Viaduedoio

Technique Guest Lesson Shred like

Sweep Picking Marty Friedman Yngwie
&
DV D play better now! #258
October 2014
£5.50

Are these the

100
greatest guitar

Riffs + How To
Write The
Perfect
Riff

of all time?
Say Wah?!
Make your
guitar speak!
Call 999!
Ibanez goes
one lower

Learn AC/DC Jimi Hendrix

20
Derek & The Dominos DAFT
The
Kinks Guns N’ Roses PUNK
Roy Orbison Nirvana
Rage Against The Machine

riffs Metallica Deep

Purple
Free
Black Sabbath Cream Blue
Öyster
Dire
The Beatles
Straits Cult

Michael Jackson  arctic monkeys

The Rolling Stones october 2014 PRINTED IN THE UK £5.50
 editor’s letter

Welcome…
Future Publishing
Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA
Tel: 01225 442244 Fax: 01225 822763
Email: totalguitar@futurenet.com
Website: www.totalguitar.co.uk

Editorial
Editor Stuart Williams
Content Editor Rob Laing
Reviews Editor Dave Burrluck
Deputy Reviews Editor Michael Brown
Managing Editor Josh Gardner
Production Editor Gary Walker
Art Editor Leanne O’Hara
Good news! The guitar riff is alive and
Senior Music Editor Jason Sidwell
Music Editor Chris Bird
well… but you already knew this, didn’t
Music Co-ordinator Natalie Smith
Editor At Large Neville Marten you? Still, when we heard about the BBC’s
Contributors
Steve Allsworth, Owen Bailey, Phil Capone, Trevor Curwen, Rich Greatest Guitar Riff poll, we wanted to
get involved. That’s why this issue, we’ve
Chamberlain, Sarah Clark, Matt Frost, Charlie Griffiths, Jonathan Horsley,
Steve Lawson, Andy McGregor, Matthew Parker, Mick Taylor, Niko Tsonev,
James Uings, Henry Yates

Music Engraver Simon Troup

Audio Mastering Duncan Jordan
packed a cross-section of 20 classic video
Video Production Martin Holmes
Photography Joe Branston, Adam Gasson, Neil Godwin, Kevin Nixon,
riff lessons onto a special edition DVD,
Gavin Roberts, Joby Sessions

Advertising
complete with backing tracks for you to
Phone: 01225 442244 Fax: 01225 732285
Advertising Sales Director Clare Coleman-Straw
learn. In our cover feature, you’ll find an
Sales Manager Amanda Burns, amanda.burns@futurenet.com
Account Sales Managers James L’Esteve, james.lesteve@futurenet.com
Alison Watson, alison.watson@futurenet.com
analysis of the entire list (including the
Advertising Sales Executive Simon Rawle, simon.rawle@futurenet.com
ones that we disagree with) – plus, we’ve
broken down the musical trends of the top 20
Marketing
Group Marketing Manager Laura Driffield
Marketing Executive Richard Stephens

Circulation to find the formula for the ultimate guitar riff. We even picked
the brains of some riff-writing heroes to find out which guitar
Head of Trade Marketing James Whitaker
Trade Marketing Manager Daniel Foley, daniel.foley@futurenet.com
Direct Marketing Executive Alex Moreton

Print & Production

Production Manager Mark Constance
riffs have inspired them the most.
Production Controller Frances Twentyman
Prepress Future PreMedia
Finally, you might have noticed the large red circle on our
Licensing
Senior Licensing & Syndication Manager
front cover, too. This month, we’re offering you a free digital
Regina Erak, regina.erak@futurenet.com
Tel: +44(0)1225 732359 Fax: +44(0)1225 732275 edition of TG for your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Just follow the
If you would like to purchase the images featured in this publication, please
visit www.futuremediastore.com or email mediastore@futurenet.com simple instructions on p65 and you’ll be able to take this issue
Future Publishing Ltd
Head Of Music Rob Last of Total Guitar with you wherever you go, complete with all the
audio and video you usually find on your TGCD. If you haven’t
Group Art Director Rodney Dive
Creative Director Robin Abbott
Editorial Director Jim Douglas
Managing Director, Future UK Nial Ferguson
checked it out yet, now’s your chance to see what you’re
Subscriptions
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missing – and it’s on us! Now, let’s get riffin’!
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Next issue on sale 29 September 2014

Printed in the UK by William Gibbons on behalf of Future.

