ERIC ER IC CLAP CLAPTO TON N
WONDERFUL WON W ON D DERFUL ERFUL TO TONIGH TON NIGHT IGHT
QUEEN
ONE VIS VISIO ION N
THE JA JAM M
THAT S NT
INME NT
*
Rockschool version
LEARN TO PLAY
DIRE DI RE ST STRAIT RAITS S MONEY FO MONEY FOR R NOTHING (RIFF)
T H E U LT I M A T E
HOW TO…
COIL-SPLIT COIL-SPLIT YOUR YOUR HUMBUCKER
JAM
Learrn 10 1 esse essent ntia iall chor chord d shap shapes es How How to o impr improvi ovise se your your solo solos s Five gre grea eat e t blue blues s jam jam trac tracks ks Groo ove e, riff riff and and styl style e lesso essons ns
INTERVIEWS
BUMBLEFOOT LAMB OF GOD BLACK STONE CHERRY SKINDRED
S UM ME R S T RU MM ER S
TRAVEL ACOUSTICS UNDER £500 Fender, Fender, Yama Yamaha, ha, Sigma, Marti Mar tin n
EDITOR’S LETTER FuturePublishing QUAYHOUSE,THEAMBURY QUAYHOUSE,THEAMBURY,BATH,BA11UA Tel Tel 01225 442244 Fax: 01225 822763 Email
[email protected] Website:www.totalguitar.co.uk
EDITORIAL Editor: Stuart Stuart Williams Content Editor: Rob Laing Katie Nicholls Production Editor: Katie Group Art Director: Graham Dalzell Senior Music Editor: Jason Sidwell Guitars Feature & Tuition Editor: Chris Bird Content Editor, Musicradar.com: Michael Astley-Brown MusicCo-ordinators:PollyBeauchamp,NatalieBeilby
CONTRIBUTORS SteveAllsworth, RichardBarrett,Jon Bishop,SimonBradley, PhilCapone, Jack Ellis, Theade Gallier,CharlieGriffiths,Nick Gallier,CharlieGriffiths,Nick Guppy,StephenKelly,AlexLynham, Cliff Newman,MatthewParker,AdamRees,AmitSharma, Simon Young Music Engraver: Simon Troup Photography: WillIreland,NeilGasson
ADVERTISING Phone: 01225 442244 Fax: 01225 732285 Director of Agency Sales: Matt Downs,
[email protected] Commercial Sales Director: Clare
[email protected] Lara Jaggon
[email protected] Advertising Sales Director: Lara Account Sales Directors: Alison Watson
[email protected]; Steven
[email protected];
[email protected]
MARKETING Head Of Marketing: Sharon Todd SubscriptionsMarketingManager: SubscriptionsMarketingManager:MarkWiglesworth
PRODUCTION&DISTRIBUTION Production Controller: Frances Twentyman MarkConstance HeadofProductionUK&US:MarkConstance PrintedintheUKby:WilliamGibbons&SonsLtdon amGibbons&SonsLtdon behalfofFuture behalfofFuture Distributedby:Marketforce,2ndFloor,5ChurchillPlace, Canary Wharf
London,E145HU Overseasdistributionby: Seymour International HeadofNewstrade: TimMathers
CIRCULATION TradeMarketingManager: TradeMarketingManager:MichelleBrock02074293683
SUBSCRIPTIONS UK reader order line & enquiries: 0844 848 2852 Overseas reade r order line & enquiries: +44 (0)1604 251045 uk Online enquiries: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk :
[email protected] magazines.co.uk o.uk Email:totalguitar@myfavourite
LICENSING InternationalLicensingDirector: InternationalLicensingDirector:MattEllis,matt.ellis@futuren MattEllis,
[email protected] et.comTel:+ 44
(0)1225442244
MANAGEMENT Management Director: Julian March Group Content Director: Paul Newman Head Of Art: Rodney Dive Group Editor-In-Chief: Daniel Griffiths Group Art Director: Graham Dalzell
Future is an award-winning international media group and leading digital business. We reach more than 49 million international consumers a month and create world-class c on on te te nt nt a nd nd a dv dve rt rt isi ng ng s ol ol ut ut io ns ns f or or p as as si si on on at at e consum consumersonlin ersonline,on e,on tablet& tablet& smartph smartphoneand oneand inprint. Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR). www.futureplc.com
Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Chairman Peter Allen Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel +44 (0)207 042 4000 (London) Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 (Bath)
Allcontentscopyright©2017 FuturePublishingLimitedorpublishedunder licence.All licence.All rightsreserved.No rightsreserved.No partof thismagazinemay bereproduced,stored,transmittedor bereproduced,stored,transmittedor usedin anyway withouttheprior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price and other details of products or services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any changes or updates to them. If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant Future a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in all editions of the magazine, including licensed editions worldwide and in any physical or digital format throughout the world. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be liable for loss or damage. Wearecommittedto Wearecommitte dto onlyusingmagazinepaper whichisderivedfromwellmanaged whichisderive dfromwellmanaged,certified ,certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future Publishing and its paper suppliers have been independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
Welcome! This month, we’re taking you on a journey to play better blues. One of the key things we want to deliver here is more than just a disparate collection collection of licks and ri ffs: as always we want to give you something that is applicable in a real world situation. So, we’ve approached this month’s cover feature from the perspective of jamming - playing parts and interacting with other ot her musicians; musicians; ‘But I’m I ’m not in a band!’ No worries, because we’ve also provided five authentic blues jam tracks for you to ‘sit-in’ with. Also this issue, we’ve lined up an all-kil ler list of tunes for you to learn, starting with Rockshool’s version of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight , plus Queen’s One Vision, Vision, The Jam’s That’s Entertainment and Knopfler’s classic riff from f rom Dire Straits’ Money For Nothi Nothing ng . Finally, it’s with a heavy heart that I bid TG and its readers farewell this month month as after a fter a dist inctly round total of 125 issues, I’m moving on. It’s been an incredible 10 years, and I feel extremely lucky to have worked on what will always be my favourite guitar magazine. But, most importantly, I’d like to thank you readers for continuing to support TG. I’ll leave you in the safe hands of the new editor, Mr Rob Laing and the rest of the TG team who I know will continue to work harder than anybody else to deliver the best guitar mag out there! I look forward to reading it just as much as you guys. Salu
Stuart Williams Editor Williams Editor
MAKING THIS MONTH’S MAG
CHRISBIRD
MICHAELASTLEY-BROWN
ROBLAING
Chris has been on a tonal quest this issue, keenly trying to recreate guitar tones to jam along to our Riff Of The Month and Classic Track tunes. “Mark Knopfler’s tone in Money For Nothing is is fiendishly tough to dial in; Brian May’s sound in One Vision probably Vision probably even more so,” says Mr B, “but our contributors’ audio backing tracks are spot on!”
Digital modelling is on Mike’s mind. First, he was wowed by the functionality of Positive Grid’s BIAS Amp 2, but after hearing that Thrice’s revered tonehound tonehound Dustin Kensrue employed the Line 6 Helix on the band’s new album, our gear guru contemplated ditching his beloved pedalboard and amp. Surely not!
Before Rob takes his place in the big chair he’s been making the most of his last days of freedom; first visiting Skindred’s Mikey Demus on tour to check out his interesting mix of classic and forward-thinking rig ingredients and then doing a Rocky -esque -esque training montage around the office.
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
03
#307
Contents 04
050
ULTIMATE BLUES JAM
From chord progressions to shuffle rhythm and scales, become a blue jam session master with our guide to all the basic techniques d n a l e r I l l i W : y h p a r g o t o h P
SUBSCRIBE!
n o s s a G m a d A
Subscribeto TotalGuitarand save a whopping 30% on the regular cover price – turn to p112 for full details.
: y h p a r g o t o h p r e v o C
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
CONTENTS
MONITOR 006 First Look 008 Scene 010 Five Minutes Alone: Willie Adler 012 On The Up 014 Me & My Guitar: Jared James Nichols 016 Album reviews 018 Back Track: Melvins
HOW TO 020 20 Minutes To… Creative
098 THE TG TEST
Chord Playing 022 Riff Of The Month: Dire Straits: Money For Nothing 024 Getting Started With… Legato lead 026 The TG Guide to... Amp modelling 028 What The F? Phrygian mode
FEATURES 030 Rig Tour: Skindred
034
PARKWAY DRIVE
034 Parkway Drive 038 Black Stone Cherry 050 Ultimate blues Jam 05
LEARN TO PLAY 064 Jam Track: Twin lead bands 066 Classic Track:
Queen – One Vision 076 Open-mic Songbook: Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight 078 The Turnaround: Eric Gales
TG UNPLUGGED 082 News 084 Interview: Damien Jurado 086 The Jam: That’s Entertainment
THE GAS STATION 088 Start Me Up 090 Gretsch G54220 Electromatic Jet BT 094 Positive Grid Bias 2 096 Line 6 HX Effects 098 The TG Test: Travel electro-acoustics
Round-Up: Mini amps 106 Beetronics Whoctahell 108 Fix Your Guitar 114 The Playlist: Dan Patlansky 104
090 GRETSCH JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
MONITOR PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
Dinky by name, nature and in price: Charvel’s offering is ticking all the boxes
06
TOTAL GUITAR JANUARY 2018
FIRST LOOK PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
HYPER DINKY
Charvel serves up its own take on the Jackson Dinky with the Pro-Mod DK24 ne of the great advantages of iconic names working under the same umbrella is the ability to share hot assets – and that’s exactly the case with Fender, which has paired its two speediest brands for a marriage made in contemporary shred heaven. Charvel’s DK24 boasts a body shape derived from Jackson’s iconic, slightly-smaller-than-normal Dinky outline, but kits it out with Charvel’s no-nonsense stringthrough-body hardtail bridge and a No-Load tone control, which removes the entire tone control from the circuit for unadulterated, pure pickup tones. This Pro-Mod version brings the price tag down to £879, with the option of the equipped options for the divebombers out there. Here’s what else sets this hot-rodded collaboration apart…
O
UP CLOSE
Body TheDinkybodymay bea Jackson trademark,but thetunersand neckplatebear theCharvelname
Pickups Versatilityis the name ofthegame,if SeymourDuncan’sJazz andFullShred humbuckersare anythingto goby
Fretboard A 12-16" compound radius promises lightning-fast playing at both ends of the graphite-reinforced bolt-on maple neck
JULY 2018
TOTAL GUITAR
07
MONITOR PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
SCENE GEAR
YOUR MONTH IN GUITARS
Corting Favour
08
We love a good mash-up and fuses the features of its single-cut, LP-style model with the T-style TC. Fano fans will also note that it’s reminiscent of the ash body, bolt-on hard Worn Butter Blonde and Worn White Blonde. The pickup combination is the and TC103B single-coil. WHEN Now
ALBUM
THRICE CHANGE EVENT
SchoolsOf Rock will be returning to Brighton, Bristol, Manchester and London aged 11 -17 (who are not absolute beginners) the chance to take one of three pop or rock and metal music performance; and music production with Ableton gear. On the last day of the course students will be able to form a band and perform in front of friends and family. WHEN 23 July - 10 August
bimm.co.uk TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
fter their hugely successful return with 2016’s To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere, beloved Californian alt-rock four-piece Thrice are readying the follow-up, and they tell us it’s all change. since we last spoke,” says vocalist / guitarist Dustin Kensrue. “I have a guitar with Music Man Ernie Ball now – it’s a absolutely love, and it’s part of a series that they’re doing; I think it’s called Inspired By. The coolest thing about it is a mode where, if you press a button, it makes the pickups run to separate pickups into separate inputs and amps or whatever.” Dustin has been utilising that unit and amp modeller, and hasn’t actually needed anything else.
A
“All theparts I played on the record were with the Helix and with my [Music Man] guitars,” Dustin explains. “I was I’ve been so happy with the tone, and I didn’t have any reservations about, ‘Oh man, well, if we’re recording, I should it’s super-easy to dial things in.” As for what we can expect from the record’s (title TBC) musical direction, Dustin says diversity is the key word. “There’s some busier guitar work than “but it’s pretty varied as a record: a various movements and feels. In that sense, I think it’s more diverse-feeling than the last record – if it’s more akin to any record, it’ll be to Vheissu because it’s various tracks and, in some ways, they feel cohesive.” WHEN September
SCENE
PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
DONT MISS… The best guitar events this month
Abbey Road Talks WHEN 3-12 August
abbeyroad.com
EVENT
POWER TRIOS the adult and under 16 categories. Joining the previously announced Mark whose wealth of achievements and expertise makes them the perfect candidates for spotting
O
the guitar talents of tomorrow ahead of andrising star Chris Buck. WHEN For more info and to enter with your video playing clip visit bit.ly/GOTYEAR2018
Two at the hallowed Abbey the studio from producers and Beatles experts Brian
2000Trees Fest WHEN 12, 13 and 14 July
twothousandtreesfestival. co.uk
ALBUM
Upcote Farm, Cheltenham hosts headliners At The Drive-In, Twin Atlantic and alongside some of the most exciting new talents in alternative guitar music.
BLACK PEAKS ritish rock is in rude health right now if you know where to listen, and our ears have been straining for signs of movement from the Black Peaks camp as we eagerly await their second album. Now it seems the progressive beast is stirring after the band Fighters and Muse producer Adrian Bushby for the album All That Divides. “His excitement was really infectious and I think you can hear that on this album,” says days for two weeks and came out the other side with this crazy body of music.” “That thing is an inspiration machine!” WHEN All That Divides is out on 5 October via Rise Records/BMG
B
Tremonti Tour WHEN 28 June - 5 July
marktremonti.com
A new concept album (see competition… how does Mark Tremonti do it?! Oh, and he’s also bringing his anyone thinks he might be
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
09
MONITOR PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
The bestof you
“My biggest weaknessisthat I haven’t explored anyleador solo territory. I haven’t even tried it because it doesn’t necessarilyinterestme.I love seeingdudesplay crazyleads,scales and arpeggios. Butthat’snot where mybrain’s at.I thinkmystrength lies inreallyheavyfucking reallystoked onmyright hand.Ifyou canwrite thecrazynoodlingyou did.”
Willie Adler: a right-hand man and proud of it
Can’tchangeme
“Something I’dchange onrecordif I could?My immediate answeris togo backto New American Gospel there.But atthe sametimeI wouldn’twantto changeit because it led meto where I am. EverythingI’ve doneI put myall intoatthe time and I’m superproudof that.I don’t look Everything wascompletelythought out andat thetime I thought, ‘That’s sofucking cool.’” Goyour own way
10
FIVE MINUTES ALONE
WILLIE ADLER
The Lamb of God man on noxious gig fumes, Billy Gibbons’ soul and why you don’t need to be a shredder I gotmy first real six-string…
Just a castaway, anisland lost atsea…
“My parentsboughtmea BCRichBich NJ Seriesfor Christmas whenI was 12and that actuallystayedwithmeforthe longest time. I remember playing that when wedidBurnThe Priestshows and early LambOf God.I still have it,it’shangingup inthe den inmy house.I still havethe receiptmy dad got fromthe pawnshop. Itwas like$200. Itneeds a bit of TLC,it has 18-year-oldstrings onit, soit deservesto betakencare of.”
“ESPjustsent mea USA Eclipse model,it’s gorgeousman, it playsandfeelssogreat.I wouldtakethat guitar, a Mesa BoogieTCTriple Crown 100Wamp and a Mesa4x12to a desert islandand I think I’d beprettyset.My hair would growbackoutand I’d growa beard.” Show methe way…
“Therearea lotofguys.Like BillyGibbons, you canjustfeel hissoulplaying that guitar.”
“EVERYTHING I’VE DONE I PUTMYALL INTO. I DON’T LOOK BACK AND THINK, ‘I HALF-ASSED THAT RIFF’” TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
“Recording thenew coversalbumwas a lotof fun.ThepressureI usually feel when I’m reallythere. Notto saythat it’s not funusually recordinga recordbecauseI love doingthat, but with this particular project it wasfun tolearn song we did, Kerosene ,wasneverahardrockor metal tune though, it wasmore anindustrial / noise-type song.SoI hadto actuallywrite some was but ina way thatwas abletobe interpreted onthe guitarasa metalguitarplayer and under the LambOf God / BurnThe Priest name.” Thatsmell
“Therehave been countlessstrange gigs.There wasa time weplayedin Poughkeepsie,New Yorkina place calledThe Chance, and theyhad thefumeswere noxious.I thinkMark was thinkingwe allhad towear ventilation masks or we’d getcancer!” Goodtimes,badtimes
“When I decided to quit drinkingit wastough. Until thenI hadn’tplayeda gig without a few Bloodstock 2013 playing without a drinkand thatscaredthe shitout ofme, and continued to gigwithoutbeingstonesober andtightasfuck, that’sthe beautyof it.” Lamb Of God’scoversalbum Legion:XX underthename Burn ThePriest isoutnow onNuclearBlast
W o r d s : A d a m R e e s P h o t o : O l l y C u r t i s
MONITOR PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
Feeling Nervus? Alkaline Trio-influences with a Hüsker Dü college rock edge
12
NERVUS
GetNervusinyoursystem espite ourbest attemptsto emulatethe posturing ofour heroes,so many ofus guitaristsend up subconsciouslyabsorbing a checklist of external opinions – the ideal tone requires this vintage pedal, you must nail your scales, you must record with a valve combo… and so on. Watford punk rockers Nervus proudly disagree with the rhetoric. “The solos are my favourite bits on Everything Dies,” explains Nervus guitarist/ vocalist Em Foster, of her acclaimed second album. “But all of them are recorded through a Roland Cube amp.
D
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
It’s so DIY, so cheap and so simple, but they’re on an album that people are listening to as if it’s not played through a 2-watt plastic I think that’s fucking great.” Em’s songs on the excellent Everything Dies document her journey coming to terms with genderdysphoriaandmeld a Replacements-y/Hüsker Dü college rock edge thatprovides plethora ofcatchylead lines.
“I like to write parts that I can’t necessarily play and then try and play them,” continues Em. “I think, because I’m self-taught, I’ll just play in whatever way suits me at the time. I always remember my guitar teacher telling me that I had ‘a very strange technique’!” Cheap, democratic and thebeautyofthe guitar isthe freedom it gives theplayer.
“The absolutely most important thing for me was to notcompare what I’mdoing towhat anybodyelseis doing – to just do it,” ponders Em. “I always used to kind of tear what I did apart – in fact, I nearly binned all the demos Everybody Dies. But, you know, it’s really easy to think that you’re not good enough orfeel that whatever you’re – but it all is.”
FORFANSOFAlkalineTrio,Creeper GEAR Fender TC-90, Blackstar Artist 30, Boss Blues Driver
EM’S EXCELLENT SONGS DOCUMENT HER JOURNEY COMING TO TERMS WITH GENDER DYSPHORIA
ON THE UP
PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
HAGGARD CAT
BITCH FALCON
WhattheHECK?
renzied,” is the answer we get when we ask ex-HECK man and Haggard Cat guitarist Matt Reynolds to describe his guitar playing. “It’s usually a battle between what I hear in my head and frantically trying to hammer it out on the fretboard before it’s gone forever.” That style was played out to the nth degree in the four-piece destructo-madness of Matt’s prior group, but Haggard Cat (featuring long-term sticksman Tom Marsh) is bluesier,
F
Livin’onaprey-er chances to get your breath back between the next bludgeoning, saw-toothed shakedowns. “I really learned to play like ‘me’ on stages in front of people,” says Matt. “So hitting my guitar as hard as I can in the spur of the moment when adrenaline hits has translated into my style becoming really percussive. You know, I break lots of strings…” FOR FANS OF HECK, Turbowolf GEAR 92 Gibson Explorer
t makes sense that – as a guitarist who cites Bowie collaborators Carlos Alomar and – Bitch Falcon’s Lizzie Fitzpatrick has a diverse yet expressive sound. “I guess I prefer a weirder approach to playing than the The Dublin trio’s catalogue already showcases a huge range, from Wolfstooth’s raging garage rock, to the Torche-gone-grunge-funk
I
vibes of TMJ and the dark, monstrous chime Of Heart. The latter has the kind of colossal “I’m addicted to creating strange sounds,” says Lizzie. “Which can be more heard live than on the nut, so my playing can be a bit more focused on my pedalboard than the fretboard!” FOR FANS OF Chelsea Wolfe, Torche GEAR Fender Supersonic
SNAILMAIL
SCOTTIBRAINS
OCEANSOFSLUMBER
WHO: Classically-trained Lindsey Jordan SOUNDS LIKE: An indie-punk songsmith
WHO: Producer/Speedy Wunderground founder
WHO
Dan Carey
who wrings downplayed drama from jangling alternate tunings and slow-burn wistful writing GEAR
SOUNDS LIKE: Instrumental space-drone –
Anthony Contreras SOUNDS LIKE: Poignant and plaintive heavy prog rock with a doom-metal heart GEAR:
FOR FANS OF Waxahatchee, Robert Earl Thomas HEAR Heat Wave
alternately ear-aching, ambient and peppered with galactic ear candy GEAR FOR FANS OF Hookworms, Hawkwind HEAR Sustained Threat
13
D e r e k D r e m n e r
FOR FANS OF Leprous, Evergrey HEAR The Banished Heart
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
MONITOR PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
1
4
“I’ve been playing Les Pauls for the past eight or nine years and the shape just kind of called to me. When I was coming up, a lot of my favourite players had Les Pauls and when I picked up a Custom it felt different. Between the ebony fretboard and its weight, it felt huge and it was heavy. And I just felt when I put it on that it was a man’s guitar! I just got really excited.”
“Having one pickup has made playing a lot more fun because it pushed me to do it in an old-school way and roll down my tone knob. So for me that and the volume is like my lifeblood, from zero to 10… it’s a huge deal for the tone. I have a really simple setup; I use a Blackstar Artist 30 with a Seymour Duncan overdrive so I really rely on the volume, pickup and tone.”
