This video walks viewers through a typical rock solo that incorporates a number of phrasing devices. Both the Natural Minor and the Minor Pentatonic scales are used.
Andrew Wasson of Creative Guitar Studio answer's a viewers question:
Q: I like your videos where it shows you going to gigs and playing at them. One thing I want to know about, is how you can learn so many songs so quickly when you have to play as a sub in a band.
You once made mention that you sometimes only get a few days notice to learn an entire evenings worth of material. This sounds incredible. I am 17 years old and I want to do what you do as a career but the idea of learning so many songs with such short notice is really intimidating.
Can you please do a video talking about this whole concept? I am very curious how musicians do this.
Thanks,
Bradley - Murrells Inlet, SC.
A: To do this kind of gig a musician would either receive or have to write out a quick stage chart, (also referred to as; "lead sheet or slash chart"). This isn't all that hard to do since what we are after here is simply a "rough sketch," of the harmony and overall arrangement of all of the songs that are unknown in a set-list.
In the video I cover many areas of doing a gig like this. Including showing real charts that I have used to do gigs where I had to jump in as a sub.
Andrew Wasson from Creative Guitar Studio answers a viewer's question: Q: I was wondering if you could do a lesson about playing the 80s hard-rock rhythm styles of; Van Halen, the Scorpions, or Whitesnake (that stuff). They all seem to use a low drone E or A string, but I get a little bit lost on the chords. Especially the Van Halen songs. They seem to use chords that are not inside of the key of the bass-note that is the lowest pedal tone, (the E or A strings). Can you PLEASE talk about this! I posted this question on a Guitar Forum but there weren't very good answers to the question in all of the replies.
Thank you,
Dustin, Victoria BC
A: Dustin, I've created a three-part series to answer your question. The concept of doing this is rather complex since it involves borrowing chords from parallel running modes of the same tonality. Groups like Van Halen, Def Lepard, etc., apply this concept on a regular basis. They also primarily focus on triads built off of the fourth guitar string to perform the parts. And, you are certainly correct when you mentioned that there is ample use of the droning bass notes of both "E & A" (6th & 5th) strings.
Thanks for your question.
Andrew Wasson of Creative Guitar Studio explains the use of Modulation in a piece of Music. He explains the two most popular types of modulating from one key to another in a song. Direct Modulation, which occurs when a key appears suddenly. And, Pivot Chord Modulation, which will use a chord shared by both keys to allow for a seamless transition between the old to the new.
