
Don't be scared of diminished scales.
Advanced
Intermediate
⢠Understand the mechanics of the half-whole diminished scale.
⢠Use basic triads to break from the fear of symmetrical sounds.
⢠Learn how to use bebop phrasing with wide intervallic leaps.
It's nearly impossible to improvise over a tune without hitting a dominant chord. They are ubiquitous in rock, pop, jazz, country, and nearly every other type of Western music. I'm sure you've heard the phrase about how all music is based around tension and release? Well, I want to teach out how to make the tension cooler and the release more musically satisfying.
Instead of walking through basic 7th chord arpeggios, which have their place, I want to investigate the half-whole diminished scale and the four major triads that are inside it. We can all get our head around triads, right? Let's start with a quick review of the half-whole diminished scale.
The half-whole diminished scale is a symmetrical scale created by alternating half- and whole-steps, which creates an eight-note scale. In C this would be CāDbāEbāF#āGāAāBb. The other defining factor is thatāmuch like diminished chordsāthis scale repeats every minor third. In other words, the C, Eb, Gb, and A half-whole diminished scales all contain the exact same notes. Not coincidentally, those four notes also outline the major triads included in the scale.
Because of the symmetrical nature of the scale and the fact that it repeats itself, there are a total of three half-whole diminished scales: C (which is the same as Eb, Gb, and A), Db (which is the same as E, G, and Bb) and D (which is the same as F, Ab, and B). In essence, once you've learned all three scales and have gained a strong sense of how this scale sounds, you will able to apply it to any dominant 7 chord from any root.
Why Not Just Play the Scale?
Great question. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with using scales to improvise, I find that isolating and combining the major triads in the scale can provide a fresh perspective and distinct color when playing over dominant chords. It gets me away from familiar sounds and patterns. Using the triads in combination creates a strong dominant sound that's begging to resolve, while also often sounding mysterious and far less like you're just running up and down the scale.
Diminished Resolutions
In the following examples we'll be looking at how to use major triads from the diminished scale in combinations of two to four and hear how they resolve to major chords, minor chords, and other dominant chords. Worth noting is that for most of the examples we'll be using the G, Bb, Db, E major triads to resolve to some sort of C, Eb, Gb, or A chord. The reason we're able to do that is because the scale repeats in minor thirds. Therefore, G7 can be treated the same as Bb7 (and can resolve to any type of Eb chord), which can be treated the same as Db7 (and can resolve to any type of Gb chord), which can treated the same as E7 (and can resolve to any type of A chord). Let's get started!
Feel free to learn these examples using positions and fingerings that feel comfortable to you. As long as you're paying attention to the quality of your sound and playing the lines with a strong sense of rhythm and phrasing, there is no single "right" place to play these on the guitar. The tabs are merely a suggestion.
We'll start off simply in Ex. 1 with a IIm-V7āI in the key of C. On the Dm7 chord we have a line essentially constructed around the arpeggio with a bebop sensibility. Once we arrive at the G7 chord, notice that while there is no major triad played in its entirety sequentially, the line is constructed using the notes of a Bb major triad and a Db major triad. As we resolve to Cmaj7, there is a slight suspension of the #5 (G#) that quickly resolves to the natural 5 (G).
Dominant Chord Domination Ex. 1
In Ex. 2 we clearly outline and connect a C triad to a Gb triad over the A7 chord resolving to Dm7. This time on the G7 chord we use the two other major triads from the scale that we did not use in Ex. 1: E and G. In this measure the E triad is played in its entirety in 2nd inversion and for the last two beats we use a combination of notes from the E and G triads resolving to the 7 (B) on the Cmaj7 chord.
Dominant Domination Ex. 2
Ex. 3 changes key, this time playing over a IIm7āV7āI resolving to Ebm6. Notice that we're able to draw from the same pool of triads for Bb7 as we did for G7. We're still using two major triads on the dominant chords, this time E and Bb, resolving to the natural 6 (C) of the Ebm6 chord.
Dominant Domination Ex. 3
Next, we get a chance to hear the other two triads (G and Db) played over the Bb7 chord, this time resolving to Ebmaj7 instead of Ebm6 (Ex. 4). It's worth noting how well this dominant sound can resolve to both major and minor chord qualities. Here, we also begin to break things up with eighth-note triplets and larger intervallic leaps.
