Post on 03-Apr-2018
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S E S S I O N S
A STUDENT OF MINE IS FOND OF
Lynyrd Skynyrd, and asked me to transcribe a
few of their licks. While we were working
through some phrases, I noticed one that was
strikingly similar to something John Scofield
might play.
Here’s what I mean: E x. 1—our starting
phrase—is similar to one in Skynyrd’s “That
Smell.” Although the original starts on beat four,
we’ll begin on beat one for simplicity. This lick
is based on a fifth-position A -minor pentatonic
scale, and uses a combination of picked notes
and hammers.
To spice up the line for a jazzier sound, we’ll
start by changing the fingering. E x. 2 shows the
same phrase, but this time played only on the
third and fourth strings. Notice how the second
C (the and of beat two) is now a pull-off. This
small change gives the lick a more liquid feel.
The next variations feature chromatic pass-
ing tones. E x. 3’s is on the third string, while
Ex . 4 has one on the fourth string.
Finally, Ex . 5offers chromatic passing tones
on both strings. The slurs and chromatics make
this line sound jazzy, yet notice how it still re-
sembles our original phrase.
Rework your own favorite rock licks: Refinger
them, add slurs and passing tones, and tweak
their rhythms until the phrases morph into cool
lines for funk, bebop, Latin, or fusion. g
Alex Skolnick leads workshops, teaches pri-
vately, and plays in jazz combos throughout
the San Francisco area. For info on his jazz/fu-
sion group the Skol-Patrol, visit www.skol-pa-
trol.com.
TAB
44
5 75
5 77
55 7
1 13 1 11 33
4
TAB
44
5 57 79
( )
57 6 5
57
21 4 33 3
11 12
TAB
44
5 57 79
6 57 6
57 6 5
57
21
423
3 31
121
TAB
44
5 5 55 7
7 77
9
41
24
31 1 3
Lynyrd
Scofield
TAB
44
5 57 79 6 57 5
57
1 2 43 32 1
1
Ex. 1
Ex. 2 Ex. 3
Ex. 4 Ex. 5
B Y A L E X S K O L N I C K
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SO-CALLED “GYPSY” SCALES
are derived from Middle Eastern
modes. Harmonizing these modes
is an innovation of flamenco gui-
tarists. This results in some inter-
esting chord forms, a few of which
are shown in E x . 1. The sequence
of modes follows an oud style, and
these phrases are meant to have a
free, improvisatory feel.
(The oud is a round-backed,
fretless lute played in Africa and
the Middle East. It’s mostly fin-
gered in the first position and is
good for playing quarter-tones—
modal intervals that fall between
major and minor with a “sweet
and sour” sound.)
Ex. 2 is a selection of modes
played in the style of a “long-
necked” lute. Played from Morocco
to India, these are the oldest
known fretted stringed instru-
ments. This family includes the
bouzouki, saz, rebab, and sitar.
They usually have three or four
courses of double strings; melodies
are played mainly on the top
course, while the lower strings cre-
ate droning rhythms.
The shape of a long-necked
lute’s neck dictates that the scale
motion moves vertically up and
down the string (as opposed to
across the fretboard, as on guitar).
Approach thes e lines with the
same spirit as you would the blues.
In this example, the open-B
string adds a drone quality. Note
the large stretches, and the way
the first finger changes fretting po-
sition to support the trills and em-
bellishments. This technique was
explained to me by Yanaris Ase-
makis, who plays excellent Greek
bouzouki on my Guitar Bazaar
S E S S I O N S
TAB
( ) 3
21
4 42 1
1
0
24
00
31 4
0 034
X 1 3
Bmaj7
2 ( )
( ) 2
12
2 2
2
31 1
3 2
0
0
3 3 2 2 0 0 03 3
30
2 30 1 1
00
3 2
Em
2
TAB
44
Free time
( ) 64( )
3 ( )
Em add9
13
21
4 41
24
13
34
23
4
1
2
0
40 3
0 1 40
4 1 003
4 2
2 11
3 21 1
4
2
3 4
2
00 02
3 3 04 4
0 1
X X1 34F add4
X 3Am 5 5
2
2
0
1 1 23
0 10
04 12
1 4
Ex. 1
B Y T I M S P A R K S
Gypsy Scales &
Oriental Modes
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CD. Yanaris says he learned this
style from a Gypsy violinist, so
there you are.
Also, thanks to Sakher Hat-
tar, oud virtuoso and director of
the National Orchestra of Jor-
dan for his explanations and in-
spiration. g
Odd-meter specialist Tim
Sparks is the 1993 National Fin-
gerpicking Champion. His Gui-
tar Bazaar CD features intense
fingerpicking compositions in-
fluenced by Middle Eastern and
Balkan music. You can see
Sparks perform his music on a
companion video [both from
Acoustic Music, 1610 Crestview
Ave., Seal Beach, CA 90740].
Send us your candidate for Lick of the Month (preferably notated and
on cassette), along with a brief explanation of why it’s cool and how to play
it. If we select your offering, you’ll get a funky custom T-shirt that’s available
only to Lick of the Month club members. Mail your entry to Lick of the Month,
Guitar Player , 411 Borel Ave. #100, San Mateo, CA 94402. Include your name,
address, and phone number. Materials won’t be returned, and please don’t
call the office to check the status of your submission. You’ll get your shirt
if your lick is chosen. g
TAB
44 ( )
6-string elec. bass
* Notes sound one octave lower than written.** Hammer-ons, pull offs and slides optional.
**4 41 3
31
1
133
3 3
3
2 1 112 23 1 1
44 1( )
3 2 1
1
1
32
2
3
= 190* F7(I) B 7(IV) F7 B 7
85 7 8
5 77
7 755
87
6 8 97
7810 9 8
8
1010
78 7 6
778 6 4 5
6
(Cm7) (F7)
(G m7) (C 7) 2
TAB
( )54
3
( )64 ( )
3
1 1 2 21 1 1 21 12 21 1 2
40
002 4 5
0 04 45 2
04 0
000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 3 4 4 3 31 1 1 13 0
B A R I T O N E W E S
L i c k o f t h e M o n t h
DON WARE, OUR AUGUST LICK CHAMP, HAILS FROM
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He writes, “Wes used a 6-string bass guitar(tuned an octave lower than standard, à la Danelectro or Fender
VI) for three tunes on Movin’ Wes —‘Sandy,’ ‘Tune Up,’ and ‘Body
and Soul.’ While commonly heard in country, the 6-string bass is
almost unknown in jazz. This lick shows that Wes was as agile on
thick strings as he was on a regular guitar. Note the E n against F7 .
This n7-against-b7 rub creates a characteristic bop sound that says‘Charlie Parker.’ Check out bar 4, where Wes implies a IIm-V7 move
heading into the IV7: Cm7 -F7 into B b 7 . (You can also hear this as
a b5 substitution, G b m7 -C b 7 .) Wes didn’t play the slurs and slides,
but I’ve included them as optional ornamentation.” g
TAB
Free time
( )5
4
3
1 1 1 1 1 1133
( )7
4
3
3 33
1 12 221
11 1 122 2 21
00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 4 5 7 75 5 54 7
( )5
40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 07 78 6 7 12 1211 1111 8 87 7 76 8 7 75 5
Ex. 2
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S E S S I O N S
TAB
44
G
Open-G tuning, w/ slide
G7
30
0 020 0
3
0 020
00
03
3
DBGDBG
TAB
44
Open-G tuning, w/ slide
G
G7
00
0 00 3
3
2
00 0 0
003
32DBGDBG
TAB
44
G7
Open-G tuning, w/ slide
0
2 3 33
0
3 323
3 3 32
0
3
DBGDBG
3
IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS EARL SCRUGGS.
His brilliant banjo picking and flashy syncopations started
a 5-string revolution, and laid the foundation of the bluegrass
banjo style. When Scruggs and singer/guitarist Lester Flatt
hired Buck “Uncle Josh” Graves to play Dobro with them in
the early ’50s, Graves began to do for the “acoustic Hawaiian
steel guitar” what Scruggs had done for the banjo. Instead of
pursuing the languid Hawaiian sound on his resonator in-
strument, Graves developed a highly charged technique that
combined bluesy slide riffs and syncopated three-finger rolls.
In the late ’60s, Dobroist Mike Auldridge picked up thethread of Graves’ approach. Notes tumble from Auldridge’s
squareneck guitar in sparkling, syncopated cascades.
The following examples are meant to be played lap-style,
in high-G tuning (G, B, D, G, B, D , low to high) with a thumbpick,
two fingerpicks, and a Stevens-style solid bar for a slide.
Much of the momentum in bluegrass-style Dobro comes
from moves such as Ex. 1. This banjo-style roll breaks up
a measure’s worth of eighth-notes into a combination of
two three-note groups and a two-note group: 3+3+2. Fea-
turing the same syncopation, Ex. 2 is a classic Scruggs
Ex. 3
TAB
44
G
30
0
3
Open-G tuning, w/ slide
2 00
02
DBGDBG
Ex. 2
Ex. 4
Ex. 5
B Y D A V I D H A M B U R G E R
TAB
44
Open-G tuning, w/ slide
G
30
0
30
0
2 02 5
DBGDBG
6+6+4=BluegrassEx. 1
L A P T O P G U I T A R
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#9-3-5 lick recast for Dobro.
