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GUITAR & BASS PRE-EQ PEDAL
 CON T EN TS
VOL. 38 | NO. 11 | NOVEMBER 2016

FEATURES Tim Commerford (left) and

Tom Morello at Studio 1444 in
Hollywood on July 21, 2016
38 PIXIES
For thirty years the Pixies have reigned
as one of Americas premier alt-rock acts.
Head Carrier, the bands latest, shows the
group stepping out of its comfort zone.

PROPHETS OF RAGE
44
In a time of political tumult, guitarist
Tom Morello assembled a supergroup
featuring members of Rage Against the
Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill...
and all hell cant stop them now.
54 MAKING OF A PROPHET
Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim
Commerford and Public Enemy MC
Chuck D rap about their new band.

60 GUITAR REVOLUTIONARIES
These 15 axslingers have used their talent and
celebrity to fight for causes, be it anti-war, anti-
censorship, womens rights, gun rights, animal
rights or the straight-edge lifestyle.

66 LESSON: 100 ESSENTIAL CHORDS

A guide to the most important fretboard
shapes for rhythm guitar playing.

DEPARTMENTS
TRANSCRIBED
Her Black Wings
16 WOODSHED 88. IK Multimedia iRig Acoustic interface

by Danzig
18 SOUNDING BOARD 90 COLUMNS
Letters, reader art and Defenders of the Faith 90. Wood Vibrations
PAGE
by Mike Dawes
104 21 TUNE-UPS 92. String Theory
Testament, Rival Sons, Stephen Stills, KT by Jimmy Brown
Tunstall, Lamb of God, Crown the Empire 94. School of Rock
Run to You
and Dear Guitar Hero with Devin Townsend by Joel Hoekstra
by Bryan Adams
96. Acoustic Nation
PAGE 79 SOUNDCHECK by Dale Turner
98. In Deep
108 79. Epiphone Masterbilt Century
by Andy Aledort
Collection acoustics
100. Thrash Course
82. Jackson Pro Series Soloist SL2Q
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by Dave Davidson
MAH electric
by John Mayer 102. Mic Check
84. Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay pedal
by Chris Gill
86. Ovation Elite Plus Contour Koa
PAGE
acoustic-electric
130 SHOP TALK
T R AV I S S H I N N

114 88. Bare Knuckle Pickups Impulse

Humbuckers Atlanta Vintage Guitars

COV E R P HOTO GR APH

14 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016 BY T R AV I S S HINN
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 WOODSHED
VOL. 38 | NO. 11 | NOVEMBER 2016

EDITORIAL
EXECUTIVE CONTENT DIRECTOR Jeff Kitts
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brad Angle
TECH EDITOR Paul Riario
ASSOCIATE EDITORS Andy Aledort, Richard Bienstock,

FACING THE MUSIC

Alan di Perna, Chris Gill
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Joe Bosso, Mike Dawes, Dan Epstein,
Randy Har ward, Eric Feldman, Joel Hoekstra, Dale Turner, Jon
Wiederhorn, Dave Davidson
SENIOR VIDEO PRODUCER Mark Nuez
ITS NOT UNCOMMON for the public to voice their
MUSIC
displeasure when a business makes changes to its prod- SENIOR MUSIC EDITOR Jimmy Brown
uct, and weve certainly had to face our share of reader MUSIC TRANSCRIPTIONIST Jeff Perrin
MUSIC ENGRAVER Patricia Corcoran
backlash over the years for various thingsfrankly, thats
just the nature of being a media company with a loyal ART
ART DIRECTOR Mixie von Bormann
fanbase. Normally I wouldnt take up this space to address such complaintsas many ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Tamara Lee
of you know, I often prefer to respond to you individually when you write inbut I ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Natalie Skopelja
will make an exception in this case. Because we hear youwe hear you loud and clear. ONLINE
MANAGING EDITOR Damian Fanelli
Recent issues have seen a drop in the number of songs transcribedand a spike in EDITORS Brad Angle, Jeff Kitts
letters being sent in and comments being posted on our Facebook page and other social
PRODUCTION
media feeds. We had been holding steady at four songs for a while, but now were at PRODUCTION MANAGER Nicole Schilling
three, and I want to explain what led to this decision. BUSINESS
Its simple economics, really. The truth is, transcribing and printing songs is a very VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER Bill Amstutz
bamstutz@nbmedia.com
costly part of our business. We pay thousands of dollars in licensing fees for every GROUP PUBLISHER Bob Ziltz
song we transcribe, plus the cost of generating the tablature and having the music bziltz@nbmedia.com
engraved by a special computer typesetter so that its in the format you see in our ADVERTISING DIRECTOR - WEST Jason Perl
646-723-5419, jason@guitar world.com
magazine. As much as we would like to give you five or six songs in every issue, the ADVERTISING DIRECTOR - EAST Scott Sciacca
fact is, its simply too expensive. 646-723-5478, scott@guitar world.com
ADVERTISING MANAGER Anna Blumenthal
There are other factors at work here too: mathematics being one of them. Every 646-723-5404, anna@guitar world.com
issue of pretty much any magazine on the market today has a predetermined number GROUP MARKETING DIRECTOR Stacy Thomas
646-723-5416, sthomas@nbmedia.com
of pages to work with, and were no different. We dont have the luxury of just adding
more pages to a given issue to fit more contentand if we increased our number of CONSUMER MARKETING
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Sheri Taubes
song pages in our current format, it would come at the expense of other pages in the FULFILLMENT COORDINATOR Ulises Cabrera
magazine: interviews, lessons, columns, gear reviews, departments, etc. Personally, I
would rather the magazine have a good balance of all our content every month, and if NEWBAY MEDIA CORPORATE
PRESIDENT & CEO Steve Palm
that means we can only fit three songs in order to achieve that balance, Im comfort- CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Paul Mastronardi
able with that. CONTROLLER Rick Ng
Listen friends, we always do our best for youevery month, year after year. We put VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING Bill Amstutz
VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL STRATEGY & OPERATIONS Robert Ames
our all into every issue, transcribing every song from scratch, trying to pick songs that VICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT & MARKETING Anthony Savona
havent been printed ad nauseam, supplementing our transcriptions with top-notch les- VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES Ray Vollmer
CORPORATE DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Meg Estevez
son content like this months 100 Essential Chords featurebut sometimes economics
interfere with the things we really want to do. Thats just business in 2016, folks. SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE: Guitar World Magazine
Customer Care, P.O. Box 469039, Escondido, CA 92046-9039
Were 36 years into this, which is a pretty impressive feat in this day and age of ONLINE: w w w.guitar world.com/customerser vice
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to persevere. LIST RENTAL: 914-925-2449, danny.grubert@lakegroupmedia.com
Jeff Kitts
REPRINTS AND PERMISSIONS: For article reprints and or e-prints,
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16 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

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 SOUNDI NG BOARD
Got something you want to say? EMAIL US AT: Soundingboard@GuitarWorld.com
Labor of Love
It was great to see Steve Vai on the
cover of Guitar World againand
just as nice to see former editor-
in-chief Brad Tolinski back in the
magazines pages. Brads interview
with Steve proved yet again that
Steve is one of the most genuine,
thoughtful and deep-thinking
musicians on earth. Most people
will agree that few guitarists can
compete on the level of Steve Vai
but as far as Im concerned, few
can compete with his intellect,
his understanding of the world
and the way he conducts himself
either. Harmon Rousehorn
Something in
a Plaid
The September issue featuring
Steve Vai on the cover just came
in the mail. The article by Chris
Gill on the history of Yamaha
was excellent, and it was great to
learn the companys history. I was
surprised, though, and Im sure
Im not the first to mention it, but
the article didnt include Blues
Saraceno and his plaid Yamaha
RGZ820R model guitar. When
I was real young and reading
your magazine those ads were
everywhere, and that Plaid album
SEND LETTERS TO: The Sounding Board, Guitar World, 28 East 28th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or email us at Soundingboard@guitarworld.com.
All subscription queries must be emailed to guitarworld@pcspublink.com. Please do not email the Sounding Board with subscription matters.
18 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
still rips! Anyway, continue the
fabulous work! Dave Martel
The Good
Fight
Kudos for the great article on the
history of Yamaha. The only com-
plaint I have is the omission of
Rik Emmett from Triumph as one
of the noted Yamaha endorsers.
Throughout most of the Eight-
ies, Rik played Yamaha guitars,
from the SGB series to the RGX
series. He is the reason I have my
Yamaha RGX612S, which is still
my favorite guitar to play. Rik
was always one of those amazing
guitar players that just never got
the recognition he was due. He is
still performing solo, duo and full
band shows all over the U.S. and
Canada, and he has gotten even
better with age. Kelly Shatzer
Runnin with
the Devils
Food
I retired from the U.S. military after
35 years of service. For my retire-
ment party I received an Eddie Van
Halen plaque, then we all ate an
EVH-themed cake! Kevin Webb
Angels
Advocate
Thank you for including the epic
player that is Death Angels Rob
Cavestany in your September plishments are many, his Bridge of
issue! I was particularly taken Sighs album is a classic, and he is
by his statements about players still a phenomenal guitarist today.
like Tony Iommi who, although Dale G.
not technical powerhouses, have
a unique way of playing and
sounding that is tough to truly
emulate. And Robs feelings that
Jazz It Up
Uli Jon Roth and Stevie Ray I know Im in the minority, but I
Vaughan are turbo-charged and cant be the only one. How about
a bit cleaner and more refined an occasional transcription by
in their interpretations of Jimi Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Bar-
Hendrix, Im so glad someone as ney Kessel, Pat Martino, Kenny
accomplished as Rob shares the Burrell or George Benson?
same view I have always had. Seth Okrend
David Elliott
Ink Spot
Out of the My tattoo artist has a knack for
Black turning movie characters, musi-
cians and everyday people into
I get it that Guitar World wants Lego characters. Since Stevie
to provide a spectrum of players Ray Vaughan has always been
and styles of music. With that my favorite ax slinger, I had him
said, its time for some intro- draw me up a Lego SRV.
spection guys. Just how many Dale Pettigrew
angry, tattooed, speed/thrash
bands do you need to throw at
us at the expense of learning
about timeless, incontrovertibly
talented players (insert Page,
Beck, Hendrix or any number
of others here)? These I wear
black so I must be edgy guys
need Prozac and a good record
collection, not more exposure in
GW. They come off as cartoonish
and ridiculous, and in 10 years
no one will give a damn about
their music. Chris Anderson
Rockin Robin
Im a longtime GW subscriber,
and after seeing all the rock stars
that you put on your covers, it
makes me wonder: will you ever
put Robin Trower on your cover?
Many people too young to know
GOT A TATTOO of your
favorite band or guitarist you want
dont realize that Robin pretty
much carried on the name of Jimi
to share with us? Send a photo of
your ink to soundingboard@guitar-
Hendrix for many years after world.com and maybe well print it
Jimis passing in 1970. His accom- or post it on our Facebook page!
 STAY CONNECTED WITH GUITAR WORLD ON &
AND GET THE LATEST GUITAR NEWS, INSIDER UPDATES, STAFF REPORTS AND MORE!

READER
ART
OF THE MONTH

If you created a
drawing, painting
or sketch of your
favorite guitarist
and would like
to see it in an
upcoming issue of
Guitar World, email
soundingboard@
guitarworld.com
with a scan of
the image!

J I MMY PAG E B Y K A I T LY N D A Z E GEDDY L EE B Y E D B R Y N I N G

DEFENDERS of the Faith

Lucy Baker Deron Brown Matt Normand

AGE 14
HOMETOWN Jeffersonville, KY
GUITAR Fender Mini Strat
SONGS IVE BEEN PLAYING Metallica
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Stephen Foster
My Old Kentucky Home
GEAR I MOST WANT Boss overdrive, wah
pedal
AGE 42
HOMETOWN Xenia, OH
GUITARS Ibanez RG550 The Joker,
RG570, RG540P, ART100 Spider-Man
and RG1570 Prestige; Fender Strat Ameri-
can Standard, Charvel San Dimas
SONGS IVE BEEN PLAYING The Aristo-
crats Bad Asteroid
GEAR I MOST WANT Ibanez JEM77 PMC
autographed by Paul Gilbert that I sold to
buy my wifes engagement ring.
AGE 41
HOMETOWN Livermore, CA
GUITARS EVH Wolfgang Stealth, Fender
Custom Stratocaster, Takamine G-Series
acoustic
SONGS IVE BEEN PLAYING Van Halen
Drop Dead Legs, Somebody Get Me a
Doctor and Panama, Ratt Lay It Down,
Ozzy Osbourne Bark at the Moon
GEAR I MOST WANT Charvel Jake E. Lee
Signature Model, EVH 5150 III combo

Are you a Defender of the Faith? Send a photo, along with your answers to the questions above,
to defendersofthefaith@guitarworld.com. And pray!

guitarworld.com 19
MyBeatBuddy.com
 TUNE-UPS
UPS
STEPHEN
STILLS
KT TUNSTALL LAMB OF GOD
26 28
24
Eric Peterson performing with
Testament at The Warfield in
San Francisco on March 23, 2016
Snake Guys
P E T E R S O N : M I I K K A S K A F FA R I / F I L M M A G I C / G E T T Y; TO W N S E N D : TO M H AW K I N S
FACED WITH LOGISTICAL
OBSTACLES AND CONFLICTING
SCHEDULES, GUITARIST ERIC
PETERSON ASSUMES CONTROL
TO MAKE THE FORTHCOMING
TESTAMENT ALBUM, THE
BROTHERHOOD OF THE SNAKE, A
REALITY.
By Jon Wiederhorn
TWO DAYS BEFORE Testament are
scheduled to headline a show at
AtlanticoLive in Rome, guitarist and
songwriter Eric Peterson is sitting in a
restaurant across from the Coliseum eating a
plate of spaghetti carbonara. As he twirls his
fork through the nest of noodles flavored
with bacon, cheese and flecks of black
CROWN THE
EMPIRE
PAUL GILBERT
32
30
pepper, he glances at the tableaux before
him and smiles.
Getting to do stuff like this is really
amazing, he marvels, then fills his mouth
with the creamy pasta. Even though weve
been back and forth to Europe so many
times I still love it over here.
As much as Testament have enjoyed
playing European festivals, being on the
road so much has been a double-edged
sword. As soon as theyve finished a tour
and gotten back home, most of the band
members delved into other projects, making
it impossible for everyone to collaborate on
the follow-up to 2012s Dark Roots of Earth.
Everyone in Testament wanted to do a new
album, but by the fall of 2015 Peterson real-
ized that the only way the record was going
to get written was if he did it himself.
Tkk
They were off doing other stuff, so I
went, Fuck, I gotta get this done, Peter-
son explains. So I grabbed the bull by the
DEVIN TOWNSEND I quit doing
Strapping Young
34
Lad because I
had no more gas
in that tank.
horns and just did it.
Surprisingly, Testaments 11th studio
album, The Brotherhood of the Snake, sounds
neither rushed nor incomplete. Like Dark
Roots of Earth, the songs are punchy and
multifaceted, incorporating a range of
musically diverse but complementary riffs
and strong, layered melodies. Cuts like the
title track, Centuries of Suffering and The
Number Game are faster and more aggres-
sive than anything the bands done over the
past eight yearsreminiscent, at times, of
the blinding thrash Testament played on
1987s The Legacy and 1988s The New Order.
Its got the energy and the hunger of
the early stuff but the character of our last
couple records, where weve learned a little
bit more about what were doing as song-
writers, Peterson says.
As fully realized as Brotherhood of the
Snake is, it was Petersons most challeng-
ing album to make. With Testament
guitarworld.com 21
 NEWS + NOTES
dates scheduled through the first half of
2016, Peterson was forced to write the
songs over several short stretches of down
time. At first, he was unhappy with what
he was coming up with. Then, around
Christmas 2015, he wrote the rhythmically
skewed The Pale King, which switches
between barreling riffs and ominous,
tuneful passages, ending with a majestic
solo, and the tide turned.
Once I did that song I knew I had
something solid and it gave me confi-
dence, he says. A lot of the best songs
came in January right before we toured
with Slayer.
Even with 10 songs to work with, Testa-
ment were under a serious time crunch;
their label needed the finished album by
July 10. On April 27, drummer Gene Hoglan
spent three weeks tracking drums at Trident
Studios in Martinez, California. Then, Peter-
son recorded guitars at his home studio in
Sacramento, using a Kemper profiling amp
modeled after his EVH 5150 III 50-watt
head. He blended the sounds of his custom
Dean Flying V and a Les Paul and recorded
them DI, so they could be reamped later
by engineer Andy Sneap. While Peterson
worked on his parts, Skolnick assembled
22 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
(front, from left) Chuck Billy and
Steve DiGiorgio (back, from left)
Gene Hoglan, Alex Skolnick
and Peterson
leads at his studio in Brooklyn.
It was so crazy because Alex had some
demos, but he didnt hear the final songs
until he was recording on them, Peterson
says. But weve been doing this so long, I
know what he likes to solo over and I was
able to get him stuff he was happy with.
Brotherhood of the Snake was mostly
recorded by the beginning of the sum-
mer, when Testament headed out to play
European festivals. While they were tour-
ing, Sneap mixed the songs at Backstage
Studios in Derbyshire, England. On June
24, the morning after the band played a
concert at a bowling alley in London, the
members traveled to Sneaps place, where
Peterson tweaked some off-key guitars
and Skolnick added some extra fills.
When Peterson returned home on July
2, he had a 10-day break before Testament
headed back to Europe. He spent three
all-nighters recording four bluesy, melodic
solos, then he sent his revisions to Sneap,
who blended them into the final mix.
The odds seemed so against us to get
it done in time, Peterson says. I would
never want to do another album like that,
but for some reason the universe just let
it happen and it came out great.
PLAYLIST
SCOTT HOLIDAY
RIVAL SONS
1
Slow Jam 1
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
A great band from Australia. Im a garage/
psych junkie, and these guys really know
what theyre doing. Nailing it.
2
Necessary Evil
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
This is like the love child of Jan Hammer
and Prince meets Abstract Workshop.
Tones, groove/funk, and dig the smart
major/minor stuff all over the place.
3
Drowned My Life in Fear
Leaf Hound
Growers of Mushroom is a super cool
record. Early incarnations of the band
included [guitarist] Paul Kossoff and [drum-
mer] Simon Kirke, who left to form Free,
and Rod Price, who left to form Foghat.
4
Sunday
Iggy Pop
Aligning Iggy with this backing band led by
Josh Homme is one for the history books.
The whole record, [2016s] Post Pop De-
pression, is out of this world. Easily one of
T E S TA M E N T: S T E P H A N I E C A B R A L ; H O L I D AY: R O S S H A L F I N
the best things to come out this year.
5
Elevated Man
Goatsnake
This whole record, [2015s] Black Age
Blues, is pretty darn perfect. Cant say
Ive ever heard something quite this
heavy meshed with harp lines, soul sista
backgrounds and an undeniable soulful
swagger.
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 NEWS + NOTES
20 Questions with
Stephen Stills
By Corbin Reiff
S
TEPHEN STILLSbest known for his work with Buffalo Springfield,
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and more recently the Rides, his group with
Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Barry Goldbergis undeniably prolific. But as
the following email interview shows, its safe to say that the 71-year-old rock
legend prefers to let the music do the talking.
If your house was on fire and you
could only carry out one guitar and
one amplifier with you, what would
you pick?
Youre sick. My kid first, then a 54 Strat
and a 58 Twin Reverb.
What is your favorite non-standard
guitar tuning to mess around with?
Drop D.
Can you describe your process for
writing new songs?
Turn off my radio and drive.
Who has been your greatest influence
as a guitar player? Who were you
listening to that helped you develop
your own signature style?
Doc Watson, T-Bone Walker and Chuck
Berry.
You just put out your second record
with the Rides. What do you enjoy
most about creating music with Kenny
Wayne Shepherd and Barry Goldberg?
24 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
No stress.
How different was it making this sec-
ond album versus the first?
It was the same, other than mixing it took
a lot longer.
Whats the best concert youve ever
seen as a spectator and whats the
best concert youve ever participated
in as an entertainer and why?
Ray Charles years ago and the show I did
with the Rides, night before last.
Whats the current status of CSN? Are
you still cool with Graham Nash and
David Crosby?
Ask Ann Landers.
Do you think the recordings of the
CSNY shows from the Fillmore East
in 70 and 71 will ever be released?
Some say those were the best concerts
ever performed in that building.
If you like seafood, up close it was a clam
fest.
What do you remember about the
Fillmore East and Bill Graham?
Bill Graham gossiping about other bands.
When fans approach you, what song
of yours do they most often cite as be-
ing their favorite?
No answer
What music are you listening to these
days around the house and in the car?
Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
You still kick around with Neil Young
from time to time and hes set to play
your annual Autism Speaks Benefit
Concert. Can you talk about your
chemistry together? Do you see work-
ing with him on any projects in the
future?
Its never changed.
What are your thoughts about upcom-
ing mega festival Desert Trip featur-
ing some of your contemporaries, the
Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Neil
Young and Bob Dylan?
Of course I would have liked to been
invited. Im only human.
What was it like to jam with Jimi
Hendrix?
Think of something new to ask!
Who is someone that youve long
wanted to collaborate or write music
with, but havent had the opportunity?
Jeff Beck.
Whats the status of your upcoming
autobiography?
Scattered, but in progress!
Whats next for you after the Rides
tour is up? Any plans for a solo al-
bum?
I dont really ever know; there are no
plans for a solo album.
What advice would you give to
budding musicians trying to break
through or make a living in todays
musical climate?
Stay in the moment when youre up there
onstage.
ELEANOR STILLS
Can you elaborate on your memories
of the concert you performed with
CSNY at Seattle in 1974 to kick off
that tour?
No.
 NEWS + NOTES

KT Tunstall
TWO YEARS AGO award-winning
Scottish guitarist and singer/
songwriter KT Tunstall was ready to walk
THE SCOTTISH GUITARIST GETS HER GROOVE BACK WITH HER SIXTH away from her music career. She put all of
RELEASE, KIN. her stuff in storage, moved to Venice,
California, and enrolled in the Sundance
By Laura B. Whitmore
Institutes elite Film Composers Lab. I
was so burnt out, she reveals, I just
didnt want to do it anymore.
But while she may have been done
with music, music wasnt done with her.
It didnt last very long, she admits.
But I really felt like I just didnt want
to be defined by music anymore. I even
thought, if I was in some sort of horrible
accident and lost my voice or the use of
my hands, who am I without the music? I
didnt know.
As it turns out, L.A. held the answer.
Id drive through the canyons and listen
to classic Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty
and Neil Young, plus psychedelic stuff
like Tame Impala, Django Django and De-
vendra Banhart. And I just started writing
these songs. At first I didnt pay much
attention. But then the choruses started
coming and they were really pesky, mus-
cular choruses. And I thought it would be
foolish to ignore them.
The result is KIN, a meaty synthesis of
experimental and classic songs due out
September 9. Produced by Tony Hoffer
(Beck, Fitz and the Tantrums, Air, M83
and more), and written and recorded by
KT in L.A., KIN spans the gamut from
primal rock and roll to effervescent
acoustic pop.
The album also includes a collabora-
tion with James Bay, Two Way, which
is an urgent plea for give and take that
perfectly melds these two talents. Hes a
force of nature, Tunstall enthuses. Hes
really upped my game and I find it very
inspiring to work with him.
Other highlights include the boister-
ous It Took Me So Long to Get Here, But
Here I Am, Run on Home, the driving
and sassy Hard Girls, and the sweeping
album closer, Love Is an Ocean.
Tunstall launched into the spotlight
in 2004 when her first release, Eye to
the Telescope, spawned the hits Black
Horse and the Cherry Tree, Suddenly
I See, Other Side of the World and
others. With KIN, her sixth studio album,
the guitarist feels shes finally written a
follow-up to that premiere. It feels in a
weird way that its taken me three records
TO M OX L E Y

to write my second album, she says with

a laugh. Ive naturally gravitated back to
these big, muscular pop songs, which I
think is probably what I do best.

26 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 SETLIST

MARK MORTON OF LAMB OF GOD

VENUE: Brady Theater DATE: May 5, 2016 LOCATION: Tulsa, OK

Interview by GREG RENOFF

WALK WITH ME IN HELL

Its consistently one of my favor-
ite ones in the set. It was probably
the first song in our catalog that
represented all of the things we
do as a band coming together as
one piece. Thereve been other 512
Lamb of God songs in that same When were at our best, were
vein since then, but it was the first putting a handful of different ele-
one that signified us hitting our ments that you dont always find
stride as a band. So Ive always together into one song. All the
been really proud of that song. different types of metal that we
conglomerate into our sound can
be found in it.

STILL ECHOES
When we do a new
album, we always NOW
want to represent it YOUVE GOT
live. But Sturm und SOMETHING TO
Drang is our sev- DIE FOR
enth, so its always Its a mainstay for
a challenge to think us. Its got a big hook
about how much in it and its a good
new stuff can we one for audience
sneak into the set participation. Its
without people feel- been sticking around
ing like weve left in the set pretty
something out that much since its incep-
they really wanted tion. That one is
to hear. Thats hard to leave out.
always a delicate
balance.

VIGIL
Along with Descending, its one
of the valleys in our set. We like DESCENDING
to build in little breathers to allow REDNECK We put it back in the set for this
S H A N E B R O W N P H OTO G R A P H Y

people to slow down a bit and
catch their breath before we pick
them back up.
28 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
Like Something to Die For, its tour. Its kind of a simple song, but
about crowd participation. The its got a pretty unique movement
crowd usually winds up singing half to it. Its been going over really
the first verse louder than Randy well on this particular tour, so Im
sings it. Its been a closer for a little glad to have it back.
while and its always a solid one
for us to end on. And even though
we could play longer, we try to
keep things concise enough so
that people feel like theyve gotten
their moneys worth, but were not
wearing them out with two hours
of relentless heavy metal.
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 NEWS + NOTES Brandon Hoover (left)
and Hayden Tree

Crown the
Empire
ITS AN EMBRACE OF SPACE AS
THE DALLAS HARDCORE ACT
ISSUES THEIR THIRD ALBUM.
By Chris Butera
By Chris Butera
FRESH OFF A THREE-MONTH
trek on this summers Vans Warped
Tour, post-hardcore five-piece Crown the
Empire have performed a musical 180 on
their third album Retrograde.
Much in the vein of Bring Me the Hori-
zon and My Chemical Romance, the first
two albums by the Dallas-based outfit
were dominated by guitar harmonies and
screamo vocals. This time around, Crown
the Empire have reinvented themselves
thanks to the unlikely influences of indus-
trial maven turned scoring guru Trent
Reznor, legendary composer Hans Zimmer
(Inception) and various film soundtracks.
Oh, and a little movie from 1968 called 2001:
A Space Odyssey. Together, its allowed
CtE to morph into the band theyve always
envisioned, as evidenced by the bass-heavy
dirges and electronic ambiance found
in such tracks as The Fear Is Real and
Lucky Us.
When we started putting ideas together
for Retrograde, we knew we wanted to do
space, says bassist Hayden Tree. Wed
been working with some song names and
artwork for about a year before we started
the record, and all of it had this very blatant
space feel to it. At the studio, we had space
documentaries and sci-fi movies on repeat,
and 2001 was the movie that really reso-
nated with what we wanted for this record.
Its all about looking forward into the
unknown, all while telling this really inter-
esting narrative about man and machine.
AXOLOGY
After seeing all of the movements and gen- GUITARS (Hoover) CS3 Kiesel California
eral expansion that occurred during the Carved Top; (Tree) Ernie Ball Music Man
Sixites, we knew wed found exactly how Cutlass, Sabre and Stingray basses
we were going to say what we wanted. This AMPS (Hoover) Kemper Profiler; (Tree)
Ampeg SVT-3PRO bass amp
is what weve always wanted our band to EFFECTS (Hoover) Electro Harmonix Micro
sound like. Pog and Small Clone Chorus, Boss HM-2
We focused on making everything as Heavy Metal Distortion, Zvex Fuzz Factory,
raw and genuine as possible, adds guitar- Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter, EarthQuaker
E L L I OT I N G H A M

ist Brandon Hoover. We wanted to write Devices Organizer, Strymon BigSky

songs that are potentially timeless rather
than be stuck in what we thought was
pretty much no different than anyone else
in our scene.
Reverberator, Line 6 DL4 Delay; (Tree)
Darkglass Electronics Microtubes B7K and
Duality Fuzz Pedal, Fulltone OCD Bass Drive,
vintage Morley bass wah pedal