3
Photography: OllyCurtis
ME AND MY GUITAR
JARED JAMES NICHOLS 14
5
“The dog ear pickup came because I’m kind of crazy in that when I have a soapbar it feels different when the screws are actually screwed into the pickup instead of the outside. It’s like a weird oscillation. I got skeptical about it and now I need dog ears on everything. It’s a Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90 – I’ve used the brand forever. It’s the closest thing I’ve found to what the originals sound like. The P-90 has that thing where it’s the perfect marriage between a humbucker and a single-coil.”
How taking away his neck pickup changed everything for this Les Paul-loving Wisconsin blues rocker 2
“I never truly went to the neck pickup a lot because I play with my fingers and when I do that I get a very thumpy, duddy sound right away, so I was always relying on my bridge pickup. I just wanted to do something different... something of my own, so I ended up getting a Custom Shop Les Paul fitted with a single P-90 pickup. I found it on Reverb.com and when I got the guitar, I remember that the restriction of having a single pickup with a volume and tone forced me to change the way I played in order to get all the sounds. So when I got that guitar I had a new lease of life between the way I picked, the attack, the vibrato and wherever I set my volume and tone knob.”
6
2
1
5 6
3
“I started working with Epiphone a little less than a year ago and they introduced me to this one, which is the 1955 Custom. It has a huge neck and it’s literally like a baseball bat neck and I love that. It has the jumbo frets so you can dig in a little more. And Leslie West from Mountain is one of my guitar heroes and he had a Les Paul Junior so this is like the marriage between a big Custom and a Junior.”
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
“The reason I do the wrap-around on the bridge is because normally I use a wraptail. I’m used to the wraptail Juniors as, usually, I play with my fingers and it allows me to dig right in. It feels better for bending, gives me more control and seems like a different vibration too when you’re playing. There’s not so much tension on the strings. It just feels better, butI do go through the bridges quite often – the strings start to eat into them.”
4 Jared James Nichols’s latest album Black Magic is out now on Listenable Records
MONITOR PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
BEN HOWARD NOONDAY DREAM en Howard’s second album, I Forget Where We Were, was a deeply dark and divisive record and it drew a purposeful line in the sand following Every Kingdom’s accidentally the looming shadow of Howard’s personal that seemed at once expansive and Noonday Dream is the missing soundscapes are woven with tasty, guitar Nica Libre A Boat To seems as though the storm has passed, the
B
TREMONTI
16
Matt Parker
Download Nica Libre
A DYING MACHINE
s the Alter Bridgeman heads rapidly towardsBonamassa levels hard graft as a songwriterfor
A
A Dying Machine is Take You With Me.And TheFirst ToLast Desolation David Hands DOWNLOAD DESOLATION
THE LAST ALBUM I BOUGHT…
Blair Dunlop MARGARETGLASPYEMOTIONSAND MATH “Ilove thewritingon this albumandI also really love the space in the recording – it’s incredibly tight on the
bottombutclankyonthe topwiththeguitars.The chordal arrangements from Margret are simple
butjustamazing.I really lovethesound ofit. It’s edgy but also incredibly deep too.”
BURY TOMORROW BLACK FLAME aving hit their stride on last album Earthbound there’s a lot riding on Black Flame notes, appropriate level of aggressive / clean vocal dynamic and massive choruses of the title track, it seems the Hampshire mob are onto formula, with each earnest vocal hook feeling a Legion Of Gold’s serrated attack and the more sombre Overcast aside, Bury Tomorrow stick to what they’ve
H
AdamRees
Download Black Flame TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
EXCEPTIONAL
| EXCELLENT
| GOOD
| FOR FANS OF
ALBUMS
| POOR
PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
REISSUE
Def Leppard BOX SET: VOLUME 1
ASH
JOHNNY MARR
ISLANDS
CALL THE COMET
ne ofthe UK’sforemostproponentsofthe FlyingV, Ashfrontman TimWheeler most certainly knows hiswayarounda good hook, andthis– the band’s seventhalbum– is Islands could evenrivalWeezerat the height oftheir songwritingpowers – from thepunk rush of Buzzkill , to Don’t Need Your Love ’s breezy DidYour Love Burn Out? , whichalsoplays hosttoa very decades onfrom their 1977 breakthrough,the Michael Astley-Brown Download Annabel
ow settling into the frontman role with his regular backing band on their third album, Marr has stretched out with an ambitious Hi Hello and Day In Day Out nod to his roots with The Smiths in their layering of rich strumming with dreamy lead lines and orchestral keys, while there’s darker, edgier depths being mined here on the more abrasive edges of Hey Angel My Eternal and signature anthemic arpeggio work in Spiral Cities the pulse in Actor Attractor and it feels like the Rob Laing Download Spiral Cities
O
N
he major selling point here is that
TLeppard didn’t put a paw wrong up to
fourth album Hysteria plucky NWOBHM upstarts with On Through The Night after Pyromania beginning to dip their wallets into the vinyl especially after the extensive anniversary CD reissues of Hysteria and Pyromania steel here and there are some sweeteners (previously seen on a reissue), High And Dry, the Rob Laing
17
ALBUM
Haken BURN THE PRIEST
THE DARKNESS
LEGION: XX
LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH
o celebratetheir 20thanniversary, Lamb Of here are a few subjects where opinions blur into fact, and the live prowess of The baitingmoniker fora scrappyjaunt through some oftheir favouritepunk, hardcore and it’s how they took their solid gold songs into describedthemselves as a “punkbandplaying metal”it’saptto hear the likes ofAgnostic many excellent songs they’ve penned since Front (OneVoice),The Accüsed(InheritTheEarth) their 2011 reunion – Buccaneers Of Hispaniola, and WeGottaKnow clearly has a great time coveringBad Brains on reminder, recorded in the stomping ground of the unhinged I Against I, while BigBlack’s Nineteen songs that serve as the best advert for Kerosene and Ministry’s JesusBuiltMy Hotrod are given a metallic rhythmiccrunchandWillie AdamRees Rob Laing Download I Against I Download Growing On Me
T
T
L-1VE
marks Haken’s focusing heavily on the band’s most recent The Mountain and , Longtime fans will appreciate the band’s epic Aquamedley performance and Visions videos from Haken are still on the rise! Chris Bird
F
JULY 2018 TOTAL
GUITAR
MONITOR PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
Swampy punk pioneers, the Melvins
18
Back track
A GUITARIST’S GUIDE TO THE ARTISTS YOU NEED TO KNOW
MELVINS
y l l e K n e h p e t S
: s d r o W
Once considered the black sheep of grunge rock’s high tide, the Melvins are now rightly recognised as one of the most seminal, prolific and downright heavy bands of the last 30 years. Guitarist Buzz Osborne’s swampy hybrid of hard rock and punk is revered by the likes of Brent Hinds, Corey Taylor and Dave Grohl. A revolving lineup of collaborators and their reputation for ‘difficult’ albums can make navigating the Melvins’ vast discography a daunting prospect for the uninitiated. Hold your nose, rookie, we’re going in...
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
START WITH
HOUDINI
1
(1993)
Houdini Night Goat Honey Bucket Lizzy Bleach Hag Me Goin’ Blind Joan Of Arc Houdini Recommended track: Night Goat
BACK TRACK PEOPLE NEWS NOISE
THEN TRY
DON’T MISS OUT
ALSO RECOMMENDED
SENILE ANIMAL (2006)
LYSOL (1992)
2
3
NEVER BREATHE WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE (2004)
Reinvigorated by the introduction of bassist Jared Warren and second drummer Coady Willis, the band’s 18th studio album is, remarkably, also one of their strongest. Aside from the juddering, proggy time signatures and military-style drumming of songs like Blood Witch (think King Crimson’s Thrak , or even Tool), the band muzzle their taste for experimentation in favour of directness: the The Mechanical Bride hark back to the band’s doomy debut, while Civilized Worm Trick’s Need Your Love about it. “You think you’re wild, but you’re nothing new,” growls Osborne on Rat Faced Granny sentiment for a band that’s been around the block as many times as the Melvins. Recommended track: Rat Faced Granny
A stylistic sibling of 1991’s Bullhead (a cornerstone of the doom sub-genre), Lysol’s roomier production allows the music to stretch out and grow, adopting a kind of rough-edged melody in lieu of blunt force. Hung Bunny unfolds into a sonorous, 11-minute epic, its canyons of distorted chords anticipating groups like Earth, Isis and Sunn O))), or even Neil Young’s squalling Dead Man improvisations. Buzz Osborne abandons the nasally snarl of earlier recordings in favour of a deeper, bellowing vocal style that lends an oddly cultish vibe to Roman Bird Dog and a pair of blistering covers: Alice Cooper’s Ballad Of Dwight Frye and Flipper’s anti-war polemic , the latter transformed into something sinister by Osborne’s quasi-druidic wailing. Recommended track: Hung Bunny
4
The band recruited ex-Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra for this foray into post-9/11 pranksterism, infusing their familiar heft with a sparky, SoCal punk vibe to better frame Biafra’s wry vocal delivery. Plethysmograph plays like a delirious version of Black Flag’s Rise Above. Elsewhere, the band succeed in capturing the mischievous joie de vivre of the Dead Kennedys sound, particularly in the surf rock soloing of Caped Crusader and the riotous Yuppie Cadillac. Recommended track: Plethysmograph
WORTH A SPIN
WILD CARD
AVOID!
STAG (1996)
PIGS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (2004)
PRICK (1994)
5
Although an oddly uneven listen at times, Stag approachable crowd-pleasers and arguably their most diverse musical palette, at least in terms of instrumentation (bongos, anyone?). Black Bock is a surprising slice of mid-’90s indie rock, with cleanly-picked guitar lines melting into mellow psych that’s more Flaming Lips than Flipper, and an unhinged trombone solo helps to fuse noise rock with ska on Bar-X-The Rocking M. While the song fragments that litter this album can feel more here is The Bit: from droning sitar intro to of heavy metal anthem bands like Mastodon lie awake at night thinking about. Recommended track: The Bit
6
Accompanied by Welsh avant-garde composer Lustmord, POTRE imbues the Melvins’ brand of tightly-wound hard rock with an extra layer of sonic umami, unlike the work of supergroup Fantômas (of which Osborne is a member). The title track is the centrepiece, an exhausting 22-minute journey through lunar ambience that climaxes with a crunching, industrial jam. Another highlight is Pink Bat, a blast of sludge that falls somewhere between The Locust and Ministry. Inventive without being overwhelming, and savagely fun to boot.
7
Ina discographypeppered with perverse experimentation (1998’s live album Colossus Of Destiny was 60 minutes of head-splitting white noise that reportedly had audience members rolling Prick stands as the apex of this band’s don’t-give-a-fuck attitude. There are no songs in any conventional recordings, tuneless jams and Zappameets-Andy Kaufman musique concrète, altogether a sonic bilge that would give even diehard fans a run for their money. Ever frank, Buzz Osborne himself later happily described the album as “complete and utter nonsense”. Recommended track: Pick It And Flick It
Recommended track: POTRE JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
19
HOW TO
WHAT YOUWILLLEARN
HowtouseC and Gshapes as partial barrechords Arpeggios, funky strummingand slash chords Riffs in four different styles of music
20
20 MINUTES TO…
CREATIVE CHORD PLAYING You know the open shapes! Now you can turn C and G into barre chords and give your rhythm playing a boost f all the open shapes, C and G are perhaps the least commonly used as barre chords, most likely use ‘partial chords’, ie, you play only a few
This practical approach allows you to easily and, of course, more shapes means more C and G shapes farther up the fretboard,
O
your aim is to familiarise yourself with the exercises cover a mixture of styles and TRACK 7
BASIC ARPEGGIOS
q.= 45-60 Fmaj 7
F
2
4
8
7
5
6
5
7
8
1
1
5
5
5
7
1 1
1
3
7
B
4
4
1
3
4
T B
1
1
3
B add 11
B /D
5
3
3
6
3
5 3
3
3 3
3
3
Here we begin by moving between major and maj7 shapes (in the key of F in this case). Hopefully, you recognise the open C shape played fi ve frets higher here. To get around the awkward G shape on the B b chords in bar 2, we’re playing only the middle four strings. No top or bott om strings means no need to stretch. Easy!
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
G u i t a r s a n d b a c k i n g :
S t e v e A l l s w o r t h
20 MINUTES TO CREATIVE CHORD PLAYING
TRACK 8
USING THE MINOR SHAPE
q =70-90
1. 3.
F
Gm
A
Gm
2. 4.
F
C
1 4 2 3
1 2 1 3
F
C
4 1 1 1
1 1 3
1
5 6 5 7
T B
5 6 5 7
5 6 5 7
5 6 5 7
6 8 7 8
8 9 8 10
8 9 8 10
8 9 8 10
8 9 8 10
6 8 7 8
5 6 5 7
5 6 5 7
5 6 5 7
5 6 5 7
8 5 5 5
8 5 5 5
8 5 5 5
8 5 5 5
5 6 5 7
5 6 5 7
5 6 5 7
4
5 6 5 7
5 5 5
7 8
This soul progression focuses on the upper four strings of the C and G shape. F and Ab chords are based on the C shape, while the C chord itself is based on a partial G shape. Take note of the slight alteration to the fingering to give us a minor shape on Gm. Follow the strumming pattern below the tab for a jaunty Ste ve Cropper vibe.
TRACK 9
WHAT CHORDS?
q =70-90 C7
F7
Play 4 times
2
3
2
1
T B
3
1
2
4
3
2
3
1
2
4
6 5 5
6
8 7
7
7 6
8 7
8 7
5
6
8 7
7
7 6
8 7
8 7
8
8
At first glance this funky riff doesn’t look like it uses any chords but trust us, it does! The third, fourth and fifth notes in bar 1 outline the important notes o f the G shape (in 5th position here); in bar 2, the third, fourth and fifth notes outline the C shape. The Bb and Eb notes are all-important b 7th intervals giving the 7th chord sound.
TRACK 10
HARD ROCK SLASH CHORDS
q = 80-110 E/A A
Asus4
E/A A
4 3 1
2 1 3
1 1 1
A
D/A
A
Bm
4
2 3 1
2 1 3
4
T B
9 9 9 0
10 9 11 0
9 9 9 0
10 9 11 0
0
0
9 10 9
3
3
let ring
PM
PM
PM
1
1
1
2
1
4
1 1 1 3
10 10 9
Esus4
C m
12 3 2 4 0
2 2 2
10 7
9
4 0
9
6
9
0 7
9
12
This Van Halen/BrianMay approach of usingthe openstringsto giveinteresting slash chordsis a greatway to really milkthe soundof eachshape allacrossthe fretboard. The basicchordprogression isA-Bm-C#m-E andthe sus4,slash chordsand minorarpeggiosgive a morevariedsound.
PRACTICE PLAN 1. Two minutes: Play through one exercise slowly 2. One minute: Try to identify the C and G shapes 3. Two minutes: Practise the changes and g radually build speed 4. Try out the other examples Once you’ve had a go at this month’s tab exercises it’s easy to start being more creative. Examples 1 to 3 can be moved around the fretboard – just play the riffs in a higher or lower fret position to change the pitch. Example 4 uses open strings and can’t be tra nsposed so easily, but if you ditch the open strings you hav e the basis for a great rock ‘n’ roll ri ff that can be moved to other keys. We’ll say it again though, tr y to spot the open C and G shapes in every example.
NEXT MONTH 20 minutes to… Better picking JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
21
HOW TO
WHATYOUWILL LEARN
MarkKnopfler’s fingerstyle technique Tipsto getyoucloser to Mark’s tone Staccatoharmonics
Get the tone 6
CHANNEL OVERDRIVE 5
7
7 3
GAIN
BASS
MID
riff of the month
DIRE STRAITS: MONEY FOR NOTHING (GUITAR TAB EDITION) (Guitar tab with chord symbols and lyrics, 176pp, £21.95 ref. DG70682) All the songs from the iconic album Money For Nothing by the Dire Straits, carefully and accurately arranged in guitar tablature. This fantastic songbook also features a separate lyrics section and full colour photos of the band in action. Includes classics such as ‘Sultans Of Swing’, ‘Brothers In Arms’ and ‘Money For Nothing’. Available from: www.musicroom.com
Money For Nothing 22
ireStraits’iconic 1985 MTVconqueringsingle Money For Nothing wouldseeguitaristMark earlierwork. Studiotrickery andspecialist
D
MFN
REVERB
Knopfler recorded Money For Nothing usinghis1958 GibsonLes Paul with a Laneyamp generating the basic tone.Dual-mic’ing, double-tracking andthe goalof achievinga ZZ Top-like sound combinedto createthe unusual drivetone. In earlyperformances, Mark triedto recreatethe sound withhisLesPaulsettothe bridge-position humbuckerusing hisampsandlittle else fortone shaping.Lateron, hestarted using the neckhumbucker, adding a rackmount EQ/filter effect to alter thetone(bestrecreated witha wahpedal setto a fixedposition).
Bridge humbucker
DIRE STRAITS
TREBLE
MONEY FOR NOTHING Words and Music by Mark Knopfler and Sting © 1997 Warner/Chappell Music Ltd, Straitjacket Songs Limited, Almo Music Corp. GM Sumner. Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC.UK/EU reproduced by kind permission of Hal Leonard Europe Limited. US/CAN reproduced by kind permission of Hal Leonard Corporation All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
CHEATSHEET…
Appears at: 1:36-2:04 Tempo: 134bpm Key: G minor Main techniques: Harmonics/ Fingerpicking TRACKS 11-12
MAIN RIFF
q =134 G
1:36
5
B
NH
T
C
5
NH
5 5
B
5
7 5
7 5
5 5
7 5
6 5
7 5
5
5 5
5 5
3 3
0 0
0 0
5 5
0 0
3 3
0
0 0
0
3 1
5 3
5 3
3 3
0 0
1
G
5
F
NH
B
G
G u i t a r s a n d b a c k i n g :
5
P h i l C a p o n e
NH
let ring
T
5
8 5 5
7 5
5
5 5
7 5
5
7 5
5
5 5
7 5
5 5
3 3
0 0
0 0
5 5
0 0
0
3 3
0 0
0
3 3
5 5
5 5
5
These naturalharmonics(shownasdiamondsin thetab)areplayed bylaying your first fingeracrossthe thirdand fourthstringsoverthe 5thfret.As soon asyou’ve playedtheharmonics, mutethestringswitha sparefretting finger. Keep thebarre inplace untilyou movedownthe neck atthe endof bar2.
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
P h o t o g r a p h y :
B i l l M a r i n o / G e t t y I m a g e s
HOW TO GETTING STARTED WITH…
LEGATO LEAD
Try your hand at a technique used by nearly every player who’s ever played a solo, with TG’s easy legato lesson
WHATYOUWILL LEARN
Howto play hammer-onsandpull-offs Usehammer-onsand pull-offslegato style Two legato style lead licks
“So,‘legato’. What’s thatall about?”
“What makes legato different to hammerons and pull-offs?”
We’ve lookedat both hammer-ons and
E
5
Fret a note with your third finger, pick the string, then, as the note rings out, ‘pull off’ to a lower note without plucking the string again.
You can use whicheverfingeryou like for either technique; make sure to leave a finger free to play the higher (hammer-ons) or lower (pull-offs) notes. This all takes place on one string at a time.
“Got it. Any tips for the second example?”
TRACKS 13-14
2 LEGATO LINE
q =120 5
TECHNIQUE 2: PULL-OFFS
“Oh this is pretty easy actually… although the sound is dying out a bit as I go along.”
1 EASY HAMMER-ON AND PULL-OFF G
Fret a note with your first finger, pick the string, then, as the note rings out, ‘hammer on’ to a higher note without plucking the string again.
5
TECHNIQUE 1: HAMMER-ONS
“Um, I’m no virtuoso!”
“Okay,I think I get it. Dolotsof players use these techniques?”
A
Lay the hammer down and get to the heart of legato soloing with these two simple techniques
“I thinkI remember, buta recap would help!”
24
HAMMER & PULL
G5
D/F
q = 80
Asus 4
TRACKS 15-16
Em 7
3
3
T
8
5
8
5
8
5
8
5
8
5
8 10
[10 ]
B
Obviously, the5th and8th frets arethe mainnotes.Dependingon whichis the mostcomfy,use yourfirst andeitheryour third orfourth fingers.
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
T
7
8
7
5 7
5 7
8 7 5 7
5 7
9
[9 ]
B
Useeitheryour first,secondand third orfirst, thirdandfourth fingers. The‘staple’ markstellyouwhich notesto pick,but youcanpickwhen youlike.
HOW TO
THE TG GUIDE TO AMP MODELLING WITH ITS RICH OVERDRIVE AND SMOOTH SUSTAIN, FENDER’S TWEED-ADORNED AMP GOT TONE JUNKIES SALIVATING 2
1
PINE CABINET
The ‘TV’ fronted tweed 5A3 Deluxe made its debut in 1948 and lasted until around 1953, when it was replaced by the ‘wide panel’ cabinet, which lasted for the 5B3, 5C3 and 5D3 circuit updates replaced with the most desirable 5E3 ‘narrow panel’ design in 1955. The narrow panel tweed Deluxe stayed in the catalogue for the next five years and was finally replaced with the 6G3 brown Tolex angled front control panel design, in around 1961.
2 26
3
3
The tweed Deluxe’s chrome control panel and chicken head pointer knobs are part of one of the most-copied amp styles ever. Two pairs of high and low gain input jacks feed an instrument channel and a flatter response microphone channel, with separate volume controls and a shared tone control. Despite the simple layout there’s a wide range of tones that will suit most guitars.
