This is a neoclassical tool we can use in lead composition. We are going to look at extracts from Bach’s 1st Cello Suite, Prelude and Courante, see how Bach uses pedal points, then look at how we can apply this in our own playing.

This extract is from Bach’s Prelude in his first Cello Suite.

You can see that from the second beat of this example, Bach is using the note D (fret 7 on the G string), and then chromatically ascending from D, and going back to D each time.

Today we are going to look at some ideas we can use within the harmonized major scale to help us compose tapping ideas. We’ll be looking at the e and B strings.

We are going to be basing these ideas around three shapes:

Major:      1 3 5
Minor:      1 b3 5
Diminished: 1 b3 b5

So, to start off with, let’s out the notes in the following chords:

C major:      C E G
C minor:      C Eb G
C diminished: C Eb Gb

Next, for each of those three chords, we want to map out those notes in ascending order on the second string. The root note, C, is in red:

This is an article I wrote for Heavy Metal’s “Guitarget Practice” column in January 2015.

Great for: Steve Vai fanboys, creating a more vocal sound from your guitar, ear training, creativity.

Introduction

In this article we’ll cover some quick definitions, limitations of frets and some ways we can train our brain, ears and hands to work together to create some great melodies via the whammy bar.

Limitations of Frets

Frets are awesome, don’t get me wrong. Maybe limitation is the wrong word here, and “consequence” would be better. A consequence of frets, is that when we move from one note to the next, we have a discrete change in note, we abruptly change in pitch from one note to the next. If we want a continuous change in pitch, we bend a string. However, when we do this, we can only increase the pitch. If we want to decrease the pitch, we have to pre-bend the note… which isn’t really the same.

Post on recovering from a bad performance

Had a Skype with Nic, he had a bad performance at music college

• No time to sound check. The band sound checking before him took up all the time, so two bands didn’t get a sound check
• There were two amps on stage. He accidentally used one he wasn’t familiar with because he didn’t want to mess up settings the first band has used on the amp
• Compared himself to the guitar player in the other band and psyched himself out
• From using an amp he wasn’t familiar with he didn’t like his tone, no gain for solo
• General nerves
• General chaos that goes with live music and learning to handle it
• Negative self-talk while on stage
• Another girl at the college has tons of experience and he asked her about performance anxiety and she said she had the problems he has but got used to it and learned to relax. Like a lot of things, you have to learn this stuff from doing it. He could talk to others that are good performers and get their take.
• I recommended he goes to local open mics and offers to back singers doing super easy songs just to get experience playing infront of people

What can you control?

First thing to consider is what problems are inside his control?

Rack Effects

Principles of That 80s Tone

WDW

What do we mean when we say stereo?

Technical difference between stereo and ’true’ WDW

• two channels with dry equally mixed in both creating the perception that the dry is in the centre
• True WDW has three speakers, with the centre speaker being dry and the L and R speakers being 100% effects

Shawn Tynan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOr780K4ASg

Pre -> BBD -> Stereo detune -> Mixer
           -> Reverb        -> Mixer
       --> -> Thru          -> Mixer

Mixer FX loop: Stereo delays