This Micro Lesson contains a breakdown of a cool sounding chord progression using a series of arpeggios that moves across chords from the key of "G Minor."
Although the key's tonality is strongly maintained, some of the harmony is not diatonic to the, "G Minor," key center. The chords, (while mostly diatonic), do end up pulling some passing harmony (non-diatonic harmony) into the mix. These passing chord ideas are split between "Diminished 7th's," and "Dominant 7th's."
In measure one, the Tonic chord of "Gm," opens the progression with a, "Db dim.7," appearing next to help pull in the second measure "Gm/D" chord. This chord flips into a, "D7," that pulls back once more to the tonic, "Gm," chord in measure three.
Another non-diatonic chord appears next with, "C7/G," coming in to build tension into the final measure. In measure four, our next chord of, "Bb dim7," provides a lot of tension for promoting the turnaround of a, "D major," to bring the entire progression back to the top.
There's an interesting mix of harmony in this piece, which acts to produce almost a, "Classical," or, "Medieval," effect. The chord changes can be performed with either flat-picking, or by way of finger-style. Enjoy!
The history of Cuban music is shaped through the passion of the
people and musicians. Understanding their rich language of rhythms and
harmony on any instrument, let alone guitar, is both a deep ocean to
explore and an island of soul. Many great musicians grow up immersed in
the style and culture. However, even if you learn just from listening
and playing you can internalize the sense of groove and pocket, and it
will come out in your listening, playing, and writing. I played in a
Latin band called Umbalaye for several years in Los Angeles under the
guidance of my friend and bandleader Jose Espinosa. I hope to share some
of what I learned with you here. First, a little history. Afro-Cuban music was created when African
slaves arrived in Cuba, where the two cultures met, and the richness of
Spanish harmony blended with the African rhythms to create what we call
salsa music. Afro-Cuban music has had a vast influence globally through
Puerto Rico, Miami, New York, and through such South American countries
as Panama, Columbia, and Venezuela. These cultures each had their own
interpretations that often influenced each other. In the 1930s,
Afro-Cuban music had a major impact on jazz, and since then, salsa has
profoundly influenced pop music, blues, soul, and even rock styles.
This is soulful dance music that’s focused on the rhythm section and
interlocking parts, so let’s check out the various aspects of the basic
feels. The most essential aspect of salsa is the rhythmic pattern known
as the clave. The musicologist Alejo Carpentier described the clave as
“the feeling of polyrhythm submitted to the unity of tempo.” There are a
few ways to play clave but we’ll focus on the forward clave (also known
as a 3-2) and the reverse clave (2-3). The numbers refer to how many
“hits” are in each measure. In a forward clave, there are three in the
first and two in the second. Obviously, flip that order around for a
reverse clave. In Ex. 1 you can see a simple forward clave rhythm over a Gm–C7–Fm–Bb7 progression. In Ex. 2 I use the same progression over a reverse clave.
Understanding how to phrase over each kind of clave is essential to
locking into the band. While the drums and percussion are usually
playing different interlocking parts, the bass plays a melodic part
called the tumbao, which serves a big role in accenting clave rhythms.
Let’s check out a few basic tumbao patterns over a forward clave. We’ll
play in octaves to make a fuller sound above the bass. Feel free to
attack those notes with a pick and fingers, just fingers, or strike the
strings that are fretted while the left hand dampens all the others. Ex. 3 is a basic pattern with a bit of space on every other bar. Ex. 4 adds a bit of energy on the even bars and specifically hits beat 3 of the second and fourth measures.
Ex. 5 adds a bit of chromaticism stepping down to the Fm
chord. Another common rhythmic style is to accent beat 4 and anticipate
each chord as shown in Ex. 6. This style is the basis of most
Afro-Cuban bass lines and found in a variety of feels such as guaguancó,
guaracha, rumba, mambo, and bomba.
By contrast, let’s explore some tumbao patterns over a reverse clave. Ex. 8 will show you a basic pattern using octaves. Ex. 9 adds variations to those rhythms by preceding each bar by a quarter-note.