VALVES
The 5E3 Deluxe uses a 12AY7 and half of a 12AX7 in its preamp, to drive a pair of cathode-biased 6V6 power valves. A 5Y3 rectifier valve provides the DC volts, producing a total output of around 12 watts. Originally developed for use in car radios, the 6V6 is a beam tetrode power valve and it is often thought of as a mini 6L6. Both valves have history as they were first introduced as far back as 1936.
THE CONTROL PANEL
1
FENDER CUSTOM TWEED DELUXE Since Fender took its original Deluxe amplifier and adorned it in tweed, the much coveted cabinet has made its way onto some of the world’s greatest guitar tracks heDeluxeisthe original Fender Model26 ‘Woody’ Deluxedates back all the way to 1946, however, it’sthe tweedcovered versionsmadebetween 1948-60 that have becomethe most coveted.As with many Fenderamps, theDeluxecircuit wentthrough several iterations beforearrivingat thelegendary ‘narrow panel’5E3version. A pair of cathode-biased 6V6 output
T
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
valveswith nonegative feedback gave theDeluxea complex and highly-responsive overdrivewhen pushedhard,with an edgy bite that decaysintoa rich, smooth mid-biasedsustain. TheDeluxe hasa simplecontrol panel, with twopairsofinputs feedinga microphoneand instrument channel, withseparate volume
controlsanda singlesharedtone control.A compactpine cabinet and a singleJensenP12Rmadethe Deluxeeasyto carry and itmade its wayonto manybandstands, playingall kindsofmusic from bluestowestern swing.It’s a peculiar quirk oftheDeluxecircuit that allthreecontrolsinteract with eachother all the time,even ifonly
AN EDGY BITE DECAYS INTO A RICH, SMOOTH MID-BASED SUSTAIN
one inputisinuse, sothere’s nothing to begainedbyjumpering thetwo channels. Over theyears,theDeluxe’srich overdriveandmoderate volume output havemadeit a perfect recordingtool; some oftheworld’s greatest guitar trackshave been recorded with it,from Royal Scam-era Larry Carlton, to Billy Gibbons,JoeWalshandNeil Young,soit’s nosurprise the tweed Deluxeis consideredone of the favouritefordigital amp modellers.
AMP MODELLING
# CLASSIC TONES GET THE TONE #1
GET THE TONE #2
GET THE TONE #3
TEXAS CRUDE
VINTAGE BLUES, SWING AND ROCKABILLY
SMOOTH AOR
Getting that edgy blues-rock tone is as much about attitude as amp settings. A good humbucking guitar with a PAF-style bridge pickup will get you in the right tonal ballpark. One trick that works is to dial in more gain than control for normal playing, pushing it up when you need extra emphasis and sustain.
Get the tone 4
a nice round sound with not too much bite. This setup is ideal for recreating 50s and 60s western swing, though blues and into rockabilly, if you get the pickup tone right it can be very authentic.
Get the tone
5
5 7
4
5
6
During his time with Steely Dan, Larry Carlton contributed some of guitardom’s most copied sound of 70s AOR guitar. Most of those towering solo parts were played on Carlton’s trademark ES335 into a wide panel Fender tweed Deluxe, tweaked so Carlton could use playing dynamics to control the amp’s attack.
Get the tone 5
5
5
5
8
GAIN
5
4 3
BASS
Reverb bright room Delay approx 300ms
MID
TREBLE
MASTER
GAIN
BASS
MID
Spring/plate approx 1500ms Tape delay approx. 100ms
TREBLE
MASTER
GAIN
BASS
MID
TREBLE
MASTER
Warm room reverb approx 250ms
27
MOD SQUAD Line 6: 53 Fender Tweed Deluxe Fender Mustang GT: ’57 Deluxe IK Multimedia AmpliTube: ’57 Custom Deluxe Native Instruments Guitar Rig: Tweed Delight Yamaha THR10: Crunch Blackstar ID: Crunch/6V6 Vox VX: Tweed 410, Deluxe CL Marshall Code: CR American
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
HOW TO
WHAT YOUWILLLEARN
Howthe Phrygianmode relates tothe majorscale Thecharacterand feelof thePhrygianmode Heavy metal Phrygian rhythm and lead lines
WHAT THE F?
odes are a simple concept – think of them as scales that start on a note that isn’t the root. For example, E Phrygian (E F G A B C D) is a mode of the C major scale (C D E F G A B). They have the each scale has its own musical mood. How so? It’s because the scale. This starts to make sense once you’re happy that E is your root note, not C. With its moody, dissonant sound, this
M
PHRYGIAN MODE Take your next step with modal scales as we look at the clashing, dissonant tones of the Phrygian mode 1 C MAJOR AND E PHRYGIAN SCALES
TRACK 17
Although the two scales have the same notes, the Phrygian mode includes minor intervals, as indicated by the b symbol. So, the b 2nd is an F note; it’s one semitone higher than the root. In C major, however, the 2nd (D) is two semitones higher than the root. The same notes,
q =75 C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CDEFGABCDE 1 b 2 b 3 4 5 b 6 b 7 8
Em
T
7
C major
B
8
8
9
10
7
10
7
8
9
10
Here we’replaying C majorandE Phrygianscales.C majorsoundsbrightbecausethe root chordis C major(CE G); E Phrygian suggests a moodierEm root chord(E G B).
2 THE b 2ND INTERVAL – THE KEY TO THE PHRYGIAN SOUND
The character of the Phrygian mode comes from its b 2nd and the clashing sound of two notes played a semitone apart. Compare the Phrygian mode to the most common minor scale of them all, the natural minor scale, and you’ll see this is the only note where the
1
4
b 7
b 3
b 2
b 3
5
b 7
1
b 6
b 2
b 7
b 3
F
5
Play 4 times
5
1
B
b 6
4
5
PM throughout
b 3
b 6 b 2
5
E
T 4
1
1
TRACK 18
q =125
2
11
11
9
10
10
1
E Phrygian
28
7 7
2
5
b 3
b 6
1
4
2 0
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
2 0
0
0
0
0
3 1
2 b 7
b 3
This isa typicalthrashmetalstyleriff basedon thePhrygianmode.The moodysound isallthanks tothemovementbetween therootnoteandthe b 2nd.
E natural minor scale
E Phrygian mode
3 PHRYGIAN LEAD LICK
TRACK 19
q =125 E5
F5
E5
6
5
F5
3
T
12
13 12 10 12
10
8
10
8
7
8
7
5
7
BU
5 8
BD
(6)
(5)
B
Watchout forthe all-important b 2ndF notes(foundon the13thfret ofthe first stringandthe 6thfretof thesecondstring),giving this lickits Phrygiansound.If you’renotyet convincedhow powerfulthisonenoteis,simplytry playing F#(the2ndinterval fromthenaturalminorscale)insteadof theb 2ndF.Alsotry F#5in placeof theF5 chord.
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
30
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
rig tour Words Rob Laing Photography Adam Gasson
it’s hum-cancelling.It’sgot loads of girth. The Benchmark songs where there’s more frantic strumming as it calms that down. There’s also a few other bits where it just sounds better on the neck – like in Rat Race I do all the clean parts on the neck, and the verses of Warning . “I took 23 guitars into the studio because you never know what two or three you’ll end up using the most. But the one I did use was this number one signature model. It turned up just before and that with the parallel switch on, it was the sound.” MANSON MA CUSTOM BUILD
2Mansons made for me and 1
2
3
SKINDRED
With Manson, Orange, Faith, Heistercamp, Rotosound and Tate, Mikey Demus is flying the flag for British brands. But he’s also mixing old-school analogue with digital too… ome bands have a live reputation based on a timeless test: can they get a crowd moving within seconds? Skindred have always set the standard for other heavy bands when it comes to onstage energy and they’re still mixing a molotov cocktail of metal, reggae, alt rock and punk. Twenty years into their career the band continue to explore their sound with new album Big Tings . It’s also an eventful time for Mikey Demus’s rig with a new Manson signature model and Kempers on the menu for starters…
S
MANSON MIKEY DEMUS SIGNATURE MD-1
“This is what Mansons call
1their MA shape and I’m
playing it in drop C. Mansons obviously put a lot of tech into their guitars for some people but I wasn’t really interested in that, I wanted to do something that was quite traditional. Take the ’72 Keith Richards Tele and you do the Mansons thing with it. Big scratchplate, humbucker in the neck, Telecaster bridge pickup, four-way control and Les Paul-style switch position.
Solikea TeleCustom. The only‘tech’I haveonthereis lockingtuners.I usea push / pull control in thestudio for wantittobeabitmore “The in-house pickupguy at Mansons is SimonThorn, under thename Psychopaf. Theseare all hispickups. In these C tuningguitarsyou’ve gota Tele-stylebridgepickup and a British RailIced T basically a Telecaster-style dual coil,higher output.Still soundsquite single-coily but
the other one I play in drop C tuning. It’s a swamp ash body wanted it to look like a piece of brushed aluminium like the Electric Guitar Company guitars. Tim Stark is the head luthier at Mansons and he found a way to etch it so it looks like it looks brushed but it’s a piece of wood! It’s a UK man-made bridge that comes from the US. It’s solid brass and nickel plated. For my signature models it’s just too expensive to put on it so as it’s easy to get in both left and right-handed aluminium and there’s an F1 for Mansons, all the carbon very tactile and I’m constantly changing settings live. Mainly with the neck pickup, because I never had amps with loads of controls on growing up. I had the same one-channel Marshall JCM 900 head from years ago. I’d do everything with the volume control. I like having something preset JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
31
rig tour 8
7
“IN MY EXPERIENCE HAVING LOADS OF PEDALS IS JUST HAVING MORE STUFF THAT CAN GO WRONG”
32
where you havea neck volume setting. Actually, I still dothat onstagenow.” DEVIL & SONS ‘VOLUME’
neck. They have also putlocking Sperzelson itforme soit can handle thedrop A#tuning a bit better.” FAITH ECLIPSE MERCURY SCOOP
MANSON MA-25 BLACK HOLO SPARKLE
jonesing after one ofthesefor absolutelyages. He said, ‘Why don’t you borrowit, takeitout and seewhat youthink.’It’s great,it’s gota Mojotronhumbucker in the bridge anda GoldFoilin theneck. It alsohas a four-wayswitch and he explained that but, tobe honest,
“They just sent methis.It’s
4oneoftheir complete
production models,I think it’s the anniversaryversion oftheMA. That’s gotthe Benchmarkin the bridge anda P-45single-coilin the TOTAL GUITAR JULY NOVEMBER 2018 2015
KEMPER PROFILER
“I don’t think anyguitarist sets
“Thisis the one that lightsup onthe body. I’m usingthat for one song[Sound TheSiren]andit’s theartwork from that record.It’s kindofTele-ish.It’sa fun one. [Builder DanielWallis] approached meandaskedme whatI wantedit tolooklike. Hemakes some don’tevenlooklike guitars, theylook like movie props.This onehasa Seymour DuncanLittle 59 inthebridgeand a Pearly Gates intheneck.”
3
I forgot! I thinkit putsthepickups in series andparallel.”
“Ijustuseitononesongatthe moment. We’re doing an acoustic version of SayingIt Now , which was a songthat was onour last recordand then wedid it acoustically forthe newrecordtoo becauseit goes down reallywell. It’s a tiny littlethingbut itreally kicks it out.”
5
FIDELITY GUITARS JB
“Imet[guitar builderMatt
6Oram]lastyearand I’d been
7out todothingsdigitallyand I
was old schoolwitha tube amp side ofthings andhaving everythingthis isgreat.Soall the Kemper. I startedusing themjust before this tour. I was using [Fractal]Axe-FXbeforeand they both sound great butthiswas just somuch easier toprogram.I programmed theentireseton this thinginlessthan anhourwithall backituponaUSBstick.Wedida madesenseto keepinhererather thanhavingpedals, becausein my experiencehavingloadsofpedals cangowrong. “The Kempers sendsome stereo
4
SKINDRED 5
6 9
10
33
11
the main rhythm guitar from the cab, straight to front of house. that go to the cab, a load that go straight to front of house with some weird sounds we captured in the studio that didn’t even have an amp in the equation. Plus, some reverbs and delays that are in time with the songs. Our front-ofhouse guy, John, is a bit of a master so it’s a bit complicated. He’s got about four channels of guitar and then acoustic over the top. So you get main rhythm and then left and with the Kemper, splitting it in a “I prefer the Tom Morello approach of trying not to have too what they can do. Generally, it’s a wah, Whammy and a few delays and EQs. We’ve got a main rhythm sound, which is all Rockerverb and then we’ve got an amp in a box sound, which is a Marshall MS-2
cranked up to oblivion and clipped. If you do that every now and again, when the big amp kicks in, it’s ORANGE ROCKERVERB
“I had the MKIIs for a long time and swapped them out at the beginning of the year. They sent a couple out and they’re great. I’d never tried a high gain Orange before the Rockerverb. My perception of them was from the 90s, that they were mid gain and an indie kind of thing, because those are the kind of players they had, like Noel Gallagher. I plugged into a Rockerverb and it was exactly what the doctor ordered because you’ve got the right being too saturated. Big bottom end so you can do that kind of got anything metally onstage. Not really. This will do all that but the gain’s at about 2 o’clock. A lot of [my sound] is with the pickup as
8
well. These have a lot of preamp gain on tap but you turn it up to about 10 and it’s completely bonkers. We were running them in stereo but I had some phasing issues so just one at the moment.” SAMSYSTEMS INTEGRAL CLOSE MIC
“I’m using the Orange PPC 412s with Vintage 30s so completely stock. I’m using this SamSystems Integral close mic’ing. It’s a dynamic mic with a housing that it the mic is in the same position every time. It’s the same as the consistency because you want it to sound the same every night.” TATE FX BUFFER
the hardwired cables, because we’re using 15 metre XLR to take all that long length cable
9
FISHMAN SPECTRUM AURA
“We use the acoustic
10imaging [a simulated sound of a mic’d acoustic] and blend it so it’s mostly guitar with a little of the image on top at about 11 o’ clock with the control, just to get the sound of a nice mic on it.” TATE FX BREXIT MEANS BREXIT OVERDRIVE
“This isn’t in the live rig but the pedal on the album in front of all the amps. It’s like a modded Rat, so it’s quite spicy. I was mainly using it as a boost with gain at about nine o clock and everything else turned right up. Normally, when you put an overdrive or a boost pedal in front of an amp it will do something to it and it will give something extra. That’s what this was. I went through 14 or 15 overdrive pedals on the day and this was the one.”
11was
Skindred’s latest album Big Tings is out now on Napalm Records JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
Words Amit Sharma / Photography Will Ireland
PL 34
KE PARKWAY DRIVE GUITARISTS JEFF LING AND LUKE KILPATRICK GIVE TG A RUNTHROUGH THE CRUSHING TONES HEARD ON LATEST OPUS REVERENCE ...
RIDE THE LIGHTNING Backstage at the Camden Underworld, Parkway Drive axemen Jeff Ling and Luke Kilpatrick are biting each other’s guitars and pulling faces while boxed inside the smallest dressing room they’ve had in years . Tonight’s sold-out show celebrates the release of sixth full-length album Reverence , but there’s no sign of uncertainty over the new material – instead the pair remain as light-hearted as ever. That mindset could very well be the secret to their success, which has seen the metalcore quintet top their native album charts back home in Australia and gatecrash TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
Top 20s the world over with last album Ire . Yet their feet remain on the ground: “If people have only listened to our new record a few times, they won’t have a feel for it,” says Ling. “But if you’ve listened to it 10 times and say it’s horse shit, I will say, ‘Yeah, the album sucks! At least you listened to it enough to know.’” His bandmate grins. “I don’t really see us as one of the biggest metal bands around,” continues Ling. “But maybe we’re one of the bigger newbies. We’re stepping up our production and hopefully taking over from the old dogs whenever they hang up the reins – we’ll be there to grab them and take the
band for the people
“We play songs, not wanky guitar bits to make each other or our audience feel like they’re not good enough!”
horses for a ride. But the more popular you are, the more unpopular you are! That’s just the nature of the beast. Maybe it’s just too easy to tear shit apart online these days. There are so many people who are still attached to the old sound, but a lot of people like our new sound too. When we put out Vice Grip from Ire , we knew we were in for a beating! When we first saw what people were saying, we thought we were getting killed ... A lot of us took it to heart – I had never been ridiculed like that before. This time, we are ready for it all – we are proud of what we’ve done and we don’t care about the comments.”
PARKWAY DRIVE DIVINE INTERVENTION When TG last interviewed the pair on their 2016 Ire world tour, they had just transitioned from using high-gain amps made by Peavey and Mesa/Boogie to the Kemper Profiler, having spent meticulous hours in the studio assessing the quality of all their analogue and digital signals. That learning curve informed the method to their most recent recordings, streamlining that process and allowing the guitarists to focus on making the best album they possibly could, instead of being distracted by the labyrinthine intricacies of capturing sound. “The last time we spoke to you, we did all the bullshit,” continues Ling. “We mic’d every thing up, cross-referenced and compared after really listening to every part. Ultimately, the Kemper sounded better… I don’t know how?! So this time round for Reverence we didn’t even bother bringing any amps, it was a no-brainer! We didn’t want to waste our time. The Kemper signal is ever so slightly clearer. It sits better in the mix, fitting with all the other instruments in a cleaner way. Sorry to all the old-school tube amp enthusiasts, but that profiler is a game-changing, album-changing, tour-changing piece of equipment.” “The amount of people using them these days means there are endless profilesout there,” adds Kilpatrick. We
this time for Cemetery Bloom. But there is one new flavour… we have a [US amp builder] Splawn in there somewhere. We found that tone was really good for holding everything together, it’s super-bright and had all the clarity for our chords to ring loud and clear.” “On its own it probably wouldn’t have worked,” confesses Kilpatrick. “It would have been too piercing and scratchy. But if you blend it with something bold like a Dual Rec or a 6505, you get this perfect tone. I don’t even know if they are real amps or profiles made by some guy called Splawn, ha ha!”
IN WAVES Like much of Parkway Drive’s recorded output, their latest instalment uses little in the way of effects. For this pair, it’s the pristine precision and cleanliness of their dual attack that makes it all the more punishing. The members point to early producer Adam Dutkiewicz, also the co-founding member of metalcore legends Killswitch Engage, as someone who showed them just how far the definition of tight performances stretched, setting the bar high indeed. In many ways, that metronomic thunder became their most prized effect of all. Ling is the first to admit the more toys he has to play with, the more it would disrupt and convolute hisfeelfor hisinstrument…
“WHEN WE PUT OUT VICE GRIP , WE KNEW WE WERE IN FOR A BEATING!” gota whole bunch off the internetand screwed around with them in the studio… what we ended up using is a secret. Well, until now, I guess!” Which begs the question – with so many different options available at their fingertips, which profiles ended up being the best suited for their metallic symphonies? And were there any departures from the high-gain monsters they’ve long been associated with? “It was actually a blend of a few amps together,” explains Ling. All fairly standard to what we were using before live, things like Mesa/Boogies and Peaveys. We even got the Marshalls in
“I’ve managed to keep myselfaway from wang bars, I’d probably lose my mind if I got into them,” he laughs. “Honestly, if my tech gave me a whammy guitar through a wah pedal, my guitar playing would be ruined.” The sweeping wahs heard on opening track and lead single Wishing Wells came from the same box as their amp sounds, while the high-pitched synthsounding tracks on third song Absolute Power are not the work of an ElectroHamonix Pog-replicating setting, but actually background noise… “I think there might have been a couple of analogue pedals plugged in,” JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
35
PARKWAY DRIVE
“WE HAVE A VISION FOR OUR SOUND AND WE STICK TO THAT” 36
reveals Ling, “but nothingdrastic. Most of the effectswere in the Kemper, like the wah, or in Pro-Tools. We don’t use many effects,to be honest.But I do like throwing in background noises that you can’t quite hear – like in Absolute Power , which has thesestrange synth-y backing sounds that add a lot of flavour to my leads. Everyone thinksI’m using the so-and-so pedal, butno… it’s just an extra layer making you think that.That’s something I love doing at home in the pre-production stage. It could be anything – the sound of a bird farting or any sound imaginable.” Kilpatrick interjects with a devilish grin on his face. “Here’s a challenge for all you TG readers… see if you can find the bird fartingon our new record!”
THE DEVIL IN I Background birdfarts could be the notion that very well epitomises the Parkway Drive pair’s mentality towards music and lifein general. Theirs is a band born on friendship andtrust over any ulterior motives and insidious egos, which is preciselywhy their line-up has remained unchangedfor the vast majority of their career, ever since bassist Jia O’Connor tookover from Shaun Cash shortly afterthe releaseof their 2005 debut.While Ling sits in the director’s chair whenit comes to composing music and overseeing operations alongside singerWinston TOTALGUITAR JULY 2018
McCall, Kilpatrick is only toohappy to leave the responsibility elsewhere… “Jeffwrites riffs and I play guitar onstage,” he laughs. “For me, not being theleadguy, themain thing is not letting ego getin theway.The moment you start competing and youwant to be the man, that’showit all falls apart. As forplaying, I just play what I learn. Jeff writesit all and that’s that! This is a band. We play songs not wanky guitar bits to make each other or ouraudience feellike they’re not goodenough!” His co-guitarist wholeheartedly agrees. “Don’t letego getin theway,” advises Ling.“Keep it clean, don’t get carried away into themess of trying to play faster than one another. I have always loved playing lead…allI cared aboutto begin with wassolos, I didn’t care about rhythms. I just wanted to be like Slash or whoever wasawesome at the time. Luke is theexact opposite – he didn’t care forthat stuff,he just wants to play theriffs. We’re in our mid-30s now, thereare so many guitarists coming out that areso many times better than us.I’ve only just figuredout what keyI’m playing in and I still don’t evenknowthename of it,just the sound ha ha! That probablywon’tsit well with a lot of guitarists,I see myself as more of a laughing stock with zero theory. But wehavea visionfor our sound and we stick to that, there’s no point trying to match anyone else.”