30 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 NEWS + NOTES
INQUIRER
PAUL GILBERT
What influenced you to
pick up a guitar?
Well, I wanted to play some-
thing, but guitaryou could
stand up and play it. Whereas,
drums and keyboards, you had
to sit down. I was six years
oldbefore the internet or
anything. So I guess it was just
to look like a Beatle because
they were holding guitars on
their album covers.
What was your first
guitar?
A Stella acoustica cheapie
student model. And I didnt
know how to tune, so I solved
that problem by only playing
one string. I chose the low
E string because it sounded
the biggest. I played that one
32 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
string for about two years
before I tried the other strings
after taking a lesson and
learning how to tune properly.
What was the first song
you learned?
It was 25 or 6 to 4 by Chi-
cago. I shouldnt say I learned
the songI learned the intro
riff because I could pick it
out by ear. Actually, I picked
it out from memory, because
its a simple enough riff that I
could hear it in my head and
play it. The first song I played
the entire way through was
probably Rocky Raccoon by
the Beatles.
What do you recall about
your first time playing
guitar live?
It was a talent show in high
school and I played Cat
Scratch Fever by Ted Nugent.
After I finished, all the girls
ran up to mewhich was
exciting, and they all said the
same thing: Do you know any
Bee Gees songs? And you
know, this was the Seven-
ties, when Disco Sucks! was
the motto of any upstanding
guitar player. So I absolutely,
on principle, didnt know any
Bee Gees tunesand I should
have, because I couldve really
impressed those girls.
Have you ever had an
embarrassing moment on-
stage, or a nightmare gig?
In high school, I had been
playing a whileI kinda had
my playing together. We were
gonna play Hot for Teacher,
and we changed the lyrics to
be about one of our teachers.
Because it was a talent show,
they had so many perform-
ers and put our drum kit on a
big rolling drum riser. When
it rolled out on the stage, it
rolled over my guitar cable.
It didnt break my cable, but
I was stuck a foot from the
drum riser and I couldnt move
or Id unplug myself. This was
the Eighties, you know, so I
wanted to dive on my knees.
I shouldve had a wireless
transmitter.
Is there a particular mo-
ment on the new album, I
Can Destroy, that makes
you especially proud as a
guitar player?
The opening riff of Every-
body Use Your Goddamn
Turn Signal. I shouldnt
say it makes me proud as a
playerit makes me proud as
a writer. Its hummable and
memorable. I think it sounds
like me, although you can
hear some Zeppelin in it, but I
think it still has enough of my
personality and fingers in it
that its unique.
Tell me about the bonus
track, your cover of Ted
Nugents Great White
Buffalo.
Every time that came on the
radio when I was a kid, it was
so exciting. Hes got this really
unique, chunky tone. Because
hes playing that big hollow-
body and its on the verge of
feedback and he still manages
to get this tight low end out of
it. Its a great moment in time,
that song. Ted Nugent at the
peak of his powers, singing
about buffalo. So I thought
Id try to put my feet in those
shoes and see how it went.
Do you have any advice
for young players?
I see a lot of younger players
struggling with their vibrato
because of their hand posi-
tion. The trick is to get your
thumb over the top of the
neck, which allows you to grip
JAMES CHIANG
it and be able to bend up. Its
helpful to have big hands. So if
youre struggling, go shop for
a guitar with a skinnier neck.
RANDY HARWARD
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 DEAR GUITAR HERO

TO M H AW K I N S

34 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

DEVIN TOWNSEND
This Canadian-born multi-instrumentalist is the brainchild behind Strapping Young
Lad and the coffee-loving alien Ziltoid, and has created music with Steve Vai and Jason
Newsted. But what Guitar World readers really want to know is
Interview by Brad Angle

LOVED THE Z RECORD! CANT 20-odd years: a melodic, heavy,

mash-up between Metallica and
WAIT FOR TRANSCENDENCE. Enya, with Def Leppard in there

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT for good measure. But my next
project is actually a soundtrack
THE NEW RECORD? DID YOU type of thing with a full sym-

ALSO WORK WITHIN A NARRATIVE phony choir, which commercially

is going to be a really hard sell.
THEME OR CONCEPT? MARK BANNER [laughs] Were doing it over in
Every record is just a snapshot of where you find yourself in life. So the narrative is a Belgium and its surround sound.
Ive got this concept If the Zil-
direct result of the input, life-wise, over the last year. Its not as overt of a concept as
toid concept can be summarized
Z, but theres a theme that I found creatively interesting: letting go of some of the as ego and a little left of center,
control. Over the past few years its, Oh I have to do it this way. I have to do every- this next one is going to be so
thing. I found I got creatively and personally isolated as a result of that. So I tried over the top. My hope is that
to put myself in a position to change some of those things, and divert that need for the Transcendence record sells
musical control. And it resulted in a bunch of really cool inspiration. a couple copies or else were
fuuucked. [laughs]

Is the Ziltoid saga
finished with Z or will it
be an epic trilogy? Diver
Well, because Ziltoid is essen-
tially a metaphor for the part of
myself that is childish and ego-
tistical I think I got sick of that
as life progressed. You get to
your mid Forties and youre like,
Well, I better get over this shit
at least temporarily. On the last
record I banished the character
to a planet somewhere where
he can get his shit together in
hopes that if and when he does
come back hell be less annoying
to me than he was at the end of
the last record. [laughs]
Can you explain how
youre using the Line 6
Firehawk 1500 in your setup?
Dennis
Im such a gear whore, and its
great. But I find because of the
amount of traveling Im doing
its all gone digital. Ive got a
rig in Europe, North America
and Australia and I just bring a
USB stick and pound it in there.
However, I do use the amps I
havea Mesa or Laa Custom or
whateverand I profile them
on the Kemper. But most of the
time I just use an Axe-Fx, or an
Axe-Fx and a Kemper. Because
Ive got a wet-wet-dry signal
path there have been limitless
complications, from the pedal to
the ground lift and ground loop
So, the Line 6 Firehawk has five
speakers in the size of a combo.
I can rack it all and its wet-wet-
dry, direct outs and no ground
loop because the Fractal pedal is
powered by an XLR cable. Its in
one thing, its vertical and it can
go behind the scrim. It solves so
many problems. Im so sick of
messing around with gear, man, I
just wanna play.
With the huge array of
styles and genres youve
tackled, it seems like the only
frontiers left are film scores
and r&b. Can you see yourself
doing either? John OLear
Well, Im not very funky. [laughs]
I think that r&b may not be in
my immediate future. The type
of music featured on Transcen-
dence is what Ive been doing for
Is it easier to start
learning guitar or bass
guitar first? Lander
I dont think it matters. I think its
best to figure out the role you
want to participate in. I started
with piano and hated it. Then I
went to guitar. It worked well for
me because the way I write is
based on a vision. Ive got really
articulated ideas that come to
me, and Im good at finding a way
to get to point B. Guitar worked
well for me because its more
of a melodic vehicle. Its funny
though, as I get older all I really
do is play bass. I love that thing.
My constant string of grind-
ing eighth notes are not to be
rivaled! [laughs]
Have you ever felt
intimidated skills-wise by

guitarworld.com 35
 DEAR GUITAR HERO
any musician youve played
with? Howd you get over that
feeling? Alex Sahlman
Yeah, I feel that often, specifi-
cally when it comes to jamming.
The initial knee-jerk reaction
when youre playing with some-
one great is like, Well, Ive got
to show all my seven licksand
then stop halfway through the
sixth one to make it seem like I
could keep going if I wanted to.
[laughs] But at that point youre
not really jamming, youre doing
it solely to show that you dont
suck. So I try to listen, and think,
Well what can I add to this? I
find the really stunning players
seem to appreciate it when you
just do whats right for what
theyre doing. A lot of time that
means the best solo is to stop
playing for a bar. I can play with
anybody, because I know that
my limitations are such that Im
not going to impress these guys.
[laughs] So its just about what
the song needs.
You have played a lot of
guitars over the years.
Which one is your current
favorite? Jorge
Framus. I have a stupid amount
of guitars, because I am a gear
whore. But Framus came to
me four or five years ago and
we started talking about a col-
laboration, which has ended up
with a few signature things that
will come out this January. They
just make perfect instruments
for me. I have these Fishman
[Fluence] pickups that we just
released that are single-coil
tone and heavy metal sound all
in one. Ive got the EverTune on
there so Im always in tune. Its
like training wheels for a singer.
[laughs] But the Framus stuff
is brilliant quality, theyre great
people and I just love them.
Youve toured with Steve
Vai. Could you please tell
us what song was the most
difficult to play?
Steve Boucher
The whole thing was difficult.
Obviously because hes Steve
Vai, but also because its a dif-
ferent style. My own guitar style
is rooted in patterns of those
36 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
things I incessantly practiced
when I was 15 years old. Those
things come easily to me be-
cause of the muscle memory.
Steve is a very schooled guitar-
ist and musician, and thats not
really where I came from. A lot
of the patterns that he writes
within are total tongue twisters.
But once I got his perspective
under control, I was able to
caveman his riffs pretty well. I
could do them, but they were
like [speaks in a caveman voice]
Me play subtle! [laughs] So
yeah all of it was challenging.
But there are certain things that
I do that were challenging for
him too. Because I was always
in open tuning, I distinctly
remember being in rehearsal
and him going, Man your guitar
sounds so different than mine.
And then he grabbed my guitar,
and it sounded just like him. I
think on a scale of one to 100,
95 percent of the learning
happened on my side. But, you
know, I think that I can be bold
enough to say theres five per-
cent in there where he was like,
WHEN YOU
Whats this kid doing? ARE SAD,
Any chance of a Strap- PISSED OFF
ping Young Lad reunion
show? Reuben Ginsburg OR GENER-
Its unanswerable. I have no
desire to, for whatever thats
ALLY HAV-
worth. And its not out of dis- ING A BAD
respect to those guys because
I love them all. Its just Im DAY, WHAT
not there anymore. Because
each record is a snapshot of a
KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU GO
period of time, the goal is to get
through it and become a better
TO FIRST? GRAHAM COWLEY
version of myself. The energy I put on those hippie spa channels, where its
that created a very authentic some dude huffing into a flute in the back-
Strapping Young Lad when I
was 23 not only doesnt exist
ground. [laughs] Or its a multi-tracked wom-
anymore, but it would be akin ans voice going, Faaaaaahhhh. [laughs] You
to emotional retardation, in its
literal sense, if I was like, Now
get to middle age and you dont want to hear
Im a 45-year-old pissed-off shit when youre in a bad mood. It used to be,
guy. Of course Im pissed off, Im in a bad mood I wanna play Fear! Fuck re-
but about 45-year-old-guy stuff.
And that creates an entirely sponsibility! Now I wanna hear nothing. I dont
different type of music. So I want to hear the kids in the neighborhood, or
quit doing Strapping Young Lad
hear someone elses problems. Fuck that. Im
TO M H AW K I N S
because I had no more gas in
that tank. Not to be a dick, or gonna go organize a bag of bolts in the garage,
to discredit the music, which I
love, but it makes zero sense
or go take a dump and have another cup of cof-
for me to go back to it. fee and stare at the wall. [laughs]
 Chris Broderick, Act of Deance

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Head Cases FOR THIRTY YEARS
THE PIXIES
HAVE REIGNED AS ONE OF AMERICAS
PREMIER ALT-ROCK BANDS.
HEAD CARRIER,
THE GROUPS LATEST, SHOWS THE PERENNIAL
HIPSTERS STEPPING OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE.
BY ALAN DI PERNA PHOTOS BY SIMON FOSTER
 39
(clockwise from
left) Black Francis,
David Lovering, Paz
Lenchantin and Joey
Santiago recording
Head Carrier
 40
ed
ad
THIS ALBUM SOUNDS SO ALIVE TO
ME, SAYS PIXIES
GUITARIST JOEY
SANTIAGO ABOUT THE SEMINAL ALT-ROCK
GROUPS NEW RELEASE, HEAD CARRIER. ITS JUST
MAGICAL. IT SOUNDS LIKE FOUR PEOPLE WHO
HAVE PLAYED TOGETHER FOR A WHILE, WHO
KNOW ALL THE TWISTS AND TURNS OF THE SONG
ARRANGEMENTS AND ARE VERY CONFIDENT.
Artists assessments of their own work are
sometimes inflated, but in this case, Santiago
is right on the money. Head Carrier is by far
the strongest recording the Pixies have made
since reuniting in 2004. And it stands proudly
alongside late-Eighties/early-Nineties Pix-
ies classics such as Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bos-
sanova and Trompe le Monderecords that
did much to establish the raunchy guitar aes-
thetics and loud/soft dynamics of the grunge
era in alternative rock. Playing together since
1986, Santiago and Pixies rhythm guitarist/
lead singer Black Francis (Charles Thomp-
son IV) have honed a dual-guitar attack that
burns white hot on Head Carriermesmeriz-
ing layers of grainy fuzz from which Santiagos
chiming leads occasionally emerge like ran-
dom rays of sunlight in the dark throes of a vio-
lent storm.
I thought the guitars should be as super-
dry as possible on this record, he says.
Maybe a little delay here and there, but really
dry. For the lack of a better comparison, some-
thing like AC/DC.
GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
But Head Carrier is also one of the most
melodic Pixies albums ever, swimming in
catchy hooks and sing-along choruses. Thats
the good part of growing up! Santiago laughs.
Were better songwriters now. But yeah, it is
poppy.
Black Francis, for his part, attributes
much of the discs melodicism to the Pixies
new bass player and vocalist Paz Lenchan-
tin, who joined the band in 2013, having previ-
ously played both bass and violin on records by
Queens of the Stone Age, A Perfect Circle and
Zwan, among other artists.
Knowing that we were going to record this
album with Paz, we wanted to encourage and
pursue a dual-vocal sound, Francis explains.
So there was a lot more focus on What
exactly is the melody or the feeling thats being
carved out here? As opposed to, Hey Im just
gonna ramble a whole bunch here.
Rambling is something that Francis does
quite a bit in conversation. Possessed of a
hyperactive intelligence, hes given to lengthy
verbal torrents packed with digressions,
equivocations and prevarications. Hes always
got a point. It just might take a while to get
there. But this is also the key to his cryptic,
surrealistic style as a lyricist. Its hard to tease
a specific meaning out of anything he writes,
but the songs are always packed with intrigu-
ing, emotionally charged hints.
European place-names and cardinal points
of the compass seem to loom large on Head
Carrier. Black Francis likens this phenomenon
to the evocative Southern places referenced
in old blues songs. The circuit that an Amer-
ican bluesman would have traveled in the
Thirties is very different from the circuit that
Im on today as a musician, he says. But the
ideas basically the same, an element of exot-
ica. Europe is just where the musician part of
me lives. Not only Europe but also the Great
Plains of Canada, Tokyo, Japanwhatever. In
general Id say that blues is probably the great-
est influence on all our music. Blues and a
huge portion of folk music.
Head Carriers songs are also populated by
a fascinating cast of characters, from the mys-
terious titular love interest in Oona, to the
smarmy agent in Talent to the fashion vic-
tim in Classic Masher. Sometimes theyre
self-referential, you know, Francis says of the
songs characters. Sometimes they refer to
people who are close to you; sometimes they
reference people who arent close to youor
historical figures.
Francis hyper-verbal approach to some
subjects is balanced by a nonchalant, what-
the-fuck attitude toward otherssuch as gui-
tar playing.
Joey is more focused on gear than I am. I
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42

YOU HAVE A
TELECASTER AND AN
OLD VOX AMP;
JUST TURN THAT
THING ON AND
TURN EVERYTHING
UP ALL THE WAY
AND ITLL BE JUST FINE.
BLACK FRANCIS

ist Simon Dingo Archer. These were eventu-

work with so many engineers who say, So how
do you envision your sound? How do you want
to set this up? And it doesnt really matter to
me. Just turn it on and put a mic in front of it.
You have a Telecaster and an old Vox amp;
just turn that thing on and turn everything up
all the way and itll be just fine. Sometimes a
certain track will require a certain sound, but
thats what producers are for. I love not worry-
ing about that very much. I just want to make
the record. I dont want to sit around and fuss
and twiddle. Maybe for live, but not for an
album. Im a songwriter. A songwriter plays
rhythm guitar, and you just stay out of the
way of everybody else. So my guitar and amp
choices tend to be pretty simple.
For Francis, this boils down to one of his
Sixties-vintage Vox AC30s and either his 1958
Telecaster or a 1953 Tele he also owns. I think
its a 53, he demurs. My brother gave it to
me. I know its very old, but I dont know the
specific age. I just want to pick it up and play. I
dont need to take the neck off and look at the
date stamp.
Santiago complements Black Francis
sound with a black 59 reissue Les Paul Cus-
tom and a 60 reissue goldtop, along with a
1956 Gibson ES-345 and Duesenberg Star-
player TV. His amps for Head Carrier were
a Marshall 2205 JCM 800 head through a
Marshall 1960 cab, along with a 1964 Fender
Vibrolux. Pedals he used on the sessions
include a Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz, Fulltone
OCD overdrive and Mooger-Fooger delay.
Both guitarists also credit producer Tom
Dalgety with crafting Head Carriers guitar
tones to a finely tuned degree of nastiness. Its
the first album since 1988s Surfer Rosa where
the band hasnt worked with longtime pro-
ducer Gil Norton.
We had to get away from our comfort zone
this time around, says Santiago. We just
had to be more edgy and reach out to a new
audience. Tom was recommended to us by
our manager. He produced the Royal Blood
record, which sounds tough, and a bunch of
other bands that have a real hard, punchy
sound. Thats what we wanted.
Head Carrier represents the culmination
of a long, and sometimes painful, process that
began with the 2004 Pixies reunion. At first
the emphasis was on playing songs from their
back catalog to wildly appreciative audiences.
Before they could move on to creating new
music, Kim Deal jumped ship in 2013.
That was definitely a wrinkle, Santiago
acknowledges. It was a surprise, and it was
right in the middle of a tour! Shit, we were
shell-shocked.
But Santiago, Thomson and drummer
David Lovering decided to soldier on. Kim
Shattuck of the Muffs and Pandoras played
bass with the Pixies for a short while. Then
they made a series of EPs with temporary bass-
ally collected on the 2014 album Indie Cindy.
Indie Cindy was very transitional in a lot
of ways, Francis admits. Like, we cant really
get to the next record until we do this record.
Also were just a little bit blue-collar in our
aesthetic. It was kind of like, Were here in the
studio; we have to walk out with some kind of
recording. Its just a rock record. Lets do this.
Later on well figure out what it means.
And its only with Lenchantins arrival that
the Pixies seem to have figured out what it
all means. The job of bassist in the Pixies has
traditionally been a female role, as Francis
acknowledges.
At first it may have been a little bit of Well,
you know the Talking Heads or Sonic Youth,
theyve got a woman in the bandthats cool.
And now it feels like Paz was never not in the
band.
After Kim, it just had to be a woman from
here on out, Santiago adds. That feminine
quality, the floating, ethereal female vocal-
ist. Most important, obviously, is Pazs chops.
But I think shes also brought a lightness to the
band. In the studio we felt very comfortable
taking chances with her. Shes become a very
important part of the band. Shes a Pixie.
So maybe Francis is right not to worry too
much. Head Carrier feels like the start of a
whole new chapter for the Pixiesperhaps
their best one yet.
The Pixies are very real, he says. You
cant even style us as music thats left of the
dial. Go to the Pixies dressing room some-
where at midnight and you might hear some
really strange avant garde music blasting out
of boom boxes. Or you might just hear some
straight-up Steely Dan. I think our fans sense
that. Were just like them. Only weve taken it
one step further.

GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

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 BY BRAD TOLINSKI
44 GU I TA R WOR L D AUGUS T 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY TRAVIS SHINN
44
NOVEMBER 2016
 PROPHETS OF RAGE
GUITAR WO RLD

IN A TIME OF EXTREME POLITICAL

TUMULT, MEMBERS OF RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, PUBLIC ENEMY
AND CYPRESS HILL UNITE AND ALL HELL CANT STOP THEM NOW.
guitarworld.com 45

AWESOME 1953 BIKER FILM THE WILD ONE,
a bubbly blonde slinks up to a surly, leather-jacketed Marlon
Brando and asks, Hey Johnny, what are you rebelling against?
With expert timing, Brando sneers, Whatcha got?
These days, whatcha got pretty much
sums up the attitude of Tom Morello and his
elite task force of revolutionary musicians,
the Prophets of Rage, a new group that joins
members of the guitarists old band, Rage
Against the Machine, with two legendary rap-
pers, Public Enemys Chuck D and Cypress
Hills B-Real. Morello says the unabash-
edly political band is determined to confront
a mountain of election-year bullshit with
Marshall stacks blazing. Lord knows theres
plenty to tackleriots in the streets, terrorist
attacks, police brutality, brutality to the police,
Donald, Hillary, Bernie
Armed with explosive songs from all three
groups catalogs, the rap-rock juggernaut, fea-
turing the rhythm section of bassist Tim Com-
merford and drummer Brad Wilk, as well as
Public Enemy turntablist DJ Lord, are cur-
rently touring America with the hope of ral-
lying millennials to take part in the future of
their country. And if any band could get col-
lege kids to drop their Pokmon Go! and take
to the streets, it might be this one. Dangerous
times demand dangerous music, says Morello,
and the bands rousing versions of Fight the
Power, Killing in the Name and Guerilla
Radio are definitely that.
Ironically, Morello, one of the most imag-
inative and articulate guitarists of his gener-
46 GU I TA R WOR L D AUGUS T 2014
46
NOVEMBER 2016
ation, doesnt appear particularly dangerous.
With his manicured stubble, resonant voice
and polished agenda, he looks and sounds
more like an earnest political advisor than a
rabble-rousing rock and roll revolutionary.
However, when talking with him, there is no
denying his passion for a good throw down.
I was just sickened by hearing the multi-
ple reports regarding the Donald Trump and
Bernie Sanders campaigns referring to both
of them as raging against the machine, says
Morello with a bitter chuckle. I thought, Ill
show them what it really means to rage against
the machine.
It was just obvious we could not just sit on
the sidelines during this important historic
juncture and this time of great moral conflict.
I knew the Rage Against the Machine cata-
log had to be reactivated, but the question was
how to do it in a way that was not just a nostal-
gic tiptoe down memory lane. I wanted to do
it in a way that would be powerful in 2016. We
decided to go back to the people who inspired
the hip-hop side of Rage to begin with. Pub-
lic Enemy and Cypress Hill were two of our
biggest influences and they had songs that
matched the outrage we were feeling.
And as the classic Rage song Guerilla
Radio asks: What better place than here, what
better time than now?
In the following interview with Morello,
we talk about the current sorry state of world
affairs and his hopes for the future. But dont
worry, this is Guitar World not CNN, and even-
tually we discuss the stuff that really mat-
ters. And if your immediate thought was gui-
tars and pedals, you are 100 percent politi-
cally correct.
Youve stated that part of the purpose of
Prophets of Rage was to bring an alternative
political message to people. What is the mes-
sage?
What is as clear as day is that people are dis-
gusted by the current state of affairs in our
country. Whether they are right, left or cen-
ter, they are ready to rage against the machine.
However, in my view, that rage is being fun-
neled toward two weak choices: a racist,
misogynist candidate whos advocating war
crime, and a business-as-usual corporate can-
didate. Thats not good enough. I vote, but I
dont think voting alone will change the world.
I know it doesnt.
Our intention is to use this insane cata-
log of Rage, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill
songs to go out there, play devastating rock and
roll shows, and provide a very different point
of view than the one being shoved down our
throats by the media.
So, you see the band as a call to political action?
Thats correct. Its not enough to merely hold
your nose as you walk into the voting booth,
cross your fingers and hope that things are
going to get better over the next four years.
Since Ive started playing, Ive tried to weave
my convictions into what I do for a living.
Thats how the world changes.
Yet, its not up to us to provide all the
answerswed rather inspire people to ask the
right questions. Do you have your hands on the
wheel of history? Are you going to let some-
body else steer or are you going to do it your-
self?
How did you choose which songs to perform?
We knew we had a great band, and Chuck D.
and B-Real are legendary in their own right,
but we had to figure out how to be a great
band together. It took us a month of dedicated
rehearsal to figure that out.
It must have been something of a challenge.
There is a lot of rhythm on any given Public
Enemy track, but not much harmonic informa-
tion to choose from.
Youre right. The Cypress Hill songs are more
conventional and tend to have more stan-
 PROPHETS OF RAGE
GUITAR WO RLD
SINCE IVE
STARTED PLAYING,
IVE TRIED TO WEAVE
MY CONVICTIONS
INTO WHAT I DO FOR A
LIVING. THATS
HOW THE WORLD
CHANGES.
Tom Morello

guitarworld.com 47
 dard musical hooks. The PE songs were diffi-
cult, since many were built from sample col-
lages. We had to write entirely new Rage-influ-
enced riffs to go underneath them. I think we
succeeded with Prophets of Rage and Miuzi
Weighs a Ton. We really tried to wrap our
heads around 911 Is a Joke and Bring the
Noise but felt we were unable to top the orig-
inal arrangements. Thats why we made the
decision to make DJ Lord part of the group and
have him do a turntable breakdown in the mid-
dle of the set.

So Im a fairly well informed white guy that

watches a lot of CNN, checks out Fox News and
reads The New York Times. What dont I know?
What would you like me to take away from one
of your shows?
Would you say you have any say in the future of
your country? I think many people feel they do
not. The traditional Democratic and Republi-
can corporate monopoly parties are currently
not serving the interest of the people, and thats
why you have a big portion of the country voting
for a fascist like Trump, and another segment
voting for a socialist like Bernie Sanders.
The government basically has one function
and that is to serve the interest of the people
who own the country. While there are all sorts
of important issues from the environment, to
the economy, to guns, the main issue is, do you
or do you not have a say in what the future is
going to look like? I say yes, you do.

You recently called Sanders a dreamer, but

isnt that how grassroots movements start?
Thats wasnt a criticism. He chose a particu-
lar tacticto hijack the Democratic Party and
make it a peoples party, instead of a corporate
party. Thats a legitimate tactic. It was a noble
sign of resistance to this strangling two-party
monopoly. He did manage to drag Hillary Clin-
ton more to the left, but I contend the masters
tools will never dismantle the masters house.
However, I will say this: people always ask
me why there are no political bands like Rage
Against the Machine, but I think Bernie Sand- ple should be able to have guns, but the conver- right to vote because some benevolent presi-
ers is the Rage Against the Machine of now. sation always veers into this really unreason- dent waved a magic wand. It changed because
He is the one who lit a fire under young peo- able territory where pro-gun advocates think people stood up, were organized, were sacri-
ple who were previously not political, and has if we even discuss the issue, it means the gov- ficed and then women got the right to vote.
opened their eyes to a world beyond what was ernment is secretly planning to disarm them Lunch counters got desegregated in the
handed to them by the mainstream media and and force their daughters to marry members of South the same way. It wasnt the wisdom of
the mainstream political parties. Thats what ISIS. [laughs] some democrat or republican that did that, it
we were raging against in the early 2000s. was people.
So, how do things change when the system is
Youve identified yourself as an anarchist. rigged? Are you saying that if Guitar World readers
Where do you come down on gun control? If you just look at history, how does shit really organized, we could actually get James Hetfield
Im a big supporter of the Second Amend- change? It doesnt change because of this pres- elected president?
ment, but I dont support insanity! I think peo- ident or that president. Women didnt get the [laughs] Let me tell you, wed be a lot better off!

48
48
GU I TA R WOR L D AUGUS T 2014

NOVEMBER 2016

PUBLIC ENEMY AND CYPRESS HILL WERE TWO OF OUR
BIGGEST INFLUENCES AND THEY HAD SONGS THAT MATCHED
THE OUTRAGE WE WERE FEELING.
Tom Morello
I would be very interested in that. Dream big, it and its fantastic. There is nothing like play-
aim high! ing with Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk, who
create the deepest, hardest groove outside of
Speaking of music, where is your head as a gui- Led Zeppelin. This band is guitar solo heaven.
tarist? Do you feel like you are still developing Theres a lot of space to go crazy with melody,
your vocabulary? feeling and insane R2-D2 noises.
One of the things thats been very excit-
ing about Prophets of Rage is, Ive returned Do you have a new favorite pedal?
to playing electric guitar full time. Over the Im not really a new pedal guy. I mostly use
course of the last 12 years, between my acous- the same pedals I always have from the old
tic Nightwatchman career and playing with days. But I dug something out recently that Ive
Bruce Springsteen, I have not been able to play been using quite a bit. Youre going to laugh,
in the astral solo world. Im totally back into but its the yellow DigiTech XP-300 Space
PROPHETS OF RAGE
(From left) Brad Wilk, B-Real,
GUITAR WO RLD
Tim Commerford, DJ Lord, Chuck D
and Tom Morello
Station that was made in the Nineties. Even
though I had nothing to do with it, it was orig-
inally created to basically replicate my sounds.
It was their attempt to put a bunch of my shit
in one of their pedals. Ironically, its provided
me with some really surprising and excellent
sounds!
You surprised fans by playing in Bruce Spring-
steens band for an extended period of time.
What did that do for you as a player?
Two things. I was totally inspired by his abso-
lute commitment to awesomeness. Bruce is
guitarworld.com 49
 PROPHETS OF RAGE
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE PLAYING

GUITAR WO RLD
WITH TIM COMMERFORD AND
BRAD WILK, WHO CREATE THE
DEEPEST, HARDEST GROOVE
OUTSIDE OF
LED ZEPPELIN.
Tom Morello
something like 66 years old, yet he would
play these incredible, three-and-a-half-
hour shows, and each night he was deter-
mined to make it the greatest show that
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
had ever played. No one is more excited to
be at a Bruce show than Bruce, and for a
musician, that is an example to learn from.
He lives for it, and his dedication to being
great is deep and meaningful.
Also, before playing with Bruce, my
ability to learn songs by ear was not par-
ticularly sharp. However, on the last leg
of our last U.S. tour, we played 182 differ-
ent songs in 34 shows. A lot of those songs
were requests, and maybe Id heard them
once on the radio in the late Eighties. Sud-
denly Id be called to play them in an arena,
and learn them while Bruce was counting
One, two, three, four!
That was really nerve-wracking in the
beginning, but after a while I developed
the skill set to stay calm and learn on the
fly. It was crazy. I didnt think I could do it,
but it turned out I could.

Youre revisiting much of the Rage catalog

with Prophets of Rage, so it begs the
question: Wheres your original singer
Zack de la Rocha?
We honor him every night. Both Chuck
and B-Real honor him on the micro-
phone

[interrupts] Yeah, but hes not dead. Where

is he? He hasnt really done anything since
2000.
My understanding is that he is working on
his own music, and Im certain that when
he decides to release it, it will be fantastic.

Aw, come on!

