There are many rhythms from the Middle East and Asia Minor (Anatolia) that are based on local folk dances, sometimes from specific villages. If you’re not accustomed to them, they can sound complicated, but they’re meant to be organic; the average person is able to dance, sing, and naturally feel the rhythms they grew up around. In this lesson, we are going to focus on some of these odd time signatures while utilizing the tapping techniques I discussed a few lessons back. I will start off with some basic 2/4, 4/4, and 6/8 rhythms before expanding to 7/8, 9/8, and my favorite, 10/8.
As mentioned in my previous lesson, when I practice this technique, I think of my left hand and right hand playing together, and then playing separately. For example, I can have multiple fingers on one hand playing at the same time as a single finger on the other hand, multiple fingers on one hand playing at the same time as multiple fingers on the other hand, a single finger on one hand playing at the same time as a single finger on the other hand, or consecutive individual notes on one hand followed by consecutive individual notes on the other hand.
Explanation of tabs: Below each column of the noted tab I use the letter R to symbolize right hand and L to symbolize left hand. They are stacked in a way that reflects the tabs. For example, if you see the letter L all the way at the bottom and the letter R on top of that, that would mean your left hand is tapping the lower note while your right hand is tapping the higher note.
This is a very basic 2/4 pattern known as the Malfuf rhythm. This sounds similar to a reggaeton rhythm.
Ex.2
This is an extension of the 2/4 rhythm and is from one of my tracks titled “Sirel Em Yes Kez.” It includes some slides and movement with the right hand.
Ex. 3
Known as a Saidi rhythm, this is common to Arabic music. The difference between a 2/4 and a 4/4 is the length of the phrasing before it repeats again. This example demonstrates a chord progression within the Hijaz mode, otherwise known as Phrygian Dominant or the fifth mode of harmonic minor.
Ex. 4
This is a 6/8 rhythm where I use the same extensions in the right hand from the first chord to the second chord. I often do this sort of thing because I love how one cluster of notes can have a particular color against one root note, then have a completely different color against a different root.
Ex. 5
The 7/8 rhythm is known to be from the Laz region of the Black Sea. When musicians play a tune that’s a Laz, they are referring to any tune that uses this particular rhythm. Sort of like when western musicians play a blues, they are referring to a particular understood chord progression, though the melody/lyrics might vary based on the song.
Ex. 6
This is a 9/8 rhythm known as a Tamzara. The same concept of the 7/8 example applies to this 9/8 rhythm in terms of a tune being classified by the rhythm. Think of this as two groups of 2/4 followed by an additional eighth-note.
Ex. 7
This is one of my favorites. The 10/8 rhythm is common to many people from the historically Anatolian region, present day Asia Minor. A lot of western musicians feel this as five but the reason why it would be officially classified as ten is because the subdivisions are inverted in the latter half. Think of it as 3+2+2+3 (as opposed to 3+2+3+2). By virtue of the inverted subdivisions in the second half, the phrase has been extended to ten.
Ex. 8
Another 10/8 example, but within a progression.
I hope you enjoyed this article and are able to use some of these fun rhythms and two-handed tapping techniques to your playing. Note that these examples are my interpretations of these rhythms with some of the ornamentation that I like to add.
When you hear songs played on guitar, it’s common to hear familiar chords that use open strings: D, C, G, Am, etc. These can make for some beautiful music, but at some point there might be an interest to explore more of what’s possible. One way is to include open strings for new ways to play voicings with close intervals, and also expand the possibilities of the fretboard.
I started to get interested in chords with open strings around the late ’90s. I think I came across the idea from an Eric Johnson video when he mentions “a real pretty Wes chord” (which you can find in Ex. 6). It wasn’t until much later, though, that I started to really explore them. I remember being intrigued by some of the things that were possible when an open string (or two or three) was included in a chord, and how the sound/timbre of the voicing changed when mixed with the fretted notes.
I’d like to start by showing two close voicings I came across (which are not otherwise possible without including an open string) and explain the process I worked through to find them.
I’ve always loved the sound of harmony moving in thirds, so for these examples I’ll be exploring B major sounds and G major sounds focused around the root, 3, 5, 7, 9, and #11.
Ex. 1
Here’s where I eventually ended up: a chord containing the root, 3rd, 7th, 9th, and #11 with two whole steps on the bottom. On a piano, this wouldn’t be too challenging, and normally on guitar, it wouldn’t be possible. But with the addition of the open string we are able to easily get to it.
Something that I find somewhat challenging about these voicings is that the lowest sounding note is not always on the lowest string of the voicing—it might be somewhere in the middle. So when I work on new voicings, I’ll try to play through them one note at a time from lowest note to highest note, then highest to lowest—I think it helps my ears connect with what my eyes are seeing.
Ex. 2 When I started exploring the idea of major 7th chords with open strings, I probably started with something like this: 3rd, 7th, and an open string as root. (You could also start with the 3rd or 7th as an open string, depending on the key.) In this range, we have a familiar fretted interval—a 5th—with an open string a half-step above the 7th.
Ex. 3 After working on the open-string idea for a while, the term “zones” kept coming back to me. Playing in “positions” on the guitar is pretty common, but that has more to do with giving each finger a specific fret. I think the term “zones” leaves a little more interpretation as to what’s possible in each place on the neck. For instance, in this example, there are five “zones” that give us all the possible ways to play these two fretted notes with the open B, and each one of them offers a slightly different area, sound, and range on the fretboard. These will be the shapes we start with as we work through some of the possibilities of each one. Work through Examples 3a through 3e to hear some of the different colors. Even though the last voicing has the 7th an octave higher, it seemed too good not to share here.
Ex. 4
Similar to Ex. 3, these are the possibilities for B, F#, and open G—shapes to build from as we explore these zones.
Ex. 4a gives us a usable range of F# or G in the low end up to an A (the 9th) on the high E string.
The zone for Ex.4b offers the possibility of adding a note on the 5th string, since the B and F# are on non-adjacent strings. The second voicing also might look familiar as a Bm triad (on the bottom three strings), and the third voicing also allows us to play that same voicing, but with two open strings.
Ex.4c gives us access to the highest range—reaching up to a high D on some of the voicings here.
Eventually, as I kept exploring, I came across the two chords from Ex. 1 by moving Ex. 3a up an octave and adding the 9th, which gives us Ex. 5. An important idea with this voicing is that with the fretted notes in the lower octave, an open string would create an interval of a half-step, but by moving the fretted notes up an octave, that same open string would then create an interval of a major seventh.
Ex. 6 (Eric Johnson’s “Wes chord”...)
I hope you found something interesting here, or maybe are able to come away with a new voicing you haven’t seen or thought of before. I always try to remember that it’s not so much about how many voicings one knows—it seems more about knowing one or two that you can really use and that can become part of your playing.
The Cars burst onto the national music scene in the late 1970s, capturing the attention of rock radio listeners when the demo of their now-classic “Just What I Needed” went what today we would call “viral.” In the 1980s, the band was also a constant presence on MTV. Like the uniqueness of the Cars’ music, with its quirky mix of pop, rock, and new wave, guitarist Elliot Easton’s playing defies labeling, his genre-hopping blend of rock, blues, jazz and rockabilly seamlessly knit together by his savvy and adventurous musical sense.
Easton’s classic solos and creative rhythm playing turned so many of the Cars’ songs into thrilling guitar adventures, without overshadowing them. Let’s see if we can decipher just how he did it.
Knowing Your Stuff
Easton attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where he studied guitar, arranging, and composition. While his peers were leaning heavily on Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, Easton—who is a big Clapton fan—also loves classic Telecaster players like James Burton, Steve Cropper, and Clarence White. Armed with the skills he learned at Berklee, Easton approached his solos from more of a jazz perspective, wending his way through the chord changes creatively, without relying on simply playing pentatonic licks in the song’s key. He deftly shows us how in his solo from the title track of 1981’s Shake It Up. It packs quite a wallop and is widely considered to be one of his best.
In the key of C, Ex. 1 illustrates how Easton nimbly navigates the chord change between Am and Bb, the bluesy b7 chord.
Ex. 1
Over Am, he plays a wicked lick based on the A blues scale (A–C–D–Eb–E–G). Now, he could have continued to use the same scale over the Bb chord. However, in bar two, Easton instead chooses to slide into a Bb triad (Bb–D–F) starting on the “and” of beat 1. He then tops things off with a tasty whole-step bend into D, the 3 of Bb.
Let’s see how we can apply Easton’s approach to create our own phrases. First, Ex. 2 shows how to play the three Bb triad shapes up and down the neck. (You’ll find these on any set of three adjacent strings, though the fingerings change slightly.)
Ex. 2
Now, we can create more Easton-inspired licks with the two new triad shapes. Ex. 3 begins with an A minor pentatonic (A–C–D–E–G) phrase in the eighth position, leading into the new Bb triad shape at the 10th position, and ending with a nod to Easton’s tasty final bend.
Ex. 3
For the Bb chord in measure two of Ex. 4, we lend a new bluesy touch on beat 2 by employing a half-step bend from Db to D, moving between the chord’s b3 and 3. This makes the lick sound less “clinical” and gives it some fire. Staying aware of these subtle elements will serve to add genuine personality to your playing. Easton’s is chock full.
Ex. 4
Expanding Your Horizons
Most mainstream rock guitarists of the 1970s and ’80s didn’t openly draw very much from disparate styles of music. As mentioned above, Easton was drawn to the pedal-steel-inspired playing of Clarence White, guitarist for the bluegrass group the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrds. He was also a fan of the Bakersfield sound, the offshoot of country music coming out of the California city, played by the likes of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens.
Easton notably pays homage to those styles in the Cars classic “My Best Friend’s Girl” from their 1978 self-titled debut. First, there’s his rhythm part in the chorus.
A boilerplate country guitar part of this variety would generally be played fingerstyle (or with hybrid picking) and include a Travis-picked bass line, as illustrated in Ex. 5. Note that it is traditionally played with a slight palm-mute on the lower three strings only.
Ex. 5
Let’s look at how Easton retrofits his part to make it just right for this song. Ex. 6 is based on what he plays in the chorus.
Ex. 6
Note how Easton omits the bass notes, which don’t quite jibe rhythmically with what bassist Benjamin Orr is playing. He also exclusively uses his pick, adding brightness to a part that is the star of the show here. (Note that the studio version is sped up, causing it to sound a half-step higher.)
In the second bar of his solo, Easton neatly slips in a Clarence White-style like (Ex. 7) that fits the song to a T.
Ex. 7
The opening dyad involves simultaneously executing two bends, one a half-step, the other a whole-step. To pull this off, it’s best not to think too much about it, as the 1st string has more tension than the 3rd, lending itself more easily to bending just a half-step. Lastly, to get that genuine country sound, play the dyad with your pick and middle finger. The rest of the phrase can be played the same way, though Easton chooses to use his pick.
Style with Substance
Easton’s penchant for colorful bends is also apparent in the title track of the Cars’ 1979 album, Candy-O. His solo enters like a freight train, fueled by achingly slow bends, which again include both the half- and whole-step variety. (He even repeats the phrase a couple of bars later.) Ex. 8 is both challenging and fun.
Ex. 8
An effective way to execute this phrase is to fret both strings with your 3rd finger, bending them downwards towards the floor. But be sure to use your 1st and 2nd fingers to help support the bend. Again, personality rules the day in Easton’s playing; his entrance here is deceptively simple and is both striking and unforgettable.
Part of the charm of Easton’s style is the imaginative way in which he constructs his parts, as in the pre-chorus of “Magic,” a hit from 1984’s Heartbeat City. Singer and guitarist Rik Ocasek’s song presents Easton with a standard VIm–IV–V–VIm chord progression, which in the key of A is F#m–D–E–F#m. Ex. 9 is based on the magic Easton conjures. It’s doubled by keyboardist Greg Hawkes’ synth for effect.
Ex. 9
Here, Easton takes a commonplace progression and creates an earworm of a part by allowing the open 1st and 2nd strings to ring through all of the chords. It’s a new hook we look forward to hearing as the section approaches, and, as is often the case, Easton’s guitar makes the song that much better.
In “Magic,” Easton again begins his solo in a unique and ear-catching way (Ex. 10). He simply plays one note over the entirety of the first three bars, continually re-striking it to propel it rhythmically. It couldn’t be simpler, as the note is A, the root of the key. But fueled by imagination, simplicity can create remarkably powerful statements.
Ex. 10
Easton has said he doesn’t improvise his solos, but instead works them out beforehand. Still, his playing is imbued with a sense of inspired spontaneity, as is the Cars’ music, some of which goes back almost 50 years. The hits still sound fresh, and, together with the deep cuts, they are a treasure of Easton’s guitar goodness.
I’ve always loved the unconventional technique of using two-handed tapping in a “chordal” way. In my younger years, I found myself utilizing it for the wow factor. As I matured in my musicianship, I began asking myself, “What is the practical application of this, and how can it be used in a more musical situation?” I began to use the technique as a way to expand solo/chord-melody guitar playing in the style of players such as Stanley Jordan and Victor Wooten. But that is a whole other ball game in terms of time, practice, and development.
As for how this can be used in a simpler and more typical situation, I found the rhythmic,
percussive, and chordal elements of this technique to be extremely fun and expansive when working with small groups such as duos, trios, and quartets. This is especially exciting when applying it to ethnic rhythms such as Latin, Anatolian, and Middle Eastern rhythms.
When I practice this, I think of two main things: left hand and right hand apart, and left hand and right hand together. I would say left and right hand apart is an easier starting point as it doesn’t require the same coordination. I generally like to utilize root, fifth, and octave with the left hand, and extensions like thirds and sevenths with the right hand as they are the color tones.
Explanation of tabs: Below each column of the noted tab, I use the letter R to indicate right hand and L to indicate left hand. They are stacked in a way that represents the tabs. For example, if you see the letter L all the way at the bottom and the letter R on top of that, that would mean your left hand is tapping the lower note while your right hand is tapping the higher note.
Let’s start off with a straightforward syncopated rhythm that focuses on the left and right hand playing apart from each other.
Ex. 1
Ex. 1: Left hand and right hand apart. This example creates a typical 3+3+2 rhythm by playing two individual notes on the left hand, followed by two notes together (two-note combo) on the right hand, repeat, then finish with one note on the left hand and one combo on the right hand.
Ex. 2
Ex. 2: This is the same rhythm and pattern as the first example, but we begin to have some melodic movement in the right hand.
Ex. 3
Ex. 3: Left hand and right hand begin playing together. This example has a bit of a Latin flavor and the juxtaposition of strong down beats in the left hand and syncopations in the right hand creates a cool effect.
Ex. 4
Ex. 4: This is the same rhythm and pattern as Ex. 3 but we have some movement with the extensions of the chords.
Ex. 5
Ex. 5: This example begins to incorporate sliding in the right hand. Whenever I present a new technique, I simplify the overall example to focus on the new technique.
Ex. 6
Ex. 6: This is a standard progression based on the first eight measures of “Blue Bossa.” Clearly, I like minor keys. This example demonstrates more bassline movement with the left hand and application of the style over a longer chord progression. We are keeping the left hand and right hand apart to ease into a busier left hand.
Ex. 7
Ex. 7: This example utilizes all the prior concepts, including slides in the right hand, hammer-ons and pull-offs between the two hands, both hands together, and both hands apart.
I hope these examples help with getting started on some basic—and some not-so-basic—tapping
techniques while playing something that sounds musical and usable.
Tom Bukovac is not a guitar player. Well, technically, he is—but more so, he’s a musician who plays guitar. He’s someone who always strives to make the best musical choice above all else. Bukovac, a first-call Nashville session guitarist and four-time winner of the Academy of Country Music Guitar Player of the Year award, has played on over 1,200 sessions for artists such as Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and Sheryl Crow, while also being called upon to tour with heavyweights like Joe Walsh and Vince Gill.
Bukovac has gained legions of fans via his YouTube channel (@501chorusecho) where he regularly posts his Homeskoolin’ lessons. There, he imparts nuggets of musical wisdom with humor via extended segments of playing, proving him to be a seemingly endless font of creativity—with a killer collection of guitars.
His latest release is 2024’s In Stereo, an album of original music he co-headlines with fellow Nashville session wizard Guthrie Trapp.
Chords Are the Key
One of Bukovac’s superpowers is his profound understanding of chords, which informs both his lead and rhythm playing. Watch how he uses organ-style voicings to play through a blues in G.
