Chops: Intermediate
Theory: Intermediate
Lesson Overview:
• Add some blues firepower to
your lick arsenal.
• Become a string-skipping ninja.
• Develop the skills to become a
harmonic ninja by implying the
root note.
Traditional blues is usually not improved
with large doses of athleticism. I can
just imagine the song titles that might result
from such a combination:
“One Bourbon, One Scotch,
and One Protein Shake”
“I Got my Mojo Jogging”
“Hellhound on my Treadmill”
“The Thrill is Brawn”
“I Can’t Quit Yoga, Babe”
I could keep riffing on these puns, but I
think you get the idea. And now that I’ve
built my metaphor, I’m going to contradict
it by playing a bunch of my favorite 16thnote
and 16th-note triplet licks over some
unsuspecting blues changes. The speed of
these solo phrases is definitely not traditional,
but the notes still fit over the chords,
the fingers get an invigorating workout, and
there is enough bending and syncopation
to pay tribute to the crucial sounds of the
original art form.
Overall, I like having these types of
phrases in my guitar phrase toolbox, just in
case I need to turbo-charge a blues and give
it some rock teeth. So let’s take a look at
how it works in Fig. 1.
The first six notes form an awesome
phrase and exercise by themselves. It’s a
simple three-note pattern that alternates
between two different ending notes. When
played with alternate picking—which is
what I recommend—the picking will reverse
itself, in relation to the left hand, every three
notes. This reversal can be infuriating at
first. But with some slow and accurate practice,
you can turn an enemy into a friend
and add some serious indestructibility to
your alternate-picking technique.
In the second measure, a couple of
pull-offs are included to give some muchdeserved
rest to the picking hand. And
make sure to give proper attention to the
bend at the end. It is the first chance for the
solo to breathe, so savor the moment.
For measures three and four, I repeat the
established patterns, but alter the notes to
fit the IV chord (D9). You may notice there
is no D note in this whole two-measure
section, even though it’s played over a D9
chord. I leave the root note to the bass
guitar and/or the ear of listeners who will
infer it.
How does that work? All the notes that
make up a D9 chord are being played in
the solo, except for the root (D). Since 4/5
of the notes from the chord are there in the
solo, the remaining unplayed note is strongly
implied by the context. I never pass up
an opportunity to use the word extrapolate,
and that is what the ear does when the
chord progression and the notes of the solo
all point to the same root note, even if it’s
not actually there. Last but not least, the
phrase ends with another bend. Don’t miss
this opportunity to shake it.
Measure 5 begins with 16th-note triplets.
Harmonically, I chose notes to outline
the E7#9b13 chord. That chord has so many
symbols and numbers it almost looks like
an abbreviation for a swear word. But don’t
worry—it’s just notes, and this opening lick
only uses four of them.
I highly recommend taking a close
look at the combination of downstrokes,
upstrokes, pull-offs, and hammer-ons that
happen during the first six notes. My teaching
experience tells me that most guitarists
will find this particular combination to be
counterintuitive at first. But this is a great
opportunity to open up a new door of technique.
Great sounds lie within. Slow, accurate
practice will guarantee your success.
Immediately following the triplets, a
couple of syncopated notes lead into a
string-skipping challenge. The left hand
shape alternates between tiny and large
stretches, which will wake up the fingers
and the brain. The resulting notes continue
to outline the V chord. Enjoy the bend and
vibrato at the end.
And finally, the last two bars resolve
to the I chord. The 16th-note triplets at
the top are best picked, starting with an
upstroke. But what if you’re more comfortable
starting with a downstroke? What
would Al Di Meola do? The answer is “up.”
It’s worth a try.
The return to 16th-notes summons a
sparsely populated Am9 arpeggio. I purposefully
chose to play only the b3, b7, and
9, and leave out the root and 5. Since there
are only three different notes, the arpeggio
has wider interval skips than if all the notes
were included. And by only playing the
most colorful notes, the harmonic character
is magnified. It makes the listener go,
“Ooooh!”
I end with the 3 and the root … the
strongest, bluesiest, rockingest, two notes in
the cosmos.
Once you have built all these details into a
solid solo, it’s up to your ears to make stylistic
decisions. I suggest being like a bouncer at
a nightclub, but a very cool and reasonable
one. You have the muscle to intimidate and
keep people out of the club. But instead, you
reserve the muscle to break up the occasional
fight, and the rest of the time you keep the
peace and act generously with the guest list.
Paul Gilbert purposefully began playing guitar
at age 9, formed the guitar-driven bands Racer
X and Mr. Big, and then accidentally had a No.
1 hit with an acoustic song called “To Be with
You.” Paul began teaching at GIT at the age of
18, has released countless albums and guitar
instructional DVDs, and will be remembered as
“the guy who got the drill stuck in his hair.” For
more information, visit
paulgilbert.com.