Horror Metal Sounds: The 13th Fret

Lesson 8: Autopsy Of A Solo II
Lesson 9: Tonal Superimposition
Lesson 10: In It For The Long Haul
Lesson 11: Guest Busters
Lesson 12: Transcribing
Lesson 13: Know Your Notes
...previous lessons

8. AUTOPSY OF A SOLO II: "Dagger"

Hello HMS-ers! Welcome to November's dose of The 13th Fret! This time around we'll look at my solo in the PRISMIND song, "Dagger". I feel that there are some interesting ideas/phrases here that you can apply to your own playing and solo construction. So, let's get to it!

To start out, I must mention that one of the main inspirations for this solo was John Petrucci's solo in Dream Theater's "Under A Glass Moon". The ideas here don't really sound like John's work in that solo, but it was how he touched upon many different styles and inﬂuences every few bars that I thought was so clever and cool. That's what I took from "Glass Moon" and attempted to bring to "Dagger".

The solo starts off with fairly bluesy phrase in bars 1-2. Beginning with an opening bend and a run that combines the blues scale and chromatic passing tones, this phrase eases things in with something home-y and familiar sounding. The more ear-tweaking ideas will soon arrive! I play this phrase with alternate picking beginning on an upstroke, as it launches from the second 16th note of the beat. Of course, the first 16th note would generally be struck with a downstroke. Since that note is not present, the picking order resumes from what would logically follow; an upstroke. Steve Morse's (Dixie Dregs/Deep Purple) playing was the inspiration here.

The next lick in bars 3-4 could be seen as a form of "tension and release". The angular and intervallic slides in bar 3 dart in several directions, like the ricochet of a rubber ball in a small room. This is answered by a ﬂowing legato line that tames the line down to the b9 ("D" in the key of C#m).

Bars 5-6 start out with a rhythmical sputtering line that's set up with the use of C# minor pentatonic (C#,E,F#,G#,B), before descending using a hybrid of C# blues scale and C# Phrygian. This hybrid scale is essentially the blues scale (C#,E,F#,G,G#,B) with the addition of the b9 (D). Since D is found regularly in the underlying rhythm riff, I wanted to strengthen the tie between the licks and the rhythm part by including it. This phrase ends with a slide into a couple of double-stops (two notes sounding together), which lends a strong ear-catching break from the single-note barrage.

The tumbling legato line in bars 7-8 uses a rather simple pattern (the motif being the first 6 notes). Falling from the 1st to the 5th string, it bounces back up to rest on "E" on the third string and treated to vibrato. Lines like this are very commonly heard in the playing of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Petrucci, etc., and very effective when deployed at the right time.

At this point, the solo modulates to the key of E minor, which despite being a "minor" key, still has an uplifting feel having come from C# minor (in this case, the PARALLEL relative minor of E). Bars 9-10 feature a sprawling single string idea that employs the E Half/Whole diminished scale that we looked at in a previous column (E,F,G,G#,Bb,B,C#,D). Also note the use of open strings as the vehicle to carry this idea through strings E,B and G.

Following that is a tense 3-note cluster around the root note "E", that gets carried up through 3 octaves. Surrounding E with its immediate neighbours D# and F, definitely ramps up the tension level. This idea can be traced back to the playing of legendary Gypsy jazz pioneer Django Reinhardt, as well as the aforementioned Mr. Petrucci and many others. The sound somewhat resembles the buzz of a bee.

Finally we have the alternate picked/string skipping run using the E half/whole diminished scale once again. This spiralling corkscrew of a lick seems quite fitting, as my bandmates Justin Faragher (bass) and Mike Harshaw (drums) signal the solo's exit with heightened dynamics, bass runs, and drum fills. Although the position shifts are a tad tricky if you're not used to them, take comfort in knowing that the pattern established in bars 13-14 is essentially repeated in bars 15-16, a few frets higher.

