Distortion (music)

Distortion, also known as overdrive or fuzz, is an effect applied to the electric guitar, the electric bass, and other amplified instruments such as the Hammond organ, synthesizers, and even harmonica and vocals. Accomplished by electronically compressing and/or clipping the input signal, this effect adds sustain and additional harmonics and overtones to the signal, creating a richer sound. The most subtle types of distortion add a "warm" thickness and sustain to the original tone; the more extreme types of distortion range from the noisy, buzzy sound of a late 1960s-era fuzztone pedal to the screaming, "bite", "grit",and "crunch" of a late 1980s thrash-style distortion pedal. Distortion is used across a wide range of musical genres, from the subtle overdrive used in traditional blues to the hard-edged distortion featured in noise music, hardcore punk and metal.

Early examples of distortion were often the result of accidents in which the guitar amplifier or its vacuum valves was damaged, or because the amplifiers and speakers were "doctored" by poking holes into their speaker cones. Observing this trend, Leo Fender of the Fender amplifier company designed valve guitar amps that would "overdrive" slightly.[citation needed] In the 1960s, Jimi Hendrix was one of the first guitarists to experiment with fuzzbox effect pedals.

Distortion can be produced by many components of an instrument's signal path, including effects pedals, the pre-amplifier, power amplifier, speakers, or more recently, digital amplifier modelling devices and software. Many players use a combination of these to obtain their "signature" tone.

History

In the early days of guitar amplification, amplifiers were primitive and low-fidelity, and distortion was inherent in the signal chain. Most amplifiers were all-purpose, designed for use with multiple instruments with different output levels, and guitar pickups were often clip-on types that had weak output levels and microphonic properties. The guitars were typically hollow-body instruments, which would resonate sympathetically with the amplified signal, causing unwanted feedback and an excessive resonant sustain in the bass frequencies. Though electric guitars had been around since 1928 and played popularly by Les Paul and Charlie Christian in the 1930s and 1940s, it was not until the early 1950s that they became commercially successful. It was during this period that the first solid-bodied electric guitars became widely available; they did not suffer as badly from feedback as earlier models, hence they could be played at higher output levels.

The idea of intentionally using distortion to improve the amplified tone had not occurred to early amplifier makers. Early examples of distortion were often the result of accidents in which the guitar amplifier was in some way damaged, but the player or producer decided they liked it and recorded it that way. During the recording of "Rocket 88", one of the early rock and roll songs, Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm guitarist Willie Kizart used an amplifier that had been damaged in transit, resulting in an early recorded example of guitar distortion. For the recording of "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" by the Johnny Burnette Trio, a valve fell out of the amplifier during a live performance. When a reviewer then raved about the crazy new sound, Burnette used the same tone in the recording studio.[1]

An early user of valve overdrive was Chuck Berry, who at the start of his career played through small valve amplifiers, the only ones he could afford. Because of their low output, they were easy to overdrive, giving Chuck's guitar tone a warm overdriven sound, which can be heard on his recording of his first hit "Maybellene". On later recordings he was able to afford better and larger amps and consequently his tone became cleaner. The earliest uses of intentional distortion that have been recorded were achieved through "doctoring" amplifiers and speakers. Guitarists would use a razor blade, screwdriver or pencil to poke holes into their speaker cones to create a distorted sound.[2]

Leo Fender of Fender guitars and amplifiers observed these trends and engineered many of his amplifiers to "compress" and or "overdrive" slightly without drastically distorting the signal. The early Fender "Tweed" and "Blackface" amplifiers are considered a good example of clean electric guitar tone. Many later amplifiers are based on these designs. Significantly, Jim Marshall of Marshall Amplifiers copied the Fender Bassman using parts available in the United Kingdom, creating an amplifier with significant overdrive that quickly caught on in the local music scene and laid the foundation for the powerful, thick "Marshall Sound" that can be heard on so many early heavy metal albums. Later, distortion and fuzz effects were achieved through electronics. Jimi Hendrix was one of the first guitarists to use outboard effects, many designed or modified by guitar tech Roger Mayer.

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Going Solo

Performing as a solo acoustic act can represent either an artistic breakthrough or the kiss of death. It’s undeniably difficult to stand up in front of a crowd with only an acoustic guitar to shield you from the glare of public opinion, able to hear every little comment or conversation from the audience. While some artists are right at home in this environment, others could be forgiven for scurrying for the hills. While it’s easy to slip into the trap of just strumming some chords and warbling along, there are some tricks you can use to make your solo acoustic performance more distinctive, sonically varied, and unique. Let’s look at a few of them.

The first thing to think about is what to play. Are you taking songs that were originally written on electric guitar, with thrashing power chords? Songs like this don’t tend to translate well into solo acoustic performance because the awesome power of a blazing 100 watt amp is such a big part of the sound, and playing the same part on an acoustic guitar can change a riff from “CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHUG” to “dinka-dinka-dink.” Clever use of open strings and arpeggiation (breaking up a chord into one note at a time) can take an otherwise heavy riff and recast it with moody atmosphere that will service the song much more musically if you take a riff that’s not meant for an acoustic or clean sound and just play it verbatim.

Take, for example, the main riff of that good old standard, Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” For the song’s intro, Metallica took the same riff and moved it around a little, with some open strings and sustained notes, instead of just playing a clean toned version of the ultra distorted main version.

Another pitfall to avoid is the vigorous thrashing of chords, unless the song really needs it for dramatic emphasis. With the limited tonal palate of an acoustic guitar compared to a fully augmented rock band, dynamic control becomes one of your most important tools. One quite intuitive and great sounding technique is to break up a chord by strumming pairs of notes, or strumming only the bass note on the first beat of the bar, and all the remaining notes on subsequent beats. This opens up the arrangement a lot more and allows the audience to mentally fill in what the song might sound like with a full band. The idea is to treat the guitar as six individual voices in a choir – you can have them all sing the same melody in the same octave for dramatic emphasis, but an entire concert’s worth of that same sound can be a little bit of an onslaught. Breaking up a chord into groups of notes allows each section of the chord to breathe, and creates a more supportive bed for vocals.

Next, there’s guitar tone. Despite some great technical advances (like the D Tar Mama Bear acoustic preamp, Takamine’s CoolTube valve-driven onboard acoustic guitar preamp system, and various other analog and digital modelling technologies), a lot of players still just plug the guitar into the mixing desk and treat the audience to the unpleasant quackiness of piezo pickups. The problem with the pickups built into most acoustic guitars is that they transfer only the direct vibration of the string, but what we, the listeners, know as a true acoustic guitar sound also includes the effect of the sound reverberating inside the guitar body before leaping out of the sound hole. If you don’t have a dedicated acoustic processor, a little bit of this mysterious aural voodoo can be added with reverb and delay pedals. Dial the reverb to a ‘small room’ setting, set the effect mix to a ratio of about 75% dry signal and 25% reverb, then feed the reverb pedal into a delay set for a very quick single repeat of around 40-60 milliseconds, again mixed down relatively low, and with the treble of the repeat reduced, if your delay has a tone shaping feature. What you want to do is mimic the sound of a guitar string echoing only within the space of the guitar body, not an entire room. Then if you want to add traditional delay or reverb sounds, and have an extra available pedal or processor, the resulting echo or reverb will sound more like it’s being applied to a real acoustic guitar, instead of just repeating the trebly, hollow piezo sound.

Finally, the best acoustic performers I’ve seen make it feel like you’re sitting in their living room. They do this by being relaxed and displaying lots of personality and confidence, especially during between-song banter. The worst ones I’ve seen make you feel like you’re intruding on their private time, by mumbling or generally ignoring the audience (probably out of nerves, but still, this makes for a terrible entertainment experience).

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Paul Gilbert & Freddie Nelson - United States

Paul Gilbert and Freddie Nelson’s album seemingly appeared from nowhere: Paul mentioned in a news update on his site that he’d completed recording a new CD, and a few weeks later it was released in Japan. A worldwide release is yet to be announced, so for now this album is only available on import. I bought mine here at CDJapan.co.jp and it was delivered in exactly 1 week. Woo!

The collaboration with the not-very-well-known-yet Nelson marks Gilbert’s return to vocal music after two highly successful and progressively brilliant instrumental albums, Get Out Of My Yard and Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar. The material has a different vibe to Gilbert’s solo stuff: you can really hear him enjoying just being the guitarist again like in Mr Big. The songs have lots of wild guitar playing, but the focus is on the vocal melody, and while you can particularly hear Gilbert’s melodic influence on the opening track, ‘Paris Hilton Look-Alike,’ often the vocal melodies come from a different place to those Gilbert sings on his own solo material. Nelson’s notes often seem to ride above the fundamental tones of the chord, rather than following them like Gilbert’s tend to (which is not to discount the inherent coolness of Gilbert’s melodies).

There may have been a temptation to take these songs and make them all FM-radio slick, but instead the drums sound natural and ambient, the guitars are warm and round, and there’s a live, seat-of-the-pants vibe to a lot of the material. Gilbert’s obviously enjoying the softer sounds of his Marshall Vintage Modern combo, and the sizzling treble of much of his solo stuff is completely absent here.

Nelson has been compared to Freddie Mercury (which makes me wonder, is Freddie his real name, or is it a nickname that was prompted by his love of Queen?), and while his voice itself isn’t overly distinctive, his control and range remind me of Jeff Buckley without the shakiness, or Richie Kotzen without the gravel. He has a very smooth, natural tone which perfectly suits the softer guitar tones.

So let’s look at the album track by track:

Paris Hilton Look-Alike. Thematically, this one reminds me of ‘Every Hot Girl Is A Rock Star’ from Paul’s ‘Space Ship One’ album. Musically it’s the most Gilbert-esque track on the album, and therefore a good introduction for what’s to come. Nelson hits some very natural, unforced falsetto notes, showing off his Freddie Mercury influence.

Waste of Time. Heavy on the melody, and a lot more uptempo than track one. Kicks the album up a notch, pointing to more awesome rock power to come.

The Last Rock N' Roll Star. This one features a crazy riff in 6/8, and chugging verses that remind me a little of Van Halen’s ‘Judgement Day.’ There’s a mega-fast solo which will put to rest any lingering fears guitar fans might have that Gilbert is saving his best licks for his solo instrumental stuff these days.