[laughs] Im not in it. You know as much
as I do. Im coaching a lot of Little League
now, Im not keeping tabs like I used to.
The good news is, his tremendous ability
as a lyricist, as a frontman, and as a vocal-
ist, echoes on in both the records and the
forging of this alloy of Rage, Public Enemy
and Cypress Hill. Those important mes- (From left) Commerford and Tom Morello

50 GU I TA R WOR L D AUGUS T 2014

50
NOVEMBER 2016
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80s-style body perimeters
Finely shaped neck proles
Fast compound radius ngerboards with rolled edges
DiMarzio Pickups
Non-recessed Floyd Rose or Hardtail bridges

charvel.com/guitars/usa-select

2016 JCMI. Charvel and the distinctive headstock designs commonly found on Charvel guitars are registered
trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and used herein under license to JCMI. All rights reserved.
 PROPHETS OF RAGE
GUITAR WO RLD
THIS BAND IS GUITAR SOLO HEAVEN. THERES A
LOT OF SPACE TO GO CRAZY WITH MELODY,
FEELING AND INSANE R2-D2 NOISES.
Tom Morello

sages that he crafted are going to be in arenas all

this summer.

The Beastie Boys No Sleep till Brooklyn and Pub-

lic Enemys Fight the Power are both in your set.
What did those songs mean to you when you were a
young metal head?
They were huge for me. That Beasties Boys album
[Licensed to Ill], along with Run-D.M.C., intro-
duced hip-hop to the suburbs in a way that was
palpable. By the time Fight the Power came out,
I was already on the political train and I thought
it was the most revolutionary anthem Id ever
heard. It spoke the truth in a way that no other
song Id ever heard spoke the truth. Both of those
songs were definitely the seeds that inspired us to
write the Rage Against the Machine songs. It was
really that combination: The Beastie Boys use of
the electric guitar over huge grooves married to
the unfettered lyrical fire of Chuck D. Thats what
we aimed for with Rage, and now its come full
circle.

52 GU I TA R WOR L D AUGUS T 2014

52
NOVEMBER 2016
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 BY BRAD TOLINSKI
PHOTOGRAPHY TRAVIS SHINN
54 GU I TA R WOR L D AUGUS T 2014
54
NOVEMBER 2016
 PROPHETS OF RAGE
GUITAR WO RLD

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE BASSIST TIM COMMERFORD AND

PUBLIC ENEMY MC CHUCK D RAP ABOUT THEIR NEW BAND.
guitarworld.com 55

ENDURING A HALF-DOZEN INTERVIEWS THAT MADE
him feel as if he was on Meet the Press instead of playing in a
rock band, bassist Tim Commerford seems to be relieved to be
talking about music instead of politics. Really relieved.
Im not gonna lie, for me, its all about the
music, he says. I know were in a hardcore
time right now where people are dying and
the world is fucked up, but Im a bass player,
man, and I love playing bass, especially with
Tom and Brad.
Before I can squeeze out another question,
Commerford proceeds to talk for 10 minutes
straight about his three-amp system, his pick-
ing technique and his new ultra lightweight,
high-power custom bass cabinets made by
the U.K. company Barefaced Bass. Hes hav-
ing so much fun I just dont have the heart to
tell him that Ill never have room for that kind
of detail in a guitar magazine. His enthusiasm,
however, is infectious.
These cabinets are the closest thing Ive
ever seen to actually being able to fit in the
back of my car, he says. I can pick them up
over my head with two hands. Its unbeliev-
able! I bet I could grab the band on the 8x10
and pick it up with one hand. It blows me
away. And they sound incredible.
After one more extended riff, extolling
56 GU I TA R WOR L D AUGUS T 2014
56
NOVEMBER 2016
PROPHETS OF RAGE
GUITAR WO RLD
B-Real feels really similar to when we made
the first Rage album, he says. Creating
something under a hip-hop vocal is incredibly
fun; you can basically do whatever you want.
You can make noise, a complete cacoph-
ony, and it still sounds sick if you repeat. You
arent restricted by harmony.
Obviously, another similarity between
the craftsmanship of his new Music Man Prophets of Rage and his first band is guitar-
StingRay bass, a brand he used on the first ist Tom Morello.
Rage Against the Machine album, he relaxes There was a time in my life where I
enough to talk about Prophets of Rage. wouldnt have said this, Commerford admits,
Making this music with Chuck and but I wouldnt be here today if it wasnt
for Tom. Once he gets excited about some-
thing, you cant stop that guy. When Rage was
ITS GREAT TO TAKE just getting started in 91, he had everything
mapped out. Hed say, were going to play
THE UNIVERSAL one show a month, were going to have 28
songs written, were going to make a cassette
LANGUAGE OF demo and sell it at our shows. Sure enough
we ended up selling a bunch of those fuck-
MUSIC OUT ON THE
ing things and we got a record deal because
of that!
Hes still the same. His work ethic is
ROAD AND TRY TO unparalleled, and Im so thankful that Ive
been around him and that Ive been able to
SMASH THE play music with him. Im able to bump up my
expectations of my capabilities because of
SYSTEM! him. Hes an awesome dude! I know I wasnt
enthusiastic to talk about politics, but music is
the universal language and theres not a lot of
Tim Commerford political rock and were very lucky to be one
 THE VERTIGO
HYBRID GUITAR CASES TOP-LOADING
. SHOCK ABSORBING. AWE INSPIRING.

of those bands. Its great to take that univer-
sal language out on the road and try to smash
the system!
I bid farewell to Commerford and tell
him Im off to talk to Chuck D. He responds,
Chuck rules, dude. Get ready for that!
The bassist is right, Chuck does rule,
but at a totally different speed. In contrast to
Commerfords rapid-fire excitement, the leg-
endary Public Enemy MC is steady and delib-
erate. He spends the first part of the inter-
view asking questions about my background
and where I grew up. But it isnt like hes siz-
ing me up, he just seems interested in how to
best communicate his ideas, which are often
surprising.
For example, when asking him what
the general public should know regard-
ing the American political landscape, one
might expect a dissertation on any number of
domestic issues, instead he goes wide.
The American public is blind to the rest of
the world, he says. Most people dont even
get passports in the United States, because
they feel safe and dont want to leave their
block. The trappings of government are to
have control over human beings, catego-
rize them, put them in their place and never
have them be really free to explore the planet
in their lifetimes. Thats a travesty that Ive
always been against. I call myself an Earth cit-
58 GU I TA R WOR L D AUGUS T 2014
58
NOVEMBER 2016
ITS ALWAYS BEEN
MY TOP GOAL TO
SEE THE WORLD
AND TAKE MY
MUSIC TO IT.
Chuck D
izen and a culturalist. Its always been my top
goal to see the world and take my music to it.
Also, when I ask Chuck about the current
state of hip-hop, he takes another interest-
ing left turn.
The biggest tragedy is the eradication of
groups, he says. The fact that the powers
that be are naming one person without cred-
iting the people that surround them is a prob-
lem. In rock music, its the meshing of the
bass player, the guitarist and a drummer that
creates the telepathy. Its the same in hip-hop.
Its the combination of the turntablist, your
dance element, your art presentation and
the MC that makes it interesting. Once you
strip the other elements down to just the MC,
you have something thats pretty much con-
trived, created and concocted in a boardroom
as product.
Theyve also extracted the female ele-
PROPHETS OF RAGE
GUITAR WO RLD
ment out of hip-hop. In the beginning,
women were spitting on the same par with
groups as the dudes. They were included in
the narrative, but over the last 15, 20 years,
we havent seen that.
Okay, mind blown. So, how does he feel
about the group hes currently fronting?
Rage Against the Machine actually
opened some shows for us in 91 and 92, he
says. Zack de la Rocha said he was influ-
enced by certain inflections I used in my
early years, and Tom was influenced by
some of the DJ scratch techniques used by
Terminator X and the Bomb Squad. We had
heard all that before, but I felt they were the
first group to really take it into core mode
and just expand on it. With each album they
got stronger and stronger and really honed
their technique. Some of the rap/rock bands
in the Nineties were good, but Rage took it to
another level, mostly because of the imagi-
nation of Tom, Tim and Brad as players.
Its not like Im looking to actually front
another group, especially filling the big feet
and shoes of somebody like Zack. But Tom
asked and I toyed around with the idea, and
after my father passed in February I said,
why not? Dont look back. I brought in DJ
Lord, the greatest turntablist in the world,
but I dont think it became special until
B-Real came in, and then it just blossomed
from there.
 TOM MORELLO MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED
ACTIVISTS IN MODERN ROCK, BUT THERE WERE PLENTY
WHO CAME BEFORE HIM. LIKE THE PROPHETS OF RAGE
GUITARIST, THESE 15 FAMOUS ARTISTS HAVE USED
THEIR TALENT AND CELEBRITY TO FIGHT FOR CAUSES,
BE IT ANTI-WAR, ANTI-CENSORS HIP, WOMENS RIGHTS,
GUN RIGHTS, CIVIL RIGHTS, ANIMAL RIGHTS OR THE
STRAIGHT-EDG E LIFESTYLE.

BY RICHARD BIENSTOCK, ALAN DI PERNA AND BRAD TOLINSKI

60
NOV
2016
 John Lennon and Yoko Ono staging
their Bed-In for Peace in the
Presidential Suite of the Hilton Hotel
in Amsterdam on March 25, 1969

JOHN LENNON
No other musician could say
so much in so few words.
All You Need Is Love, Give
Peace a Chance, Revolution
and Imagine were not so
much songs as brilliant ideas
designed to instigate sweeping
cultural change. And for his
trouble, the Beatles guitarist
was hounded by U.S. president
Richard Nixon, spied on by
the FBI and then assassinated
by a madman. Like John F.
Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther
King and Gandhi, Lennon was
simply too damn smart, char-
DY L A N : R O W L A N D S C H E R M A N / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; Z A P PA : WA L LY M C N A M E E / C O R B I S/ C O R B I S V I A G E T T Y I M A G E S ; L E N N O N : K E Y S TO N E / H U LTO N A R C H I V E / G E T T Y I M A G E S

ismatic and dangerous to live.

Frank Zappa testifying before a Senate

committee on September 19, 1985
FRANK ZAPPA
Zappas gifts as a satirist
rival his stellar achieve-
ments as a guitarist. From
his earliest recordings, he
skewered the pernicious
follies of American society
in songs such as Hungry
Freaks Daddy and Trouble
Every Day. A tireless advo-
cate for freedom of speech,
he printed the First Amend-
ment of the Constitution on
all of his record sleeves. In
1985, he testified before a
Senate committee, speak-
ing out eloquently against
efforts by the Parents Music
Resource Center to censor
rock music. In that same
period, albums such as Frank
Zappa Meets the Mothers of
Prevention and Broadway the
Hard Way offered scath-
ing critiques of the Regan
administration, Republican
Party and religious right.

Joan Baez (left) and Bob Dylan performing

in Washington, D.C. during the March on
JIMI HENDRIX Washington civil rights rally on August 28, 1963

On the surface, Jimi Hendrix

appeared to be apolitical. In
most interviews the guitarist
spoke primarily in universal
hippie platitudes, while deftly
sidestepping racial issues. But in
a way it didnt really matter. His
very existence was a major po-
litical statement. During a time
of deep racial divide, he was a
black man getting rich in a white
mans world and doing it on his
own terms. And when he really
needed to get something off his
chest, he didnt need language
he just let his astonishing guitar
playing do all the talking. His
instrumental The Star Spangled
Banner at Woodstock in 1969 is
still considered the last word
in anti-war musical statements.
BOB DYLAN
He isnt the greatest guitar-
ist on the planet, but Bob
Dylan sure knows how to
use it to make a point. With
just a handful of cowboy
chords, he ripped the world
a new asshole in the Sixties
and changed the course of
American pop music forever.
There have been a million
books written on this subject,
but to be honest, they all pale
in comparison to his actual
lyrics like: Theres a battle
outside and it is ragin/Itll
soon shake your windows
and rattle your walls/For the
times they are a-changin.

guitarworld.com 61
Roger Waters onstage after performing with military
veterans at the 7th annual Stand Up for Heroes
event at Madison Square Garden on November 6, 2013
IAN MACKAYE
Igniting hardcore punk
and post-hardcore with his
Gibson SG, Ian MacKaye has
also been one of the move-
ments chief socio-political
ideologues. In the Eighties
and Nineties, with his groups
Minor Threat and Fugazi, he
carried punk rocks original
D.I.Y. philosophy to its logical
conclusion, steadfastly refus-
ing to sign with major record
labels, charge too much mon-
ey for shows or do interviews
with corporate media outlets.
In writing the 1981 Minor
Threat song Straight Edge
he launched the drug and
alcohol-free straight edge
movement, which also advo-
cates responsible sexuality.
Anti-war, vegan and feminist,
his clearly reasoned political
positions have played a key
role in setting the latter-day
punk agenda.
62
NOV
2016
ROGER WATERS
In the Sixties Roger Waters
was just the bassist in Pink
Floyd, a pleasant psyche-
delic space rock band that
produced excellent stoner
jams. However, after the
outrageous success of 1973s
The Dark Side of the Moon,
Waters changed gears and
took control. Like a man who
suddenly got straight after a
decade of bong hits, the bass-
ist woke up, looked around
and apparently didnt like
what he saw. Beginning with
1977s Animals, Waters started
writing one withering attack
on society after another. The
Wall, The Final Cut and solo
albums like Radio K.A.O.S. are
among the most bitterand
best-sellinganti-government
statements ever concocted by
a pop musician.
Bob Marley
performing in the
Netherlands on
June 23, 1980
BOB MARLEY
Bob Marley was always
backed by great guitarists
like Peter Tosh, Al Ander-
son and Junior Marvin. But
M A R L E Y: R O B V E R H O R S T/ R E D F E R N S/ G E T T Y; J E M A L C O U N T E S S/ G E T T Y I M A G E S
it was Marleys distinctive
voice and songwriting that
helped to bring reggae music,
as well as ideas and beliefs
related to Rastafarianism and
Pan-Africanism, to the world
at large. Sometimes these
messages were couched in
frustration (Get Up, Stand
Up) but more often in peace
(One Love). And while, gui-
tar-wise, Marley is closely as-
sociated with his cherry Les
Paul Special, his most moving
guitar moment is quite likely
Redemption Song, the
Dylan-esque acoustic tune he
cut for his final album, 1980s
Uprising, and which served
as a powerful summation of
a life spent singing songs of
freedom.
 Woody Guthrie in 1943

Ted Nugent speaking at the 133rd

Annual NRA Convention in Pittsburgh
on April 18, 2004

TED NUGENT WOODY GUTHRIE

S E E G E R / S P R I N G S T E E N : M A N D E L N G A N /A F P/ G E T T Y I M A G E S ; J E F F S W E N S E N / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; U N I V E R S A L H I S TO RY A R C H I V E / U I G V I A G E T T Y I M A G E S

While its true that Ted
Nugent compositions
such as Wang Dang
Sweet Poontang and
Cat Scratch Fever are
not exactly Bob Dylans
Blowin in the Wind,
the Motor City Madman
is political in the way that
Donald Trump is a presi-
dential candidate: blustery,
larger-than-life, cocksure
and very red state. Nugent
is that rare rocker that
enthusiastically embraces
conservative values like
pro-gun rights and immi-
gration reform. And while
we respect his right to his
stance, we just wish he
wouldnt threaten to use
one to shoot the other.
This machine kills fascists
are the words that Woody
Guthrie inscribed on several
of his guitars in the Forties.
Americas premier folk-
singer, Guthrie understood
the guitars power to rally
people together and champion
the causes of social justice.
Through classic songs like
This Land Is Your Land,
Deportees, Union Maid, Do
Re Mi and Pastures of Plenty
he stuck up for workers, mi-
grants, minorities, the impover-
ished and marginalized. Having
known privation and poverty,
his songs came from personal
experience. He sang for spare
change on street corners and at
massive rallies to support the
labor movement.

Pete Seeger (left) and Bruce Springsteen

performing during We Are One: The
Obama Inaugural Celebration at the
PETE SEEGER BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009
in Washington, D.C.

While Pete Seegers big Bruce Springsteens most fa-

old G.S. Francis 12-string
guitar helped launch both
the folk revival and the
folk-rock scene, his songs of
conscience helped awaken
several generations of Ameri-
cans to just causes such as
civil rights, the anti-war
movement, environmental-
ism and the labor movement.
In the Fifties, Seeger braved
the House Un-American
Activities Committee, telling
them their questions about
his politics violated his Con-
stitutional rights. Songs that
Seeger wrote or co-wrote, in-
cluding If I Had a Hammer,
Turn Turn Turn, Where
Have All the Flowers Gone?
and Knee Deep in the Big
Muddy are an essential part
of American history.
mous politically minded tune,
Born in the U.S.A., might
also be his most misunder-
stood, its criticism often mis-
taken for jingoism. In scath-
ing portraits like American
Skin and The Ghost of Tom
Joad (the latter covered by
Morello with Rage Against
the Machine), the Boss has a
way of making a specific story
feel universal, with a style
that can be traced in a direct
line back to revolutionary
singer-songwriters like Bob
Dylan and Woody Guthrie.
Whats more, Bruce can also
rock plenty hard, whether
raising a ruckus on Rosalita
(Come out Tonight), gunning
for glory on Born to Run or
ripping out a searing guitar
solo on Badlands.

guitarworld.com 63
 JOE STRUMMER ANI DIFRANCO
If the Sex Pistols were punks For more than 25 years, Ani
snot-nosed brats, then fellow DiFranco has been amongst
Brits the Clash, led by singer the most outspokenand,

Neil Young (left) and Willie Nelson perfoming
NEIL YOUNG
Neil Young has written and
recorded incisive protest songs
over the years, from Ohio to
Rockin in the Free World
to the entire Living with War
album. Roughly half a century
into his career hes angrier than
evercurrently, the primary
target in his crosshairs is big
agri-business, as heard on
2015s The Monsanto Years. But
at Farm Aid 03 in Columbus , Ohio,
on September 7, 2003
an equally revolutionary aspect
of his music has always been his
dedication to conjuring some of
the biggest, gnarliest and most
feedback-drenched guitar tones
in all of rock and roll. For just
one of many examples, check
out 1991s Crazy Horsebacked
Arc/Weld live album, and
prepare to have your mindand
your earsblown.
and guitarist Joe Strummer,
were its impassioned political
consciousness. Fueled by equal
parts anger and idealism,
Strummers monotone bark and
cutting chords, pounded out
on a stickered 1966 Telecaster,
drove incendiary tunes like
White Riot and London in very blunt and straight-
Calling, and demonstrated that
punk could be indignantand
also intelligent. Throughout his
career with the Clash and after,
Strummer pushed ever forward,
whether melding guitar rock
with reggae, dub and other
styles, or railing against injus-
tice in song and through his
activism for numerous causes.
Theres never been a musi-
cian who wore his heart on his
sleeve like Joe Strummer, Tom
Morello once said. He walked
it and talked it.
H Y N D E : B I L L M C C AY/ W I R E I M A G E / G E T T Y; YO U N G : J A S O N S Q U I R E S/ W I R E I M A G E / G E T T Y
with her own Righteous
Babe record label, fiercely
independentvoices in
modern folk music. Over the
course of roughly 20 studio
albums she has continuously
railed against political and
social injustice, and usually
forward languageher 1999
song To the Teeth, for
one, finds her making a call
to open fire on the NRA
and all the lies theyve told
us along the way. Fur-
thermore, shes a monster
player, utilizing an array of
unusual alternate tunings
and employing an incredibly
funky rhythm attack (replete
with plenty of slapping, pop-
ping and tapping) that often
sounds more akin to funk
bass than folk guitar.

CHRISSIE HYNDE,
GEEZER BUTLER,
JOAN JETT:
THE VEGAN THREE
Imagine Chrissie Hynde,
Geezer Butler and Joan Jett
together in a room. They might
not agree on music or guitar
gear, but theyd all be on the
same page when it came to
animal rights. All three embrace
a meat-free diet and have been
active in PETA (People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals)
and other animal rights organi-
zations. Butler gave up eating
meat when he was still a child.
Hynde did so in 1969 and Jett
in the early Eighties. All three
have since moved on to a full
vegan diet. Like many vegans
around the world, they share
the view that humans have no
right to own, domesticate, ex-
ploit or slaughter animals. And Chrissie Hynde during the launch of
PETAs Im Hatin It campaign at a
all report that a vegan lifestyle
McDonalds in Philadelphia
has kept them rocking hard well on May 26, 2010
into their mature years.

64
NOV
2016
100
100
By Jimmy Brown

ESSENTIAL
YO U N G : N E I L Z LO Z O W E R /AT L A S I C O N S .C O M ; B E R RY: M I C H A E L O C H S A R C H I V E S/ G E T T Y; TAY LO R : R I C H A R D E . A A R O N / R E D F E R N S/ G E T T Y
CHORDS
AN EXHAUSTIVE GUIDE TO THE MOST IMPORTANT AND USEFUL FRETBOARD SHAPES FOR
RHYTHM GUITAR PLAYING

Chuck Berry James Taylor

Angus Young

N O MATTER WHAT STYLE OF MUSIC YOU PLAY, having a broad chord vocabulary is a key element to
your success and growth as a musician. Whether youre a songwriter looking for just the right chord to go
with the melody in your head, or someone who plays in a cover band or works as a freelance guitarist and
is often asked to read from a chord chart (no notes or tabs), there are dozens of commonly used chords that at some
point will provide you with just the right sound youre looking for. In this lesson, I offer over 100 of what I believe to be
the most useful and widely applicable guitar chords in popular music. They range from basic to sophisticated and are
all well worth knowing. Learning them will help ensure that you wont be at a loss the next time youre asked to play, for
example, Csus2, Am9 or Fs7add4. The majority of chords presented herein are played in standard tuning and most
are fairly easy to finger.
 THE CAGED SHAPES FIGURE
FIGURE 11 the CAGED shapes
C A G E * ( )D
The first thing any guitarist should learn
is a handful of what are called open
chords, also sometimes referred to as 32 1 234 32 4 231 132
cowboy chords, which are shapes that *open A note optional

are formed with the fingertips, played FIGURE 22 sus2 and sus4 embellishments
FIGURE
* C Csus4 C Csus2 C

0 0 0
within the first three frets and include at A Asus4 A Asus2 A G Gsus4 G E Esus4 E D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D
least one open string. A good place to start
is learning the five CAGED shapes
C, A, G, E and D (see FIGURE 1). These
finger-friendly chords have been used in


1
0
2
3
1
0
3
3
1
0
2
3
1
0
0
3 0 1
0
2
3
0
2
2
2
0
0
3
2
2
0
0
2
2
2
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
2
2
2
0
3 **3
0 1
0 0
0 0
3 3
3
0
0
0
3
0
0
1
2
2
0
0
0
2
2
2
0
0
0
1
2
2
0
2
3
2
0
3
3
2
0
2
3
2
0
0
3
2
0 0 2
3
2
0

countless songs by artists in genres such *Dont include high E string **Mute A string with fret-hand middle finger
as country, bluegrass, folk, blues, pop
and rock, ranging from songwriters like FIGURE 33 moving the CAGED voicings up the neck with barre fingerings
FIGURE
Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Neil Young C-shape voicing A-shape voicing
and Bob Dylan to rock bands like the C *D *E *F *G A B C D E
()
Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, CCR, () 4fr ( ) 5fr ( ) 7fr ( )5fr ( )7fr
() ()
Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, the Foo ()

Fighters and many others. 43 2 143121 143121 143121 143121 234 12341 12341 12341 12341
These five chords are great because *optional: omit the bottom note 111 14 4 4 1 14 4 4 1 14 4 4 1 14 4 4 1
and barre only the top three strings
they are easy to play cleanly, requiring
G-shape voicing E-shape voicing
only three fingertips to form, and include
G A B C D E F G A B
open strings, which lend them a rich, full
4fr 5fr 7fr 5fr 7fr
tonal quality. Another nice thing about
them is they facilitate the performance of
32 4 321114 321114 321114 321114 342 134211 134211 134211 134211
what are known as sus2 and sus4 exten-
sions, which are the neighbor tones of D-shape voicing (fifth-string note optional)
D E F G A
the chords third that are typically used to ()
() 3fr ( ) 5fr ( ) 7fr
add melodic activity and interest, as dem- ()
onstrated in FIGURE 2. Many players have
243 11243 11243 11243 11243
employed these sus2 and sus4 extensions
to craft memorable song riffs and accom-
paniment parts. Well known examples FIGURE 44 two fingering options for G
FIGURE FIGURE 55
FIGURE FIGURE 6
include James Taylors Fire and Rain G C G G D G G G5 G/B
and Country Road and Jimmy Pages
strumming in Led Zeppelins Thank You
and Tangerine. 32 4 32 1 32 4 21 3 132 21 3 21 34 2 34 1 34

MAJOR BARRE CHORDS FIGURE 7 open minor chords

Am
develop theDm Em you switching back and forth from G to C,
( ) physical attributes needed
The five CAGED voicings (voicing refers to play them cleanly and with minimal its most efficient to use the 3 2 4 fingering
to the specific arrangement, or stack- discomfort. And, as is the case with any for G, which keeps your fret hand in first
ing, of notes in a chord) may be played chord,
231 theyre2 3 1 always
2 3 going to be a little position, making for minimal movement,
with different fingerings that free up the more demanding to perform on an acous- but if youre alternating between G and D,
index finger for barringfirmly press- FIGURE 8 than on an electric, due to the
tic guitar then it makes more sense to use 2 1 3 for G,
Asus2 Am Asus2 Am Asus4

Am Dsus2

Dm
Dsus2 Dmkeeps

Dsus4your
Dm hand
Em Esus4

Em position
Am

0
ing the finger flat against several strings, formers thicker strings and higher which
action. in second


with the thumb pushing against the back Ive only0 included 0 0 all 0in FIGURE0 3 1
them 1 for
0 both 1 3chords
3 1 (see 0
FIGURE0 4). And0 then

0 1 1 0 1 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 0 0 1
of the neck to form a clamp, or human to illustrate
2 how 2 the 2open CAGED
2 voic-
2 2 we have 2 what 2 some refer
0 2 to2as0the rock
2 G
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 2
caposo that you can shift the shape ings may 0 be transposed
0 0 to higher
0 keys, butopen chord illustrated 2 in FIGURE
2 5 (as
0 op-
0 0
up the fretboard to higher positions, as I would only consider the movable E posed to the folk G shown previously),
illustrated in FIGURE 3. Mind you, these and A barre-chord shapes to be essential. which is a slightly different voicing that
movable shapes are more demanding on Note the alternate fingering options for substitutes the D note on the B strings
the fret hand to play cleanly than their the A-shape voicing (more on that in third fret for the open B note. This shape
open-chord counterparts, as barring a a minute). has been used in countless hit songs, such
finger across several strings requires more as Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd,
pressure and strength than what is needed OPEN G CHORD VARIATIONS Poisons Every Rose Has Its Thorn and
to push down on only one string with a Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by
fingertip, and both the movable G and The open G shape from FIGURE 1 may be Green Day.
D shapes necessitate a bit of a stretch fingered two different ways, low to high: 3 If youre playing hard rock or metal and
between the fingers and thus some flex- 2 4, or 2 1 3. It all depends on where youre using distortion, this shape makes for a huge-
ibility to form. These movable shapes take coming from and where youre going. For sounding octave-doubled G5 power chord,
a bit of practice to master, as you gradually example, if youre playing a song that has with a tall stack of roots and fifthsthree Gs
(fifth-string note optional)
F G A FIGURE 4 two fingering options4 fortwo
FIGURE G fingering options for G
FIGURE 5 FIGURE FIGURE
6 5 FIGURE
G C G G D G G G5
()
G C G G D G G G5 G/B
3fr ( ) 5fr ( ) 7fr

11243 11243 11243 32 4 32 1 32 4 21 3 132 21 3 21 34 2 34

32 4 32 1 32 4 21 3 132 21 3 21 34 2 34 1 34
and two
ngering options G (see FIGURE 6). In thisFIGURE
forDs context,
5 FIGURE 66
FIGURE
FIGURE 7 open minor FIGURE
FIGURE 77 open minor chords
youll no doubt wantGto exclude theG low chords
G G D G5 G/B Am Dm Em
B note on the A strings second fret, as it Am Dm Em ()
()
would only serve to make the chord voic-
ing sound muddy, due to all the overtones 231 231 23
32 4 21 3 132 21 3 21 34 2 2 3 13 4 12 3 13 4 2 3
that are magnified by distortion. Simply
mute the unused A string with the paw FIGURE 8
minor chords FIGURE
FIGURE 88

of your middle finger as its tip frets the

Em Asus2 Am Asus2 Am Asus4 Am Dsus2 Dm Dsus2 Dm Dsus4 Dm Em Esus4 Em

0
Asus2 Am Asus2 Am Asus4 Am Dsus2 Dm Dsus2 Dm Dsus4 Dm Em Esus4 Em Am

0
low G note, in order to prevent the open A

0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 3 3 1 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 1 01 01 11 0 3 31 1 3 33 1 30 03 0

string from ringing when you strum across 3 0 0

0 1 1 0 1 3 3 12 32 23 23 32 20 02 1
2 0 2 2 0
all six strings. Another option is to keep 2 2 2 2 2 22 22 22 20 00 2 20 0 2
0 2 2
23 2 2 2 2 0 00 00 00 0 2 2 2 2 2
the B note and omit the low G, so you have 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0
0 0
whats called G/B (G over B, meaning a

G chord
sus2 Am Asus4 playedDm
Am Dsus2 overDsus2
a B bass note),Dm
Dm Dsus4 which
Em Esus4 Em Am