The groups of 5 here is quite a natural rhythm to express this idea in. No wonder players like Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci and others rely on this concept so frequently. My turn...thanks, guys! ;) The finishing run in bar 16 is a straight up E Phrygian mode with a Bb passing tone directly before the bend to B.

Attached is the full song link to "Dagger". The solo begins at 3:50. Check it out and drop me a line with any questions or comments, and I'll see you next month! \m/

9. Sorry (Not Sorry) To "Impose"

I wanted to pass along one of my favourite musical concepts, and a few examples of how I use it in my own playing. The hope is that you'll be able to take the idea and run with it too... so let's get crackin'!

TONAL SUPERIMPOSITION

Big name, but don't let it scare you. The idea here is to utilize one tonality (or chord type) over another, to imply a "larger" harmony. The is certainly not a new concept by any means. Many players across all styles of music employ this idea, whether deliberately or not. If you can harness even the basics of the concept, you'll be able to expand your palate of sounds and musical vocabulary greatly, and almost instantly. Let's check out a few ideas as I've used them in my own playing.

In The Balance

This song is one of the few instrumental pieces that I've written outside of my usual band, PRISMIND. The general goal of this tune (and the other ones as well, for that matter) was to write instrumental music that was at once heavy, but also as melodic and catchy as possible, while still ripping it up here and there!

The first example here is found at the 1:03 mark. I consider this the "pre-chorus" of the song. It consists of two single string arpeggios; E minor (E,G, and B on the E-string) at frets 12, 15, and 19. The second arpeggio is B minor (B, D, and F# on the B-string) also at frets 12, 15, and 19. This does require a bit of a stretch, so be sure to warm up a bit before jumping in here.

Bar 1 of this excerpt gets right to the meat of the matter. Played or an E minor rhythm part, the first string notes (E,G and B) fit right in, as those are the same notes that comprise an Em chord. This means that they will fit perfectly, with no real surprises. As soon as the idea shifts to the second string, the notes D and F# from the Bm arpeggio come into play. These two notes serve the function of the 7th and 9th over an Em chord. The resulting sound when you take inventory of all the notes is an Em9 (E,G,B,D,F#).

Here's the beauty of this idea: Being asked to play an Em9 arpeggio on the spot and QUICKLY may cause some players to sputter and short-circuit, as there aren't a lot of fingerings that fall very comfortably on the fretboard to facilitate any real speed. If we can LESSEN the amount of thinking (and notes to play), we should be able to dish out the sound of that chord/arpeggio with relative ease.

So, the basic formula:

{B minor}
Em9 = E G B D F#
{E minor}

When the rhythm guitar (or whatever the instrumentation you're playing over) is playing an Em, all you need to focus on is the "upper portion" of the Em9 chord in order to express that sound. Namely, the B,D, and F# (Bm). Voila! Instant jazz cred! ;)

The remainder of this line also includes some chromatic passing tones for a slippery effect, as well as scalar runs to return to key notes in the phrase. Strict alternate picking was used in this, but try using a legato approach (hammers/pulls) for a cool fusion-y sound!

Slaves To The Machine

In this solo from the PRISMIND catalogue, the very last lick exploits this approach in a different way; over a MAJOR chord. The underlying tonality is E major (E,G#, and B) and the run I'm playing consists of G#, B, MAJOR chord. The underlying tonality is E major (E,G#, and B) and the run I'm playing consists of G#, B, and D#; a G#m arpeggio. The resulting sound is an Emaj7. Obviously, the G# is the common note here, so the breakdown goes like this...

{E major}
Emaj7 = E G# B D#
{G# minor}

As the bass and rhythm guitar secure the E major portion of the equation, I'm able to effect the Emaj7 sound by simply focusing on the upper fragment of G#,B, and D#...a simple G#m arpeggio. The shapes that I'm using in Ex. 2 are hardly groundbreaking or particularly difficult. However, they aren't as commonly used in this context. Since I was very familiar with these patterns (as you will likely be), it was easy to use them this way to get a fresh sound out of them.

