Dotted-Eighth
Rhythmic Repeats
Guitarists like Eddie Van Halen, the Edge,
and David Gilmour took delays to new
heights by making them an integral part of
compositions like Van Halen’s “Cathedral,”
U2’s “Where the Streets have No Name,”
and Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,
Part 1.” They popularized a trick using dotted-eighth-note delay repeats to create the
illusion that they were playing more notes—and faster—than they really were.
Delays such as the Line 6 Echo Park feature dotted-eighthnote
modes that make it a cinch to create rhythmic parts in
the style of U2’s the Edge or Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. |
To do this, set your delay to repeat
everything you play a dotted-eighth-note
(three 16ths) after you play the original
note, and then pluck continuous eighth-notes.
After the delay’s initial entrance on
the last 16th of the first beat, it will fill in
the second and fourth 16th-note of every
successive beat—as long as you continue
to play eighth-notes (newly picked notes
will cover the first and third 16th of every
beat). To make this sound as natural as
possible, set your delay pedal’s Level knob
all the way up so it matches the volume
of the original signal, and try to keep the
notes as precise and short as you can to
avoid having a picked note overlap with a
delayed note.
Some delays, such as the Line 6 Echo
Park, have rhythmic subdivision modes
built in, so dotted-eighth repeats won’t be
a problem to set up. However, if your delay
doesn’t offer subdivisions, you’ll have to do
some math to get the Time setting right.
Here, again, the
“Calculating MS fromBPM” sidebar will be a big help.
Delay as Harmonizer
If you want to play twin-guitar harmony
parts à la Iron Maiden or the Allman
Brothers but are the only guitarist in your
band, you can use a delay to create a similar
feel. This tends to work best when you’re
playing parts that are pre-composed rather
than improvised, because the harmony line
has to match the contour and rhythm of
the original line. Unless you have a flawless,
photographic memory and can recall
and harmonize improvised passages in real
time, it’s very difficult to do off the cuff.
You’ll have more luck with worked-out
phrases that are rhythmically consistent and
predictable, like the repeating, arpeggiated
climax to the solo in the Eagles’ “Hotel
California.” This type of simple figure is
easier to follow and harmonize than something
rhythmically complex, too.
One caveat with using a delay to perform
harmonized lines is that you won’t be
able to easily start both parts simultaneously.
You might try using a volume pedal
to mute the opening line and bring the
volume up when the harmony begins, but
the more common approach is to just start
a line and opt for a staggered entrance of
the harmony line. In fact, some songs were
written with staggered harmony parts. For
instance, the intro to Iron Maiden’s “The
Trooper” has a built-in layered entrance of a
harmonized line and can be pulled off by a
single guitarist using a delay pedal.
If you’re new to harmonizing, here’s
a quick overview on creating harmony
parts. Typically, the intervals of a harmony
part are fixed (i.e., the part uses the
same interval, shifting between its major
or minor form to accommodate diatonic
notes) throughout the duration of the line,
with thirds and sixths being the most common
choices (although fourths, fifths, and
octaves are also frequently employed). Of
course, there are exceptions to every rule,
and different intervals can be used throughout
a line. For a more in-depth exploration
of harmonized lines, consult a book such
as
A Player’s Guide to Chords and Harmony:
Music Theory for Real-World Musicians by
Jim Aikin or
David Baker’s Arranging and
Composing for the Small Ensemble: Jazz,
R&B, Jazz Rock, an advanced workbook
with a forward by Quincy Jones.