém7) matches the corresponding nate in the ‘melody. This san important concept to consi cer when accompanying a singer. as the singer will have an easier time hitting the right melody note ithe or she is not “fighting” the harmony. For further examples or more information ‘on this topic, check with your local music store of library for books on composition and harmony Miche! Mueller Dear GuitarOne: ve heard that you can close an open-back amp, of add 2x4 pleces of wood to losed-back cabinets, to beef up the sound. Does this work? Simiaely, Is there any difference in sound berween an amp with wheels (casters) and an ‘amp set divetly on the ground? Thanks. Erik Lokken via e-mail Dear Erk: The difference between an open-back and closed-back cabinet slat more involved than the presence or absence of a hole. A closed. back cabinet is acoustically designed to throw sound out of the front, and all aspects of the cabinet’ performance tweaked to get the desired results. So taking an lamp that was designed as an open-back and losing up the open backis not the same as ere ‘are measured and See Foe ating closed-back amp. If you're looking fora closed-back sound check out an open-back amp that features an extension or satellite cabinet designed for tha the two sounds. IF your SS amp, and com lamp doesnt have an extension speaker ‘option, switch to one that does, but dont yess with closing of the back you buttress your amp with 2x4s ([Link]: mon trick among metal guitarists), you can sometimes change the sound for the bette especialy on inexpensive amps or cabinets Reinforcing the cabinet in this manner reduces the transference of sound through the wood and fores it back through the font resulting in even greater volume and bass response. An amp set directly on the ground may sound different than one on castes, but its got nothing to do with the amp. fs the way the speaker cabinet resonates against the oor, and the floors contribution to the Acoustics. I youire on a wood floor with air tindemeath it (like on wooden risers of a makeshift stage), you'll hear @ considerable boost in the low end. But if you're on solid conerete or on alain, casters wont make th much ofa difference You could argue thatthe vibrating floor wil in urn affect the amp, bu this difference, forall practical purposes, is negligible, Jon Chappell Dear GuitarOne: Teant seem to figure out the beginning of Thain Kept a Rollin” by Aerosmith, Its the first fee seconds ofthe intro when Joe Per plays those really tight bluesy licks. Can you help me? Thanks Dear Stove: Te intr of “Train Kept a Rollin” Fig by Aerosmith is one ofthe most recognizab in rock rol To ge things ro Whistle” sound is actually very” simple ‘May 2000 © @4 Pay 18(Fig. § “Train Kept a Rollin™ Main Riff | Moderately = 102 7 fot (Fig. 6 “Happy Birthday” Chords and Lyrics eS =a SS recreate. IfS a unison "B* bend with an E on top, followed by the release and rebend of the ‘note on the 3rd string, alin one smooth stoke ‘The blueslick in measures 2 and 4, howe er isa lite ricky at frst, The only note that receives a pick attack i the first E note atthe 5th fret on the 2nd string, This note should be fretted with your ring finger. Your index finger should cover both the 2nd and 3rd stings at the 3rd fret. After pulling off your ring finger, pull your index finger off both stings so that they ring open. Then, immediately hammer yourindex onto the 2nd freton the ath string, It ‘akesalittle practice, but you should pick t up fairly quickly Resist the unge to strike the Sed string wth your pick along with the 2nd string as you initiate the lek After the four-measure free-time intro, | the tune begins to chug along with an equal- | A GuitarOne i 2000 + wv gutaronerag com ly recognizable power-chord rfl. Fig. 5 i composite arrangement of Gtrs. 1 and which play a single-note riff and a power ‘chord rif, respectively Michael Mueller ear GuitarOne: The seen many guitars who sing and play at the same time They make ic lok prety easy. But ‘whenever ether lose my stunmingebythm, forgetthe chords orsingoutofkey:Whatean Ito remedy this problem? Joseph Hamlin Dayton, O# ear Joseph: Dont be discouraged by singing guitarists who make it “look easy” They have most likely spent countless hours of practice to help them achieve such a goal If you can sing without playing and play without singing then with a litle bit of work. you to wil be able to do both simultaneously It sounds like you just need some practice tps io get yu pointed in the | Fight direction As to your concerns about losing your strumming pattems and forgetting chords, pertaps the tythm part andior the vocal line youareattemptingis to complex. Remember, ‘when learning something new, its always best | ‘ostart as simply as possible For example, you | have probably sung “Happy Birthday” since | you were acid ot ingrained in your mem- ony. Add the fact that it ean be played using thre simple chords (6, D, and Cin the key af | 6) Fig. 6), and you havea periect vehicle fora confidence-building practice di, Pray a basic, quatter-noe stramming pat tem while yousingte cs This way allyou | really need to concentrate on is changing chords atthe sight time. When you have the 4quarter-noteshythm mastered, you can grad ate tothe next lve. Chose a song that has mostly eighth-note rhythms in the melody (Chuck Berry’ “Tohnny B. Goode" or Sugar | RayS Every Morning" are two examples). Ply | a steady eighth-note comping pattem so that your right hand synes up with the rhythm of the Iyics Once you fel eamforabe singing while accompanying, yourself with steady quarter and eighth-note ythms, you should fin it much easier to employ te syncopated strumming patterns found in many songs Incegad o your problem of singing out of key while playing ptr, this could simply be because you are tying fo concentrate an too many thingsatonee. Practice your gitar pats te Iyies and the vocal melody separately When you know each one well only then should you attempt them all at once. Be Patient with yoursell, and. be aware: that although you brain i intlly working over. time to coordinate your hands and mouth tile playing and singing in time, this coord | nation wil become second nature, —om Kolb Pt nn CeCe Tens Pee eerste a | ree oa Pe ee Gian PS ea ag eee crt iption, gh DCRR tigce gars en rere er sel oe) mai subs@[Link]CLASSIC rom the mid '70s through the mid '80s, heavy metal was at the pinnacle ofits popularity. The guitar reigned supreme, as evidenced by the tower: ing stacks of cranked Marshalls with thelr red power lights glowing upon darkened concert stages all around the world. The foreign invasion flour- 1ed as bands like Judas Priest, Iron Malden, Ozzy Osbourne, Accept, and AC/DC pushed the limits and laid down fresh, cuttingedge sounds. In this genre, more than ever before, the riff—a term originally arising in blues music 8s a shortened and somewhat corrupted version of the word “refrain’— g2ined a new urgency and importance in song structuring. The palm-muted pedal ne technique became a mainstay In the heavy metal riff arsenal, as did Aeolian code chord progressions. Meanwhile, the rhythm section generally featured ight, high-energy rock ‘n’roll-style beats in the moderatte- to up-tempo range. Allin all, the impact of heavy metal in its classic form cannot be denied in mod: metal, rock, alternative, and even pop music. Let's take a look at 10 of the best that helped to define the sound and set the standard, AIFF A ead “Ace of Spades’ Motorhead Motirhead billing for ma simple and tothe point “The loudest bs the world.” Hailing from England, Motorhe was and stil Is fronted by bassist vocals Lemmy Kilminster, whose uniquely charm ing personality has gained him something of ‘acultantihero status over the years. ‘Ace of Spades’ is pethaps their best known song and is based upon guitarist "Fas adie” Clarke’ rif (Fig. 1). Palm mutes firs anchor the tonal center of E, followed three two-note chords (dyads) with a chro: matically descending leading tone (B-B: Pick the eighth notes in beat downstrokes, and the 16ths in beat 2 with a down/upidawn pattern, The chording por tion is best played with a dawn, dovn/up ‘up/down picking pattern. Be sure to lightly touch and mute the low E string with the palm of your hand at the bridge saddles, then ‘open the mute fully to allow each chord dyad toring ou “Balls to the Wall” Accept Although this German band’s debut release came in 1979, it was their fifth alburt Balls toshe Wal, in 198 that truly established Accept as a major heavy metal act. Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann’ powerhouse tone perfectly complemented and propelled vocalist Udo Dirkschneider’s distinct Over the years, Accept ci focal renderings. ntinued to fan the J alluums before final flames with a total of ly disbanding in 199 This sift (Fi upon the minds of all who encounter i Employing three power-chord dyads 35/D-E5/B-D5/A) drawn from the E minor pentatonic scale and set against an inter spersed, palm-muted E string, this is the classic pedal-tone idea. Make sure you mute each open low E note, yet allow each chord dyad to ring out, Also be careful to stop the various open strings so that they dorit con nue ringing over the palm mutes. The strongest hook of the riff oceuts in measure 4 when the dyads rise chromaticall (G5/D-G45/DE-AS/E) in a staggered, qua {er-note triplet shythm that offsets the prev ously established mot “Electric Eye” Judas Priest ‘metal in just a single band, Judas Priest would likely be it. This 1wo-guitar group (Glenn Tipton and KK. Downing) formed in En in the eatly rence, building each suecess upon @ in tour after tour and album after albu 0s and slowly rose to pRiffBox ieee [Fit a ta “Ace of Spades"| Matera Rok Fig. 3 "Electric Eye"! cr fact, there was virtually no U.S album chart presence until their seventh release Unleashed in the East in 1979. Then, 1980's British Steel put them solidly on the heavy ‘metal map both in the US. and abroad. Their 1982 effort, Screaming for Vengeance, contains the immortal riff of ‘Electric Eye The opening rif (Fig. 3) moves through an F5-C5-A5-B5 Aeolian mode, or natural minor, chord progression. Against this chordal backdrop, the guitar riff hammers a rising three-note motif (E-F#-G) repeatedly With’ interspersed, open-string mutes Notice that although each chord lasts for one full measure, each is displaced back ward (earier) by one half of a beat, and so, comes in on the upbeat of beat 4 of the pre: ceding measure. Technically speaking, this Jsknown as anacrusis, “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” AC/DC Abit more on the hard rock side of heavy metal, with more chord-based riffing than, say, palm-muted pedal tones or Aeolian lines, AC/DCenjoyed growing success inthe late "70s, culminating with 19798 Highway {0 Hell. Unfortunately, when lead vocalist Bon Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning, ACIDC looked as though they might have been through. But the Australians forged on Picking up American vocalist Brian Johnson, they eame back with the block buster 1980 album, Back in Black The 1981 follow-up, For Those About 10 Rock We Salute You, featured still more of the Young brothers—Maleolm and. Angus—back-to basics guitar savagery The opening line of “For Those About to Rock’ [Fig 4 utlizes hybrid picking. Use he | pick to play notes on the B string, and your middle finger to simultaneously. pluck the notes on the high E string. The accent matks create a hemiola, or three-agalnst-two pat tern. This accent pattern Is a common heavy ‘metal eighth-note thythm and can be found /hroughout the genre. The descending chord dyads, which form a sparse, four-measure nif ate trademark ACD “Holy Diver” Dio After vocalist Ronnie James Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath for a short time, he went italone in 1983, joining forces With virtuoso axeman Vivian Campbell to form the band Dio, Holy Diver was the frst solo release. The tide ack was pure hea | ‘metal to aT," replete with dark imagery, an Aeolian mode progression, pedal-tone rif ing, and fiercely aggressive lead guitar work. ‘Set in the more unusual key of C# minor, “Holy Diver" employe the gallop-ype | hythm of an eighth note followed by 1wo 16th notes (Fig. 5). Pick down/down/up for each such figure, Also, pay attention to the palm muting on the A string, and life the ‘mute completely for each chord 26. GuitarOne MAY 2000 wn guiarcremag on“Midnite Maniac” Krokus Formed in Zurich, Switzerland in 1978, "Krokus was another Euro-metal band styls- ically drawing on groups like Judas Priest and the Scorpions. “Midnite Maniac” is from the bands 1984 Arista release, The Bi ‘This single-note rif (Fig. 6] outlines an E-A-D-A-E progression in arpeggios. This displays heavy metals "major" side—cer- tainly less common than the dark minor key approach, but by no means outside the scope of heavy metal. Actually the tonality is Mixolydian and not truly major, due to the presence of the =VII (D) chord, Stil Mixolydian is certainly in the major camp and has a similarly bright quality ‘Another unconventional aspect of this Dif is its use of less-common time signa- ‘ures—specifically 3/4 and 2/4. This was undoubtedly the result of the band’ earlier, ‘more progressive influences from artists such as Yes. “Over the Mountain” Ozzy Osbourne After getting kicked out of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne paired up with guitarist extraordinaire Randy Rhoads to ‘orm one of heavy metals greatest acts. Although Rhoads died in a plane accident ater only two studio albums and a handéal of live recordings, his influence upon the direction of metal is undeniable, “Over the Mountain” isa track from the pair's second collaboration, Diary ofa Madman. Stark in its simplicity, the main sft that propels “Over the Mountain” [Fig 7) Is sed in the unusual key of GE minor. The open E string then acts as the minor 6th cone, with the AS power chord built upon ‘she minor 2nd tone. This spells out the arker-than-minor Phrygian mode. Use sralght alternate picking, with a down- sroke on each downbeat, for the continu ous 16th-note raythm, “Sweet Leaf” Black Sabbath Black Sabbath predates every other and here by a least several years, and can claim to being the “original heavy metal snd" In fat, they were the fist to experi- ent with super low, lacked tunings—tun- ngs that have become commonplace in -cay’s metal. Formed in England in 1969, ick Sabbath remained a defining force in eavy metal throughout the entire decade ‘the '70s and into the early ‘80s, when scalist Ozzy Osbourne was replaced by ‘nnie James Dio. Throughout, however, ist Tony Tommi has been the bands point and driving force. ‘Sweet Leal” (Fig. 8 is from the band’s £71 release, Master of Reality. This bypnot- x one-measure riff reverberates through- cr the pro-drug song almost without ecerruption! Played using simple, two- arty 98 Moderately Siow Jas Moderate Rock 4182 Fig. 7 “Over the Mountain™ Madre Rok =H [MAY 2000 * @4 The Magazine You Can Pay 27|e string power chords, we see the root move- ment