TURN ON, TUNE IN, DROP OUT How the Evertune bridge was a revolutionary discovery… With strong links to ESP and signature models to each of their names, there was only going to be one brand dominating the noise, but Reverence also captures the sound of the pair discovering new, key components within their instruments… “We took out our signature models, but we also got ESP to send out a couple more with the Evertune system in it. And I feel like that bridge was as important as the Kemper,” says Kilpatrick. “When you record, everything has to be so
perfect, with the Evertune, it doesn’t matter how hard or soft you pick, the pitch is spot on!” His bandmate agrees. “We were stacking to the roof with six full takes of rhythm tracks,” says Ling. “With standard bridges, that would have taken forever . When you tune to dropped B on a six-string guitar, it’s hard to hold those open chords! The tension doesn’t quite match up. This time, we could concentrate on playing tight rather than worrying about tuning or mic’ing our amps.”
Words Amit Sharma Photography Will Ireland
38
W
hile their story began in the muddier waters of heavy biker rock some 17 years ago, Kentucky quartet Black Stone Cherry could very well be regarded today as righteous contemporary messengers of the blues for a whole new generation. Last year’s Black To Blues EP saw them reimagining the works of Freddie King, Albert King and Willie Dixon – and naturally a healthy dose of that spirit has spilled over into the sounds heard on this year’s sixth full-length Family Tree . Having grown up surrounded by swamp music in the Deep South, with blood links to local heroes The Kentucky Headhunters through drummer John Fred Young, few could deny this is a family tree worth exploring. And their story continues to unfold; the arena Top 10 album charts for the third time in their career. Reuniting once again in their home state with David Barrick – the man who produced their Roadrunner Records debut – the anthems of their latest venture were most certainly a product of their environment, as their guitar duo, frontman Chris Robertson and bandmate Ben Wells explain… cherry delight
Chris Robertson, left, and Ben Wells sitting pretty for their sixth full-length album, Family Tree
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
THE GUITAR DUO AT THE HELM OF BLACK STONE CHERRY’S ARENACONQUERING SOUTHERN ROCK GIVE TG A GUIDED TOUR OF THEIR GUITAR ROOTS… It’s interesting to hear how much you’ve grown as a slide player on this record, Chris, what has the journey been like to get there? Chris: “Well, I hate playing slide live,
because it’s hard for me standing up. Any slide on our records has usually been me, but always sat down. On the We were recording the last song and our engineer told me, ‘Man, it’s really good, it’s really clean… but it !’ I was a bit surprised! But then he told me it and that’s when it all opened up for me. France. He’s an absolute monster guitar player. He does what Sonny Landreth does, which is playing behind the slide where you get Middle-Eastern sounds and that whole sitar vibe.” Ben:
player on the planet right now! He from Duane Allman and plays it so even try to do that.” Even beyond the slide, there is a stronger Allman Brothers influence coming through on Family Tree – it feels like there are more harmonised dual leads in major keys on this record… Chris: guys that can automatically re-pitch to self-taught dudes. I can’t read sheet JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
39
feature southern belle
I learnedfrom theblues.That’s about it. minor pentatonics were in E. Andafter that heshowed mewhatI call the countrybox,saying ifI wantedtosound by theAllman you playthewholesonginE.All of way orthe ThinLizzyway.That’show werelate toit inourheads, but ifwe one noteata timewithtwo guitarsuntil wehave found the rightones.”
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Allen Collins ranks high amongst Chris Robertson’s guitar totinginfluences
Ben: “There are noegosin our band.If
one guy does itbetter,then that’s who aresmaller. I love playing acoustic and doingthecleanerthings.” 40
Howdoesa bandlikeBlackStone Cherry go about getting more mileageoutof theblues scale– doyoueverfeel likeyou’rehitting brickwalls? Ben:
many scales.Wecameupwithour identitiesthrough trial anderror.We’d Somepeople are moretaught – but I andhe was thesame. Hesaid,‘I can’t doesn’t sound right!’ Simpleas that. I minor ones. Youcan start minor pentatonicandswitchit up into major, it well, they’llnever seeyoucoming! It’sgoodto intermix thesouthern put together.”
s e g a m I y t t e G : o t o h P
Chris: “I’ve been theretoo,whenyou things overand overagain.But ifyou couldhold onenote thatlasts three TOTALGUITAR JULY 2018
DIGGING THE ROOTS Chris and Ben on the players of the past who still inspire them Ben: “Wegrew up with southernrockand
country,it wassucha big thing in our area and naturally it’s inour DNA. That’s thequilt we’re cut from,basically. But my parents also listened to The Beach Boys, Neil Diamond, Robert Palmer… I’ma hugeElvisfan, so his guitarist Scotty Mooreended up being my favouriteof them all. He had themost notifiablesound, the one I can hear a mileaway and know exactly whowas playing. Atthe time,it was incredibly innovative…to be coming outin 1955 with a Gibson plugged into an ampplaying rock’n’roll. Itwas veryrisqué music back then! Sure,it’s notthe best guitar playing in the world. It’s raw and original, which is what I prefer. I love theold hymnsand all thatgospel music, especially Elvis’stakeon it. He Touched Me isone ofmy favouritesongs of all time.”
Chris: “It’s difficult because it’sa
toss-up between Steve Gaines or Allen Collins from LynyrdSkynyrd. With Steve,it was all aboutthe precision of hisdelivery. We’ve heard some of theisolated tracks of just him and theplaying is pristine. Damn, thatguy was perfectly clean – yet stillextremely soulful. Listen to him on That Smell , theamp has little gainand he’splaying a Strat. I think I heard him first when we watched Freebird the movie, whenthey’re playing Knebworth in1977 and Steve Gaines came out ripping it all to pieces, doing his own thing. The guywas a totalbeast! Allen Collins was a massive Claptonfan so there wasa lotof FreddieKingin there too, inmany ways he’s my favourite, butactually I think thebest Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist was hands-down Steve Gaines.”
minutes with this beautiful vibrato and that was able to say more than a thousand notes.” Are there any new licks you’ve been focusing more on recently? There are some chromatic walkdown leads on the album that sound quite jazz school… Chris: “Those chromatic lines you hear
until it sounds right! I just played with my eyes closed and literally fell a few extra notes in B – changing the direction of my pentatonic runs. I have also been putting more time into when Hendrix would bend up on 15th fret of the second string and grab the fourth string at the same time before Ben: “We did a cover of Burning Love by
Elvis, which is one of the B-sides, so I
Was the majority of the record cut with PRS and Gibson guitars? Chris:
I use live, but in the studio I might use a couple of other things. For this album, I single-cut version. I don’t do doublecuts, they just don’t feel right to me. So a lot of the rhythms were done with that and then I had my signature guitars in Ben:
has a slightly higher output. I also used answer to a 335. And there’s also a Telecaster on there too! are going for with each song, because we don’t want to sound the same. It should be two individual players, producing two individual sounds. If the other is me, that’s great – that’s exactly what we’re going 41
“I DON’T THINK I COULD PLAY YOU FIVE SCALES NOW IF YOU ASKED!” putit down tochallengemyself… there’ssomething magicalabouthow dothat.” There’s modulationon theguitarsof openingtrack Bad Habit thatalmost give the partsmoreof anorganfeel. What were youusing inthe studio? Chris: “Thatsound camefroma
onthe Hendrix-y partsI was playing there. It’s one ofa coupleofsongs where I useda 1973Strat– one oftheold butI actually reallylovethatguitar. I you canreallyhearitcuttingthroughon that song.”
What kind of ampsdid youentrust to deliverthatfullersound? Chris: “Believe itornot,I didn’tusea
singletube amp onthe newrecord.It every single note.I onlyhadthe Lex in one with a clearcontrol plate onthe bottomsoyou cansee all the potentiometers andshit. Therest was all doneintheHelix,therewasnothird youbuythat thing!” Ben: “Iwentthrough a Budda
sounded,but it turns out they own Budda now too.So I got toswitchamps butstaywiththe same company, haha! Mytaste hasgonefrom the oversaturated, high-outputheavy JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
feature distortion to less gain. I still love the was over it. Our band isn’t really that with Budda years ago, so when we got them the guitars sounded perfect. Everything was clean enough yet heavy enough, it was right down the middle.” It’s interesting to hear the results of analogue and digital combined, along with single-coils and humbuckers, rather than being too purist about things… Chris: “I was an amp snob for many
42
that perfect sound. I’ll get soldering whenever I’m in the house and bored as shit. I might put new ones in and swap them from one guitar to another, Even my ’73 Strat, I’ve changed the The only ones I haven’t messed with are my signatures! The Helix lets you with some form of condenser. It’s so fun of all my buddies playing Axe-Fx and Kemper saying, ‘That’s a cool almost amp, man!’ Now I’ve used one for our last two releases!” What other effects did you end up using? Interesting to hear a talkbox onSouthern Fried Friday Night … Ben: “Though we try not to overdo it
great because it allows you to use your or anything. There’s also a Boss Super Octave with built-in fuzz that I used and is easily one of the best I’ve ever played. It sounds so nasty and badass, and that’s exactly what I love about it!” Chris: “In the Helix, I used the built-in
Furby wah. You can set all the high and low frequencies, which gives you more options. And for the Bad Habit solo I used an Octavia similar to what Hendrix Super Lead Plexi with the channels jumped and four cabinets [all modelled] TOTALGUITAR JULY 2018
“I WAS AN AMP SNOB FOR YEARS, BUT I ALSO LIKE TO TWEAK S**T” with two mic’d close and the others being able to control every single parameter… because I’m probably a You newer material is a less detuned than it used to be, how do you feel your approach has changed? Chris: “Our record had songs
in B or drop A! The main guitars were standard scale [on this album], only a , that utilises this drop and Devil’s Queen, which are both on our second album…” Ben: “What you do is tune your guitar a
creativity too. Whenever you’re sat around trying to write something but will get you interested again and hopefully excite you into going in a new direction. That’s how those songs came about, just experimentation. These music, especially if one player is in standard and another is in open. You can complement each other in really a lot of open tunings too… it just sounds but still sounded contemporary, which a copycat band.” Family Tree is out now on Roadrunner
BLACK STONE CHERRY
CHERRY PICKING… Riffs and licks, BSC style
C
hris and Ben’s guitar style is rooted in Southern rock and country, but take one listen to riffs like White Trash Millionaire , Lonely Train and Killing Floor and it’s easy to hear their leaning towards hard rock and heavy metal too. A lot of the attitude comes from the way the pair play and the riffs they write, but they also use lower tunings to produce a thicker, fattertone. Drop C#, drop
C, drop B and even drop A tunings all feature in the Black Stone Cherry back catalogue. To help you get a bit of the BSC vibe in your playing we’ve written three tab examples showcasing key parts of the band’s sound and technique, all recorded in drop C tuning (CGCFAD) for that trademark weighty sound. This means all six strings are tuned a tone (two frets) lower than usual except for the sixth string, which is two toneslower. TRACKS 21-22
HARD ROCK RIFF
q =120 5
E
C
5
N.C.
E
5
C
5
N.C.
1 1 1
3
1
PM
T B
D A F C G C
3 3 3
PM
0 0 0
0
0
3
PM
5
3
3 3 3
0
0 0 0
3 0 0
3
3
5
5
5
Here we’re usingpowerchords,pentatonicsand palm-mutesfora hard Southern rock style groove.Playtheriff withyourfirst andthird fingers throughout– youcanplay the opening powerchordusingjust yourfirst finger.
43
TRACKS 23-24
BLUES SCALE RIFF
q.=120 N.C.
3
1 3
1
1
2
1
2
1
3
1
2
T B
0
3
5
0
5
6
0
5
6
0
6
7
0
7
10
0
10
12
1
This riff is based in the C blues scale (C E b F G b G B b ) and the notes are all located on the sixth string using the open dropped C as a repeating root no te. The blues scale is used extensively in metal and country (blues too, of course), so it’s perfect for BSC.
TRACKS 25-26
KENTUCKY FRIED ROCKING
q =100 C
T B
5
10
E
12
5
B
5
F
10
5
10
13
10 13
13
10 13
G u i t a r s a n d b a c k i n g
13 13
12
10
12 12
10 12
12
13
12
10 12
10
12
We’re using the C blues scale again, this time with an added 2nd interval (C D E b F G b G B b ). This kind of lick could easily be adapted to a pure Brad Paisley style country line or a Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque Southern rock lick.
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
C h a r
e G r f f t h s
Words Amit Sharma / Photo Jesse Wild
44
High Flyer FROM SHRAPNEL TO GUNS N’ ROSES AND NOW NEWEST PROJECT SONS OF APOLLO, RON ‘BUMBLEFOOT’ THAL DISSECTS HIS MAD PROFESSOR-LIKE APPROACH TO THE FRETBOARD AND BEYOND…
S
hrapnel Records founder Mike Varney has scouted out numerous high prodigies. During the neoclassical glory of the 1980s, Varney discovered the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, Paul Gilbert and Jason Becker. Amongst this sparkling list is the inimitable Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal. His debut would arrive halfway into the following decade, and alongside that fret-burning wizardry, it was his Zappa-like humour, quirky rap-funk sensibilities and unique usage of thimbles to extend the range of his strings that truly set him apart. Even the instruments he held in his hands were making a statement – from his Ibanez Roadstar painted and eyed like
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
swiss cheese, a 37-fret giant hand Custom Ax and, perhaps most notably, his Vigier Flying Foot guitar, built so that wings would extend out whenever the whammy bar was pressed. In 2004 Thal got the life-changing invitation to replace Buckethead in Guns N’ Roses, headlining the biggest stages around the world and performing on their longawaited, yet criminally overlooked, Chinese Democracy album. Having parted ways following a decade of loyal service to Axl Rose, he’s been focusing most recently on a heavier, more progressive shade of rock in new supergroup Sons Of Apollo, alongside Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan. Talking exclusively to TG, he explains the theory behind some of the head-melting fusion heard on last year’s Psychotic Symphony getting the most out of your instrument…
BUMBLEFOOT
TRAIN OF THOUGHT The Bumblefoot guide to thinking differently when things get stale… “A big mistake guitarists make is when they think they are stuck in a box, they feel they need to get out of the box and just end up in a different box! If you have go-to riffs that you are comfortable with, instead of trying to get rid of them, get creative and expand. You can be doing all your typical pentatonic riffs, all you need to do is push one side of the box to make it bigger. Then you can push on another side of the box, eventually expanding the comfort zone of it all. A good way is starting off with standard pentatonics – say you are in E minor on the 12th fret – what you could do is add extra notes on the 11th fret too. You could call them the outside notes, you’ll find a major 7th on the high E, followed by a sharp 4th, a second, a major 6th, a major 3rd and a final major 7th. That’s a really easy thing you can do to push one wall of the box. Sometimes you might play all the notes, others you throw them in however you see fit… it’s pretty much as simple as that.”
USE YOUR ILLUSION Look to other instruments to help find new ways to phrase… “Every guitarist needs to sound like themselves. Don’t think too much and don’t over-analyse. My biggest advice is learn things that aren’t guitar solos: learn horn parts, violin pieces or piano parts on your guitar. Learn a guitar solo and you’ll play the guitar like a guitar , while other instruments will teach you the phrasing and nuances that are natural to them. You will discover all these new ways of stretching and bending, that will help open up your own expression. It probably sounds weird, like: ‘Hey kids, listen to non-guitar music to get better at guitar!’ But just go and see what epiphanies you get and what you realise in the process, musically and physically, in terms of trying to replicate ideas that differ in all sorts of ways. MAJOR IN
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
45
BUMBLEFOOT THE MINORS How to use different minor scalesfor tension and release… “Melodic minor is a beautiful scale because it’s a major scale with a flat third. So there are all the resolves and builds from the major notes, yet touches of this sad thing! Say you want to finish on a D minor chord, in natural minor the four and five chords would be G minor and A minor. In Yngwie’s harmonic minor, it would be G minor and A major. In melodic minor, they would be G major and A minor. There are different ways to build people on a high that resolves in minor – there can be a stronger emotional impact doing it like that. The song Another Nail Through My Heart by Squeeze, for example, goes through all sorts of modes, changes and keys with major build-ups that resolve on the minor. There’s even an old Priest song called The Rage that used melodic minor resolves built off major chords. Those are good reference points to say, ‘Hey, this shit works , man – these aren’t just silly altered minors from jazz school!’” THE RIGHT ANGLE Fluidity is the key to Bumblefoot’s right-hand precision… “Don’t be too rigid – I’d say that’s an important part of it. Let your thumb and finger holding
46
Sons Of Apollo’s debut album Psychotic Symphony is out now on Inside Out Music. The band play Ramblin’ Man Fair on 30 June and play Motherwell, Belfast, Dublin, Brighton and Nottingham in July. More info: sonsofapollo.com
the pickmovetoo. Youcanget a lot moreprecision, morecomfort and just more everything by doing that. You may find youneed to change theangle you attack thestringsas you are picking. Tilting a certain direction,as if youare dragging it up thestrings.Think about the decline and incline, becausehow you holdyour pick, evenif it’s just for a moment, willaffecthow fast or precise youplay. Getused to letting thepick roll intodifferent angleswhile holding it – rather than feelinglike yourentire arm, hand and wrist is this piece of wood.” GUNSMITHERY Ronreflectsonhis GunsN’Roses stateof mind… “My focus willdepend on the project. The Guns N’Roses show was not about technical stuff, it was more about delivering themelodies and riffs in the rightpocket, with theright feel. My aim wasto give people theexperience they camethere toget – that’swhat you shouldwant todo and itcanbe just as difficult or require just asmuch focus, despite not requiring super-fast playing in a weird time signature. I wasthinking more aboutbending in theperfect way to createjust a hair of tension beforeit hits pitch, or maybe my vibrato,or anything else to nailthe phrasing. It wasn’tabout fast scales, that wasthe leastof my worries in that situation. Difference aspects of my playing areat theforefront and more blatant in different bands, but my overall mindset is thatthere’s always plenty to nail. Something that sounds simpleshould never be frowned upon,becauseit’s the
way you playit and whatyou doto those notes that count. Is therean emotional connection? If youthink youare above that, you are going to suck!” MOVE WITH THE GROOVE Why economy pickingmakessense whencrossingstrings… “Economypicking is simply about using the direction youare going in to your advantage. If you pick down, followed by anup strokeon the next string,you are actually travellingfarther awayfrom where you needto go. Itmight make more sense togo down and down, or start with an upstroke followedby a down, which gets youcloser to your destination.Though there might be timesyou don’t want to do that, like when youneed to chirp out an artificial harmonic or something else. People that set rigid, harsh rules for their technique willfind it verylimiting…in most situations you have to be practical. Frank Gambale developed a style of picking by being smart andpractical, it turned intosomething amazing. He’s a great example of going down, then down again forthreenoteson thenext string and repeating that, or using the same conceptcoming back up.I do a lot of that stuff too.” STREET OF DREAMS Howto avoidrehashinglicksthe same oldlicks… “Your hands should simply do what you ask of them, theyare likethe mouth for the words you think in your head.You
THE FRENCH CONNECTION How an American guitarist ended up becoming one of Vigier’s most important faces…
k c o R k c i
M : o t o h P
“I’ve been with Vigier since 1997, so over 20 years now. I was doing a clinic in France and one of their reps brought one of their models that played so much better than my own guitars. I had dinner with the owner, Patrice – who is the sweetest guy in the world. He’s been open-minded about my propensity for the weird, asking him to make me strange guitars that are as part of the expression as the music made on them. There was the flying foot guitar, replicas of my original Swiss cheese guitar and then, of course, the DoubleBfoot fretless/fretted model. You can see how much pride and care has been taken in building them. Patrice sees his guitars like
works of art – his company is not trying to make billions or get instruments into every store in the world – it’s simply about making beautiful guitars. “Those are going into Engl Invader 2 heads into their 4X12 cabinets. I also have this Line 6 Helix that I’m absolutely loving, there is so much you can get out of them when it comes to the impulse response that shapes your tone and adds realism. The difference before and after is irrefutable, undeniable and, for me, indispensable! I also use a Dunlop 95Q wah and a lot of TC Electronics pedals – they’re the best of the best, especially with all the Toneprint editing and the new on/off switch that works like an expression button going from zero to 100!”
47
“LEARN THINGS THAT AREN’T GUITAR SOLOS: HORN PARTS, VIOLIN PIECES OR PIANO PARTS” JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
P h o t o :
B r y a n A P o o r
BUMBLEFOOT
48
shouldn’t even be looking at the neck. You should be listening to the music inside you that you need to get out within a fraction of a second later. It’s just like talking, all the hands need to do is learn the language. If you hear a major 3rd in your head, you need to know it’s four frets up or one string down and a fret back or whatever it is! I’m usually thinking about the connections between the notes in the melody that I’m hearing.”
that the fretboard stopped but the strings continued. Just think about it, you play the string, not the fretboard – which acts more like an assistant or guide. The string is what you want to be working . I realised when I ran out of frets, I could use a metal cap attached to my finger as a mobile fret touching the string… instead of the string touching a fret! It felt like a sensible way to access the additional notes in the most efficient way.”
NIMBLE WITH THE THIMBLE Thal explains the thinking behind that metal cap trickery…
A DAY AT THE RACES Don’t let the techniques dictate what you are trying to convey…
“You can find household items and turn them into music. Look about you for egg-beaters and whatever else is lying around, ha ha! I realised pretty early on
“Obviously, with the guitar being a physical instrument, it’s all about developing technical precision – but it’s easy for that to become the focus, like a sport. We really musn’t forget it should be about the music and expressing what you feel onto those strings – not competing with anything or anyone else. As crazy as it sounds, listen to the music in your head or in your heart or wherever it is inside of you, and hum it. Try to be there with that note, first inside and then let it out on the guitar rather than trying to be faster than the next guy.”