Bad Times Good. A bit of an Aerosmith vibe, with a stomping 4-on-the-floor groove and some melodic, old-school rock solos. It sounds like Gilbert and Nelson trade solos on this track, with Freddie on the left and Paul on the right.

Hideaway. Another song that reminds me a little of stuff from ‘Space Ship One.’ A mid-tempo track with long vocal notes creating a nice contrast to the palm-muted riffage. There are some unusual, atmospheric chord choices in the chorus.

The Answer. I love this one. It sounds like it could fit on Gilbert’s ‘Flying Dog’ album. There’s a nice 12-string acoustic intro before a chunky riff kicks in, capped off by a waltzy chorus and another ultra-fast solo. Gilbert’s not afraid to slam it into higher gear on this material.

I’m Free. Very cool vocal harmonies, which sound like they’re achieved by sampling Nelson then playing the notes back on keyboard. This one has a spacey, ethereal vibe – yet there’s still an over-the-top shred solo, broken up by some soulful sustained notes and melodies. But lots of shred. Did I say shred? Just checkin’. Cos so far there’s lots of it.

Pulsar. This one has a very funky riff which reminds me of some stuff from Mr Big’s ‘Hey Man’ album, or the way the ‘Space Ship One’ track ‘Interaction’ moves between extended guitar figures and vocal interjections. There’s a change to 3/4 time in the middle for an evil high-speed Black Sabbath vibe, along with a cool harmony solo.

Girl From Omaha. A slightly Weezer-ish chorus, backed up by funky synth sounds and an almost pop-punk riff, in a similar vein to some of the stuff from Paul’s solo debut, ‘King of Clubs.’

I’m Not Addicted. An uptempo track and great way to close out the album or a gig. This one features those famous ADA Flanger sweeps Gilbert is so known for, yet he never overuses this signature sound. A good singalong song and I imagine this one will also be lots of fun to play on guitar.

This is an interesting and unique departure for Gilbert: more hard rock than his own vocal songs, less polished than Mr Big, and more easily accessible to non-musicians than his instrumentals, despite being full of astounding technique. With some major label money behind him I could see this album doing quite well in the US, and while I hope Gilbert never stops doing his own vocal and instrumental albums, I can’t wait to hear what these guys come up with next.

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Merawat Gitar

Bersih Senarku
Setelah bermain, senar gitar anda akan terkena keringat, kotoran, dan lain lain. Apabila tidak dibersihkan, inilah yang akan menimbulkan karat, dan karat inilah yang akan mengkikis habis fret anda.
Senar bisa dibersihkan dengan cara dilap dengan bahan kaos, bila perlu dibasahi dengan cairan string cleaner. Bersihkan seluruh bagian senar (permukaan atas & bawah).

Rumah Gitarku
Pastikan gitar anda mempunyai “rumah” untuk melindunginya dari udara kotor diluar, dan dari benturan, Baik softcase maupun hardcase. Softcase lebih ringan dan mudah untuk dibawa kemana mana, sedangkan hardcase melindungi total dari benturan. tergantung pilihan anda.
Selalu simpan gitar anda dalam case apabila tidak dimainkan.

Gitarku Mandi
Seperti kita, gitar juga perlu mandi. Bukan berarti dibawa ke kamar mandi lalu disiram, cukup di’lap saja dengan bahan kaos, baik body, neck, apalagi bagian pickup dibawah senar yang pastinya susah dibersihkan debunya (untuk ini bisa gunakan kuas cat), pokoknya sampai kinclong lagi. Bila perlu, gunakan cairan guitar polish.

Mengganti Senar
Jika senar anda sudah berkarat, ganti! jika tidak, bukan hanya tidak enak dimainkan, tapi warna suaranya juga menjadi nggak karuan, dan merusak fret gitar.. belum lagi jari sakit euy!
Biasakan untuk mengganti senar gitar anda satu set, sekaligus 6! hal ini untuk mencegah belangnya warna suara antara senar baru dan senar lama. Jadi bila senar anda sudah lama dan putus salah satunya, disarankan untuk mengganti semuanya.
Memang jadi mengeluarkan duit lebih.. no pain, no gain!

Bersihkan Fretboard
Fretboard, adalah tempat bersarangnya daki daki dan keringat hasil olahan badan yang disalurkan dan dikeluarkan lewat jari jari yang menekan senar. Jika dibiarkan terlalu lama, bisa manjadi kerak. Jadi setiap anda mengganti senar, sekalian dong bersihkan fretboardnya.
Caranya pertama adalah kotoran tersebut harus dikerok menggunakan benda tumpul, yang paling mudah didapat tentu saja pick gitar. Lalu setelah bersih, dilap lagi dengan bahan kaos.

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Note Circle

Diagram ini dinamakan Note Circle. Dalam diagram tersebut terdapat 12 notasi/nada yang biasanya digunakan pada tangga nada lagu barat.


Perhatikan: A# dan Bb merupakan nada yang sama . Suara kedua nada tersebut sama namun memiliki nama yang berbeda. Dan perlu diperhatikan juga tidak ada nada diantara nada E dan F atau nada B dan C. Bisa dilihat di papan keyboard/piano dimana tuts yang berwana putih diikuti dengan tutus yang berwana putih juga bukan yang berwaran hitam.

Pergerakan searah jarum jam (clockwish) menghasilkan nada dengan pitch lebih tinggi.

Semitone interval yang terlihat di sebelah kiri , dan dua semitone membetuk 1 tone (terlihat di segelah kanan) yang kemudian akan membentuk sebuah skala atau tangga nada.

Diagram circle of note diatas bias dijadikan panduan dalam mengingat nada-nada yang ada di atas fret gitar. Penghitungan searah jarum jam sama dengan pergeran di fret satu langkah.

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Gibson USA SG Diablo

Hands-On Review: Gibson USA SG Diablo
Sculpted Gold

By Dan Day
Musician’s Friend Staff Writer


My first electric guitar was a Gibson SG. To be precise, it was an SG TV with a white finish, wrapover tailpiece, and a single P-90 pickup. I bought it secondhand for a mere $60. I was thrilled to have a guitar with that famous name on the headstock. No cheap imitation, this was the real deal—I wanted to rock and this was the guitar I needed. I knew that not too many years after it was introduced in 1961, the Gibson SG had established a well-deserved reputation as a solid workhorse guitar for no-nonsense raw rock with down-to-earth visuals to match. By the late ’60s Eric Clapton was playing his Fool-painted SG Standard in Cream and Pete Townshend was windmilling and smashing SG Specials with The Who. (For a list of famous SG players, check out the SG Buyer’s Guide.) Compared to its posh uptown socialite cousin the Les Paul, the SG is a street-savvy blue-collar worker. In contrast to the curvaceous carved maple top of the Les Paul, the SG’s all-mahogany body was a functionally flat slab. Its finishes—cherry, walnut, white and natural—were good-looking, but not especially flashy like a sunburst finish. The SGs only stylistic claim to fame was its dual-cutaway devil horns that were pointed and beveled in contrast to the gently curved single cutaway found on the Les Paul. But hard rockers didn’t care, the SG was lighter and less costly than a Les Paul, the double cutaway allowed easy access to the upper frets, and the all-mahogany body produced a powerfully warm sound.
The devil is in the details
Gold-plated parts:
Not gold:
Tune-O-Matic bridge
Stop tailpiece
Tuners
Strap buttons
Pickup covers
Truss rod cover
Screws for pickup rings, back plate, truss rod cover
Pickup selector switch ring
Input jack Fretboard
Frets
Nut
Inlays
Creme binding
Creme pickup rings
Strings
Back plate


Over the last five decades, the SG has pretty much stayed its simple stylistic course, with Gibson occasionally releasing an SG model that showed some visual flair such as the SG Supreme with a flamed maple top and striking finishes like fireburst. With the SG Diablo, Gibson has struck gold. The initials SG originally stood for “solid guitar” but with its headstock-to-strap-button gold treatment, those letters could stand for Shiny Gold. Until now, going for the gold in an SG led you to the All Antique Gold SG Custom. It has a goldtop finish and gold hardware with contrasting black pickup rings, headstock, truss rod cover, pickup selector ring, and top hat knobs. But the Diablo takes gold appointments to a whole new level that would make Goldfinger himself green with envy.

If you’re totally into the gold theme you can take it even further by installing some gold-colored strings, a gold nut, and frets. However, making the fretboard gold may be a bit much. As the Mad Hatter advised in Alice in Wonderland, “Let’s don’t be silly.”
Lots of curves, you bet

Just so we don’t get too distracted by the Diablo’s flashy gold exterior, let’s not overlook a huge stylistic innovation brought on by the SG Diablo: the carved top that gracefully rises to form a plateau for the pickups, bridge/tailpiece, and controls. Even the back of the body has dimples for additional visual flair. With its flowing, curvaceous 3-D body, the “SG” might also stand for Sculpted Glory.

Another significant touch is how the controls have been streamlined. Separate tone and volume knobs have been replaced by a master tone and volume control with the pickup selector switch in the middle. All three controls have been moved closer to the bridge, with the volume knob’s location making it easier to do volume swells with your pinky finger.
Midas touch

It seemed appropriate to test drive the SG Diablo by jamming on “Gold and Silver” by Quicksilver Messenger Service. Quicksilver was a San Francisco group that featured the dual SG attack of Gary Duncan, the co-composer of “Gold and Silver,” and John Cipollina. While my jamming buddy played the jazzy 6/4 time Dm to G chord changes on his SG Standard I played the “Take-Five”-inspired main theme on the SG Diablo. The ’50s rounded neck profile gave me the proper heft and support for strenuous string bending while the two extra frets allowed the extra upper end notes to provide a thrilling climax. The BurstBucker Pro humbuckers with Alnico II magnets and unmatched bobbin windings reproduce the classic “Patent-Applied-For” sound. The BurstBuckers and the all-mahogany body combined to produce treble notes that had a little extra top end and bite, the low end notes were chunky, and the midrange was nice and punchy—all-in-all a good balance of clarity and grime. Despite its flashy exterior, the SG Diablo delivers the down and dirty tones that have made the SG the rocker’s choice for generations.
Features & SpecsSolid mahogany body
Set-in neck joint
Mahogany neck
’50s rounded neck
Rosewood fretboard
24-3/4" scale length
24 frets
1.6875" nut width
12" fretboard radius
Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge
BurstBucker Pro 2 bridge pickup
BurstBucker Pro 1 neck pickup
1 Volume, 1 Tone, 3-way pickup selector
Top hat knobs
Grover keystone tuners
Nitrocellulose lacquer finish


With the dollar falling, it’s time to invest in gold and order your new Gibson SG Diablo. It comes with the Musician’s Friend Lowest Price/Total Satisfaction Guarantees, making this a no-risk deal.