Each group of eighth-notes is twice as
long in E x . 3. Stretching across two bars, the
16 available eighth-notes are subdivided into
two six-note groups and a four-note group:
6+6+4. In E x. 4, the second group of six notes
echoes the first six, an octave up.
Got a little too much free time on your
hands? Ex . 5 is the bluesy solution, a 6+6+4
lick that lends itself to infinite repetition.
Finally, E x. 6 turns things inside out with
a 6+4+6 syncopation. g
David Hamburger teaches at the National
Guitar Summer Workshop. Check out Ham-
burger’s Electric Slide Guitar [Hal Leonard].
For David’s solo album, King of the Brooklyn
Delta , or info on clinics and private instruc-
tion, write to Chester Records, Box 170504,
Brooklyn, NY 11217.
TAB
44
G7
Open-G tuning, w/ slide
0
DBGDBG
3 0 0
0 13 3
20
0
0 00
3
23
Ex. 6
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S E S S I O N S
TAB
44
6 610
8 68
85
6 610
8
68
85
= 110
44
Cm or C7
6 610
81110 10
6 6 81110 10
6 6 11 6810 10
6 11 810 10
6 6 11 8
Cm or C7
TAB
44
= 116 Cm7
88
81212 12 12
11 101012
10 9 8 7 11 99
9 8 1010 10 77
6
TAB
44= 110
E7alt
7 79
9 10 7 12 99
9 15 13 131614
1515 12
12 10 1013 131513
1314
BECAUSE SAXOPHONE PLAYERS SPEND
their lives developing melodic skills, they can
teach us a lot about building single-note lines.
Tenor titan Michael Brecker has an incredible
command of improvisation, so let’s transfer
some of his ideas to guitar. In the spirit of free
play, I haven’t included fingering. Try rendering
each phrase at least two ways.
E xamples 1a and1bare two “false fingering”
sax licks. You can emulate this sound by playing
the same note on two different strings—check
out the B - and G -string F , for instance. Pay close
attention to the pull-offs.
Ex. 2 starts with another “false fingering”
idea and features chromatic colors. Notice the
E triad in bar 1, beat one (here, the 3—G # —is
written enharmonically as A b ), and the B b triad
spanning beats two and three. Brecker always
finds clever ways to superimpose chords over
the harmony.
A beautiful symmetrical pattern over E7 ,
E x. 3 sets up an altered dominant sound.
You can hea r Brecker’s lat est concepts
on his new Two Blocks from the Edge [GRP/
Impulse]. g
New York session player, performer, and
teacher Gil Parris says, “Thanks, Michael, for
your continued support and inspiration.” Gil’s
new self-titled solo album [RCA/BMG] features
David Sanborn, Bob James, and Harvey Mason.
Ex. 1a Ex. 1b
Ex. 2
Ex. 3
Sax Lines for
6-StringersB Y G I L P A R R I S
Hanging in New York: Parris with archtop
and mentor Michael Brecker.
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ACCESSING NOTES ON CALL
To sample or record any lesson in
this month’s Sessions, call 1-900-370-
0020and enter the appropriate four-
digit code. It costs 75¢ per minute.
You’ll need a touch-tone phone and
parental permission if you’re under
18. To better control your phone time,
use these touch-tone commands: 7= forward ten seconds; 8 = rewind ten
seconds; 9 = pause ten seconds; # =
skip to end; * = repeat lesson.
This month’s lessons are also
available on CD for only $6.95 (plus
$3.95 s/h). For credit card orders call
1-800-222-5544, or send check or
money order to Notes On Call, August
’98 Lessons, 146 2nd St. N., Ste. 201,
St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Crank up the inspiration with GP ’s Sessions sampler CD.
You get 11 high-voltage lessons for only $5.00. Call 1-800-222-5544.
Net-heads: For the lowdown on GP ’s music notation symbols—and to hear
Sessions sound samples—visit ww w.guit arpla y er.com.
N O T E S O N C A L L
August ’98 Guitar Player lessons:
1649 - 6+6+4=Bluegrass: DAVID HAMBURGER
1650 - Sax Lines for 6-Stringers: GIL PARRIS
1651 - Lynyrd Scofield: ALEX SKOLNICK
1652 - Gypsy Scales & Oriental Modes: TIM SPARKS
1653 - Cutting Edge Blues Guitar : MARK DZIUBA
1654 - Lick of the Month: BARITONE WES
1655 & 1656 - Leni Stern lesson: ANDY ELLIS
AUGUST 1998 GUITAR PLAYER 154