0
has a warm sound and makes for a pleas-
0 0 0 1 1 0 1 3 3 1 0 0FIGURE 90 FIGURE 1010 Delta blues-style
0 1 3 ingly
3 1 smooth3 transitional
3 3chord 3when 0 FIGURE
0 91 more sus2 shapes FIGURE
2 2 2 2 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 chords with thumb fretting
2 moving
2 from
0 C to 0Am, or 0vice versa.
0 AC/ 2 2 2
0 0 2 2Fsus2 0 F Gsus2 G5 Csus2 Cadd9 D/F# D7/F# D9/F#
DCs Angus and Malcolm Young have used 0 0 () () ()
this G5 chord to create huge-sounding
riffs in such classic hard rock anthems as
Highway to Hell and For Those About T3 4 1 T3 4 2 1 2 134 2 34 2 34 21 34 T 132 T 213 T 21

to Rock, as well as You Shook Me All

FIGURE 11 thumb fretting and Travis picking
FIGURE 11
Night Long, which also prominently fea-
G5 D/F# F C/E G
tures the G/B voicing. fingerstyle, w/palm muting on bass strings throughout

0
let ring
3

OPEN MINOR CHORDS 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 3
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
2
3
2
3
0
2
0
2 0
0
2
FIGURE 7 shows three must-know open 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 3
minor chords, Am, Dm and Em. Like their Th
major counterparts, these chords may FIGURE 12
FIGURE 12 major and minor barre chords
be easily embellished with their related E and Em shapes

0 0 0 0 0
sus2 and/or sus4 extensions, which is E Em E F Fm F G Gm G A Am A B Bm B
1

something guitarists will often do while 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 3 3 5 5 5 7 7 7

0 0 0 1 1 1 3 3 3 5 5 5 7 7 7
incorporating fret-hand hammer-ons and 1 0 1 2 1 2 4 3 4 6 5 6 8 7 8
2 2 2 2 3 3 5 5 5 7 7 7 9 9 9
pull-offs between strums. FIGURE 8 offers 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 7 7 7 9 9 9
0 0 0 1 1 1 3 3 3 5 5 5 7 7 7
a basic demonstration of these embellish-
ment possibilities applied to our three open A and Am shapes
minor chords. A couple of examples of A Am A B Bm B C Cm C D Dm D E Em E

0 0 0 0 0
famous songs that feature open major and 6
0 0 0 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 7 7 7
2 1 2 4 3 4 5 4 5 7 6 7 9 8 9
minor chords with sus2 and sus4 embel- 2 2 2 4 4 4 5 5 5 7 7 7 9 9 9
2 2 2 4 4 4 5 5 5 7 7 7 9 9 9
lishments are Jethro Tulls Aqualung 0 0 0 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 7 7 7
(performed with a capo at the third fret)
and the previously mentioned Tangerine
by Led Zeppelin. FIGURE 13
develop two different
programmed fingerings
muscle for anFor
memory. A shape
such major
as Bobbarre
Dylanchord
(Dont Think Twice, Its
most Dplayers with E average-sizeD E
hands, this Alright, capo 4), Jimmy Page (Led Zep-
( )5fr
MORE OPEN SUS2 SHAPES thumbed F shape(eventually
)7fr 5fr
feels nearly7fr
as pelins Babe Im Gonna Leave You) and
natural as an open C chord, which is a very Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Macs
1 4 4 4(1) ()
Earlier, we looked at sus2 and sus4 chords similar shape.1 4 4 4 1 1333 1333
Landslide, capo 3), to name a few. FIGURE 11
that are extensions of the five open CAGED offers an example of how you can use both
FIGURE 14 Van Halen-style sus4 barre chord riff
shapes. FIGURE 9 illustrates three more THUMB FRETTING WITH D the thumbed D/Fs and F grips with some
E Esus4 G Gsus4 Asus4 A Csus4 C Dsus4 D
attractive open sus2 voicings that sound fingerpicking to create a warm-sounding
7fr 7fr 10fr 10fr 12fr 12fr 3fr 5fr 5fr
great by themselves and may be used to Another thumbed open chord shape worth arpeggiated chord progression featuring a
embellish first- and second-position F, G5 knowing,
1333
in
1334
addition 1333
to the first-position
1334 1334
F 1 3chromatically
33 1334
descending
1333
bass line.
1334 1333
and Cadd9 chords, respectively. Note the and Fsus2, is the
E Esus4 N.C. G D/Fs voicing illustrated
Gsus4 G Asus4 A N.C. E Esus4 N.C. Csus4 C Dsus4 D E
use of the thumb to hold down the low F in FIGURE
w/dist. 10, a P.M.chord first popularized over P.M. MINORP.M. BARRE CHORDS P.M.

bass note on the sixth strings first fret in
both the F and Fsus2 shapes, as indicated
by the T below the chord frames. Fret-
ting with the thumb in this way is what
80 years9ago,

and D9/Fs, 9 9
7
10 along with
9 9by Delta blues
7
the legendary Robert
12 its
12 12
10
12variants
12 12 12
10
13
guitarists,
12
10
12
12
D7/Fs 15 14
14 14
12such14as14
10 12
0 0 0 0 Johnson (Kindhearted 0 0ings we looked
Woman Blues) and Blind Blake (Wabash
9 10
As99stated
7
9
9
7
6 6 5 8 8 7 9 9
earlier,55of the
3
5 5 7 7 7 9 9
5 5 five
3 35
7 CAGED
7 7 9 9 voic-
7
0 0 0 0at in FIGURE 3, the movable
E shape and A shape are essential, as
0
enables you to form the Fsus2 voicing with Rag). All of these thumbed chord shapes, they offer the most technically accessible
the fingers. This may feel a little awkward FIGURE
or grips, 15asA-shape
many players majorlikeand
to sus2 barre chords
call them, and useful options for playing major barre

and slightly arduous to do at first, but with have also been B used to great Bsus2
effect by many D Dsus2
chords anywhere on theDneck, in any
B key, us-

44

0
0
practice, it should become easier, as you folk and folk-influenced rock 2 guitarists,
2 ing compact,5 comfortable
5 5 fingerings. A slight


4 2 2 7 7 5 5 5 7 4
42 4
4
4
4
4
4
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
4
4

2 2 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 2
 A Am A B Bm B C Cm C D Dm D E Em E

0 0 0 0 0
6
0 0 0 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 7 7 7
2 1 2 4 3 4 5 4 5 7 6 7 9 8 9
2 2 2 4 4 4 5 5 5 7 7 7 9 9 9
2 2 2 4 4 4 5 5 5 7 7 7 9 9 9
0 0 0 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 7 7 7

alteration to each of these shapes gives us FIGURE 13 two different fingerings for an A shape major barre chord
FIGURE 13
two equally useful minor barre chords, which D E D E
well refer to as the Em shape and Am ( )5fr ( )7fr 5fr 7fr
shape, based on their open forms, as illus-
trated in FIGURE 12. Note that the E shape 1 4 4 4(1) 1 4 4 4 (1) 1333 1333
and Em shape (see bars 15) are rooted on
the sixth string and are thus referred to as FIGURE 14
FIGURE 14 Van Halen-style sus4 barre chord riff
sixth-string-root barre chords. Likewise, the E Esus4 G Gsus4 Asus4 A Csus4 C Dsus4 D
A shape and Am shape (bars 610) have 7fr 7fr 10fr 10fr 12fr 12fr 3fr 5fr 5fr
their root notes on the fifth string and are
classified as fifth-string-root barre chords. 1333 1334 1333 1334 1334 1333 1334 1333 1334 1333
E Esus4 N.C. G Gsus4 G Asus4 A N.C. E Esus4 N.C. Csus4 C Dsus4 D E
w/dist. P.M. P.M. P.M. P.M.

0
SUS2 AND SUS4 BARRE CHORDS

9 10 12 12 13 12 15 14 9 10 6 6 5 8 8 7 9 9
9 9 12 12 12 12 14 14 9 9 5 5 5 7 7 7 9 9
Just as open chords may be melodically 9 9 12 12 12 12 14 14 9 9 5 5 5 7 7 7 9 9
7 7 10 10 10 10 12 7 7 3 3 35 7
embellished with sus2 and/or sus4 exten- 0000 00 0000
sions, so can major and minor barre chords.
Lets start with the movable A-shape major FIGURE 15
FIGURE 15 A-shape major and sus2 barre chords

barre chord voicing, shifted up to fifth and B Bsus2 D Dsus2 D B

44
0
seventh positions, to D and E, respectively. As

0
2 2 5 5 5
indicated in FIGURE 13, these shapes may be


4 2 2 7 7 5 5 5 7 4
fingered with the pinkie barring the D, G and 42 4
4
4
4
4
4
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
4
4

2 2 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 2
B strings, which, if your pinkie happens to
be double-jointed, like mine is, allows you to
arch it upward at the second knuckle to clear FIGURE 16
the high E string, so that you can include the FIGURE 16 fifth-string-root minor and sus2 chords, la Hey You
note fretted two frets lower on that string Esus2 Em Esus2 Em Dsus2 Dm Dsus2 Dm
with the base of the index finger, which fingerstyle, or w/pick and fingers
let ring

forms the primary barre. If you cant manage 7

7 8 7 8 5 6 5 6

to arch your pinkie that high, then at least try 9 9 9 9 9 7 7 7 7
to raise it up enough so that it does not fret 9 9 9 7 7 7
7 7 5 5
the high E string, but rather mutes it, as fret-
ting it with the pinkie would introduce a new,
different note to the chord, making it a major 17 shimmer chords
FIGURE 17
FIGURE
six chord (well come back to that later).
6
Muting the high E string with the base of the E Fmaj7#11 F#7add4 G6 Aadd2 Badd4 Cmaj7 D9 E
pinkie like this will allow you to strum freely 5fr 7fr 8fr 10fr 12fr
and with more vigor, without having to care-
fully avoid hitting that string with the pick. 342 1342 1342 1342 1342 1342 1342 1342 1342
By the way, when playing any fifth-string- 6
Asus2 Bsus4 Cmaj7 C#m7 D9 (no3) E5 Fmaj7#11 G6 Asus2
root barre chord, you should always mute the
4fr 5fr 7fr 8fr 10fr 12fr
unused sixth string with the tip of the finger
thats fretting the fifth string, so that the open
34 134 134 134 134 134 134 134 134
sixth string does not ring if inadvertently
strummed, which can easily happen and in
many cases would be musically undesirable. FIGURE 18 power
the index-finger chords
barre in place across the top an example of a melodic pattern based on
Using your ring finger instead of the fiveE5strings, switch
E5 from A5either the pinkie
A5 or D5 these types
D5 of chords G5 and inspired
G5 by the
A5
pinkie to form a secondary barre with the ring-finger barre to the Am shape fingering, intro to Pink Floyds Hey You, for which 5fr
movable A shape will most likely preclude fretted with the three remaining fingertips, the chords are arpeggiatedplayed as ring-
you from being able to arch that finger but1 remove the 1 1 middle finger
1 from the11 B 1 ing single1 3notes.1(Guitarist
3 1David
34 Gilmour,
13
14 14
upward enough to clear the high E string, as string, so that the string is fretted by the by the way, recorded that part in an unusual
double-jointed ring fingers seem to be rare. A5
index-finger B5 (see FIGURE
barre B5 15). C5
Note that C5 guitar tuning,
D5 whichD5 he refers
E5to as high-E5
So youll probably only have the notes on these movable
5fr minor7fr and sus2 7frshapes, like the string tuning,
5fr and employed
5fr completely
7fr 7fr
the middle four strings to work with, which open Am and Asus2 voicings theyre based different fingering shapes.)
is completely fine for this voicing! The on,
1 3 4 are physically
13 and visually
134 similar
1 3 to the 1 3 4 13 134 13 134
14 14 133 14 133 14 133
advantage of using the index-ring fingering E-shape and Em-shape sixth-string-root 1 4 4 SHIMMER CHORDS 144 144
is that it frees up the pinkie to add a sus4 barre chords and open chords. The only differ-
extension on the B string, as demonstrated FIGURE Chuck
19 with
ence is that, theBerry-style
latter two, theboogie
root accompaniment
note A fun and easy way to generate a variety of
in FIGURE 14 with a chord riff inspired by of the chord A5and*A6the
A5fingers A6 are
A5 all moved A6 A5
over A6rich,D5 D6 D5 D6 D5
sophisticated-sounding D6 D5 thatD6
chords
(play 3 times)

Eddie Van Halens classic Unchained intro to the next lower string. have
* a shimmering quality and texture is *

and chorus. Going from a fifth-string-root minor to take either the open E or Asus2 shape
Creating a sus2 extension from a fifth- barre chord to a sus2 is super convenient 0 simply
and 7 7 9 shift
7 7 it
7 up
9 the
7 7neck
7 9to7various
7 7 9 0
7 7 9 7 7 7 9 7 7 7 9 7 7 7 9 0 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 0
string-root major barre chord is easy; keeping just remove 5 the
5 5middle 5 5 FIGURE
5 5 5finger. 5 5 5165is5 5 5positions while fretting the low E or A
*A6(no3) *The all-purpose passing chord

A5 A6 A5 A6 A5 A6 A5 A6 E5 E6 E5 D6 E5 D6 E5 E6
* *

0 9 9 11 9 9 9 11 9 9 9 11 9 9 9 11 0
 6
Asus2 Bsus4 Cmaj7 C#m7 D9 (no3) E5 Fmaj7#11 G6 Asus2
4fr 5fr 7fr 8fr 10fr 12fr

34 134 134 134 134 134 134 134 134

string with the index finger, as you would if FIGURE 18 power chords
FIGURE 18
forming a barre chord, but without barring
E5 E5 A5 A5 D5 D5 G5 G5 A5
the B and high E strings and instead playing
5fr
them open. FIGURE 17 shows a bunch of cool
chords based on these two shapes. Many of
1 11 1 11 1 13 13 134 13
them have been used to great effect in hit 14 14
rock songs by players such as Jerry Cantrell A5 B5 B5 C5 C5 D5 D5 E5 E5
of Alice in Chains (on songs like The Roost-
5fr 7fr 7fr 5fr 5fr 7fr 7fr
er, No Excuses and Heaven Beside You,
tuned down one half step in each case), Tom
134 13 134 13 134 13 134 13 134
Petty (Runnin Down a Dream) and Nick- 14 14 133 14 133 14 133
144 144 144
elbacks Chad Kroeger (Photograph).
FIGURE 19
FIGURE 19 Chuck Berry-style boogie accompaniment
POWER CHORDS
A5 *A6 A5 A6 A5 A6 A5 A6 D5 D6 D5 D6 D5 D6 D5 D6
(play 3 times)

* *
A power chord is, in its basic form, a two-

note entity consisting of a root note and
a note five scale degrees above it, which
7 7 9 7 7 7 9 7
0
7 7 9 7 7 7 9 0
7 7 9 7 7 7 9 7
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
7 7 9 7 7 7 9 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
together form a fifth interval. It is essen-
tially the bottom two notes of an E-shape *A6(no3) *The all-purpose passing chord
or A-shape barre chord, although many
A5 A6 A5 A6 A5 A6 A5 A6 E5 E6 E5 D6 E5 D6 E5 E6
guitarists like to double the root note an * *
octave higher, so that its voiced root-fifth-
root (low to high), or root-fifth-octave. 0 9 9 11 9 9 9 11 9 9 9 11 9 9 9 11 0
7 7 9 7 7 7 9 7 7 7 9 7 7 7 9 0 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 0
FIGURE 18 shows several widely used two- 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
and three-note power chord fingerings, in-
cluding both open power chords, favored by
hard rock bands like AC/DC (as featured on A5 A6 A5 A6 A5 D5 D#5 E5 A5
*
songs like Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap)
and Led Zeppelin (Rock and Roll), and

some movable shapes, employed widely by
metal guitarists like Tony Iommi in such
classic Black Sabbath songs as Iron Man,
War Pigs and Paranoid and Metallica, on
songs like Master of Puppets and Enter
Sandman. Note the alternate fingering op-
tions for the movable shapes, which reflect
different players personal preferences.
When played with an overdriven/dis-
torted guitar tone, power chords give you
a huge, fat sound thats sonically pure, as
it doesnt have the harshness or muddiness
that can result from playing a major, minor
or other more complex types of chords
with distortion. And because a power chord
does not include a major or minor third,
you can play the same root-fifth voicing in-
stead of a major or minor chord built on the
same root note and let the songs melody or
other instruments, such as a keyboard, pro-
vide the major or minor third and complete
the overall harmonic picture. This is an
effective arranging tactic that progressive
rock and metal bands like Kansas, Dream
Theater and Porcupine Tree have used,
with the guitarist chugging away on a
power chord with heavy distortion while
the keyboardist plays a more harmonically
complex chord voicing in a higher register
with an undistorted tone. Another prime
example of this arranging approach is
heard on Metallicas S&M album, for which
many of the root-fifth power chords played
7 7 9 7 7 7
5 5 5 5 5 5
by guitarists James Hetfield and Kirk Ham-
mett are complemented by a full sym-
phony orchestra, creating the best of both
worldsraw power and elegant beauty.
ROCK AND ROLL BOOGIE CHORDS
The legendary Chuck Berry, the man who
is widely credited for inventing rock and
roll back in the mid Fifties, popularized the
use of power chords on his most celebrated
and enduring song, Johnny B. Goode,
and many others. What Berry would do
was take a fifth- or sixth-string-root barre
chord and, instead of barring and playing
the whole chord, only finger the bottom
two notesthe root and the fifthwith his
index and ring fingers, and strum just those
two strings. He would then extend the
fifth up to the major sixth with his pinkie,
two frets higher, and alternate between the
root-fifth and root-sixth chord in a pattern
of eighth notes to create a catchy, driving
accompaniment that emulates the sound of
a pianists left-hand boogie woogiestyle
part, as in FIGURE 19. Many rock guitarists
have used this type of figure in their riff
writing, such as Led Zeppelins Jimmy Page
(Communication Breakdown, Rock and
0
7 8 9 9 9 9
9 7 7 5 6 7 7 7 7 0 7
5 5 5 0 5
Roll) and Keith Richards of the Rolling
Stones (Midnight Rambler, Tumbling
Dice), although Richards would do so using
an open tuning, such as open E (low to high,
E B E Gs B E) or open G (low to high, D G
D G B D), often in conjunction with a capo,
which changes and greatly simplifies the
fingering, eliminating a stretch between the
ring finger and pinkie. When performing
FIGURE 19, try substituting your fret hands
middle finger for the ring finger, using your
first two fingers to form the root-fifth power
chord, which makes the pinkie extension
much easier to reach.
FIGURE 19 also includes one of the most
useful guitar chords ever, what I call the
all-purpose passing chord, which is sim-
ply the open strings (usually two or three of
them). This unsung hero is used all the time
by guitarists right before switching to a dif-
ferent chord, most of the time without the
player even realizing it. It goes by quickly
and unnoticed, and it buys your fretting
fingers valuable time to transition from one
chord shape to the next!
STACKED POWER CHORDS
In their quest for added heaviness and
 INTRODUCING

stadium
ELECTRIC BASS DI
DEMOS AT LRBAGGS.COM/STADIUM
 FIGURE 20 doubled-fifth power chords
FIGURE 20 doubled-fifth power chords
girth in their crunch riffs, many rock 1. 2.
FIGURE 20 doubled-fifth power chords
FIGURE 20 1. 2.
and metal guitarists, when playing a fifth- E5/B D5/A C5/G G5 E5 B5/F# G5 E5 B5/F#

1.G5 E5 2.G5 E5

E5/B D5/A C5/G B5/F# B5/F#

string-root power chord, will often double

00
E5/B D5/A C5/G G5 E5 B5/F# G5 E5 B5/F#

the fifth an octave lower, on the sixth string, 9 X 7 7 X 5 5 5 X X 4 4 4 4 X X 4 4

9 X 7 7 X 5 5 5 X X 5 2 2 4 4 4 4 X X 5 2 2 4 4

below the root note, which sort of creates 7
9 X 5
7 5
7 X 3
5 3
5 3 5
3 X X 5 2 2 2
4 2
4 2
4 2
4 X X 5 2 2 2
4 2
4
9 X 7 7 X 5 5 3 5 X X 4 4 4 4 X X 4 4

7 5 5 3 3 3 3
5 0
2 0
2 2 2 2 2 3
5 0
2 0
2 2 2
the sonic illusion of a seven-string guitar 9
7 X 7
5 7
5 X 5
3 5
3 3 5
3 X X 5
3 2
0 2
0 4
2 4
2 4
2 4
2 X X 5
3 2
0 2
0 4
2 4
2
7 X 5 5 X 3 3 3 3 X X 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 X X 5 2 2 2 2
(the poor mans seven string). This may 7 X 5 5 X 3 3 3 3 X X 3 0 0 2 2 2 2 X X 3 0 0 2 2
be easily accomplished by simply extend- FIGURE 21 stacked A5 power chord FIGURE 22 Hendrix/Page-style thumbed chords
ing the index-finger barre to include the FIGURE 21 stacked A5 power chord FIGURE 22 Hendrix/Page-style thumbed chords
* FIGURE
A5
FIGURE A5
21 A 22 Bm A5 B5
sixth string and strumming the bottom FIGURE 21 stacked A5 power chord *FIGURE
A 22 Hendrix/Page-style
Bm A5 thumbed
B5chords
5fr 7fr 5fr 7fr
four strings, as shown in FIGURE 20. These A5 * A 5fr Bm 7fr A5 5fr B5 7fr
chords are often identified in transcrip- 5fr 7fr 5fr 7fr
1144 T 3211 T 3111 T 3 11 T 3 11
tions with the low fifth in their name, for 1144 T 3 2the
*Use 1 1 thumb to fret
T 3the
1 1 1low ETstring,
3 1 1and mute Tthe3 1 1
example E5/B (E5 over B) instead of just 1144 *Use3 2the
1 1 thumb
A string
T to tips
with the fret the
T 3of 1low
1 1the ETstring,
thumb 1 1and
3and ringmute the3 1 1
finger.
T
A string with the tips of the thumb and ring finger.
E5, regardless of whether the bass player *Use the thumb to fret the low E string, and mute the
FIGURE 23 Hendrix-style chord embellishments
A string with the tips of the thumb and ring finger.
is playing the chords root note (E, in this 23 Hendrix-style chord embellishments Bm
FIGURE Am

FIGURE Am
FIGURE 23
23 Hendrix-style chord embellishments Bm
case) or the fifth (B).

5 7 5 7 9 7

Am Bm

Another way to stack power chords is 5 7 5 5 7 5 7 9 7 7 10 7

6
5 5 7 5 6 7 6 7 7 10 7 7 9 7
to go up, doubling both the fifth and the 5
7 7 5
6 6 7 6 7 7 7
9 9 7 7 9 7 9 9

5
7 5 7 5 7 7 7
9 7 10 7 9 9
root an octave higher on the B and high E 6
5 6 7 6 7 7 9 7
7
5 7 7 9
7 9 9
strings, as we had done with the open G5
5 33 3
3
3
3 7 33 3
3
3
3
power chord in FIGURE 6. FIGURE 21 shows
a stacked extension of an open A5 power 3 3 3 3 3 3
chord, with the pinkie additionally barring FIGURE 24 strummed octave shapes
the top two strings at the fifth fret. Again, FIGURE 24 strummed octave shapes
FIGURE 24
low E and A and D D and B G and E (Mute unused adjacent strings
due to the harmonic simplicity of this type FIGURE
low 24
E and strummed
A strings A and DoctaveD
strings shapes
and B
strings G and E
strings (Mute unused
with the indexadjacent strings
finger and pinkie.)
A strings strings strings strings with the indexadjacent
finger and pinkie.)
of voicingconsisting of only roots and low E and
5fr A and D5fr D and B5fr G and E5fr (Mute unused strings
A strings
5fr strings 5fr strings 5fr strings 5fr with the index finger and pinkie.)
fifthsit roars and cuts like a knife, even
5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr
when played with the heaviest distortion 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4
1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4
(provided you use your guitars brighter-
1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4
sounding bridge pickup). FIGURE 25 first-inversion chords (third in the bass)
FIGURE 25
FIGURE 25 first-inversion chords (third in the bass)
E/G#
FIGURE Em/G A/C# Am/C E/G# Em/G A/C# Am/C E/G# Em/G
HENDRIX/PAGESTYLE CHORDS E/G# 25Em/Gfirst-inversion
A/C# chords
Am/C (thirdE/G#
in the bass)
Em/G A/C# Am/C E/G# Em/G
4fr 3fr 4fr 3fr 9fr 9fr
E/G# Em/G A/C# Am/C E/G# 4fr Em/G 3fr A/C# 4fr Am/C 3fr E/G# 9fr Em/G 9fr
The great Jimi Hendrix, celebrated by 4fr 3fr 4fr 3fr 9fr 9fr
2134 2134 2 134 2 134 14 14 14 14 311 311
many as being historys most innovative 2134 2134 2 134 2 134 14 14 14 14 311 311
and pioneering electric lead guitarist, was 2134 2134 2 134 2 134 14 14 14 14 311 311
also a brilliant rhythm player, having honed FIGURE 26
FIGURE 26 second-inversion chords FIGURE 27
FIGURE 27 Steely Dan-style slash chords
his chord playing chops as a sideman tour- FIGURE 26 second-inversion
(fifth in the bass) chords FIGURE 27 Steely Dan-style slash chords
ing the blues and r&b circuit in the early- FIGURE 26 (fifth in the bass) chords
second-inversion FIGURE 27 Steely Dan-style slash chords
E/B Em/B
(fifth A/E G#m/D# A/D D/G G/A C/D
mid Sixties. One very cool and useful thing E/B Em/B in the A/E
bass) G#m/D# A/D D/G G/A C/D
7fr 7fr 5fr 4fr 5fr 3fr 5fr
Jimi would do is use his thumb (he had big E/B 7fr Em/B 7fr A/E 5fr G#m/D#
4fr A/D 5fr D/G 3fr G/A C/D 5fr
hands) to fret the bass note on a sixth- 1 444
7fr
1 342
7fr
34211
5fr
34111
4fr
13211
5fr
1 444
3fr
3 4211 1111
5fr

string-root major or minor barre chord, 1 3

4 4343 1 342 34211 34111 13211 1 444 3 4211 1111
1 333
instead of employing the conventional 1
1
444
333
1 342 34211 34111 13211 1 444 3 4211 1111

index-finger barre across all six strings. He FIGURE

Both 28 movable,
Hendrix and Page one-finger
also made power
use of theoretically isnt a real chord, is the
FIGURE 28 movable,
chord shapeone-finger
in drop-D power
tuning
would then omit the fifth of the chord on G5 chord
the thumbed-power
FIGURE 28 shape
movable, chord in voicings
drop-D
one-finger tuning
power also strummed octave, a two-finger fretboard
G5 chord shape in drop-D tuning
the A string, which he would mute with the shown in FIGURE 22,any
5fr (Use forfinger
which thestrings.)
to barre third of shape popularized by jazz legend Wes
G5 (Use
tips of his thumb and ring finger to prevent the chord, on5frthe G any fingeristoadditionally
string, barre strings.) Montgomery in the early Sixties and later
5fr (Use any finger to barre strings.)
that string from ringing when strummed, muted 1by
1 1 the fretting fingers. used to great effect by Hendrix and many
111
and use the fingerings shown in FIGURE 22 Another cool thing about these thumbed contemporary rock guitarists, such as the
111
for major and minor chords, in songs like chord grips is that they allow you to add Foo Fighters Dave Grohl, John Frusciante
Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary decorative melodic embellishments to the of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Days
and Little Wing. These grips, by the chords with the pinkie on the G, B or high Billie Joe Armstrong and countless others.
way, were also employed extensively by E strings, as demonstrated in FIGURE 23, A strummed octave doubles a melody note
Jimmy Page on early Led Zeppelin songs, using quick hammer-ons and pull-offs. in two registers, which really makes it
such as Communication Breakdown, Hendrix made great use of this technique stand out in a mix, making it great to use
Heartbreaker and Living Loving Maid in many of his songs, most famously in for main song riffs. FIGURE 24 shows four
(Shes Just a Woman). These voicings, Little Wing and Angel. standard strummed octave shapes, the
without the fifth in the low register, one on the A and G strings being the most
sound distinctly less thick than their full STRUMMED OCTAVES commonly used. In each case, the finger
barre-chord counterparts, which can be a that frets the lower note, the index finger,
desirable thing in many musical situations. Another must-know guitar chord, which also mutes the unused middle string.
 E/B Em/B A/E G#m/D# A/
7fr 7fr 5fr 4fr

1 444 1 342 34211 34111 13

1 333

INVERSIONS or a whole step. FIGURE 28 shows a mov- FIGURE 28 movable, one-finger power
FIGURE 28
able root-fifth-octave power chord shape chord shape in drop-D tuning
Earlier, we looked at the open D/Fs and in drop-D tuning that only requires the use G5
G/B voicings. These are examples of what of a single finger, any finger, to barre the 5fr (Use any finger to barre strings.)
are called inversions. An inversion is a bottom three strings, which greatly facili-
chord, which can be major, minor or some tates the performance of riffs that feature 111
other type of chord, that has its third, quickly shifting power chords, such as
fifth or seventh as its lowest note, or in Alice in Chains Dam that River, Spoon- FIGURE 29
FIGURE 29 stacked power chord FIGUR
the bass, instead of the root note. These man by Soundgarden and Tools Aenima. shapes in drop-D tuning
are called first-inversion, second-inversion Another cool thing about drop-D G5 G5 Gsus
and third-inversion chords, respectively. tuning and this one-finger power chord 5fr 5fr
Classical composers have employed inver- shape is that you can easily octave double
sions for centuries, as a tool to expand the fifth and root on the G and B strings 1113 11134 1113

their palette of musical colors. Inversions

FIGURE 31 Deftones-style drop-D power chord extensi
are also used quite often by songwriters,
in styles ranging from pop and rock to G5 Gm Gsus2 G5


country and r&b. FIGURE 25 shows several

useful, movable first-inversion voicings 8 8 8 7 7 7 5 5 5
(with the third in the bass) for major and 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
minor chords. The opening verse to Pearl
Jams Better Man is a good, well-known
FIGURE 32 seventh chords with open strings
example of a song that includes the E/Gs
shape. FIGURE 26 presents several second- Cmaj7 Cmaj7 C7 Amaj7 Amaj7
inversion voicings (with the fifth in the
bass) that are good to know. Under the
Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is 32 342 3241 213 1114
a prime example of a song that includes Am75
Am7 Am7 Am7 Adim7
the Gsm/Ds and A/E shapes, which
guitarist John Frusciante plays during the
verse sections.
2 1 2314 2 14 2 3 1324