A-D-D>-C, followed by a final move back up to D. This implies the key of A minor, asthe riffs drawn from the A minor pentatonic scale with the addition of the chromatic passing tone D: “Wrathchild” Iron Maiden ron Malden, another British heavy- weight heavy metal band that draws a great deal upon dark imagery and Aeolian pro gressions, came onto the scene in the late 1s and released their debut album in 1980, Since then, the group has sold nearly 50 million records worldwide. The two-gui tar onslaught thar is such an integral part of the band sound is brought to beat by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, athchild” is a fan favorite and trade- mark riff from the band’s second album, Killers. Asimple, repeating, one-measure vamp kicked off by a D (s7th) followed by octave Es on the Sth and 6th strings forms the basis ofthe E minor riff Fig. 9). Measure 4 wraps up the phrase with a diatonic Aeolian contour. Speed is the main issue here, as itis played at the energetic pace of 155 bpm, “The Zoo” Scorpions The Scorpions are the definitive Euro: metal band. Hailing from Hanover Germany, the Teutonic tunesmiths fused powerful Aeolian guitar progressions with memorable, catchy vocal melodies resul: ing in plenty of crossover pop-metal appeal. Lyrically, they are somewhat differ ent from their darker heavy metal counter: parts, in that their main themes were most | often those of ove and sex. Throughout the late '70s and most of the '80s, the Scorpions sold out arena after arena as their albums went platinum one after another. “The Zoo" is from their 1980 release, Animal Magnetism The main riff (Fig. 10) is in a shulMe shythm—unusual for heavy metal. Another twist is that here, power chords are aban ddoned in favor of third intervals. The key however is standard fare—E natural minor (Aeolian)—as isthe use of the low E string asa palm-muted pedal tone. ‘or the minor 3rd intervals, such as the first dyad in the rif, use your index and ring fingers. For the major 3rds, use your index and middle fingers, Notice that the root movement of these 3rd sim ply walks down and back up the E natwral minor scale, Troy Stetina isa freelance writer and gul- arist. His new instrumental CD, Exottiea is now available (see page 181) Visit him 28 Guitarone 10 + ww [Link]PAT ad 69 [1 eg Gale @ Rhythmic Displacement and | Superimposition Many players naturally start a phrase a downbeat, often the first beat of a me sure. But by simply taking that same figure and displacing it—sbifting itso that it star either before or after the beat—you ca break up the rhythm ofa phase that, if not displaced, might sound a bit sti Fig. I shows a pattern based on four 16th notes. While the groups under bracket ind 2 begin on the beat, those under 3 and re displaced by beginning the pattern on the second 16ch note of the beat. This dis placement causes the group in bracket 4 t {go over the bar line, an effect that gives the Phrase some forward momentum, Notice also that the notes under brackets 6 and 7 are displaced, but this time, the pattern started one 16th before the beat. ry these ideas with longer phrases and licks that you know; and practice them with a metronome for a drum machine so that you ean really feel the displacement A related idea is rhythmic superimposi- tion. For example, take a three-beat thyth mic phrase and plays it in 4/4 time. I you repeat this phrase in 3/4, it will always begin fon the first beat of every bar, But wher played in 4/4, starts earlier in each succes: sive measure: the fourth beat of measure the third beat of measure 3, and the second beat of measure 3. This type of three-beat patter also goes over the bar line, but in order to heat the effect, you need to play it along with a 4/4 ehythm pattern, Otherwise it will kely sound as if ts just a straight ward 3/4 lick. ® Rhythmic Groupings 10 Ways to Take Your Lead Playing over the Top ores nsim aleve second bar, the same arpeggios are played fas 16th notes. In the first bar, each three @ all know a killer phrase when we hear one, but just exactly how: ‘do you define what makes one phrase so much better than anoth- ‘er? And even harder, how do you improve your own phrasing? J Well, t's not as hard as you might think, in this Lesson Lab, we'll begin to unlock the mysteries of phrasing by focusing on the key aspects of any | phrase: rhythm, harmony, and melody. In particular, we will explore ways to diversi- | fy your ehythms, expand your harmonic vocabulary, and approach scales and pat | ters more melodically, This three pronged attack will help you develop your unique voice a8 @ guitarist. The great players are all masters of the phrase. There's no rea- | son you can’t master this elusive art, too. 8 note group starts on the beat, but when played as 16th notes, each group (indicated by brackets) begins on a different beat: the first 16th, the fourth 16th, che third, and the second, respectively. You can draw attention to the new grouping by accenting the first note of each group. And because each pat tern begins on a different beat, the accent keeps shifting You can apply the same idea to four-note groups as well. In Fig. 3, the pattern is frst played as 16th notes and then as triplets, Ww Play 94 #04 ThoExperiment with other combinations such as two- and five-note patterns played a iples, fiv- and seven-note patterns played as 16th notes, or even five-note ‘groups played in a rhythmic pattern such as; 16th note, 16th note, 16th-note rest, 16th note—rests can be as important a part of any phrase as the notes. And, as alway you should develop these pattems into | ionger phrases by displacing some of the nnote groups and inserting rests and/or pitches with longer durations. @ Rhythmic Diversity Two important and related aspects of sophisticated phrasing are the ably (0 move effortlessly between different chythins, andthe ability to be free fom bsingal your slo rhythms on the under ving ehythmie unit ofthe song, be it an elghth-note, a 16th-note, or shuffle groove (swung eighth note). In other Words, even ifthe song i a hull, you might want to switch beck and forth between typical shufle shythms, such 2s triplets, and less common ‘ones, like straight eighth notes or Leth notes, The erercise In Pig. 4 can help you develop these abilities. nthe fist measure you play two beats of eighth notes, fl Towed by two beats of eighth-not triplets. Inmeasue 2, you move fom 16th aces to semuplets and qulatupets So the number it noes per beat per measure inthe gure MTC m ey) Meer Laser Uy Ci faTe) learned to play. Re eS een 32 Guitarone NAV 2000 © Everything Guitar On-Line WholeNote is like a living instruction book that rewrites: itself every day! The most free guitar lessons on-tine © Tab and audio playback at your own speed Grooves to jam over — create your own! © Publish lessons and trade licks with your friends © Product reviews, guitar homepages, forums, and lots more... Join us now for a chance to win free stuff!moves from two to three to four, and then from six to five. At first, you might have some trouble feeling the slight difference Inthe number of notes per beat. But ifyou ‘count them out and practice them slowly, ies not that difficult (Hint: An easy way to determine the ehythm of a quintuplet is to insert a five-syllable word, such as “hip ppo-pot-a-mus,” into a beat.) You could cre ate a number of similar exercises, ones that, say, changed every beat from eighth. note triplets to quintuplets Another and perhaps stranger way (0 come up with new rhythms might seem a itl lke math homework: Take a measure comprised entirely of eighth-note triplets and randomly remove some of the beats Written out, a measure might first be counted lke this: “one-and-a, two-and-a, three-and-a, four-and-a." But after you fake out some beats so that every quarter ‘ote has a different rhythmic unit, one possible result would be: “one-rest-a, rest nda, three-and:-rest, four-and-a.” Do the ame fora second measure, and you could nd up with “rest-and-a, two-and-, rest nd-res,rest-and-a" Fig. 5). Try this tech- que with other rhythms, such as quarter ote triplets or 16th notes. Although this night seem like an artificial way to create a hrase, you will definitely come up with sme cool rhythms that you wouldn't nor aly play After working with these ideas, gin to add them into your solos. aFes) A Major ABBlue Scale Pentatonic Scale A Hybrid Seale Eta exo oon Eventually, you'll ind that they've become ‘a natural part of your playing. @ Chromaticism ‘Achromatic note is simply any note that isnt part the key you are playingin. On the guitar, these notes fall on the fet or frets in between two consecutive notes inthe scale. | And because chromatic notes are ouside the harmony, you can use them as a way to add some color and harmonic tension to your phrases. The only thing to be careful of, is emphasis—silled players tend to avoid staying toolongon them. Instead, they often use chromatic notes as passing notes— notes in between two consecutive scale tones—or approach notes—notes aha step below or above a chord or scale tone, ] Fig. 6 employs the A Dorian scale (A-B-C-D-E-F#.G), and the notes with an | asterisk are chromatic notes. Notice how | some of the chromatic notes are used as | Passing notes and others as approach | notes. These notes represent only a few of, ‘the many possible chromatic notes around ‘the Dorian scale inthis position. ‘Another way to incorporate chromati- cism into your playing is by using a note pattern based on the key you are soloing in and then repeating this pattern ata loca- tion where some or all of the notes are not in the key This idea is the basis for the sec: ‘ond measure in Fig. 7. The notes under bracket 1 form a pattern that you move to two other frets (brackets 2 and 3) in the lick. The key to successfully employing this kind of chromaticism is resolution: Asin Fig 7, you can start “inside” (on notes inthe key or the scale), move “outside” (to notes not ppart of the harmony), and finally resolve back o either a chord- or scale-tone. ® Hybrid Scales You can create a unique harmonic source for phrases by combining notes from two different types of scales. When you do this the result often doesnit have an official name, but kind of scale a could form any two scales into a hybrid, the one we will focus on combines notes from the blues scale and the major penta- tonic sale. ig. has three fingerings: the ist is an [Ablues scale the second isan A major pen- tatonic, and the third is the hybrid that results when these two are combined, This new scale has nine notes, which at frst can ‘make it seem a bit unwieldy. But remem- ber, when you improvise with this or any scale, there is no need to use all the notes. Targeting chord tones is a common impro- visational too to help lock in the harmony during your solo. Look at the lick in Fig. 9 for an example of how to interweave chord tones and other notes ftom a hybrid scale © Superimposed Triads ‘Another way to add some harmonic interest to your solosis by building phrases inhich you superimpose multiple chords over a single chord, Fig. 10 is a series of triad arpeggios based on the notes in a G Dorian scale (G-A-B>-C-D-E-P). The arpeggios—G minor, C major, B> major, and F major—are all played over one chord, Gm. The names in brackets identify the chords that are being superimposed This same lick could be played over other chords from the key (F) as well. For instance, the lick would fit over a C7, or even a Dm chord, While it often works great to play three-note triads as triplets, itsalsoagood idea to breakup the rhythm, asthe lick in Fig. 10 does. Fig. 11 employs a series of three- and four-note arpeggios of triads from the key ‘34 GultarOne NAY 2000 « was guitxoremag com©-C, Bm, Am, G, FF, Em, and D. You -2n play this lick over any of the chordsit, rains, butit works especially well over Sor Am. To add some rhythmic variety his liek, practice i¢ with a rhythmic exercise like the one In Fig. 4 Melodic Intervals ur phrasing can sound predictable \we solo with a limited number of srervals (an interval is the distance Sesween two notes). When moving from Sore 10 note in a seale, we often play the sore immediately above or below the wwe Just played. In most instances, ‘means that we end up employing, csner small intervals, such as a minor 2s ahralf step, or one fret, a major 2nd 2 whole step, or two fiets), or a minor one and a half steps, or three frets), sequently, our soloing can some- es sound as if we are just running up sc down scales, An easy way (0 give your solos some al variety is by using “string skip- ‘term that basically defines itselE skip over an adjacent string to get 10 = cote on a nonadjacent string, In the measure of Fig 12, for example, the 3 note Is played on the Sth string he fourth note is played on the 3rd ng. In this case, skipping the Ath ives you an interval of a minor se This particular lick uses a standard jor pentatonic fingering, but the ~chnique works with any scale So when « practice string skipping, be sure to <== all ypes of fingerings and scales. Fig. 2 we stayed close to the minor tonic fingering, but in Fg 13 we sce some larger intervals by shifting lans. The frst measure af the phrase = partially based om the interval of a per- Sr Sth. The distance between the frst sed second notes (D, A}, as well as sesyeen the second and third notes (A, s aperfect 3th, And the measure ends wo another Sth, an A 10 E played one ave higher than the first to E. Like skipping, the long slide atthe end he lick also gives you an atypical mcerval 5 Melodic Bends Players can get into a rut of bending, ‘Few notes in a seale the same dis- sce, often a whole or half step, which » lead to unimaginative phrasing 1g bends of different distances, how= ever will add a kind of uidity and redictability to your phrases. Based on a major pentatonic/blues orld scale the A7 phrase in Fig, 14 uses =cny diferent bends. In the first mea. sor the bend is one and a half steps; = second, ahalf step; inthe third, the C = cent twa consecutive whole steps and seen released the same distance; and the Sourh measure has another one-and-a- ba-step bend, [Fe34)Lesson Lab (Fg-36) ——— ae oe ‘Typically, players prefer bending on the three highest strings (asin Fig. 14) because they are the lightest and therefore the easi est to bend, But this leaves a large part of the guitar's range unused for bending. While you might find bending on lower sirings a bit difficult, its an invaluable improvisation tool that is too often over looked. }) Melodic Sequences Many great phrases are memorable because they are built on a melodic sequence, an interval pattern that is repeated at least once, usually on multiple pitch levels. Because such sequences involve repetition and variation, it can seem as if they are carefully composed. like the melody of a song—and not just improvised, Fig. 15 contains two sequences and their inversions, notes played in the reverse order. Inverting a pattern you have already played is another way to give your lines a "composed” feel. The note group in bracket (G-C-D-E) reappears