Dominant Domination Ex. 4
Ex. 5 gives us our first chance to hear a dominant chord moving to another dominant chord before resolving to the I chord. Pro tip: You can change any IIm chord to a dominant chord to create a half-step move to the V7. On the D7 chord we hear a syncopated Ab triad followed by a B triad with a D natural leading into it (the note is not outside of the chord, but in this instance still functions like an approach note). Next, the line combines the notes of an E and Db triad on the Db7 chord, finally resolving to Gbmaj7 with a line built around seconds and fourths and highlighting the #11 (C).
Dominant Domination Ex. 5
In Ex. 6 we have a similar progression to the one in in Ex. 5, but this time each dominant chord is two measures long instead of one and we resolve to a minor chord instead of a major chord. Because of the longer duration of the dominant chords, we're able to utilize all four major triads on each dominant chord (F, B, D, and Ab on B7; G, E, Db, and Bb on Bb7).
Dominant Domination Ex. 6
This one tackles a tricky part of George Shearing's song "Conception" using our triadic approach on the quickly descending dominant chords (Ex. 7). I find this approach helpful on this type of progression in terms of playing a line where the trajectory moves independently from the downward direction of the chord movement. In this example we get into some more challenging rhythmic phrasing and generally use only one major triad on each dominant chord.
Dominant Domination Ex. 7
Finally in Ex. 8 we see an often-encountered progression where the root motion is VāI from beginning to end. Here, we are back to using two triads per dominant chord (but this time with some approach notes) mixed with a strong bebop sensibility.
Dominant Domination Ex. 8
As you can see, the diminished chord gets a bad rap for being overly complicated and too pattern based. By thinking of more melodic fragments (triads!) you can tackle more difficult harmonies with ease and give your lines a fresh perspective.
For the first time ever, two guitar greats, John 5 and Richie Kotzen will be heading out on the road this year. The tour will launch October 16 and run through November, hitting markets across the U.S.
Find the full tour itinerary right plus a link for tickets & VIP, including additional dates featuring John 5 only. Reserved seating tickets will go on sale Friday May 16 though a fan presale will begin today at noon local time and fans are strongly encouraged to buy early to get the best seats.
Meet and Greets for both artists will be available. For John 5 please go to: https://john5store.com/collections/vip.
Today, John 5 also announces more details of his anticipated new album. Called The Ghost, it will be released October 10 and is led by the new track āFiend,ā featuring Kenny Aronoff.
John 5 continues running public tours this month for his Knights In Satanās Service Museum of KISS Memorabilia in Los Angeles, California. Guided tours are open to the public for one month only (with a possible expansion). Current dates available are May 12-16, May 19-23 and May 27-30. Each will be led by John 5 himself who will provide tons of rich detail and answer any questions. Secure your place HERE.
JOHN 5 continues to tour with Mötley Crüe including an upcoming residency in Las Vegas in 2025.RICHIE KOTZEN &
JOHN 5 FALL 2025 TOUR
October 16 El Cajon, CA @ Magnolia
October 17 Riverside, CA @ Fox Performing Arts
October 18 Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post
October 19 San Jose, CA @ The Ritz
October 21 Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre
October 22 Albuquerque, NM @ KiMo Theatre
October 24 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
October 25 Leander, TX @ The Haute Spot
October 27 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
October 28 Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
October 29 Nashville, TN @ Fogg Street Lawn Club
October 30 Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
October 31 Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
November 1 Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
November 2 Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre
November 4 Richmond, VA @ The National
November 5 Leesburg, VA @ Tally Ho Theater
November 6 Patchogue, NY @ Patchogue Theatre
November 11 Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
November 12 Derry, NH @ Tupelo Music Hall
November 13 Foxborough, MA @ Six String Grill & Stage
November 14 Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater
November 15 Lorain, OH @ Lorain Palace Theatre
November 16 Columbus, OH @ The King Of Clubs
November 17 Warrendale, PA @ Jergels
November 19 Wyandotte, MI @ District 142
November 20 Flint, MI @ The Machine Shop
November 21 Fort Wayne, IN @ Piereās
November 22 St. Charles, IL @ Arcada Theatre
November 23 Belvidere, IL @ Apollo Theatre
November 25 Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
November 29 Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet's*
*John 5 only
Classic counterpoint techniques that work for surf.
Intermediate
Intermediate
⢠Learn some time-honored guidelines of classical composition.