Sweep picking is largely used here, but you'll also find moments of legato and tapping as well, to cap off the phrase. Although the last beat of bar 1 (and into bar 2) is decidedly more scalar, it foreshadows the upcoming C#m sound of the pre-chorus which follows. Here is where you'll see hints of legato and the final tap. This example is found at 3:38.

Check out the examples and have fun experimenting with the concept. The resulting sounds are very cool, and the possibilities are endless!

10. IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL

Hello HMS readers! I thought we'd take a look at a rather simple concept to help your overall playing abilities, and step away from the theory-heavy stuff for a bit. Basically, a lot less chatter and a lot more playing!

Without a doubt, one of the crucial elements to playing metal (or any other technically demanding style) is that of ENDURANCE. The simple ability to be able to play for stretches of time without running out of steam. To that end, I like to arrange relatively short sequences and carry them across the fretboard, both ascending and defending. The idea is to cover a lot of ground, which not only helps with fretboard knowledge...but takes a longer time to complete, hence the endurance factor!

Below is one example that I've found myself using recently. It's based in the key of F# minor and utilizes the Aeolian mode (F#,G#,A,B,C#,D,E). The basic motif is found in the first bar; eight notes ascending and descending, followed by a position shift before reversing the direction (descending then ascending). This is carried up and down the 6th and 5th string initially, then transferred to the next adjacent string set.

As with anything of this nature, start at a slow tempo before increasing speed. You want to pay attention to the quality of the notes you're producing, as well as how your hands feel. You want to work them, but not at the expense of ingraining unwanted tension. When you feel confident at the current tempo, gradually increment it up until you hit your “ceiling" for that day.

I use alternate picking for this, but legato would also be perfectly suitable as well, and just as much of a workout. Try both!

It almost goes without saying that this will also fortify your knowledge of the fretboard in the chosen key – especially that pesky and awkward 2nd and 3rd string group (B and G). If you can spend your practice time on things that work two or more aspects of your playing (technique/fretboard knowledge), you'll definitely be practicing hard AND smart.

That's it for now! Give it a try and pack a lunch... it takes a while to get through. ;)

EDITOR'S NOTE: The sheet music for this lesson is quite lengthy so we haven't posted any images. Please click on the link at the beginning of this lesson to download the PDF.

11. Guest Busters (Who You Gonna Call?)

I want to delve into a topic that I've been finding myself immersed in, on an increasingly regular basis: the guest solo! As a player who enjoys and dabbles in many types of music, it's not unusual to imagine yourself becoming a fairly versatile player over time. Even many well known players have been tapped to ply their abilities in service of another's vision. As a player, it can be a very fun and rewarding experience, as you're often thrown into an arena that is outside of your comfort zone.

In my own situation, these sessions have found me adapting to various styles such as rock, blues, R&B, country (LOTS of country... believe it or not), prog/fusion, and of course metal. The focus of this months column is of the latter; my guest solo on Graham Stirrett's track, "Immune To Your Poison". Graham is one half of the guitar team in PHEAR (close friends of my band PRISMIND), and an excellent player/songwriter/vocalist in his own right. Being impressed with his output and work ethic, I was more than happy to accept the invitation to appear on this track. Let's check it out!

My first order of business when formulating a plan of attack, is to survey the scene, and determine what the overall harmony that the section entails. In the case of "Immune", we're in the key of C# minor and find ourselves with a riff that is centered on a C#5, with D5 and C5 close at hand. This basically reveals that we aren't dealing with a purely diatonic chord structure (not perfectly based on a simple major or minor scale). With the chords being of very close proximity, we can hear shades of C# Phrygian (C#,D,E,F#,G#,A,B) and perhaps the Hungarian Minor scale (C#,D,E,F##,G#,A,B). Truthfully, there are many scale options to suit this scenario. I'm just listing a few possibilities here.

