Guitar Noise

Absorbing The Atmosphere

(”Breathe…breathe the air…”)

Okay, maybe we’ll talk about scales just a bit…

The principle reason I tell people not to start out with scales and riffs is very simple – it takes away from thinking about what you’re doing. Many fledgling guitarists learn their scales and learn standard riffs (or “tricks” if you prefer) and then are left to simply plug them into a song. Little thought is given as to why a particular scale works and even less thought is given to the mood or the atmosphere of a song, it’s just “Hey, I know this lick and I’m sure I can jam it in here somewhere.” This is nowhere more evident than when people get together to jam, especially when the particular song being played is not well known by the players involved. If you listen carefully, almost all guitarists have “fallback riffs,” a pattern (or patterns) that they will use when called upon to solo on a relatively unfamiliar piece. This is why, believe it or not, it is more important for the lead guitarist to have a bigger repertoire of songs and song styles than the rhythm guitarist. I knew one guy in school who could play “metal” riffs to perfection. I still don’t know anyone else who was as fast on the fret board as he was (and probably still is). But that was all he could play. Even simple blues songs left him completely at a loss for an appropriate lead.

If you walk away from this column with only one thing, this is what you need to know: THE SONG DICTATES THE SOLO. This is what eventually separates the “soloist” from the “lead player.” Yes it will be important to learn scales and different riffs and tricks but all of that will be useless if you are incapable of hearing, imagining and understanding the difference between a lead that enhances a song and one that completely derails the song. This is why the melodic leads is an ideal tool for the beginner – to – intermediate soloist. The very process of coming up with it will ensure its appropriateness to the song.

Going back to Knocking On Heaven’s Door, I’ve decided some things: first, I’m going to put the solo in at a traditional point in the song – between the first chorus and the second verse (there are only two verses). Second, eight measures – the length of one verse will be long enough for me. Finally, I want to do something based on the melody line, which in the original recording is also “echoed” by the humming in the intro as well as at the end of the song. By using the melody taken straight from the song I am assuring myself the easiest way I know how of maintaining the mood. It’s like taking a shoot from a plant and putting it into a second, smaller pot. After listening to the recording and singing it myself a few times, I’ve figured it out:

I’ve also found that I cannot get out of my head another melody line that a friend of mine used to do when he played this song (he told me he took it from a live Clapton version of the song):

So what I’ve now decided to do is to throw the two snippets of melody (these are called motifs) together. I will do motif 1 (the “humming” line) twice followed by motif 2 (the “Clapton” line) also played twice. That will give me eight measures and bring me right into the second verse.

And this is as good a place as any to bring up another important topic. While we’re discussing the atmosphere and mood of the song it is also good to have an idea of how the lead is going to be played. Leads for single guitarists (no band, no back up) require a great deal of thought and attention. Not only do you have the integrity of the atmosphere to maintain, you also must deal with the integrity of the overall sound. Switching from rhythm to lead dramatically changes the dynamics of your performance so special care must be given to the planning of your leads. We will cover this sometime later (late summer/early fall at this rate…). For now, though, I’m working with the simplest plan – that I will be playing an acoustic guitar (no tone settings to worry myself with). Usually I will be playing with at least one other guitarist and, if not singing lead, I will be singing harmony on the first chorus. This does not leave me a lot of free time to swing into the lead. Also, I normally would be playing rhythm and singing on the second verse so I want to try to make my solo segue smoothly into the strumming pattern of verse two. Well, so much for a total lack of complications!

Hearing What Isn’t There

(Space and Negative Space)

Starting as simply as possible, I string together my two groups of moitfs into an eight measure “first draft” (which, hopefully, will become my solo):

Now that sounds incredibly plain, doesn’t it? Well, this is where I need to use my brains, heart and nerve all at the same time. You’ve probably all heard professional athletes or motivational speakers talk about how important it is to “visualize” things. The theory being is that if you can see it in your mind, then you can somehow (through sheer willpower, talent and, occasionally a small donation to the proper powers that be) do what you see yourself doing in your mind. Make that perfect golf shot. Sell seven hundred percent over your quota. Get a four instead of a queen from the dealer when you’re sitting on seventeen. Whatever.

Music is one of the few places where “visualization” can truly work. Maybe “audiolization” is a better word (even though, of course, my computer will red line it every time I use it…). If you can hear what you want to do in your head, you should be able to produce it on your guitar. Don’t be discouraged if your hands haven’t caught up with your head yet. Your skills will eventually allow this to happen, but if you cannot hear what you want to do in the first place, it becomes a moot point. And that’s okay, too. Not everybody even wants to solo but certainly there is enough going on musically to allow the chance to whoever wants to.

When I listen to music, it’s almost always in terms of harmonies. Yes, I’m one of those often annoying people who can’t be content to simply sing along with the song, I have to create my own part. So in my head I hear harmony lines along with those motifs. And since they are already fairly slow, I can play them myself instead of counting on a second guitar to do it. One problem, though, is that when I use a harmony line on the first motif, I really can’t distinguish it from my normal first position strum. So instead I move the whole motif up an octave and, to flesh it out, I add more harmony parts to it. In essence, I am using chords, albeit a different chord voicing from my first set of chords. I’ve gone and turned the melodic lead into a melodic/rhythmic hybrid.