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GUITAR'S History

Main article: History of the classical guitar

Before the development of the electric guitar and the use of synthetic materials, a guitar was defined as being an instrument having "a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides".[1] Instruments similar to the guitar have been popular for at least 5,000 years. While today's classical guitar first appeared in Spain, it was itself a product of the long and complex history that saw a number of related guitar types developed and used across Europe.[2] The roots of the guitar can be traced back thousands of years to an Indo-European origin in instruments, then known in central Asia and India. For this reason the guitar itself is distantly related to instruments such as the tanbur and setar, and the Indian sitar. The oldest known iconographic representation of an instrument displaying all the essential features of a guitar being played is a 3,300 year old stone carving of a Hittite bard.[3] The modern word, guitar, was adopted into English from Spanish guitarra (German Gitarre, French Guitare),[4] loaned from the medieval Andalusian Arabic qitara[5], itself derived from the Latin cithara, which in turn came from the earlier Greek word kithara,[6] which is descended from the Old Persian word sihtar.[7]

Illustration from a Carolingian Psalter from the 9th century, showing a guitar-like plucked instrument.

The modern guitar is descended from the Roman cithara brought by the Romans to Hispania around 40 AD, and further adapted and developed with the arrival of the four-string oud, brought by the Moors after their conquest of the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century.[8] Elsewhere in Europe, the indigenous six-string Scandinavian lut (lute), had gained in popularity in areas of Viking incursions across the continent. Often depicted in carvings c. 800 AD, the Norse hero Gunther (also known as Gunnar), played a lute with his toes as he lay dying in a snake-pit, in the legend of Siegfried.[9] By 1200 AD, the four string "guitar" had evolved into two types: the guitarra morisca (Moorish guitar) which had a rounded back, wide fingerboard and several soundholes, and the guitarra latina (Latin guitar) which resembled the modern guitar with one soundhole and a narrower neck.[10]

The Spanish vihuela or "viola da mano", a guitar-like instrument of the 15th and 16th centuries is, due to its similarities, is often considered an important influence in the development of the modern guitar. It had lute-style tuning and a guitar-like body. Its construction had as much in common with the modern guitar as with its contemporary four-course renaissance guitar. The vihuela enjoyed only a short period of popularity; the last surviving publication of music for the instrument appeared in 1576. It is not clear whether it represented a transitional form or was simply a design that combined features of the Arabic oud and the European lute. In favor of the latter view, the reshaping of the vihuela into a guitar-like form can be seen as a strategy of differentiating the European lute visually from the Moorish oud. Meanwhile, the five string renassance guitar and the baroque guitar enjoyed popularity, especially in Italy and France, and indeed, much of Europe from the 15th to the 18th centuries.

The Vinaccia family of luthiers is known for developing the mandolin, and may have built the oldest surviving six string guitar. Gaetano Vinaccia (1759 – after 1831)[11] has his signature on the label of a guitar built in Naples, Italy for six strings with the date of 1779.[12][13] This guitar has been examined and does not show tell-tale signs of modifications from a double-course guitar although fakes are known to exist of guitars and identifying labels from that period.

The dimensions of the modern classical guitar (also known as the Spanish guitar) were established by Antonio Torres Jurado (1817-1892), working in Seville in the 1850s. Torres and Louis Panormo of London (active 1820s-1840s) were both responsible for demonstrating the superiority of fan strutting over transverse table bracing.

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Mozart Biography

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in the sovereign archbishopric of Salzberg, now in Austria in January 1756. His father was one of Europe’s foremost music teachers, who, in the year of Mozart’s birth published a highly influential textbook for the violin. The Mozart biography is unusual.

By the time he was three Mozart’s genius was already in evidence and his proud father was already giving him intensive music lessons in the violin, clavier and organ. By the age of four he could play several pieces and by five he even composed a few. His piano playing was extraordinary as a six year old and he could even play blindfolded.

Mozart had a very unusual childhood, as he accompanied his father all over Europe for several years, beginning with a trip to Bavaria for the 1762 exhibition; on to the Imperial Court in Vienna; then to Prague. During the next three and a half years concert tours took them to many courts all over Europe, including London, Paris and The Hague. After returning home they went on to Vienna in 1767, remaining there for almost a year.

Another year in Salzberg followed then three long trips to Italy. Two particular highlights of this time included Mozart being accepted as a member of the acclaimed Academia Filarmonica; and the occasion when he heard Allegri’s Miserere for the first time in the Sistine Chapel and was able to write it out in full from memory. An astonishing feat.

In 1778 Mozart embarked on a concert tour accompanied by his mother who died in Paris.

By this time of his life Mozart had met many great composers and was a superb concert pianist and composer. He used the style of many of the composers he respected in his earlier music whilst at the same time developing his own.

By 1781 he had become Konzertmaister to the archbishop in Salzberg but after a visit to Vienna he became disenchanted with the strictures of his employer, and was keen to take his music further. Whether he was actually sacked or not is a matter of conjecture, however he moved and settled into Vienna life, and indeed got married to Constanze Weber in 1782, against his father’s wishes.

The year of 1782 was a great one for Mozart; he had success after success with his piano concertos as director and soloist and with his opera “The Abduction from Seraglio”. During this period he became familiar with and studied the Baroque composers, particularly J.S.Bach and G.F.Handel the result of which is very evident in his music of these and subsequent years.

The Mass in B minor, partially written to bring his father and wife together, for she was the soloist in the premier in Salzberg, whilst being a popular success did not bring the two together.

Mozart met and was friendly with Hayden in Vienna, and Hayden was very aware of Mozart’s extraordinary talents. Meanwhile he appeared as a soloist until 1785 enjoying financial success, but by this time he is suspected of having hand injuries, and his composition decreased.

Whilst his lifestyle and suite of 7 rooms were somewhat lavish during this time, entailing his occasional borrowings, he was by no means a pauper. His compositions and commissions from the rich earning him a very good living, and his frequent visits to Prague earned him fame and considerable financial considerations.

There is no doubt that Mozart died at about 1.00am on 5th December 1791. However there is some conjecture as to how long his illness had lasted. It is generally understood that he was pretty healthy until soon before his death, and so the Requiem he did not manage to finish was written during the time when he was healthy.

His family and friends were shocked by his sudden death at such a young age. Mozart was buried, as was the tradition at the time, in a regular communal grave pursuant to he 1784 laws of burial. Memorials were later set up.

This brilliant composer is certainly amongst the Great Composers and despite living only 35 years managed to complete an enormous number of works, most of which we still listen to and enjoy today.

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PROFIL GITARIS: PRISA (FEATURING J-ROCK'S AT 'KAU CURI LAGI')

Nama Lengkap: Prisa Adinda Arini Rianzi
Nick Di Forum Gitaris.com : TheCuteDeviL
Tempat/Tgl Lahir : Jakarta / 6 Januari 1988
E-mail Address : prisa.adinda@gmail.com
Pekerjaan : Musisi
Tempat Tinggal Sekarang : Jakarta
Gitar : Jackson DKMG Arch Top, Jackson USA Randy Rhoads RR1, Fender USA Telecaster Flathead Custom Shop, Martin & Co X series & Fender Strat Eric Clapton
Efek : Line 6 PODXTLive, Tonebone Hot British, Ibanez Tube Screamer 808
Ampli : Roland Cube 30
Group Band Saat ini : Dead Squad
Pengalaman Band : Zala
Pengaruh Musikal : Slayer, John Mayer, As I Lay Dying
Style Permainan : Metal
Teknik Favorit : Power Chord
Gitaris Favorit : Mick Thompson, Steve Vai, dll
Band Favorit : God Forbid, Trivium, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Megadeth, Slayer, Unearth, Lamb of God, The Black Dahlia Murder,
Album Favorit : Frail Words Collaps (As I Lay Dying), Ascendency (Trivium), Unhallowed (The Black Dahlia Murder), Gone forever (God Forbid), the end of heartache (Killswitch Engage), The Subliminal Verses (Slipknot), Ashes Of The Wake (Lamb Of God), The War Within (Shadows Fall), Waking The Fallen (Avanged Sevenfolds), The Uncoming Storm (Unearth)
Lagu Yang Pertama Dipelajari : Anugerah Terindah (Sheila On 7)


Prisa pertama kali belajar gitar karena kebetulan. Sewaktu masih SMP, Prisa tinggal di asrama kemudian iseng maenin gitar punya temannya. Gara-gara dimarahin sama yang punya gitar, akhirnya Prisa bertekad balas dendam dengan ikut ekskul gitar. Akhirnya Prisa dan temannya ikut ekskul barengan sambil balapan siapa yang nantinya lebih jago.

Tahun 2005 sampai pertengahan tahun 2006 nama Prisa cukup dikenal di scene underground bersama band metalnya, Zala. Band ini cukup menyita perhatian lantaran isi personelnya cewek semua. Tapi tidak hanya sekedar menjual image saja, skill mereka juga tidak kalah sama band-band cowok. Tahun 2006 bisa dibilang sebagai tahun emasnya Prisa dimana karirnya baik secara pribadi maupun kelompok makin sukses. Secara pribadi, ia terpilih menjadi model untuk portal gitar pertama di Indonesia, Gitaris.com. Ia juga sering disebut sebagai Miss Gitaris.com karena selalu menjadi wakil Gitaris.com di berbagai event dan media. Bersama bandnya, Zala, ia beberapa kali tampil di event metal underground bahkan sampai Java Jazz 2006.

Bulan Juni 2006 kemudian Prisa tergabung dalam band baru bernama Dead Squad. Di band ini ia berpasangan dengan salah satu gitaris dari keluarga Item yang juga merupakan personel Andra & The Backbone, Stevie Item. Kemudian pada bulan Juli Prisa mendapat kehormatan untuk berkolaborasi dengan salah satu maestro gitar Indonesia, Eet Sjahranie dalam penampilan Edane di PRJ. Bersama Edane, Prisa tampil membawakan lagu Cry Out dan Kau Manis Kau Ibliz. Selain itu ia juga dikontrak selama 2 bulan sebagai additional gitaris dan backing vocal untuk 'band sejuta copy', Sheila On 7, yang baru ditinggal salah satu gitarisnya. Bersama SO7 sempat tampil di SCTV dalam acara World Cup 2006 dan ikut dalam tour hingga ke Malaysia.

