Guitar Tricks Insider April/May Digital Edition | Page 10
NUGGETS: NAME THAT TUNE
NUGGETS: NAME THAT TUNE
When they say two heads are better
than one the same goes for music.
Particularly with guitar and all the
note heads! Single-note lines can be
melodies, riffs, or licks; but two notes
played together add harmony. The
practice easily goes back as far as the
earliest classical composers. It was
the development of the electric guitar
and companion amplifier from the ’30s
onward, which allowed double-stops
– also known as dyads – to assume
pride of place in the electric rock guitar
world. If only Robert Johnson had lived
into the ’40s and beyond!
Fig. 1
Moderately q = 120
E
0
0
1
2
0
1
2
2
2
0
2
0
There’s no doubt that a direct line could be
drawn from the prewar blues era to Fig. 1. In
fact, the first recording of it was done by an
illustrious bluesman; though the more popular
versions were by rockabilly cats. The appearance
of a robust, bluesy triad on beat two only
compliments the harmony.
Fig. 2
__ 3
Moderately fast q = 132 =
3
6
7
6
7
3
6
7
6
7
6
7
6
7
5
5
3
3
Moderately q = 106
D5
0
Csus2
3
2
3
0
0
G/B
2
0
0
Gm/Bb
1
DIGITAL EDITION
2
3
2
3
0
0
2
3
0
0
3
2
3
0
0
APR/MAY
0
0
3
0
0
µ Esus4
E
2
2
2
2
Esus4
1
0
E
1
2
2
2
0
2
2
0
0
2
0
Initially a prog-rock band, this group has gone
through several incarnations but hit their stride
when they became a proto-heavy metal aggregation
after handing the reins to their virtuoso guitarist.
Their most famous, or infamous track preceded
Fig. 7, which also became a worthy classic and ode
to a Far East paramour. Like so many others, it
relies on the protean key of E for its lasting power.
Fig. 5
Fig. 8
Moderately fast q = 144
G
12
12
13
14
15
16
13
14
C
12
13
12
12
13
15
15
17
13
15
Moderately slow q = 78
Fm
Cm
12
13
4
6
5
4
6
5
3
4
5
3
4
5
4
3
Dbmaj7#11
5
4
3
5
3
2
5
3
2
A
B/A
12
12
11
12
3
11
12
12
12
14
12
Fig. 8 is more contemporary and shows how
even a simple sequence of double-stops can
help define a song. Here comes a Southern-bred
singer/songwriter and guitarist who redefined
the classic rock tradition since the late ’70s while
leaving behind his own legacy. ■
FIG. 1 “MYSTERY TRAIN”
FIG. 5 “BROWN EYED GIRL”
FIG. 2 “NO PARTICULAR PLACE TO GO”
FIG. 6 “DREAM ON”
FIG. 3 “TALES OF BRAVE ULYSSES”
FIG. 7 “MY WOMAN FROM TOKYO”
FIG. 4 “TIME IS TIGHT”
FIG. 8 “HERE COMES MY GIRL”
5
Rock and roll has produced its share of “bad
boys.” These New England ruffians keep
rolling like their old English inspiration. Fig. 6
begins with classical musings before eventually
revealing itself to be an early power ballad.
APR/MAY
Dm7b5
Moderately q = 106
A5
B/A
A brooding singer/songwriter from the Emerald
Isle with a deep love of John Lee Hooker,
American R&B, and a certain girl conspired with
an American session guitarist for Fig. 5 to create
this hit. The double-stops come from the G and C
major scales respectively.
0
0
3
2
3
Moderately fast q = 126
This R&B and soul guitarist hailing from Memphis
created a lasting collection of double-stops in an
impressive number of classics for a variety of
legendary artists. However, Fig. 4 is like a pattern
he invented for his instrumental band with
double-stops relative to the C major scale. You
will get it in time.
4
5
Though double-stops in a trio context could
sound thin, the guitarist in Fig. 3 had the distinct
advantage of a muscular rhythm section along
with his fat guitar tone. Dig how the same open
string double-stops helps define the chord
changes in this musical odyssey.
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Fig. 6
The arguable “Father of Rock and Roll” is one
of the masters of the double-stop as evidenced
by his numerous classics. Fig. 2 is similar to
patterns he utilized in a song where he sings
about one of his favorite subjects: cars. All
down strokes will give drive to the double-stops
derived from the composite blues scale.
Fig. 3
Fig. 7
Fig. 4
Moderately fast q = 138
C
Along with teaching private lessons in NYC,
Dave Rubin has written over 100 blues,
classic rock, jazz, and country guitar books
for the Hal L eonard Corporation. His latest is
Inside Rock Guitar: Four Decades of
the Greatest Electric Rock Guitarists.
www.musicdispatch.com
DIGITAL EDITION
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