THE GUITAR GYM Why it’s important to stay in shape… “I would advise that you play every day – that’s really important. I think you are better off doing 10 minutes every day than skipping it and doing an hour at the end of the week or whatever. But I might have travelling days lugging around suitcases that will mean it’ll take extra practise to get warmed up and loose again. Before I go onstage, I’ve always been pretty chilled out in all of the bands I’ve played in. We get the go-ahead when it’s time to play, the tech hands you the guitar and you’re off. And usually you get warmed up by the last song!”
“IF THERE’S NO EMOTIONAL CONNECTION... YOU ARE GOING TO SUCK!”
v o d n i
h S o t s i r H
: o t o h P
TOTAL GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2017
Cover feature
50
TOTAL GUITAR JANUARY 2018
ATE BLUES JAM
on your disc Find audio tracks for every example on your Guitar Skills CD
WORDS
CHRIS BIRD, JON BISHOP GUITARS AND BACKING
JON BISHOP PHOTOGRAPHY
ADAM GASSON
U
L
T
I
M
A
T
E
BLUES JAM FROM CHORD PROGRESSIONS TO SHUFFLE RHYTHM AND SCALES: LEARN ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BECOME A BLUES JAM SESSION MASTER WITH TG’S INSPIRING LESSONS
W
e love a good blues jam here at TG towers, and, if you’ve played in bands before, you’ll surely relish the occasional 12-bar widdle-fest. But, whether you’re a band veteran or a guitar newbie, there’s always room for improvement. This month we’re taking a look at some key elements of blues and giving all the rhythm and lead tricks you need to get through any jam session. Make sure you’ve got your Guitar Skills tracks for you to play along to. Turn the page and let’s get started! JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
51
Cover feature
01
The 10 best blues chords Every blues jam needs a chord progression and these 10 shapes are guaranteed to give you a bona fide blues sound
52
o get you started we’re looking at some chords in the guitar-friendly key of A. You’ve probably heard of a I-IV-V common blues chord sequence and its name tells you that the chords are built on Either jam on these three major chords for an authentic blues vibe. We’ve you shift the root notes to fretted versions (at the 5th fret of the can be moved to any key you like. John Mayer uses these types of chords in songs like and Ten Long Years .
T
counting I-IV-V
This common and essential blues progression will give your blues jam authenticity
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
ULTIMATE BLUES JAM TRACK 27
THE CHORDS Listen outfor thedifferent sounds of each chord type. The7th and 9th chords sound tenseand edgy; the6th chords are softer, well suited to ballads and gentler parts X
O
X
X
O
X
X
X
X
O
1
6
X
O
O
1
7
2
1
1
X
X
1
7
1
1
X
X
3
1 3
2
1
A9 O
X
A6
X
X
1
9
1
1
1
1
D9
O
X
X
1
5
D6
O
X
1
5
X
2
X
X
1
1
7
1
1
6
3
2
2
3
3
3
E6
E9
A7
A
E7
D/F#
53 MAYER-ESQUE CHORDS
TRACK 28
3
q = 80
= A
T B
0
p
p
A
7 6 7
5 4 5
0
6
9
A
5 4 5
5 4 5
0
6
D
6
D
5 7 5 7 5 7
7 6 7
0
0
p
p
9
D
5 5 5
5 5 5
0
6
A
7 7 7
5 4 5
0
0
a m i
0
0
p
p
a m i
6
A
7 6 7
9
A
5 4 5
6
A
5 7 4 6 5 7
0
0
7
8 6 7 0
0
a m i
a m i p
The 6th and 9th chords here are based on the same shape, just two frets higher for the latter. We’re using a fingerstyle approach much like John Mayer does – this allows you to pick out a bass note separately from the main body of the chord, so why not try jamming a solo without the backing track?
CLAPTON STYLE TURNAROUND E
6
E
9
E
6
D
6
D
9
D
6
TRACK 29 7
A
A
5 6 7 0
0
5 6 5 0
p
a m i p
D/F
F
7
E
7
B
7
A
13
3 7 7 7
T B
9 9 9
7 7 7
7 7 7
0 0
0
p
p a m i
9 9 9
5 5 5
0
0
p
p
7 7 7
5 5 5
5 5 5
0
0
a m i
0
7 7 7
a m i p
7 7 7 0
p
7 9
p
a m i
7 6 5
7 6 7
7 6
9
8 7 8
6
5
p
m i p
m i p
m i p
a m i p
Thisexample continuestheJohnMayerideaandaddsin a simpleEricClaptonstyleturnaround section. Thisturnaround canbe used toset upfor a repeatof the12-barblues progressionorusedas anending,justas we’vedonehere.
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
Cover feature
02 The blues shuffle groove explained
q = 90 A
5
A
6
A
5
A
6
count: 1
&
2
&
3
&
4
&
2 0
2 0
4 0
4 0
2 0
2 0
4 0
4 0
T B
Our track kicks off with this simple riff. All of the notes are the same length (they’re eighth notes) and this is known as straight feel. Albert King’s Born Under A Bad Sign is a straight feel classic.
You’ve probably heard of the shuffle groove, but do you know how to play the staple blues rhythm? TG explains all…
TRACK 30
SHUFFLE FEEL
A
by Jimmy Rogers If these ‘eighth notes’ are evenly spaced it is known as a straight tab and listen to the audio tracks and you’ll get the hang of it. It’s much
S 54
TRACK 30
STRAIGHT EIGHTH NOTES
5
A
count: 1
&
6
a
2
2 0
4 0
A
&
5
a
3
4 0
2 0
A
&
6
a
4
2 0
4 0
&
a
T 2 0
B
4 0
As the audio track continues we switch to a triplet rhythm to outline the shuffle groove. The more you repeat it, the more you’ll get a feel for it! Check out Elmore James’ The Sky Is Crying .
TRACK 31
CRAY-ZY GROOVES 3
q = 90
= A
5
A
6
A
5
D
5
D
6
D
5
A
5
A
6
E
5 3
3
Play 4 times
let ring
T B
2 2
2 2
2 4
3 2
2 2
3 2
3 4
3 2
2 2
2 2
2 4
7 6 5
6
7 6
7
7
This Robert Cray inspired line follows a classic shuffle blues riff. For convenience, the music contains eighth notes. The marking next to the tempo denotes the shuffle feel – easier than notating all those eighth notes as triplets. We downpicked throughout but a down-up approach works; fingerstyle is also a way to keep the staccato notes tight.
TRACK 32
SRV SHUFFLE LEAD STYLE A
5
D
T
7
B
( 9)
5 5
BU 8 (10)
A
5
E
7
Play 4 times
3
3
3
BU
5
BU
5 5
8 (10)
5 5
BU
BU BD 7
( 9)
( 7)
5
7
7
( 9)
5 7 7
Stevie Ray Vaughan was a master of playing lead with a shuffle feel. This example demonstrates the all-important string bending technique, which is one of the keystones of blues lead. Use the strong third finger to bend the notes up at the fret indicated in the tab. Always add support with your first and second fingers during tricky string bends.
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
RATHER THAN CHOPPING AWAY ON BASIC CHORDS... GET SOME TYPICAL BLUES GROOVES DOWN
55
03 Essential blues grooves Knowing some basic rhythms is the key to an authentic vibe in any blues jam. Read on as we look at some of the basics...
I
dealofanyjamsessionwillbe spent onrhythm
some typical blues grooves down.Try outour tab around with. Theseideas have been designedto be transferrable toother keys andfor you toeasilyput your ownstampon.
GROOVE 1 OUTLINING THE CHORDS
TRACK 33
q = 85 A
7
2
E
2
4
1
2
7
D
7
A
7
1
PM
T B
7 5 4 5
7
4
6 7
5
7
6
5
9
4 5
4
7
5
5
4 5
4
7
5
cont. sim.
Here we’re doubling the bassline, and, more importantly, outlining the chords – the first five notes of bar 1 form an arpeggio of the A7 chord. It’s much the same in bars 2, 3 and 4 where you play E7, D7 and A7 arpeggios. There are no open strings so it’s easy to move the shapes around the fretboard to outline any dominant 7th chord.
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
Cover feature TRACK 34
GROOVE 2 TEXAS STYLE SHUFFLE BASSLINE 3
q =110
=
E
7
Play 4 times
1
3
1
3
2
1
3
1
3
2
T 2
B
2 0
0
3
2
4
2
4
3
4
4
Texas blues is famous for its shuffle feel and walking basslines. Use a combination of alternating down- and upstrokes of the pick to play the shuffle feel. As you get more comfortable, it’s possible to incorporate elements of an open E7 chord as well for a fuller sound. SRV’sPride And Joy should provide inspiration!
TRACK 35
GROOVE 3 JOHN LEE HOOKER STYLE REPEATING RIFF 3
q = 85
= E5
A5
G5
E5
A5
G5
Play 4 times
T 2 2 0
B
56
2 2 0
2 2 0
2 2 0
2 2 0
7 7 5
0
5 5 3
2 2 0
2 2 0
2 2 0
2 2 0
2 2 0
7 7 5
0
5 5 3
This style of repeating riff is a classic blues ingredient and songs like these don’t really change chords much. Aim for a driving, hypnotic feel by keeping the notes quite short. You can play this one with picked downstrokes or with your fingers. This type of idea has many variations and works in any key, especially if the first chord uses open strings.
TRACK 36
GROOVE 4 BLUES-ROCK BOOGIE 3
q = 145
= G7
Play 4 times
3 3 1
3 3
1 1
1
1
T B
5 5 3
3
p
p
3 3
5 5
m i
m i
5 5
3 3
5 5
3 3
m i
m i
5 5
3
m i
p
p
m i
p
m i
1 1
1
3
3
p
p
3 3
5 5
m i
m i
5 5
3 3
3 3
5 5
3
m i
p
p
m i
p
m i
m i
m i
Rock bands like ZZ Top and Aerosmith have a solid grounding in blues. Here a driving shuffle riff is created by alternating various two-note powerchords with a muted G bass note. Try playing G bass notes with a light palm mute so that they contrast with the two-note chords.
TRACK 37
GROOVE 5 HENDRIX STYLE FUNKY BLUES
q =115 E
7 9
Play 3 times
4 3 1 2
1
4
T B
8 8 6 7 0
0
8 8 6 7
8 7 6 7
7 3
3
0
0
8 7 6 7
1
3
3
1
1
1
5
5 7
5
7
Blues-rock pioneer Jimi Hendrix played with a funky edge to his riffing. Here the signature E7#9 ‘Hendrix’ chord is used in combination with the blues staple E minor pentatonic scale (E G A B D). You can hear this mixture of chord and scale in songs including Purple Haze , Foxy Lady and Spanish Castle Magic .
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
ULTIMATE BLUES JAM
04 Improvising solos Start your journey into authentic blues lead with a quick look at a simple way to structure your own solos
handful of core licks.
ith its ‘hand me down’ tradition of keeping the spirit of the original pioneers ideas such as call and response or repetition have a long
W
TRACK 38
STEP 1 THE 1 THE SETUP 3
q =115
=
Phrase 1
A
7
7
G
A
Phrase 2
7
A
7
G
7
A
7
3
BU
T
10 9 11
11
BU
( ) 12 12 14 12
10
10 11
B
6 5
5 4
6 5
5
4
5
9 11
10
BU
12
( ) 13 15
10
(14)
12
10
11
6 5
5 4
6 5
5
4
5
We begin our solo by playing two phrases across four bars of music. Try to think of these two lines as a question and an answer – the first line sets up a melody; the second brings it to a conclusion. The chord stabs break up the melodic lines and actually helps you to phrase your solo.
TRACK 39
STEP 2 REPEAT AND BUILD D
7
C
7
D
7
A
7
7
G
A
7
Phrase 2 repeated
Phrase 1 adapted
3
BU
T
10 9 11
12
(13)
BU
BU B D
( 3) 12 1
(12)
BU 10
10
11
B
11 10
10 9
11 10
10
9
10
9 11
12
13 (15 )
10
12
(14)
10
11
6 5
5 4
6 5
5
4
5
In the next four bars we repeat the two phrases but with some small improvised changes – this is where you start getting creative. A pro’s trick is to flip between pentatonic scales (major or minor, depending on the feel you’re after) but also to target the notes of the chords in the I-IV-V progression as they pass.
STEP 3 THE TURNAROUND
TRACKS E7
Phrase 1 adapted
E 7 D7
BU
T B
12 12 ( 14 ) 12
10 9 11
11
BU 10
10 12
11
10 13 12
12 11
11 10
12
11
10
A7
Phrase 1 adapted repeated
9 11
12
11
(13)
40-41
G 7 A7
BU BD
( ) 12 13
(12)
10 6 5
5 4
6 5
5
4
5
1
By landing on the B note we can adjust our first phrase to fit in with the E7 chord. That’s because B is found in the E7 chord (E G# B D). You don’t need to know the theory – just try to land on any note of any E7 chord you know. We’ve played through each lick and the full solo for you. Take a listen!
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
57
Cover feature
05 Scales and chords You know plenty of chords and you probably know a few scale shapes too, but how do they work together? Read on as we explain all… t’s a challenge that most guitarists face at some point: how do you make the chords and scales are no rights or wrongs when it comes to musical to get the sound in our heads onto the fretboard.
I
Read on as we take a look at a handful of easy scales to see which chords they sound good with and why. If licks share notes with the chords you’re playing over.
1 MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE X
1
4
1
2
s e g a m I y t t e G / s e v i h c r A s h c O l e a h c i
60
1
5
1
1
1
1
2
3 4
4
4
Thisscale sounds great over a 9th chord becausethey share a lot of notes. Remember, 9ths and2nds are the samenotes– it’s called a 9th in chords like A9 but a 2nd in scales. Thescale notes are: A B C#E F#; the chord contains: A C# E G B. G and F# are more likely to clash so use themsparingly!
1
3 3
3
M : o t o h P
A major pentatonic
A9
BB KING STYLE LICK
TRACK
3
q = 85
= A7
Play 4 times
3
T
BU BD ( 7) 7 (9)
5
BU (9)
BU ( 9)
BU 10
7
7
7
13 (15)
5
17
B
This lick uses string bending and finger vibrato, both key blues lead techniques. The final A note on the 17th fret acts as a full stop rounding off the lick and is very much a BB King trademark. Notice how the first two notes in bar 2 (C and D) step briefly outside the scale, adding a tension to the sound.
2 MIXOLYDIAN MODE X 4
2
1
1
2
2
1
5
1
1
1
2 3
3 s n o s r a P e n a J r o n a e l E
4
4
4
4
4 3
3
4
: o t o h P
A Mixolydian TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
A13
4
Thisscale (also calleda mode) isa great fit with dominant 7th chords (A7, E7, A13 and so on). Again, the chord andscale share notes – that’s why they sound good together! A Mixolydian contains: A B C#D E F#G; the notes in A7 are A C#E G – anA chord with anadded b 7 G note.
42
ULTIMATE BLUES JAM
JOE BONAMASSA STYLE LICK
TRACK 43
q = 85 A
7
3
3
3
3
1
2
3 BU
T
7
Play 4 times
4 2
3
4
1
1
4
BD
( 8)
( 7)
[8]
5 7
6
4 7
B
7
6
5
6 7
5
4
7
7
Blues guitarists tend not to use this scale for long runs as a rock player might, instead generally opting for smaller fragments combined with string bending. Our lick is inspired by Joe Bonamassa’s less uptempo playing and uses every interval in the Mixolydian scale.
3 MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE X
5
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
4
1
1
1
3
2 4
3
Am11 is a complex sounding extendedchord, but the good oldminor pentatonic scale works really well with it. You guessed it!They share several notes! Am11 contains: A C E G B D (though the B is often omitted); the A minor pentatonic scale uses: A C D E G.A perfect fit.
1
4
4
Am11
A minor pentatonic
P h o t o :
P a u l N a t k i n / G e t t y I m a g e s
ALBERT KING STYLE LICK
TRACK 44
q = 85 Am 11
3
T
3
1
BU
BU
( ) 10 12
( ) 10 12
3
1
3
8
8
3
BU 10 10 (12)
1
3
3
1
3
1
BU 8
8
10
BU (10)
10 (12)
10
3
Play 4 times
8
9
10
10
B
The10thfret A onthesecond stringis therootnotehere.Trytorememberthisvitalnote- theeasiestway toimprovisea blueslickis tostarton therootanddevelop your ideas fromthere.We’veactuallystarted ona Dto E stringbend,landingonthe rootnoteonthelast note ofbar 1 andof bar4.
4 BLUES SCALE X 5
1
1
1
1
3
3
1
1
4
4
5
2
3
3
2 s e g a m I y t t e G / n i h C w e r d n A : o t o h P
3 4
4
A blues scale
3
3
Theblues scale simply adds a b 5thinterval(an E b note in the key ofA) tothe minor pentatonic. This b 5th has a dissonant sound soit is usually used as a passing note,ie, you don’tplay it for long. Certain chords such as Am7 b 5 include the b 5th,but it’s just asgood to play it over thesimpler Am7.
Am7 JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
61
Cover feature TRACK 45
JOHN MAYER STYLE LICK
q = 85 Am
11
1 1
4 4
3
3
1
1
3
3
1/4
1
3
1
3
1
3 3
T
5
5
5
5
5
BU
8 5
7
8
7
5
5 7
B
7
8
7
5
7 ( 9)
1/4
5 7
8
7
5
7
The 8th fret, third string E b note is the all-important b 5th interval and we’re hitting it several times here in this lick reminiscent of John Mayer or later Eric Clapton. Either play fingerstyle or take a ‘pick and fingers’ approach (known as hybrid picking) on the two-note shapes in bar 1.
06 Jam tracks Put all you’ve learnt into action and jam along with five authentic jam tracks complete with chord charts and audio on your cover CD
62
1 12-BAR BLUES
TRACK 46
2 MINOR BLUES
TRACK 47
||: A7 / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / | | D7 / / / | / / / / | A7 / / / | / / / / | | E7 / / / | D7 / / / | A A7 D/F# F7 | E7 / / / :|| ||: Am7 / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / | | Dm7 / / / | / / / / | Am7 / / / | / / / / | | Fmaj7 / / / | E7 / / / | Am7 / / / | E7#9 / / / :|| 3 8-BAR BLUES
TRACK 48
||: A7 / / / | E7 / / / | D7 / / / | / / / / | | A7 / / / | E7 / / / | A A/C# D Ebdim7 | E7 / / / :|| 4 BLUES-ROCK
TRACK 49
||: G7 / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |
| C7 / / / | / / / / | G7 / / / | / / / / | | D7 / / / | / / / / | G7 / / / | / / / / :|| 5 SLOW BLUES
TRACK 50
||: C7 / / / | F7 / / / | C7/ / / | / / / / |
| F7 / / / | / / / / | C7 / / / | / / / / | | G7 / / / | F7 / / / | C7 / F7 / | C7 / G7 / :|| TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
Play 4 times
TIMATE BLUES JAM
Be A better guitarist!
Trying your hand at a mix of different blues styles will make you a more rounded player
63
IT ’LL ALWAYS IT’LL ALWAYS HELP IF YOUR SOLO LICKS SHARE NOTES WITH WI TH THE THE CHORDS YOU’RE PLAYING OVER JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
JA M T R ACK JAM JA M TRA TRACK CK PLAY GUITAR GUITAR WITH WI TH A BAND
TWIN LEAD LEAD BANDS Recreate the twin guitar era with TG’s backing track in the style of of classic classic acts lilike ke Thi Thinn Lizzy, Lizzy, The Darknes Darknesss and more winlead gui guitar targai gained ned popula pop ularit rityy in inthe the60swhen 60swhen actss lik act likee TheAllma TheAllman n Bro Brothe thers rs Band Ban d andthe Eag Eaglesbegan lesbegan using usi ngtwoguitar twoguitarss in inaa mel melodi odicc way way,, rather rath er tha than n thetradit thetradition ional allea lead d and rhythm rhyth m guitar guitarist ist roles roles.. Other Othernotab notable le classi cla ssicc ban bands dsare areThi Thin n Liz Lizzy, zy,Kan Kansas sas,, IronMaid Ir onMaidenand,in enand,in a 00 00ss re revi viva val, l,Th Thee Darkness Darkn essbrou brought ghttheir theirown own particular partic ularbrandof brandof dualdual-guita guitarr goodne goo dness ssto tothe themas masses ses.. Takingtwin Tak ingtwin lea lead d as ins inspir pirati ation onfor for thiss mon thi month’ th’ss bac backin king g trac track, k, whynot
try outsome tryout someharmo harmonised nisedmelo melodies dies with wit h a gui guitar tarbu buddy ddy?? TheDorianand natura nat urall min minor orsca scalessoun lessound d gre great at for harmonies; harmo nies;the themino minorr pentat pentatonic onic scale sca le giv gives esaa blu bluesi esier er vib vibe. e. Generally, Genera lly,the themost mostcomm common on appro ap proac ach h isfor th thee tw two o gu guit itar arss toplay in3rds.. Th in3rds This isme mean anss th that atth thee tw two o guitarsplay gui tarsplaythe thesam samee lic licks, ks,jus justt thr three ee scal sc alee to tone ness ap apartto artto gi givea vea sw sweet eet,, harmonised harmo nisedsoun sound. d. The Thebest best appro ap proac ach h isofte isoften n toplayby ea ear. r.As As long lon g as asyou you’reboth ’reboth us usingthe ingthe sam samee scale sca le sha shape, pe,youcan’tgo youcan’tgo farwrong farwrong..
T 64
SCALES
se the A minor pentaton pentatonic ic scale for for a bluesysoloing bluesy soloing style and, for for more melodic fromthe from the Doria Dorian n mode. Notice Notice that all of the pentatonic notes are found found within the Dorian mode. You can also switch to the natural minor scaleby scale byreplac replacing ing the 6th (F#) (F#) with a b 6th 6th (F).