one ‘octave higher in bracket 1A: but this time the order of the notes is inverted (E-D-C-G), And the notes in bracket 2A invert the notes in bracket 2 as well ‘This figure features a linear scale pat tem, a pattern that moves up or down (rather than across) the fingerboard and is played on a limited number of strings. Because its easy to use slides when you move these fingerings through each posi- tion (as atthe end of each sequence in the figure), these kinds of scale patterns can sive your playing a legato, oF smooth and connected, feel Anhiint about using melodie sequences while soloing: its often best to play the sequence only 2, 3, o 4 times. Players who repeat sequences too many times (espe. cially ifthey use litle or no rhythmic varia tion) can sound lke they're practicing and not improvising. When you play sequences, you can also break up some of the repetitions by inserting other licks you knowin that sea, @ Melodic Lines Over Chord Changes Playing one scale over a chord progres sion often works great, but learning to fol low the progression—to outline the chord changes with your solo ine—will bring an added level of melodic sophistication to your phrases. One way you can start creating such lines is by determining the half-step con nections between the chords in a progres sion. In Fig. 16, we move between E7 E-G$-B-D) and AT (A-CLE-G), These chords have two hall-step connections: Gt t0G, D to CE. Often, guitarists will play the second note of the connection on the downbeat. In this example, however, we either rhythmically anticipate or delay the chord change in our solo by playing the note before or after the change actually ‘occurs (the arrows indicate the anticipated or delayed chord notes), @ Kramer Focus VTIIS Visage Sunburst, Lake Placid Ble, Condy Appl Red, Black 36 Guitarone Nav 2000 + RR, SEIN Made To Reck Hard... Only available at ~~ ¢ Mu: [Link] | what will ( play Teday? [Link]Kramer BaretiaFR-404S/ Fully Loaded then grunge ended the reign of hair spray/spandex metal in the early "90s, i wasnt only big-hair bands that fell out of favor. Indeed, any guitar with a pointy headstock and a Floyd Rose was deemed fatally uncool as retro fever took hold, While a number of “pointy” makes like Ibanez, Jackson, and B.C. Rich remained buoyant until the current metal restr: gence, Kramer, it seemed, sank with all hands. Kramer's demise was a bummer, but their capability for turning out excellent high-performance guitars hhas brought them back—with a vengeance. The new line of Kramers i available directly over the Internet via the Music Yo! company, and it may be the best mouse clicka shredder could make. © tighuaty Kramer Floyd Snecs Appeal Rose tremolo The Baretta FR-404S/D sits at the top of the Korean-made Kramer range and i loaded with Rene impressive features. The heart of the Baretta i its eae Canadian hard-maple neck-through-body design and the American alder wings that make up the © st price: $269 body. This expensive construction technique pays off witha smooth hel-less neck join, enhanced sus tain, and structural solidity. The neckitselfhas a slim profil with alt 16” radius on the Indian rosewood board. Offering a fall two octaves, the 24 med um-large fets have been crisply finished and highly polished fora smooth feel ver the whole board ts freat that Kramer hasnt wussed out with the head Sock The reversed “banana? peghead proudly dis- plays its heritage, and the skull and’ crossbones Gotoh machineheads are just too coo ‘The double cutaway body features deep con: tours, a small-edge radius, and rear-loaded electron ies, giving the Bareta an uncluttered, modern look. Hardware is another area in which the Baretta impresses, with a full complement of hi-tech com: ponents. Each of the twin Quad-Rail pickups are actually wo single-coll size humbuckers mounted together. In standard mode, these at as high-output hhumbuckers controlled via the three-way selector switch and volume and tone controls. pull switch on the tone control spits these four-oll pickups into two-col, effectively producing mini-humbuck: es in the bridge and neck positions The Floyd Rose-licensed Kramer tremolo sytem isone ofthe most evolved versions of this double-locking design. tn addi- | [Blwes/Rook Lek] GUIUIR tion to height staggered saddles and skcsay J U0) hardened knife-edge ci TE ic Ce |g Ld wt) oo Ss | et eet © Through-neck construction . fret, slim-taper neck © High-output Quad-Rall pick ‘ups with split sith reinforces the small amount of wood left by a the routing for the | [gpg » recessed tremolo, a noto: Cra} Cay ) riously weak area, Continued on pag 173 448. Guitarone May 2000 + ww [Link]era 5 5. Charles Dr Suite 10ST Line 6 DL4 Delay Moteler A Wealth of Delay Sounds, from Vintage to Digital clay has been a favorite effect of recording engineers and live performers alike since the tape manipulations of the '50s, Whether using delay to simulate a room ambience or simply for a cool sound, performers have employed multitudes of analog and digital units to ereate everything from rockabilly slapback to Pink Floyds space echoes. In the DLA, Line 6 has put their research in the modeling field to ‘work, stuffing a wide range of classic and! modern delay effects into fone ‘pedal. This single signal processor includes simulations of Tube Echo, Tape Echo, ‘Mult-Head (Roland Space Echo), Analog Echo, and Analog with Mod (Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man} But Wait, There's More ‘ou also get your basic 24-bit Dig Delay Digital wMod, Stereo Delay, Ping-Pong Dela and Rhythmie Delay (choice of quarter notes, cghth notes, eighth-note triplets. 16th notes, Ith-note tplets, or 2nd nots. Tothis already overflowing basket of good- ies, Line 6 adds afew fancier effects: Dynamic Deiay (the delay is squashed nti you stop playing llowingan ambiental without mud ying up thenotes ofthe solo) and Seep Echo (delayed notes are sep though a ter for an automate watt eff) Lo Res Delay allows you to adjust es clution a low ass bits for an early digital grunge sound ill not enough? Try Revers, for those fpped-tape backwards solos, or ‘Auto-Vlume Echo, which delays your atack, allowing ambient swells without the use ofa volume pedal or knob Ifthis was all had o offer, the DLA would already be woth the price. But Line 6 has seen fit Include a ll second looper with half speed and reverse capabiliy, Not content to stop there ju keeps geting beter), they thought you might need up to 800 mie secondo pre-dlay with fl feedback and blend functions while youre loping Sound t00 good to be tue? “It mst sound afl, orbe impossible to figure out "Atleast illus tls cheap tert J= 10 ly made Sorry, [Link] both “on counts, ‘The back-to-the-future, retofspace-age green meal housing | Fst isbuile lke a tank (weighs as much as | [= one, too) The adapter fortunately as the age transformer inthe mile of the cord and a normal plug-—easy to insert into the wall oF your amps couresy outlet. Operating the DLA Is "© Mode Selector oters 15 types of delay as wells a looping mode ‘© Tweak and Tweez functions vary wit the ditt mades, but Delay, Repeats, and Mx remain the same (© In dolay modes, te fst three footsatches are or presets, and the fourth allows the delay time to be synchronize to the music by tapping itintime (© True stereo in and outs maintain store placement of previous effects 1© Runs onan adantr or four bates (© List price: $349.99 relatively simple. The man- io ual is straightforward, but art: tle getting used to. One is GieS AMM) teccning what the “Tweak and “Twee2" knobs. do, Their names are purpose: utaronamag comZoomGFX- Guitar Multi-Effects Console by Rusty wtehi f your thing is versatility and the capability to tweak for days (and ‘whose isnt), then Zoom has got just the effects box for you: the GGEX-8. In one highly roadworthy metal case, Zoom has combined the standard complement of foot switches and an expression, yle knobs for fast tone shaping, its le Architecture Modeling System (VAMS) for different amp simulations, and a 25-second sampling function witha Jam Play fea: ture to record phrases and accompany yourself, ‘Then, to really put the GFX-8 a cut above other mult-effect units im its class, Zoom has added MIDI and a CD-ROM with software to edit the effects—including access to parameters not available from the GFX-8 control panel. This allows you to create an amazing diversity of sounds tailored to your ‘own specs and spread over 80 user set- tings to go with the 160 presets, With ‘Zoom’s 69 ambient, delay, and modu: lation effects, the GFX-8 is capable of doing just about anything you could ‘wish for in a box like this. And you ean use all this modern tone-creating tech nology with your beloved single-tone amp for a lot less money than a high: powered modeling amp with limited effects. But the ultimate question is: How does it sound? Zoom Design “The GFX-Bhasks back o the vener able Zoom Player 3030, with bank select switches (Bank Up and Down) on the let of the unit and a smooth-traveling expression pedal on the right. In between, the four wellspaced foot switches can operate as standard preset selectors, giving access to four facto 1 or user-eited sounds per bank. You can limit the avalable banks to the user group the preset group, or both This is valuable func tion onstage when you have to cycle through several banks to get to that one killer preset “Another helpful features the Basy Edt function, which gives you the ability to change ertain parameters of patches with the analog, style knobs without entering the standard Edit mode, You can access Bass, heble, Middle, and Presence with PARM knobs 1-4, pick elects with the tree lage selector knobs, and alter their intensity with the Gain, Parm Select, and Parm Value knobs. This makes operating the GFX-8 much morelike operating an analog effects peda (albeit very lange and complex one) and gives you more visual info about your realtime edits, ‘The expression pedal can be programmed t0 contol the real time modulation capabilites of the unit, which include volume and wah, of course, but extend to the drive and effects settings as wel, | (Pentatonie Uek] GUIIIR Using the pedal this way, you can Moder = 18 create all kinds of sonic Nis © VAMS (Variable Architecture Modeling System) © 69 effect typas—up to rine at (© 25-second phrase sampler and 12-second Jam Ply features allow you to alte the speed ot your samples without changing the pit eed oi sy Edt” knobs fr lve per- formance © Software for Windows 95/98 or ‘Macintosh 0S included © New distortion technology can ‘duplicate the sound of guitar amps and preamps (© 160 built-in prosat patches and 80 user-programmable patches © Buittin expression pedal © List price: $499, CTT TA mm) onde. like changing * from a bone-dry whisper | Fer ee to a fully effected | == PRCAOMEMMM scream, as gradually as —— PO. Box you wish without using ys hy two adjacent presets. The — pedal includes pres Se Y) sure-sensitive switch Contd on page 1 52 cuttarone \1 000 + [Link]Uult-instrumentalist Lenny Kravitz has been an internationally renowned k star formore than adecade now, dating to the 1989 release of his debut, Let Rule. But it wasnt until last year that itz was acknowledged by the industry « Grammy, walking away with the for Best Male Rock Vocal Per Fig. 1 \\ cs a Fig.3 B Minor Pentatonic Scale 0. Fi. Dorian Scale C Minor Pentatonic Scale American Woman formance on “Fly Away.” marking the fist time a Grammy Award was presented to an African-American in a rock category. This year, Kravitz repeated the honors as he once again took the Grammy in the category of Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, this time for his ultra-groouy rendition of the Guess Who classic, “American Woman,” from the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack, For the curious, the Guess Who also scored a #1 hit with “American Woman,” the ttle track oftheir third album, way back in 1970. Now, thiry years later, Kravit’s mod: cem-yet-funky interpretation of ‘American ‘Woman’ has put the song back atthe top of the charts, introducing it to a whole new generation and proving the old adage: great ‘tunes, coupled with great performances, are truly timeless, ‘THE SIGNATURE RIFF Im “American Woman,” Kravitz. starts ‘grooving from the get-go with his version of Randy Bachman’ signature eiff—a heavy passage that combines C5 and F5/C dyads IFig. 1] with C minor pentatonic-derived single-note riffs, fluctuating between 3rd, Ist, and 8th positions Notice that ths figure ‘occurs in two slightly different formats: Rhy. Fig. land Rhy. Fig. 1A Ina nutshell, the only difference between these two versions isthe rhythmic variation that occurs between the ‘and’ of beat 2 and beat 3 of each figures first measute: Notice also that, in an effort beef up the song’s production, Gtr_2 doubles Gir. 1 at intermittent points, while In other Instances—like the frst verse—the guitar lays out altogether. This act of strategically adding and subtracting guitars to the mix, all the while implying the same basic rift structure, enables Kravitz to get more mileage out the relentiess nature of the song, maintaining the listener's interest from star to finish, ‘THE INTERLUDE In the brief interlude section, power chords and pentatonies are again ased by Kravitz. At this point, two additional guitars enter the picture (Gus. 3 and 4), adding. extra beef during this all-instrumental sec= tion, providing a stark contrast between the second and third chorus sections. Here, once again, Kravitz. employs. different instruments to full his sonic needs, For Instance, Gtr. 4i reserved strictly forsingle- rote pentatonic rifing on the bottom three strings inthe fist position (RIP), tweaked with the tantalizing effect of atalk box. Meanwhile, Gurs. 2 and 3 join forces and deliver a punishing passage based on BIS and C3 power chorus [Fig- 2], The parts per- formed by this pair of gultars—speeifially Rhy, Figs. 2 and 2A—dilfer only in that the brief pentatonic outburst occurring on the last beat of the second measure of each fig- ture sounds one octave apart. These two riffs are also used to dramatically drive the tune hhome in the final chorus and outro, ‘THE GUITAR SOLO Kravitz guitar solo Kicks off with a sur- prise key change, shifting the tune’ tonality down 1/2 step from C minor to B minor. While Gu. churns outa transposed version ofthe song’ signature siff—restating the fig- ture verbatim, albeit moved down one fret hy: Fig. 3)—Keavitz8 lead guitar (Gee 5) ‘busts out tasty B minor pentatonic blues licks in the 7th position (Fig, After four bars in B minor, Kravitz returns to the songs original key of C ‘minor, briefly outlining the C Dorian scale [Fig, 4a] before finishing the job witha bar- rage of bends within the C minor penta- tonic scale (Fig. 4B}. ‘MAY 2000 + @4 The Magazine You Can Pay. 107,AMERICAN WOMAN As Recorded by Lenny Kravitz (From the Maverick Motion Picture Soundtrack AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME) Written by Burton Cummings, Randy Bacr—= Gary Peterson and Jame: (as recorded by Lenny k= Ne. Transcribed by Jeff Jacobson Moderately Slow Rock = 84 cs FSC CS Ne. cs BC cs o Cor ° r = : — = ea ==: s Fe cs we cs Fv cs xe . pst - - ‘p66 5 . = = Ty. i tk CA ee rE —— == ae 3444 So — a we —— - St = —* * E oe — = 7 — %& chorus rl why. 