Distributed in the UK by Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue,
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The ABC combined print

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making this month’s mag:
© Future Publishing Limited 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without
the written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in
England and Wales. The registered office of Future Publishing Limited is at Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA.
Chris Michael Rob
All information contained in this magazine is for informational purposes only and is, to the best of our knowledge,
correct at the time of going to press. Future Publishing Limited cannot accept any responsibility for errors or
inaccuracies that occur. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers direct with regard to pricing. All
Bird Brown Laing
submissions to Total Guitar magazine are made on the basis of a licence to publish the submission in Total Guitar
magazine, its associated websites and all world-wide licensed editions of the same. Any material submitted is sent
In this month’s Gear man Our features
at the owner’s risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future Publishing Limited nor its agents shall be liable
for loss or damage. We encourage you to recycle this magazine, either through your usual household recyclable
‘Ask TG’, Tuition Michael spent boar has been
waste collection service or at a recycling site. Editor Chris has been chatting the month prepping his nine-string sifting through the riff list, snout
We are committed to only using magazine paper with ace tutor Steve Allsworth skills for the demo of the Ibanez down and angry; muttering that
which is derived from well managed, certified about sweep picking. If this is RG9, before busting out his finest Paranoid is Black Sabbath’s
forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future
Publishing and its paper suppliers have been something you’ve ever struggled riffs for our Xotic and EWS pedal equivalent of Margarita Time. He
independently certified in accordance with the with turn to p104 where we’ve round-up – once you’ve finished would have had Into The Void…,
rules of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
tabbed 12 exercises that are delving into this issue’s mountain Supernaut or Sympton Of The
guaranteed to help you master of gear, see how he got on at Universe. He won’t be sated until
this challenging technique. www.youtube.com/totalguitar. Iommi gets his own top 100…

october 2014  3
 HOW To USe Your DVD

how to use your TG DVD

This month’s TG features a DVD rather than an audio CD.
To access your video riff lessons follow the instructions below…

1 2
Insert your DVD ROM
into your computer (the disk
won’t work in DVD players)
3
 avigate to the folder
N Select the video lesson
20 Classic Riffs - Video or MP3, and double click
Lessons & MP3s to open in your media

Also on your DVD:

Free Play Guitar Now sampler

We’ve included six video lessons from the Guitar Techniques
Play Guitar Now series, brought to you by the UK’s top tutors. To find
out where you can purchase the Play Guitar Now series, check out the
PDF in the Play Guitar Now Sampler folder.

october 2014 5
 contents
monitor
First Look Fender Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster ��� 008
On The Road Motionless In White ������������������������������ 010
Riff Of The Month Pixies - Where Is My Mind? �������� 012
Scale Of The Month Phrygian mode �������������������������� 014
Guitar Shop Ammo Latin Rock ������������������������������������� 016
In Praise Of Electro-Harmonix Big Muff �������������������� 018
Splurge, Save, Steal Baritone electrics ��������������������� 020
WTF? / Bring The Noise! ������������������������������������������������ 022
Sound Advice Atmospheric volume swells ������������� 024
In The Loop Folk reel �������������������������������������������������������� 026
In The Studio Sleeping With Sirens ����������������������������� 027
On The Up King 810, Fatherson,  
Alpha Male Tea Party���������������������������������������������������������� 028
Albums This month’s best guitar releases ����������������� 030
Five Minutes Alone Brian Setzer ���������������������������������� 032
Rig Tour Winery Dogs ������������������������������������������������������ 035
Win! PRS SE ‘Floyd’ Custom 24 �������������������������������������� 040
Feedback ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 042

Features
Lonely The Brave UK rockers finally get one out ���� 044
Cover feature: 100 Greatest Guitar Riffs 
We cast our critical eye over the BBC’s recent poll 
PLUS! We teach you 20 of the riffs featured �������������� 048
Marmozets Chatting guitar with the proggers��������� 058