⢠Apply revered rules to more modern styles.
⢠Create interesting and complex surf lines.The term counterpoint scares many people who think it is a carefully devised process that strips you of creative freedom. This is partly true, because some individuals have pushed the practice of counterpoint as strict rules at some point without explaining its purpose. I disagree with the view that music theory is a rule. Counterpoint, like serialism or any other principle of harmony, is simply a recipe for an expected result. These music theory recipes are not baking recipes where exact measurements must be made; music theory is more like cooking, which is more malleable and open to in-the-moment modifications.
Species Counterpoint
Why was counterpoint invented? Counterpoint has two primary goals: first, to ensure parts are singable, and second, to keep each āvoiceā independent. Letās discuss the intervals aspect first. Some intervals are challenging to sing. Tritones, for instance, are not easy for even professional singers to hear and sing when sight reading. Even when time is spent with a piece, getting used to tritones takes a bit of digestion. (This is the main reason tritones were avoided for so long in music. Music was primarily vocal-based for quite some time, such as in 16th century Italian composer Giovanni Palestrinaās music. Carelessly placing tritones would make the music very difficult to sing.) With guitar, we donāt have to hear the notes before we play. We should, but itās not required (and sometimes thatās what gets us in trouble). The species counterpoint recipe is designed to avoid certain dissonant intervals that are not approached by step. In other words, we donāt jump to or from a dissonance.
When music changed and new instruments became available, the recipes of species counterpoint changed, which makes sense as the limitations of hearing a note werenāt as much of an issue. As baroque composer and theorist Johann Joseph Fuchs proposed, the series counterpoint method is a recipe that places us in a particular time in history. By understanding and using the recipe of series counterpoint, we can connect with the rich musical tradition of the past.
Independence
During this same period, one of the main ingredients of music was that each āvoiceā (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) was to remain independent. You should be able to hear the journey of each voice on its own. The recipes for counterpoint ensure we maintain independence. Playing two 5ths in succession or two octaves in succession sounds unified and thus makes us lose independence. Using counterpoint, we can ensure that we donāt weave in and out of independent and unified sounds. In the era of early counterpoint, say the Palestrina era, composers didnāt think in terms of a predetermined chord progression. They thought about each line and made sure they merged in harmony. The music was written horizontally to ensure the lines didnāt crash or lose independence. This is considerably different from how we often make music in the rock genres of the 20th century. Bach started incorporating the thought of a āverticalā chord progression. Even before the 20th century, the recipes for counterpoint had evolved. But the evolution didnāt make the earlier recipes irrelevant; it added more options to our recipe book.
Voice Leading
Another critical thing about counterpoint is the movement from one note to another. This is similar to the earlier discussion about intervals that are hard to sing. Voice leading is a crucial aspect of counterpoint. Itās the art of connecting one note to another, whether in a single line or with chords. It ensures that our musical lines flow smoothly, guiding the listenerās ear through the composition. Writing a herky-jerky line that jumps all over the place makes it hard to sing. The art of voice leading is writing lines to feel and sound like they unfold and take us on a ride, but not a ride on a road ridden with potholesāthink of a newly paved road on a highway. Counterpoint instills in us how to create even motion. So, when you want to create unrest and a feeling of a jerky experience, youāre applying intentionally.
Power of Suggestion
Counterpoint rules are not strict guidelines but rather flexible recipes or suggestions. Composers have always been free to write what they wanted (well, aside from political and religious oppression), using counterpoint to enhance their compositions, and many composers have experimented with expanding the counterpoint recipes. There are times when we need an expected result. This is when you can use tools to help you achieve that outcome. Although counterpoint was most popular in eras that have long since passed, it still holds significant value in our modern music industry. Its recipes, while evolving, continue to provide a solid foundation for contemporary music composition.
Broken Traditions
At some point, composers grew weary of the sounds they had heard for many years and started expanding. They stopped caring about losing the independence of voices and used parallel 5ths and octaves. Sometimes, they stopped caring about voice leading and wrote pointillistic music. Composers even started composing with noise (such as John Cage), or experimenting with electronic means of composition (Delia Derbyshire and Karlheinz Stockhausen). However, counterpoint still existed, and many of these composers, even though they strayed from some of the recipes, still deeply understood its structure, such as Arnold Schoenberg, who invented a system to avoid tonal harmony.