Tahun 2006 Prisa telah memutuskan untuk berhenti dari dunia pendidikan akademis dan memilih untuk terjun sebagai musisi profesional. Kemudian pada pertengahan 2007 ia menjadi 'guest musician' di album ke-2 J-Rocks. Disitu ia menyumbang vocal dan permainan gitarnya juga untuk single Kau Curi Lagi. Selain itu Prisa juga memiliki side project lain yang ia beri nama Morning Star. Berbeda dengan imagenya selama ini yang dikenal dengan style permainan gitar dengan sound yang gahar, Morning Star justru menampilkan vocal + permainan gitar akustik Prisa. Rupanya tak banyak yang tahu kalau Prisa juga mahir dalam permainan gitar akustik.

Bulan Juli 2007 Prisa diendorse oleh pihak Jackson Guitars. Ia dikontrak untuk menggunakan gitar Jackson DKMG Arch Top.
Data menarik tentang Prisa


(2003) Additional vocal dan model video clip Seringai

(2006 Jan) Terpilih sebagai Miss Gitaris.com

(2006 Mar) Tampil bersama Zala di Java Jazz

(2006 Apr) Tampil di harian Kompas 23 April 2006 dalam artikel mengenai Gitaris.com

(2006 Mei) Talk show (Prisa + Mayzan) di GlobalTV dalam liputan mengenai Gitaris.com

(2006 Jun) Tampil bersama Sheila On 7 di Panggung World Cup sebagai additional vocal

(2006 Jul) Tampil bersama Edane sebagai guest gitaris di PRJ (membawakan 2 lagu)

(2006 Jul) Tampil bersama Abdee Slank dalam sebuah klinik

(2006 Jul) Model cover majalah Gitar Plus

(2006 Jul - Ags) Additional gitar+vocal Sheila On 7 (Promo tour album 507) hingga ke Malaysia

(2006 Ags) Model cover majalah HAI edisi "Sekarang Giliran Anak Metal"

(2006 Sep) Demonstran (bersama Irvan) untuk produk kabel Analysis Plus selama 4 hari di Balai Kartini

(2006 Nov) Tampil di majalah Trax edisi 11/2006 di column 'GirlDoYouRock'

(2006 Des) Duet bersama Mayzan di acara gathering Gitaris.com membawakan lagu Elixir dari Marty Friedman

(2007 Jan) Majalah Audio Pro menampilkan profil & wawancara Prisa.

(2007 Mar) Koran Tempo menampilkan profil Prisa.

More about → PROFIL GITARIS: PRISA (FEATURING J-ROCK'S AT 'KAU CURI LAGI')

Biografi Metallica

Metallica adalah band yang muncul di scene underground awal 1980an yang berkembang menjadi band rock mainstream raksasa. Dengan penjualan album yang mencapai 57 juta unit didalam AS dan 35 juta unit diluar AS, mereka menempati posisi ke 18 sebagai salah satu artis penjual album terbesar yang terdaftar dalam Recording Industry Association of America.

Metallica dibentuk di California tahun 1981 oleh drummer Lars Ulrich dan gitaris/vokalis James Hetfield. bassist Ron McGovny kemudian bergabung dan dinyusuli Dave Mustaine. McGovney pergi setelah berkonflik dengan Mustaine dan posisinya diganti Cliff Burton. Sifat Mustaine yang agresif dan sering bermasalah dengan obat dan alkohol mengakibatkan dia dipecat oleh Ulrich dan Hetfield. Posisinya diisi Kirk Hammet, seorang murid Joe Satriani. Mustaine kemudian membentuk Megadeth.

Band mendapatkan namanya sewaktu Ulrich diajak promoter metal San Francisco, Ron Quintana, untuk bantu memilih nama dari daftarnya untuk dijadikan nama majalah barunya. Daftarnya terdapat nama Metallica. Ulrich menyarankan Metal Mania untuk mejalah Quintana dan memilih Metallica untuk band yang baru dia bentuk.

Bersama Megadeth, Slayer dan Anthrax, Metallica merupakan salah satu dari empat tokoh thrash metal pada era 1980an.

Album pertama Kill ‘Em All dirilis 1983 via Megaforce. Album pertama ini menjadi contoh sound dasar Metallica untuk era 1980an dengan khas vokal dan irama berat dari Hetfield.

Tahun 1984 mereka menndatangani kontrak dengan Elektra Records dan merilis Master of Puppets, album yang dianggap fans sebagai album terbaik Metallica.

Sewktu tur di Eropa pada tahun 1986, bassist Cliff Burton meninggal dunia di Swedia dalam kecelakaan bis dan posisinya diganti Jason Newsted. Tahun 1988, Mereka membuat …And Justice for All dengan musik yang komplek secara struktural. …And Justice for all dinominasi Grammy dengan kategori Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrument namun Grammy tersebut diraih Jethro Tull. Tahun berikutnya mereka baru memenangkan Grammy dan setelah itu menerjun ke dunia musik rock mainstream. Video “One” diputar terus menerus oleh MTV.

Album berjudul Metallica yang sering disebut The Black Album dirilis 1991 dengan mentargetkan audiens yang jauh lebih luas. Album mencapai no. 1 dalam Billboard dan bersertifikasi platinum dalam beberapa minggu. Album ini menjadi album paling populer Metallica dan hit-nya “Enter Sandman” menjadi lagu Metallica yang paling dikenal luas.

Kemudian pada Load (1996) dan ReLoad (1997), tempo metal yang cepat diganti dengan nada gitar yang bluesy, permainan slide guitar dan steel guitar, hurdy-gurdy dan violin. Sebagian fans menyindir mereka sebagai Poptalica, Alternica dan bahkan Lica saja. Beberapa lagu dari Load dan Reload sering diputar radio-radio AS.

Untuk album berikutnya, mereka men-cover lagu-lagu dari sejumlah artis yang mempengaruhi mereka, mulai dari The Misfits, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath sampai ke Nick Cave dan Bob Seger.

Tahun 1999, Metallica dilantik ke San Francisco Walk of Fame dan pada bulan berikutnya, mereka merekam dua pertunjukan dengan San Francisco Symphony Orchestra dan merilisnya dengan judul S&M.

Metallica menciptakan kontroversi dengan menuntut Napster yang 300.000 anggotanya memperjual-belikan seluruh katalog lagu Metallica didalam situs. Mereka juga menuntut beberapa universitas yang mengizinkan Napster dioperasikan dalam kampus. Penuntutan ini mengakibatkan ejekan sejumlah situs yang mengatakan band yang mengawali karirnya dari scene underground yang sering memperjual-belikan rekaman bootleg live sudah menjadi mata duitan. Metallica menjawab apa yang mereka permasalahkan adalah perdagangan ilegal materi studio mereka, bukan bootleg live.

Jason Newsted meninggalkan Metallica pada 2001. Berbagai wawancara mengungkapkan pengunduran dia diakibatkan keinginannya untuk membuat CD dan melakukan tur bersama band pribadinya, Echobrain, namun keinginan tersebut selalu dihadang oleh Hetfield. Posisinya diganti Robert Trujillo, eks bassist Suicidal Tendencies yang juga pernah main bersama band Ozzy Osbourne, Infectious Grooves dan Black Label Society. Newsted kemudian bergabung ke band legendaris thrash metal Kanada, Voivod, dan secara menarik menggantikan posisi Trujillo dalam Ozzfest 2003.

Album kedelapan mereka, St. Anger (2003), menanjak ke posisi no. 1 dalam chart. Album dibuat kasar dan tak terpoles untuk merespon ke pihak yang klaim Metallica telah kehilangan kekerasan sound mereka. Namun, sound kasar yang tanpa banyak gitar solo ini dikritik fans yang tidak menyukainya. Toko CD bekas dibanjiri CD yang dijual oleh fans yang kecewa. Meskipun dikritik, St. Anger memenangkan Grammy 2004.

Tahun 2006, Metallica mengakhiri kerjasama 15 tahun dengan produser Bob Rock dan menjalinkan kerjasama baru dengan produser legendaris Rick Rubin, yang biasa menangani album Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, Audioslave, Slipknot, System of a Down, Johnny Cash, LL Cool J, Jay-Z dan Slayer. Rubin dan Metallica sedang mengerjakan sebuah album studio baru yang akan dirilis dalam waktu dekat.

- Peter Soemarko

Discography

Album

1983 Kill ‘Em All
1984 Ride the Lightning
1986 Master of Puppets
1987 The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited (EP)
1988 …And Justice for Al
1991 Metallica
1993 Live Shit: Binge & Purge (Live boxset)
1996 Load 5
1997 ReLoad
1998 Garage Inc.
1999 S&M
2003 St. Anger
2004 Some Kind of Monsters

More about → Biografi Metallica

ERIC CLAPTON

“Salah satu pengembang musik blues dunia”

Nama Asli : Eric Patrick Clapton
Tempat/Tgl Lahir : The Green Ripley, Inggris, 30 Maret 1945
Website : http://www.ericclapton.com
Gaya Permainan : Blues
Group Band terdahulu : Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith
Pengaruh musikal : Albert King, B. B. King, Muddy Waters
Gitar : Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature, Martin 000-28EC Eric Clapton Signature Acoustic Guitar
Efek : DigiTech Eric Clapton Crossroads Pedal
Ampli : Soldano SLO100 Super Lead Overdrive Head, Marshall 1962 Bluesbreaker Combo, Fender Twin Amp 100 Watt All-Tube Amp

Eric Clapton adalah salah satu gitaris yang paling berpengaruh bagi perkembangan dunia gitar rock di dunia selain Jimi Hendrix. Permainannya banyak menjadi referensi gitaris-gitaris penerusnya seperti Richie Sambora, Eric Johnson, Slash, dan masih banyak lagi.

Masa kecil Clapton banyak dihabiskan bersama kakek dan neneknya. Ibunya, Patricia menitipkan Clapton pada kedua orangtuanya karena suaminya, Edward Fryer meninggal. Eric kecil mulai tertarik bermain gitar setelah menonton Jerry Lee Lewis di televisi saat berusia 13 tahun. Semenjak saat itu ia terus giat berlatih gitar. Sekolah desain yang ditekuninya, akhirnya terbengklai karena waktunya lebih banyak dihabiskan untuk bermain gitar.

