
Intermediate
Intermediate
- Learn the difference between diatonic and non-diatonic notes.
- Use dissonance to spice up your solos.
- Understand how scales, chords, and non-diatonic notes work together.
Why is it that when soloing some notes that seemingly shouldnāt work, do? And no, itās not jazz weāre talking about. So get ready to play some dissonant music that sounds wonderful.
Which Are the Wrong Notes?
For the purposes of this lesson, when weāre referring to āwrongā notes, what we honestly mean are ānon-diatonicā notesānotes that are not in the home key of the chord progression. For instance, in the key of C major we have the notes C-D-E-F-G-A-B and the chords C-Dm-Em-F-G-Am-BĀŗ. Thus, any notes not found in this collection are non-diatonic. As a result, this entire lesson will only use chords from the home key of C major, making the non-diatonic notes easier to identify. Respectively, Iāve also labeled the āwrongā notes as flats, even though sometimes they technically function as sharps.
Spice up Your II-Vs
When it comes to playing āwrongā notes, one of the best places to start is the old I-IV-V progression. While the tradition of the blues obviously fits into this category, Iām going to bypass that genre as there are plenty of other lessons focused on that idiom. Instead, Iām going to jump ahead to the bluesā babiesāthe first wave of rock and roll from the 1950s; its second wave, the British Invasion; the third wave of American garage rock; and ending with some rock/fusion.
Though I am skipping traditional blues, the chord progression in Ex. 1 is in fact a 12-bar, but without the traditional blues riff. In fact, this feel is more akin to Gene Vincentās āBe-Bop-a-Lula,ā and the note choices are based on Cliff Gallupās original solo.
To our 21st-century ears, most of this solo sounds normal, however, in the 1950s, many of these choices were radical to those raised on pop music. Thatās because this solo is full of non-diatonic notes, specifically the b7, b5, b3, and b2, all of which can be seen in the notation by looking for the flat symbols. For example, measure one starts on a Bb, aka b7, measure two has a Gb, aka b5, etc. So keep your eyes and ears open for these non-diatonic notes.
One important piece of theory information here: When labeling notes as b7, b5, etc. itās important to understand that these notes have two relationships, one to the overall key and one to each individual chord itās being played over. For instance, a Bb is a b7 in the key of C and over a C chord, yet over the F chord the Bb is a 4. Additionally, over the G chord, the Bbis a b3. This can seem confusing at first but just think of it as a familial relationship: A daughter to a mother can also be a sister to a brother. Itās that straightforward: same person, two different relationships.
Ex. 2 is based on another I-IV-V 1950s rock and roll classic, Buddy Hollyās āItās So Easy.ā It would be understandable to presume that this example is merely using the blues scale, but this isnāt true. What this solo, and the entire lesson, emphasizes is that itās the combination of both diatonic and non-diatonic notes that makes this lead so dynamic. Thus, this solo contains all 12 notes found in Western music! Even better, this solo also contains three so-called āquarter-stepā bends (measures five and seven), which are not normally acknowledged in the traditional Western chromatic scale. A solo with 15 different notes⦠Amazing!
Moving on to a British Invasion era sample, Ex.3 contains non-diatonic notes in both the lead and accompaniment. At this point, itās worth mentioning that many of the āwrongā notes are what we call chromatic passing tones, meaning we donāt spend a lot of time on these but pass through them on the way to diatonic notes. This can be seen and heard when the accompaniment moves from F to Gb to G, and throughout the solo. This lead also benefits from a ārhythmic motif,ā meaning that the rhythm of the lead is consistent throughout the first three measures, which brings cohesion to the solo, and feels satisfying when measure four, surprisingly, varies the rhythm. This example is loosely based on āThe Game of Loveā by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.
Ex. 4 is our final I-IV-V example, which was inspired by the McCoyās garage rock-era cover of āHang On Sloopy,ā featuring a young Rick Derringer on guitar. This lead is almost entirely composed of double-stops, combining both diatonic and non-diatonic notes.