Lesson
I will give you more than just a dry recipe for species counterpoint in this lesson. Instead, Iāll focus on key elements that can be directly applied to your rock and pop compositions, making your music more dynamic and interesting. For each of these examples, I will live in the land of surf music, one of my favorite genres.
Imitation
In fugues, which are species counterpoint-based, we use something called imitation. Imagine we have two guitarists. Guitarist 1 plays a riff or melodic phrase, and then Guitarist 2 plays that same riff right after Guitarist 1 finishes. Guitar 2 is imitating Guitar 1. However, we can adjust the octave and pitches on which the imitation starts to add more variety to its performance.
For Ex. 1, I created a three-measure phrase for guitar 1 that I will imitate in measure two with Guitar 2. Guitar 2 is an exact copycat of Guitar 1, but they donāt play the part at the same time.
Ex. 2: For this example, I will drop the imitation for Guitar 2 an octave lower.
Ex. 3 is where the fun begins. As I mentioned earlier, we can start on different pitches for our imitation. If the theme (measures one through three) implies a key signature (weāre using the key of E minor for each of these examples to keep it simple), we can imply another key for the imitation but keep the same interval relationship and shape of the theme. We will outline the V chord (Bm) for measures four through six. The result is a conversation between two instruments that can move through a chord progression in a song or a couple of key centers for variety. We can use the same idea with guitar and bass or any other combination of instruments.
In counterpoint, we call the first riff or melodic phrase the ātheme.ā You may wonder what Guitar 1 is supposed to do while Guitar 2 (or in my recorded examples, bass) imitates the first riff. We have two options: One is to play freeāyou devise a harmony that works on top of the riff, but you donāt have to play this harmony on every imitation. Itās just an accompaniment that happens at that given time, as in Ex. 4a. Ex. 4b uses the same free accompaniment but moves bars four through six to B minor.
The second option is a countertheme. You can write a second riff that plays every time the imitation plays. The theme and countertheme are interconnected. They swap parts back and forth, as we see in Ex. 5a. Ex. 5b uses the same free accompaniment but moves bars four, five, and six to the key of B minor.
We already have a fruit-bearing tree. This technique prolongs material, using the same parts to lengthen and ornament the music youāre making. Johann Sebastian Bach was a master of this, and I highly recommend studying his music if you like imitation, canons, and fugues.
Consonance and Dissonance
Okay, now that you understand the basic concepts of imitation, theme, and countertheme, itās time to start digging deeper into the concepts of harmony and voice leading. For counterpoint, we have two categories for interval organization. Consonant intervals are unisons, 3rds, 5ths, 6ths, and octaves. We also have dissonant intervals, such as 2nds, 4ths, and 7ths. Ex. 6 features consonant intervals, Ex. 7, dissonant.
In counterpoint, we only use dissonant intervals step by step. We never jump into them or leave them by leap. Jumping into dissonances can be off-putting. Yes, there are times when you want that sound, but there is a difference between knowing how to use dissonance and using dissonance that isnāt working. Ex. 8 is an example of jumping into dissonance. Many guitarists donāt know how to deal with dissonance when soloing, and songwriters sometimes canāt hear poorly approached dissonance when writing melodies. I know ⦠it sure sounds like Iām talking about rules here! But really, itās about using tools to achieve a desired result or fixing issues rather than strict regulations.
Strong Beats
In classical music, beat 1 is the strongest in the bar, followed by beat 3, the second strongest. Beats 2 and 4 are the strong beats in jazz. We will focus on beat 1 as the strong beat right now. Itās generally essential that beat 1 of each measure is consonant. The recipe states not to use dissonance on strong beats. There is more tolerance for dissonance on weak beats (2 and 4).
This means we must have an overview of our lines and how they meet at each bar on beat 1 (and beat 3). Beats 1 and 3 should be consonant using a unison, 3rd, 5th, 6th, or octave. Using species counterpoint allows us to tell a functional harmony story more clearly, making the story more apparent to the listener.