U
CHORDS
he intro uses straightforward open chords, which sound great with a little descending bassline, before landing on Fmaj7.
T X
4
4
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
1
4
1
1 2
O
X
4 4
1
1
2
3
3
4 4
4
O
1
1
X X X
1
X X 5
X X
1
X
X
1
5
2
3 4
2
2
4
3 3
A
G5
A5
A6
D5
4 4
5
1
4
X
X X
X
O
O
1
1
2
1
O
X
1 2
X
1
3
1
X
2
3
X
X
1
1 2
3 4
2
3 4
4
2 3
3
4
4
3
4
3
4
D6
4 4
A natur natural al minor scale
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
X X
1
1
X
1
X
A Dorian mode
A minor pentatonic pentatonic scale
1
O 5
1
1
X
Am
Am7/G
F#m7b 5
Fmaj7
G u i t a r s a n d b a c k i n g :
C h a r l i e G r i f f i t h s
P h o t o g r a p h y :
G e t t y / G u s S t e w a r t
BACKING TRACK (TRACK 51)
JAM TRACK / TWIN LEAD BANDS
This song comes with a backing track on your CD. Simply insert the disc in your player, press play and jam along, guitaraokestyle!
JAM TRAC TRACK K
TWIN GUIT GUITAR AR LICK
TRACK TRA CK 51
q =120
Am 7 /G
Am
F m7 5
Fmaj 7
0:50
BU
T
8 (10)
5
BU
BU 8
5 8 (10)
5
8
5
8 (10 )
8
7
5
8
7
5
7
6
5
B
7
5
7
This lick is is an example example of how to play over the chorus chord progressi progression. on. The opening two bars use the minor minor pentatonic pentatonic scalewith some bluesybends. Bar 3 adds A Dorian notes (B and F#) to the pentatonic shape; bar 4 follows the chord progression, switching to theb 6th inte intervalF rvalF note.
JAM TRACK CHEAT SHEET
Tempo 120 bpm 4/4 4 Time signature 4/ Key/scale A minor / A Dorian
s 65
IN T R O / / IIN T E R L UDE
||: A / A / / / / | / | / / G / G 5 / / : :| | x 4 V E R S E
||: A A 5 5 A6 A6 A 5 5 A6 A6 | D 5 5 D6 D6 D 5 5 D6 D6 | | A 5 5 A6 A6 A 5 5 A6 A6 | D 5 5 D6 D6 D 5 5 D6 D6 : || x 4 CHORUS
||: Am Am / / / / | / | A Am m / 7/ G / / / / | / | | F #m # m7 5 b 5 / / / / / | / | F m j aj 7 / / / / : / : || x 4 Having looked at the chords and scales, try mapping out how to play over the track in full. The intro and verse verse rely on the A minor pentatonic scale. Switch to the Dorian mode in the chorus, but be ready for a brief move to the natural minor scale scale as youreach the Fmaj7 chord. JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
CL ASSIC T R ACK
QUEEN ONE VISION
66
Dr May delivers his trademark hard rock magic on this iconic 80s Queen anthem
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
CL ASSIC T R AC K his song features on the 1986 album A Kind of Magic and our transcription and backing track are based on the full album version. Rhythm guitar-wise there are two Firstly, the verse (based on the famous which features sustaining chords. Rather than simply repeating these sections,Brian adds a variation here and there,to keep it interesting. There arethree lead guitar spots, the middleofthe tune,anda more extended solo jamat theend. Brian’s soloing style leansmore toward blues-rock andis basedmainly around theminor pentatonicscale.He also showcaseshis technique with some tappinglick. Practise eachsection slowly beforespeeding up toplay along.
T
SOUND ADVICE Everything you need to know before playing ‘One Vision’ Get the tone
CHANNEL OVERDRIVE 7
8
3
GAIN
BASS
MID
TREBLE
SCALES
he solo sections focus mainly on thesong’s D tonal centre and Brian uses a lot ofbluesinspired bends and licks within the D minor the C blues scale, but also adds some chromatic notes on the second string for good measure. Use this diagram to help map out where the noteslay before attempting the lick. We’ve markedthe tapping notes with a ‘T’.
W
X
X
X
X
0
1
5
X
REVERB
Ona Strat-type guitar try switching betweenthebridge pickupand the combined bridge and middleposition.
ith their tight, focused sound, the chords used in the verses are all played cleverly uses a combination of powerchords and inversions in order to open and sustaining, and feature the larger major chord shapes.
X
7
8
CHORDS
X
B
rianfamously plays his homemade Red Special guitar equippedwith three single coil pickups, which can beswitched to amultitude of combinations. Add tothis a VoxAC30 amp and a treble booster pedalfor gain and you havethe coreof Brian’ssound. For straight rock songsBrian typically uses the middle and bridge pickupsin an ‘in phase’ position. For solos he most likely switched the pickupsto ‘out of phase’ to bring out thescreaming harmonics in thenotes. Approximatethe tone with a Strat-type guitarand experiment withdifferent pickup configurations.Brianuses a sixpence,so consider using a metalpick yourself.
X
X
X
X
X
X
O
T
0
1
3
67
1 2
3
3
1
2
4
3
3
D5 X
D/A
X
X
X
X
X
F5 X
X
X
0
X
X 4
1
1
1
4
G5
1
5
3 4
G5 X
1
X
X
X
10 X
X
1
1
1
1
3
3 3
1
1
X
1
1
3
3
4
4 4
4 4
G5
G/B
X
X
X
A X
X
X 3
1
1
A/C#
3
C
4
C5
8
1
1
2 3
1
1
1
2 3
3 3
1
4 4 4
4 2
3
D minor pentatonic scale
X
3 4
2
Bb 5
1
T
T
T T T T
4
Csus4
C blues scale tapping shape
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
P h
G o u t i o t g a r r s a p a h n y d : b G a e c t k t i y n / g R : o C g h a e r r s l i / e S G t r r i f n f g i t e h r s
G
P u h i t o a t o r s g r a a n p d h b y : a c R o k i b n V g e : r C h o h a r r s t e / R G e r d f f f e t r n h s s
CL ASSIC T R AC K
QUEEN
ONE VISION Words and Music by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon © 1985 Queen Music Ltd All Rights for the US and Canada Controlled and Administered by Beechwood Music Corp. All Rights for the world excluding the US and Canada Controlled and Administered by EMI Music Publishing LTD. All Rights Reserved International Copyright Secured Used by Permission. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC.
FULL TAB
ONE VISION QUEEN ONE VISION Intro
q =120 D5
D5
A/C
4 1
C5
G/B
4
4
1
1
1:06
G/B
C5
4 1
T 7 5
B
7 4
7 5
7 5
5 2
5 3
5 3
5 2
5 3
1
D5
A/C
D5
A/C
68
( ) 13 15
10
(15)
13
13
10
13
5 3
7 4
13
10
12
B
C5
BU
BU
T
G/B
12
10
7 5
4
C5
G/B
D5
A/C
A/C
D5
3 PB 12
BU
T
( ) 13 15
13
BD
BU
[13]
( ) 12 14
BD
(14) 12 ( ) 10
( ) 10 12 [14] 12
12 12
B
10 12
12
7 4
7 5
7
G/B
C5
C5
G/B
D5
A/C
3
BU
( ) 15 17
T B
BD
[17]
(15)
13 15
7 5
5 2
5 3
5 3
5 2
5 2
5 3
10
Play the opening chords with your first and fourth fingers, then jump up to the 10th fret for a solo based in the D minor pentatonic scale (D F G A C). Bar 8 contains a Brian May trait with a pre-bend at the 12th fret; simply bend the string up a tone to the 14th fretbefore you pick, then release the bend.
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
FULL TRACK + BACKING (TRACKS XX-XX)
QUEEN / ONE VISION
This song comes with a full demo track and a backing track (minus guitar) on your CD. Simply insert the disc in your player, press play and jam along guitaraoke style!
QUEEN ONE VISION Verse 1
D5
D5
A/C
C5
G/B
C5
G /B
D5
A/C
Play 3 times
4 1
4 1
4
4 1
1
1:30
T 7 5
B
7 4
7 5
7 5
5 2
5 3
5 3
5 2
5 2
5 3
5 3
7 4
7 5
The verse riff is similar to the intro, but with a rhy thmic variation in bar 3. Once again use your first and fourth fingers to play all four chord shapes and keep your strumming hand moving constantly down and up throughout t o keep the momentum and feel of the riff consistent .
QUEEN ONE VISION Chorus 1
A
D /A
A
D/A
A
D /A A
D /A A
C
2 1 3
1 1 1
1:54
T
2 2 2 0
B
3 2 4 0
2 2 2 0
3 2 4 0
2 2 2 0
3 2 4 0
2 2 2 0
3 2 4 0
2 2 2 0
5 5 5 3
1
1/4
T
1/4 5
3
5
N.C.
1/4
1/4
1/4
2 5
B
A
1/4
3
[1 ]
1
3
1 3
1 3
3
2 0
1
2
3
4
3
5
Play the open A chord with a first finger barre and keep the vital digit in place as you add your second and third fingers on the D/A chord. After the C chord descend through the C Dorian mode (C D E b F G A B b ) and curl the 1st fret E b note up by quarter-tone. This is a very slight bend – less than a semitone.
QUEEN ONE VISION Verse 2
D5
A/C
D5
G/B
C5
F5
D5
C /G
2:11
B
7 5
7 4
7 5
7 5
5 2
5 3
5 3
6 5 3
6 5 3
5 5 5 0
7 7 5
1
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
69
CL ASSIC T R AC K QUEEN ONE VISION Verse 2 (cont’d)
D5
A/C
T
[7 ] [7 ] [5 ]
B
7 4
C5
G/B
7 5
7 5
5 2
C5
G/B
5 3
5 3
5 2
5 2
5 3
D5
A/C /
5 3
7 7 5
7 4
5
This verse begins in the same way as verse 1, but there is a variation in bars 3 and 4. Wherever you see notes shown with ‘X’s in the tab, simply use your fret hand to deaden the strings and strike them with your pick. This leads into the quick changes between F5, C/G and D5 chords. Repeat the shapes slowly to speed up your changes.
QUEEN ONE VISION Chorus 2 Dadd 9 /A
A 3
2:26
3
3
A
D /A A
D /A A
C
3
use toggle switch
T
2 2 2 0
B
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
0 3 2 4 0
2 2 2 0
0 2 2 2 0
3 2 4 0
2 2 2 0
3 2 4 0
2 2 2 0
BU
( 3)
2
1
A5
N.C.
2 2 0
1
70
T BU
B
2
(3)
BU 2
( 3)
BU 2
(3)
BU 2
( 3)
BU 2
( 3)
BU 2
( 3)
BU 2
( 3)
BU 2
( 3)
BU 2
(3)
BU 2
( 3)
BU 2
( 3)
2
3
4
5
Let the open A5 chord sustain as you use your pickup selector switch to ‘ toggle’ on and off in eighth- then quarter -note triplet rhythms. To do this you need to set the volume of one pickup to maximum and the other to minimum so that you’re switching bet ween sound and silence. Standard Stratocasters can’t do t his; Les Pauls can.
QUEEN ONE VISION Bridge D
5
1
3
2:43
T
7 7 5
B
0
1
0 3
1
T B
2 0
5
Strum the D5 chord and slide down the neck, then count through bars 1 to 4 – there’s a lot of space so make sure you count in time with the music so that you come back in on time. Use your first and third fingers to play the lick in bar4, then hit the D5 chord in bar 5 and allow it to sustain for as long as possible.
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
QUEEN / ONE VISION QUEEN ONE VISION Solo 1
D5
D5
A/C
3:11 BU
BU
T
BU
BD
12 (14)
(15)
13
C5
G/B
(12)
[14 ]
BU
12 (14)
10
11
(13)
B 1
G/B
C
5
A/C
6
6
T
13
11
6
13
10
13
9
13
D
5
D oo p
S co op
Doop
Scoop
6
8 13
11
13
10
13
8 13
B
10
13
8 13
10
13
8
13
6
0
[0]
0
3
For the tapping lick in bar 3, learn the fretting hand part first; this is essentially a C blues scale run, but with extra ‘chromatic’ notes on the second string. When you’re confident with the fretting, try adding the tapped notes – which all appear on the 13th fret and are shown in circles. Practise slowly to get a feel for this tricky section.
QUEEN ONE VISION Verse 3
D
5
A/C
D
5
G/B
C
5
G
5
F
5
B
5
/F
G
5
F
5
3:18
T 7 5
B
7 4
7 5
7 5
5 2
5 3
5 3
7 5
7 5
5 3
5 3
3 3
5 5 3
3 3 1
Doop
Scoop
Doop
Scoop
3 3 1
[0 ] [0 ]
0 0
1
D5
A/C
D5
G/B
C5
T B
7 5
7 4
7 5
7 5
5 2
5 3
G5
5 5 3
5 5 3
C5
G5
F5
5 5 3
7 5
5 3
C5
B 5
5 3
3 1
5
Once again this verse is similar to the previous ones, but has some variations. Bars 7 and 8 have some rhythmic interplay with the second guitar part on the backing track, so make sure you are tapping your foot through those bars and playing the rhythm confidently to keep your timing tight.
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
71
CL ASSIC T R AC K QUEEN ONE VISION Chorus 3
A
D /A
A
D/A
3:34
T
2 2 2 0
B
3 2 4 0
2 2 2 0
3 2 4 0
1
A
T
D/A
2 2 2 0
B
A
3 2 4 0
D/A
2 2 2 0
3 2 4 0
D/A
A
2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0
A
3 2 4 0
2 2 2 0
D/A
3 2 4 0
A
2 2 2 0
D /A
3 2 4 0
A
2 2 2 0
5 6 7 0
4
72
D/A
A
D /A
A
G5
D5
2 2 2
3 0 0
3 0 0
3 0 0
3 0 0
3 0 0
3 0 0
3
3
3
3
3
3
let ring
T
3 2 4
B
0
2 2 2
3 2 4
0
0
0
3 2 0
0
7
Keep your strumming hand moving down and up consistently throughout this section and you will notice that the offbeat notes coincide with your upstrokes and vice versa with downbeats and downstrokes. This is a good way of nailing the rhythm and feel of a part without having to count through it.
QUEEN ONE VISION Solo 2
N.C.
3:54
T
21
24
(26)
BU
B 1
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
21
24
(26)
BU
QUEEN / ONE VISION QUEEN ONE VISION Solo 2 (cont’d)
Am
N.C.
12 13 14
15
T
14
13
12 16
15
13 14
B 4
PB 18
BD
(19)
T
BU
(18)
BU
(19)
18
BU
BD
(20)
(18)
( ) 21 22
BU
5
(9)
6
8
B 7
73
T
7
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
5
6
7
5
6
7
B
7
5
6
7
7
5
6
7
7
5
6
7
7
5
6
7
7
5
6
7
7
5
6
7
7
10
1/4 1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
T B
10 8
7
5
6
7 7
5
6
7
10
8
9
10 10
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
8
9
10 10
8
9
10 10
8
9
10 10
8
9 10
9
7
12
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
CL ASSIC T R AC K QUEEN ONE VISION Solo 2 (cont’d)
B /D
BU
T
( ) 13 15
10
BU
13 (15)
10
BU
( ) 13 15
10
BU
10
13 (15)
BU
10
13 (15)
BU
13 (15)
10
BU 13 (15)
10
BU
13 (15)
BU
10
( ) 13 15
10
BU
10
13 (15)
BU 13 (15)
10
BU
13 (15)
10
BU
10
13 (15)
BU
13 (15)
10
BU
10
13 (15)
BU
13 (15)
10
B 14
This solo is played with a heavy delay effect, so on the record the phrases repeat and overlap as they are played. The first 11 bars are more sparse, so counting through the rests will be helpful. From bar 12 Brian is more relentless, with a lot of repetition and bending. The rhythm is constant, so it’s quite easy to practise these licks slowly.
QUEEN ONE VISION Outro chorus
A
74
D/A
A
D/A
4:25 BU
T
BU
(14)
12
13
BU
(15) 11
BU BD 7 ( 9)
(12)
( 7)
5
7
5 7
B 1
C
T B
5 5 5 3
C sus
5 5 5 3
5 5 5 3
5 5 5 3
4
C
6 5 5 3
6 5 5 3
6 5 5 3
6 5 5 3
A
5 5 5 3
5 5 5 3
5 5 5 3
5 5 5 3
5 5 5 3
5
N.C.
2 2 0
2 2 0
1
0
2
5
C
T B
0
5
5 5 3
A
5
2 2 0
N.C.
1
D
2
3
4
5
7 7 5
9
The initial bends here are part of some trademark Brian May harmonies, so tuning is very important. Check the notes by fretting the bracketed notes first and memorising what the note sounds like before bending up to it. We’ve added the harmony lines into the backing track for you to play along to.
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
ROCK SCHOOL ROCKSCHOOL
ERIC CLAPTON
WONDERFUL TONIGHT Master the essentials of Clapton’s classic ballad in no time at all with Rockschool’s easy Grade 1 arrangement eaturing onEric Clapton’sclassic 1977 album Slowhand, Wonderful Tonight is easy to play, but melody, and features several open more playing experience you could string notes as fretted notes instead.
F
Eric’s original recording. strings! From bar 19 you’ll be tackling carefully play one string at a time.
76
FULL TAB
Transcriptions from Rockschool’s Hot Rock series can be used as Free Choice Pieces in Guitar Grade exams and in public exams such as GCSEs. For more info, visit: rslawards.com
WONDERFUL TONIGHT Words&Musicby EricClapton ©1977,1999& 2004EricClapton AllRightsReserved.Internationalcopyrightsecured
ERIC CLAPTON WONDERFUL TONIGHT
TRACKS 54-55
q = 95 G
D
T
C
0
0 2
0
D
0
2
2
0
2
0
2
2
B 1
G
T B 5
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
D
C
D
0 0
0 2
0
2
0 2
0
0 2
2
0
2
1
P h o t o g r a p h y :
G e t t y / M i c h a e l O c h s A r c h i v e s
FULL TRACK + BACKING (TRACKS 54-55)
ERIC CLAPTON / WONDERFUL TONIGHT
This song comes with a full demo track and a backing track (minus guitar) on your CD. Simply insert the disc in your player, press play and jam along, guitaraoke style!
ERIC CLAPTON WONDERFUL TONIGHT (cont’d)
G
T
TRACKS 54-55
D
3
0
0
1
C
0
D
3
0
0
1
0
0
2
2
2
2
2
B 9
G
D
T
0
0
1
C
0
D
3
0
0
1
0
0
2
B 13
C
D
0
T
0
0 3 2
B
G
D /F
3 0 0 0 2 3
2 3 2 0
Em
0 2 2
0
0
2
3
17
77 C
D
T B
G
1
3
0 2
0
0
2
3
2
2
D
2
0
0
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
0
2
3 3
21
C
T
D
G
D
0
0 2
0
2
0 2
0
2
2
0 2
B 25
C
T
D
G
0 0
0 2
0
1
3
2
B 29
The rhythm in bars 11 and 12 can be tricky. If you imagine each bar containing eight equal notes, then the notes in bar 11 fall on the final five ‘eighth’ notes; the no tes in bar 12 are on the second and fourth ‘eighth’ not es but last longer, filling the rest of the space in the bar. Note that the last note in bar 11 is ‘tied’ to the first note of bar 12.
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
TUR N A ROU N D THE TURNAROUND LICKS OF THE BLUES GIANTS
ERIC GALES
Want to sound like Eric Gales without restringing your guitar upside down and starting from the beginning? Read on and we’ll show you how…
es, you read that right – Eric plays left handedon a right-handed guitar, meaning he looks down and sees the stringsin reverse position. This unusualway of playing has given Eric a new twiston a classic style in the same way that reversed strings or unusual tunings has informed the work of blues legends Alberts Kingand Collins. Eric is an incredibly versatile player, comfortableimprovisinglush chordal passageswitha clean tone, or delivering blistering solosthat call to mind players such as EricJohnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. Highpraise indeed, and, though we haven’tgotthe space here for a detailed
analysis of Eric’s chordal approach, these tab examples will help you understand the way Eric views the fretboard. Moving through groups of notes, repeated patterns and developing melodic rhythmic phrases is the name of the game here, using a Strat/ single-coil pickup guitar. No matter if you are using humbuckers – although you’ll want to dial in a little less bass, and crank your amp’s treble somewhat to get a ballpark tone. We’ve but just a little room reverb on the last two. are most important. Make sure you take your time and have fun!
Y
78
TRACK 56
1 BLOWING A GALE
q = 87 F m
7
1/4
3
1/4
3
3
10 11
11
12 (14 )
10
3
slow BU
1/4
BU
T
3
12
1/4
12 (14)
10
5
7
5
5 6
5
4
2 4
B
2
[ 4]
4
2
Played with a slightly swung feel, this example consists of two melodic phrases – both using the F# minor pentatonic scale (F# A B C# E). In a simple, but effective device, the first one ascends and the second descends. Watch for slides, vibrato and the occasional quarter-tone bend – which means you should bend the string slightly sharp.
TRACK 57
2 STRAIGHT UP BLUES
Bm 7
D
F m7
E
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
3
T B
10 11
BU
( ) 12 12 14
10
12 10
10 11
BU 4
(6)
BU
2 2
5
2
BUBD 4
( 6 )( 4 )
5
2
(7)
BD
[7 ] (5)
2
5
3
4
4 5
2 5
5
2
2 4
4
2 4
[4 ]
Here we’re switching to ‘straight’ 16th notes, instead of the unusual swung triplets of the previous lick – a ‘feel’ trick that Eric often employs. Note the position shift in bar 2 after the pause. Using different shapes of the minor pentatonic scale (as well as switching to the natural minor scale in bar 3) gives a slick, more melodic vibe.