The intro to the solo begins one bar ahead of the actual allotted space, at 2:14 on the track. I hear the backdrop in front of me as a churning and twisted canvas, and I intend to paint it as such. The first bar opens the proceedings with a line that combines blues scale, diminished scale and passing tones, in a figure that varies as much in tonality as it does in articulation. Bends, hammers, pulls, slides... all used to kick things in gear.

With it's stop/start beginning and triplet tag, the second bar is the platform on which the rest will launch. Drawing on the Half/Whole Diminished scale (as covered in an earlier column), this bar makes use of both close AND wide intervals. I find that this can obscure the scalar nature of many lines, and make for a "fresher" sound.

Bar 3 continues along the same line, in a 64th note figure. Resuming with similar scalar choices as bar 2, I also make sure to include a healthy portion of C naturals; a nod to the instant presence of C5 chords in the progression. A combination of alternate picking and legato is the name of the game here.

In measure 4, things begin with a diatonic alternate picked line in C# Phrygian, giving way to a Blues scale passage that leads back to Phrygian on beat 4. Both technique and note choice is not dissimilar to Paul Gilbert's approach.

The final passage is a purely C# Phrygian lick that makes use of "economy picking"; a combination of sweep and alternate picking. The first six notes sets the picking template here. "Up" followed by three consecutive "down" strokes (really, one continuous down), leading to a final upstroke that CARRIES THROUGH to begin the next figure... also beginning on an "up". Pay close attention to the picking directions here. Anything other than the prescribed picking method may result in a needlessly laborious mush.

When looking at the manuscript, don't be alarmed by the abundance of black dots and intimidating rhythmic figures; at a tempo of 74 BPM, the lines here are quite accessible and not as tendon-frying as they appear!

Give it a go, enjoy the entire track, and drop me a line with any questions!

12. Transcribing: The Musical "Wonder Pill"

Spring is upon us, and it promises to be a busy season! With completing the recordings for PRISMIND's debut album plus a myriad of other musical ventures, flowers aren't the only things that will be popping up soon. Let's get to this month's topic at hand... transcribing!

The art of transcribing seems to be a one that is viewed as practical for some, and almost "mystical" for others. We've all seen the sheet music found in books in a music store, or printed in guitar magazines. In my formative years as a young guitar player (starting at age 9), I was under the impression that the musicians THEMSELVES offered up the sheet music to their latest hits, for inclusion in guitar magazines and other publications. Obviously, this is far from the reality. In fact, very few players in the modern rock/metal/etc. world would possess the skills necessary to render accurate and functional scores that could be viewed as "industry standard". This is not a knock to those players; their job is to put out their best audio efforts... not be asked to capture it in manuscript form!

Why then are we talking about this? Well, there are many compelling reasons to embark on the journey to become a transcriber (or at least, one who can do so when needed). Indeed, the skills and insight you will gain from venturing into transcribing will lead you to believe that it may the single best thing you could do for your playing and musicianship... all in one activity. Let's pinpoint a few notable gains, and examine it a bit closer.

First and foremost, you can be sure to see advances in your ear-hand coordination. The simple act of listening to a note (or group of notes) and working to locate that note on the fretboard is not only the essence of what transcribing is about, but the base-line building block of things. After all, even the most complex piece is still a series of single notes strung together. It all starts with one... which is where you should start as a beginning transcriber. What happens after some experience with this (even if seems to be a slow process) is a notable ability to visualize WHERE something is played upon hearing it. Clearly this is a valuable asset and can help guide the overall job at hand. The side benefit of this is somewhat of a reversal; you'll hear something in your head and begin to visualize where and how it will be played.

This is where the true benefits will take hold in your creativity!