Kemudian ia tergabung dalam band pertamanya, Roosters. Lalu ia tergabung dengan grup Yardbirds dimana terdapat pula gitaris-gitaris handal yaitu Jimmy Page dan Jeff Beck. Bergabungnya Clapton semakin menambah warna bagi grup tersebut. Trio gitaris ini langsung menjadi pembicaraan orang-orang. Namun pada tahun 1965, Clapton memutuskan keluar dari Yardbirds karena perbedaan visi. Ia pun selanjurnya tergabung dalam band John Mayyal’s Bluesbreaker. Kali ini ia bergabung dengan Peter Green, dan Mick Taylor.

Selanjutnya ia membentuk Blind Faith di tahun 1969. Di band ini Eric meraih popularitas yang cukup besar pada eranya. Setahun kemudian ia tergabung dalam Delaney and Bonnie & Friends. Di grup ini Eric mulai mengasah skill vocalnya. Pada 1971 Eric tidak lagi melanjutkan karir musiknya dengan Delaney and Bonnie & Friends.

Akhirnya Eric mulai bersolo karir. Album-album yang dilempar ke pasaran selama karirnya antara lain : Rainbow Concert (1973), 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), No Reason To Cry (1976), Slowhand (1977), Crossroad (1988), MTV Unplugged, dan masih banyak lagi album solo lainnya. Bersama master blues B. B. King juga ia pernah mengeluarkan album kolaborasi Riding With The King (2001).

Dari awal karir, ia menggunakan gitar Fender Stratocaster sebagai senjata utamanya. Ia juga sempat berpindah ke Gibson namun hanya sementara dan ia kembali ke Stratocaster. Bahkan dalam sebuah lelang, Fender Stratocaster miliknya terjual seharga US$ 415.000,-. Sebuah harga yang sangat fantastis, namun cukup layak untuk seorang Eric Clapton. Kini bahkan ia dikontrak oleh Fender sebagai salah satu artis penggunanya dan juga dibuatkan Stratocaster signaturenya.

Meski pada masa-masa pertama ia terkenal sebagai seorang blueser, namun pada era tahun 90an tampaknya ia mulai banyak mengadaptasi musik pop ke dalam karya-karyanya. Namun nuansa blues tetap bisa kita dapatkan. Lagu-lagu hits darinya antara lain Layla, Running On Faith, My Father Eyes, Bad Love, Tears In Heaven, Wonderful Tonight, Change The World, Motherless Child, dll.

Sepanjang karirnya, Eric telah banyak menghasilkan lagu-lagu yang terkenal, namun dari sekian banyak lagu Eric Clapton, yang paling sering terdengar di radio-radio Indonesia mungkin lagu Tears In Heaven. Lagu itu dibuat untuk mengenang anaknya yang bernama Conor yang jatuh dari lantai 49 apartemennya. Hebatnya lagi, ternyata lagu itu mendapat penghargaan Grammy Awards untuk kategori Best Male Pop Vocal Performance di tahun 1992. Saat itu ia juga menyabet 4 penghargaan lainnya. Secara keseluruhan, Eric telah 17 kali meraih penghargaan Grammy. Sangat jarang gitaris yang berhasil meraih prestasi seperti Eric Clapton.

More about → ERIC CLAPTON

Guns N Roses

Guns N Roses
Los Angeles, Amerika Serikat

Lihat Lirik Lagu Guns N Roses


Biografi :

Maret 1985, Axl Rose eks vokalis Hollywood Rose dan Tracii Guns eks gitaris L.A Guns berencana untuk membentuk sebuah grup yang akhirnya diberi nama Guns N' Roses. Grup yang didirikan di Los Angeles, Amerika Serikat ini sempat berganti-ganti personel bahkan Tracii Guns pun hengkang dari grup ini.

Album pertama mereka APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION dilepas 1987. Album ini laku keras karena single-single macam Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child o' Mine, dan Paradise City.

Album kedua mereka GN'R LIES tidak sepopuler album pertama mereka, single manis Patience tidak cukup kuat mengangkat penjualan album ini. Namun dobel album USE YOUR ILLUSION I dan USE YOUR ILLUSION II yang mereka rilis 1991 kembali membawa GN'R ke puncak kejayaan. Dua album ini berisi banyak lagu yang kemudian melambungkan nama Guns N' Roses seperti: Don't Cry, November Rain, Civil War, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, dan Estranged.

Album THE SPAGHETTI INCIDENT? yang mereka lepas 1993 nampaknya adalah pertanda berakhirnya kejayaan GN'R. Album yang berisi lagu-lagu daur ulang dari artis lain ini tak bisa meraup keuntungan seperti album-album sebelumnya.

GN'R berada di puncak kejayaan mereka dengan formasi : Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, Dizzy Reed, dan Matt Sorum

More about → Guns N Roses

Rhythm Guitar Powerchords

In the first installment of rock rhythm guitar you will learn about power chords. How to make them, play them, and even the theory behind them (Theory? Power Chords? What? It's true, even Power Chords have theory). You will also learn some riffs in songs that use power chords, and then how to use common progressions to make your own riffs.

1. Power Chords.
The basis of rock music. The power chord. Power chords are possibly the easiest chord and have a great sound. The only theory behind a power chord is the way you make it. The construction of a power chord is (1 5 (1)). Thats all. Now, lets learn some powerchords! But remember - Power chords are in interval of a perfect fifth- not a chord!

E5 F5 A5 B5
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|---------(2)-(4)-|
|-(2)-(3)--2---4--|
|--2---3---0---2--|
|--0---1----------|

The first chord is E5 (putting 5 at the end of the note means its a power chord, because all a power chord is, is a root and a fifth). E5 is made of the notes E, and B. The additional note in brackets is the octave of E. It is not needed, but adds depth and a brighter sound to your power chords.

The second chord is F5. Its notes are F and C. This chord is moveable, so if you move each note up 2 frets, it becomes G5. Two more and its A5, get the idea?

The third chord chord is A5. Like E5, it is played in open position, so you can't move it. Its notes are A and E.

The fourth and last chord is B5. Its notes are B and F#. it is a moveable shape, like F5, so if you move it up 1 fret, it becomes C5.

There are three ways you can play a power chord.

I = Index
M = Middle
R = Ring
P = Pinky

0 1 2 3 4 5
e|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
B|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
G|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
D|-|---|---|-P-|---|---|-
A|-|---|---|-R-|---|---|-
E|-|-I-|---|---|---|---|-


0 1 2 3 4 5
e|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
B|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
G|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
D|-|---|---|-P-|---|---|-
A|-|---|---|-P-|---|---|-
E|-|-I-|---|---|---|---|-

0 1 2 3 4 5
e|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
B|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
G|-|---|---|---|---|---|-
D|-|---|---|-R-|---|---|-
A|-|---|---|-R-|---|---|-
E|-|-I-|---|---|---|---|-

The next power chords are not used often (except for the open shape) and are trickier than the other ones.

D5 E5
|---------|
|-(3)-(5)-|
|--2---4--|
|--0---2--|
|---------|
|---------|

I suggest you make these chords with method 1 of positioning you fingers. Some common ways to play powerchords:

e|-----------3--3-------------3--3--------------6-----6----|
B|--------3--3--3-------------x--x--------6--6--6--6--6-6--|
G|--------x--x--0-----5-----5-5--5--5--5--5--5--3--3--3-3--|
D|-----5--5--5--0--5--5--5--5-5--5--3--3--3--3--3-------3--|
A|--5--5--5--5--x--3--3--3--3-3--3-----3--3----------------|
E|--3--3--3--3--3--3--3----------3-------------------------|
G5 C5 F5 Bb5

G5 is notes G D
C5 is notes C G
F5 is notes F C
Bb5 is notes Bb

2. Drop D Tuning.
What? We're changing tunings now? I thought this would be easy. Well, it still is. Drop D is very simple (unless you are using a Floyd Rose Trem. If you are, skip this section) tuning to get into, you just lower your 6th string (E- the really thick one) down one step. How do you do this? Well, if you have an electronic tuner, its a breeze. Just plug it in and lower the string to D. If you don't have a tuner, thats not a problem! Lower the string a little and play it at the 7th fret. Continue to do this untill it matches the open A string. Then, you're done! Now in Drop-D, power chords are 10x easier. Play this note:

|---|
|---|
|---|
|---|
|-2-|

Thats E (Every note on the low E string is moved up 2 frets, because you tuned down). To make a power chord, you have to add B. So, lets add B!

|---|
|---|
|---|
|---|
|-2-|
|-2-|

Pretty easy, eh? You can play that with one finger! Now, you can do your power chords, you've made them easier by going into drop D, and you know how to make all the other power chords yourself! Lets look at some songs that use power chords.

3. Power Chord Riffs.
For just two notes, these little buggers are used in almost every genre! Lets look at some songs that use power chords. Still in Drop-D, eh? Lets do some songs in Drop-D before you tune up.

Velvet Revolver - Slither.
This is a great riff. It's also very easy to play! It's made entirely out of power chords. Lets look at the tab, shall we?

Main Riff:
E|------------------|-----------------|
B|------------------|-----------------|
G|------------------|-----------------|
D|-0-3-4-0-6-7-0-10-|-0-6-7-0-5-0-3-4-|
A|-0-3-4-0-6-7-0-10-|-0-6-7-0-5-0-3-4-|
D|-0-3-4-0-6-7-0-10-|-0-6-7-0-5-0-3-4-|

Play them all as 8th notes, at a tempo of 140-145 BPM. Pretty cool, huh? Easy too.

The Darkness - Growing On Me.
Also in drop-D, the verse riff to this song is all power chords. Listen to the song to get the right timing.

Verse:
E|---------------|----------------------------------|
B|---------------|----------------------------------|
G|---------------|----------------------------------|
D|---------------|----------------------------------|
A|-0-0--7-7/9-9--|-0-0--7-7/9-9---5-5--4-4--4-0-----|
D|-0-0--7-7/9-9--|-0-0--7-7/9-9---5-5--4-4--4-0-----|

So, now that you have those two riffs under your belt, lets tune back up to standard tuning for some more riffs.