Contents: Villalonga/Photoshot Simon Lees Dave Caudery Adam Gasson

100 greatest guitar riffs 048
we dissect the bbc poll, plus 20 classic riffs to learn
Chuck Ragan Talks .acoustics and furniture����������������
Steal Their Style Yngwie Malmsteen�������������������������
066
070
The Horrors Joshua Third on why he loves DIY������� 074
Cover: Neil Godwin Villalonga/Photoshot Disc: Neil Godwin

070 steal their style: 035 018

Yngwie malmsteen Rig Tour: WINERY DOGS in praise of...

6   october 2014
 issue 258 October 2014

lonely the brave 044

Gear
Ibanez RG9������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 082
Freshman Songwriter SONGOCRW����������������������������� 084
T-Rex SoulMate��������������������������������������������������������������������� 085
Round-up Vintage Reissued Series������������������������������� 086
Vox AC15C1-V-RD ��������������������������������������������������������������� 090
Washburn LSB768SEK ������������������������������������������������������ 091
first
Ibanez rg9 082 008 look Round-up Xotic and EWS pedals ���������������������������������� 092
Quick tests TC Electronic Alter Ego X4 Vintage  
Echo, Seymour Duncan Dirty Deed Distortion ���������� 094
Accessories ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 095

techniques
Guitar Workout Pentatonic Runs �������������������������������� 097
Guest Lesson Marty Friedman Pt 3 ����������������������������� 102
Ask TG Sweep picking������������������������������������������������������� 104
Get Your Grades! Rockschool ��������������������������������������� 106
chuck
066 ragan Get Your Grades! RGT ����������������������������������������������������� 107
Tab Guide ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 110

058 Subscribe now & Save!

Marmozets Subscribe to Total Guitar and get a Blackstar LT Dist pedal! p108

october 2014  7
 first look…
Weapon
of Troy
QOTSA guitarist gets a
signature Jazzmaster

W
e’re huge fans of Queens Of The
Stone Age and A Perfect Circle
here at TG, so we were thrilled
when Fender announced the Troy Van
Leeuwen Jazzmaster, which comes
complete with playing and spec tweaks
from the renowned alt-rock guitarist.
Although a relatively recent convert to
the Jazzmaster fold, Troy knows how to
make the model more playable: he’s
swapped the oft-knocked rhythm circuit
slider with a heavy-duty two-way toggle
switch, while the string-popping bridge is
replaced with the sturdier Mustang version.
There’s also that stunning Oxblood finish
and the four-ply tortoiseshell pickguard.
The TVL Jazz has a vintage vibe, with ‘witch
hat’ controls and block inlays, plus a pair of
American Vintage ’65 Jazzmaster single
coils, to capture the mellow, crystalline
tones the model is famed for.
If you’re after a classic Jazzmaster with a
few playability tweaks, you can’t go far
wrong with Troy’s model, but it’ll cost you:
£1,306, to be precise, although street prices
are closer to £1,000.

Troy’s signature
on the headstock
tops things off
Photography: Simon Lees

8   october 2014
 first look monitor

If you’re after a classic Jazzmaster

with a few playability tweaks, you
can’t go far wrong with Troy’s
model, but it’ll cost you

October 2014  9
 monitor section

on the road…
31
oct

5
nov

“ourliveshowis
somethingwe’vebeen
perfectingsincewe
startedasaband.
Weplayedover300
© Chelsea Lauren/Corbis

showslastyear”

10 october 2014
 on the road monitor

Motionless
JACK SOCKETS
BRIDGES SADDLES
TRUSS RODS

In White
FERRULES
JACK PLATES
WASHERS KNOBS
MACHINE HEADS
Goth-metaltwosomeprepareforaHalloweenhorrorshow
TOPNUTS

M POTENTIOMETERS
acabre metalcore upstarts
Motionless In White and veteran
Italian goths Lacuna Coil may not
seem like the most fitting of musical
bedfellows, but the pair kick off a co-headline
UK tour in Bristol on 31 October, and Ricky
Horror, rhythm player for MIW, reckons it’ll be
a perfect match.
“People should come and experience this,”
he enthuses, “It’s going to be a really
interesting tour. Lacuna Coil are not in the
same style as us, they are completely different
to us. But I love going to tours with bands that
bring different dynamics to the show. You
won’t see the same band playing over and
over, when either band goes out there it will be
completely fresh. We’re really excited for the
tour. We can hit different markets with Lacuna
Coil’s fanbase that we haven’t touched before.”
Motionless In White head into the tour with
a brand new album, Reincarnate, under their
belts, and it seems that Ricky can’t wait to bust
out a few new tunes on the road.
“I’m excited to play the opening track
[Death March] of the album. The first time
I heard the demo version of it was just the
heaviest thing I’d ever heard. I imagine that
being the opener of the set at some point, with
the sirens blaring and blowing people away
with how heavy it is.
“I almost want to take the last two or three
albums we’ve done and throw them away.
I want everyone to forget about them. I think CAPACITORS
we all feel the same because this album is so
much more mature and it’s the album we
PICKUP SURROUNDS
wanted to make four years ago and the album STRING TREES
that we wanted to make two years ago but we
weren’t quite there yet.” STRAP PINS
Long-time fans shouldn’t worry though, as
despite his eagerness to play Reincarnate
SWITCHES
front-to-back, Ricky adds that the UK jaunt TREMOLO ARMS
will most likely see three new tracks aired, so
all your old favourites will be on the bill. WIRING KITS
Ricky’s Ibanez Prestige and Roadcore TRUSS RODS
guitars will also be present and correct, but the
rest of his set-up is still up for debate. He tells SCREWS SPRINGS
us that he’s toying with taking a baritone out
on the road and, while his Peavey 6505 is set in
FRET WIRE
stone, he may team it up with an Engl Fireball. TREMOLOS
Whichever rig he goes with, Ricky is confident
that a stunning show will be in store.
“Our live show is something we’ve been
perfecting since we started as a band. We
played over 300 shows last year. I hate seeing a
band where you can tell they don’t want to be
there or they’re having an off day, we try to
eliminate that as much as possible.”
Motionless In White’s co-headline tour with Lacuna
Coil starts on 31 October. www.miwofficial.com

MIW will be blowing

people away at venues ONLY
across the UK this year
SOLID
METAL
£7.50*
CAPO
*Price subject to availability

USE DISCOUNT CODE: TG10

limited time only

blackdogmusic
.co.uk
THE ULTIMATE
LINE UP
 monitor section

OF THE MONTH
Phrygian mode
in association with

TGR258.mon_scale.fig01.musx Lydian Mode

T
he Phrygian mode is the third b2nd. The b2nd’s dark sound lends itself
This mode’s flamenco flavours
TGR258.mon_scale.fig01.musx
File Date: 10:59 05/08/2014
mode of the major scale. For
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the Month
to the evil-sounding metal styles of
and meaty metal motifs will1 lead
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Charlie
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byscale Griffiths
DigitalMusicArt.Com
also has a flamenco
flavour, which has been employed by
Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
on A instead of F – think of the Phrygian guitarists such as Al Di Meola, Yngwie
mode as the natural minor scale with a Malmsteen and Marty Friedman.

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œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
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Reminiscent of Marty

