Good Vibes
A hallmark of Ronsonās style is his unique vibrato, which could be so wide that at times it almost sounded more like a series of quick bends. But its quirkiness fit right in with the glam sensibility, and it always came across as musical. Ronson is possibly most well known for being a member of David Bowieās backing band, the Spiders from Mars, and his outro solo in Bowieās āMoonage Daydreamā from the classic album Ziggy Stardust is a prime example of his unique vibrato.
Letās look at Ex. 1, which puts the spotlight on a Ronson-style exaggerated vibrato coupled with bent notes. This can be a challenging technique, and the best way to execute it successfully is by starting with the traditional rock-style fretting-hand grip. With your fretting-hand thumb over the neck, rest the area between your thumb and index finger on the underside of the neck, creating a fulcrum point. Once youāve bent the string, quickly rotate your wrist back and forth. Be sure not to push the string with your fingers, as this wonāt provide as much strength and control as your wrist.
To fully emulate Ronson, be sure to bring swagger and confidence, like he always did. He brought a next-level intensity to Bowieās shows, as evidenced by the following video. Witness the havoc he wreaks with his delay at 3:54.
Bending Melodies
Ronson had a particularly keen sense of melody and could create interesting melodic lines to fit over both simple and more complex chord progressions. A great example is his hypnotic guitar melody in Bowieās āSuffragette City,ā also from Ziggy Stardust.
To execute the entire melody, Ronson never once moves his fretting hand. He simply manipulates a single note by bending it varying degrees to fit over the chords. As far as technique, itās best to use the same approach here as we did with vibrato, so as to have the most control over your bends. From a compositional standpoint, it can be helpful to be aware of the chord tones available, especially when dealing with a bit of an odd progression, like the one in Ex. 2. Here, the chord progression is: G (GāBāD), A (AāC#āE), G#m (G#āBāD#). We can think of this as IVāVā#IVm in the key of D (DāEāF#āGāAāBāC#) with the G#m chord being an odd, out-of-key choice. Looking at the chord tones, all are diatonic (in the key), with the exception of the G# and D# of the G#m chord.
Letās take a look at two approaches to creating a melody similar to Ronsonāsāone with not very much movementāover this sort of chord progression. First, when confronted with an out-of-key chord, such as our G#m, one approach is stress a note or notes which are out of key, as this can create an element of surprise. In measure three, the melody moves to D#, the fifth of G#m, which is out of key and works well here.
However, sometimes this approach can be jarring to the listener. The underlying chord is already out of key, and stressing one of the non-diatonic notes can prove to be a bit too much. In this case, a better choice is to find a note within the key which fits over the out-of-key chord. Now, this doesnāt have to be a chord tone, but here, the third of G#m (B), which is diatonic to our key of D can sound great, as demonstrated by this melody with almost no movement at all (Ex. 3). Note that for the G chord, the first note of the pair (B, the third) is a chord tone, whereas the second note (C#, the raised fourth) is not. Itās just the opposite for A chord: B is the second and C# is the third. After all, you donāt want to create cookie-cutter melodies, limiting yourself to chord tones alone. Always trust your ears and dare to try all sorts of options. But being aware of the chord tones can guide you through some tricky terrain.
Targeting the Third
In his work with Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), Ronson was sometimes called upon to dig into his bag of more traditional rock licks, but he always seemed to work his keen melodic sense into the mix as well. A great example is this live version of Hunterās āOnce Bitten, Twice Shyā from his 1975 self-titled debut solo album. Most rockers of the day would have leaned heavily on G minor pentatonic (GāBb-C-D-F) over this common rock progression (CāGāD), but Ronson takes a different approach, mixing straight-up rock ānā roll with creative melody-making.
Ex. 4 takes a similar approach to the identical chords, starting with a classic Chuck Berry lick, then veering into more melodic territory by using the G major scale (GāAāBāCāDāEāF#). Stressing the thirds of the G and D chords (B and D, respectively) creates a sweet-sounding contrast to the more bombastic musical background.
Letās try this ātargeting thirdsā approach with a different set of chords, as in Ex. 5. Here, weāre in the key of D, and over the chord progression DāFāG, weāre going to target the third of each chord ā F#, A, and B, respectively. Stressing the third will often result in satisfying melodies, though doing it too much will have your listeners feeling as if theyāve eaten too much candy. Also, note how the F chord (bIII) functions as a non-diatonic bridge from the I chord (D) to the IV chord (G). Choosing to play its third (A) is another example of how stressing an in-key note over an out-of-key chord can yield smooth melodies.
Classical Gas
During his time with Bowie, Ronson could never quite be sure what musical setting heād find himself in. āTime,ā from Bowieās 1973 release Aladdin Sane is a song with shades of Baroque music (think Bach), and in his solo, Ronson seamlessly adds lines that sound as if they could easily have been played by a classical trumpeter. First, enjoy David Bowie in his theatrically androgynous glory, as Ronsonās guitar emerges from behind his vocal. (Stay with it through the 4:00 mark!)
How does he accomplish this? He clearly draws from his classical music studies, but interestingly enough, itās not about the notes as much as it stems from the rhythms he chooses. Ex. 6 showcases simple lines, all within the key of C (CāDāEāFāGāAāB), relying on mostly steady eighth- or 16th-note rhythms to lend a strict classical feel. As they often do, the details matter here: For example, notes with a dot above are to played staccato, or short. To accomplish this, after striking the note, quickly lift your finger so it rests on the string, thereby deadening it. Incorporating this sort of articulation and the quick 32nd-note flourish in measure one, along with rock-style vibrato and the sly bend in measure four creates a mix of modern and classical flair that Ronson could effortlessly summon.
Nothing Fancy Required
Aside from occasional use of delay, Ronson plugged his trusty 1968 Gibson Les Paul directly into various amps, most often a Marshall Major 200-watt head. Always with an eye toward detail, he had the finish stripped from his guitar, as he felt it gave the instrument more resonance. Armed with his vast musical experience and an equal ability to be subtle or unbridled, his playing remained unpredictable, as he loomed large over the glam rock scene. Letās leave off with Ronson deftly weaving some melodic magic on the Bowie classic āSpace Oddity,ā of which the singer clearly approves.