The Dreaded Parallel Perfect Intervals
If your head isnāt already spinning, get ready. Earlier, I mentioned that we want to maintain independence with each line in the counterpoint. We donāt want to hear them collapse into each other. Unisons, perfect 5ths, and octaves are perfect intervals. They are the most unified-sounding intervals, which means you lose the most independence when using them. Using two back-to-back octaves is a parallel motion of a perfect interval. This means the lineās independence is wholly lost, which we want to avoid in counterpoint. For this reason, we avoid placing parallel perfect 5ths and octaves successive to each other and adjacent strong beats. Check out Ex. 9 to hear parallel octaves and Ex. 10 for parallel 5ths. Bear in mind, of course, that some genres and periods completely disregard this, such as minimalism.
Shapes of Things
We have most of the basics laid out, except one more topic regarding the independence of lines. We want to maintain the independence of the line with interval choice rather than the direction of each line. When we think of musical lines, we want each line to have its own journey but not unfavorably crash into the other. To achieve this, we want each line to have a different shape and follow each other in parallel motion. We have options for variety.
1. Parallel motion: Each line moves in the same direction with perfect intervals (Ex. 11).
2. Similar motion: Each line moves in the same direction with constant intervals (Ex. 12).
3. Oblique motion: When one voice stays in the same position, the other voice moves (Ex. 13).
4. Contrary motion: When both lines move in opposite directions, offering the most independence (Ex. 14).
The idea is to have a variety of shapes to maintain independence of direction.
Final Thoughts
I know this is a lot to take in. Studying counterpoint is no small task. But I hope that this introductory lesson into the concepts of counterpoint illuminates its power as both a creative tool and a troubleshooting device for composing and building solos. Understanding counterpoint means only sometimes considering it in the composition process. You can write as you always do, but if something doesnāt sound right, itās much easier and faster to diagnose and fix the problem. There are times when composing with counterpoint in mind can be a fantastic tool. Itās up to you to decide when to use the creative recipe.
Dive into the ART Tube MP/C with PG contributor Tom Butwin. Experience how this classic tube-driven preamp and compressor can add warmth and clarity to your sound. From studio recordings to re-amping and live stage applications, this time-tested design packs a ton of features for an affordable price.
Art Tube Mp Project Series Tube Microphone/Instrument Preamp
Designed in Rochester NY and originally released in 1995, the Tube MP is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025.
The Tube MP/C is the most fully-featured member of the Tube MP family, designed for recording guitarists and bassists. It is a tube mic preamp and instrument DI with advanced features including an optical compressor/limiter and switchable line/instrument output levels for use as a re-amping device.
Guitarist Scott Metzger and his Lollar P-90-loaded Creston T-style onstage with LaMP, next to organist Ray Paczkowski.
The guitarist, who splits his time between the groove-driven jam band supergroup and Joe Russoās Almost Dead, energizes the Tele vernacular on One of Us.
āNight after night playing next toDean Ween was really my foundation for learning what it means to be a lead guitarist, and how to do a gig, and the pacing of a gig, and a lot of things that I still consider really, really important lessons,ā says guitarist Scott Metzger. Heās thinking back to his formative years in the small town of New Hope, Pennsylvania, about 40 miles north of Philadelphia and across the river from his hometown of Lambertville, New Jersey. It was there, on the intimate, low-ceilinged stage at eclectic musical outpost John & Peterās, that the guitarist cut his teeth next to the Ween co-founderāreal name Mickey Melchiondoāas a member of Chris Harfordās Band of Changes, which Metzger joined at just 17 years old.
āThey treated me like a kid, man,ā he continues. āThey really put me through the paces. There was a lot of hazing, and there was some tough love on a lot of those nights.ā
Metzger estimates he left it all on the John & Peterās stage hundreds of times, forming an old-school style of musical apprenticeship that can be heard in his playing today, three decades later. In any of the improv-heavy settings where he tends to find himselfāsuch as his collaborative trio, LaMP, with members of the Trey Anastasio Band, the transformative Grateful Dead tribute Joe Russoās Almost Dead, or in freelance situationsāMetzger takes the patient and complementary approach of someone playing the long game. Heās a supportive and colorful collaborator who, to make a baseball analogy, always seems to have a good read on the musical ball, equally adept as a finely attuned rhythm player or commanding lead voice. For that, he offers a lot of credit to those early days.
Guitarist Scott Metzger and his Lollar P-90-loaded Creston T-style onstage with LaMP, next to organist Ray Paczkowski.