Here’s what we’ve got now:

I’m not satisfied with this. While it’s a big improvement over the first one, it still feels, I don’t know, stagnant. It doesn’t “breathe;” rather, it’s like it’s inhaling all the time. I really like the first two measures and the last two but I’m not sure how to connect them. Since the first motif is now an octave higher than the second motif, I have an inspiration – why not play the second motif an octave higher the first time and then play it the second time where I have it now? The brain agrees with the nerve. Logically I would be making two descending patterns, one flowing straight into the other. I give it a try and find that I’m really pleased with this:

However, I’m still not happy with the transition from the first motif to the second. It’s definitely better having the first part of the second motif up an octave. The flow of the notes is much smoother but it still doesn’t feel right. So I wrack my brain a little more and think, “You know, this fingering is just a D chord on the seventh fret instead of the fifth. I know a lot of D chord flourishes. That could work.” So I play around with different things, hammering on here, picking off there, just like I would if I was playing a regular D. I also toy around with arpeggiating the chords, making them fit somewhat more with the general rhythm. But I also make sure to let the initial strum ring out as long as it can. This “holding on“ to the chord while picking out the arpeggios creates a bit of depth. It sounds like there’s a solo lurking under the chords that pops its head out every now and then. And after a bit of trial and a lot of error, I settle on this:

I’m getting really close now. This little flurry of notes is not too busy and, best yet, it leads me directly into the recently raised up an octave second motif. It also inspires me to try to come up with a “lead in” from the first half of motif 2 (the one up an octave) to the second half and then another lead in from the finish of motif 2 to the G chord to start out the second verse.

But I have to be careful here. I’ve established a nice pattern. Everything is not all rushed together in a torrent of notes. Currently, there is tension and resolution and it almost is an antithesis of the song itself. Where the song would have a vocal line and then some breathing room, I have some slower two and three note clusters held together by a short burst of flourishes. Any of you who have taken any introductory art classes will probably be familiar with the concept of “negative space.” What we’ve done with this lead is essentially a musical equivalent of that. Using some simple hammer-ons and pick-offs, let’s put the finishing touches on our solo, shall we?

You can hear that this lead certainly keeps the mood of the song intact. There is a nice balance of “melody” and “busy-ness,” but not so much “busy-ness” that it attracts all the attention to itself. The final flourish brings me right back to the G chord without missing a step. All in all, this lead sounds and feels like an organic part of the song. No, it’s not the flashiest solo you’ve ever heard (or that I’ve ever done), but (a) it’s not a rowdy song and (b) I’m not a flashy guitarist. Which brings us to:

Playing To Your Strengths

Depending on your personality, you will either be saying to yourself, “Wow, this was cool! I’m going to try use this technique on (whatever song I like)…” or “Geez, what’s the big deal? I could do that in my sleep!” But what I’m actually hoping for is a combination of the two. A solo doesn’t have to be the most flamboyant thing. Not all of us (myself included) are gifted with a brain that is capable of analyzing a chord pattern and then sorting through its catalogue of borrowed riffs, selecting one that will work, transposing it to the correct key, and changing it to a rhythmic pattern that will fill the alloted lead space without sounding like it’s been jammed in there by someone who really could care less and then shipping all this information down to the hands (which of course are the world’s fastest hands, which never, ever, make a mistake!) and doing all this in the space of a heartbeat. But we are all capable of thinking things through. There is a big difference between soloing and improvising. And I hope that I’ve been able to make this, if not clearer to you, than at least a little less daunting. Over the course of the upcoming summer, we’ll be looking at some of the “tricks” and riffs that you can use to flesh out your soloing notebook. Many of these can be used to serve as rhythm guitar fills as well (and I bet you thought I’d forgotten!).

And it really should go without saying that more you work on constructing leads (or simply analyzing the construction of leads), coupled with your knowledge of song structures and scales, the easier improvising will come to you. And real improvisation, not just sticking in “riff A” because it’s a rock/blues song in the key of whatever.

But it’s vital that you realize there is more to soloing than speed and scales. Just as there is so much more to playing than simply knowing the chords and how to strum. Concentrate on whatever appeals to you most but at least try to familiarize yourself with all the aspects of the art of playing. And it is an art. As I’ve told you from day one, the surest way to regret ever taking up the instrument is to forget why you took it up in the first place. Playing the guitar will always be a challenge and an adventure as long as you keep finding ways to grow.

When it comes to soloing, you have to be true to yourself. While I will never be mistaken for lightning, I have it within me for a burst or two to take me to the next melodic line. And I am terrific with melodies and harmony lines. You need to find out what strengths you have and play accordingly. This is how you get a style that is unique. Learn other people’s riffs in order to incorporate the techniques used and then come up with ways to use them that fit your style. This may sound incredibly pompous, but we’ve already got a Jimmy Page and a Steve Vai and whoever. I love listening to them all but I’ll always more excited at the prospect of who’s coming next. Maybe it’s you.

And, as always, please feel free to write me with your questions, comments, concerns, ideas for upcoming topics or simply to say how things are coming in your niche of the guitar world. You can email me directly at dhodgeguitar@aol.com or drop a line on the Guitar Forums. Those of you who are into songwriting should definitely check out A-J Charron’s latest articles (and yes, I joined the Guitar Noise Writing Club).

I’d also like to especially thank all of you who wrote me about the last column. I really had no idea that so many of you would respond to it and I am incredibly overwhelmed with your emails. If I haven’t gotten a line off to you yet, it’s simply because I had to take the time to write this!

Until the next update!