The other aspect of this which is equally important, is the notational skills involved. This is where most players stumble, and for good reason. A large number of great players have no real concept of the language of notation, and in particular, RHYTHMIC notation. Even if you use TAB as your "go to" source, the picture is simply not complete without the information that rhythmic values provides. Certain publications such as Guitar World have in recent years stripped away "standard notation" and affixed the rhythmic values directly onto the TAB. This was a smart move on their part for several reasons...not the least of which was a streamlined format and a reduction of paper use. The point is, seeking an education into the study of rhythm and it's notation is immeasurable in it's benefits. You'll not only commit things to paper more accurately, you'll also be able to communicate with your drummer more efficiently. I highly recommend taking even a few lessons on this, if you find it to be a weak area.

There are a few other pluses that you'll discover in the transcribing process. The sheer amount of repetition that you'll do in firming up a particular section will benefit your technique. You'll also find that you'll start to HEAR faster when working out quicker runs and licks. It's common wisdom that you can't accurately play fast if you can't "hear" it at that tempo. Also worth mentioning is the fact that you'll no longer be a slave to availability (or lack thereof) of tabs/scores for your favourite songs. No more will you shy away from learning your favourite song, simply because you can't find the tabs.

At this point, I should mention some of the inspirational material that got me interested in transcribing in the ﬁrst place... and made me want to explore it further. Being awed by practically everything Steve Vai did back in the late 80's-early 90's, I was particularly struck by his tales of transcribing for Frank Zappa. The unfathomable task of writing those guitar solos out, under the laser-focus scrutiny of Zappa must have been insane, and I certainly was enchanted by the premise. I managed to find a copy of The Frank Zappa Guitar Book (transcribed by Steve Vai) years ago, and it still sits on my bookshelf as a reminder of how far the art can be taken. Inspirational.

Another piece of writing that always stayed with me was an article written by fusion master Frank Gambale. Found in a late 80's issue of Guitar World, he detailed the self-inflicted task of transcribing every instrument of a Steely Dan song; not only the guitar parts, but the vocals, keys, drums, and even the horn sections. All for the purpose of learning the role and function of every instrument. Now THAT is a musicality bootcamp! As extreme as it may sound, this is the kind of thing you may want to embark on if you truly want to understand your art at the highest level. After all, we learn our spoken language in much the same way, in order to master it.

Since getting involved with transcribing many years ago, I've taken on quite a few interesting and varied projects. My ﬁrst transcription was of a solo from a Humble Pie song that I had on vinyl. I once transcribed a mistakenly recorded and heated (yet totally hilarious) exchange between my bassist in PRISMIND, Justin and his mom, years ago... taking every syllable and finding the note and inflections... much to her disapproval (haha!). Writing out the guitar/sax unison lines of the Mike Stern tune, "Chromazone" was a fun challenge. My first full transcription was "High Speed Dirt" from Megadeth, all guitar parts included. Years later, I actually developed a rapport with a former Megadeth guitarist, because of a solo of his that I had committed to paper and sent to him. The list goes on and on... all valuable learning experiences.

This clearly was not a "how to" lesson on transcribing, as doing so would take up much more space that we are allotted here. The goal of this column is to perhaps spark an interest in transcribing, and inspire you to look into it further. Hopefully you do, as the gains are innumerous!

13. Klaatu... Barada... Necktie! KNOW Your Notes

Remember that infamous scene in Army Of Darkness, where Ash had to accurately recite a sacred passage in order to successfully acquire a copy of the Necronomicon? His arrogant dismissal of the importance of the scripture, coupled with his "good enough" attitude towards the recollection of the phrases resulted in total chaos for he and his cohorts.

Such is the approach many guitarists take towards the knowledge and recitation of the notes on the guitar neck! This month's column is going to focus on something that plagues the majority of players that I've encountered and/or had a chance to sit with...

Thorough and true knowledge of the note on the fretboard.