SLASH CHORDS G7 G7 B7 E7 E7

The concept of putting a bass note other

than the root under a major or minor 213 4 213 4 213 4 2314 2 1
chord extends beyond the use of inver- Em7 Em7 Dmaj7 D7 Dm7
sions, as discussed above. Many jazz, r&b
and pop songwriters have experimented
with so-called slash chords (nothing 2 4 12 34 111 213 211
to do with Slash from Guns N Roses,
Fmaj7 Fmaj7 F#7 F#7 F#7 F#
but rather the use of a slash in the chord
name), by putting a variety of different
bass notes under any major or minor triad
3421 T3 4 2 1 321 T3 4 2 1 3421 T
(three-note chord consisting of a root,
third and fifth). Steely Dans Donald Fagen Bdim7 C#m7 Cmaj7 Emaj7 E7
and Walter Becker have written a bunch 6fr 5fr
of great, inventive songs, like Josie, Kid
Charlemagne and Babylon Sisters that 13 4 314 214 214 213
213 324
employ modern, beautiful voicings like
those illustrated in FIGURE 27. FIGURE 33 movable seventh chord shapes (no open str
E7 A7 A13 A7
DROP-D POWER CHORDS 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr

Drop D tuning, for which the guitars low 3241 131211 131241 131241
E string is tuned down one whole step
Dm7 Dm75 Ddim7 Am7
(low to high, D A D G B E) has, since the
5fr 5fr 4fr 5fr
early Nineties, become almost as common
as standard tuning in rock and metal, with
13124 1324 2314 131111 1
bands like Alice in Chains, Tool, Sound-
garden and the Deftones having employed A7 Amaj7 Am75 Adim7 A7sus4
it in many of their biggest hit songs and 5fr 5fr 4fr 4fr
most memorable riffs, often with all six
strings additionally tuned down a half step 2 else
Jake Woodruff of Defeater knows you cant be an original if youre playing what everyone 1 4is.
3 Visit reverendguitars.com
1 342 to2 start
3 4 your
1 journey.
2 131 131411
 with the ring finger and pinkie to create FIGURE 30
stacked power chord
FIGURE 29
the thicker-soundingshapes in drop-D stacked voicings
tuning FIGURE3029 adding
FIGURE stacked color power tones
chord FIGURE 30 adding color tones
FIGURE 29 tostacked drop-Dpower
shapes in
powerchord
drop-D
chords
tuning FIGURE 30 adding color tones
to drop-D power chords
illustrated
G5 in
G5 FIGURE 29. You can also add Gsus2 29
FIGURE shapes in
stackedGmaj9(no3)
Gmaj7(no3) drop-D
power chord tuning
Gmaj7sus2 FIGURE 30 to drop-D
adding power
color chords
tones
color tones on top of the foundational G5 G5
shapes in drop-D tuning Gsus2 Gmaj7(no3)
to drop-D Gmaj9(no3)
power chords Gmaj7sus2
5fr 5fr G5 5fr G5 5fr 5fr 5fr Gsus2 Gmaj7(no3) Gmaj9(no3) Gmaj7sus2
power chord, such as the sus2 on the high G5 5fr 5fr G5 5fr 5fr 5fr
Gsus2 5fr Gmaj7(no3) 5fr
5fr Gmaj9(no3)
5fr
5fr Gmaj7sus2 5fr
5fr
E
1113
string and/or
11134
the major seventh on the 111341 5fr 11134 5fr 111341 11444 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr
B string, or barre the pinkie across the D, 11 11 11 33 1111113344 1 1 1 13 1
4 11 3 4 1 1 1 1 3141 1 3 4 1 1 1 3 4111 1 3 4 1 1 1 4 4 4 1 1 4 4 4
FIGURE
G and31 Deftones-style
B strings drop-D power chord extensions
to get a warm-sounding 1113 11134 111341 11134 111341 11444

sus2maj7G5voicing (see Gm FIGURE 30). Gsus2Another G5 FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 31 31
31Gsus2 Deftones-style
Deftones-style drop-D
G5drop-D power
power chordchord extensions
extensions

FIGURE 31 G5 Deftones-style Gm drop-DGsus2 power
Gsus2 chord extensions Gsus2

thing you can do is play melodic exten- G5 Gm G5 G5 Gsus2 G5 G5

G5 Gm Gsus2 G5 Gsus2 G5

0
sions up to the sus2 and minor third on the

8 8 guitarist
8 7 7Stephen 7 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 5

00 0
fourth string, as Deftones
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Carpenter 5 does5 in 5 Change
5 5 5(In5the5House 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 8 8 58 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 55 55 55 57 7 77 7 5 5
55 55 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 55 55 55 5 55 5 5 5
of Flies), similar to FIGURE 31. 55 55 55 5 5 8 8 55 855 7 5 57 5 57 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 57 5 5 7
5 7 55 5 5
5 5
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
FIGURE 32 seventh chords with open strings 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
SEVENTHCmaj7
CHORDS
Cmaj7 C7 Amaj7
FIGURE 32
FIGURE
Amaj7 32A7 seventh
seventhA7 chords
chordswith with open strings
A7 open strings
FIGURE
FIGURECmaj7 32 seventh chords with open strings
32 Cmaj7 C7 Amaj7 Amaj7 A7 A7 A7
Another important and useful chord Cmaj7 Cmaj7 C7 Amaj7 Amaj7 A7 A7 A7
Cmaj7 Cmaj7 C7 Amaj7 Amaj7 A7 A7 A7
category that any aspiring guitarist should
32 342 3241 213 1114 2 3 2 34 1112
get to know well is seventh chords, particu- 32 342 3241 213 1114 2 3 2 34 1112
larly the Am7five primary Am7 seventh-chord Am7 Am75
types, Adim7 3 2Gmaj7 Gmaj7(no3)
342 3 2G7
41 213 1114 2 3 2 34 1112
32 342 3241 213
Am75 1114 2 3 2 34 1112
or qualities, which are major seven (maj7), Am7 Am7 Am7 Adim7 Gmaj7 Gmaj7(no3) G7
Am7 Am7 Am7 Am75
Am75 Adim7 Gmaj7 Gmaj7 Gmaj7(no3)G7 G7
dominant seven (7), minor seven (m7), Am7 Am7 Am7 Adim7 Gmaj7(no3)
minor 2seven 1 flat-five
2 3 1 4 (m7f5; 2 also
14 known 2 3 as 1324 2 1 2 31 32 1
half-diminished
G7 G7seven) and B7 diminished E7 E7 2 1
E7 2314
Em7 2 14
Em7 2 3 1324 2 1 2 31 32 1
seven (dim7). These types of chords have 22 11
G7 G7223 13 41 4 2 21 41 4
B7 2 32 3
E7 1 3 2 14 3 2 4 2
E7 E7 2 1 12
Em7 32 1 3 13 2
Em7 31 2 1
been used often in pop songwriting, by G7
G7 G7 G7 B7B7 E7 E7 E7 E7 E7 E7 Em7 Em7 Em7 Em7
great composers like Jimmy Page, Paul
213 4 213 4 213 4 2314 2 1 2 14 23 4 2
McCartney, John Lennon, George Har- 213 4 213 4 213 4 2314 2 1 2 14 23 4 2
rison,Em7 Neil Young, Em7James Dmaj7 Taylor, NoelD7Gal- Dm7 Dm75 Ddim7 Fmaj7
221133 44 2 21 13 3 4 4 2 1231 34 4 2 3 1243 1 4 2 12 1 2 1 42 1 4 23 4 23 4 2
Em7 Em7 Dmaj7 D7 Dm7 Dm75 Ddim7 Fmaj7 2
lagher of Oasis and John Mayer, to name a
Em7
Em7 Em7Em7 Dmaj7
Dmaj7 D7D7 Dm7Dm7 Dm75 Dm75 Ddim7 Ddim7 Fmaj7Fmaj7
few, as well as in jazz, blues, r&b, country
and other 2 4 styles. 1 2FIGURE
34 111
32 shows 213
a bunch 211 111 2 3 321
2 4 12 34 111 213 211 111 2 3 321
of finger-friendly
Fmaj7 Fmaj7 open F#7seventhF#7 chord F#7 F#m7add4 C#m75 F#m75 Bm75
2 4 12 34 111 213 211 111 2 3 321
voicings that include open strings, which Fmaj7 2 4 Fmaj7 1 2 3 4F#7 1 1F#7
1 2 F#7
13 F#m7add4
211 C#m75
111 F#m75
2 3 Bm75321
lend them a full and shimmering quality, Fmaj7 Fmaj7 F#7 F#7 F#7 F#m7add4 C#m75 F#m75 Bm75
Fmaj7 Fmaj7 F#7 F#7 F#7 F#m7add4 C#m75 F#m75 Bm75
3 4 2 1 FIGURE
and T3 433
2 1 presents 3 2 1movableT 3 4 2voicings
1 3421 T3 4 1 31 2 341 1324
T 231
that dont include any open strings and 3421 T3 4 2 1 321 T3 4 2 1 3421 T3 4 1 31 2 341 1324
Bdim7 C#m7 Cmaj7 Emaj7 E7 Em7 E7sus4 A7sus4 D7sus4 T 231
may be shifted up or down the neck to any 3421
Bdim7
T3 4 2 1
C#m7
321
Cmaj7 T3 4 2 1
Emaj7 3421
E7 T3 4 1
Em7 31
E7sus4 2 341
A7sus4 1324
D7sus4
6fr 5fr 5fr T 231
root note. 3421 T3 4 2 1 321 T3 4 2 1 3421 T3 4 1 31 2 341 1324
Bdim7 C#m7 Cmaj7 Emaj7 6fr E7 5fr Em7 5fr E7sus4 A7sus4 T 2 3 1D7sus4
13 4 314 214 214 213
Bdim7 314
C#m72 3
Cmaj72 4
Emaj726fr
14
E75fr Em75fr E7sus4 A7sus4 D7sus4
SIXTHS AND 2 1 3 NINTHS 324
13 4 314 214 214 6fr 2 1 3 5fr 3 1 4 5fr2 3 2 4 214
213 324
FIGURE 33 movable seventh chord shapes (no open strings)
13 4 314 214 214 213 314 2 3 2 4 214
Almost as ubiquitous as seventh chords 213 324
E7 A7 A13 A7 FIGURE 4 33 movable
1 3Dmaj7 3 1 4D7 seventh
1 4 chord 2shapes
2Dm7 14 (no open
2 1 3 strings)
314 2 3 2 4 214
are sixths and ninths, of which there are 213
FIGURE 335fr movable seventh chord 3 2 4 strings)
shapes (noA7open
5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr E7 5fr A7 5fr A13 Dmaj7 D7 Dm7
several specific qualities that show up E7 5fr seventh
A7 5fr chord
A13 shapes A7
FIGURE 33 movable
FIGURE 33 5fr openDmaj7
(no 5fr strings)
5fr D7 5fr Dm7 5fr
from time to time in the vast catalog of
3241 131211 131241 131241 13241 1 3 1 5fr
E7 41 3 1 5fr
1A7 21 A135fr A75fr 5fr
Dmaj7 Dm7 5fr
D7 5fr
popular guitar-based music, namely major
3241 131211 131241 131241 13241 13141 13121
Dm7six (m6),
six (6), minor Dm75 major Ddim7
nine (maj9), Am7 Am7 Am75fr Dm7 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr
3241 131211 131241 131241 13241 13141 13121
dominant nine (9) 5fr and minor 5fr nine (m9).
4fr 5fr 5fr Dm7 5fr Dm75 5fr Ddim7 Am7 Am7 Am7 Dm7
FIGURE 34 presents a large group of what Dm7
3 2 4 1 5fr Dm75
1 3 1 2 15fr
1 Ddim7
1 3 1 2 4fr
41 Am7 4 1 Am71 35fr
1 3 1 25fr 2 4 1 Am7 1 35fr1 4 1 Dm7 15fr 3121
I feel are particularly
13124 1 3appealing
24 2 3and
14 131111 131141 3 1 1 5fr
Dm7 11 1 3 5fr
42 4fr 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr
Dm75 2 3Ddim7 Am7 Am7 Am7 Dm7
useful A7
sixth and ninth chord
Amaj7 voicings,
Am75 Adim7 A7sus4 D7sus4
13124
Am75
1324
Adim7
14 131111 131141 3 1111 1 342
5fr 5fr 4fr 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr
and FIGURE 35 illustrates the classic Jimi 13124 1324 2314 131111
A7sus41 3 1 1 4 D7sus4
1 3 1111
Am75 1 3 4 2Adim7
5fr 5fr 4fr 4fr 5fr A7 5fr Amaj7 7fr Am75 7fr Adim7
Hendrix Purple Haze chord, E7s9, and A7 5fr Amaj7 5fr Am754fr Adim7 4fr A7sus45fr D7sus45fr Am75 7fr Adim7 7fr
13124 1324 2314 131111 131141 3 1111 1 342
another cool, useful 7s9 voicing, for A7s9.
2 143 1 342 2 341 2 131 131411 1 3 1 5fr
41 1 3 5fr
33 1 3 4fr
24 4fr 5fr 5fr 7fr 7fr
2 1A7 1 Amaj7 2 Am75 2 1Adim7 1 3 1A7sus4 1 3 1D7sus4 1 3 3Am75 1 3 2 4Adim7
1222
43 342 341 31 411 41 3
REGGAE CHORDS 1222
2 1 4 3 5fr 1 3 4 2 5fr 2 3 4 1 4fr 2 1 3 1 4fr1 3 1 4 1 1 5fr1 3 1 4 1 5fr 1 3 3 3 7fr1 3 2 4 7fr
1222

Reggae and reggae-influenced guitar 2 143 1 342 2 341 2 131 131411 13141 1333 1324
partsby artists such as Bob Marley and 1222
rock bands like the Police and Sublime,
are often sparse and punctuated, so as
COWBOY FANCY RIDES AGAIN
Though the Bob Weir signature model may be best
known for its striking visuals, it may also rank as one
of the most tonally flexible guitars ever built. As the
Dead established its power to mesmerize fans over
four-hour-long live sets, Weir imagined an instrument
more chameleon-like than any previous one that could
jump from classic tone to other-worldly and all points
in between. The BWM1BS stands today as one of the
most versatile musical tools in guitar history, as well as
the talisman of one of rocks greatest rhythm guitarists.
to let the songs melodic bass line and FIGURE 34 sixth and ninth chords
FIGURE 34
snappy drumbeat carry the groove and
E6 Em6 A6 Am6 D6 Dm6 G6 C6
leave plenty of sonic space for the vocals. FIGURE 34 sixth and ninth chords () () ()
The chords are typically strummed on the E6 Em6 A6 Am6 D6 Dm6 ( )G6 C6
() () ()
eighth-note upbeats and quickly muted
2314 23 4 1111 2314 2 3 2 1 3 (2) 4231
with the fret hand, so that there are rests, 21
or holes of silence, on the downbeats. G6
2314
Gm6
23 4
C6
1111
A6
2314
Am6
2 3
Emaj9
2 1 32
E9 4231
E13
21
FIGURE 36 shows some essential three- 5fr 4fr 6fr 6fr 6fr
G6 Gm6 C6 A6 Am6 Emaj9 E9 E13
note major and minor triad inversions on
5fr 4fr 6fr 6fr 6fr
the topFIGURE
three strings that
34 sixth areninth
and the bread
chords 3241 3141 14444
13333
2 143 2 1333 2143 21333 21334
and butter of reggae and also ska rhythm Em9 E9 E94 4 4 A9 Am9 Amaj7 Dm9 Dmaj7
E6 Em6 A6 Am6 3D6
241 Dm6
3141 1 4G6 2 1C6
43 2 1333 2143 21333 21334
guitar parts. FIGURE( )34 5frsixth( and
) ninth1chords
11fr
3333
11fr
()
5fr 5fr 6fr 5fr 6fr
Em9 E9 (E9
) A9 Am9 Amaj7 Dm9 Dmaj7
E6 Em6 A6 Am6 D6 Dm6 G6 C6
MINOR MAJOR-SEVEN FIGURE
2 1 34
324 3 sixth
5fr
1 3and
224 1 ninth
11fr chords 11fr 5fr () 5fr () 6fr 5fr () 6fr
2314 23 4 1111 2314 3123 2 4 4 41233 1 23 23
()
13 13
21
Em9 Am9 E6 Am9 Em6 A9 A6
Amaj9 Am6 D6 Dm6
Am9 G669
Am C669
G6 chordsGm6
The intro guitar C6
to Led Zeppelins A6 2Am6
134 1Emaj9
324 1 3E9
244 E13
13 ( )2 3 ( 2) 3 13 ( ) Am13
2314 23 4 1 1 1 1 7fr 2 3 1 4 11fr 2 3 11fr 2 1 10fr 3 2( ) 4 2 3 1 4fr
Stairway to Heaven and the Beatles 5fr 4fr 6fr 6fr 6fr 2 1 6 10fr 6
Em9 Am9 Am9 A9 Amaj9 Am9 Am 9 Am9
Michelle are classic examples of what is G6 Gm6 C6 A6 Am6 Emaj9 E9 E13
2314 2234 143 1 1 1 17fr 2 3 1 411fr 11fr
1 32 34fr
10fr 3 2
1 32 16fr
10fr 41233 1 4fr
known as the 3minor
241 drop3 1progression,
41 14444 2 143 21 31 323 3 2143 241332313 21133 3 45fr 2 11 3 6fr 6fr
13333
in which theEm9
root of a minor chord de- A 6 G6 E6 Gm6 D 6 C6 Dm 6 A6 Gmaj7 Am6 G7 Emaj9 Gm7 E9 Gm75 E13 Gdim7
E9 E9 A9 9 1Am9
3 2 9 Amaj7
2413 9 Dm9
4321 9 Dmaj7
13 13 13 13 13
scends chromatically
5fr
(one fret11fr
at a time)
11fr 5fr 6 4fr
3241
5fr 6 11fr
3141
6fr
14444
6 1 3 3 3 3 5fr 6
2 1 4 3 5fr 2 5fr1 3 3 3 4fr
6fr
2 1 4 3 6fr
5fr 2 1 3 3 3 6fr
5fr 2 1 3 3 4 6fr
5fr 5fr
to the major seven, minor seven and six. A 9 E 9 D 9 Dm 9 Gmaj7 G7 Gm7 Gm75 Gdim7
Em9 E9 E9 A9 Am9 Amaj7 Dm9 Dmaj7
FIGURE 37 shows
2134
some1useful
324
voicings
13244
for 1 3 2 1 1 3 4 4fr32234 15fr 11fr
1 1 1 3 3 32134 111fr
431 1 4 4 4 44 2 1 2 1 4 3 1 4 4 425fr1 3 3 3 1 3 2 4 5fr
1 3 31 3 311fr 1 3 5fr 5fr
2 1 4 3 1 4 2 3 5fr
6fr
2 1 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 5fr
5fr
2 1 3 3 4 1 3 2 4 5fr
6fr
this evergreen progression, with the de- Em9 E9 E9 6 A9 6 Am9 Amaj7 Dm9 Dmaj7
Em9 Am9 Am9
scending line being either on the bottom, A9FIGURE Amaj9
2 1 1 3 4 35 1 1the Am9
1 3 3Jimi Hendrix
431 Am chord
94 2 1 Am FIGURE
9 1 4 4 4 36 reggae-style
1324 1 4triad
23 voicings
2111 1324
2 1 3 4 5fr 1 3 2 4 11fr 1 3 2 4 4 11fr 13 5fr 23 5fr 23 6fr 1 3 5fr 1 3 6fr
on top or in the middle. 7fr E7#9
11fr 11frA7#9 10fr 10fr Em4fr Em Em D 6 D D
FIGURE
(FIGURE
) Em935 the Jimi
35 Am9 Hendrix Am9 chord A9 FIGURE 36 reggae-style
Amaj9 Am9 triadAmvoicings
9 Am9
6
6fr 5fr 7fr 12fr 5fr 10fr
13 2 2413 4321 13 E7#9 2 11334 1324
A7#913
13244
1 3 7fr
1 3 Em
1 3 11fr
2 3Em
11fr
23
Em 10fr D
13
10frD
13 D
4fr
ADD9 CHORDS () 6 6
Em9
6fr Am9 5fr Am9 A9 Amaj9 7fr Am9 12fr Am 9 Am
5fr 9 10fr
A 69 E69 D 69 Dm 69 Gmaj7
2134 G7
1 3244 Gm7 Gm75 Gdim7
231 321 111 132 341 211
13 2 2413 4 3 2 1 7fr 13 11fr 13 11fr 13 10fr 13 10fr 13 4fr
Our final category 4fr of essential
11fr guitar chords 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr
FIGURE
2 163 4 37 the minor-drop progression
comprises what are known as major and A9 E169 3 2 4 4 D 69 Dm 69 231
Gmaj7 321
G7 111
Gm7 1 3 2 Gm75 341 211
Gdim7
Am 1 3 2 Am(maj7) 2413 Am74 3 2 1 Am6 13 1 3Am Am(maj7)
13 1 3 Am7 13 Am6
minor add9
2 1 1 3 chords.
4 1 1Unlike
133 the4 3ninth
1 chord 421 FIGURE 1 4 4 44fr37 the 1 3 2 4minor-drop
11fr 1 4 2 3 progression 2111 1 3 2 45fr 5fr 5fr 5fr 5fr
types we looked at earlier (namely major A 69 ( )5fr Am(maj7)
Am E69 ( )5fr D Am7 6
9
( )5fr
Dm 69Am6( )4fr Gmaj7 Am G7 5fr Gm7
Am(maj7)
4fr Gm75
Am7 Gdim7
Am6
FIGURE 35
nine, dominant ninetheandJimiminor Hendrix
nine), chord
add9 FIGURE
FIGURE 36
2 1 1 3 4( 4fr
36 reggae-style
)5fr 1 1 1 3 3 11fr
triad voicings
( )5fr 4 3 1 ( )5fr 4 2 1 4fr 1 4 4 4 5fr 3 2 4 5fr
1 5fr 2 3 5fr
1 4 4fr 2 1 1 1 5fr 1 3 2 4 5fr
chords do not includeA7#9
E7#9 a seventh and are thus Em3 1 1 1 Em 2 1 1 Em 1 1 1D1 1 D 11 23 23(23) D 333 342 341 341
()
a simpler chord 6frstructure, with 5fr the ninth be- FIGURE
2 13113141
35 the7fr Jimi
1 1 123131 1
Hendrix
12fr chord 5fr FIGURE 36
10fr reggae-style triad voicings
Em Em(maj7) 4 3 1 1 1Em7 11 421 1222
Em6 1 4 4 4 3 3 31 3 2 4 3 4124 2 3 324111 1 1 332441
ing added to a straight major or minor chord E7#9 A7#9 1 3 3 3 Em Em Em D D D
as a thickening
2134 agent,
1 3to 2 4 4make it sound
FIGURE
( )
2Em
35 1the Jimi
7fr
3 1 6fr 3 2Em(maj7)
7fr
15fr
11
Hendrix Em7
132
7fr
chord 3 4 1 Em6 FIGURE 6fr
211
36 reggae-style
7fr 12fr triad voicings 5fr 10fr
more dense. FIGURE 38 presents a handful of E7#9 7fr A7#9 7fr 7fr Em 6fr Em Em D D D
FIGURE 37 the minor-drop progression ( 12) 31 43 24 1 6fr
beautiful add9 and minor add9 voicings that
14231
1 3 2 4 4 5fr
13121 2 143
231 3 2 1 7fr 1 1 1 12fr 132 3 4 1 5fr 2 1 1 10fr
Am Am(maj7) Am7 Am6 Am Am(maj7) Am7 Am6
creative guitarists have often used to craft FIGURE
1 3 4 2 1 38 add9 1 4 2 3chords
1 13121 2 143
FIGURE
FIGURE 37 37 the minor-drop 4fr progression
dreamy song( parts )5fr ( )5fr
and accompaniments. ( )5fr
( )4fr2 1 3 4 15fr3 2 4 4 231 321 111 132 341 211
Am 38 Am(maj7)
Cadd9
FIGURE Cadd9
add9 chords Am7Eadd9 Am6
Em(add9) Am
Aadd9 Am(maj7) Am(add9) Am7 Am6
These chordswell over 100!are just
the tip of 3the1 1 1 musical2 1iceberg
11 1 1 1 1 it
when 1 2 2 2FIGURE ( )5fr37 3 3 the
3 minor-drop
( )5fr 3 4 2 progression
( )5fr 3 4 1
( )4fr 341 5fr 4fr
1 3 3 3 Cadd9 Cadd9 Eadd9 Em(add9) Aadd9 Am(maj7) Am(add9) Am7
Am Am(maj7) Am7 Am6 Am Am6
comes to Em all the possibilities
Em(maj7)
for different
Em7 Em62 13 1 31 (41 )5fr 2 1 1 (31 )5fr 1 21 41 (1 )5fr 1 2 2 42( )4fr 3 13 43 25fr 3 4 2 44fr
1 341 341
chords types and voicings on the guitar. 1333
7fr 7fr 7fr 6fr
If you want to further your knowledge Aadd9
2Em
1 34
Am(add9)
Em(maj7)
21 3
Dadd9
2Em7
41
Dm(add9)
2Em6
4
Gadd9
142
Gm(add9)
241
3111 2111 1111 1222 333 342 341 341
of chords beyond those presented in this 6fr 5fr 7fr 1333 6fr 3fr 3fr
13421 14231 13121 2 1Aadd9
43 7fr Am(add9) 7fr Dadd9 7fr Dm(add9) 6fr Gadd9 Gm(add9)
lesson, study the music of your favorite Em Em(maj7) Em7 Em6
6fr 5fr 7fr 6fr 3fr 3fr
guitarists
FIGURE and composers,
38 add9 chords both by ear 32 31 34 32 4211 4111
1 3 4 2 1 7fr 1 4 2 3 1 7fr 1 3 1 2 1 7fr 2 1 4 3 6fr
and using transcriptions. And if you re-
Cadd9 Cadd9 Eadd9 Em(add9)
ally want to be a Jedi Knight of chords, FIGURE 32
13421
38Aadd9 add9 31
14231
Am(add9)
chords 1 33142 1 32
2 143
4211 4111

consider studying guitar and music

Cadd9 38 Cadd9 Eadd9 Em(add9) Aadd9 Am(add9)
theory at the university level, or check FIGURE
FIGURE 38 add9 chords
2 1 3 4 2 1
out my Mastering Fretboard Harmony and3 2 4 1 2 4 1 4 2 2 4 1
Cadd9 Cadd9 Eadd9 Em(add9) Aadd9 Am(add9)
Mastering Aadd9Fretboard Harmony, Part
Am(add9) Dadd9 Two Dm(add9) Gadd9 Gm(add9)
21 34 21 3 241 24 142 241
instructional 6fr DVDs, available 5fr through7frthe 6fr 3fr 3fr
GuitarWorld.com online store. Aadd9 Am(add9) Dadd9 Dm(add9) Gadd9 Gm(add9)
21 34 21 3 241 24 142 241
32 31 34 32 6fr 4211 5fr 4111 7fr 6fr 3fr 3fr
Aadd9 Am(add9) Dadd9 Dm(add9) Gadd9 Gm(add9)
32 6fr 31 5fr 3 4 7fr 3 2 6fr 4 2 1 1 3fr 4 1 1 1 3fr

32 31 34 32 4211 4111
 LIMITED EDITION
ECLIPSE Violet Shadow

Limited Edition Eclipse in

Violet Shadow #5 of 15 is available at:

pitbullaudio.com

ESP USA instruments are handcrafted in 6 String Musician's Friend Studio Gears
LEARN MORE AT
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through the following Platinum Dealers: JamPro Music Factory Rainbow Guitars
 N OVE M B E R 2016

the gear
in review
Masterbilt
Century
De Luxe
GUITAR
WORLD

PLATINUM
Master Class
AWARD EPIPHONE MASTERBILT CENTURY
EX COLLECTION
CELLENCE
By Chris Gill

82
JAC KSON
THE ARCHTOP ACOUSTIC, particu-
Pro Se rie s So l o is t larly the modern version of the in-
S L 2 Q M A H e l e c tric strument featuring f-holes, enjoyed only a
brief period in the limelight as the instrument

84
DUNL OP
of choice for performing guitarists, particu-
larly those who played in big bands. Its days
E P 103 Ec h o p l e x
of dominance were numbered once the elec-
De l ay p edal tric guitar came along in the mid Thirties,
and after World War II it virtually became

86
OVAT ION
extinct. From the Sixties until recently, the
archtop acoustic has mainly been an expen-
E li te P l u s Co nto u r
sive curiosity, built for either wealthy pros or
Ko a ac o u s tic - collectors in extremely limited numbers by a
e l e c tric handful of major manufacturer custom shops
and exclusive boutique luthiers.