Photo by Andrew Blackstein
āI kept my mouth shut and my eyes open,ā Metzger explains, āand I learned what it takes to become a good, competent guitarist and what it means to have a distinct voiceāDean Ween has one of the most distinct lead guitar voices in rock ānā roll as far as Iām concerned. But not only that, also how to support a singer, and how to play a song, and when not to solo, which is just as important as knowing when to.ā
Metzger remembers his early teen years, learning tunes by the Ramonesāhis first concertāand Jerseyās own Misfits, and getting turned ontoHendrix bootlegs and Boredoms records at New Hopeās Now and Then shop. Later, Melchiondo expanded his psychedelic worldview, hipping him to P-Funkā specificallyEddie Hazelās guitar workāand theAllman Brothers.
Metzger at home in Brooklyn, surrounded by an inspiring array of gear and posters.
Photo by Andrew Blackstein
It wasnāt long until Metzger put all those early lessons to work on the road. At 19, he was playing with his experimental trio F-Hole at Princeton, New Jerseyās Small World coffee when Phish guitaristTrey Anastasio wandered in. āAs soon as we get done playing,ā Metzger recalls, āhe makes a beeline to me and basically started interrogating me about who I was listening to and what I was into gear wise and what kind of guitarists I was into. What I didn't realize was that he was basically auditioning me in real time to be in his friend Tom Marshall's band, who writes all the lyrics for Phish and was putting together a band at the time.ā
Metzger scored the gig with Marshallās Amfibian, playing sold-out shows on the road and opening him up to a whole new musical world. āI wasnāt that familiar with Phish at all,ā he points out. āBut I knew I liked being up in front of all those people and being able to just play all night. I was really kind of a focal point of the band, and that was my introduction to what is now considered the jam band scene.ā
Fast-forward to the present: Metzger is a formidable member of the jam scene. Heās led and collaborated on a host of projects, including WOLF!, with bassist Jon Shaw and drummer Taylor Floreth; the blazing country-swing trio Showdown Kids, with his wife, violinist Katie Jacoby, and guitarist Simon Kafka; and his resplendent, forward-thinking 2022 acoustic-focused solo record, Too Close to Reason. In 2013, he teamed up with his longtime pal drummer Joe Russo, along with guitarist Tom Hamilton Jr., bassist Dave Dreiwitz, and keyboardist Marco Benevento, in forming Joe Russoās Almost Dead. Colloquially known as JRAD, the group, in a sea of reverence, treats the Grateful Deadās songbook almost as if itās an edition of the Real Bookāthe shorthand jazz-standards tomeācracking open the large catalog and infusing their own voices with every improv-heavy performance.
Scott Metzgerās Gear
Guitars
- Creston T-style
- Ronin Songbird
Amps
- Headstrong Verbrovibe 1x15
- Victoria 35210
Effects
- Bearfoot Putting Green Compressor
- Benson Germanium Fuzz
- Paul Cochrane Timmy overdrive
- Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdrive
- Analog Man-modded MXR Phase 90
- Ibanez Analog Delay
- Keeley 30ms Double Tracker
- Benson Delay
- Wilson Wah pedal
- Line 6 DL4
- Voodoo Lab power supply
Strings and Picks
- DāAddario NYXL .011s
- Dunlop Prime Tone 1.0 mm
Being a part of a Dead tribute act was never part of Metzgerās plan. In fact, he says he wasnāt all that familiar with the bandās catalog. āI wasnāt sure I was the right guy for the band,ā he says. But with exploration and personal vocabulary so paramount in JRAD, Russo knew Metzger was the right guitarist for the job.
