Tag: John Mclaughlin

alternate picking guitar style and jazz fusion improvisation lessons in his style. Looking at Mclaughlins use of altered dominant chords and chromatics in john’s improvisations. Lessons in john mclaughlin’s guitar style and improvised line using altered scales, harmonic minor and melodic minor scales. Mclaughlins use of modes, dorian, phrygian,aeoloean,ludian,mixolydian, locrian. Also the modes of the diminished scale.

Alternate Picking Tips: Grip for Fast Playing

Posted on by Modern Music Theory and Application

Alternate Picking: Essential Grip for fast articulated picking

Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi Guys

Today, a “Re-Post” that some of you have been searching for:

It’s the look at alternate picking plectrum/pick grip page.

PLEASE NOTE: This page/blog is only for anyone who might be having problems with holding the pick for long periods when improvising, or moving from the improvised line back to chord melody.

PICK GRIP:

It’s not so important how you hold the pick or what finger you use. But, it is essential not to have a wobbly thumb and/or finger .

Three pictures demonstrating how to grip the guitar pick correctly for fast alternate picking guitar phrases in the syle of malmsteen, mclaughlin and al di meola and other guitar shredders.

A lot of guitar players when they start out with alternate picking often change the grip just as they are about the pluck the string! This makes it impossible to gauge distance.

When the thumb is rigid and the grip is solid, distance, articulation and timing fall into place automatically.

Pic 1: Good solid grip

Example of how to grip the guitar pick correctly for fast alternate picking in the syle of guitarists like malmsteen, mclaughlin and al di meola

Pic 2: Pick confidently plucks string

Image depicting how to grip the guitar pick correctly for fast alternate picking guitar technique

Below [Pic 3]: BAD!

At the last moment the pick is turned as it is about to pluck the string and the thumb and finger wobble/collapse:

2 BASIC EXERCISES:

Here are a couple of exercises for practicing whilst getting the feel of gripping the pick firmly.

The first is a simple A minor Pentatonic scale in sextuplets.

Counting basic 1 2 3 4 5 6:

This starts on a down stroke:

Next we have the same thing but in groups of four 16th notes.

alternate-picking-guitar-techniques-exercise

It’s a good idea to play around with these two exercises by mixing the groups of 4 and 6 together and create little phrases out of them.

PDF DOWNLOAD:

alt-pick-guitar-gripDownload

IF THIS LESSON WAS OF USE TO YOU THEN PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO US BELOW ON YOUTUBE, THANKS!

Mastering Slash Chords: The B/C Explained

Posted on by Modern Music Theory and Application
B/C GUITAR SLASH CHORDS GUITAR LESSON AND EXAMPLES

Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi guys,

Today, a quick look at the idea of employing slash chords.

To do this we will focus on one specific chord that of B/C.

CHORD VOICING:

In the notation/tablature below, notice the use of a B Major triad over a C bass:

John McLaughlin guitar Slash Chord B/C Example in TAB and music notation

Here, are a few more voicing’s:

1]

2]

3]

4]

SOLO LINE EXAMPLES:

This chord works well with the diminished scale. But, in order to come up with something unique we are going to take a different approach.

Because, we have the B Major chord we can exploit Pat Martino’s minor conversion technique.

In this case, we will employ the minor a Major 3rd up. This will be D#/Eb as the minor key:

IDEA 1:

Here, we will employ the simple Eb minor arpeggio:

IDEA 2:

This time, we will employ scale movement inside of the Eb minor arpeggio shape in a horizontal form.

diagram depicting guitarist John McLaughlin improvisation over Slash Chord B/C Example in music notation and guitar tablature

IDEA 3:

Let’s do the same, but, play with the notation and give it a diminished flavour:

IDEA 4:

Now, let’s take a B Major arpeggio and ascend it by making sure our C bass note is within it.

NOTE: There are also two open string notes of D natural [minor 3rd] and the open E. I used these as they make the arpeggio flow easily when alternate picking.

How to play a John McLaughlin guitar arpeggio example for altered slash chord of B/C

IDEA 5:

We can also add some chromaticism for smooth movement.

COMPOSITION- APPLICATION IN CADENCE

Finally, let’s see how composition can be exploited with our slash chord.

To do this, we will create a ii V7 I cadence:

diagram depicting guitarist John McLaughlin cadence and jazz composition

NOTICE: In the example above, we can see that the minor becomes diminished and the Dominant becomes 13b9 and the I chord becomes our slash chord that resolves yet hangs in the air.

PDF DOWNLOAD:

pdf DownloadDownload

If this lesson was of use to you then Please SUBSCRIBE to us on YOUTUBE below, Thanks!

Mastering John McLaughlin’s Guitar Motif Techniques Part 2:

Posted on by Modern Music Theory and Application

Hi Guys,

Here, is the extended version for the 2nd finger John McLaughlin motif:

MOTIF:

The motif is a 4 note [Tetrachord] in 16th notes- D C# D E

John McLaughlin shakti guitar lesson with music notation and guitar tab example

Notice that this starts with the 2nd finger on the first note:

Now, let’s extend this and add a “set up” by employing the Mixo-lydian mode to create a more Indian/Shakti flavour to the phrase:

I am starting this on an upstroke with strict alternate picking guitar technique:

John McLaughlin shakti guitar lesson with music notation and guitar tab example

This time, we will replicate/imitate the 4 note motif and use it as material to create/extend the phrase into a longer line.

John McLaughlin shakti guitar lesson with music notation and guitar tab example for guitar fingering

Below, is the full line/lick:

John McLaughlin shakti guitar motif and fingering lesson with music notation and guitar tab example

Let’s now, extend the motif and descend as far as we can down the fingerboard with the motif:

John McLaughlin shakti guitar lesson with music notation and guitar tab example

Finally, we will add our little set-up and create a full phrase:

John McLaughlin shakti guitar lesson with music notation and guitar tab example

MOTIF: Starting on a down stroke:

We can also start on a downstroke. This works best and is most natural when picked/phrased in triplets/sextuplets like this:

John McLaughlin alternate picking guitar lesson with music notation and guitar tab example

Full Phrase starting on a downstroke:

John McLaughlin shakti alternate picking guitar lesson with music notation and guitar tab example

IN CONCLUSION:

This little motif/concept is only a small detail, but, it is a good representation of how a lot of material can be created/repeated or imitated from such a small cell. It is like a little hinge that can swing a big door.

This way of building solid lines is really useful for the alternate picking guitar technique as it means that we can unfold material quite easily and if we ever do get lost we can slot back in with simple motif material and rebuild our phrases and keep our lines going.

FREE PDF DOWNLOAD:

motifDownload

ASC/DESC:

PATREON 2Download

If this lesson was of use to you then please SUBSCRIBE to us on YOUTUBE below, Thanks!