B ARE KNUC KLE

88 Epiphones new Masterbilt Century Col-
lection boldly reintroduces the archtop acous-
PIC KUPS tic as a working musicians instrument for
Im p u l s e the new millennium. These new affordably
Hu m bu c ke rs priced models are actually acoustic-elec-
tric instruments that sound equally great
88
I K MUL T IMEDIA
whether played unplugged or amplified. Epi-
phone offers three different Masterbilt Cen-
iR ig Ac o u s tic tury archtop models: the Olympic, Zenith and
interf ac e De Luxe. The Zenith and De Luxe models are
available in a choice of either f-hole or round-
hole versions, while the Olympic is only avail-
able with f-holes. We took a look at Epiph-
ones two largest models, the 16-inch Zenith
Classic with f-holes and the 17-inch De Luxe
with a round sound hole.

guitarworld.com 79
SOUNDCHECK

For video of this review, go to

GuitarWorld/Nov2016

Masterbilt
Zenith
Classic
CHEAT
SHEET

FEATURES Visually the Zenith Classic and De

Luxe are stunning, boasting several design elements
STREET PRICES
inspired by Epiphones original Masterbilt series Masterbilt Century Zenith
guitars from the early Thirties, including the ban- Classic, $739; Masterbilt
ner inlays on the headstock overlays and the De Century De Luxe, $899
Luxes notched diamond fingerboard inlays. While MANUFACTURER
all three models have the same names as Epiphone Epiphone, epiphone.com
Masterbilt models from the Thirties, the new Mas-
terbilt models have entirely new designs and refine-
ments, and all but the staunchest purists will find The Zenith and De Luxe
models are available with
the new models improvements over their original
either a traditional f-hole
pre-1934 namesakes. Besides having a body that is
design or a round sound hole
about one inch bigger all around (lower bout, upper
that delivers bigger, more
bout, waist and length), the De Luxe features a float-
resonant tone.
ing pickguard. The Zenith Classic has no pickguard,
and it features falling snowflake fretboard inlays
instead of notched diamond inlays. The Zenith has a 16-inch
The Zenith Classic and De Luxe both feature body and falling snowflake
an arched solid spruce top with longitudinal brac- fretboard inlays, while the
ing, laminated flame maple back and sides, and a De Luxe has a 17-inch body
five-piece laminated hard rock maple and mahog- and notched diamond fret-
any neck with a rounded C-shaped profile, ebony board inlays.
fretboard, 20 medium frets and 25 1/2inch scale
length. Hardware includes Historic Epiphone reis- Both models have a solid
sue E-stamp 18:1 tuners with marboloid crown spruce arched top with lon-
buttons (cosmetically based on the tuners found gitudinal bracing to produce
on high-end Epiphones starting in 1939), a nickel- fast, percussive attack and
plated Historic Epiphone trapeze tailpiece and a outstanding volume pro-
floating adjustable Ebonoid bridge that is more jection.
robust than ebony.
A Shadow NanoFlex HD pickup is mounted sive, although the resonance is not quite as rich and The Shadow NanoFlex HD
under the saddle, which is connected to an eSonic reverberant as a flat top acoustic. The overall fre- under-saddle pickup and
HD preamp system. On the roundhole De Luxe, quency response is also a bit tighter, with fat but eSonic HD preamp system
the master volume and master EQ controls are focused bass and brilliant but not shrill treble. amplify the guitars archtop
mounted just inside the sound hole, while on the If you prefer a bigger, more resonant tone, the tone with all of its natural
f-hole Zenith Classic the volume and EQ controls round-hole version of the Zenith or De Luxe may warmth and body.
are mounted inside the lower (treble bout) f-hole. be a better choice. Our De Luxe had the added
The easy access compartment for the nine-volt bat- advantage of having a bigger body than the Zenith,
THE BOTTOM LINE
tery that powers the preamp and the 1/4-inch out- but the increased resonance likely was influ-
The Epiphone Masterbilt
put jack are located just below the endpin. enced more by its round-hole design than its big-
Century Collection guitars
ger size. The De Luxe is an impressive powerhouse
are the perfect affordable
PERFORMANCE One of the coolest features of a either way, with aggressive volume projection and choice for any guitarist
good archtop acoustic guitar is the fast, percussive a slightly wider frequency range with bigger bass interested in exploring the
attack (often described as cut) it delivers when and more complex treble. signature sound of an arch-
strumming chords. Our Zenith Classic model with The electronics amplify the natural acoustic top acoustic guitar or any-
its f-hole design provided classic archtop tone that tone and character of both models in accurate per- one who wants a finely
reminded me of several outstanding vintage and fection. The master EQ provides the right amount crafted, visually stunning
boutique archtop acoustics Ive played that sell of bass boost or treble emphasis, and the system acoustic guitar for recording
for thousands of dollars. While the attack is very can handle impressively loud output levels without and performing.
aggressive and punchy, the sustain is also impres- feeding back.

80 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

SOUNDCHECK
GOLD
GUITAR
WORLD
AWARD
Lean & Mean
JACKSON PRO SERIES SOLOIST SL2Q MAH
P
ER
FORMANC
E By Ch ris G ill
A LOT OF guitars these days are designed
with special features that make them
stand out from the crowd. Thats great
for me as a reviewer as it gives me some-
thing different to focus upon, but as a
player there are times where I just want
a good ol straight-up rip-roaring shred
machine with a no-nonsense simple de-
sign. Jacksons Pro Series Soloist SL2Q
MAH may be a high-tech guitar, but
all of the tech goes into details like feel
and playability rather than complicated
switching systems, sophisticated elec-
tronics or other features that get in the
way when you want to plug in and play.
FEATURES The Jackson Pro Series Solo-
ist SL2Q MAH places the emphasis where
it really countshigh-quality materials,
professional electronics and hardware,
and meticulous craftsmanship. At its
core its a stripped-down shred machine
with a pair of humbucking pickups (Sey-
mour Duncan TB-6 Distortion bridge and
SH-6N Distortion neck), a robust Floyd
Rose FRT-O5000 recessed double-lock-
ing tremolo, master volume and tone
controls, and a three-way toggle pickup
switch with the usual bridge/both/neck
settings.
The Soloists true devil is in its details
however. The neck is one of the fastest
and most comfortable Ive ever played,
LIST PRICE
CHEAT $1,360.53
SHEET MANUFACTURER
Jackson Guitars,
jacksonguitars.com
82 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
For video of this review, go to
GuitarWorld/Nov2016
featuring a one-piece maple neck-thru-
body design with a sturdy scarf joint and a
12-to-16inch compound radius. The neck
also boasts 24 jumbo frets, a 25 1/2inch
scale, and a smooth-as-silk ebony fret-
board. The neck is inserted into a resonant
slab of mahogany, and the whole shebang
is topped with a hypnotically figured layer
of quilted maple. The necks oiled finish
provides the feel of raw wood, while the
body has a mirror-like gloss finish.
PERFORMANCE Everything about this
models design just feels right, includ-
ing the bodys weight, overall balance and
playability of the necks slim, flat profile.
The guitar is very comfortable to play, and
whether seated or standing the neck auto-
matically settles to an ideal playing posi-
tion. The jumbo frets are polished to a very
smooth and rounded profile that allows
players fingers to glide up and down the
fretboard almost without any resistance.
The Soloists tone is very lively, responsive
and aggressive, thanks to its resonant tone-
woods and high-output humbuckers, which
are mounted directly to the body. Both pick-
ups have an attractive upper midrange char-
acter that delivers ample presence and body
that strikes an ideal balance between power
chords and fat, singing solos. It may deliver
only three sounds, but theyre all ones that
you will use often.
Seymour Duncan The recessed Floyd THE BOTTOM LINE
TB-6 Distortion (bridge) Rose FRT-O5000 dou- While the Jackson Pro Series Soloist
and SH-6N Distortion
(neck) humbuckers are
ble-locking tremolo has
a deep cavity to enable
SL2Q MAH may offer a basic setup, the
quality of its hardware, tonewoods and
mounted directly to the generous pitch raising craftsmanship make it a high-perfor-
body to provide fat, res- as well as low dives. mance shred machine that truly delivers
onant tone. when it comes to tone and playability.
SOUNDCHECK

EP103 Echoplex Delay (left)

and optional MXR M199 Tap
Tempo switch

GUITAR
WORLD

PLATINUM
AWARD
Tale of the Tape
DUNLOP EP103 ECHOPLEX DELAY
EX
CELLEN CE By Ch ris G ill

ONE OF THE greatest effects for electric
guitar is also one of the earliestthe tape
echo unit. While the Echoplex, which
electrical engineer Mike Battle and gui-
tarist Don Dixon developed in 1959 and
brought to market in 1961, wasnt the very
first commercially available tape echo,
many guitarists still consider it the best.
Of the various tube Echoplex units from
the Sixties (EP-1 and EP-2) and solid-state
units of the Seventies (EP-3 and EP-4),
most guitarists prefer the EP-3 for its
preamp (which Dunlop recently dupli-
cated with the EP101 Echoplex Preamp
pedal), quiet performance and enhanced
sound quality of its delay signal, which
was cleaner and brighter than that of the
tube echo units. No wonder that the EP-3
was the preferred choice of countless pros
during the Seventies and Eighties, includ-
ing Eric Johnson, Brian May, Jimmy Page,
Andy Summers, Eddie Van Halen and
many other highly respected players.
Tape echo units fell out of favor as ana-
log and digital delay technology became
less expensive, and the bulky size, constant
maintenance, service issues and increas-
ing scarcity of tape also didnt help either.
But for some players nothing else ever
sounded quite the same or as good as a
genuine Echoplexuntil now that is, with
the introduction of the EP103 Echoplex
Delay. The EP103 offers the same echo
effects and controls as the original EP-3
Echoplex in a compact pedal format thats
the size of a Phase 90, plus a few new fea-
tures such as an Age mode, selectable ste-
reo or mono modes, an optional tap tempo
control, and more. All thats missing is the
sound-on-sound feature, but thats what
loopers are for.
FEATURES Like the original EP-3 tape
echo unit, the Echoplex Delay pedal pro-
vides a relatively simple set of controls,
consisting of Sustain and Volume knobs
as well as a Delay knob that dials in delay
times from 40 to 750 milliseconds, similar
to the Delay slider that adjusted the place-
ment of the record/erase head on the orig-
inal tape unit. The Volume knob also pro-
vides a push function that engages the Age
mode. By holding the Volume control down
for about two seconds, users can adjust the
Age mode to dial in darker, warmer tones
and increased wow and flutter modula-
tion that replicates the sound of worn-out
tape. The final Age setting can be locked in,
allowing users to access it instantly just by
pressing down the Volume control.
An internal switch allows users to select
a stereo output mode that sends dry and
wet signals to separate terminals of a TRS
splitter cable. Users can also engage a true
bypass relay that cuts off the delay effect
when the bypass switch is engaged or a
buffered trails bypass mode that allows the
delay trails to continue after the effect is
bypassed. A wet mode is also available that

84 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 For video of this review, go to
GuitarWorld.com/Nov2016
The EP103
absolutely nails
the original EP-3s
echo effects lush,
three-dimensional
sound.
sends the wet signal only to your amp. The
EP103 can store all of these advanced mode
settings using a simple knob setting and
pressing procedure to access startup mode.
The EP103 also includes a Tap jack for the
optional MXR M199 Tap Tempo switch,
which increases the maximum delay time to
four seconds.
PERFORMANCE The original EP-3s echo
effect has a characteristic lush, three-dimen-
sional sound that combines delay and warm,
natural-sounding reverb. Most digital emu-
lations of this effect sound comparatively
flat, but the EP103 absolutely nails the EP-3s
unique character. The Age control is the key
to much of this charm, providing the per-
ception of depth and a distinctive pitch war-
ble thats similar to chorus. Chords sound
rich and lively, while individual notes retain
body and punch. The echo effects also sound
great in front of a distorted amp and main-
tain excellent definition and clarity.
CHEAT
SHEET
LIST PRICE $285.70
MANUFACTURER Dunlop
Manufacturing, jimdunlop.com
The Age mode replicates the
warm sound and chorus-like wow
and flutter of aged tape to provide
truly accurate analog tape tones.
The optional MXR M199 Tap
Tempo switch adds a tap tempo
function and increases the max-
imum delay time from 750ms to
four seconds.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The drop-dead gorgeous effects
of the original Echoplex tape echo
live on again in the wonderfully
versatile EP103 pedal, but with-
out the maintenance, cleaning and
other headaches associated with a
vintage tape echo unit.
Ibanez
IRON LABEL S SERIES MODELS
The Ibanez Iron Label S Series Mod-
els are available in two new six-string
guitars and one new seven-string. The
SIX6 (pictured) and SIX7 guitars blend
the iconic S Series body with the Iron
Label made for metal design aes-
thetic. The guitars feature mahogany
bodies with flamed maple tops, reverse
headstocks, super-fast, three-piece
maple/bubinga Nitro Wizard necks and
DiMarzio Fusion Edge pickups.
LIST PRICE $1,199.99$1,333.32
Ibanez.co.jp
DAddario
ECLIPSE TUNERS
The DAddario Eclipse clip-on headstock
tuners provide fast, accurate chromatic
tuning. The Eclipse features an unobtru-
sive and compact design, full-color ver-
tical display and automatic power-off
to save battery life. It can be mounted in
front of or behind the headstock on any
right- and left-handed instruments, and
the multi-swivel action allows for the
perfect viewing at any angle. The tuners
are available in a variety of colors.
LIST PRICE $29.95
daddario.com
guitarworld.com 85
SOUNDCHECK
For video of this
review, go to
GuitarWorld.com/
Nov2016

GOLD
GUITAR
WORLD

AWARD
Foxy Brown
OVATION ELITE PLUS CONTOUR KOA
P
ER E By Chris Gill
FORMA NC

OVATIONTHE COMPANY THAT pio- signature Lyrachord composite with the

neered the modern acoustic-electric guitar
and popularized the use of composite
materials for acoustic guitar construction
celebrated its 50th anniversary this year in
a big way by introducing 33 new models.
With its enticing combination of exotic
tone woods, professional-quality electron-
ics, intricately detailed inlay work and sur-
prisingly sensible price, the new Elite Plus
series stood out from Ovations similarly
impressive crowd of new offerings. We
took a look at the Elite Plus Contour Koa,
which features a figured koa veneer top,
although other Elite Plus choices include
models with okume feather, flame maple
and quilted maple tops.
FEATURES With its figured koa top with
a rich, brown hue, flame maple multiple
sound hole epaulets, hand-inlaid abalone
purfling and abalone diamond and dot fret-
board inlays, and deluxe grade ebony finger-
board, the Ovation Elite Plus Contour Koa
has a breathtaking appearance rivaling cus-
tom acoustics that cost five times as much
or more. Numerous other upscale features
abound, including the five-piece mahogany
and maple neck with its satin natural finish,
an angled fretboard that provides 20 frets
for the low E string and 23 frets for the high
E string, scalloped quarter-sawn X-brac-
ing and a pinless bridge and tuner buttons
crafted out of ebony. The back is Ovations
Contour cutaway that provides comfortable
access to the uppermost frets.
The Elite Plus models are equipped with
Ovations OP Pro Studio preamp electron-
ics and OCP-1K pickup. The OP Pro Stu-
dio preamp features an onboard compres-
sor (Expressor) with its own level slider,
individual low, mid and high sliders for the
three-band EQ, gain and drive knobs, and a
tuner with an easy-to-read LED. The entire
preamp assembly pops out with the press of
the button to provide access to the battery
compartment.
PERFORMANCE The Elite Plus Contour
Koa delivers harmonically rich tone with
attractive treble overtones and focused bass.
The sound is decidedly upscale, with expres-
sive nuances players look for in a profes-
sional-quality instrument. While it may not
be as resonant as more traditional acous-
tic designs, this is actually an advantage
when amplifying the guitar for live perfor-
mance as it avoids feedback. The craftsman-
ship throughout is outstanding, although our
examples circular rear access port, which is
anchored via a single flathead screw, didnt
fit entirely flush to the Lyrachord back. Some
players may view this as an insignificant
annoyance, which is more than compensated
for by the stellar playability of the Elites
silky smooth neck and the gorgeous glow of
the koa top and abalone inlays.

STREET PRICE Ovations Elite Plus Contour The built-in OP Pro THE BOTTOM LINE
CHEAT $1,199.99 models are available with fig- Studio preamp features The Ovation Elite Plus Con-

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Ovation Guitars,
ured koa, okume feather, flame
maple or quilted maple veneer
a compressor to deliver
professional-quality sound
tour Koas distinctive, upscale
appearance is perfect for any
ovationguitars.com tops. for any live performance or performer who wants an atten-
studio recording application. tion-getting guitar, but its stel-
lar sound ensures that the audi-
ence will continue to pay atten-
tion throughout the set.

86 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

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P
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IN ADDITION TO offering many traditional
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progressive-metal styles.
FEATURES Impulse pickups come in indi-
vidual bridge and neck, or calibrated bridge
and neck sets, the latter which is what I
installed into an Epiphone Les Paul. The
Impulse is completely hand wound and uti-
lizes Alnico V magnets for both its bridge and
neck pickups. The pickup is offered only as
a short-leg option and its blade design elimi-
nates the need for different spacing.
Impulse is available in two-conductor
STREET PRICE $270.92
CHEAT (as reviewed, six-string
SHEET calibrated cover set)
MANUFACTURER
Bare Knuckle Pickups,
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88 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
For video of this
review, go to
GuitarWorld.com/
Nov2016
wiring, or four-conductor wiring schemes
for series humbucking, parallel humbucking
or coil splitting. The humbucker comes
in radiator-style covers in brushed nickel,
chrome, gold, black, brushed nickel, raw
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pickup tattoo custom etches.
PERFORMANCE Tuned down a whole
step and using an EVH 5150 III amplifier,
the Impulse humbuckers reveal a potent
midrange and a brassy high end that slices
through when chugging or palm-muting
low notes. The bridge and neck are opti-
mally balanced in volume and complement
each other with wide-open tones, making
them extremely versatile. The pickups have
incredible detail and a hint of warmth thats
mostly due to the pickups Alnico magnets,
which soften the hard edges but stay incredi-
bly focused and thick whether on a clean set-
ting or blazing with full-on high-gain dis-
tortion. I also had the guitar wired for coil
splitting and was able to get firm single-coil
quack rather than the common output drop
that coil-splitting guitars suffer from.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Bare Knuckle Pickups Impulse hum-
buckers are muscular-sounding pickups
with plenty of low-end brawn and tightly
wound highs that offer brilliance and clar-
ity to drop-tuned guitars or baritones.
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iRig Acoustic conveniently attaches to
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The iRig Acoustic is a clip-on micro-
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Acoustic also has an audio output for
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The free AmpliTube Acoustic app
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Paired with iRig Acoustic, the app takes
you through a swift calibration process
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After calibrating my Taylor 612, I was
floored by the studio-sound quality of
iRig Acoustic combined with the Ampli-
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COLUMNS
WOOD For video of this lesson, go to
VIBRATIONS GuitarWorld.com/Nov2016

by Mike Dawes

HARMONIC DADGAD tuning, capo 2

All notes and chords sound one whole step higher than written.

CONVERGENCES
FIG. 1 1
FIGURE
Slowly

D G/B
Creative ways to incorporate let ring throughout 1

0 2 2 4 4 2 4 2 0 0 2 4

0 0 2
harmonics, and how to play 2
0
2
0
0
0 0
0
Somewhere Home 0
0
0
2 0

3
FOR MY ORIGINAL composition Some- Gmaj7 A7 D G/B
2
where Home, which appears on What 5 4 7 0 2 2 4 4 2 4 2 0 0 2 0

5 5 7 7 7 0 0 2
Just Happened, one objective was to in- 0 0 6 2 2 0 0
5 5 0 0 0 0
vestigate musically creative ways to weave 0 2 0
5 5 0
the sound of harmonics into the composed 3 3
melodies. For review, a natural harmonic

Gmaj7 A7sus4 A7 D G/B
(N.H.) is produced by lightly touching
* T.H. T.H. T.H. T.H.
T.H. T.H. T.H. T.H.
4
an open string with a fretting finger at a 54 0 0 (12) 2 2 4 4 (16) 2 4 2 0 (12) 0 (12)2 4 5 (17) 4

5 5 2 0 4 4 0 (12)

specific location, called a node, the most 0 0 0 0 0

2 2 2 0 0 0 (12)
prominent nodes being directly above the 0 0 2 (14) 0 (12) 0
5 5
12th, seventh and fifth frets. When the
*Touch harmonic
string is picked, a chime-like sound is pro-
D N.C.(A) D G/B A D/F# Asus4 A
duced, which continues to ring even if the
finger is lifted off the string. If one were 6 T.H. T.H.
T.H. T.H. T.H. *N.H.

T.H.

(4) 0 (14) 2 0 (12) 0 2

to lay a fret-hand finger lightly across all 0 (19) 4 (16) 0 (12) 12 0 4 0 2 4
0 (19) 4 2 0 2
4 40 2 20 4 2 0 12

six strings at any of the aforementioned 0 (19) 2 2 12 5 5 2 2

0 5 0 0

nodes, as if you were barring, but without 0 0 0 9 9 7 5 4
pushing the strings down to the frets, one 3 *Natural harmonics on fourth
could then strum the strings to produce and second strings only.

six harmonics that will ring together.

A natural harmonic may also be per-
formed entirely with the pick hand. Light-
ly touch the string at one of the nodes
with the tip of the index finger and then
pick the string with the thumb, middle fin-
ger or ring finger. This technique is some-
times referred to as a touch harmonic
(indicated by the abbreviation T.H.). The
beauty of it is that it frees up the fret hand
completely, which may then be used to
perform a second, independent part.
For Somewhere Home, my guitar is
tuned to DADGAD (low to high: D A D
G A D), with a capo on the second fret.
As is usually the case when using a capo,
I think of the pitches as transposing,
meaning I will refer to notes and chord
names as if the capo were not in use. For
example, with the capo on the second
FIGURE 1 illustrates the first eight bars tip of my pick-hand index finger while
of the song. There is a pick-up bar before picking it with the middle finger. Notice
bar 1, and here I strike the open top two that I utilize hammer-ons in conjunc-
strings, followed by a hammer-on up to tion with the technique. As I progress
the second fret on the first string, set- through bars 5 and 6, touch harmon-
ting up the introduction of the D major ics are produced either in this manner
chord on beat one of bar 1. For this first or with the use of a pull-off in place of
chord, and for many of those that follow, picking a given string. When sounding a
I use a rolling technique with the pick harmonic with a fretted note, be sure that
hand, arpeggiating the strings from low the touching index finger is positioned
to high. This first chord is sounded with exactly 12 frets up from the fretted note.
the thumb, index and middle fingers, This is a complex piece, so work
but for the full D chord on beat two, the through each bar slowly and carefully,
pick-hand thumb is dragged across all six with great attention to detail. Bringing
strings. these kinds of techniques into my playing
It is not until the very end of bar 4 that style widens my sonic palette, and I en-
I bring touch harmonics into play, in each courage you to experiment with them in
case lightly touching the string with the your own playing and composing.
L A R RY D I M A R Z I O

fret, picking the open first string pro-
duces a concert pitch E, but I think of
this note as D, as if the capo wasnt there.
For most players, thinking this way helps
with the recognition of chord shapes.
Mike Dawes is an English guitarist and touring musician, hailed as one of
the worlds most creative fingerstyle performers and renowned for his
ability to seamlessly replicate a full band on a single instrument. For more
information, visit mikedawes.co.uk.

90 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

COLUMNS
For video of this lesson, go to
STRING THEORY GuitarWorld.com/Nov2016

By Jimmy Brown

BEBOP BLUES FIG. 1 1 two choruses of soloing over a jazz-blues progression in G

FIGURE
Moderately Fast Swing
1st Chorus
Soloing over jazz-blues


G7 C7 Dm7 G7alt.
1
chord changes
5 3 6 6 4 5353
3 7 5 3 6 3 3 4 643

5 5 6 6 4
2 5 4 3
OVER THE PAST five issues (June 5 2 3 6
through October 2016), I introduced the
basic jazz-blues progression, with subtle

C7 F7 G7 C7 Bm7 E7alt. Am7
variations, and demonstrated several cool
5

things you can do with it, in terms of ac- 3 2 3 4 5 2 5 6 6 7 3
3 4 3 3 4 5 3 3 6 51
companimentspecifically, various ways 5
3
2 1 5
4 5 5 4 5 4 2 1 4
to play chords and/or walking bass lines.
Id now like to focus on the art of crafting

3
single-note melodies over the progression 2nd Chorus

D7alt. G7 E7alt. Am7 D7alt. G7 C7
in a classic jazz style known as bebop, 1/4
10
9 10 10 10 10 10 8 10

with ideas inspired by such great compos- 5 4 5 7 8 6 12
4 3 3 6 6 5 8 5 6 7
er-improvisers as alto saxophonist Charlie 2 1 0
3 4
5 4 7 5
Parker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and gui-
tarists Charlie Christian, Wes Montgom-


ery and Grant Green. Again, well be using Dm7 G7alt. C7 F7
the key of G and one of my favorite sets 15
13 12 11 10 11 13 15 11 11 12 10 10
of jazz-blues chord changes, which weve 10 13 10 11 12 12 11 11 10 10 12 131210 12
13 11 12 12
13 12 10
been working with in the previous lessons
on comping (chord playing).
3
FIGURE 1 presents two back-to-back

Bm7 E7alt. Am7 D7alt.
12-bar choruses of soloing, played with
19
a swing feel at a moderately fast tempo.

12 10 10 10 10 13 11 10
9 13 13 11 12 8 7 11
The rhythmic phrasing is primarily eighth 9 10 7 8
12 9 9 12

notes, but, to add interest and variety, 12 9 10 11 11

I also use some simpler quarter-note 3

Ending
rhythms (see bars 1, 5, and 9) and a dotted

G7 E7alt. Am7 D7alt. G7 (hold last chord)
17 21 21


quarter note (bar 23). Moving in the op- 1
23
posite directionmeaning subdividing the 13 12 10 11 12 15 12 13 14 11 10 17 !
x! !
( 10 ) 22
9 13 12 x
beat into smaller, faster rhythmsI also x x

threw in a couple of eighth-note triplets
(bars 9 and 22), a pair of 16th notes (bar
4) and a quick 16th-note triplet (bar 18),
all of which are signature bebop-style
rhythmic motifs and also serve, along with
the occasional rests, in bars 1, 2, 5, 14, 19
and 21, to propel the groove forward while
allowing it to breathe and breaking up the
monotony and predictability of long, un-
broken strings of eighth notes. It is these
kinds of little rhythmic variations that
help make a melody sound more musical,
conversational and sing-able.
Of equal importance is the shape, or
contour, of the lines, meaning the ways in
which the melody goes up or down and
changes direction, which creates its own
natural accent pattern, or rhythm within
a rhythm. The goal should be to strive to
sound fresh and avoid falling into a pre-
dictable sing-song phrasing habit (as we
discussed in last months lesson on horn
section-style comping).
In terms of technique, Im primarily decorative elements, in an effort to impart
employing alternate picking here, using a bluesy touch to the solo.
my own idiosyncratic approach of mostly Youll notice that most of the lines are
picking upstrokes on the downbeats and built from arpeggios, with the emphasis
downstrokes on the upbeats, which is the on outlining each chord change by landing
opposite of what most guitar players do on a chord tone, such as the root, third,
and is just the way my jazz soloing style fifth, seventh, ninth or 11th. I also employ
developed. (Sorry, if this way of playing is both chromatic and diatonic (scale-based)
alien to you!) I do use a little bit of legato passing tones, which serve as transition
technique here and there, such as the oc- notes that smoothly connect the targeted
casional hammer-on, pull-off and finger chord tones. For a more in-depth, play-
slide, to help vary the phrasing and soften by-play analysis of the solo, be sure to
the note attack. I also perform a couple check out this lessons companion video
of bends and vibratos, which I employ as on GuitarWorld.com.
To download Jimmy Browns latest DVD, Jimmy Page Playing Secrets,
Vol 1: Electric Styleas individual chapters or the complete discvisit
guitarworldlessons.com or download the official Guitar World Lessons
app in iTunes.

92 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

To create a reverb as immersive as BigSky required tremendous
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you twelve studio-class reverb machines, with simple and powerful
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COLUMNS SCHOOL OF For video of this lesson, go to
ROCK GuitarWorld.com/Nov2016

by Joel Hoekstra

HYBRID FIG. 1 1 hybrid picking: p = pick; m = middle finger; r = ring finger; c = pinkie
FIGURE
G Am Bm C D Em

VEHICLES


4 5 7 9 11 12
5 5 7 7 9 9 10 10 12 12 14 14
5 5 7 7 9 9 10 10 12 12 14 14
Using hybrid picking to 3 5 7 8 10 12

create unusual, unique p m a c a m p m a c a m sim.

