 |
| Guitars and keyboard |
As much as we, as guitarists, love to put our instrument out there front and center stage for all the world to see and hear, the guitar usually plays one part in the whole big picture that is a single song. The true art of being a guitarist isn’t in being a soloist or in playing in such a manner that everyone can’t help notice you, but rather in being able to provide accompaniment that is both appropriate and musically exciting to any given song. Simply put, the guitar is an instrument that helps one communicate with an audience, while the song itself is the actual message.
This isn’t to say that the guitar’s accompaniment isn’t important! Quite the contrary! How one chooses to accompany a song can make all the difference when it comes to getting the message across and that’s why great guitarists are able to create a wide spectrum of tonal colors and moods with their instruments. They take all the techniques they know, all the stylistic nuances of various musical genres and either select or blend a combination of them to paint a musical background that best suits the song at hand.
Over the course of a few lessons, we’ll take a look at some of the typical styles of guitar accompaniment and try to explore why and how they work. I hope you’ll enjoy these musical excursions! In many ways, if you think about it, almost all our lessons here at Guitar Noise are much more lessons on song accompaniment than on the songs themselves.
These files are the author’s own work and represent his interpretation of this song. They are intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
For the time being, I’m going to assume that we’re all relatively familiar with the “strumming as accompaniment” approach. That’s actually a rather large general category and can lead to all sorts of intriguing arrangements by its own right, not to mention when combined with other styles.
So today’s lesson is going to focus almost exclusively on the use of arpeggios and how single note chord arpeggios can create interesting arrangement totally on their own. The use of arpeggios as accompaniment has been around longer than the guitar has and is a technique that most musicians learn early in their playing. You can hear it in songs from all eras of music, from the Animals’ version of “The House of the Rising Sun” to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” to Glen Miller’s “In the Mood” (by Garland and Razaf). We’re going to also combine a little bit of fingerstyle work and a dash of “follow the melody” to add a bit more interest to the lesson.
Probably more important than either of those ideas, we’re going to see how the techniques and lessons we’ve learned from other songs can come into play when making arrangements for other songs. Having the ability to hear opportunities to use all that you’ve already learned in playing guitar is vital is you want to continue to grow and evolve as a player.
We’re going to use an old (very old) Stephen Foster song, Oh! Susanna, and give it a twist straight out of our lesson on Friend of the Devil, if you can believe that! Or you can think of it as putting a Green Day – Wake Me Up When September Ends – sort of spin on it if you prefer. Oh, and you’d better read our Friend of the Devil lesson to get a head start on what we’ll be doing!
Whichever way you want to look at it, we can’t start without examining the song and chord structure of Oh! Susanna first. Purely for convenience, we’re going to play this song in G, since both songs cited earlier are written in that key. Just using the first verse and chorus, here’s what we’ve got:
By the bye, I wrote this arrangement for The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Guitaras an example of why scales were important and how one would go about incorporating scales into their walking bass lines, just like in Friend of the Devil. Now if you’ve gone and done a quick reread of that lesson, you might be shaking your head a bit. The chord progression isn’t the same in both songs, so how are we going to work things out?
Mostly by listening and counting. Much like Friend of the Devil, this verse of this song is broken down into phrases of two measures. Two measures in 4/4 time is eight beats. There are eight notes in the major scale if you count both the starting and ending notes. Who says math isn’t helpful?
Unlike the Grateful Dead song, where we can use an entire G major scale as a descending bass line, Oh! Susanna ends the first and third phrase on a D chord. This means that we really don’t want to follow use the entire scale. But we can use seven notes of it:
There’s a little slide, which mimics the beginning of the melody, to start things off and then you’ve got a bass and arpeggio combination much like Friend of the Devil. The big difference is that the open B string is hit first instead of the open G string. The bass note moves from G (fifth fret of the D string) to F# (fourth fret) to E (second fret) to D (the open D string). Then the chord changes to C, so you make a C chord but still maintain the same picking pattern the both the initial C chord and then the C with the B in the bass.