Next, let’s check out some basic montunos. A montuno is a repeated
phrase, usually two to four measures long, and is a key element of salsa
and Afro-Cuban music. While there’s a vast vocabulary of montunos,
let’s explore a basic pattern (Ex. 10) that’s a forward clave—first played in single notes, then in octaves, and finally in tenths.
Afro-Cuban music will continue to spread and inspire future
generations. For top listening suggestions, check out Irakere, Eddie
Palmieri, Tito Puente, and Ray Barretto as starters. I encourage you to
dig for more music to absorb, and to develop an appreciation for other
styles, cultures, and genres. Experiment and invent variations on what
you hear. Listening, playing, and experience will be your guide.
This Micro Lesson covers a fun to play jazz-swing melody in the key of, "Bb Major."
This melody line works well over a traditional set of jazz chord changes following the popular jazz-harmony pattern of, "I, VI, IV, II, V."
Starting from the outline of the key's tonic chord of, "Bbmaj7" the melody flows through the tones of mostly the, "B Major Pentatonic," after the chord arpeggio. The second measure introduces sounds of the, "VI-chord," of, "Gm7." All eighth-notes within this melody are swung and there are also plenty of triplet phrases. This is especially evident in the third measure where we cover sounds of our IV-chord of, "Ebmaj7."
The initial eighth-notes are swung, but after that three eighth-note triplets are steady throughout the remainder of the bar. The end of this melody line introduces the final "II-V7" resolution with the chords of, "Cm7 and F7."
One other interesting idea that occurs across this melody is the application of both major and minor 3rd's and 7th's from each of the chords in each measure. These tones end up being the core device for creating the, "Jazzy," effect within the short phrase.
Keep this in mind when you're creating your own jazzy lines. Learn the phrases, build them up with a metronome and then play them with these changes in the background. Record them, or have a friend play them with you. However you do it, be sure to practice this melody, "with the backing chords." Have fun and Enjoy!
This weeks GuitarBlog covers how to work on the skill of playing into chord tones.
The idea of soloing to the chords, (or what is also sometimes called soloing "with" the chords), is an excellent concept to study. It allows the player to target into the exact notes of a chord and better highlight the most vital sounds occurring at the right time.
This can be achieved when the melody, (composed or improvised), that we create will directly target the chord tones of a chord located at the very moment when we're performing our lines.
For example, if the chord of, "A Minor," were being performed, we'd have the chord tones of; "A, C and E" being heard from within that chord. If we were to perform a melodic idea that incorporated those specific tones (more than any other diatonic tones related to the overall key center), we'd be "Playing to that chord."
Obviously this is easier said than done. In this lesson, I will offer up a few specific tips that should help give guitarists the direction to slowly develop this technique. Over time, the studies described here will work to help this skill come together when writing or soloing any melody. Enjoy!
There's a saying among professional writers, clichéd but true: writers write. This could easily be applied in many disciplines, and music is no exception.
The biggest difference between a hobbyist musician and a pro is that the pro builds music on demand. It's easy to work when you're inspired by an amazing idea. What's not so easy is working consistently, whether you're inspired or not. To that end, the most practical solution might be to create conditions where inspiration and ideas readily bloom. The best way to get there is practice: writing, recording, and producing music all the time and working hard to get really good at it.
Most of us have a few obstacles in the way. These might include a demanding full-time job outside of music, family obligations, all of the minutia of getting through the day.
Here are 10 tips to keep things in balance, complete your projects, and keep writing.
1. Really listen
The world is full of music and sounds waiting to become music. Ever hear a mechanical tone somewhere and say, "Hey, that's a D”? Ever start building a beat to the click of turn signals at a stoplight? Hearing these sounds in our environments can inspire new ideas, tones, and rhythms.