FIG. 22
FIGURE
melodies F#m79 (F#) G Em(add9)

ONE OF MY favorite ways to spice up 16
14
16 16 16
12 14 12
16 16
12 16 12
14
both my rhythm and lead work is to em- 15 15 17 14 14 14 14
14 15 17 12 12
ploy hybrid picking, a technique that has p m a c a m p m a c a m
you using both the plectrum (flat pick) and Dadd2 Cadd2#4
your fingertips to pick different strings. For
11 12 11 9 12 9 9 11 9 9 12 9
the examples in this months column, we 14 14 14 14 12 12 12 12
12 12 12 12 10 10 10 10
will be fingerpicking with all three avail- 10 10 8 8
able pick-hand fingers: the middle (m), ring sim.
FIG. 33
FIGURE
(a) and pinkie (c). Along with the use of the B(add2) G Am Bm C

plectrum (p), this gives us four different 7 8 10 12

8 10 12 13
options for picking a given string. 10
898
10 10
8 11
5
7
5 5
7
5
9
7 7
9
7 7
11
9 9
11 12
9 9 10 10
12
10 10
A perfect way to get a handle on this 9 9 9
7 7
approach is to play four-note groups, one c p m p a p m p sim.

note per string, with each string picked in D Em F#m79 (F#) G
an individual way. In our first two examples, 14 15 17 19
15 17 19 20
phrases are played on the bottom four 12
14
12 12
14
12 14
16
14 14
16
14 16
17
16 16
17
16 17
19
17
strings, with the plectrum used to sound all
notes on the low E string with a downstroke,
and the middle finger, ring finger and pinkie FIG. 44
FIGURE
Em D C B

9
used to pick all notes on the A, D and G
12
15 * 14 12 11

17 15 13 12

strings, respectively. 16 16 14 14 12 12 11 11
14 14 12 12 10 10 9
Lets investigate some of the possibilities
hybrid picking offers by moving through all
seven chords of the harmonized G major 6 6 6 6
c m p a m p *repeat previous beat
scale, which is formed by playing a chord or FIG. 55
FIGURE
arpeggio from each scale degree. In FIGURE G C(#11) D G


875 10 7 5 141210 151210 151412 171412 20 19 17
1, I play ascending and descending triplets


8 8 13 13 15 15 20 20
7 7 12 12 14 14 19
for each arpeggio, picking each different 5 5 10 10 12 12 17
string in the manner described above. While
playing through each shape, lift each fret- 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
c a mp c a m p sim.
ting finger off the string after you pick it, so
that only one note sounds at a time.
We can expand on this concept by top four strings in a 16th-note rhythm and FIGURE 5 brings a double pull-off
altering the shapes slightly and adding a varying the top note of each arpeggio the into play, for a nice legato touch. In this
melodic twist to each arpeggio. As shown second time I play it. I move up the neck example, I play only G, C and D arpeg-
in FIGURE 2, I begin with an Em(add9) through all the chords of the harmonized gios, beginning each beat with three notes
arpeggio played across the bottom four G major scale, maintaining the same pick- sounded on the high E string, the first of
strings and add two different hammer-pull ing and string skipping pattern for each which is picked and the next two pulled
moves on the G string, first toggling be- new arpeggio. We can apply a similar ap- off. This pattern demonstrates an effective
tween the minor third, G, and the fourth, A, proach to a descending arpeggio pattern, way to combine hybrid picking with other
and then between the minor third and the while switching to a sextuplet rhythm, as techniques to facilitate the performance of
fifth, B. This approach is then applied to shown in FIGURE 4. more complex melodic patterns and ideas.
other add2-type arpeggios, moving down
the neck across the same four strings.
FIGURE 3 demonstrates another ef- New York City guitarist Joel Hoekstra plays for Whitesnake, the Trans
fective application of hybrid picking, one Siberian Orchestra and his new side project, Joel Hoekstras 13, who recently
that incorporates string skipping. Here released their debut album, Dying to Live.
Im playing four-note arpeggios across the

94 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 CHANGE YOUR TUNE.
THE KYSER QUICK-CLIP
MAGNETIC
CHROMATIC TUNER
Fits on Kyser Quick-Change Capos

Screen flips and rotates 360

Easy to use press it on with the palm of your hand
Not visible from the audience
Detach and magnetically reattach
To view a demo scan here

www.kysermusical.com

KYSER MUSICAL PRODUCTS

COLUMNS
ACOUSTIC For audio of this lesson, go to
NATION GuitarWorld.com/Nov2016

by Dale Turner

= downstroke = upstroke
UNSUNG FIG. 11 Bsus2 tuning (low to high, B F# B F# B C#)
FIGURE
m = pick string w/middle finger

TROUBADOUR B

let ring
E/G# B5 Bsus2

*0m 0 0m
B

sim.
Bsus4 B F#sus4 B5

0 00
0 0 0 0
Chris Whitleys boot-


0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
stomping guitar style 7
9
999
0 0
0
0
00 0
2 02
0
5
0
5
0
5
0
5 7
9
999
0 0
0
0
0 5 44
5 X
7
7 7 7 7
0
0
0

*upward strum w/finger

FIG. 22 Eadd4 tuning (low to high, E A E G# B E)
FIGURE
WHILE CHRIS WHITLEYS name might C#m7 E/A B7sus4 E Gsus2 E7
be unfamiliar to many Guitar World read- let mringm m m m m m 1/2
m

ers, a list of the late singer-songwriters

0 0 0 2 4 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0
fans includes musical heavyweights Keith 3 0 1 0 0 6
4 0 2 0 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7
Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, 4 0 2
0 0 0
2 4 4 4 2
0 0
5
0 3
5 5 5 5 5 5 7
3 3 3 3 3 3 0 0
Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Joe
Bonamassa (who even covered Whitleys FIG. 33 Eb minor tuning (low to high, Eb Bb Eb Gb Bb Eb).
FIGURE
Music sounds one half-step lower than written.
Ball Peen Hammer), to name only a few.
Em Em/D C#m75 Cmaj7 Em7 Asus 24 Cmaj7/B Gmaj9/F#
0 0 0 0m 0m 0m
Though Whitley succumbed to lung cancer let ring
m m m m m m

3 0
in 2005 at age 45, he left behind a dozen 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
solo albumsdark, grungy designs on folk
rock and country blues (influenced by play-
0
0 3
0
2
0
1
3 0 0
4
3 5
7
7
5
7
0 0 0
5
ers like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Jimi
Hendrix and Johnny Winter), ripe with FIG. 44 Absus2 tuning (low to high, Eb Ab Eb Ab Bb Eb).
FIGURE
Music sounds one half-step lower than written.
unorthodox strumming techniques, (liter- A Dadd#4 E7
m

let ring w/slide
al) boot stomping, fierce slide playing and m m m m m m m

inventive tunings, picked on Thirties-era
0
0 0 5

3 5 3 3 0 0 3
National Steel Resonator guitars (Style O 4 5 4 2 2 0
4
0
4 4
0 2
0

and Triolian modelsessentially an acous- 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5
5 5 5 0
tic guitar with a dirtier tone, Whitley
once stated). Lets examine CWs twisted FIG. 55
FIGURE B6(no3) tuning (low to high, B F# B F# G# B)
take on the blues and beyond. B5 C#7(no3) Bmaj7/D# F#7sus 24 Eadd2 E(add#4)

let ring
Whitleys recording history dates back sim.
0 10


70 90
0
to the early Eighties, when he was discov- 10 10 10 10 10

44


0 2 0 4 5 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
0 0 0 0 0 0 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 5
ered playing and singing on the streets of 0 2 2 0 0 0 10 10 10 10 10 10 X
0 2 2 2 2 4 0 5
New York City and given a plane ticket to
Belgium, where he recorded with assorted
bands (A Noh Rodeo, Kuruki and Nacht und
Nebel). Returning to New York in 1990, a sue a follow-up. In 1995, he emerged with is showcased in Accordingly, played in
meeting with producer Daniel Lanois (U2, a striking new sounda mix of edgier an unusual Afsus2 tuning; the track fea-
Peter Gabriel) led to Whitleys solo debut rock that, to some extent, alienated his tures bluesy licks picked on higher strings,
album, Living with the Law, its title track fan baseon Din of Ecstasy; it was clear over a droning open fifth string, similar to
akin to FIGURE 1. Originally played in a that Whitley was more interested in a FIGURE 4.
DADADE tuning, in later years, Whitley constant quest for musical growth than 2005s Soft Dangerous Shores is the last
resorted to the Bsus2 tuning presented here appeasing the musical marketplace. To album Whitley issued while alive. (Reiter
(even lowerto Bfsus2on Weed, 2004s wit: Whitley cut 1998s Dirt Floor at his In was recorded in June 2005 and released
intimate live to two-track re-recording of fathers barn in one day, with just his posthumously). A family affair, it features
Whitleys staple songs). Use downstrokes on guitar, banjo, voice and trademark boot Chris daughter Trixie and brother Dan on
each beat and (in bar 2) strum upward with stomping. The high-energy Ball Peen select tracks. Well close this lesson with
your pick hands middle finger on the up- Hammer was picked on an Ef-minor- the brooding Her Furious Angel, which
beats. A similar pick-and-fingers approach tuned five-string banjo, arranged similarly informs FIGURE 5, its chunky two-note
is used in Poison Girl, like FIGURE 3, a for six-string acoustic guitar in FIGURE 3. chords and jarring voicings sculpted from
groovy vehicle for Whitleys stunning vocals Meanwhile, Whitleys stinging slide work Whitleys B6 (no 3) tuning.
(note the Eadd4 tuning), and Living with the
Laws third single. (The title track and Big To download Dale Turners Secrets of the Great Acoustic
Sky Country reached number 28 and num- Songwriters DVDas individual chapters or the complete
ber 36, respectively, on Billboard). discvisit guitarworldlessons.com or download the official
Though Whitleys success seemed to be Guitar World Lessons app in iTunes.
LESSONS
on the rise, it took him four years to is-

96 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

COLUMNS
For video of this lesson, go to
IN DEEP GuitarWorld.com/Nov2016

by Andy Aledort

POWERS OF FIG. 1 1
FIGURE
E major triad
FIG. 22
FIGURE
E major scale
FIG. 33
FIGURE

E triad inversions

THREE
E
0 4

0 0 4 7 12 16 19
0 5
24124

0 0 2 4 0 5 9 12 17 21
1 1 1 1 4 4 9 13 16 21
2 2
Learning major triads all
over the neck 1 3
(root)
5 1 2 3
(root)
4 5 6 7 8
(octave)

FIG. 4 4
FIGURE FIG. 55
FIGURE
E E

A QUESTION MANY students have 0 4 7 12 16 17


0 5 7 12 17 17 0 5 9 12 17 21
asked me over the years is, How can 1
4
9
13
16
19 1 4 9 13
2 6 9 14
16 21
18 21
I learn all the major and minor chord

forms all over the neck and apply them 3 3 3 3 3 3
to progressions and songs? The answer FIG. 66
FIGURE FIG. 77
FIGURE
E E
is it takes a lot of time and work to learn
16
0


just the basic chord typesmajor, minor, 1 4 9 13
2 6 9 14 18 2 6 9 14 18 14 9 6 2 2
2 7 11 14 19 2 7 11 14 19 19 14 11 7 2
major seven, minor seven and dominant 4 7 12 16 19 19 16 12 7 4 0
sevenall over the fretboard in every 5
inversion and key. The good news is that FIG. 88 A major triad
FIGURE FIG. 99 A major scale
FIGURE FIG. 10
FIGURE 10

0
A

the layout of the guitar fretboard is such 0 0 2 4 5 0 5 9 12 17 21 21

2 2 2 3 5 2 5 10 14 17 22 22
that specific chord shapes recur in differ- 2 2 2 4 2 6 9 14 18 21 21
ent areas and on different string groups,
so applying oneself to the study of a few 1 3 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
(root) (root) (octave)
of these chord types will ultimately get
FIG. 1111
FIGURE FIG. 12
FIGURE 12
you a long way toward understanding A A
and visualizing all of the other chord



2 5 10 14 17
2 6 9 14 18 2 6 9 14 18
types that there are. 2 7 11 14 19 2
4
7
7
11
12
14
16
19
19
The way to begin this study is to start
with major triads. As its name implies, FIG. 13
FIGURE 13 FIG. 14
FIGURE 14 B major scale FIG. 15
FIGURE 15
a triad is a three-note entity, generally A B

4 6 7 2 7 11 14 19

comprised of a root note, third and fifth. 4 5 7 4 7 12 16 19
4 6 4 8 11 16 20
2 7 11 14 19
A major triad is built from the root, major 4 9 12 16 19
5 9 12 17 21
third and fifth. FIGURE 1 illustrates the
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
three notes of an E major triad: E (the (root) (octave)

root), Gs (the maj3) and B (the 5). The FIG. 1616

FIGURE FIG. 17
FIGURE 17 FIG. 18
FIGURE 18
B B B
way to determine what the root note,





4 7 12 16 19
major third and fifth will be based on any 4 8 11 16 20 4 8 11 16 20
4 9 13 16 21 4 9 13 16 21 1 4 9 13 16
6 9 14 18 21 2 6 9 14 18
given note is to play a major scale start- 2 7 11 14 19
ing on that note and pinpoint the third
and fifth scale degrees. FIGURE 2 illus-
trates the E major scale played across is on the bottom), and E, Gs, B, which is chords of a typical 12-bar blues in the key
the top four strings in first position, with considered the root position form. The of E. If E is the root, or I (one) chord,
each scale degree indicated. As you see, initial first-inversion shape then repeats then A is the IV (four) and B is the V
the first, third and fifth notes of the scale 12 frets higher, as do the other two. One (five). FIGURES 8 and 9 show the notes
are the notes that form the E major triad. could play these triads as single notes, as of an A major triad and A major scale, and
Since triads are built from three notes, shown in FIGURE 4. Now that you un- FIGURES 1013 depict the triadic voicings.
a systematic way to learn major triads derstand the concept, Ive simply repeat- FIGURE 14 illustrates the B major scale,
on the fretboard is to divide the guitar ed the drill on the other string groups in and FIGURES 1518 present all the B ma-
strings into four groups of three adjacent FIGURES 57. jor triad inversions. Be sure to memorize
strings, and then learn the three major Lets now address expanding our view all of these shapes. The next step is to com-
triad shapes, or inversions, on each string to a chord progression, by looking at the bine them within a chord progression.
group (and their octave replicas 12 frets
higher). FIGURE 3 illustrates the three To download instructional guitar DVDs by Andy Aledort
different E major triad inversions: Gs, as individual chapters or complete discsvisit
B, E (called first inversion because the guitarworldlessons.com or download the official Guitar
major third is the lowest note), B, E, Gs World Lessons app in iTunes. LESSONS
(called second inversion because the fifth

98 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 COLUMNS
THRASH COURSE For video of this lesson, go to
GuitarWorld.com/Nov2016
by Dave Davidson
of Revocation

SHIFTY FIG. 11 tune down one half step (low to high, E A D G B E)

FIGURE
Cm(maj7) Am(maj7) A Amaj7

BUSINESS
1
96 063

9 9 9 9 9 9 6 6 6 6 6
0
6 6 6 6
Soloing in odd meters

6 6 6 6 8 6 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
5 Cm(maj7) Am(maj7) A Amaj7 A7

9 9
ONE SIGNATURE MUSICAL element
I often rely on when writing music for 9 9 9 9 9 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 4444444
8 8 8
Revocation is the use of shifting meters, 6 6 6 6 68 6 3 3 3 3 3 3 33 3333333
88 88 8 8 88 8555 444 4 444 4 44 4 4444444
or time signatures. I love the sound of a
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
primary riff that is built from sudden and FIG. 22
FIGURE
unexpected rhythmic shifts, such as al- Cm(maj7) Am(maj7) A Amaj7 Cm(maj7)

11
1 1 1
ternating between 4/4 and 7/8 or moving 1
from 7/4 to 6/4 to 4/4. When Im incor-
11 ! ! 10 8 5 ! 5 5 3 5
3 4 6 3
!

11 11 11 11 11 11 8
porating odd meters into a song, I have 5 5 5 3
5
the freedom to imagine a given phrase in
different rhythmic patterns: for example,

3 3 3 3 3 3 3
a shift from 7/4 to 6/4 could just as easily Am(maj7) A Amaj7 A7 Cm(maj7)
be conceived as 4/4 to 3/4 to 4/4 to 2/4.
6
1 1 1

3 3 3

This is exactly the case with the song
Profanum Vulgus, from the new Revo- 3 3 3 3
346 643 3
5 5 8
98
811 !11
13 13 13 13 ! 13 13
12
5 5 6
cation album, Great Is Our Sin, which is
the focus of this months column.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
FIGURE 1 illustrates the songs intro Am(maj7) A Amaj7 Cm(maj7)
and primary riff, which is also played
10
1 1

! 13 13 13 12131211 !
during the guitar solo section. I begin in 111511
13 13 13 13 13 13 13151312
4/4 time, with an inherent rhythmic feel 12 12 12
1312

of three evenly spaced notes within each 1514
beat, expressed as eighth-note triplets.
Throughout bar 1 and across beats one 3 3

3 3


1

and two of bar 2, I move alternately be-
tween the low C root note and the full
Cm(maj7) chord. Notice that the chord is
accented in different rhythmic patterns on
each beat, which lends an intriguing sense
of musical ambiguity to the phrase.
At the end of bar 2, I move down a mi-
nor third, to Am(maj7), but then on the
first beat of the next bar, I immediately
move the root note of the chord down a
half step, changing the chord to Af. Bar 4
shifts to 2/4 meter, and here I bring the
open G string into play, sounding an Af-
maj7 chord. These types of seventh chords
are not usually found in metal and thrash
music, which, for me, represents part of
the attraction. In fact, at the very end of the
phrase, I bring in a dominant seven sound,
with the use of Af7. Dominant seven chords
are very common in blues and rock, but are
rarely heard in metal.
With all of these unusual and shifting
rhythmic accents, I recommend first play-
ing through the phrase slowly and care-
0
14
1
14
!
13 15161514 1516 17
1518 18 18 1516 18 16 1816151615
16 18 16 181615 161516
3 3 3 3 3 3
fully, counting as you go. Once the pattern tatonic. For this particular solo, I chose to
is rock-solid in your head, youll have the float over some of the odd-meter shifts,
freedom to lean into it with the power and with held and tied notes, as this gives the
speed necessary to make it musically com- solo a feeling for freedom as it develops. I
pelling and effective. also use a surrounding note figure tech-
FIGURE 2 shows the solo I play over the nique in bars 13, 14 and 16, as I will play
riff, and for the majority of the solo I rely the home note on the downbeat and then
on the C Aeolian mode (C D Ef F G Af Bf), hammer-on to the note one half step above
with an emphasis on C minor pentatonic it, then use a double pull-off to the note
(C Ef F G Bf) and the C blues scale, which one half step below it before returning to
adds the flatted fifth, Gf, to C minor pen- the initial note.
To download Dave Davidsons Heavy Metal Hybrid Picking
DVDas individual chapters or the complete discvisit
guitarworldlessons.com or download the official Guitar World
Lessons app in iTunes.
LESSONS

100 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

COLUMNS

MIC CHECK
by Chris Gill

PASS THE MIC

The Three Types of Mics Types of microphones: (from
You Will Meet left) Shure SM57 dynamic mic,
Royer R-121 ribbon mic and
Blue Bottle Rocket Mic Locker
IF YOU HAVE been playing guitar for a condenser mic

while, chances are pretty good that you have

more than one guitar. More specifically, you
probably have more than one type of guitar,
such as electrics with humbuckers, guitars
with single-coil pickups, a steel-string acous-
tic, a nylon-string acoustic, solidbodies, semi-
hollows, archtops and so on. The reason why
is simpleno single guitar is the right choice
for every style of music.
Just as most guitarists would never
consider owning only one guitar, they also
shouldnt settle for owning just one micro-
phone, as no single mic is the right tool for
every job. For musical applications, there
are three basic categories of microphones to
consider: condenser, dynamic and ribbon.
Within these categories, there are also sev-
eral variations that may be better suited to
specific applications, such as recording bass
guitar or acoustic string instruments.
A dynamic microphone is the most popu-
lar choice for electric guitarists. These mics
often have very sturdy construction and gen- Because condenser mics have lighter dia- individually. Condenser mics with small
erally can handle very loud sound pressure phragms, they tend to be more fragile than diaphragms (also known as pencil mics)
levels, which makes them ideal for live per- dynamic mics and more sensitive, which are generally more responsive to fast, sharp
formance applications. The design consists of requires the use of a shockmount to isolate attack transients and capture richer high-
a thin diaphragm attached to a wire voice coil the mic from external vibrations from the frequency detail, which makes them ideal
wrapped around a magnet. As the diaphragm floor, mic stand and mic housing. The capsule for acoustic guitar and drum/cymbal over-
moves, so does the coil, which disrupts the design consists of a very thin diaphragm plate head recording applications.
magnetic field and sends an electrical current placed in front of a stationary back plate. Ribbon mics arent as popular as dynam-
to an amplification source. Both plates are electrically charged by an ic or condenser mics, but they offer very
Dynamic mics typically have heavier external power source to create a capacitor. smooth, natural sound that makes them
diaphragms that accentuate upper midrange When the diaphragm vibrates, the distance a useful option in the studio. The design
frequencies while rolling off high frequen- between the diaphragm and back plate consists of a very thin strip of aluminum or
cies, which makes them a good choice for changes, which also changes the capacitance. other metal placed between two magnets.
miking an electric guitar cabinet both live Different capsule designs provide differ- Because this design can be very fragile and
and in the studio. Dynamic mics are also ent prominent frequencies as well as overall susceptible to damage from loud signals or
typically used on stage by vocalists, par- frequency response. As a result, pro studios extreme attack transients, ribbon mics are
ticularly by performers who prefer to hold often have a wide variety of condenser mics typically used only for recording studio ap-
the mic in their hands. The Shure SM57 is to offer vocalists a choice to best match their plications. High frequencies are rolled off
probably the most popular dynamic mic voice characteristics. Some condenser mics, in a pleasant, natural-sounding fashion that
for recording electric guitar, and there are like the Blue Bottle Rocket Mic Locker, provides warm, rich vocals and room ambi-
a variety of dynamic mics designed for spe- have interchangeable capsules to offer the ence. Ribbon mics have become increas-
cialty applications, such as large-diaphragm benefits of a complete mic collection for a ingly popular with acoustic and electric
dynamic mics (like the AKG D112 and smaller investment than purchasing mics guitarists in the studio.
Sennheiser e602 II) designed for bass guitar
and kick drums that can handle extreme
volume levels and attack transients. Chris Gill is the Editor-in-Chief of Guitar Aficionado magazine and
Condenser microphones are a better a digital audio recording professional who previously worked for
choice when you need to capture a wider Digidesign (Pro Tools) and Roland Corporation.
frequency range, more detail and nuances.

102 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 Yeti sounds so good that we actually used some
inspired vocal demo performances on the new record.
Dan Reynolds, Imagine Dragons

SNOWBALL YETI PRO

STUDIO STUDIO
YETI
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Choose from systems that include Blues legendary Snowball, Yeti,
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bluemic.com
 TRANSCRIPTIONS

HER BLACK WINGS

Danzig
As heard on LUCIFUGE
Words and Music by GLENN DANZIG Transcribed by JEFF PERRIN

B5 A5 D5 A5
5fr

133 11 13 13
A Intro (0:00, 2:37)
Moderately Slow q = 73
N.C.(F#5)
Gtrs. 1 and 2 (elec. w/dist.)
1 P.M. (repeat previous bar)

2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1

Bass


Bass Fig. 1

2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1

B Verses (0:06, 1:05, 2:44)

1. Blackest of the black Darker than night Come to me my bleeding light
(2.) she comes the eve of on dusk in another form With the
3. See she comes blacker than pitch Have to make this fallen bitch
Gtrs. 1 and 2 substitute Rhy. Fig. 1 twice on 2nd Verse (see bar 7)
Gtrs. 1 and 2
3 P.M.

2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1

Bass plays Bass Fig. 1 twice (see bar 1)

Bass substitutes Bass Fig. 2 on 2nd Verse (see bar 5)

See she comes She comes now Enter oblivion There

scent of rain upon her neck she brings the lust
All I want All I crave Demoness calls The

Gtrs. 1 and 2
P.M.
B5 A5
5

4 2
4 2
2 0
2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1
Bass
Bass Fig. 2

2 0
2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1

she is harder than life in my arms There

Supernatural ceasing never on and on and on Her
bitch is come for those who wont cross the breach in Hell See
N.C.(F#5) B5 A5
Gtrs. 1 and 2

slight P.H.
Rhy. Fig. 1
7 P.M. P.M.

2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 5
2
3 2 0
2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1
4
2
2
0

Bass plays Bass Fig. 2 twice (see bar 5)

HER BLACK WINGS
WORDS AND MUSIC BY GLENN DANZIG COPYRIGHT 1990 AMERICAN DEF TUNE AND EVILIVE MUSIC
ALL RIGHTS ADMINISTERED BY UNIVERSAL MUSIC CORP.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED USED BY PERMISSION
104 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016 REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HAL LEONARD CORPORATION
 HER BLACK WINGS

she here entwined with love Unclean she is

stride is such Mortals freeze when she walks past
She is bedeviled with breasts enchantment on legs

slight P.H.
N.C.(F#5) B5 A5
9 P.M. P.M.

2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 5
2
3 2 0
2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1
4
2
2
0

C Pre-chorus (0:33, 1:32, 3:10)

And she comes down to me yeah
B5 A5
Gtrs. 1 and 2
11 P.M. P.M.

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Bass

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2nd time, skip ahead to F 2nd Chorus (bar 21)

3rd time, skip ahead to H 3rd Chorus (bar 27)

And she offers to sleep under her black
dip w/bar
B5 D5 -1/2 -1/2 -1/2
N.H.
13 P.M. P.M.
3 3
0 2 2
4 4 4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 4 4 4
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 4 4 4 4 4

pitch: F#
C#

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

D 1st Chorus (0:46)

Whoa oh under her black wings
N.C.(F#m) (G#dim) D5 B5 N.C.(G#dim)

Gtrs. 1 and 2

1/2 1/2
15

3
2
0 4 4


0 2 2
2

4 4 4 4 2 0 4 G4
Gtr. 3 (elec. w/dist.)
Rhy. Fig. 2
1/2 1/2

G2
4 4 4

5 2 2 2

5 7 7 7 7 5 4

Gtr. 4 (elec. w/dist.)

Rhy. Fig. 2a
P.M. 1/2 P.M. 1/2

7 7 7 4 4 4
2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 2
5 5 5 2 2 2 2 G2
Bass
Bass Fig. 3
1/2 1/2

G4
5 2 2

2 4 4 4 4 2 4

guitarworld.com 105
 TRANSCRIPTIONS

Whoa oh under her black

(F#m) (G#dim) D5 B5 A5
1/2

17
3
2
0
0
4
2 7 7

2 4 4 4 4 2 0 5 5

Rhy. Fig. 3


1/2

4
5
4
2
4 7
7
7
7

5 7 7 7 7 5 4

Rhy. Fig. 3a

P.M. 1/2

7
5
4
2
4 7
7
7
7
2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 2

Bass Fig. 4
1/2

5
2 0

2 4 4 4 4 2

Go back to 2nd Verse (bar 3)

E (0:59)
B
2. There
N.C. B5 A5

Gtrs. 1 and 2
19 P.M. slight P.H. P.M.

2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 5
2
3 2 0
2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1
4
2
2
0

Bass plays Bass Fig. 2 (see bar 5)

F 2nd Chorus (1:45)

Whoa oh under her black wings
N.C.(F#m) (G#dim) D5 B5 N.C.(G#m)
Gtr. 3 plays Rhy. Fig. 2 three times (see bar 15)
Gtr. 4 plays Rhy. Fig. 2a three times (see bar 15)
Gtrs. 1 and 2
1/2

1/2

3
21

2
0
4 4
G4

0 2 2

2 4 4 4 4 2 0 4

Whoa oh under her black wings Whoa oh under

(F#m) (G#dim) D5 B5 N.C.(F#m) (G#dim)
1/2

1/2
1/2

3
23

2
0
4 4
G4

0 2 2

2 4 4 4 4 2 0 4 2 4 4 4 4 2 0

her black wings Whoa oh under her black wings

D5 B5 N.C.(F#m) (G#dim) D5 B5 A5
Gtr. 3 plays Rhy. Fig. 3 (see bar 17)
Gtr. 4 plays Rhy. Fig. 3a (see bar 17)

1/2
1/2

26
3
2 3
2
G4
0 4 4 0 4

0 2 2 0 2 7 7

4 2 4 4 4 4 2 0 5 5

Bass plays Bass Fig. 4 (see bar 17)

106 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 HER BLACK WINGS

G Guitar Solo (2:11)

N.C.(F#5) B5 A5 N.C. B5 A5
Gtrs. 1 and 2 play Rhy. Fig. 1 four times (see bar 7)

Gtr. 3 1/2 1

P.H. 1 slight P.H. 1/2
29 slight P.H.

5 5 5 5 2 5 2 4 4 2 5 5 5 5
4 4 2 4 424 2 42 2 2 2 4 4 2
4 4 4 42 2 2 2 2 2 2
4 4 4 3 2 3 2 2 2 3 4
5 0 2 2 0

pitch: C#
Bass plays Bass Fig. 2 four times (see bar 5)

N.C. B5 A5
33

1 1
1/4 1/2

5 5 5 2 5 2 2 4 2 13 14 16 16 14 14 14 14 17
0 5 4 2 4 2 13 14 14 16 16 14 16 14 14 14 14 14 14 14
14 16 14 16 14 14 14 14 14 14
16 16

3
Go back to A Intro (bar 1)
N.C. B5 A5

17
1 slight
1 1 1 1 1 1
P.H. 1
35
17
17 17 17 17 14 17 17 14 14 17 14 17 17 14 17 14 14
14 17 17 14
17 17 ( 17 )
16 16
16 16 16

H 3rd Chorus (3:23)

Whoa oh under her black wings Whoa oh under her black wings
on repeats: wings) * (Shes got me under wings) (Shes got me under
N.C.(F#m) (G#dim) D5 B5 N.C.(F#m) (G#dim) D5 B5
Gtr. 3 plays Rhy. Fig. 2 twice (see bar 15)
Gtr. 4 plays Rhy. Fig. 2a twice (see bar 15)

Gtrs. 1 and 2 1/2 1/2


37
3
(play 3 times)

2
0
G4
4 4

0 2 2

2 4 4 4 4 2 0 4

Bass plays Bass Fig. 3 twice (see bar 15) *2nd time: (Shes got me under her black wings)

Whoa oh under her black wings Whoa of under her black

wings) (Shes got me under wings)
N.C.(F#m) (G#dim) D5 B5 N.C.(F#m) (G#dim) D5 B5 A5
Gtr. 3 plays Rhy. Fig. 2 (see bar 15) Gtr. 3 plays Rhy. Fig. 3 (see bar 17)
Gtr. 4 plays Rhy. Fig. 2a (see bar 15) Gtr. 4 plays Rhy. Fig. 3a (see bar 17)


1/2

41
3
2
0
0
4
2 7 7

2 4 4 4 4 2 0 5 5

I Outro (4:16)
N.C.(F#5)
Gtrs. 1 and 2
45 (play 7 times and fade out)

P.M.