Things change up when you get to the open A string. Beginning with the hit of the note of the open A at the start of the third beat in the second measure, play an Am arpeggio straight down the strings until you get to the C note at the first fret of the B string. Then switch quickly to a D chord but play only the D, G and B strings. Technically, this is a “D5” chord, or a “D power chord” if you prefer. But since we’ve used the F# twice now (once in the initial slide and once in the descending bass line), the listener will pick up on this and magically hear the D5 as a D chord. Wild, isn’t it? We’ll also help reinforce this sleight of hand by starting the next phrase with an emphatic slide using the F# note again.
The second phrase of the verse starts out as a carbon copy of the first but things get very different in the second measure:
Here you reverse the direction of arpeggios starting with the C chord on the first beat of the second measure of this phrase. You follow that up with a three note arpeggio of D and then a five note arpeggio of G (skipping the A string as you pick down the strings).
These two phrases then repeat in order to complete the verse. Here is the full verse:
Notice the very slight change at the last two beats. We want to make a definitive break between the verse and the upcoming chorus and using a double stop of the G (third fret of the high E string) and B (open B string) notes seems like a good way to do so. This second play through of the verse, by the way, will also serve as the last two lines of the chorus.
And speaking of which, to give the chorus a bit of a different feel, let’s start it out with a simple “contrary motion” Travis style picking pattern, taken straight from our lesson on that topic: Basic Travis Finger Picking Tutorial. For the first two beats, use the C at the first fret of the B string as your high note and then switch to the note of the open high E (first) string for the third and fourth beats.
The last line of the chorus repeats the lyric of the first line of the verse. Musically, it’s a repeat of the second (or fourth) line of the verse. So having the accompaniment repeat the phrase as well makes good sense. But it’s an abrupt shift going from the Travis style that starts the chorus to the arpeggio style of the verse. To make this shift both seamless and musically dramatic, why not do a little melody shadowing, as shown in the last measure of the above example? It creates a nice, natural pause for breath to lead into the last line of the chorus.
And here are the notation and tablature for the entire chorus:
 |
| Left handed jazz guitarist |
This next source goes over jazz harmony and comping along with the melody of a song. Jazz guitar will stretch your guitar boundaries and focus on playing along with other instruments and vocalists. I guarantee you that playing jazz music is focused mainly on listening to the musicians around you. This lesson will help you in any style of music and band situation. This excerpt is just one example of all the great content at the website. Check it out here at http://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/chord-melody.html.
Jazz guitarists use the term "chord melody" to describe the way they play a certain song. It is in fact the harmonization of a melody (aka playing chords AND melody at the same time).
Personally, I like to see chord melodies (and chord-melody type of playing the guitar) as if I'm arranging for an orchestra that has six strings!
You can take a look and get general advice from this page or go directly to the jazz standards page to get my own chord melody arrangements.
0. Prelude
Essentials to get you started :
Most of all : Have Fun !!! (-:
- You must know and love a song from which you'd like to create a chord melody. Have the melody, the lyrics, if any, and the chords in your ears.
- You must have heard the tune (recorded or live) many times already. Having a "reference" recorded version of the song is the best way to go, always!
- A lead sheet of the tune is useful because of it's visual nature (and because it contains just the basic info you need)
- Be motivated to create your very own version of the chord melody you are working on. There's no right (or wrong) way to do it. Often ask yourself : What works for me?
- Reading complete arrangements of chord melodies from a book doesn't "cut it"... you must create your own chord melodies!
[Trust me on this... Being a "do-it-yourselfer", I deeply believe in the power(s) of self-discovery. It's much more rewarding and improvement comes faster this way.]- Finally, be aware that this aspect of jazz guitar will quickly lead you to expand in different areas of your playing : sound, theory, technique, repertoire, progressions, time feel, improvisations, etc.
[In other words : Please understand that by working on "this" you're also working on "all the other stuff" at the same time.]