Mixolydian Hybrid
Returning to the British Invasion, countless songs from that era employ chord progressions that emphasize the Mixolydian mode, which is to say that they revolve around, and resolve to the V chord, instead of resolving to the I. The Themās āGloriaā is a prime example. Hence Ex. 5, a Mixolydian hybridāthe progression is pure Mixolydian, the solo is not. While the original āGloriaā solo avoids non-diatonic notes, it does possess a rhythmic motif, which is a triplet figure comparable to the one in our example. As mentioned earlier, a rhythmic motif is a shrewd way to bring cohesion to a solo, even more so when using āwrongā notes. Ex. 5 abuses this privilege by running through a series of triplet groupings. Of particular interest are measures seven and eight, which contain a Db, which is extremely dissonant against the F and C chords yet still works wonderfully.
The Who also had their fair share of Mixolydian progressions (āI Canāt Explainā being perhaps the most famous) and Ex. 6 was inspired by their āRun Run Run,ā featuring a solo by a studio musician named Jimmy Page. Unlike Pageās solo, which is largely pentatonic, this lead accentuates the differences between the various diatonic and non-diatonic notes.
Our final example, Ex. 7, is another Mixolydian hybrid inspired by both Jeff Beckās āFreeway Jamā and Steely Danās āReelinā in the Years.ā Once again we enjoy plenty of chromatic passing tones, and also noteworthy is the Gb, in measure four that wants to resolve to G but instead goes to B; and final descending triplets, which, as wrong as many of them are, find structure in their symmetry.
While there are myriad worlds of āwrongā note genresā20th Century classical music, free jazz, art punk, etc.āthose are contexts in which wrong become ārightā by way of stylistic intent. This lesson has attempted to demonstrate wrong notes in more pedestrian situations, circumstances in which an otherwise ānormalā solo may be enhanced by spice, tension, and the unexpected. I hope youāll attempt some of these ideas the next time you find yourself in a classic rock, country, or even folk jamā¦because wrong notes are alright!
Ernie Ball, the worldās leading manufacturer of premium guitar strings and accessories, proudly announces the launch of the all-new Earthwood Bell Bronze acoustic guitar strings. Developed in close collaboration with Grammy Award-winning guitarist JohnMayer, Bell Bronze strings are engineered to meet Mayerās exacting performance standards, offering players a bold new voice for their acoustic guitars.Crafted using a proprietary alloy inspired by the metals traditionally found in bells and cymbals, Earthwood Bell Bronze strings deliver a uniquely rich, full-bodied tone with enhanced clarity, harmonic content, and projectionāmaking them the most sonically complex acoustic strings in the Ernie Ball lineup to date.
āEarthwood Bell Bronze strings are a giant leap forward in tone, playability, and durability. Theyāre great in any musical setting but really shine when played solo. Thereās an orchestral quality to them.ā -John Mayer
Product Features:
- Developed in collaboration with John Mayer
- Big, bold sound
- Inspired by alloys used for bells and cymbals
- Increased resonance with improved projection and sustain
- Patent-pending alloy unique to Ernie Ball stringsHow is Bell Bronze different?
- Richer and fuller sound than 80/20 and Phosphor Bronze without sounding dark
- Similar top end to 80/20 Bronze with richer low end than Phosphor Bronze
Milkmanās Jerry Garcia-style JG-40 combo.
Grateful Dead-inspired gear from Milkman and Scarlet Fire helps to keep the guitaristās sound alive.
Guitar players wanting to catch the Grateful Deadās particular lightning in a bottle exist along a spectrum. Some are content to take inspiration from Jerry Garciaās playing but make their own way regarding guitar choice and signal path. Others strive to emulate Garciaās sonic decisions down to the most minor details and create signal paths as close to Jerryās as possible. In recent years, an ecosystem of gear has developed around fostering Jerry Garciaās electric tone, including everything from guitars, amps, and stompboxes to on-board preamps and speakers.
Entire books about the Grateful Deadās gear have been written, so we canāt cover it all here. Garcia tinkered with all facets of his sound from about 1971 until 1978, when his signal path reached stability. By then, his On-Board Effects Loopāan innovation he developed to control how much signal reached his effectsāwas dialed in, his backline firm, and his choice of effects pedals solidified. Even then, adjustments were made, especially when MIDI arrived or when technology like in-ear monitoring was used. Here are some basics.
Scarlet Fireās recreation of Garciaās Wolf, originally built by Doug Irwin.