With modern devices and recording platforms – and seamless workflows to link them all together – it's easy to import interesting found noises into your work. If you're using microphones, keep that record button down. It won't cost you much, and you might just capture an insane improvised riff, a gnarly furniture squeak, or the drummer's dirty joke and decide to memorialize that moment.
Meanwhile, listen to tons of new artists. Spin inspiring old favorites. Music has to go in for music to come out. And don't limit yourself to your own genre or medium. Go to the theater. See a movie. Watch a dance recital. Artists in other mediums could become some of your biggest influences.
2. Shake up your muscle memory
Whatever your instrument of choice, you've probably found yourself repeating patterns and playing the same licks over and over. Breaking out of these ruts periodically will keep your writing fresh and prevent ruts from forming again. A simple and powerful musical phrase might be only one percent different from a trite and boring one.
One way to smash your own conventions is to pick up a new instrument. If that's not an option, go to your music theory book to play around with new chords or scales. And don't be afraid to look to the music of other places, cultures, and traditions for inspiration. Incorporating the tones and rhythms of Indian, African, or Latin styles can bring a new angle to your compositions.
3. Keep that smartphone handy
Musical ideas can come at any time, so you'd better be ready to record your thoughts before you lose them. The more you get into the habit of creating, the more ideas will visit you. Beats and rhythms can be hard to notate and are easy to forget when the world distracts you. The smartphone, with its onboard video camera and audio recorder, is a gift to songwriters. Ten seconds of singing or beatboxing into a phone could be the beginning of your best work ever, so don't let those ideas blow away.
4. Maintain a usable work space
Your music space might be full of live instruments and amps, or it might just be a chair and a tablet. Either way, it needs to be cozy and efficient and should be located where you won't constantly be distracted. Musicians who do a lot of microphone recording tend to finish up with a cluttered mess of cables, mic stands, and amplifiers after a session. A studio is like a kitchen: after a good meal, somebody needs to do the dishes so you can cook again next time.
5. Keep your partner happy Recording artists in long-term relationships are familiar with questions like, "How late will the session go?" or, "When will you be home from that gig?" Creative processes are unpredictable. You never want your spouse or partner to feel like there's a competition, so you'd better keep that partner happy. Making date nights, day trips, and cuddle time a priority will ensure that you can disappear into an open-ended studio session now and then with no static. It might even inspire a heartfelt love song!
6. Know what it takes for an idea to become a song
That cell phone video clip isn't a song yet – it might just be a verse with one vocal phrase. There needs to be a chorus, a bridge, maybe some sort of funky breakdown. If there are lyrics, you need to know what the song is about before you can finish writing it.
A good piece of music should evoke something: an emotion, a time, a place, a person. Listen to your ideas in quiet surroundings and meditate on what that music reminds you of. If it turns out to be nothing, then it may be time to move on to another idea. Music is about feeling, so if you can’t bridge that gap from a cool riff to an evocative piece, be ready to toss that track in the bin.
7. Respect the key voices in your song In a movie, there are lead actors, supporting actors, and extras. All play their role, but the lead actors have more screen time, more closeups, and a lot more detail. In your recording, the elements way back in the mix like the tambourine, hand claps, or strummed acoustic guitar might just be extras. The most important instruments or vocal tracks in your mix are your "cardinal voices," your lead actors, and should be treated that way. Your lead vocal is almost always a cardinal voice. Maybe you have an exceptional drummer, a brilliant lead guitarist, or a piano track that's crucial to the mood of your song. Respect these voices – give them more detail in the mix.
One way to do this is to experiment with mic locations. A guitar cabinet might have a mic in front, in back, even resting on top. A vocalist could be singing into two different vocal mics, with another one across the room for depth or to capture more of the nuances of a performance. Even the best mics are poor excuses for ears, so trying different setups and locations can increase your chances to capture brilliance – just watch out for phase issues when you get to mixing!
Ideally, any carefully recorded performance should be great to listen to without other tracks. If you have two or three of these strong cardinal voices and honor them, your song will mix itself.