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
G u i t a r s a n d b a c k i n g : R i c h a r d B a r r e t t P h o t o g r a p h : G e t t y / P a u l B e r g e n
FULL TRACKS (TRACKS 56-62)
THE TURNAROUND / ERIC GALES
These tab examples come with audio tracks on your CD. Simply insert the disc in your player, press play and jam along, guitaraoke style!
3 LOWER REGISTER BLUES LICK
TRACK 58
C m7
Bm 7
F m7
C m7 1/4
1/4
T
5 4 4
B
1/4
BU BD
1/4 7
7
2
(8)(7)
5
7
5
2
2 5
2
6
5 4
5
4
2
2
5
6
4
2
4
2
4
4
2
4
2
4
4
3
4
2
Moving to a lower fretboard position, this example mixes slides, string bends and just a couple of quarter-tone bends, whichare all a feature of Eric’sstyle. Thewide interval phrase that opens bar 3 may seem unusual at first, but the notes come from both the F# blues scale and the F#m7chord.
4 TH REE-PIECE BACKING
TRACK 59
q = 59 N.C.
0 0
T
0 3 2
B
12
1
0
0
3
0
3
5
4
0
79
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
3
3
T
7
9
9
11
9
7
9
B
7
9
11
9
7
9
7 9
9
7
5
7
5
7
9
5
5 7
[7 ]
7
2
Switching to a moreretro, Hendrix-style blues, we’ve gone for a stripped down three-piece approach with just a bass and drumsbacking track, allowing moreroom for you to experiment on guitar. An E chord is implied at the beginning, but we swiftly move to fancier things. The nine-note grouping inbar 2 squashes allthosenotes intoone beat.
5 DOWN THE STAIRS, UP THE STAIRS
TRACK 60 N.C.
T B
BU 14 (16)
BU
12 12
15 12
15 ( 17 )
12 15 12
15 12 14 12 14
BU
12 14 12
14 12 14 12
14 14 12
12
12 14 12
14
14 12 14 (16) 12
14
12 14
14 12
Eric introduced TG to thisidea of descending the minor pentatonic scale in ‘down and up’ melodic steps back in issue 250.There is muchto be drawn from thisapproach, which sounds more complex than it actually is. More experienced players can change the feel to groupings of three, fouror even five notes.
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
ACOUSTIC
Unplugged 82
YOUR MONTH IN THE ACOUSTIC WORLD
082
ACOUSTIC NEWS
084
DAMIEN JURADO
086
ACOUSTIC TAB: THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
ACOUSTIC TRACKS 63-67
FIVE MAJOR 7TH CHORDS Essential chords to fuel your creativity X
O
O
O
2 3
Cmaj7
RE-ARRANGED
X
O
1
Biffy Clyro to release two albums and go Unplugged again ast month’s MTV Unplugged: (LiveAtRoundhouseLondon) album isonly thebeginning adventure asthey’re hitting the road forUK andIreland shows this September.Andthat’sjust a yearyet. hasrevealed that theband are working onnot one but two album
L
He makessome really hilarious Unplugged
O
writtenfor album numbereight.
HEARTBREAK BOX
2
Amaj7 O
O
83 O
2
1 3
Gmaj7 O
1
Cobain’s MTV acoustic won’t stay in the family Unplugged setwill permanently part wayswithhis family asa resultof guitarasa gift. Somethingshe
3
O
O
1
1
2
3
T
Emaj7 X
X
O
1
P h o t o g :
F r a n k M i c e l o t t a / G e t t y
Dmaj7
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
ACOUSTIC
Words
Matt Parker
Damien Jurado ON HIS 14TH ALBUM, THE HORIZON JUST LAUGHED , THE IDIOSYNCRATIC SEATTLE SONGWRITER PRESENTS PERSONAL UPHEAVAL IN A MISLEADINGLY LAID-BACK PACKAGE
he horizon is in a lot of my work,” Seattle-raised singer-songwriter Damian Jurado tells TG, referencing the title of his latest record The Horizon Just Laughed . Washingtonians came west from the east. They didn’t know how long it went. They had no maps. The settlers who came to the West Coast were the Dear Thomas Wolfe from real dreamers: wherever they were was not good enough for them. It says something about the people that settled here.” There’s something of this in Jurado, for sure. Dear Thomas Wolfe UNMONITORED Damien’s take on live acoustic tone “Because of how I play, bottom-end is really important for me,” says Damien. “I play thick strings, too, which adds to it.” So how does he combat the horribly tinny, plugged-in sound that so often plagues live acoustic players? “Well, what I find works best is a microphone and DI split,” reveals Damien. “A lot of sound guys will not do this but the point is that the DI is only there to give you maybe 25 percent of that sound. The rest should be coming from the microphone. Sound guys are afraid of feedback, but with me you’re not going to get feedback because I don’t use monitors. So I like a combination of the two. And I hate monitors!” The Horizon Just Laughed is out now
“T
84
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
INTERVIEW
85
“I HAD NO INTEREST IN LEARNING SCALES OR ANY OF THAT OTHER GARBAGE” JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
LEARN TO PL AY OPEN-MIC SONGBOOK
THE JAM
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT Play along with The Jam as TG looks at the band’s much-loved classic 80s strummer y the time PaulWellerpenned That’sEntertainment in 1980, The Jamwere already established asone ofthe biggest bandsintheUK. Although the trackwas never issued asa UKsinglebefore the band split in1982,loyal fans importednon-UK pressings by thethousand, propelling the trackto No21 inthecharts.Forour purposes, it’s a great tune to strumalong to, and,asidefromneeding a capo toplayatthe right pitch,it’s really easytoo! We’ve tabbedoutthemainstrummedguitarpartfor you.It covers most ofthe track, somaster this shortsectionand you’ve got the songdown! Noticethere’san accent (shownwith a > in themusic)overbeat2 in every otherbar.It’sa simple idea– it just meansyou should emphasise the chords in question witha heavierstrum.Easy!
B
86
CHORDS ecause this song is played with a capo, all of the chords are easy open shapes, apart from the Ab . This is the same shape as the dreaded F barre chord, but it’s easier to play higher up the neck. The capo changes the notes on the guitar, so the tab shows two chord names: one is the true pitch of the chord being played and one (in brackets) to tell you the open-chord shape that it’s based on. The songsheet shows only the true pitch chords.
B
O
O
X
O
O
O
O
O
CAPO–3rdfret
CAPO – 3rd fret
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
O
1 2
1 2
1
2 4
3
Bb (G)
Gm7 (Em7)
Cm7 (Am7) O
O
O
O CAPO – 3rd fret
CAPO – 3rd fret
1
1 1
2
2 3
4
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
Words and Music by Paul John Weller © 1980 Universal Music Publishing MGB Ltd UK/EU reproduced by kind permission of Hal Leonard Europe Ltd; US/CAN reproduced by kind permission of Hal Leonard Corporation. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured
O CAPO – 3rd fret
Gm (Em)
Ab (F)
1
G u i t a r s a n d b a c k i n g : P h i l C a p o n e P h o t o g r a p h y : E r i c a E c h e n b e r g / R e d f e r n s
THE GAS STATION
96 90
REAL WORLD REVIEWS OF THE BEST NEW GEAR
88
Welcome to the GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome*) Station! Every issue, TG scours the market for the hottest new gear and brings you transparent reviews that you can trust. From the smallest of accessories that make your life easier, to big investments such as brand new guitars, amps and effects pedals – if it’s worth your attention, you’ll find it here! HOW WE TEST
BEST BUYAWARD
CURATION
NO SNAKE OIL
Our product selection is driven by our love of gear. We select the most exciting products on the market every month to bring you opinions you can trust.
hung up on hokey mythology or nonsense marketing speak: we aim to bring you bullshit-free opinions on the gear you’re interested in.
FACE-VALUE REVIEWS
WE CAN’T BE BOUGHT
We’re not gear snobs here at Total Guitar . We judge it on whether it looks good, sounds good and plays well – not by the name on the headstock.
TG review scores are a true opinion on the product they’ve been testing. You’ll mag that has been bought and paid for.
*WHAT IS GAS? Gear Acquisition Syndrome is the guitar-player’s never-ending urge to acquire new gear, irrespective of whether they actually need it. Don’t pretend you don’t have it – we all do!
SUPERB, A BEST BUY
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
EXCELLENT
TGBestBuyAwardsare reservedforstand-out productsthat earna five-star rating.Thisis thebest,most excitingnewgearthatyou need tocheckout
BEST BUY AWARD
Differentguitaristshave differentneeds.Thisbadge highlightsa particularstrength thataproducthasinaTGTest orGroupTest,soyoucan choosewhat’sbest foryou
We test every product under the conditions that they were designed for. For example, if an amp is designed to be played loud, rest assured that we’ll have tested it at rehearsal/gig volumes!
ABOVE AVERAGE KIT
Five new products you need to check out
090 GRETSCH G5220 ELECTROMATIC JET BT Gretsch up the ante for single-cut value
BEST FOR…
REAL WORLD REVIEWS
088 START ME UP
SOME ISSUES
094 POSITIVE GRID BIAS 2 The software giant returns leaner and meaner
096 LINE 6 HX EFFECTS For amp lovers who like the look of the Helix
098 THE TG TEST: TRAVEL ELECTRO-ACOUSTICS Four offerings under £500 enter the spotlight
BEST FOR…
104 ROUND-UP: MINI AMPS Small is beautiful...
POOR
106 BEETRONICS WHOCTAHELL Put some buzz in your fuzz
GAS STATION
01
02 0
04
03 05 5
89
START ME UP!
Five awesome new products to get your gear engine revving this month… D’ADDARIO DIY PEDALBOARD POWER CABLE KIT
1
Got a rat’s nest of power cables? D’Addario’s DIY kit simply involves cutting the included cable to length, placing the power cable in the plug end and securing the set screw, resulting in power cables of whatever length you desire. The kit includes: 12 solderless plugs, 20” of power cable, a screwdriver, mini cable cutter and a cable tester. (£104, daddario.com]
KORG AW-OTG POLY
2
Anotheryear,anotherKorg headstocktunerupdate. Thesnazzy-looking AW-OTGPOLYfeaturesanOLED screenforsmoothvisibilityatall angles,whileitspolyphonic functionallowsplayerstostrum allstringsatonceandcheck they’reintune.Accuracyisdown as+/-0.1cents,whileastrobe featurefurtherimprovesthat figure.Otherfeaturesinclude “astoundinglylong” 18-hour batterylifefromoneAAA,plus alternativetuninganimations“to maketuningfun”–wealreadydig thewholeheartmonitorvibe. (£69,korg.com)
ORANGE TWISTER CABLE
3
Orange’s groundbreaking new cable might just change the way you perform. Promising no more knots, the Twister Cable features a Twister module, which rotates freely and prevents the cable from tangling. The module is made from aircraft-grade aluminium, while your signal is unaffected due to a low noise factor and oxygen-free copper cabling. It’s available as standard instrument and microphone configurations with Neutrik connectors and black or silver-finished Twister modules. (£89.95, orangeamps.com)
WARWICK ROCKBOARD
4
Warwick’s quest to redefine the pedalboard market continues with a redesigned RockBoard range. Constructed from one folded, cold-rolled aluminium sheet, it means the ’boards won’t bend or wiggle. The slot-based design works with standard mounting solutions, as well as RockBoard’s own Quick Mount pedalmounting plates. Power supplies can be mounted underneath using The Tray mount, while the company’s Module patch bay can be connected, too, offering easy access to ins and outs.. (from£55.19, shop.warwick.de)
LOKNOB
5
Say goodbye to taped-up knobs andhastily-drawn setting indicators: Loknob is here to keep your pedal and amp settings in place. Now available in the UK courtesy of Zoom Distribution, this aluminium, reusable knob comes in three sizes and slots onto existing pots to keep them where they are; to change the setting, you simply pull up and turn, then let go and it’s locked back in again. It’s a simple solution to a problem that has long plagued gigging guitarists. (from£16.49,loknob.com)
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
T H E GAS STAT ION
90
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
REVIEW
GRETSCH G5220 ELECTROMATIC JET BT
1 £432
HasGretschjustthrowndownthe gauntletforsingle-cutvaluein2018? e all haveour preconceptions aboutguitarbrands andmodels; players andstyles we associate withtoneandaesthetic. ButGretsch hasbeentakingsome interestingstepsto give serious pauseforanyone whoonlythinks ofthemasthehomeof aspirationalrockabilly daddios and countrygents. In 2016,Gretsch’s Streamlinersgraced TG’scoverfor good reason; therangebrought the undeniably coolGretsch style to double-cut hollowbodies and semisthat appealedtonewplayers inlook andsound.And, crucially, thepricewasvery right.Could
W
a V stoptail bridgebrings itsown doseof Gretsch aesthetic. There’s a care andattentionto theaestheticthat Gretsch brings throughout itsline andit’s here in healthy doses. Closer inspection forone a coupleofhundred poundsaboveits price. Okay, it’s a CITES-friendlywalnut ’board rather than rosewood,but that’sa necessarycompromise andit’s dark enoughhere to pass for there’s a projection that suggests good thingsahead, butdo they manifestwhen it’s plugged in? TheGretsch Broad’Tron pickups here soon getusexcited. Andthey
MASTER VOLUME
AT A GLANCE
Each pickup has its own volume control and there’s a master tone, but there is a master volume, too. It has a treble bleed circuit to give you easily accessible control over your sound
2
BODY:Mahogany NECK: Mahogany SCALE: 625mm (24.6") FINGERBOARD: Walnut FRETS: 22 PICKUPS: Broad’Tron CONTROLS: 2 x pickup
volume, 1 x master volume, 1 x master tone, three-way pickup selector
CONTROL KNOBS
The chrome G-Arrow control knobs not only look the business, they’re tactile and digit-friendly in practice, too
3
LEFT-HANDED: No FINISH: Black
(reviewed), Casino Gold, Dark Cherry Metallic CONTACT: Fender
ALL IN THE DETAILS
EMEA 01342 331700 gretschguitars.com
The silver plexi pickup surrounds match the scratchplate and the screw-in strap buttons add to a classic Gretsch aesthetic
91
CLEANS RING PIANO CLEAR WITH A SIDE ORDER OF VINTAGE
n o s s a G m a d A : y h p a r g o t o h P
these Jets now bethe Empire Strikes Back to their NewHope ? Vader wouldapproveof. Andno matterhowmuchwe dance around it,looksmatterwith guitars. Andthe G5220looksgreat; slim bythestandards ofthe Gretsch linebutsatisfyingly thick indepth,thisis a mahogany approach without tryingto apeit. Itfeels goodon the strap,where the Streamliners could be neck-heavy, andbecause it’s chamberedit’s lighter than it looks(just under8lbs forour test model). TheBigsby-totingblack/ silverchrome DuoJet wasfavoured Cornell andGeorge Harrison(see boxout overleaf),andthe colour and the shapeis echoedhere, but
revealthemselvesto bea key factorthat takesthis guitarbeyond the preconceptionsit’s just a new, good-lookingentrylevel Electromatic. TheBroad’Tron is a humbucker-sizedFilter’Tron brightness)andif youwrinkle your noseat someof the darker characterin humbucker-loaded single-cuts,thesecouldbe a surprisingtreat. Cleans ringpiano clear with a side order ofvintage twangandeventheneck pickup hassomechimewhere a ’bucker might getwoolly, while thebridge reallyjangles andcuts.The responsivenessof theBroad’Trons hereyields impressiveharmonic detailwhenwe testit withboth tubeamp drive and a Tube Screamer- forexpressive, sustainingviolin-esqueleadwork it’sinspiringandtouch-
1
3
2
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
T H E GAS STAT ION
Jet Powered Know your Gretsch Jets retschreleased the single-cut black top backin themiddle of 1953 after Fender’s Broadcaster (followed model. The sparkly Silver Jet followed in 1955. Both Jet models were chambered but they weredistinct from Fender and Gibson’s models in other waystoo; pickupsweresupplied by DeArmond’shigh-output AlnicoV models(latercalled Dynasonic),whilevariations would comewith a Bigsby tailpieceandthose witha tone switch (instead ofa master tone knob) wouldcome with Gretsch’s own Filter’Trons. The Jet isn’tjust a single-cut machine: Malcolm Young hammered AC/DC’s rhythms home witha double-cut1963Jet Firebird – theG6131 thattook double-cutdesignuntil ’62.
G
92
sensitive. But get into traditional AC/DCandeven metal territory andeyebrows start raising; it soundslikesomething that can fat-but-articulated stakes. This putsa broad smile on our faces. Thelowactionand friendly tensionon ourtest model certainly encouragesthatas well, but the low-end rhythmremains tight on thisJet’s bridge pickup can with beefybass where a Filter’Tron TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
The Broad’Tron pickups are the stars of an impressive showing with the G5220
ALSO TRY... PRS SE 245 A similar scale to the Gretsch at 24.5", this 2018 iteration features the more recognisable two volume and tone control layout, a wide fat neck and SE 245 ‘S’ Treble and Bass humbuckers.
EPIPHONE LES PAUL STANDARD
may not, bringing edge and character to open-string rock rhythm, too. And that means players who may not have wanted a Gretsch before may consider joining the Jet set. Some may be unconvinced of the master volume in addition to the individual pickup volumes on spec, but in practice this might just be the solution to those thrown by the traditional Gibson, four-knob setup. Because not only is the master positioned on the easy-toreach upper horn, the textured arrow knobs are very tactile in use.
Gretsch has pulled a classic style into the present here with wider potential appeal, because the sheer money makes this the kind of deal the house. Rob Laing FEATURES Y R A
SOUND QUALITY VALUE FORMONEY BUILDQUALITY
M M PLAYABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
A classic single-cut design with a longer 628mm (24.75") scale than our Jet. It’s not chambered, so expect weight, but the Alnico V pickups pack a punch!
GRETSCH G2622 STREAMLINER CENTER BLOCK This semi-hollow double-cut further underlines Gretsch’s commitment to winning over players by packing its guitars with value.
THE UK’S BRAND NEW GUITAR SHOW! 29TH & 30TH SEPTEMBER OLYMPIA LONDON FEATURES INCLUDE Main Stage | Modern Acoustic Masterclasses | Guitar Garage Acoustic & Electric Gear Hall | Vintage Zone | Guitarist of the Year Finals | Panel Discussions | Tuition Clinics… and more!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
WWW.UKGUITARSHOW.COM
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
T H E GAS STAT ION 1
3
Rather than emulation, BIAS is concerned with opening up sounds for further tweaking
94
2
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
REVIEW
1
THESEONES GOUPTO...
Live out your Nigel Tufnel dreams by cranking up the preamp gain on a host of amp models
2
TUBE FUSION
Ever wanted to try a Marshall with 6L6s or EL84s? Now you can by mixing and matching the power tube section
3
TWO MICS
Who said less is more? More is more when you can balance the signal from two microphones to such great effect
POSITIVE GRID BIAS 2
AT A GLANCE
$299
AMPS:36
A giant in software amp modelling returns leaner and meaner he original PositiveGrid BIAS probably did more than any other plugin to bring modern amp modelling to the masses. Whereas other modellers tend to stick closely to emulating real amps, BIAS is more concerned with opening up sounds as a tweaking. Choose an amp, and you thepreampandpoweramp tubes
T
BIAS; being able to independently In an A/B test between versions using two Marshalls set up to the same bright JCM-style clean tone, response here, hinting at the more Either way, with a distortion box in
BIAS 2 GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH MORE EXPENSIVE HARDWARE with cabs and mics. Plus, by loading custom IRs and using the palette can be extended even $99), PG has overhauled the core speaker legends Celestion. The ability to use two mics is another welcome addition over the original
we’d expect.Totest a more Mesa-style saturation via the delving into 5150-inspired tones 6L6s worked well with both a six-string in drop C, and a seven in drop A, once we’d changed the low closed-back cab and promptly
compression and either pre- or post-EQ might be needed to tame the amp models, and in Logic we added a noise gate to the chain as well as a Tube Screamer to give the amp an additional kick at the there’s a richer timbre, too; they improvement over its predecessor, with stronger, more responsive amp tones, especially on the additions – mic and tube options, expressiveness is marked, while toe-to-toe with much more expensive hardware. AlexLynham Y R A
CABS:Originals+4 SPEAKERMODELS:
Celestions included inElite version MICROPHONES : 5
models,2atonce EFFECTS:Reverb OTHERFEATURES:
ToneCloud, Ampmatch SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
MAC OS X 10.10.5 or later 4GB of RAM minimum, 8GB or more recommended Audio plug-in formats: Audio Units, VST 2, AAX Native 1GB free disk space PC -
FEATURES
Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, and Windows 10, 4GB of RAM minimum, 8GB or more recommended 1.5GHz Dual-core processor minimum, 2.0GHz Dual-core or more recommended Audio plug-in formats: VST 2, AAX Native 500MB free disk space (32 or 64-bitversion)
SOUND QUALITY
CONTACT:
VALUEFORMONEY M M USABILITY U S OVERALLRATING
Positive Grid positivegrid.com
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
95
T H E GAS STAT ION
96
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
REVIEW 3
1
2
TOUCHSENSITIVE
Editing patches is done by lightly touching – not pressing down – on patch switches
2
ROTARY
Most patch changes are easily accessible via the main rotary knob and three parameter controls
1
3
MENU
Additional options, such as signal routing are accessible via the menu button
LINE 6 HX EFFECTS
£540
Happy with your amp but like the look of the Helix? Read on.... e were blown away by the Line 6 Helix series when it came out. We found ourselves wondering when Line 6 would follow up with a unit for those of us that have no need for amp modelling. The HX represents Line 6 making that jump, condensing the rock-solid build, intuitive user interface and neat form-factor of the Helix
W
to switch patch and parameters. More complex functionality like from the user – a couple of clicks through the menu gets you there, and makes creating banks of your own a breeze. We found that once we’d assigned a custom bank and signal chain, we didn’t need to bank change often; for function or cover band work, it’s easy to see how the large capacity for user bankswouldcome intoits own.
