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Just a few of your regular GT technique experts...

SIMONBARNARD Simon is a graduate of ACM and The Guitar Institute, holding a Masters degree in music. He teaches, examines and plays everything from rock to jazz.

SHAUN BAXTER One of the UK’s most respected music educators, Shaun has taught many who are now top tutors themselves. His Jazz Metalalbumisconsideredamilestone.

JONBISHOP Jonisoneofthosegreatall-rounders who can turn his hand to almost any style. He’s also rock legend Shakin Stevens’touringandrecordingguitarist.

CHRIS BROOKS Aussie metal and prog guitarist Chris’s Speed Strategies For Guitar is published byFundamentalChanges. CDsinclude Axis Of All Things and The Master Plan.

MARTIN GOULDING One of the world’s foremost rock and metal guitarists, Martin teaches for dime-online.organdhaswrittenfor many of the world’s top guitar mags.

CHARLIEGRIFFITHS GuitarInstitutetutorCharliefirstcame to fame in Total Guitar’s Challenge Charlie series. He’s also guitarist with top UK metal-fusion band Haken.

PATHEATH BIMMBrightonlecturer,ESPproduct demonstratorandall-roundbusy musician, Pat brings you six cool licks each month in 30-Minute Lickbag.

PHILHILBORNE The UK’s original magazine guitar tutor, Phil’s something of a legend. A great player, he’s got the Phil Hilborne Band back together so catch them if you can.

BRIDGETMERMIKIDES GuildhallandRoyalAcademytrained, Bridget is a Royal College of Music examiner,arespectedclassicalplayer andaward-winningbluesguitarist.

JACOB QUISTGAARD Quist has been with GT since 2009. CurrentlyBryanFerry’sguitarist,his YouTube channel is viewed by millions andhecreatesourmonthlyjamtracks.

JUSTINSANDERCOE One of the most successful tutors ever, justinguitar.comisfullofinformation, and his YouTube channel boasts over a millionsubscribers!Whynotjointhem?

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PHIL SHORT YoumightrecognisePhilfromwinning InternationalGuitarIdolcompetition. But he also teaches at BIMM in London andisabusysessionandtouringplayer.

JOHNWHEATCROFT A phenomenal guitarist, John is a master at all styles but a legend in Gypsy Jazz. His latest album Ensemble Futur is out now on iTunes and Amazon.

ISSUE 303 } JANUARY 2020

WELCOME YEARS AGO I had no idea what modes were. In fact I couldn’t believe you could use scales from ‘other’ keys to create a solo in the key in which you were playing. Yet I’d hear guitarists whose improvisations sounded completely different to what I was doing.

READY TO SUBSCRIBE? www.myfavourite magazines.co.uk certain way in order to create different flavours. And that’s the key - it’s how they ‘sound’ that’s important, not what they ‘are’.

For instance, we often say you can think of (say) A Dorian as A Minor Pentatonic with added 6th (F#) and 9th (B). And that’s true.

I recall a moment with the great Allan Holdsworth. It was 1986 Summer NAMM and we were there for SynthAxe: me as an employee and he as our number one ambassador and player. We were all having dinner at an Indian restaurant in Chicago and I was sitting next to Allan. As he ordered his “ring of fire” I asked how it was that he could play notes that in his music sounded amazing, but were I to play them would sound awful, or plain ‘wrong’.

Now, Allan had devised his own methodology and had books full of scales, chords and very personal reasonings. Therefore his reply was equally unconventional.

He said, “Well, when you play any scale, you can create another scale from any of the notes in that scale, including the ones in between. This means you can play literally any note, in the right context, and it will sound good.” Yes, Allan was alluding to modes, but to him they were simply notes that ‘sounded’ a

But A Dorian comprises the notes of G Major because it’s G Major’s second mode. So, try this: over a backing track in Am, play A Minor Pentatonic with those added F# and B notes. Because you’re ‘thinking’ in Am you’ll be starting and landing a lot on A, or E, etc, so it will still sound very ‘A Minory’ more Gary than Carlos, if you like.

Now try the same A Minor backing track but playing G Major scale licks starting on G and landing on B - exactly the same pool of notes but you’ve changed the perspective for a very different Dorian sound - this time more Carlos than Gary.

In this issue Jon Bishop has created a wonderful blues-based Dorian feature that looks at this phenomenon in much finer detail. Do enjoy it, and I’ll see you next time!

Neville Marten, Editor neville.marten@futurenet.com

CHECK OUT OUR AMAZING DIGITAL EDITION

GuitarTechniques’iPad*editionisnowevenbetter!

Tapthelinks Finding your way around the magazine is easy. Tapping the feature titles on the cover or the contents page, takes you straight to the relevant articles. Any web and email links in the text are tappable too!

Animated tab&audio All the mag’s main lessons have the audio built in with a moving cursor that shows you exactly where you are in the music. Simply tap the ‘play’ button and you’re off - you can fastforward or scroll back at will.

Play the videos Certain articles have accompanying videos full of useful insight and additional information. Once again, tap the play buttons to enjoy video masterclasses on your iPad (recommended) or smartphone.

PLUS! Get a FREE iPad/iPhone sample of GT. For full details and how to receive our digital edition regularly, go to www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/GTQsubs * PLEASE NOTE: Only the Apple version contains interactive tab and audio. Zinio and others do not.

DISCAUDIO(PRINTVERSIONONLY)Sometimes the GT CD features some of the backing tracks as mp3 files due to space. These will be found in a folder on the CD-ROM section of the disc, accessible only via a computer, and will not work in a regular CD player.

January2020

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