8. Practice sub-tractive composition
The blessing and curse of digital environments is that the ability to layer tracks is almost boundless, limited only by the constraints of your processing power. Have you ever gotten so dizzy mixing dozens of different tracks that you've just muted most of them, only to find the song sounds better without all those extras? It's easy and fun to keep composing on top of your work and creating more density. It's also easy to go too far. On some songs, keys and vocals might be all you need, especially if the rest of your work tends to be busier.
9. Take a walk
Music should be fun. Frustration does not help you make music. All of us experience hardware and software issues, difficulties nailing a good performance, and obstacles achieving the amazing sound in our heads. When you start swearing at your equipment, it's time to take a break. Walk out the door… before your laptop goes out the window!
10. Step back, then evaluate Finally, you're done. Your song is strong, your mix sounds amazing in headphones. Now, sleep on it. Step away from the work until it's no longer ringing in your ears. Next, take your song with you and test it out wherever you can. There may still be room for improvement. How does your work compare to stuff you love? Is more mastering needed to reach the next level? How does it sound in the car? On a boombox? On the tiny speaker in a phone? Make sure it works where people will hear it.
As with any pursuit, confidence is a factor. Once you've proven to yourself that you can do something great, it'll be easier to do it next time… and the next. You’ve most likely already taken this journey as a singer or instrumentalist, achieving proficiency. Now the studio is your instrument. Creating rituals and conventions for yourself will quicken your process and train your mind to readily enter that magical creative zone. It takes deliberate repetition to create new habits.
Let's make a habit of creating amazing music!
Driven by a passion for audio, iZotope develops innovative products that inspire and enable people to be creative. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the iZotope team has spent over 15 years developing award-winning audio production tools found in professional facilities and home studios alike. The iZotope product line focuses on music production, with solutions for mixing, mastering, and creative effects, and audio Ppost production, with tools that enhance audio for film, broadcast, video, and new media. Alongside the development of studio software, iZotope incubates bleeding-edge audio technology for future release, and develops rich audio education to help enthusiasts and professionals alike improve their craft.
Posted by Andrew Wasson
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Courtesy of Elyadeen Anbar
Here's your guide to the top 4 guitar pedal sounds that have shaped guitar effects of the last 50 years...
There isn't a single guitarist who can possibly keep track of all the different pedals that are on the market today. With hundreds of boutique companies surfacing just in the last 10 years, we know that the challenge isn't finding cool pedals, but figuring out which ones are right for us. This article breaks down a few different types of effects that you might consider for your pedal-board. It should work well to help you define your own personal guitar tone.
Note: It’s important to remember to opt for true bypass pedals whenever possible, which helps to conserve the guitar's character. Oh, and those multi-effects processors aren't doing anyone any justice. Sacrificing tone in favor of convenience is not an entry found in the glossary pages of rock and roll.
Boost/overdrive...
Many guitarists have yet to discover the subtle difference that a tiny bit of boost can make. Experimenting with a low gain overdrive pedal or treble booster can enrich the harmonic output of your guitar, giving some body and life to your tone. Getting into the higher gain stages will produce more "distortion" from the amp and result in a heavier sound.
A great example of a guitarist exploring the dynamic range of a slight boost is Jimmy Page; listen to the riffing on "Over the Hills and Far Away," the "Stairway to Heaven" solo, and the way his leads weave in and out during "Since I’ve Been Loving You."
Recommended pedals:
Snatchtronics Ovadrive 5
Snatchtronics Ovadrive: A handmade pedal from Brooklyn at a reasonable price, this pedal takes the fundamental idea of the Klon Centaur and puts it back in the hands of players not looking to spend two months of rent in one shot. This pedal works in front of any amp and simply rocks, period.
TC Electronics Spark Mini Booster
TC Electronics Spark Mini Booster: One knob to rule them all! This unit takes your signal and adds gain to it. This is useful for pushing a solo, or just getting an amp to break up into the stratosphere. As an added bonus, its small stature hardly takes up any room on a pedalboard for maximum portability.