Silvertide - Ain't Comin' Home.
If you've never heard this song, I suggest you listen to it. This song is made up of 3 chords (thats it! Except for the bridge, when a G5 comes in). Lets look at the tab.

Main Riff:
E|----||-------------------------||
B|----||----------------3--------||
G|-0--|o--1----2---2--x-2--2---2-o|
D|-0--|o--2----2---2--x-0--2---2-o|
A|-0--||--2----0---0--x----0---0-||
E|----||--0-----------x----------||

That one is a little thougher, because its a little fast and uses E major. Lets look at a song from the masters of power chords- AC/DC.

AC/DC - Back in Black.
Great Song, with piles of great riffs. I suggest listening to song to get the timing. I will put the entire intro for you to try.

Main Riff:
E|------2-2-2-------------|-3p0----------------|
B|------3-3-3----2-2-2----|-----3p0------------|
G|------2-2-2----2-2-2----|---------2b4r2------|
D|-2----0-0-0----2-2-2----|--------------------|
A|-2-------------0-0-0----|--------------------|
E|-0----------------------|--------------------|

E|------2-2-2-------------|-----------------------|
B|------3-3-3----2-2-2----|-----------------------|
G|------2-2-2----2-2-2----|-----------------------|
D|-2----0-0-0----2-2-2----|-----------------------|
A|-2-------------0-0-0----|-2---2--0-2--1-2--2~---|
E|-0----------------------|---4-------------------|

Chorus:
E|----------------|||-3--2-----------|||----------------||
B|----------------|||-3--3-----------|||----------------||
G|-2-----4--2--4--o|o-0--2--2-----2--o|o-2-----4--2--4--o|
D|-2--2--4--2--4--o|o-0--0--2-----2--o|o-2--2--4--2--4--o|
A|-0--2--2--0--2--|||-x-----0-----0--|||-0--2--2--0--2--||
E|----0-----------|||-3--------3-----|||----0-----------||
^play x2 ^play x2 ^play 2x

So, you can now play some riffs, with power chords. If you want you can even go find the tabs for the songs and learn the rest of the song. Lets try to make some riffs using powerchords.

4. Making Your Own Riffs.
I'll set you off with some chord progressions (used commonly in rock) and those 5 riffs from popular songs.

Chord Progressions - A series of chords put together, that don't sound horrible. The Roman Numeral dictate which scale dgree as your root note. If it's upper case (V) it's major, if it's lower case, it's minor (I). Extensions can be added, like so: vii°7b5, V7, Imaj7m etc.

A D E (I IV V)
G C D (V I II)
G D Am7 (I V VII7)

Those are some popular ones. Feel free to make any up, but try to remember, that a chord resolves best up a fourth (IV, 4) or down a fifth (V, 5). I've chosen A-G-D, (I VII IV) and I changed it around to Asus2 (A B E), Gsus2 (G A D), and D5 (D A). It's arranged for two guitars and a bass for those of you playing in a band situation, if you aren't in a band, just play Gtr I.

Q=156
... Asus2... Gsus2
... 4/4
... Gtr I
||---------------------|-------------------|
||o--------------------|-------------------|
||---------------------|-------------------|
||--9-9---9------------|-7-7---7-----------|
||o-7-7---7---10-12\---|-5-5---5---8-10\---|
||------------10-12\---|-----------8-10\---|
|
|... Gtr II
||---------------------|-------------------|
||o--------------------|-------------------|
||---------------------|-------------------|
||---------------------|-------------------|
||o--------------------|-------------------|
||--7-7-7---7--7--7--7-|-5-5-5-5-5-5--5--5-|
|
|... Bass
||---------------------|-------------------|
||o--------------------|-------------------|
||o--------------------|-------------------|
||--7-7-7--7--7--7--7--|-5-5-5-5-5-5--5--5-|


.. D5

|-----------------|-----------------------||
|-8-8---3-3---3---|-(3)--------------(3)/o||
|-7-7---2-2---2---|-(2)--------------(2)/-||
|-------------0---|-(0)--------------(0)/-||
|-----------------|----------------------o||
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|
|
|-----------------|-----------------------||4x
|-----------------|----------------------o||
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|-----------------|-----------------------||
|-----------------|----------------------o||
|-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------||

Tuning: Drop-D (low to high- D-A-D-G-B-E)

Its played fast (156 bpm), the root note of the chord is played by Gtr. II and The Bass.

All that from powerchords? Thats a pretty long read for two notes! All you have to remember is that creativity is the key to building riffs and songs out of power chords. Note about tabs: about the tabs above (not directly, the ones of
popular songs), these might not be 100% correct, but it's the way I play them, and they sound right. Thanks a lot to SilentDeftone for "Some common ways to play powerchords," the fingering diagrams, and helping me straighten this out!

More about → Rhythm Guitar Powerchords

Power Tab Editor v1.7 (Build 80)

Power Tab Editor is a tablature authoring tool for the Windows operating system. It is intended to be used to create guitar sheet music, more commonly known to musicians as guitar tablature and bass tablature. (aka guitar tab/bass tab). The program provides the most commonly used symbols in tablature, including chord names, chord diagrams, rhythm slashes, bends, slides, hammer-ons/pull-offs, harmonics and palm muting. A useful piece of software for people who want to learn how to play guitar, and for experienced guitarists who want to transcribe their own music and/or guitar lessons. The software can be used by both acoustic and electric guitar players alike.


click for download

More about → Power Tab Editor v1.7 (Build 80)

Ultrawave Guitar Multi Fx 1.3

Realtime Guitar Effects Processor, with 21 effects, including a multi band echo with 4 to 60 bands plus multi band distortion and fuzz. 12 Stage virtual analogue phaser, guitar synthesizer, 60 band harmonic spectrum analyser with zoom and scroll, which will show you the pitch of every note played and of their harmonics. It also has a level indicator, wav recorder and tuner. Effects list: guitar synthesizer, chorus, flanger, phaser, echo, reverb, multi tap echo, multiband echo, multiband distortion, multiband fuzz, distortion, wah, vibrato, tremelo, ring modulator, noise gate, equaliser, filters, quad, pre eq, post eq


click for download

More about → Ultrawave Guitar Multi Fx 1.3

Repeat-Licks For Soloing

This lesson is an introduction to repeat licks. It is geared mostly toward intermediate players who haven't really gotten into soloing yet, or for advanced players who have been living under a rock and may not know these licks yet. Repeat Licks can be added to a solo to spice it up a bit, they are not hard (well, sometimes), but the challenge comes from making them smooth and clean, with a strong focus on precision. Even if you don't solo that much, these licks can be used as finger exercises. Well, enough talk; let's start. The first lick can be most famously heard at the end of the Stairway To Heaven solo:

E--8-5---8-5---8-5---8-5----|
B------5-----5-----5-----5--|
G---------------------------|
D---------------------------|
A---------------------------|
E---------------------------|

These are all triplets. The best application of this lick is just before the end of your solo; it has a senseof finality to it. If you break your solo into measures, do this lick on the second-to-last measure, leaving yourself one measure to conclude your solo on a more finalizing chord-tone. This next repeat lick is a triplet followed by regular 8th or 16th notes, depending on how fast you play it.

---3--- ---3---
E---12p10p8------8---12p10p8------8---|
B-----------10---------------10-------| etc..
G-------------------------------------|
D-------------------------------------|
A-------------------------------------|
E-------------------------------------|

Note that the first figure is a triplet. This lick can be played as 8th notes or as 16th notes, remember that the most important part is accuracy and fluidity. This lick can be thrown in for effect very easily and it fits into most areas of a solo. A good tip to remember: always build up to a repeat lick, don't just start it randomly, they are the climax of many solos. This same lick can be moved up and down the neck with only slight variations of fingering, all staying in the same key. All the examples I give are in A minor.

--3-- --3-- --3-- ---3--
E---5p3p2-----2---7p5p3-----3---8p7p5-----5---10p8p7-----7-|
B---------3-------------5-------------7--------------8-----|
G----------------------------------------------------------|
D----------------------------------------------------------|
A----------------------------------------------------------|
E----------------------------------------------------------|

---3--- ---3---- ----3---
E---12p10p8------8---13p12p10------10---15p13p12------12---|
B-----------10----------------12-----------------13--------|
G----------------------------------------------------------|
D----------------------------------------------------------|
A----------------------------------------------------------|
E----------------------------------------------------------|

Etc...
Practice going both up and down the neck. Try playing them in different orders. This gets tricky because you might have to make some big jumps, but always remember, don’t get sloppy! Now try this one, similar to the first lick, yet melodically modified:

E---8-5---7-5---8-5---7-5-----|
B-------5-----5-----6-----6---| etc..
G-----------------------------|
D-----------------------------|
A-----------------------------|
E-----------------------------|

These are all triplets. You see that by changing only a few notes, the entire repeat lick has a different tone to it. Knowing this, you can make your repeat lick fit into whatever type of solo you are playing.

Next on the list of repeat licks are open strings. Hammering on and pulling off to open strings sounds cool and is impressive. Luckily, it is also very easy. Start with this, all 16th note triplets, each three-note figure is all pull-offs:

E--3-2-0-------------------3-2-0-------------------|
B--------3-2-0-------3-2-0-------3-2-0-------3-2-0-|
G--------------3-2-0-------------------3-2-0-------|
D--------------------------------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------|

E--3-2-0-------3-2-0-------3-2-0-------------------|
B--------3-2-0-------3-2-0-------3-2-0-------------|
G--------------------------------------3-2-0-------|
D--------------------------------------------3-2-0-|
A--------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------|

Easy, huh? This lick isn't perhaps the easiest thing to fit into a solo, but for impressing your friends, it's great! Ok, once you've built up finger-strength enough to rip that out no problem, move on to the next one, it utilizes the same pattern as one of the previous licks I've given, except this time it's all triplets and all on one string, it just gets easier and easier doesn't it?

Note: I put an extra "-" in between triplet figures so that each figure is easier to see. It doesnt't count for any extra time, just blast through it.