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Bis cs as cs Tm mgood for you — 1 Took you right stright inthe eye and As meri can wom = an, nis cs Bs cs Ne Bis cs Bis cs tell you what Pm gon - na do.— rm gon- na eave you, wom You know 1 got- ta Bis cs BS cs Ne. BIS cs Bis cs — eo Tm gonna leave you, wom = an 1 pote Amer i> can wom an piscs als cs Ne. biscs Bis cs Biscs BS CS. NC. gotta go ‘As mer i- ean wom an) irs. 2,3.& 6 tet stoynth bass & dram) : 5 1 gt , acme Yen aay fae ot [MAY 2000 + @4 The Magazine You Can Play 4148ihe Beatles, along with Elvis Presley, ‘hate the distinction of being one ofthe ‘most popular and influential rock ‘n’ roll acts t0 ever grace our blue marble, having created timeless masterpieces that continu: allyreach out to and pullin new generations of music fans. ‘Though itwas never a charting single, the Beatles "Backin the US.S.R” was and stil s (one oftheir most popular songs, covered by countless bar bands and even Billy Joel at ‘the height of glasnost in his historic concert from Leningrad. "US.S.R" isa classie rocker cunningly combining some of the most popular rock’ roll elements ofthe day lke the boogie rhythms of Chuck Berry and surf-pop harmonies ofthe Beach Boys, ‘THE INTRO Alter the plane lands, the song kicks off with Gtr. 2 gradually building steam via an 7 chord (Fig. 1). Notice in the transcrip tion between the notation and tab staves that there are two lines slowly growing wider apart. This indicates a crescendo, Which is the musical term for "gradually growing louder” This is only one of the ele ‘ments at work here to build up to the fist verse. Not only does the volume increase, Dbut more intervals are gradually added to the chord with each successive measure as well, And finally, the simple fact that it’ an 7 chord (V), which wants to resolve tothe oot (A), also helps to build tension, ‘THE VERSE ‘The verses utilize the classic rock 'n'roll boogie pattern that dates back to Robert Johnsoris Delta blues work in the '30s and ‘was later made enormously popular by ‘Chuck Berry in the '50s, The pattern is the alternation of [Link]/5th and root/6th chords in a steady eighth-note rhythm. Fig. 2 shows the basic chord fingering with the root on the 6th string. To play the root! Sth 144 GuttarOne WAY 2000 + wiv. [Link] place your index finger on the root (6th string) and your ring finger on the Sth (Sth string). The root/6th is played by simply ‘adding your pinky two ffets up from your ring finger, with your index finger remaining (on the 6th- string root. ‘THE CHORUS Git. 2 continues the boogie rhythm pat ter in the chorus while Gtr. 1 follows the chord changes in an ascending series of ‘octave rls, The structure of these ris is based on a phrasing technique called ‘melodic sequencing, in which a matif is created by repeating a rhythmic passage using different melodic notes. Playing this ‘octave riff requites you to play the octaves ‘on two different pairs of strings. Because of the way the guitar is tuned, this change in string pairs also requires a slight change in Fingering, as seen in Fig. 3. Be careful with the rhythm, as its heavily syncopated, and when you do finally play on the downbeat, your'e playing quick legato slides. It's a big Fig.2 Root/Sth to (Root/6th) Fig. 3 the U.5.5.R. Octave Shape #1 bite, but if chewed enough, will be eas swallow. In the second ending ofthe chorus, and Paul use a quick time modula ‘witching (0 a 3/4 time signature for measures of syncopated Gadd (Fig chord stabs. These stabs continue throur the first new measure of 4/4 before ret ing to the boogie rhythm in anticipatio the Beach Boys-esque bridge THE SOLO The guitar solo in “Backin the USS. simple but effective statement in Dm pentatonic. The first two measures are tah from the scale pattern at the 10th pos (fig SA], and the next five are taken fr the extended seale box in the 13th pos (Fg, 5B). The final measure’s rake, pull nd quarter-step bend is actually some’ prophetic of a classic Stevie Ray Vaus lick: Watch the intonation of your bend this solo, as they make up a bulk of melodic content. 6 Octave Shape #2 Fig. 5A D Minor Pentatonic ScaleBACK IN THE U.S.S.R. 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S08 RO Ab, May 2000 * @4 The Magazine You Can lay 124Back in the U.S. Outro Gi. 1: wil (Gu 1 WIRE A, It mess, 6 times AS BS E as AS AS a6 Hey, T'm— back! Ni aii end AS ASS AS AAS AS ABS ine noses AS ASS as As as a6 ASA AS 4122 GuitarOne 1A 2000 « [Link]Hhree years ago, Los Angeles-based, ‘underground metal mavens System of a Down played to 2 packed house at Hollywood’ infamous Viper Room. In atten: dance, sporting his trademark bushy beard and shades, was world-renowned producer Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Chili Peppers). Blown away, Rubin immediately signed System to his own label, American Recordings, and released the band's self-titled ‘Major label debut in 1998. The dise quickly established the quartet—Ser) Tankian (vocals), Daron Malakian (guitar), Shavo Odadjian (bass), and John Dolmayan (drums)—as metal innovators, and, with the help of repeated praises from SoCal metal bands like Coal Chamber, eared System @ stint on Ozzfest '98 and "99. That exposure combined with rock radios repeated spins of the album quirky frst single, “Sugar,” event ally pushed the disc to god in February 2000, System of a Down's second single, ‘Spiders," is one ofthe band’s moodier offer ngs, showcasing the band’s darker side, The ‘rack was also recently featured (on the Scream 3 soundtrack, providing headbanging the- atergoers with an extra-added bonus! At the conclusion of the band’s two-year-plus long, additional whole step (low to high C-G-C-F-A-D), For this reason, all pitches inthe following transcription will sound one whole step lower than written ‘THE INTRO AND FIRST VERSE "Spiders” kicks off with Shavo Odadjian’s mellow bass riff, which we've adapted for guitar (RI A). Like many of the riffs that bubble to the surface in this song, the low ‘open D string is picked while pitches along higher strings are moved around within the D natural minor scale (D-E-F-G-A-r-C), ‘THE CHORUS AND SECOND VERSE During each chorus, Daron Malakian takes advantage of his guitar's Drop D- derived tuning and utilizes a variety of one finger power chords along his inst lower strings, specifically C5, D5, Bi (Fig, 1). This strummed figure, being th instance in the song where raging distortion centers the picture, is dramatically offset by a subtler octave-based rif two bars later (Rill frst B), filling in the cracks between Ser Tankian’s vocal phrases. This “octave elf ing” quickly becomes a fixture in each 0 Daron’s ensuing riffs, as the guitars strategically positions his mo octave shape (Fig, 2} at various points along the 3rd and Sth stings, adhering strietly to the D natural minor sale, Dar performs these shapes against reiteration of his low, open D string, and uses the resulting riffage to both punctuate th chorus (RIC) and drive the second vers {Riffs B and ©. Notice that Riff Cis essen lilly an adaptation of his bandmate’ bass nif, only spified up with Daron’s patente ‘octave work ‘THE GUITAR SOLO Daron unleashes all his energy in th solo and engages ina blazing barrage strums, moving his octave shape from th 2th fet up into the stratosphere. Th lead