2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1
Gtr. 3 (w/clean tone)

(piano arr. for gtr.)

!
2
Bass plays Bass Fig. 1 (see bar 1) Bass plays Bass Fig. 1 (see bar 1)

guitarworld.com 107
 TRANSCRIPTIONS

RUN TO YOU
Bryan Adams
As heard on RECKLESS
Words and Music by BRYAN ADAMS and JIM VALLANCE Transcribed by JEFF PERRIN

Gtrs. 1-4 are capoed at the 2nd fret.

All chords and tablature positions for Gtrs. 1-4 are relative to the capo.
Non-bracketed chord names indicate concert-key harmony.

F#m7 A Badd4 D E C#m7 Aadd2/C#

[Em7] [G] [Aadd4] [C] [D] [Bm7] [Gadd2/B]
4fr 5fr 7fr 7fr

1 32 1333 1333 2 333 2 334

F#m A5 E B F#5 E5 D5
[Em] [G5] [D] [A] E5 [D5] [C5]
7fr 5fr

12 2 34 132 111 133 133 133

A Intro (0:00)
Moderately q = 126
F#m7 A Badd4 F#m7 A Badd4
[Em7] [G] [Aadd4] [Em7] [G] [Aadd4]
*Gtrs. 1 and 2 (elec. w/clean tone, capo 2)
Rhy. Fig. 1


1 let ring throughout (repeat previous two bars)

0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 4 4
0 0 0 3 5 5

*Alternately, tune Gtrs. 1-4 up one whole step (without capo), as per studio recording.

Bass

Bass Fill 1

14

F#m7 A Badd4 F#m7 A Badd4

[Em7] [G] [Aadd4] [Em7] [G] [Aadd4]
Gtrs. 1 and 2 play Rhy. Fig. 1 twice (see bar 1)

Gtr. 3 (elec. w/overdrive, capo 2)
1 1 w/slight fdbk.
5
3 !
3 !
3
!
2 !
2 !
2 2 !
2 2

Bass
Bass Fig. 1
4 4 4 4

0 2 2 0 0

2 2 4 4 2 2 4 0 0 4 0

Fill 1 (1:14) Fill 1 (1:25)

Gtr. 3 Gtr. 3

(A) (Badd4) (A) (Badd4) (F#m7) (A) (Badd4)

1

! !
10 10 10 10
! !

3 3 5 5
4

RUN TO YOU
WORDS AND MUSIC BY BRYAN ADAMS AND JIM VALLANCE
COPYRIGHT 1984 IRVING MUSIC, INC., ADAMS COMMUNICATIONS, INC., ALMO MUSIC CORP. AND TESTATYME MUSIC ALL RIGHTS FOR ADAMS
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. CONTROLLED AND ADMINISTERED BY IRVING MUSIC, INC.
ALL RIGHTS FOR TESTATYME MUSIC CONTROLLED AND ADMINISTERED BY ALMO MUSIC CORP.
108 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED USED BY PERMISSION
REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HAL LEONARD CORPORATION
 RUN TO YOU

B Verses (0:15, 1:08)

1. She says her love for me could never die
2. Shes got a heart of gold Shed never let me down
F#m7 A Badd4 F#m7 A Badd4
[Em7] [G] [Aadd4] [Em7] [G] [Aadd4]

Gtrs. 1 and 2 Gtr. 3 plays Fill 1 on 2nd Chorus
(see previous page)

0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 4 4
0 0 0 3 5 5

Substitute Bass Fig. 1 on 2nd Chorus (see bar 5)

Bass

4 4

0 2 2 0 0
!

2 2 4 4 2 2 4 0 0 4 0

But thatd change if she ever found out about you and I
But youre the one that always turns me on You keep me comin round
F#m7 A Badd4 F#m7 A Badd4
[Em7] [G] [Aadd4] [Em7] [G] [Aadd4]
Gtrs. 1 and 2


13

0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 4 4
0 0 0 3 5 5

Bass plays Bass Fig. 1 (see bar 5)

Oh love is cold
but her wouldnt hurt her if she didnt know cause
I love is true
know her but its so damn easy makin love to you
F#m7 A Badd4 F#m7 A Badd4
[Em7] [G] [Aadd4] [Em7] [G] [Aadd4]
Gtrs. 1 and 2 play Rhy. Fig. 1 twice Gtr. 3 plays Fill 2 second time
(see bar 1) (see previous page)
Bass
17
4 4
0
4 4
0

!
2 2 4 0 0 4 0 2 2 4 0 0

2nd time, skip ahead to F

C Pre-chorus (0:30, 1:32) 2nd Chorus (see bar 37)
when it gets too much I need to feel your touch Im gonna
I got my mind made up I need to feel your touch Im gonna
D E C#m7 Aadd2/C# C#m7
[C] [D] [Bm7] [Gadd2/B] [Bm7]
Gtr. 1
21
w/overdrive

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 7 7 X X
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 X X
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 X X
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 0 5 5 5 5 5 5
7 7

Gtr. 2
w/overdrive

0 5
5
5
3
0 5
5
5
3
07
7
7
5
7
7
7
8
7
7
8
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
X
X
X
X

Bass

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 4 4 4 4 4 2 0
4

guitarworld.com 109
 TRANSCRIPTIONS

D 1st Chorus (0:45)

run to you Im gonna run to you Cause when the
F#m A5 E B F#m A5 E B
[Em] [G5] [D] [A] [Em] [G5] [D] [A]
Gtrs. 1 and 2 (w/dist.)
Rhy. Fig. 2
25
3 3 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 2
0 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 0 0 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 0 0 X 0 0 0 X 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 X 0 0 0 X 2 2 2 2 2
2 X X X 0 0 0 0 2 2 X X X 0 0 0 0 0
0 X 3 3 0 0 X 3 3

Bass
Bass Fig. 2
2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 4 4 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 2 2 0
2 2 4 4 2 2 4 4 4

feelins right Im gonna run all night Im gonna run to you

F#m A5 E B F#m A5 E
[Em] [G5] [D] [A] [Em] [G5]

[D]

0
29
3 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 2
0 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 0 3 3 3 3 3 3
0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
2 0 0 X 0 0 0 X 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 X X X 0 0 0 0 2 X 0 0
0 X 3 3 0 X 3 3 3 3

Bass Fig. 3

0 0 0 4
2 2 2
4 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 4
2 !
2
2 2 4 4 2 2 4

E (1:00) Go back to B 2nd Verse (see bar 9)

Gtrs. 1 and 2 play Rhy. Fig. 1 twice (see bar 1)
Gtr. 3
33
1

1
(let ring next two bars)

10 10 10 !
10
!
10 !10

Bass plays Bass Fill 1 (see bar 4)

F 2nd Chorus (1:38)

run to you Yeah Im gonna run to you Cause when the
run to you Oh when the feelins right Im gonna run all night Im gonna
F#m A5 E B F#m A5 E B
[Em] [G5] [D] [A] [Em] [G5] [D] [A]
Gtrs. 1 and 2
37
0 3
3
3
3
3
3
2
3
2
3
2
3 2 2 2 2 0 0
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
3
2
3
2
3 2 2 2 2 2
0
2
2
X
0
0
0
0
0
0 X
X
2
0
2
0
2
0 X
X
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
0
2
2
0
2
2 X
0
0
0
0
0
0 X
X
2
0
2
0
2
0 X
X
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
0 X 3 3 3 0 0 X 3 3 3
Bass plays Bass Fig. 2 (see bar 25) Bass substitutes Bass Fig. 4 second time (see bar 41)

1.
feelins right Im gonna stay all night Im gonna run to you Yeah Im gonna
F#m A5 E B F#m A5 E B
[Em] [G5] [D] [A] [Em] [G5] [D] [A]
Gtrs. 1 and 2 play Rhy. Fig. 2 (see bar 25)
Bass

41 Bass Fig. 4

2 2 4
0 0 0 2
2 2 4
4 2 2 4 2 0
2 2 4
0 0 0 4
2 2 2
4 2 2 2 0
4

110 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 RUN TO YOU

2.
run to you
F#m A5 E
[Em] [G5] [D]

0
45 Gtrs. 1 and 2
3 3 3 2 2
0 3 3 3 3 3
0 0 0 0 2 2
2 0 0 0 X 0 0
2 X X 0 0
0 X 3 3 3
Bass plays Bass Fig. 3 (see bar 31)
G Interlude (2:25)
(When the feelins right girl)
F#5 E5
[E5] [D5]

Gtr. 3
47 Riff A
9 10

9 9 7 8
7 7
9 7
!
9 !
9 !
7 !
7

Gtrs. 1 and 2 (w/clean tone)

Rhy. Fig. 3

Bass
09
9
7
09
9
7
07
7
5
0
7
7
5

Bass Fig. 5

!
2 !
2
2 2 !
4
4 !
0

Oh
D5 E5

[C5] [D5] end Riff A
51
5 6
5 5 7 8
7 7
5 7
!
5 !
5 !
7 !
5

end Rhy. Fig. 3

05
5
3
0 5
5
3
0 7
7
5
07
7
5

!
2 !
4 !
2
!

5 0 0
4 4
F#5 E5
[E5] [D5]
Gtrs. 1 and 2 play Rhy. Fig. 3 (see bar 47)
Gtr. 3 plays Riff A (see bar 47)

Gtr. 4 (elec. w/dist., capo 2)
55
9 11
9 9 7 9
7 7
9 7
!
11 !
11 !
9 !
9

Bass plays Bass Fig. 5 simile (see bar 49)

D5 E5
[C5] [D5]

Gtr. 4
59
5 7
5 5 7 9
7 7
5 7
!
7 !
7 !
9 !
9

Bass

!
5
!
2 !
4
!
4 !
4

guitarworld.com 111
 TRANSCRIPTIONS RUN TO YOU

H (2:35)
Oh Im gonna
F#m A5 E B F#m A5 E B
[Em] [G5] [D] [A] [Em] [G5] [D] [A]
Gtrs. 1 and 2


63
3 3 3 2 2 2
0 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 X 2 2 2 2 2
2 X X X 0 0 0 0 0
0 X 3 3 3

Bass
9 9 9 9 9 9 9

I 3rd Chorus (2:43)

run to you Yeah Im gonna run to you Cause when the
feelins right Im gonna stay all night Im gonna run to you Oh Im gonna
run to you Yeah when the feelins right Im gonna stay all night
F#m A5 E B F#m A5 E B
[Em] [G5] [D] [A] [Em] [G5] [D] [A]
Gtrs. 1 and 2 (w/overdrive)
(play 3 times)

67
0
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
3
2
3
2
3 2 2 2 2 2
0
2
2 X
0
0
0
0
0
0 X
X
2
0
2
0
2
0 X
X
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0

0 X 3 3 3

Bass plays Bass Fig. 2 (see bar 25) Bass plays Bass Fig. 4 (see bar 41)
Bass substitutes Bass Fig. 2 second time (see bar 25)

Oh when the feelins right now

F#m A5 E B
[Em] [G5] [D] [A]
Gtrs. 1 and 2 play Rhy. Fig. 1 (see bar 1)
Bass
71

0 0 2 4 4 7 7 7 7 9 9 9 9
2 2 4

J Outro (3:09)
yeah Oh When the feelins right now Im gonna
run to you yeah now Oh Im gonna
Oh yeah Im gonna run run for ya run all night now
F#m A5 E B F#m A5 E B
[Em] [G5] [D] [A] [Em] [G5] [D] [A]
Gtrs. 1 and 2 play Rhy. Fig. 2 twice (see bar 25)
Substitute Bass Fig. 2 four times simile, all repeats (see bar 25)

73

9 9 9 0 0 0 0
2 2 2
4 2 2 2 0
4 2 2 4
0 0 2 4
2 2 2
4 2 2 2 0
4

run for you Oh oh Yeah Im gonna

run to you run to you Babe Im gonna run to you oh
yeah
F#m A5 E B F#m A5 E B
[Em] [G5] [D] [A] [Em] [G5] [D] [A]

77 (play 3 times and fade out)
2 2 4
0 0 2 4 4 2 2 2 0 0 0 2 4 4 7 7 7 7 9 9 9
2 2 4 4 2 2 4

112 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016



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 TRANSCRIPTIONS

SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM

John Mayer
As heard on CONTINUUM
Words and Music by JOHN MAYER Transcribed by JEFF PERRIN

Chords for Gtr. 1

C#m E Amaj9 A E Esus2 Badd4 F#m11 C#m
9fr 4fr 4fr 5fr 9fr 4fr 7fr 4fr

T 3111 312 2131 T 3211 311 411 321 T3 4 1 1342

(T= thumb)

Chords for Gtr. 5 (acous.)

Badd4 C#m A F#m7add4 E C#m7
4fr 4fr

134 13421 123 T3 4 1 231 134

A Intro (0:00)
Slowly q = 67
* C#m A E C#m
Gtr. 1 (elec. w/clean tone)

let ring 1 let ring let ring

9 9 X 9 8 11 9
5
5

5
4
5
4
5
4 9 9 X 9 8 11 9

X 11 9 11 9 6 6 11 X 11 9 11 9
11

9 X 11 9 11 9
0 0

*Chord symbols reflect overall harmony.

Bass Bass Fig. 1

4 4 4 2 4 4 4 X
5 7 0 0 4

Amaj9 E C#m A E
Gtr. 3 (elec. w/clean tone)
Riff A
1 1
1
4

!
12 14 14 14 14 14 12 11 11 12 11 12 14 14

12 12 12

Gtr. 2 (elec. w/clean tone)

Riff A1 1/2
1/2
1/2

14 16 16 !
16 16 16 14 12 12 14 12
13 13
14 16 16

Gtr. 1
let ring let ring

5
5
4 X 9 X 9 9 6 9 9 9

4 6 4 X 11 X 11 9 9 7 9 9 9 11

4 4 7 7 X 9 11 11 9 11 11 9 11
5 5 0 0 5 0

Bass
7

4 X 4 4 7
5 7 0 0 0 0

SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM

WORDS AND MUSIC BY JOHN MAYER
COPYRIGHT 2006 SPECIFIC HARM MUSIC
ALL RIGHTS ADMINISTERED BY GOODIUM MUSIC, INC., C/O CAL FINANCIAL GROUP, 700 HARRIS STREET, SUITE 201,
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22903
114 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016 INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT SECURED ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HAL LEONARD CORPORATION
 SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM

Its not a

7

C#m 1 A

E

!
14 14 14 12 11
12 10 9 !
9

1/2

!
16 16 16 14 12
13 11 9 !
9

let ring
9 5
9 5
9 X X X X 9 6 9
X X X X 9 7 9

9 9 11 11 9 11 11

5 0 0 7

end Bass Fig. 1

4 4 4 2

4 5 7 0 0 4

B 1st Verse (0:30)

silly little moment its not the storm before the calm This is the
C#m A E
9
Gtr. 1
let ring 5 let ring

9
9 9 5 5
9 9 9 6 6 9
11 11 9 11 9 9 7 7 9

9
11 11 9 11 9 9 11 9 11 9
5 0 12

Gtr. 4 (elec. w/clean tone)

Rhy. Fig. 1
P.M.

9 9

5 5
0 5

9 X 9 9 6 4 4
11 X 11 11 7 6 6

Bass plays Bass Fig. 1 simile (see bar 1)

deep and dyin breath of This love that weve been workin on Cant seem to
C#m A E
Gtr. 4 plays Rhy. Fig. 1 three times (see bar 9)
Gtr. 1
11 let ring

9 5
9 5
9 9 6 9
11 9 7 9

11 11 11 9 11 11 9 7
9 5 0 9 7

hold you like I want to so I can feel you in my arms Nobodys

13
C#m
A
E
let ring

9 5

9
9 5
9 9 6
11 9 7

11 11 11 9 11 11 7
9 5 0 9 7

gonna come and save you We pulled too many false alarms Were goin
C#m Amaj9
Esus2

15

9
9
9 9 8 4 4 4
,

11 11 11 9 6 6 4 4

11 9 4 4 7
9 7
9 5 5 0 0

guitarworld.com 115
 TRANSCRIPTIONS

C Chorus (0:58, 2:03)

down And you can see it too Were goin
(Down ah)
Badd4 C#m A
*Gtr. 1
17
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 9 9 9 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 11 11 11 11 11 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

*Gtr. 1 doubled throughout (simile) by Gtr. 5 (acous.)

(See chord frames for Gtr. 5)

Gtrs. 2 and 3
Riff B
let ring throughout (repeat previous bar)

4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Bass
2
2 2 2
4


2 5 5 5 4 5

down And you know that were doomed My dear

(Down ah)
Badd4 C#m * F#m7add4
Gtrs. 2 and 3 play Riff B twice (see bar 17)
Gtr. 1
19
0 0 7 7 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 11 11 11 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
2

*Fret sixth string w/thumb.

Bass

2 2 2 2 2
4

!
2 2 2

On 2nd Chorus, skip ahead to

F Guitar Solo (see bar 35)

Were slow dancing in a burning room

C#m A E
Gtr. 2 plays Riff A on 1st Chorus (see bar 4)
Gtr. 1 Gtr. 3 plays Riff A1 on 1st Chorus (see bar 4)

Rhy. Fig. 2
21
0 0 0
let ring

9
9
11
9
9
11
9
9
11
9
9
11
9
9
11
9
9
11
9
9
11
9
9
11
9
9
11
9
9
11
5
6
7
5
6
7
5
6
7 9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9 12

9 11 11 11 11 9 7
0 9 7

Gtr. 5 (acous.)
Rhy. Fig. 2a


0
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 2 2 2 0 0
6
6
4
6
6
4
6
6
4
6
6
4
6
6
4
6
6
4
6
6
4
6
6
4
6
6
4
6
6
4
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
2
2
1
2
2
0 0

Bass


4 4 4 4 7
4 5 0 !
0

116 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM

D (1:20)
I was the
C#m A E C#m7 A E
Gtr. 1

23
Rhy. Fig. 3
9
let ring let ring let ring
9 9 5 9 5

9 9 XX 9 6 9 9 X X 9 6 9
11 11 9 9 11 11 7 9 9 11 11 11 9 9 9 11 7 9
5
9 11 11 11 9 11 9 11 9 11 11 9 7

9 9
9 5 0 0 9

C#m A E C#m7 A E
Gtr. 5
Rhy. Fig. 3a
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Bass plays first six bars of Bass Fig. 1 simile (see bar 1)

E 2nd Verse (1:34)

one you always dreamed of You were the one I tried to draw How dare you say its nothin to me Baby youre the only
C#m A E C#m
Gtr. 4 plays Rhy. Fig. 1 four times (see bar 9)
Gtr. 1
27


9 7 9 7
9 7 5 9 7
9 6 9 9 9
7 9 9

11 11
9 5 0 0 12 9

0
Gtr. 5
0 0 0
5 2 0 0 5
6 6 6 2 1 1
6 6 6
G G
6 2 2 6
4 4 0 2 2 4 4
0 0

Bass plays first six bars of Bass Fig. 1 simile (see bar 1)

light I ever saw Ill makethe most of all the sadness Youll be a bitch because you can You try to

30
A E
let ring
C#m
A E


9 7
5 9 7 5
6 9 9 6 9 9 9
7 9 7 9 9 9 11 9


9 11 11 9 7 11 11 11 9 7

9
5 0 9 9 5 0 0

0
0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 0 0 4 4 2 0 0
2 1 1 6 6 2 1 1
2 2 2 2
0 2
0
2
0
!
4 4 0 2
0
2
0

Go back to C Chorus (see bar 17)

hit me just to hurt me so you leave me feelin dirty cause you cant understand Were goin
C#m A Esus2
Gtr. 1
33

9

9
4 4 4 4 6

4 0 7 7 7 7
9 5 0 0 0 0 0

(C#m) A E

0
Gtr. 5
0 0 0

2 0 0
2 1 1
2 2
!
4 0 2 2

0 0
Bass


4 4 4 4 7 4 4
4 5 0 0 0

guitarworld.com 117
 TRANSCRIPTIONS

F Guitar Solo (2:24)

C#m A E
Gtr. 1 plays Rhy. Fig. 3 (see bar 23)
Gtr. 5 plays Rhy. Fig. 3a (see bar 23)
Gtr. 6 (elec. w/light overdrive)
35
1
1
1 1
1/4


9
14 14 14 14 9 12
13 13 13 13 11 11 11 11 11 9 11 13 13

3 3
Bass plays first four bars of Bass Fig. 1 w/ad lib variation (see bar 1)

Go
C#m *-e
1/4 1/4

1
Gtr. 7 (elec.
37 1 1
w/clean tone)

12 9 12 9 12 12 12 9
14 12 14 12

9 12 9 12 12
13 11 13 11
12
11 11 9 11 9 11 11 9 11 11
11 11
9

*Notes layed slightly behind the beat. 3

G Bridge (2:38)
cry about it why dont you Go cry about it why dont you
F#m7add4 C#m Badd4 F#m7add4 C#m
Gtrs. 2 and 3 play Riff B six times (see bar 17)
Gtr. 1


39

5 A 5 A
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 A

0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 5
0 0 0 0 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 6 6 6 6 6
4 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 6 9 9 9 9 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 6
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

* w/sub-octave effect
Gtr. 7 1

1/2 1/2
1

12 ( 12 ) !
12 9 9 9 9 !
9 12 ( 12 ) !
12

*Set to produce additional note one octave lower.

Bass

2
2 4
2 4 4
4
2 4 2 2 2 4
2 2
4
2
4
2
2 4
2 4 4
4
2 4

Go cry about it why dont you My dear

Badd4 F#m7add4 C#m Badd4 A

42

5 A
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 5 A

7 7 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 5 0 7 7 7 5 5 5 5 5
8 8 8 8 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 6 6 6 6 6 0 8 8 8 6 6 6 6 6
9 9 9 9 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 6 0 9 9 9 7 7 7
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
2 2 2 2 2 2 5 5

w/sub-octave effect w/sub-octave effect

1/2 1/2
1
1/2 1/2 1/2

12
9 9 9 9 !
9 12 ( 12 ) 12 ( 12 ) ! 9 9
6 6
9 9 9 9

2 4


2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 2 0 0 2
2 2 2 2 4 4

118 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

 SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM

were slow dancing in a burning room

C#m A E
Gtr. 1 plays Rhy. Fig. 2 (see bar 21)

Gtr. 5 plays Rhy. Fig. 2a (see bar 21) 1

45 Gtr. 3 1/2

12 14 14

14 16 16

Gtr. 2

Gtr. 7 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
!
11
9 9 9 9

Bass plays first two bars of Bass Fig. 1 simile (see bar 1)

H Outro (3:07)
(Burning room)
C#m A E
Gtr. 1 plays Rhy. Fig. 2 until fade (see bar 21)
Gtr. 5 plays Rhy. Fig. 2a until fade (see bar 21)

1
Gtr. 6 1 1
47

9 12 9 12 12 9 12 12 12

Gtr. 3

Riff C 1 3 3 3

0
1/2 1/2
14
16
14
16
14
16
12
14
11
12
11
12
12
14
11
12 12 12
12
14
14
16
14
16
13 13

Gtr. 2
Riff C1
Bass plays Bass Fig. 1 w/ad lib variation until fade (see bar 1)
(Burning room)

C#m A E
1
49
12 12 9 12 9 9

11 11 8
9 11 11 9 11 9 11 9 11 9 11
11 9 7 9 9 7 11 9 7
9

3 3 3 3
1 end Riff C

0
1/2 1/2
14 14 14 12 11 9 7 12 14 14
16 16 16 14 12
10 9 9
9
9
9
14 16 16

end Riff C1
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah Burning room)
C#m A E
Gtr. 2 plays Riff C through fade (see bar 47)
Gtr. 3 plays Riff C1 through fade (see bar 47)

1 1/2 1 1/2
Gtr. 6
51

12 ( 12 ) 12 11 11 9 12 12 12 11 11 9 9 9 12
12 12 12 9

Gtr. 7 3
1/2 1
Riff D

9 G 9 9 9 9 12 12 12 9

guitarworld.com 119
 TRANSCRIPTIONS SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM

Dont you think we ought - a

(Yeah yeah yeah yeah Burning room)

9 11 9
C#m A E
1
1/2
53
12 12 11 12 11
1 1 1 1 1 1

12 12 12 12 9 12 12 12 9 12 12 12 9 12 12 12 12 9
11 12 11 9
11
9 11 11 11 11

3 3 3 3 3 3
1
end Riff D

!
12
12 12

know by now Dont you think we should have

(Yeah yeah yeah yeah
C#m
Gtr. 7 plays Riff D w/ad lib variation through fade (see bar 51)

Gtr. 6 1 1 1 1 1 1
55
12 12 12 12 9 12 12 12 12 9 12 12 12 12 9 9 12 9 9 9
11 11 11 11 11 9
11 9
11 9

5

learned some how Dont you think we ought - a

Burning room)

56
A

E

9 11
9 11 11 9 11 9 11 11 9 9 11
9 11 9 11 11 9 7 7 11 11 9 7 11

know by now Dont you think we should have learned some how Dont you think we ought - a
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah Burning room)
C#m A E 1/2

1/2
57
1
1 1
1 1 1

1 1

10 9 12 9 12 12 12 12 12 9 12 12 12 12
14 14 14 12 12 14 14 12 14 16

11 X X 9 11 11 11 11 11 9
X X 9 11
11

3 3 3

(fade out)
know by now Dont you think we should have learned some how
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah Burning room)

C#m A E
59
21
21 21
21 19
19
19
19 17 16 16 14 12
21
21
21
21
19
19
19
19 17 16 16 14 12
13

120 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016

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 BABE RUTH
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 AN INSIDE LOOK AT SOME OF THE COOLEST
BRICK-AND-MORTAR GUITAR STORES IN THE U.S.
ATLANTA VINTAGE GUITARS
3778 Canton Road, Suite 400, Marietta, GA 30066
atlantavintageguitars.com
ATLANTA VINTAGE GUITARS
celebrates their 30th anniversary this
year, which is a testament to their deep
ties to the local guitar community. Their
new and expanded 4,000square foot
location is filled with a killer selection
of guitars. Coupled with expert knowl-
edge and great service, AVG is a must-
see destination. And its a cool place to hang out.
NUMBER OF INSTRUMENTS CURRENTLY IN STOCK
Greg Henderson (owner) Approximately 300.
COOLEST INSTRUMENT CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP
Tied between a 1968 Gibson ES-335 with oddly placed stop bar
and a 1949 Martin D-28.
FAVORITE INSTRUMENT YOU EVER SOLD
A 1967 Gibson Firebird XII sold to Warren Haynes guitar tech, and
now Warren plays it onstage. Another was a 1957 Esquire from
the original owner; he still had the layaway ticket for it!
STRANGEST REQUEST FROM A CUSTOMER
We have people come in wanting to do major alterations to a gui-
tar that really make no sense, and would ruin the guitars value. I
remember some guy wanted us to rout out a 1968 Tele for a Floyd
Rose and I said I can not in good conscience do thatwhy not buy
a replacement body?
BEST ADVICE FOR A CUSTOMER
Listen with your ears, not your eyes. Thirty years ago there were
not a lot of good guitars out there outside of Gibson, Martin,
Fender, Rickenbacker and Guildbut now its amazing how much
guitar $300 can buy. MIM Fenders are some of the best bargains
130 GU I TA R WOR L D NOV EM BER 2016
out there, and most of the pros we know in town play them as
their go-to instruments. Hagstrom, Michael Kelly and Danelectros
are also great guitars made overseas.
MOST EXPENSIVE INSTRUMENT YOU HAVE EVER SOLD
A 1953 Gibson Les Paul.
MOST SOUGHT-AFTER INSTRUMENT BY CUSTOMERS
TelecastersUSA or MIM. Also Michael Kelly Guitars and
Danelectros.
BIGGEST PET PEEVE AS A SHOP OWNER
That I cannot keep more of the guitars that come in the shop for
myself! I am cut off and in recovery from GASGuitar Acquisition
Syndromeexcept for guitars for the shop.
FAVORITE CELEBRITY ENCOUNTER
John Sebastian from the Loving Spoonful, Tom Petersson from
Cheap Trick, Rick Derringer, and all the great guitar dealers that I
am friends with, like George Gruhn, Walter Carter, Jim Singleton
and Drew Winn.
ONE FACT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ATLANTA
VINTAGE GUITARS
We have expert amp and guitar repair, and we try to make gui-
tar buying fun like it used to be in some of the legendary shops in
Atlanta that are no longer open.
MOST COMMON SONG OR RIFF PEOPLE PLAY WHEN TRY-
ING GUITARS
A tie between Crazy Train and Little Wingand we do have
an egg timer at the ready for those times when, you know, some
folks think they are at an audition.
by Eric Feldman, guitarshoptees.com