E--5p3p0--7p3p0--5p3p0--7p3p0--7p5p0--8p5p0--7p5p0--8p5p0-|
B---------------------------------------------------------|
G---------------------------------------------------------|
D---------------------------------------------------------|
A---------------------------------------------------------|
E---------------------------------------------------------|

E--8p7p0--10p7p0--8p7p0--10p7p0--10p8p0--12p8p0--10p8p0--12p8p0--|
B----------------------------------------------------------------|
G----------------------------------------------------------------|
Â----------------------------------------------------------------|
G----------------------------------------------------------------|
G----------------------------------------------------------------|

And there it is. Make sure that each note is clear and can be heard. It might be a little impractical or boring if you played this entire thing as part of your solo, but taking pieces of it is great fun, try isolating one area of it, say the one in 5th position: E--7-5-0--8-5-0-- and play just that bit one hundred or two hundred times. Then move to a different section.

Now I've noticed that almost all these examples have included some kind of triplet, and while it is true that a lot (and I do mean a lot) of repeat licks involve triplets, they don't always, try these licks built around the B-minor Pentatonic scale. They are all straight 16th notes.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

E--10-7----7-10-7----7-- --7-10-7----7-10-7----|
B-------10--------10---- ---------10--------10-|
G----------------------- ----------------------|
D----------------------- ----------------------|
A----------------------- ----------------------|
E----------------------- ----------------------|

Fig. 3
E-------7-10-7-------------7-10-7--------|
B--7-10--------10-7---7-10--------10-7---|
G-------------------9------------------9-|
D----------------------------------------|
A----------------------------------------|
E----------------------------------------|

Try making up some of your own too; there are almost of unlimited combination of notes that can be made into a repeat lick.

Next we come to a very popular repeat lick nowadays, at least among shredders, fingertapping--specifically Right Hand Fingertapping. Try this lick, as fast as possible. This is the first part of the tapping part of Van Halen's Eruption. The "T" above the TAB means tap that fret with the index finger of your right hand. Or your middle finger, if you're mind is set on always holding your pick.

T T T T
E--------------------------------|
B--9p2h5--9p2h5--10p2h5--10p2h5--|
G--------------------------------|
D--------------------------------|
A--------------------------------|
E--------------------------------|

You have to "pull" the string a bit with yur finger and hit is sort of hard to get an equal sound from all the notes.

Another great way to spice up solos with repititious licks is to add little trill-effects. On this next example (in the key of Am) play the pull-off/hammer-on part as fast as possible (as a "trill").

(1)(3) (3) (2)
E--8h10p8-----8h10p8-------------------------|
B---------10---------10--8h10p8----8h10p8----|
G-------------------------------9---------9--|
D--------------------------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------|

Remember, always make sure each note is clear. In parentheses () I put my suggested fingering (something which I have neglected to do thus far, sorry).

And that's it for now, I hope that this little lesson has taught you something, or if nothing else, given you a few ideas about some stuff to play, please rate this lesson nad post feedback comments. Thanks! And if popular demand is high enough, I can post more of this kind of stuff.

More about → Repeat-Licks For Soloing

Speed Up Your Soloing. Part I: Warm Up And Synchronisation Excercises

If you listen to guitar players like Eddie van Halen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani or Yngwie Malmsteen, you can often hear these guys playing very fast. Some of you will have wondered how they do that. The answer is very easy: they just practiced for years.

1. Warm Up

If you want to become as fast as the "Speed Kings", you should start with warmup exercises. Here are a few.


I. Position
E-----------------------------------------1-2-3-4-I
B---------------------------------1-2-3-4---------I
G-------------------------1-2-3-4-----------------I
D-----------------1-2-3-4-------------------------I
A---------1-2-3-4---------------------------------I
E-1-2-3-4-----------------------------------------I


E-----------------------------------------1-3-4-2-I
B---------------------------------1-3-4-2---------I
G-------------------------1-3-4-2-----------------I
D-----------------1-3-4-2-------------------------I
A---------1-3-4-2---------------------------------I
E-1-3-4-2-----------------------------------------I

Important: Use alternate picking here (Down-Up-Down-Up). Try other variations.
Practice backwards, too. (4321)

2. Synchronisation

Synchronisation means improving the coorperation of your picking and fretting hand. This is very important if you want to be fast at picking licks. Here are some synchronisation excercises:


n=downstroke v=upstroke

n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v
E-----------------------------------------------------------------I
B-----------------------------------------------------------------I
G-----------------------------------------------------------------I
D-----------------------------------------------1-----1-2---1-2-3-I
A---------------1-----1-2-------1-1-2-3-4-2-3-4---3-4-----4-------I
E-1-2-3-4-2-3-4---3-4-----2-3-4-----------------------------------I


n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v n v
E-4-3-2-1-3-2-1---2-1-----1---------------------------------------I
B---------------4-----4-3---4-3-2-4-3-2-1-3-2-1---2-1-----1-------I
G-----------------------------------------------4-----4-3---4-3-2-I
D-----------------------------------------------------------------I
A-----------------------------------------------------------------I
E-----------------------------------------------------------------I

Practice these excercises up and down over all six strings. Also try them in different positions. Here's another good exercise. It's from the Deep Purple song "Into the fire". At the end of the guitar solo, Ritchie Blackmore plays this.

e=8th note er=8th rest


e e e e e e e e er e e e e e e e
E-----------------I------------------I Use alternate picking.
B-----------------I------------------I
G-------------3-4-I------------------I
D-----3-4---------I--------------0-1-I
A-1-2-----1-2-----I----0-1-2-3-4-----I
E-----------------I------------------I
I. Position

More about → Speed Up Your Soloing. Part I: Warm Up And Synchronisation Excercises

fender 57_stratocaster

2005 Fender Japan 1957 Reissue Stratocaster. 21 vintage frets, 1 piece D-shape maple neck with a 7 1/2" radius.
Price paid: $ 805.2

Purchased from: Rockers

Features: 2005 Fender Japan 1957 Reissue Stratocaster. 21 Vintage frets, 1 piece D-shape maple neck with a 7 1/2" radius. 3 piece alder body finished in tobbaco burst (2-tone sunburst). 1 ply white 8-screw pickguard. Fender Vintage 6 point non-locking tremelo. 3 single coil US Fender Vintage pickups. 1 volume control, 2 tone. 5-way Switch. Kulson tuners, 1 string tree. Purchased from Rockers, London in August 2005. Currently fitted with Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky strings, originally a set of Fender 9's. No official accessories, but I got a fitted flight case thrown in for another £40. A small ding on the body (hardly visible) reduced the retail price by £10 from £450. // 9
Sound: I mainly play blues, modern rock/indie, and jazz through a Peavey Bandit Transtube 112 (an equally versatile amp) with various effects (delay, compression, Big Muff, wah). This is a very versatile guitar, the strength of the Stratocaster. The neck pickup is mellow and warm, perfect for those slow Gilmour-esque blues leads. The 2nd and 4th positions are funky and tight, with the middle setting producing a nice rhythm sound. The bridge pickup is brighter, with more treble, less bass and suits crunchy distortion very well. These are Vintage style pickups so they are not high output, not that this guitar can't be loud. This is definately not a metal player's ideal choice, it is more suitable for blues, country, jazz and rock (it is after all a 1957 design). The tone is most impressive clean, or with just a hint of distortion. You can get spot on Hendrix, Gilmour, Knopfler and many other famous player's sounds depending on your amplifier. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came set up well, although the tremolo was flush with the body. I personally wanted to have a two way trem so I raised it, and reset the guitar, but it plays very well indeed and the 7 1/2 radius neck is very comfortable. The pickups were set far too low. I'm not sure on the ideal height but having checked Fender's recommendations they are now much higher and the tone and volume has improved considerably. The tremolo action is incredibly smooth, using 3 springs. The fit and finish is extremely high quality. People often mistake Japanese Fenders as the middle ground between Mexican and American models, but this is not the case. This uses the same hardware and pickups as US Strat and has equal if not better finish quality. Fender ceased officially selling Japanese models in Europe due to their being too competitive in terms of quality with the US models. You really are getting the same quality for half the price because the USA are having to increase their labour effort to produce the same quality as the more efficient Japanese manufacture, and this cost is then passed on to you. Everything else is fine and will last longer than I will. The finish is tough enough, but look after it and there will be minimal scratches, mine are barely visible hairlines on the back from play, only visible under light. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have gigged with this without back-up and it was fine. I haven't broken a string and it stays in tune very well for a Vintage style guitar. I've fitted strap-locks for added security (even though I don't hurl it around or anything) but the standard strap buttons were very solid. The hardware is fine, no problems, the fit of the knobs, pickguard and switching is good and the Switch is smooth with no noise between shifts. The pickups are quite noisy but this is the case with all single coil instruments, hence the invention of humbuckers and Lace sensors. As long as you roll off the volume when you need to then it's not a problem. // 9

Impression: Overall this a top quality instrument, far superior to the Mexican equivalent and easily on par with the American models. The finish is flawless on my example, the neck is very comfortable and, although laquered, it is never sticky just silky smooth. I haven't had any problems with this guitar, it will last me indefinately. I would definately replace it with an identical model were it lost or stolen. Incidently I was originally after a Telecaster or a Jazzmaster, but this is far more versatile and outplayed them. Yes, they're everywhere but until I owned my own Stratocaster I didn't realise how personal they become. I'm not planning on altering or modding this in any way, I wanted the pure '50s Vintage approach, which in my opinion is the peak of Stratocaster design.
Purchased from: ebay

Features: 05/06 Fender Japan 57 reissue. Vintage white, DiMarzio collection stamped pickups, c shape maple neck and fretboard with Vintage style lacquer finish, Vintage frets, 5 way Switch, gotoh tuners, etc etc. Came with all the tags and what not as well as trem bar and carry bag. // 9
Sound: I play a bit of everything. Using it currently through a Fender 15 watt amp. has a very very good clean tone on each pcikup, very brights sound. It also handles dirty sounds well with these pickups, which I think are the higher of the jap made. pickups are also quite noiseless. handles delay, distortion, wah very well too. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Since it was second hand I don't really know any of these. But the bloke who had it before kept it in mint condition, basically Brand New. No rust or any where on it. all the elctronics are well built and frets in great condition. the action is set well, however I think it will take some time to get use to 'Vintage' style frets as they make bending a bit harder. I currently have 10's on but might move to 9's to improve this. // 9

Reliability & Durability: "Reliability & Durability" is very good haven't played live but sure it would handle it with ease. the finish seems very good as welll as the hardware. the strap buttons are very solid. of course if you were to gig you would take a second guitar as backup but this would be your number 1 guitar. // 8

Impression: I've been trying to play guitar for 6 years. I owned a squire before this for that period and always wanted an american standard but this came up for less than half there price. these are very good guitars and match it with american strats in my opinion. I have played some mexican made standards and they are no where near the quality of this guitar. The only problem I see with it are the Vintage style frets, which I'm slowly getting use too. Gilmour and clapton use these frets so they must be ok. This guitar was a complete bargain and if I were in japan I would bring a few of these home with me as you can't seem to find them anywhere and I was lucky this came up.

