7/29/2019 A Holdsworth Guitar Astrona

1/4

AllanHoldsworth,towering intervals and lunarharmonies mark these solo flights

llan Holdsworths musicdefies description, letalone transcription. In

the case of his single-note soloing, itsvirtua lly impossible to define signaturelicks or phrases because Allan is a trueimproviser. One of the giants of 80sprogressive jazz/rock, Allan reinventsthe game every time he solos. The onlyway to gain insight into theHoldsworthian school of melodicline is to dissect his recorded solos.While our examples are drastically dif-ferent, we find recurring concepts suchas legato phrasing, large interval skips(often on the same string), and motifdevelopment. In fac t, Allans celebratedlegato phrasing is often so seamlessthat its diffi cult to tell which notes arepicked. While transcribing, I frequently

By Jesse Gress

RHYTHM / HOW TO PLAY GUITAR 69

7/29/2019 A Holdsworth Guitar Astrona

2/4

had to choose between several fingering pos-sibilit ies. I went with what seemed logical,but I encourage you to explore alternatives.

Here, then, is a sampling of Holdsworthsolo excerpts to be savored, scrutinized, and,if possible, expanded upon. Remem-ber, asscary as these lines may seem at first, they aredigested best if consumed one bite at a time.Minor motifsEx. 1 illustrates Allans sense of moti f devel-opment. Over a C-Dorian progression, he

firs t outlines Cm-add2 using a simple Motif development in Cm is also therhythm mot if, and then he displaces and focus of Ex. 2. An ascending Csu.74arpeggiosyncopates the figure while ascending a Bb targets the 9 (0). After a one-beat rest, themajor (CDorian) scale on the fi fth and third same sixteenth-note rhythmic moti f returns,strings. Note how the G note on the fourth but with E/, as the point of arrival, producingstring is common to both moti fs. The third a suspension/resolution ef fec t. The finalphrase (beginning at the end of bar 2) uses phrase is an extended Cm? arpeggio begin-the eighth-position C-pentatonic-minor ning with the first two notes of the originalscale, while the fourth (bars 4 and 5) extends moti f, but with both now played on the fi fththis idea before abruptly leaping a minor string. This five-f ret , perfect-fourth stretch, aseventh. A short Dorian scale fragment tar- Holdsworth trademark, also occurs on thegets G, the 5 of Cm. third and first strings. Practice these stretch-

Ex. 1(Csus4) G/C Cm7 F/C csus4*. . .

J =155 .* -

Ex. 2(CSUS4) GIG Cm7 F/C*= .

Ex. 3 Ex. 4C F Gadd9

Ex. 5Gmajl3 Abmajl3

70 HOW TO PLAY GUITAR / RHYTHM

7/29/2019 A Holdsworth Guitar Astrona

3/4

slowly at first . Once they become comfort -and use this concept

lore new avenues out of Cliche C ity .ascending fourths organized into a symmetri - wraps it up with a G-pentatonic-majorcal string-skipping sequence ( fif th string tothird, fourth string to second, third string tofirst). Try this one over Cm7, F7, or Ebmaj7

excursion in the ninth and tenth positions.Played over a rare (for Allan) I-IV-V pro-

the short, sax-like phrase in Ex.approaches the tonic (CJ via an arpeg-

Dbmuj7. Next comes a five-f ret pull-ff , an outlined Gsus4 (or CSUS~), and an

pull-off from the 19tht to the open D-string-another favoriteEx. 4 is a beautiful example of hammered

Orbital harmonyEx. 5 opens with an &-major (or Db- Holdsworth often travels outside the estab-

Lydia@ scale fragment, followed by a G-scale lished tonality by shifting a phrase up orfigure over Gmajl3. Note how each two-note down a half-step. The first three notes of Ex.grouping-excluding the G grace note and 6 are derived from the thirteenth-positionghosted C-changes strings and melodic F-pentatonic-minor scale, while the nextdirection. The eighth-position Eb major scale three shi ft briefly but ef fec tiv ely to twelfth-at the end of bar 2 anticipates the 4 Lydian position E-pentatonic minor. After a returnphrases in the following measure. Allan to F with melodic minor and blues scale

Ex. 6Bh/Gb CID

Gmajl3

Ex. 7

I HYTHM / HOW TO PLAY GUITAR 71

7/29/2019 A Holdsworth Guitar Astrona

4/4

material, a descending E/,6 (or Gm7J arpeg-gio precedes the final C.

Ex. 7 twists and turns around Cm7like aworld-class cyc list on a high-speed obstaclecourse. Holdsworth incorporates C and Dbpentatonic-minor ideas, chromaticism, sin-gle-string melodic leaps, and C-minor scaleruns, all played legato and accelerating intothe final targeted D note. Try playing thisline over F7or Ebmaj7#11.

Ex. 8 develops a very cool perfect-fourthmoti f. The ascending fourth is played fivefre ts higher on the same string, and then inunison on the next highest string, shif tingagainst a primar ily Cm background. Themotif ultimately makes its way to the first andsecond strings, where it becomes a-chromat-ical ly descending sequence. A tenth-positionC-Dorian excursion liberally sprinkled with

chromatic passing tones precedes the unusu-A mutated Urn-V-I-IV progression is the

harmonic background to our final finger-ally bluesy eighth-position wrap-up.

twister (Ex. 9). B/JGb (Gmaj7#5l substitutesfor Urn, Gb IAb (Bb1369lAb?) subs for V,Ebmaj7#11 is the altered I chord, andDsus4lBb (Bbmaj716) replaces IV Allan startsin the seventeenth position, but by the endof the first beat he begins a series ofdescending half-step position shift s toaccommodate the increasing chromaticismof the line. Reaching the eleventh position atthe end of beat 3, he reverses direction,ascending to the fifteenth position for theGIAb. Here Allan employs a fragment of asymmetrical G-diminished scale (half-step,whole-step). The phrase culminates in anunexpected slide to the 21st fret and some

Cm7

melodic tremolo-bar scooping (anotherHoldsworth hallmark). Working his way intothe eighth position via an E/,-major scale,Allan superimposes a stre tchy Fsus4 arpeg-gio before continuing to develop a descend-ing motif derived from Eb major. Bar 4 fea-tures a stripped-down pentatonic approachto an ascending octave skip, a half-stepdescent, and a pull-of f to the open E-string.

To hear Holdsworths interstellar lines foryourself, keep your eyes peeled for thesealbums: Velvet Darkness (CTI), Believe It(Columbia), Feels Good to Me (Polydor),Tempest (Warner Bras.), Enigmatic Ocean(Atlantic), and The Wardenclyffe Tower(Restless). n

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jesse Gress is the music editor for GuitarPlayer.

Ex. 9Bb/GbJ.so *.............................................4

&Ab

Ebmaj7#i I

72 HOW TO PLAY GUITAR / RHYTHMI