Sure, many players have some passable knowledge of the location of notes on the guitar neck, but rarely to the degree that they should... and most definitely could! As a teacher, I've heard countless guitarists express how frustrated they are in learning one or more of the following:

1 – being able to improvise fluidly and freely

2 – know what scale(s) to use in any given situation

3 – be able to apply theoretical concepts in a way that their favourite players seems to be able to effortlessly do, in both a writing and soloing context

This is where the true benefits will take hold in your creativity!

The thing is, all of these things are quite possible and available to any player who desires them. What's more, these are all a natural byproduct (or the directly result) of having a solid command of the notes on the neck. A question that should be asked is, "What exactly does a solid command of the neck entail?" In short, it is being able to drop your finger anywhere on the fretboard and INSTANTLY name the note, without having to "count up" or "figure it out". Basically, identifying and naming any note as quickly as recognizing one of the primary colours.

Having this ability at your fingertips would allow you to improvise at a much higher level; being able to pinpoint and target the notes of the chord you happen to be playing over at any given moment. Those notes, after all, are the strongest notes you could hit! How about being able to finally apply not only the theory that you've learned thus far, in an actual working capacity... but also the theory you've always WANTED to learn and apply.

Enough of the sales pitch... here's how to achieve this in the least amount of time. We've all seen the classic wall-sized poster of the diagram of the neck. Every single fret is labelled on every string, and looks intimidating as hell. Forget this; too much memorization and thinking. All we need to focus on for the time being are the NATURAL NOTES. Essentially, the C Major Scale (C,D,E,F,G,A, and B). Here is the scale laid out with each whole step (W) and half step (H) marked. Be sure to memorize the half steps...

Why are we focusing on only memorizing the half steps? Simple, we want to strip away the unnecessary steps in the thought process. Scales follow the alphabetical order, regardless of their starting note. Therefore, if you land on an "E", then you'll quickly realize that "F" is the next fret higher. Same with the relationship between "B" and "C". Every other note will be a whole step (two frets) to the next (A to B, D to E, G to A, etc.).

The next step is to apply this concept to a single string. Piano players generally learn all of their notes in a fraction of the time that guitarists do. Why? Simply because the piano is laid out in a very clear and LINEAR fashion. The notes rise and fall in a simple "left to right" manner. The thing to keep in mind is, any one string on the guitar is a piano in nature. Because of this reason, learning the notes in a single string manner is the best way to start.

Lets begin this process in a way that also allows you to sharpen your coordination! Check out FIG. 1. Using the high E string, we're going to take the first three notes available to us in the C Major scale; E, F and G. We'll play these three notes twice, using alternate picking and more importantly... SAYING THE NOTES ALOUD. This is a step that can't be stressed enough. We don't want to simply memorize fret numbers here. That won't help us much in the long run. Saying these notes aloud with ingrain them and their connection deeper into your brain/muscle memory. From there, continue by dropping back one note to F, then grabbing the next two notes from there, G and A. Now you're playing (and saying) F, G, A, F, G, A... and continuing to alternate pick of course.

Carry this all the way up the string to the highest fret available to the key of C Major. Then come down, reversing the order of notes, but continuing to say the aloud. Be prepared for this to take a while if you're not used to doing so. Keep in mind; mastery is the key, and persistence is the only way.

This kind of thing can be done systematically, perhaps as a warmup everyday before your regular practice. I recommend one string a day. Perhaps "Day two" will begin on the B string, starting with B,C and D and climbing from there. Be sure to cover every string eventually and be thorough.

Another great exercise is to target a single note, and find only that note in all locations from string to string, low to high. You'll notice that FIG. 2 uses "G" as our target note. Notice how we exhaust all the G's on the 6th string, then the 5th string, and so on. I would also throw in the added challenge of being able to locate and play all of these notes IN TIME to a foot tap or metronome. Not an easy task, but over time, it gets easier and faster. The benefits of being able to do this with any note will become glaringly obvious soon enough.

Go to The 13th Fret: Part 1