More about → fender 57_stratocaster

Major Scales Explained

Introduction.
Well, here is my next installment of the Explained series on Music Theory. In this installation you will learn how to construct a major scale, apply it into music, how to construct a natural minor scale by using the major scale, and how to apply the natural minor scale into music. For now, I hope all of you beginners into the field of music theory understand this semi-lesson on one of the first things you need to know to begin your study of the art.

Constructing The Major Scale.
I'm pretty sure most of you have seen the posts in this forum about the WWHWWWH or TTSTTTS stuff. Well, let me explain that to you. In the WWHWWWH example, W means whole, or whole step (2 frets distance on guitar/bass). The H means half, or half step (1 fret distance on guitar/bass). So, the WWHWWWH example basically means 2 frets, 2 frets, 1 fret, 2 frets, 2 frets, 2 frets, 1 fret. Remember, all of this 2 frets/1 frets information means that you move down the fretboard towards the bridge 2 frets or 1 fret. Now for the TTSTTTS example. The T means tone, or one whole step, or 2 frets distance on guitar. The S means semitone, or half step, or 1 fret distance on guitar. So, it's basically the same thing, but with a different wording. Most people have varying ways on how to present the major scale using the WWHWWWH/TTSTTTS example. But for this lesson, I'll be using WWHWWWH (because I was taught that way).

Fig. 1-1

G major scale on one string (low E)
The notes are above, whole/half below.

G A B C D E F# G
E|-3-5-7-8-10-12-14-15-|
W W H W W W H

This box is just a starting point, it's not to be used all of the time. There are more ways then one to play a major scale, and I chose this pattern here to show you.

Fig. 1-2

G major scale box, 6 string root.
Red notes are G, the root of this example.

E|---------------------------2-3--|
B|-----------------------3-5------|
G|-----------------2-4-5----------|
D|-----------2-4-5----------------|
A|-----2-3-5----------------------|
E|-3-5----------------------------|

In figure 1-1 I explained the major scale on one string. The major scale on one string is probably the easiest way to envision it. But, that won't help you're playing much at all, so, I also included the major scale on 6 strings, in a box position in Figure 1-2. So, for better soloing technique and playability, use the figure 1-2 when you're messing around, not Figure 1-1.

Applying The Major Scale.
Without actually applying theory to your music, knowing it is useless, so, now you know what's going to be explained in this part. Hopefully those of you that are reading this know how to play the major pentatonic and atleast one of its positions. Well, the major pentatonic is just the same as a major diatonic (a diatonic scale is a seven note scale) except the pentatonic does not include the 4th and the 7th of the major sclae. Because the major pentatonic is the same as the major diatonic - minus those notes - you can play the major scale anytime that you can play a major pentatonic. So, if a chord progression is in the key of C, you can play the C major scale to give your solo, lead, or riff a little bit more color. Now, when you are making your lead or solo or riff just remember that simply going up and down the major scale is not cool, so don't do that. Going up and down the scale just removes the tastefulness and makes it sound very uncreative. To get the major scale to sound good you have to have a melody and the notes have to be juggled. To juggle the notes around, simply don't play them in order.

Constructing The Natural Minor Scale.
Like the major scale, there are two ways you can think about when constructing the natural minor scale. The first of which involves the W's and H's and the second looks at thinking of the natural minor scale as an altered major scale by using scale degrees. Okay, here is the first method I mentioned. To make the natural minor scale use this:

WHWWHWW; instead of this: WWHWWWH. Notice that the natural minor scale W's and H's start on the sixth note of the W's and H's of the major scale. Here I'll present them in a way in which you can tell the difference.

Major: WWHWWWH
Minor: WHWWHWW

So, to construct the natural minor scale take that pattern and apply it along one string. You should be able to hear the difference between a major scale on one string, and that of a natural minor on one string. Any minor, musical melody (try saying that three times fast) will sound sad, while a major, musical melody will sound joyous and happy.

Here is the second in which the natural minor scale can be presented: not everything in music can be related back to one scale of one key. Therefore when we go from the key of A to G, you don't have to go back to your scale charts to figure out the G major scale or the A major scale. You can think of it as in degrees. Doing it this way is so much easier for you to switch music to another key, or to help in your solos. So, here is a little example of the degrees of a G major scale.

G A B C D E F#
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Every major scale has those same degrees, no matter what key it is in. But, to create the natural minor scale, we're going to have to alter some of those degrees. Any minor melody sounds lower than its major counterpart of the same note, so, one can only guess how we're going to alter these notes (flatten=lower, sharpen=higher). So, we take the scale degrees of the major scale and we're going to flatten the third, sixth, and seventh one half step, or one fret distance. Here is the G natural minor scale and then the G natural minor scale compared to the G major scale.

Major: G A B C D E F#
Minor: G A Bb C D Eb F

So, to convert to the Minor pentatonic (the most overused scale ever) just take every note except the second and sixth of the natural minor scale.

Applying The Natural Minor Scale.
Just as the major scale can be substituted for the major pentatonic, the natural minor scale can be substituted for the minor pentatonic. Like I mentioned earlier, the minor pentatonic is heavily used in rock music, blues music, and just about any type of music today. While it isn't the only one used, it is used more than 3/4 of the time when soloing. So, when you want to use the minor pentatonic, rethink that idea, and try the natural minor scale. The natural minor scale includes the notes that add flavor and interest to the audience's ears. The notes excluded from the minor pentatonic (2nd and 6th) are farther on in the tonal strenghts of a chord. So, playing them over the chord would add something that intrigues the listeners leaving them in shock and awe, while the notes in the pentatonic sound so dull because they're overused.

Note: while the natural minor scale can be used in substitution over the minor pentatonic, there are other minor scales you might want to try as well. You have the melodic minor and harmonic minor you can use to help venture further into the depths of music.

Outro.
Well, you made it this far already, and there's probably no going back. So, use this information as much as you possibly can while playing. Be a sponge to music theory, soak it all up. So, after reading this semi-lesson, I want you to pull out your guitar and practice your minor and major scales (unless you know them down pat). While this is one of the easier lessons in music theory, this is the beginning to a road that doesn't lead down, but only goes up. Thanks for taking the time to listen to my ramblings on these scale, and thanks for any replies I get in advance (unless they're bad, and then I won't thank you).

More about → Major Scales Explained

Play Everywhere

In this lesson, I'm going to assume that you've already covered the construction of major scales, and at least one of the basic shapes. So... the form most everyone learns first is this one:

Shape 1: Major Scale
--|-1-|-2-|---|---|---|---
--|---|-2-|---|-4-|---|---
--|-1-|---|-3-|-4-|---|---
--|-1-|---|-3-|-4-|---|---
--|-1-|-2-|---|-4-|---|---
--|---|-2-|---|-4-|---|---

The "|" mark frets. The numbers mark fingers--not frets--because all these shapes are moveable. The bold numbers mark roots of the current scale. If you drop two notes(the 4th and 7th), you're left with the major pentatonic scale. I've put the 4th's and 7th's in parentheses. Extra notes marked with "*".

Pentatonic Shape 1: Based on Major/Ionian

--|(7)|-1-|---|*2*|---|---
--|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|---
--|-2-|---|-3-|(4)|---|---
--|-6-|---|(7)|-1-|---|---
--|-3-|(4)|---|-5-|---|---
--|---|-1-|---|-2-|---|---

Just like there are 5 notes to the pentatonic scale, there are 5 shapes:

Pentatonic Shape 2: Dorian
--|---|-2-|---|*3*|(4)|---
--|---|-6-|---|(7)|-1-|---
--|-3-|(4)|---|-5-|---|---
--|(7)|-1-|---|-2-|---|---
--|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|---
--|---|-2-|---|-3-|(4)|---

Pentatonic Shape 3: Phrygian (If you start on the 4, this shape is Lydian

--|-3-|(4)|---|*5*|---|---
--|(7)|-1-|---|-2-|---|---
--|-5-|---|-6-|---|---|---
--|-2-|---|-3-|(4)|---|---
--|-6-|---|(7)|-1-|---|---
--|-3-|(4)|---|-5-|---|---

Pentatonic Shape 4: Mixolydian

--|---|-5-|---|*6*|---|---
--|---|-2-|---|-3-|(4)|---
--|-6-|---|(7)|-1-|---|---
--|-3-|(4)|---|-5-|---|---
--|(7)|-1-|---|-2-|---|---
--|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|---

Pentatonic Shape 5: Minor/Aeolian
--|---|-6-|---|(7)|*1*|---
--|---|-3-|---|(4)|-5-|---
--|(7)|-1-|---|-2-|---|---
--|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|---
--|---|-2-|---|-3-|(4)|---
--|---|-6-|---|(7)|-1-|---

This last shape is the most common one, because the blues scale is based on it.

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Tangga nada Blues (Blues Scales)

Tangga nada blues merupakan dasar improvisasi musik rock, jazz dan blues. Tangga nada blues memang bagus untuk dipakai berimprovisasi, banyak lick-lick dahsyat yang dihasilkan dari tangga nada ini. Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Clapton, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, BB. King, dst sebagian contohnya. Tangga nada ini identik dengan tangga nada minor pentatonic, bedanya hanya ditambahkan dengan not blues (b5).
Pola: W-H-W-H-H-W-H-W
Rumusan: 1-b3-4-b5-5-b7-1
Dengan menggunakan C sebagai root/nada pokok (btw saya lebih suka menyebut dengan istilah root daripada nada dasar, karena kecenderungan nada dasar mengarah pada pola solmisasi saja, misalnya do = C, penyebutannya bisa beda-beda, nada 7(si) ada yang menyebut ti dst. Sehingga cenderung lebih susah dipahami). Sebuah tangga nada C blues akan membentuk pola not menjadi:
C-bE-F-bG-G-bB-C
Pola berulang untuk nada lebih rendah atau lebih tinggi

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