Greetings to all the Premier Guitar readers and welcome to another exciting edition of Lethal Guitar! Thank you for logging on and tuning in. Last month there was a double edition of Lethal Guitar featuring lesson collaborations between yours truly and the incredible Michael Angelo Batio and Rusty Cooley. Believe it or not, we're just getting started; I’ll also be collaborating with more great guitarists for pretty much the rest of 2008!
This edition we’re gonna go a bit outside of the box. Instead of playing with the same old licks and tricks let’s add some color to our shred lines. Not only will we play these ideas with speed and finesse but we’ll add in harmonic and melodic depth. You’ll find that by doing that, the technical challenges increase dramatically. So these are also great for gaining strength in technique building. Some of the picking challenges and position shifts are quite formidable and will require patience and repetition. Good luck and may the force be with you…
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Example 1
This lick incorporates the E minor 7th arpeggio into the A minor scale. Using the minor 7th arpeggio inside this lick over the five chord utilizes a Mixolydian idea.
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Example 2
Taking a major arpeggio and inserting a sharp 4th tone gives the arpeggio a Lydian characteristic. This mode is commonly used by Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.
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Example 3
Here’s a great 2-5-1 lick ending on an A major 7th chord. It begins with a Bm7 arpeggio, then an E augmented line finishing on the A root.
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Example 4
This line is great and really gets the listeners' attention. It’s a combination of minor and diminished arpeggios moving stepwise and ending on the tonic of D.
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Example 5
Another 2-5-1 with an altered 5 line, really creates an interesting tension and resolution as well as some fretting hand challenges.
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Example 6
This is a really cool augmented line with an open E pedal descending, finishing with the whole tone scale.
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Example 7
Another interesting use of the minor 7th arpeggio over the five (Mixolydian) and resolving to the root, in this case A.
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Example 8
Our final example uses a cool Doc Watson bluegrass lick that requires some open string ideas.
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Ok guys and gals, there you have it: some challenging licks to spice up and add some serious color to your shred lines. These lines incorporate several modal ideas breaking you out of the same old shred licks. I encourage you to practice these slowly at first, giving your ear a chance to synthesize the depth harmonically in the lines. At first it may sound foreign, but with repetition your ear will gain an understanding and you’ll notice a development in your taste for the new colors. See you next month, and keep rockin'!
©Jeff Beasley 2008
Jeff Beasley
jeff@guitarsource3.com
Jeff Beasley holds B.A. degrees in Music and Classical Guitar. He offers his readers 30 years of experience in studio, teaching and performance. He is on the National Guitar Workshop faculty in Nashville, TN. Jeff's CD "Tiebreaker" is available through CD Baby, Guitar 9, and Jeff's website; GuitarSource3.com. Jeff holds endorsement agreements with Dean, Peavey, DiMarzio, RKS, THD, Ensotec, Robert Keeley, Knucklehead and In Tune.