Please watch video above for detailed info:
Hi Guys,
Today, a look at the late 60’s early 70’s John McLaughlin guitar chord/riff style of “My goals beyond” and “Extrapolation”.
This is a great compositional vamp style that really brings out the resonance of the guitar. It has a sort of loose swing feel to it, that sort of gritty London soho jazz sound of the time.
The vamp is based around the D6add9 guitar chord shape, with the open E note as a pedal.
To begin with, we will play the D6add9 chord and then move it up a tone to E6add9 and then back again to D6add9. [see video above]
As in the video above you will hear/see that I am syncopating/weaving in and out of the bass notes displayed below plucked on the low E string.
To create colour and contrast we then change the chord in the third bar by moving the shape up to create Dm11/E to G6add9 and back to Dm11/E.
We then move back to D6add9 and E6add9:
From here, we move the shape up to A6/9/E to G6/9/D and finally resolving to F#13/E.
The Bass moves down in half steps, E Eb D C#
We repeat the first part and then end with the chord shape on G A C D E D: strummed over the E pedal bass.
IN CONCLUSION:
To conclude, this was just a quick look into strumming extended chords in and out of a melodic bass line. Simple as this is it works really well for creating compositions, wether in a blues form or a verse/chorus structure.
This style excels on the guitar because the bass can be doubled in unison with another instrument, [for example, piano or sax or double bass].
Lastly, the chord shape of the added 6th and 9th [as well as the 11th] resonate sympathetically on the guitar both as a strummed attack or mellowly plucked with the fingers.
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