also marks the only instance whe Daron deviates from D natural minor, of Ing for spicy chromatic notes D> and E>, imparting Middle Eastern flavor, Whe tackling this section, kee your picking hand loose a relaxed, rapidly rotating i tour, System are expected to enter the studio to commence Mork on what will likely be one ff the most anticipated metal albums of 2000 THE TUNING For “spiders,” guitarist Daron Malakian dropped the pitch of his 6th string down the vst tl you're able work up your strummine ‘motion t Daron’ blind Fig. 3 Ds speed. The last four bars of this solo, are further beefed up by the presence of Gtr 3 performing D5, B45, and power chords in the lower register [fg At this poi Daronis Tead guitar begin ‘one whole step to (matching that string’ 12th fret harmon: Jeto the open 4th string), then tuned all six strings down an 124, GuitarOne NAY 2000 + wen ovtaronemag comAs Recorded by System of a Down (From the Amedican Recording SYSTEM OF A DOWN) Transcribed by Adam Perlmutter Words and Music by Drop D Tuning. Tune Down Sep: Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian @-c Intro Slow Rock J=70 Nc(om) = = ———— © ? = SS 2 2 2 37 3 3 mp | tig toga Le _ EE = = a = ‘asa fora ad wta Verse (te Isw/RFA Pes. ne (te 2: wRiAFC. Id tine NC(Om) SS ——=—— é == = es = Gr, 2: wR, 2 ie a the life run Yoush—— her i of athe Iie rin thovgh—— her ha [Ap- proach ing—— guid ing ight, four shal - low years in——————__ fig, The Spe dew “all inne, the eve ning— ot the Toon, [MAY 2000 + G4 The Magazine You Can Pay 125(te 2: WRB, adie (Gir: WL stim ough my — throvgh— my — you know, Jou nom — shame wy 128 GuitarOne WAY 2000 « wn gutaronanag comInterlude ri End Rar os (65) ©) ws (cs) lay . ra seeteee gs see ee § £ = = —— 0 SSS SS kg e Ee MAY 2000 » @1 The Magazin You Can Pay 47lox 34st) Through my head — ¢ =$ a 128 GuitarOne W 2000 + wis guteroremag comSpiders ® Coda NC(Dm, ae ——EEE e- fore— (2: wy. Fig. cs ais As you know 1 wil be wait = ing ala = wake Interlude "Gin WRC, 2 es Nciom) po Outro NCdOm) Dreams — sre made wind ing ough— her baie Dreams— are made wind = ing through her hai MAY 2000 # @1 The Magazne You Can Psy 120Dead or Alive he New Jersey-based quintet known as Bon Jovi—jon Bon Jovi (vocal Richie Sambora (guitar, Dave Bryan ¢key” boards), Alec John Such (bass), and Tico Torres (drums)—ruled the hard rock world ‘throughout the mid '40s and early 0s, top: ping the charts with a seemingly endless sing of platinum albums. The bands biggest seller—in excess of 12 milion copies—was Slippery When Wet, which boasted three #1 hits: pair of heavy rockers in “You Give Love ‘aBad Name" and “Livin’ on a Prayer” and the acoustic smash, "Wanted Dead or live Believe itor not, with the timely success of ‘Wanted Dead or Alive,” Bon Jovi is credited with almost single-handedly fring up the “unplugged” craze that exploded in the mid ‘80s. According to legend, Bon Jovi played a show in 1985 at the London Dominion in England, where, for some reason or another, the sound system failed repeatedly. Jon left the stage, returned with an acoustic guitar in hand, and proceeded to perform what the band later referred 10 as an impromptu “campfire session." The audience was blown away. Bon Jovi soon capitalized on that evening’ experience, recording and releasing their pop/hard rock breakthrough album, Fig. 1 Verse Chords Slippery When Wer, the following year, com: plete with the future acoustic favorite, "Wanted Dead or Alive: ‘THE INTRO RIFF ‘After some preliminary mood music, courtesy of keyboard, wind, and chimes, gu tarist Richie Sambora officially sets "Wanted Dead or Alive” in motion with a priceless pick-style arpeggio if, played on an acoustic 12string. Sambora’ repeating two-measure figure is comprised ofa handful of major and ‘minor 6th intervals inherent to D Dorian (D-E-F-G-A-B-C), These sisths descend the fretboard in diatonic fashion, while the open 4th sting (D) is reiterated throughout, func: tioning as a droning pedal point. This signa: ture figure is also performed between the first ‘chorus and second verse, before the guitar solo, andl closes the tune. Once Sambora reaches his 12-string’s ‘open positon (ater the rif last repetio hhe introduces the songs "Dobro-flavored fig ture. Emulating a slide by using quarter-sep bends on a selection of notes occuring atthe 5rd fret, Sambors creates an effective instr ‘mental theme, straight out of D minor penta- tonic (D-F-G-A-C). This riff also pops up at Fig. 24 D Minor Pentatonic Seale (Grd Position) Fig. 28 D Minor Pentatonic Scale (th Poston) the tail end of each chorus, miroring Jon Bon Jovi vocal ine, *..dead of alive. ‘THE VERSE AND CHORUS While Jon Bon Jovi belts out his verse Vocal, Richie Sambora gently strums D-Cadd9-C-Cadd9-G-F-D arrangement of open-position chords [Fig 1), often embell Ishing them with tasty hammer-ons and pull offs In genera, these embellishments appes Inthe form ofa Dsus2 and Dsus, giving ie the D chord, Additionally, notice that each instance the G chord makes an appearance i this progression, Sambora squeezes in a litle countiy-inspied G_ major pentatoni (G-A-B-D-£) fil. In the chorus, Sambora utilizes deriv Lives ofthe same verse chords, only ina di ferent arrangement: C-G-F-D, ‘THE GUITAR SOLO OF course, it wouldnt tuly be Bon Jo without a serious dose of hard rocking, di torted guitars—and in this song, we gett: ‘and more! Remember when there were guitar solos on rock radio? In “Wanted Dead or Alive,” Sambora treats us toa few blazing bass of lethal leadwork, digging mightily into his ‘Surat to wrench out tasty D minor pentatanie licks Notice how Sambora creatively utilizes diffrent positions on his guitar neck, per forming pentatonic phrases in 3rdposition Fig. 2A], rocketing up to 12th position, recuming to Srd, and Bnally closing in 10th position (Fig. 2B). This repeated altemation between low and high registers on the instru ‘ment, coupled with Samboras aggressive bends and distinctive vibrato, creates musi- cal excitement, mascerfully setting up the next chorus Lastly, this classic Sambora solo should serve as a subtle reminder that, contrary to popular belief, there were tasty, memorable ‘guitar solos on some records back in the mid 10s, In fact, Richie Sambora was one of the few successful hard rockers playing during the heart ofthe infamous shed era who, time and again, demonstrated that it was possible fo communicate effectively on the instru: ‘ment without unloading a torrent of tapped licks and alternate picked sextuplets! You dont have to be “the fastest gun in the West” tobea smokin’ gun"!WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE ‘As Recorded by Bon Jovi (From the Morcury Recording SUPPERY WHEN WET) Transcribed by Troy Nelson Words and Music by Jon Bon Jov and Richie Sambora Ky snare dnoes D Doran, Ne 2 8 ce (Dsu2) (m2) Ne (osu) om Gir 2st) fra == So ere ae aT 1 G4 The Magasne You Can Ply 494Wanted Dead or Alive a (Ge 3: why, Fig. 3, 2imes Se tine D === * ca = — = aK tise St 2 lad - od hy. Fig aaa o casa G ——— - = ———— fon = ly the names. will cha Bey dy. somecines 11S Mol—— Toe days The peuple Tee a ways sit = sing” on my.‘haek r pay For keeps ase F D 132 GuitarOne 1:¥ 2000 + [Link]Wanted Dead or Alive catty 6 att 6 es *—-f—* fo : = ——— = = == = Sa _— cold: Td drive all night. just 0 ) Bo RS ym dik At mcs when youre we sta tng ite en irs sof Pve = : E ; f ; : | a ¢ - . get back "home, End Rhy. Fig Rhy. Fg. db ae + NAY 2000 4 TheWanted Dead or Alive Cte 3 wy. i Sime To Coda © Ne. 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