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.

John McLaughlin “Stylistic” Guitar Concepts.

Posted on by Modern Music Theory and Application

Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi Guys,

Today, a quick look at some unique concepts that John McLaughlin employs for composition and improvisation.

I have put these into a compositional lick of sorts.

FIRST PART:

I am starting this by opening with a 7su4 chord –C/D

This, then leads us nicely into a descending alternate picking run. This is a pentatonic scale fragment that then creates a bit more width by finishing with an arpeggio. [Starts on a downstroke]

image shows John McLaughlin's use of quartal harmony and pentatoinc scales in his guitar solos in tab and music notation.

The last accented open E note, acts as musical punctuation as this simple articulation sets up the next phrase nicely.

From here, we add some quartal harmony and more pentatonic movement:

image shows John McLaughlin's use of quartal harmony and pentatoinc scales in a lesson his guitar alternate picking style.

NOTE: Accented low E note again to articulate the Em11 chord.

This is then developed further, with more pentatonic accentuation from the low E to articulate the next chord and once again create punctuation in the phrasing.

To round this off, we descend with a quick A Major scale run. This exploits a simple fingering of 3 and then 2 notes that make the scale easy to play and connect to the next part.

SECOND PART:

Now, we move to some interesting chordal work.

This is a bit more unique than usual, in that its movement is that of contrary motion.

NOTICE: The bass descends chromatically as the treble ascends with the chromatic scale.

image shows John McLaughlin contrary motion guitar chords in tab and music notation.

From here, we exploit quartal chords for that modern sound and diminished chords for their melody and colour.

image shows John McLaughlin guitar chords in tab and music notation.

To complete this we just employ a simple V-I of C to F. This is really just exploiting the shape by adding a C note and then an F note:

C Maj13 to FMaj13[#11]/E

IN CONCLUSION:

This was just a short look at a few interesting concepts that John employs. For example, the simple concept of articulating the low E note is really useful as it helps enormously when punctuating and phrasing, wether, compositional or improvisational with the guitar pick.

Also, for example, breaking the scales down to simple guitar fingerings is also essential as it means that it is easy to connect to chords and/or melodic double stops.

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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.

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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.

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