1. Melody
The first step is to play and memorize the melody of piece you are working on. Learn it inside out and, of course, by memory. And I really mean it!
Sing it, play it, shake it... (whatever it takes!)
until it becomes part of you.
The theme (aka "head" or melody) is always leading the way. This is often overlooked on guitar. I usually think of it like this : I'm playing in a car and the melody is driving. I go where it wants to go! (and the rest of of the music follows too...)
- Melody test (for your ears):
If I played the first couple of notes of the tune you're currently learning for you, could you sing, whistle or hum the rest of the song? Pefectly? (whitout hesitation) In time? (strict tempo) (Be honest with yourself) Good! Now you know the melody.- Guitar Advice (for your fingers):
Aim to play the melody mostly on the highest strings (1st and 2nd preferably). It will help later on when we harmonize with chords on the lower strings. You may have to play the melody an octave higher than it is written on the lead sheet.- Thoughts on melody :
If it's an old american standard (broadway) song, you can certainly phrase the melody as you please. Listen to your favorite recording(s) of this tune. How is the player phrasing the melody? (The head in might sound different from the head out, listen to both closely.) For instance, if you're learning Autum Leaves or All the Things You Are, you don't have to play the theme exactly as it is written every time. (This does not apply to jazz/bebop tunes) In short, you're allowed to play around with the rhythms a little, as long as the melody is recognizable... This phrasing concept can add some interest and contrast once chords are added in step 3.2. Harmony
The next step is to learn, play and memorize the chords you wish to use under the theme for your chord melody arrangement.
Yes that's right : melody is on top and chords underneath!
Memorize the chords and the sequence in which they appear in the song. It's best to know and understand what notes are contained in each chord. A little music theory is recommended here :
Also : look for some useful chord shapes I use in my own jazz standards arrangements.
- Start by studying the voiceleading of 3rds and 7ths throughout the tune (see, you're now studying harmony while learning a piece!)
- After thirds/sevenths are in your ears and fingers, add extensions such as 9, 11 and 13 to the chords (in the upper register)
- Of course, play the above with and without roots played on 5th and 6th strings!
- You may want to analyze chords in roman numeral, find the key center(s) and common "harmonic patterns":
- Any/many ii-V-I's in this tune?
- Other reccuring progressions? (vi-ii-V-I or iii-VI-ii-V)
- In what key(s)?
- Chord substitution?
- What else is their to analyze (chords-wise)?
- [This step can be done at any time]
Some might feel akward at first, see what works for you.
Finally, jazz guitarists beware!
Chords are important but not as important as the melody. Please do not fall in the trap of simply playing "chord grips" all of the time! Learn the tune you are working on, not just shapes.
To continue on the analogy I made earlier :
The melody is driving the car, the chords are the streets. The car goes wherever it needs to (even off-road sometimes!)
So harmony may suggest or guide the melody, that's all.
Which leads us to...
3. Chord Melody
Play the melody and use appropriate chord shapes underneath. The melody will end up being the "top note" of the chord shape. That is the "big picture" of chord melody playing...
...on a smaller scale : make sure you don't sound like a "formula". Play good rhythms and vary your approach to keep things interesting! Music is all about contrast.
For instance, you may use simple 2 or 3 notes "rhythmic splashes" to color around the melody. Or sometimes, a single note underneath the theme is all you need (another interesting texture.)
Can you play two different melodic lines at the same
time through a chord progression? Sure you can!
There's a ton of good sounding counterpuntal lines and harmonic ideas "hidden" inside of jazz standards chord progressions... they're waiting for you to discover them!
"What if the melody is not an available "top note" in any chord shape that I know?"
This is one of the most classic question! The simple answer: learn something new and study harmony with diligence and you will create/play better chord melody arrangements.
This is a great opportunity for you to learn new material. You can always find a new voicing or another inversion of a well known chord. Check out this chord melody drop 2 reference (PDF) for some ideas.