It starts with guitars. For players wanting to get their Jerry on, thereās a wide range of Garcia-esque instrumentsāwith just as wide a range of pricesāout there. Recreations of the Doug Irwin guitars and the Fender Alligator Strat abound. China-built models from companies likePhred Instruments can go for as little as $700 or so. Luthier Thomas Lieber apprenticed with Irwin long ago, and his Lieber Guitars will deliver a copy of a variety of Garcia models. Leo ElliottāsScarlet Fire Guitars out of Dallas, Texas, takes things in another direction. Elliott builds Doug Irwin replicas that start at $20,000 and go up from there, with a current wait time of about 18 months for an instrument. Heās outfitted many of the top Garcia guitarists today, including Tom Hamilton Jr. and Jeff Mattson. Elliott says, āIām a self-taught luthier; I didnāt really build my first guitar until 2010. I understood a little bit about woodworking before I got started, but I learned by reading books and through trial and error. I started building replicas of Doug Irwinās Wolf guitar right away, which is sort of like building a car and starting with a Ferrari. I didnāt know any better. Then, eventually I got to know Doug Irwin and collaborated with him. So, I got to hold Garciaās Tiger guitar and get to know it really well, and by 2015, I had built replicas of that guitar. Thereās one guy who helps me around the shop, but otherwise, I am building these guitars on my own. Iām collaborating with Doug Irwin on a new series of Tiger guitars, which will retail for 50 grand each.ā Thatās one way to get your Jerry going.
The JBL-inspired Milkman K-120.
Garciaās choice of amplifiers is another matter. He preferred Fender Twin Reverbs loaded with JBL Alnico speakers, which were popular amongst many rock bands in the 1970s. The details get complicated; Garciaās amps were heavily modified, and the Fender Twin served as a preamp that ran to a McIntosh MC-3500 power amp.
Itās hard to find vintage JBL speakers todayāat least ones in good shape. San Franciscoās Milkman Sound, founded by Tim Marcus, has created a faithful reproduction of those classic JBLsthey call the K-120. Theyāre coupling those speakers with a Garcia-style recreation of his Fender Twin that Marcus named the JG-40. āI think 75 percent of Jerryās tone is in the JBL speakers,ā Milkmanās founder says. āBut when you start to analyze the other 25 percent, you kind of have to start withDon Rich. [Editorās Note: Rich was the guitar player in Buck Owensā band, pioneers of the Bakersfield Sound.] Thatās Jerryās tone, too, but the difference is Garciaās midrange was a bit throatier. It sounds clean, but really, itās not clean at the same time. Especially his tone in the late ā70s. There is something about running that Fender Twin Reverb through the McIntosh that would just completely blow out the tone in a really interesting way.ā
Garcia colored his tone with off-the-shelf effects. This was, after all, long before the days of boutique pedals. By 1978 and beyond, youād hear him playing through an MXR Distortion+, an MXR Analog Delay, and an MXR Phase 100. He often used auto wahs, preferring the Musitronics Mu-Tron envelope filter as well as a Mu-Tron Octave Divider and a Mu-Tron combination volume and wah pedal.
When I asked Jeff Mattson, Bella Rayne, and Tom Hamilton Jr. exactly how orthodox they are about using the kind of gear that Garcia did, I got three different answers.