Ex. 1 is inspired by his playing here. While he’s thinking G7 for the entirety of the first four bars, note how he employs various three-note chord fragments, including F and C triads—but not to create a chord change. Think of it more as splashing various “colors” over these four bars of G7. For example, the F triad (F–A–C) brings the b7 (F), 9 (A) and 11 (C). These first three examples are played fingerstyle.
Ex. 1
Bukovac often plays solo in his videos. But even when he’s improvising with single notes, he often deftly uses his fret-hand thumb (usually) to play bass notes that imply the chords he’s hearing in his head. Here, he adds just a few subtle thumps to propel the rhythm as he solos.
Ex. 2 explores similar territory. Be sure to palm-mute the bass notes to keep them nice and punchy. Note your fret-hand thumb should fret all of the notes on the 6th string except the final one, where your 3rd finger is a better choice.
Ex. 2
Bukovac is an encyclopedia of chord voicings, and he is remarkably musical in how he composes with them. This video is over seven minutes of inspired, beautiful music. There’s so much here to explore, even if you just randomly skip around.
Ex. 3 is a variation on his intro here—just simple seventh chords, but voiced in a unique way. Note how the melody clearly sings out, being so far from the accompaniment. There are no thirds in any of these chords; you can alternately think of them as power chords with melody notes on top.
Ex. 3
Grab Yer Pick
Bukovac is equally skilled using a pick. In this video, he’s employing hybrid picking—alternately or simultaneously using the pick and fingers.
Ex. 4 begins in the key of E, then borrows from E minor for the final two chords. In measure three, fret the down-stemmed notes with your middle finger, executing the slides with your pinky.
Ex. 4
Now, for something completely different, as Bukovac’s got a wide range of styles in his bag, here he shows his country-style pickin’ prowess.
Throughout his solo, over F7 throughout, Bukovac again keeps things interesting, here by employing different textures. Played with your pick, Ex. 5 travels from triads to dyads to single notes, ending with some death-defying open-string pull-offs. Be sure to pick close to the bridge for those to give ’em extra bite, and don’t forget the slapback echo.
Ex. 5
In the first two bars of the previous example, Bukovac uses Dm and Cm triads over F7. Let’s use some Bukovac-style creativity to see how we can take this knowledge a step further. You likely already know that, when soloing, you can use the D minor pentatonic scale (D–F–G–A–C) over F7 — remember it’s the same as F major pentatonic (F–G–A–C–D). But how about using the C minor pentatonic scale (C–Eb–F–G–Bb) over F7? The rule of thumb is you can play the minor pentatonic scale a fifth above the root of a dominant seventh chord. Ex. 6 demonstrates with a Bukovac-style lick. Note that the C minor pentatonic scale brings into play the F7 chord’s 5 (C), b7 (Eb), root (F) and 9 (G). The phrase colorfully touches upon C Dorian (C–D–Eb–F–G–A–B) by including an A, the 3 of F7 at the end of bar 1, as well as a D, its 13, at the end of bar 2.
Ex. 6
Bukovac is especially expressive in the way he bends. In this video, he’s executing two half-step bends simultaneously, using the pick.
Ex. 7 is a similar phrase, and, of course, these bends need to be in tune. If this proves to be challenging, the thing to do is simply slow things down. Bend by turning your wrist only, keeping your fingers stationery as it turns. If that doesn’t feel comfortable, try pulling both strings towards the floor. Tricky….
Ex. 7
Next, over the same groove, Bukovac uses his pick-hand index and middle fingers to create a melody over an open D-string drone. Ex. 8 explores similar territory; execute the final bend by pulling the 3rd string towards the floor to allow the open 4th string to continue to ring.
Ex. 8
Practice Creativity
Like so many of his longer videos, here, Bukovac—off the top of his head—continually finds new musical ideas, taking time to explore each one.
Ex. 9 is based on another idea from the same video. Note the final two examples are played with the pick.
Ex. 9
As Bukovac does, let’s create a couple of simple variations on Ex. 9,as demonstrated in Ex. 10.
Ex. 10
Finally, inspired by Bukovac’s creativity, try exploring your own by simply taking time to fool around with the previous two examples. Don’t think too much. Just start playing, and you’ll undoubtedly discover some brand-new ideas of your own.