Wampler Plextortion Overdrive Wampler Plextortion Overdrive: Creeping over the line into a full-faced distortion unit, the Wampler does have a higher gain stage, but retains a clarity most other pedals of its kind don’t, and the quality of your guitar tone isn’t sacrificed. It’s creamy and fluid, like a bowl of melted ice cream – and not nearly as fattening.
Fuzz...
One of the most gratifying ways to push your guitar tone to the stratosphere is a fuzz pedal that is both responsive and colorful. Some fuzz pedals sound more compressed and synth-y, while others have an openness and tonal character that can change over the course of a single sustained note. A fuzz pedal should respond to your level of dynamics and will transform with the influence of the volume knob on your guitar. As the granddaddy of high-gain tone shaping, the sonic possibilities of fuzz are truly endless!
And it's an effect that's changed dramatically over the years – from Hendrix's early fuzz tones on "Foxy Lady," BB King's amp-fuzz on the Live at San Quentin album, Tony Iommi's double-tracked axes on "War Pigs," Jeff Tweedy's experimental, overly compressed fuzz on "The Man Who Loves You," to Billy Corgan's scooped Big Muff-sound on the Smashing Pumpkins' "Cherub Rock."
Recommended pedals: Wren and Cuff Box of War Wren and Cuff Box of War: Wren and Cuff is a company that specializes in recreating the different Big Muff pedals of the eras, and each one is cooler than the last. As a lifelong Smashing Pumpkins fan, I gravitated towards the Box of War for its thick harmonic complexity, but all of their pedals are high-quality units and built to last.
Keeley Silver Bullet Fuzz Keeley Silver Bullet Fuzz: A high-end, tone-bender-style fuzz unit that produces wild overtones at high gain and has a nicely compressed voice. Its expression will change quite dramatically with your picking hand and the input level from your volume knob.
Delay...
What can be said about the impact that delay has had on music? For guitar players, stepping on a delay pedal can be a bit like stepping back into the unknowable void. From a simple slapback to the fluctuations of an '80s-style digital delay to the psychedelic reverse delays, the options are unlimited and guaranteed to produce ideas and take your playing to new heights.
U2's the Edge is a guitarist who has become synonymous with delay effects; look no further than "Where the Streets Have No Name" for a prime example of how delay can be used to create rhythmic layers and texture. David Gilmour's solo on Pink Floyd's "Time" is a masterpiece in lead delay. And for a modern take on the effect, the War on Drugs' album Lost in the Dream is chock full of lush, cinematic soundscape delays.
Recommended pedals: Boss DD-7 Digital Delay Boss DD-7 Digital Delay: An impressive variety of options are included in this utilitarian delay unit, which can emulate many of the delays that have come to shape modern music, such as modulation delay, reverse delay, and tap tempo.
Strymon El Capistan Tape Echo Strymon El Capistan Tape Echo: With an impressive roster of quality pedals on the market, Strymon developed this pedal to emulate the character of magnetic tape to create sought after studio sounds. This pedal is incredibly functional and fun to use, and can create everything from gorgeous shimmers to funky warbles. No matter how much time you spend with it, it'll continue to surprise you!
DLS EchoTap DLS EchoTap: Another easy, no-nonsense machine, the DLS is a stereo delay that features a tap-tempo function which can be adjusted to a separate volume than the set tempo channel. Add to it the echo tone knob, which adjusts the filter on the repeats, and this pedal becomes one of the most handy units on the market.
Modulation (3 Types)...
The world of modulation is vast and can be intimidating at first. Modulation is what happens when something is changed – in classical music terminology, a modulation occurs when a piece changes key. Let's break this section into three fundamental categories of modulation devices: tremolo, chorus, and phaser.
1. Tremolo
Tremolo is what we call the effect of timed changes of volume. I can hardly imagine playing a show without a tremolo pedal. Tremolo can add depth and complexity where it's necessary, and you'll always be happy to have one around. The Nancy Sinatra classic "Bang Bang" is a perfect example of the mood that a tremolo can conjure up, and a more modern example is "Howlin' for You" by the Black Keys.
