Using the Guitar Pickup Selector
The Gentle Art of Using the Guitar Pickup Selector (or how to make your bassplayer happy!) This is a slightly tongue-in-cheek post, but I thought it might be informative. As resident bassist in New River I am constantly engaged in the bitterest acrimony with our guitarist (in my capacity as musical advisor) regarding the gentle […]
Jazz Chord Substitution
Enhance Your Harmonies with Jazz Chord Substitution Jazz Chord Substitution – the mere name elicits an aura of mysterious and arcane music theory beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. But in fact it is simple enough. What were are dealing with here is the technique of Reharmonisation – changing the chords of a composition in order […]
Alternating-Bass Fingerpicking
An Introduction Hi folks If you’ve ever listened to the likes of Chet Atkins, Davey Graham or the like, you’ve probably found yourself confounded by the torrent of simultaneous notes underpinned by a pounding alternating bass….well my friends, “fret” no more (ahem!) because I’ve finally pulled my finger out and provided a detailed tab for […]
Latin American Piano Riffs, Part 1
Salsa Montuno & Cha Cha Cha Hi Folks Everybody loves a bit of Latin American music don’t they? No?? Well they should! The rhythms of the music of Cuba and the Caribbean are amongst the most compelling in the musical world and have been informing western popular music for over a hundred years. In this […]
Altered Dominants for Guitar, Part 3
ii-V-Is using the ‘C’ & ‘E’ CAGED shapes Hi folks Welcome to the third lesson in my jazz guitar series on using altered dominant dominant chords. I’m getting down to business in this lesson and demonstrating how to apply the altered dominant chords in the keys of D minor and D major, using the ii-V-I […]
Tritone Substitutions, Part 1
Basic Theory Hi Folk, and welcome back for more lashing of red hot theory. This week I’m going to delve into the arcane mysteries of the dread “Tritone Substitution”, a diabolical techique where an innocent dominant 7th chord is substituted for more diabolically satanic alternative…ahem! Sorry…little musical joke – if you want the scoop, here’s […]
Altered Dominants for Guitar, Part 2
Shapes in the ‘E’ Position Hi Folks Welcome to the second installment in my series on altered dominant chords. Last lesson I introduced you to the basic theory of altered dominant chords. In this lesson I demonstrate the most common chord shapes for the guitar, limiting myself to the ‘E’ type CAGED position (where the […]
Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah
Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah is a powerful rendition of the Leonard Cohen Classic. Jeff’s intricate fingerstyle picking and reverb soaked telecaster tone create his unmistakable signature guitar sound. Combined with his unique vocals and the overall effect is unmistakable. Jeff Buckley, Son of the late Tim Buckley was one of the major talents of […]
“In France they Kiss on Main Street” (Jaco Pastorius)
This inspired piece of bassage from the febrile fingers of the late great Jaco Pastorius graced the smouldering live Joni Mitchel album, “Shadows & Light” and has long exerted a spell over me. I finally settled to transcribe the first verse and interlude and discovered a wealth of fascinating lines, infused with great rhythmic and […]
7 Steps to Learn Funk Piano
How Practice & Learn Funk Piano Funk piano! – when we hear it done well you might find yourself saying: “Wow! I really wish I could do that.” When you hear the pros effortlessly playing funk with a great rhythmic feel and continual variation they sound awesome. Since it can seem intimidating trying to […]
