Andrew Wasson of Creative Guitar Studio answers questions from off of his Guitar Blog website...

Q). Some of my favorite music is quite lopsided in regard to how the riffs sound. I like a lot of jazz stuff, in particular, "Thelonious Monk." But, I also like a lot of rock & punk stuff too. So, whether it's the jazz guys, or someone like, "Vernon Reid," any players that jam out the dis-jointed lines really grab my ear. Could you make a lesson covering some tips on creating riffs and licks that have a skewed sound away from the diatonic keys? Thanks!
Ian - Tulsa, OK. USA


A). Music that applies chromatic concepts, and is to some degree poly-tonal offers listeners either a mild, or possibly even an extremely contorted musical effect. Obviously some bands and soloists will take this sound to the extreme, but it's often more common for groups (like Vernon Reid's band Living Colour) to inject a fresh sound with unusual harmonies and melodic lines for the effect of simply stretching the musical fabric. So, in this video, I'll be showing a few examples that you can use to either introduce this concept into your playing, or to expand upon phrases like this that you already know.