Mattson tells me that because Dark Star Orchestra is doing something very specific, he really has to tailor his sound as carefully to Garciaās as he can. āSome folks get too hung up on small things, like what kind of cable to use and things like that, and I donāt go that far. But itās important for Dark Star Orchestra to get Jerryās sound right because we are covering different eras and different shows. In 2022, for example, we went to Europe and recreated shows from the Deadās famous Europe ā72 tour, so you have to pay close attention to what kind of gear they were using to do that right.ā
Hamilton works differently. Heās always preferred a higher-gain signal than Garcia ever did, landing in more of a British or heavy metal tone. (Randy Rhoads was a big influence.) āIāve always approached it like, āWhatās the new information we can put into this thing?āā he says. āNot just recreate but pushing in a forward direction. And anytime Iāve played with the guys who played with Garcia back in the day, they always said to me, āYouāre here because youāre here. Donāt try and do what we did back in 1978 or do it because Garcia did it that way.ā Theyāve always encouraged me to be myself.ā
Bella Rayne is just wrapping her head around what it really means to try to sound like Garcia. āBesides Jerry, Iām influenced by guitarists like Dickey Betts and Derek Trucks, so my tone tends to be a bit heavier and bluesy,ā she explains. āIām generally running a Stratocaster through a Fender Twin Reverb. But recently, I was doing a show, and a buddy of mine set up a Jerry rig for me, and that was so cool: JBL speakers, McIntosh head, the whole setup. I had never played through one. I didnāt know what the hype was all about. I plugged in, and it was just amazing; there was such a snap, and I was really commanding the band. I can see myself keeping my current rig but adding a Dead-rig to experiment. But honestly, anything is fine; I am not picky. I just want to play the best that I can.ā
Brent Mason is, of course, on of the most recorded guitarists in history, who helped define the sound of most ā90s country superstars. So, whether you know it or not, youāve likely heard Masonās playing.
Professional transcriber Levi Clay has done the deepest of dives into Brent Masonās hotshot licks. At one point, he undertook the massive project of transcribing and sharing one of Masonās solos every day for 85 or so days. Mason is, of course, on of the most recorded guitarists in history, who helped define the sound of most ā90s country superstars. So, whether you know it or not, youāve likely heard Masonās playing. Levi shares the insight he gleaned from digging deep, and he tells us what it was like when they shared a stage last year. Plus, Levi plays us some great examples of Masonās playing.
PRS Guitars today launched five new three-pickup, 22-fret models across the S2 and SE series. The S2 Series release includes the S2 Special Semi-Hollow and S2 Studio, while the SE Series welcomes the SE Special Semi-Hollow, SE Studio, and SE Studio Standard.
āThe distinctive pickup configurations of these five guitars deliver a versatile tonal platform, whether youāre exploring subtle textures or pushing the envelope. The deep dive into our Narrowfield technology is obvious with this launch. With both the S2 models made in our Maryland factory and the SE models made in Indonesia, our goal has been to create guitars that will inspire you and spark creativity, all at an exceptional value,ā said PRS Guitars COO, Jack Higginbotham.
S2 Special Semi-Hollow
The PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow features a pair of 58/15 LT humbuckers in the bass and treble positions and a PRS Narrowfield in the middle. A 5-way blade switch and two mini-toggles allow players to tap the humbuckers, creating twelve distinct pickup combinations for sonic exploration. The carved maple top and mahogany back encompass a semi-hollow body that adds a natural airiness and depth to the guitarās tone while enhancing sustain.
S2 Studio
The PRS S2 Studio delivers a wide range of sonic possibilities through its distinctive single-single-hum configuration. Featuring two proprietary PRS Narrowfield pickups in the bass and middle positions and a 58/15 LT humbucker in the treble position, the S2 Studio offers a palette of sounds from single-coil clarity to vocal humbucker tones. This model also has a 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control.
SE Special Semi-Hollow
The PRS SE Special Semi-Hollow is designed with the versatility of a hum/āsingleā/hum setup, bringing PRSās Narrowfield DD pickup design to the SE Series in a classic maple-top guitar. The semi-hollow construction also enhances sustain and resonance, while the f-hole adds a classic aesthetic. The coil-tap switching system unlocks a wide range of tones through a pair of 58/15 LT āSā pickups in the bass and treble positions and a PRS Narrowfield DD āSā in the middle.
SE Studio
The PRS SE Studioās āsingleā/āsingleā/hum pickup configuration provides a wide range of tonal options. This combination of PRS Narrowfield DD āSā bass and middle pickups with a PRS 58/15 LT āSā treble humbucker offers humbucking warmth, single-coil sparkle, and everything in between. The 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control further enhance its versatility.
SE Studio Standard
The only bolt-on neck in this release group, the PRS SE Studio Standard brings the tone, playability, and versatility of the Studio model to the SE Series and into an all-mahogany design with a vintage-style pickguard aesthetic. At the heart of the SE Studio Standard is its versatile trio of pickups: an 58/15 LT āSā humbucker in the treble position with two Narrowfield DD āSā pickups in the middle and bass positions. The 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control allow for an array of pickup configurations.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year.