āYou have to be willing to get in there and do your thing and make your mark unapologetically,ā Metzger muses. āThat's something that's made us stand out in a world of bands that are playing those songs.ā
JRAD has developed a large, dedicated following, rising to the top of the Dead tribute scene. āThe size of the audience that we have is mind blowing,ā Metzger points out, āand the fact that the audiences are willing to go to the places musically with us that we take it, it almost feels like we're testing how much we can get away with a lot of the time.ā
Metzger and LaMP bandmates Paczkowski and drummer Russ Lawton. āThose two guys are kind of celebrities up in Burlington,ā he says, āso it's like doing a gig with the mayor or something.ā
Photo by David Gray
These days, JRAD makes up about half of Metzgerās current gig commitments, and LaMP fills the other. The trio was formed one night in 2018 at Burlington, Vermontās jam nexus Nectarās, when the guitarist joined forces with keyboardist Ray Paczkowski and drummer Russ Lawton, both longtime members of Trey Anastasioās solo band, who also work as the psych-funk duo Soul Monde. āRight off the bat, there was a chemistry that was going to work,ā Metzger recalls. āThose two guys are kind of celebrities up in Burlington, so itās like doing a gig with the mayor or something. The whole town came out to see us, the place was packed, and I think it was very clear to everybody there that night, including us, that it would be a crime not to do it again.ā
LaMP builds on the long history of the organ-trio tradition, referencing ā60s ensembles helmed by Grant Green and George Benson, the Metersā soulful funk, more modern jammers like Medeski, Martin & Woodāand most notably their late-night groove collabs with guitarist John Scofieldāas well as thrill-seeking, forward-leaning groups like John Abercrombieās Gateway Trio and Tony Williamsā Lifetime, all while embracing the spirit of rock ānā roll abandon. As unabashed and freewheeling as that might suggest, Metzger and company shoot for a tasteful sonic experience more than a barn-burning blast-off, and at the fore of the bandās sound is a shared improvisational language built upon close listening just as much as any influence. āThe real thing that weāre focusing on,ā Metzger shares, āis having a good feel, a group sound, and some catchy melodies. Those things are enough to carry the thing without having to worry about ripping some blazing solos every song.ā
This year, LaMP released One of Us, the follow-up to their self-titled 2020 debut. Itās filled with live-off-the-floor energy, or as Metzger puts it, āfresh tension.ā The mostly first and second takes heard on the record, with barely any overdubs, successfully capture the bandās collaborative heart, making One of Us a ferociously spirited listen from beginning to end. āI like records that are made really quickly on low budgets with the clock ticking,ā Metzger conveys. āYou can feel that a little bit on the record. Itās not too polished. It's like you can feel that itās three guys in a room playing together.ā
LaMPās One of Uscaptures the bandās effervescence with a set of mostly live-off-the-floor first and second takes.
Throughout One of Us, Metzger showcases his deep fluency in the Telecaster vernacular. With his Creston T-style, a chambered all-black affair loaded with Lollar P-90s, he slings lyrical licks that offer nods to the masters of the form, all the way back to the first Tele virtuoso, Jimmy Bryant through aces Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, Jim Campilongo, and Steve Cropperās deep pocket. (In JRAD, Metzger calls on a Ronin Songbird loaded with DeArmond gold-foils, but his vocab and approach remain much the same.)
Metzgerās take on the tradition is less virtuosic gunslinger than most of those maestros, instead favoring a more complementary approach with an ear toward supporting the group. To that end, he keeps his sound mostly on the cleaner end by reserving a load of potential sonic energy. āI crank the amp,ā he says, pointing out he prefers to set his comboāeither a Victoria 35210, a 2x10 Fender tweed Super copy, for LaMP, or a Headstrong Verbrovibe 1x15, a replica of a 1963 Fender Vibroverb, which he favors for JRADāto 7 or 8 so itās fully opened up. A self-described āminimalist pedal guy,ā he keeps four punch-packing pedalsāa Bearfoot Putting Green compressor, Benson Germanium Fuzz, Paul Cochrane Timmy, and an Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdriveāon at all times. As hairy as that may suggest, Metzger maintains clarity, he explains, by keeping his guitar volume set between just two and four. That means that when he wants, heās just a crank of the volume knob away from a wide-open, full-throated sound.
YouTube It
LaMP deliver the knotty mid-tempo groove of āJasperās Worldā from One of Us from a concert in fall 2024 at Bostonās Wilbur Theater.
His approach to pedals says much about Metzgerās playing style in general. Thereās always a load of possibility on reserve, and you can sense it. Heās not one to frequently lay sonic waste with a technical assault, but, rather, a massive map of potential musical avenues is perpetually close at hand, with his ear in the driverās seat.
Listen to Metzger in just about any situation, whether as a bandleader, bandmember, or just sitting in, and thereās an obvious musical set of ethics in placeāand itās probably been in effect since his early days at John & Peterās. The responsibilities are something like work hard, support others, be ready to deliver at all times, and, maybe above all, be yourself.
āI was told in no uncertain terms,ā he recalls, āthat the important thing about being a musician was to find your own thing. Youāve got to stand on your own feet. The ultimate goal that weāre all still working on is to sing our own song with our own voice.ā