LINE 6 HAS ADDED ADDITIONAL OUT-THERE SOUNDS TO THE HX
n i w d o G l i e N : y h p a r g o t o h P
with room to spare. In order to save on space, the HX doesn’t have the expression pedal of its larger siblings, but it has optional inputs to allow for two to is a wah, and the second is a volume, but these are editable. As on the larger units, editing is highly intuitive. Lightly touching a footswitch opens the edit menu for that patch, with the large rotary and left-right buttons used
Interms ofsounds, the same correct, with a number of developed in the meantime. nerds that have unique-sounding boutique pedals we’d want in our chain, Line 6 has added some additional ‘out there’ sounds to the HX. All of the expected choruses, tape echo, sweep echo,
present, but there are now more exotic sounds like the gorgeous granular delay and reverb. The means that the combination of delay, chorus and reverb can be used to quickly build up radical, atmospheric patches for use in parts of a recording or song. and into a small tube amp we also found the boosts allowed us to drive the amp into saturation, or up the ante for soloing. With a real drive in front, the unit was able to keep up, and the interaction between external drive, HX and amp was close to indistinguishable from stacking two real drive pedals. The rest of your pedals, analogue or digital, had better just replace the lot. AlexLynham
97
AT A GLANCE TYPE:Multi-effects
pedal CONTROLS:8
x footswitches,6 assignable,2 xsets of menubuttons,1 x mainrotary push knoband3x parameterknobs SOCKETS:Stereoin/
out, 2x send/return, USB andMIDIin,out/ through BYPASS:Buffered POWER:9Vpower
adaptor,supplied CONTACT:Yamaha
Europe08448111116 line6.com
FEATURES Y R A
SOUND QUALITY VALUEFORMONEY BUILDQUALITY
M M USABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
TH E GAS STAT ION
98
Words Rob Laing / PhotographyAdam Gasson
TRAVEL ELECTROACOUSTICS We try four different offerings under £500 in search of a six-string companion for home and away
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
THE TG TEST
99
F
itting more guitar playing into our busy lives can often mean something’s got to give, but if you want to play and create more then it makes sense to have something that’s easy to take with you. The travel-sized acoustic, with a compact body but fuller-scale length than a 3/4-size guitar aims to balance portability with more playable specs for us guitarists, but it’s moved on a long way in the last few years with a variety of choice that’s constantly expanding. So just how much of a compromise is a travel acoustic over a full-size dread or parlour? Could one be your go-to at home and away?
models at £500 and below: guitars that are also happens that the biggest guitar artist in the world right now has made his name on such an acoustic. Because whatever your opinion is of über popstar Ed Sheeran, there’s absolutely no doubt that he’s helped to shine a spotlight on travel-size acoustics with his loyalty to Little Martin models – and that has been acknowledged with three signature editions and counting based on the design. But the potential of travel acoustics goes far beyond Sheeran wannabes and the choices out there make for some varied JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
T H E GAS STAT ION
FENDER £345 CT140SE A hard case that’s tough to beat
Fender is really stepping up with its acoustic range lately… Yes indeed, and it’s good to see. The Paramount and California series, plus the Classic Design models that this is a part of, have
moreover, giving some real bang for buck, too. It’s the second cheapest here, so what’s the compromise? No obvious one. It’s an auditorium shape with 596mm scale (23.5"), laminated rosewood back and sides in addition to the expected solid
SIGMA £269 TM-15E+ A Mini Mahoglet Hey, dude looks like a Martin!
bought the name and moved manufacturing to China, but the What’s the wood?
hardcase is the kind of maverick move that doesn’t scream
100
But I still spy preamp controls… What pickup is she packing?
preamp controls as well as a tuner, volume and phase switch. So some of the competition.
AT A GLANCE
AT A GLANCE
TOP:Solidspruce
TOP: Solid mahogany
BACK & SIDES: Laminate rosewood
BACK & SIDES: Laminate mahogany
NECK: Mahogany SCALE LENGTH: 597mm (23.5") FINGERBOARD: Rosewood FRETS: 20 ELECTRICS: Fishman Presys HARDWARE: Graph Tech nut and bridge LEFT HANDED: No CASE: Hardcase included FINISH: Natural, Sunburst CONTACT: fender.com
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
bass but reduced midrange.
NECK: Mahogany, low profile SCALE LENGTH: 584mm (23") FINGERBOARD: Micarta FRETS: 20 ELECTRICS: Fishman Isys T HARDWARE: Bone nut and saddle CASE: Gigbag included LEFT HANDED: No FINISH: U-lacquer CONTACT: westsidedistribution.com
THE TG TEST
MARTIN LX1E The L Team
£499
It’s the Sheeran guitar, right? That’s a very stripy neck it’s rocking there...
YAMAHA CSF1M Run deep
£450
So Yamaha are finally entering the travel acoustic fray? How so? These are more of a traditional folk guitar with an unobtrusive
101
accounting for the stripes, and the sustainable result is said to be
bracing in both is that it makes for a louder and richer sound.
Where are the preamp controls?
And does it?
AT A GLANCE
AT A GLANCE
TOP:Sitkaspruce
TOP:Solidsitkaspruce
BACK & SIDES: HPL
BACK & SIDES: Laminatemahogany
NECK: Rust birch laminate
NECK:Nato
SCALE LENGTH: 584mm (23")
SCALE LENGTH:600mm(23.6")
FINGERBOARD: Richlite
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood
FRETS: 20
FRETS:20
ELECTRICS: Fishman Sonitone
ELECTRICS: SRT passivepiezo
HARDWARE: Tusq saddle, corian nut
HARDWARE:Ureanutandsaddle
LEFT HANDED: Yes CASE: Gigbag included FINISH: Natural, hand rubbed CONTACT: westsidedistribution.com
LEFTHANDED:No CASE: Gigbagincluded FINISH: TobaccoBrown Sunburst
(reviewed),VintageNatural CONTACT: uk.yamaha.com
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
THE TG TEST
HEAD TO HEAD
TheMartin’sRust Birchlaminate neck is distinctive but potentially divisive in look
Compact and bijou: travel electro-acoustics on test...
t makes sense tostart withthe most going on.There’sa resophonic boxiness brand,but it’s combined with a resonant top TheSigmais an even more extreme version littlethin andcramped foradultdigitsand minichild’sversion ofa dreadnought rather
I
102
THE SIGMA HAS THE SENSE OF BEING A MINI CHILD’S VERSION OF A DREADNOUGHT draw from plugged in with thecontour switch, without the externalaid ofa preampor complete lack ofcontrolswouldharm the makes itthe closest toan organic soundhere actionless socompared with theslinkier it couldbe addressed with a lower string gauge cramped thanks to the 56mm string spacing. TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
The Yamaha is the closest to an organic sound here when amplified
TH E GAS STAT ION
FINAL VERDICT
Which travel electro-acoustic is the right one for you? heterm ‘travel guitar’doesn’t hint elements ofchangewhenit isathome.
T
clearcharacter. feels likethe mostmatureminiofthe bunch. You’llneedto bearinmind thatpassive pickupsarelower outputthan their active
SIGMA TM-15E+
FENDER CT140SE
looks for its low price, but the slimneck isfar needmore tamingthan thepreampprovides. priciest model here, but itcould wellbe the
MARTIN LX1E
YAMAHA CSF1M
103
BEST FOR CHILDREN
BEST VALUE
FEATURES Y R A
SOUNDQUALITY VALUE FORMONEY
BUILDQUALITY M M PLAYABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
BEST FOR PLAYABILITY
FEATURES Y R A
SOUND QUALITY VALUE FORMONEY
BUILDQUALITY M M PLAYABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
BIGGEST SOUND
FEATURES Y R A
SOUND QUALITY VALUEFORMONEY
BUILDQUALITY M M PLAYABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
FEATURES Y R A
SOUND QUALITY VALUEFORMONEY BUILDQUALITY
M M PLAYABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
T H E GAS STAT ION
104
MINI AMPS hile some mini amps may have started life as toys, competition means they haven’t been able to stay that way. Today, the choice includes serious go-anywhere combos with battery and mains power, dual speakers, dual channels and Specially-developed loudspeakers have helped some brands achieve a leap in sound quality, too. The modern mini amp is an important addition to any player’s arsenal, letting you plug in literally anywhere. They’re ideal for occasions when even a small practice amp is either too big or perhaps needs mains power where there isn’t any. Get your choice right and you’ll be able to plug in whenever creative inspiration strikes you, or if you just want to impress your mates at the BBQ.
W
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
Blackstar Fly 3
£49
Fender Mini ’65 Twin
£54
TOP TONES IN A MATCHBOX
THAT OLD BLACKFACE MAGIC
lackstar’s Fly 3 isthecombothat’s responsibleformakingminiampsinto propertools, ratherthan mere toys.It features twochannelswith gain,volumeand ISFtonecontrol knobs,whichcombine fora huge tonalrange,from crystalcleansto massive overdrive. There’salsoa built-intapedelay with adjustabletime andlevel,a headphones socket andan all-purposelinein.Bestof all,if youcombine itwith theFly 103extension cabinet,you can havea total ofsixwattsin gloriousstereo.Witha surprisingly full sound fromsucha smallenclosure, youcantake the Fly3 anywhere andget greattone.Superb.
ender’s miniaturised version of its ’65 Twin Reverb has two speakers and a kick-back stand just like the real thing, which means it can put out a healthy volume even though it’s rated at one watt. The mini Twin is a singlechannel amp, with controls for volume gain and tone – the fourth knob is the on/off switch. The Mini Twin is good-looking, but compared with some of the competition it’s somewhat short on features; all you get is a headphones jack and a belt clip, which isn’t so useful for non-belt wearers. Nevertheless, good looks and a respectable clean sound make Fender’s Mini Twin ahandydesktop companion.
B
F
FEATURES Y R A
SOUND QUALITY VALUE FORMONEY
BUILD QUALITY M M USABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
FEATURES Y R A
SOUNDQUALITY VALUE FORMONEY BUILD QUALITY
M M USABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
ROUND-UP
105
Small is beautiful: mini amps aren’t just toys any more. Here’s our pick of the best diminutive tone machines out there today
Laney Mini Lion
£39
Orange Crush Mini
HEAR ME ROAR
FULL OF JUICY GOODNESS
aney’s new Mini Lionisone ofa series of mini amps thathave recently been unleashed onto an unsuspectingpublic; SupergroupandLionheart,as seenhere.The colouredplasticenclosuremimicsthat amp’s bluevinyl, whilethe speakergrill isthesame anddrivechannels, withknobsforgain, tone and master volume. There’s anauxin and headphonessocketplus LSI(for Laney Smart Insert), intended to work withsmartphone apps.Bestof all,though, istheprice.
range’s update on the Crush 3 is full of surprises, all of them good. Even at these small dimensions, you get proper Orange vinyl and a white powder-coated steel chassis, not to mention a whopping 4" loudspeaker. The circuit is based on the Micro Dark, but done in solid-state. The cool ‘pics only’ panel includes controls for gain, volume and shape, which scoops or boosts midrange relative to treble and bass frequencies for a wide range of tone. There’s an mp3 input and an external speaker jack so you can actually plug the Mini into a 4x12 if you want. There’s also a headphones socket and a built-in tuner.
L
O
FEATURES Y R A
SOUND QUALITY VALUE FORMONEY
BUILDQUALITY M M USABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
£45
AT A GLANCE OUTPUT
Blackstar, Laney, Orange: 3W; Fender: 1W SPEAKER
Blackstar, Laney: 1 x 3"; Fender: 2 x 3"; Orange: 1x4" CONTACT
BlackstarAmplification 01604 817817 blackstaramps.com Fender GBI 0845 305 1122 fender.com Laney Amplification 0121 508 6666 laney.co.uk OrangeAmplification 0208 905 2828 orangeamps.com
FEATURES Y R A
SOUNDQUALITY VALUEFORMONEY BUILDQUALITY
M M USABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
JULY 2018
TOTAL GUITAR
T H E GAS STAT ION
106
BEETRONICS WHOCTAHELL
£219
Put some buzz in your fuzz ucking thetrendfor increasinglysmallpedals in standard Hammond enclosures,the BeetronicsWhoctaHell comesin a sumptuouscustom enclosure.The form factorisgreat, and the pedalisstylish and striking– evenifit isheavy enoughto use asa tank-trap. Besidethestandardmaster volume,the WhoctaHell also has dedicated controlsforfuzz and kickedinviaa dedicatedfootswitch. Thefuzz iswoollyand perhaps morevintage overdrive-likein characteruntil it ismaxed out.
B
Withsomehigher-output pickups, it’s possibleto getmore saturation, butthere’s never Fuzz tap.Rather, the pedal seems toerr onthe sideof a morevintageand low-gain voicing. When peoplesay‘8-bit’, they generallymean squarewave, anda thetopology ofnoisemakerslike theTimEscobedoTMK, theoctave summing isused to both generate an octaveartefact andcreate increasinglyglitched-out and poorly trackednotes, especially when thefuzz control isdimed.
THERE’S SOME IDIOSYNCRATIC SONIC HONEY TO BE FOUND HERE TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
Thesub octaveis switchable between oneortwooctaves down, thoughfor ourmoneythesingle octavedownis a far moreusable option. Whilethetracking ofthe subfrequenciesis undoubtedly partofthe charm ofthe pedal, whenit’sat the lower rangeof whata guitaramp isbestequipped tohandlein thetwo-octavesdownmodeit tends tocomeout as more muddy andindistinctthan exciting. Setit right,however, and there’s some deliciously idiosyncratic sonic honey to be found here. AlexLynham FEATURES
Y R VALUE FORMONEY A BUILDQUALITY M M USABILITY U S OVERALL RATING
AT A GLANCE TYPE:Fuzzpedal CONTROLS: Master
volume, fuzz volume, octave volume, toggle switch for -1 or -2 oct, octavebypass footswitch SOCKETS: Input, output,power BYPASS: Truebypass POWER:9Vpower supplyonly CONTACT: FACE +32 3 844 67 97 face.be
Find Your Perfect
Tone
Every issue, Guitarist brings you the best gear, features, tuition and interviews to fuel your passion for guitar
Guita t m azine is also available on Newsstand for iPhone, iPad & iPod touch Also available to order online at
www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
T H E GAS STAT ION
108
FIX YOUR GUITAR
ADD A COIL-SPLIT TO YOUR LES PAUL
T op T ip !
Li ne y our ad j ust abl e spanner w it h mask in g t ape t o hel p pr ev ent d amage t o y our gui ta r ’s f in i sh
Get twice as much from your humbuckers with just a few new parts! Words:JackEllis
oil-splittingis a technique where you humbucker’stwo coils and turnitintoa single coil.It’ssometimes that’sactually slightly andratherunusual pickup. When you coil-split itisthe same principleas a singlecoil humbuckerit will sounda To coil-split a humbucker you will need a pickup that has
C
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
wire’ pickupgivesyouallthe wiresaresimplythestartand which connects to themetal base plate ora chromecover. You willneedto lookupon thepickup maker’s website to wireiswhich.A great clue is some pickupshavetwo wiresalready joinedtogether andinsulated– they’re the ‘coil junction’ wires you’ll need to attach to the push/pull pot’s lugs.
MEETYOUREXPERT
WHAT YOUNEED Wirecutters Wirestrippers Tuningfork Shrinktubing Lighter
Screwdriver Jiffybag Adjustablespanner Two push/pull pots Solderingiron Sparewire SKILL LEVEL Solder Intermediate Soldering holder
JackEllisruns Jack’s InstrumentS ervices from his workshop in Manchester. In his career he has worked on thousands of instruments, from simple fixes and upgrades, to complete rebuilds. For more info, see: www.jacksinstrument services.co.uk
FIX YOUR GUITAR
1
Let’s dispose with the main electronics cavity cover. Gibson screws are hard to replace so whatever happens, don’t lose them! With the back off there will be a mess of cabling in there, when you figure out what’s what, it’s not tha t bad.
2
Time for lift off. There are some fancy gadgets around designed for this task but using two large-headed flat screwdrivers works well. The trick is being gentle, even and, most importantly, making sure the screwdrivers make contact with the metal washers – not your paint job! Take your time and prise the knobs off gently.
109
3
Let’s undo the jack socket, take out the four mini screws and stash them, loosen the jack socket nut off so it’s free to pull through the cavity. On the face of th e guitar there should be four nuts that need to come off too. T hese hold the main metal assembly in place inside the electronics cavity.
4
5
6
We’ve left the pickup wires attached still to save some time, so rest the assembly on the back of the guitar – a Jiffy bag is a great solder blob shield. It’s time to start removing the old pots to swap them for push/pull pots. Unsolder the tone capacitor that spans between the volume and tone pot.
Steady on! There’s one more wire that needs to come off before we t ake it out. There’s a bare wire on Gibsons, which is the string ground (it connects to the Tune-o-matic bridge), de-solder that guy and bend him out the way. The main assembly is free to come out now – but be gentle and beware of chipping the finish.
With the new push/pull pot disconnected it’s a great chance to prepare it. We’ve added the linking wires onto the back of it . Anything soldered to the casing will be grounded the same for the back of the pots. With those prepped, re-bolt them back into place; try to return the nuts to the same height they were before. JULY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
T H E GAS STAT ION
7
Here’s the wiring diagram for the use of two push/pull pots as coil-split. The differences are we’ve added a new ground wire link between the volume and tone pot and there’s the new push/pull pot with its prepped wires. The tone cap arrangement is the same, just reattached back to the middle leg again.
8
9
With all that wired up, bung it back into the electronics cavity: pots first , jack second. Again, be careful when pushing the po ts through as they can pick a piece of lacquer off the front of the guitar. Experiment with the nut ’s heights on the pots if you need to dictate the height that the pot shaf ts protrude.
10
11
12
Still working on the back of the guitar using the jiffy bag for an anti-solder force field, complete the rest of the circuit according to this diagram. The bit you’ll need to look up is which coloured wires are twisted together and soldered to the push/pull pot’s central lugs – each pickup company uses a different colour scheme.
110
Pop on the washers and nuts then tighten up the four nuts on the front o f the guitar. Do them up tightly – but not crushingly tight – always be aware of damaging the finish! A cool trick is to line your adjustable spanner with masking tape to prevent disastrous scratches.
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
This is the last wire, then you can turn off your soldering iron. Grab a flathead screwdriver and pin the bare earth wire into place then solder it back onto the same blob of solder it came from. When it’s cooled, take away the screwdriver – this stops you from burning your fingertips.
As we were so careful and followed the diagram exactly, this will be just a courtesy. Use a tuning fork to test the pickup’s new functions. Plug into an amp, strike the fork and wave it over each pickup coil, throw the switches and you will hear the new coil-split tones. You can also tes t the volumes, tones and pickup selector.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
112
SAVE
27% SUBSCRIBE TODAY
H UR R Y !
OF FE R S E ND 3 1 / 07 / 20 18
www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/ernie18/ or call 0344 848 2852
*TERMSAND CONDITIONS: This offer entitles new UK Direct Debit subscribers to pay just £13 quarterly, plus receive a gift worth £15. Gift is only available for new UK subscribers. Gift is subject to availability. Please allow up to 60 days for
the delivery of your gift. In the event of stocks being exhausted we reserv e the right to replace with items of similar value. Prices and savings quoted are compared to buying full-price d print issues. You will receive 13 issues in a year. Your subscription is for the minimum term specified and will expire at the end of the current term. You can write to us or call us to cancel your subscription within 14 days of purchase. Payment is non-refundable after the 14 day cancellation period unless exceptional circums tances apply. Your statutor y rights are not affected. Prices corre ct at point of print and subject to change. UK calls will cost the same as other standard fixed line numbers (st arting 01 or 02) or are included as part of any inclusive or free minutes allowances (if offered by your phone tariff). For full terms and conditions please visit: bit.ly/magterms. Offer ends 31 July 2018.
TOTAL GUITAR JUNE 2018
SUBSCRIBE TO TG!
PLUS GET A FREE
ERNIE BALL GOODY BAG Ernie Ball's reputation for quality in the guitar world is well-earned with its endorsees reading like a hall of fame; Clapton, Keef, Macca, Slash, Angus Jimmy Page, Hetfield… you get the point. So you'll be in great company with this goody bag packed with thse useful accessories for players: Six Ernie Ball plectrums (two x thin, medium, thick)
Ernie Ball pint glass and six coasters
Wonder Wipes combo pack with string cleaners, polishes and fretboard conditioner
Ernie Ball sticker and wristband
113
PRINT EDITION
Every issue delivered to your door with a Guitar Skills CD packed with audio content and backing tracks
6 ISSUES JUST £26
JUNE 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
THE PLAYLIST
The Playlist Blues rocker Dan Patlansky shufflesthroughhisrecord collectionandrevealswhyhe’sscuppere tin’ /
T
he first songI remember… Purple Haze – JimiHendrix
P s e k a r B d o R
: s d r o W
Smoke OnThe Water
The song I would like to be remembered for…Hold On – Dan Patlansky
Thesongthatmademewant to play… ShineOnYou Crazy Diamond – Pink Floyd
Dear Silence Thieves
thesynth pads– and then there wasgettingsomewhere as a
: o t o h
A riff I wishI’dwritten… Black Dog – LedZeppelin
“My fathergota new set ofsuper the80s,or whenever, and I – and PurpleHaze hearingthatsong throughthose
114
n o t s n a r B e o J
The songthat I tried tolearnthat I justcouldn’t nail… Scuttle Buttin’ – StevieRay Vaughan
TOTAL GUITAR JULY 2018
The song that’s most challenging to perform live… Mayday – Dan Patlansky
“When I sing it in the easiest song, when I sing at
Dan Patlansky’s latest album Perfection Kills is out now. He tours the UK in November
