BORROW DONT STEAL BY TOM YODER

BORROW DONT STEAL - arpeggio studies by Tom Yoder

AGW
DIGITAL
LESSON
S
tealing is easy to do. Making it work for an original sound is more difficult. Randy Rhodes did
a great job when he stole the chord progression from the first 16 measures of Leo Brouwers
(1939- ) Estudios Sencillos #6. He used it for the intro of Ozzys Diary of a Madman.
I confess, Ive also stolen. One of my more blatant rip-offs is the contrasting middle section
(starting at measure 44, 1:23 into the tune) of Zen Parked on Z from my CD, Eat This Its Safe.
It uses a right hand arpeggio pattern lifted directly from study #1 of the 12 studies by Heitor Villa-
Lobos (1881-1959).
Zen is in C Tuning: CGCGCE low to high
The arpeggio pattern is as follows: pipi pmia maim pipi. Its done with
a sixteenth note rhythm. The whole section (measures 44-77) uses this
pattern except for the quintuplet figure at measures 64 and 77. To
count a quintuplet I always use the word un-i-ver-si-ty. It helps me to
play the figure smoothly instead of lapsing into a three/two or
two/three feel. Say university as you play the figure. It works.
If you really
want to own
this arpeggio
pattern, I recommend tying a cloth
underneath the strings up by the nut
around the first and second frets. Then
sit in front of the television and play the pattern.
To play this arpeggio fluidly and make the top two strings ring strong, you will need to really dig
into the strings. Having that cloth tied underneath the strings will help you gain strength in your
right hand. The ama move in the middle of the pattern is tough to get loud and fast. But it is
essential that you do. It will take lots of practice.
Play slowly with a metronome to keep the pattern at an even pace. It is well worth your time. You
will end up much more coordinated and faster, and with a much bigger sound. By using a
different tuning and obviously different fingerings, Ive taken something someone else did
(not to mention a standard part of the guitar repertoire) and made it my own.
Both the Villa-Lobos 12 studies and Brouwers 20 Estudios Sencillos are great for fingerstyle
guitarist to study. It doesnt matter whether or not you want to play classical guitar. Working on
them will give you lots of ideas to build upon.
Pima picking
hand convention
p = thumb
i = index finger
m= middle finer
a= ring finger
Tom Yoder
Tom Yoder is a guitar instructor at Coastal Carolina
University The piece this lessons is based on Zen Parked
On Z is from his Eat This Its Safe CD which showcases
his phenomenal compositional and fingerstyle talents.
Yoder bears comparison with the likes of Hedges, Bensusan
and Kottke.
Visit Toms site at: www.tomyoder.net

AGW
DIGITAL
LESSON
PLEASE NOTE: On the mp3
this section comes in at
1 minute and 23 seconds
BORROW DONT STEAL BY TOM YODER
BORROW DONT STEAL
AGW
DIGITAL
LESSON
BORROW DONT STEAL BY TOM YODER