This task of finding your way through tunes and inventing new chord melody arrangements is tremendously rewarding. By learning new ways of playing in the context of a tune, you are in fact practicing technique to serve musical needs (and not the other way around).
 |
| Blues guitar accompanist |
The pentatonic scale most definitely has a place in the lead arsenal of any guitar player, but does it have a role in rhythm work? Clearly, as heard from players like Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, John Frusciante and Tom Morello, among others, it does.
In fact, regardless of your style, there’s a wealth of single-note riffs, double-stop moves, and chordal embellishments lurking within the scale. Squeeze these sounds between the cracks of basic chord shapes and you’re instantly a more interesting rhythm player.
Before we get to the riffs, let’s examine the nuts and bolts. Like many other scales, the pentatonic comes in two basic flavors: major and minor. To compare, E major pentatonic is built from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th notes of the E major scale (E–Fs–Gs–A–B–Cs–Ds), while E minor pentatonic is built from the 1st, f3rd, 4th, 5th, and f7th tones of the E minor scale (E–Fs–G–A–B–C–D).
Minor pentatonic is most commonly used in blues and rock; major pentatonic, in R&B and country. Regardless of style, these scales sound most effective when played in short note groupings, on small pockets of the fretboard, generally spanning no more than three strings. Keep this in mind as you sample the following figures.
Blues Moves
Many blues riffs are derived from pentatonic bass lines that imitate a pianist’s left-hand playing. Fig. 1, a nod to the fingerstyle country blues of legends like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Blake, is sculpted from an E major pentatonic bass line. Check Fig. 2 for a more contemporary blues application—an E minor pentatonic riff inspired by the Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan versions of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Single Notes
Countless rock riffs are based upon fragments of pentatonic scales. The next few passages, however, are examples featuring the entire five-note scale: Jimi Hendrix’s signature line in “Purple Haze” [Fig. 3] and Joe Walsh’s spiraling moves in the Eagles’ “Life in the Fast Lane” [Fig. 4] are both constructed from the E minor pentatonic scale.
Fig. 5 is similar to the wicked riff that kicks off Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” in which guitarist Slash rips through the entire B minor pentatonic scale (B–D–E–Fs–A) using pedal point—repeating the 4th-fret B as notes change below. Meanwhile, for an example of a fragmented pentatonic riff, look to Fig. 6, modeled after Rage Against the Machine’s Fs minor pentatonic (Fs–A–B–Cs–E) gem “Guerrilla Radio.”
Many great funk figures contain pentatonic notes played between the cracks of chord stabs and string mutes. Approximated in Fig. 7, for example, is James Brown’s E minor pentatonic–based “Mother Popcorn.” And Fig. 8 illustrates a G minor pentatonic (G–Bf–C–D–F) funk riff reminiscent of Leo Nocentelli’s work in the Meters’ “Look-Ka Py Py.”
Double Stops
Lots of late-’70s and early-’80s rock classics revolve around double-stop pentatonic riffs. Inspired by ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man,” Fig. 9 contains some 4ths within the A minor pentatonic scale (A–C–D–E–G). Fig. 10, inspired by the riffs of groups like Kansas and Styx, shows a linear example, with note pairs moved along strings 3–4 against an open-A drone.
But perhaps the ultimate example of double-stop pentatonic in rock is Mark Knopfler’s fingerpicking on Dire Straits’ mega-hit “Money for Nothing,” composed primarily of 4ths and 5ths within G minor pentatonic [Fig. 11].
This is just a glimpse into the world of guitar accompaniment. This skill is your key into any group you want to be in, since it's so important to take a back seat to the front man or woman when starting out. From there the whole world is available to you. Guitar accompaniment can fit into any group imaginable. I hope this lesson has been a help to you and your guitar playing.
Mike's Guitar Talk has all the information you need to take your guitar playing to the next level. Sign up now to have these articles delivered directly to your cyber-doorstep. This is your "one stop shop" for all your guitar questions.
Have fun and stay tuned!
Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment