John McLaughlin Rhythm Guitar Riffs/Strumming Techniques

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John McLaughlin rhythm guitar techniques and riffs lesson

Hi Guys,

Today, we will look at some of John McLaughlin’s rhythmic guitar concepts.

Here’s how John makes interesting rhythmic riffs by employing a bar of 7 to a bar of 8:

john-mcluahglin-rhythm-guitar-lesson-tab

This could also be counted as: 15/16 to 16/16 [in groups of 3 to groups of 4 in the next bar]:

john-mcluahglin-rhythm-guitar-lesson-tab

OR: Groups of 4 with the last being a 3 grouping [or one note missing in a 4/4 bar]

john-mcluahglin-rhythm-guitar-lesson-tab

The chords I have employed are from Shakti’s composition “Face to Face”.

john-mcluahglin-rhythm-guitar-face-to-face-chords

In order to turn this around I employ a simple piece of descending bass scale:

john-mcluahglin-rhythm-guitar-lesson-tab

2 Bar Sequence:

john-mcluahglin-rhythm-guitar-face-to-face-chords

Here is a variation with the bass scale played in the treble and the first chord being a quartal voicing for Em:

john-mcluahglin-rhythm-guitar-lesson-tab

In this next example we employ 2 simple chords of A Major and D Major: The key is in the open strings that are played in between these chords at a fast tempo.

john-mcluahglin-rhythm-guitar-lesson-tab

The key to executing this=”Down Up” alternate strumming all the way:

Lastly, we will finish with another of John’s alternate strumming favourites which employs the open strings concept once again: [“Down Up”] etc- all the way.

john-mcluahglin-rhythm-guitar-lesson-tab

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Shakti: Indian Raga alternate picking and fretting hand technique[Development]

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Hi Guys,

Today, a quick look at developing Shakti style Fusion guitar Raga’s from the Mixolydian mode.

Below, is the mode in a Pentatonic form:

shakti-indian-raga-guitar-lesson

Next, we have a phrase that is developed from this mode. In order for it to be smooth and fluid at a “Fast” tempo we will change the fingering:

shakti-indian-raga-guitar-lesson

So, here the 2nd finger comes into play. This makes connecting the phrase easy and smooth to execute with alternate picking.

shakti-indian-raga-guitar-lesson

Notice: I am starting on an upstroke. This is because it is a very smooth “Scalic” and mostly step-wise passage.

shakti-indian-raga-guitar-lesson

Below, we are starting with an anacrusis [Up Beat]. Because of this I am starting on a downstroke.

This means that the actual phrase [1st beat of the bar] will start on the upstroke for smooth step-wise scalic movement.

shakti-indian-raga-guitar-lesson

Below, we have the same thing. This time it starts on the off beat in the bar and employs the same concept:

Start on the down so the up carries the smooth scalic movement:

shakti-indian-raga-guitar-lesson

PDF DOWNLOAD “SHAKTI”:

Mirror Harmony [Negative Harmony] Music Theory Lesson

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Negative Harmony Mirror Harmony Lesson: How and Why it works

Here we will take a brief look at the major scale modes and their “Mirror” effect via inversion. When we employ contrary motion we get the same intervals descending as we do ascending. So for example if the Lydian scale ascends  T T T S the scale below descends exactly the same with TTTS.

Mirror-harmony-modes-Inversion

Other way around:

Mirror-harmony-reversed-modes-Inversion

The Dorian mode being “Palindromic” produces the same scale either way.

Palindromic-dorian-mode-mirror-harmony

Scale extension: 13 note scale

allan-holdsworth-13-note-music-scale

AUDIO of SCALE extension:

Polytonality and Polymodality Mirror Harmony with Scale:

Each mode of the major scale has it’s mirror [modal] opposite because the whole diatonic scale system can be symmetrically inverted.

Inverted Symmetrical Reflection. The intervals are the same both in harmonisation and contrary motion.

mirror-harmony-polytonality-music-scales

OR:

mirror-harmony-modal-music

modessss

Major scale mirrors

polytonality-major-scales-lesson

Polymodality modal mirrors

polymodality-modal-music-scale lesson

Hungarian Minor Polytonal mirrors

hunmgarian-minor-scale-poly-tonal

Polytonality exotic scales

enigmatic-scales-Superlocrian-scale- lesson
Polytonal Exotic Scales

Polymodality Modes in contrary motion

polymodal-scale-example
Polymodal “Contrary Motion” example

NEGATIVE HARMONY

negative-Harmony-major-phrygian
Negative Harmony or “INVERSION”

Here we see the opposites in the chords with Minor Reflecting Major and Major reflecting Minor. Diminished stays the same though.

negative-Harmony-chords-music
negative-Harmony-chords-music