Recommended pedals:
Fulltone Supa-Trem
Fulltone Supa-Trem: An easy-to-use, great-sounding pedal. With controls to adjust the waveform and the rate of the tremolo, as well as an onboard volume boost, this pedal is a dream.
Empress Effects Tremolo
Empress Effects Tremolo: While set in a higher cost bracket, this unit truly pushes the boundaries of what a seemingly simple effect is capable of. If budget is less of a concern, this pedal gives more control over the types of tremolos produced and provides a wide array of tone-shaping possibilities.
2. Chorus Another classic sound, the chorus effect is created by taking the original guitar signal and slightly altering the pitch using an oscillator to create a dreamy, ethereal texture. It's a highly useful, often sought-after sound. Take a listen to Nirvana's "Come As You Are" for a strong example of chorused guitar. Daft Punk's "Get Lucky," featuring the guitar wizardry of Nile Rogers, has a relatively subtle chorus on throughout.
Recommended pedals: Electro-Harmonix Small Clone
Electro-Harmonix Small Clone: Another great-sounding, intuitive, single-knob pedal. Even though it's a one-trick pony, it's a pretty great trick. This pedal was a favorite of Kurt Cobain.
MXR M234 Analog Chorus MXR M234 Analog Chorus: Unbeatable for its price point, the MXR chorus offers more in terms of tone customization, allowing for everything from subtle, gentle waves to full-on deep, sultry, cascading shimmers.
3. Phaser Popular in funk and R&B, a phaser creates a sweep in the frequency spectrum to add filtered movement to your sound. Phasers helped shape the tone of players like Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen, and can be useful in coming up with both lead and rhythm textures that cut through a mix. Take a listen to the lead guitar on the Isley Brothers' "Who's That Lady" for an example of a heavy phase on a heavy fuzz tone. For a cleaner phase sound, Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" is a funky and slick example.
Recommended pedals:
Keeley Phaser Keeley Phaser: Another great unit from Robert Keeley, though for some reason he didn't bother to give this stompbox a name. Its ramp function is useful for switching between two different tempos, creating the possibility for a Leslie-speaker effect.
MXR Phase 90 MXR Phase 90: The vintage classic. Listen to the debut Van Halen album to hear this pedal working hard. ("Eruption" has a Phase 90 on for the the entire duration of the song!)
Good luck out there in pedal world! Let us know what you think of some of these units, or recommend others in the comments below!
Elyadeen Anbar is a guitarist, writer, and educator residing in Los Angeles, CA. He has had the pleasure of contributing music and production to some of his favorite artists, and graced stages the world over. His work can be found at elyadeenanbar.com, soundcloud.com/mrs-walrus, and selfesteemmusic.tumblr.com.
This Micro Lesson covers a busy riff that involves performing steady Octaves forming a groove in the key of "G Minor."
This riff is an excellent study in the performance of the octave interval on guitar. If you're unfamiliar with them, octaves are a large interval from within a scale that is eight tones away from the scales tonic, (i.e., Tonic /naming note: "G," to Octave: "G").
In the key of "G Minor" the octave is the next "G" tone located eight tones higher from the starting tone, (Tonic: "G"). The interesting thing with this riff is how it applies octaves from off of each note used within the riff. This sound is very unique, and is somewhat rarely applied within most styles.
Some reasons for this being the case are that these octaves can be quite difficult to perform fast - as a riff. Another thing is how the sound created with them is very unique, and may not work well in every melodic /song situation.
If this technique is new to you, take your time getting used to the wide distance between each octave. You can perform this reach either with a pick using, "String Skipping," or you could use, "Hybrid Picking," or it could even be done with, "Finger-style," plucking technique.
However you choose to play this riff, be sure to memorize all of the patterns prior to trying to build up the riffs tempo. When the ideas are committed to memory, turn on a metronome and build up the playing speed. Enjoy!