&
Friedman’s flamenco Am
moments, this sets up the
minor sound with an initial 4 œ
œ
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3
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A minor triad before
descending through one File Date:
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6
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05/08/2014
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8
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œb œ œ œ œ œb œ œ œ œ
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A5 powerchord up and TGR258.mon_scale.fig03.musx Lydian Mode
down semitone; then, skip TGR258.mon_scale.fig03.musx
~~~~
Lydian Mode
. .
to the fourth string and File Date: 10:59 05/08/2014 Scale of the Month
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descend through the lower T 1 of 1
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octave. All the notes on 8 7 5 Contributor:
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beats 2 and 3 fall on the B
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offbeat, so use upstrokes. Notes: 1
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father of modern alternate
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up, down, up. Use 1 8 6
palm-muting throughout. 1

14   october 2014
 monitor section

TG helps you
blag a new style ammo
t h i s m o n t h…

Latin Rock x x
What You
Need To Know

C
arlos Santana’s name has been key players: Carlos
synonymous with Latin- Santana, Neal Schon, Jeff
1
influenced rock since the
late-1960s. His musical style is a
5 ‘Skunk’ Baxter, Larry Carlton
Key techniques:
fusion of classic-rock guitar with Syncopated rhythms, Dorian,
syncopated rhythms from traditional pentatonic and harmonic
South American dance forms. Carlos 2 3 4 minor scale solos
frames most of his playing around
the minor pentatonic, often adding Traditional dances such as
major 2nd and 6th intervals to hint at
1 samba, tango, merengue
the Dorian mode for a brighter vibe. and more form the rhythmic
Try out this month’s lick next time basis of many Latin rhythm
you’re in the guitar shop. grooves. Bossa nova and salsa
Em9 are 20th Century styles.
x x x x
Carlos Santana is PRS
2 Guitars’ most notable
1 2 1
5 4 endorser. His model has a
3 2 3 mahogany body with a maple
top and a mahogany neck with
4 4 a 24-fret rosewood fretboard.

Steely Dan dipped their

3 toes in the waters of Latin
rock on tracks such as Do It
TGR258.mon_ammo.fig01.musx Again and HaitianLatin
Divorce.
Rock
TGR258.mon_ammo.fig01.musx
File Date: 21:06 28/07/2014 Latin
Guitar Rock
Shop Ammo
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Date: 121:06 A13 Dmaj9 CarlosShop
Guitar Santana’s
4 distortion Ammo signature
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tone Griffiths
comes
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DigitalMusicArt.Com
a neck-position
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humbucker with his guitar’s
tone control set close to zero.
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BU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

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BU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~12 14 ~~~~~

BU BD
12 15 BU BD(17 ) (15 ) 12
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15
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15
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12 11 12
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14 12 11
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A B 12 12 14 14
B 1
Guitar: Charlie Griffiths

Bend the notes at the 15th fret with your third finger and bunch your first and second fingers against it to add support. Add vibrato to the bend by slightly relaxing the string, then
1

re-bending up to pitch, being careful not to over-bend. The held F# at the start of bar 3 enhances the Latin vibe.

16   October 2014
 monitor section
PHOTOGRAPHY: Simon Lees

in praise of…
Electro-
Harmonix
Big Muff
All hail the world’s
most famous fuzz box

I
n 1969, Electro-Harmonix
engineer Robert Myer
delivered a dinky fuzz pedal to
EHX head honcho, Mike
Matthews. Matthews was
impressed: unlike other fuzzes of
the time, this had a sweet tone,
which he described as “funky, soft,
muffled”, dubbing it the ‘Muff
Fuzz’. But Matthews wanted
more. He tasked Myer with
producing a new, bigger pedal
based on the Muff Fuzz’s circuitry
but with longer sustain and three
knobs rather than the Muff Fuzz’s
single pot. Myer’s solution was the
Big Muff, named prosaically after
its smaller forerunner and
profanely after the slang for a
lady’s front bottom.
Carlos Santana and John Lennon
bought their Muffs in 1971, but the
pedal’s first notable outing came in
1972 when Tony Peluso plugged
his Big Muff directly into the
recording console for his solo on
The Carpenters’ Goodbye To Love,
while era-defining fuzz tones
from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour
and Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy
Corgan later followed. Today, Big
Muffs can be seen on the
pedalboards of everyone from
Arctic Monkeys to U2 – and there’s
a multitude of Muffs to choose
from, with 14 different models
currently in production.

Electro-Harmonix hand-wires the first

1969 Big Muff pedals
Cost-effective ‘Sovtek’ Big Muffs are
1991 produced in Russia after EHX goes bankrupt
Assembly of Big Muffs is brought back to
2000 the USA
EHX trims the size of the Muff down to create
2007 the Little Big Muff Pi

18   october 2014
 monitor section

Baritone electrics Wanna go low? Check out these three

reasonably priced ’tones with tone to spare…

20   october 2014
 monitor section

What the ∫   Theory for lazy b*st*rds 

t h i s m o n t h … t h e s tav e

T
he musical stave (aka ‘staff’) Stave notes (lines) Stave notes (spaces)
represents the pitch of the Remember the names of the notes on the lines with The names of the notes in the spaces are easy
the mnemonic: Every Good Boy Deserves Fun. to remember with the word: FACE.
notes you play. The idea is
that notated music is useful for
other players to learn from,
especially non-guitarists who
wouldn’t be able to learn a piece
from a guitar demo. Each black dot
Open-string notes Chord root notes on the stave
From low to high the six open strings on a standard Remember your open chords? These are the lowest
represents a note, and the dots are tuned guitar are E, A, D, G, B and E as notated here. root notes from C, A, G, E and D chords.
positioned on or between staff lines.
Notes that fall outside the pitch of
the stave are placed on additional
lines (called leger lines). Sharps and
flats are shown with # and b signs.
Of course, the challenge lies in All the notes! This is as many notes as we could fit on one stave! This takes you from your open
memorising which lines and spaces sixth string to the 12th fret of your first string, not including sharp or flat notes, or course.
refer to which notes. The easiest
way to learn is to associate notes of
the stave with notes you already
know on guitar, such as open strings
and chord root notes.

video
bring the noise! lesson
w w w.b it .l
y/tg 2 58 n
o is e

Coax crazy sounds from your axe

#13: say wah?

G
uitar wizard Steve Vai has
used his guitar to emulate the
human voice throughout his
career, first with Frank Zappa on step 1 step 2 step 3
tracks such as The Dangerous Kitchen Produce a random series of Simultaneously use your Use a wah pedal to shape
and on solo album tracks such as So notes by hammering-on whammy bar to ‘scoop’ in the tone and create the
Happy, The Audience Is Listening and with your fretting hand; try and ‘doop’ out of notes, as effect of a mouth opening
Ya-Yo Gakk. Steve actually to avoid playing a scale well as accessing micro- and closing to create vowel
transcribed the notes and rhythms of shape and go for unusual tones, which are tiny sounds. ‘Toe down’
human speech; the notes are usually intervals such as b2nds, intervals ‘in-between’ position is mouth fully
a random series of semitones and b5ths and b6ths. We’re standard semitones. These open and ‘heel down’
even microtones, and the rhythms do using E and Bb notes on the can only be played on the position has a ‘closed
not stick to a set tempo, which makes fourth and fifth strings. guitar by bending strings. mouth’ sound.
it quite a challenge to set to music.
Use fret-hand tapping to produce the
notes, and employ your guitar’s
whammy-bar for pitch bending, and
a wah pedal to shape vowel sounds
more realistically.
tg dvd
22   october 2014
 monitor section

sound Advice
Atmospheric
volume swells
In a new series, Niko Tsonev visits sonic realms
usually reserved for sequencers and synths

T
he guitar is a magical volume to its maximum level as
instrument that can create the notes are ringing.
almost any sound, Most pros prefer a volume
especially with the innumerable pedal for swells, the difference
effects available to guitarists. This (from the guitar’s volume knob)
issue, we will look at volume being steadier, more controlled
swells, which, when combined and expressive volume changes
with different effects and playing allowed by pedals.
techniques can create chordal The trickiest element of this
beds, synth-like lines, pads and technique is timing. To play a
other-worldly textures. swell in time you must anticipate
TGR258.mon_soundadvice.fig01.musx
Niko Tsonev is a guitarist, producer and composer with a unique style. His Swells and Pads
Volume swells are well known the picked note, ie, play it before
work is aFile
melting 11:06
pot of
Date: 31/07/2014
progressive rock, djent, jazz-fusion and classical to us guitarists; just play a note or Sounddown
the beat with the volume Advice
impressionism. He has worked with artists such as Lifesigns, Steven Wilson
Page 1 of 1
(Porcupine Tree), JJ Grey (Mofro), Youth, Die So Fluid and Christophe Godin. chord with your guitar volume Contributor:
and take it up so the optimum
Notes: down, then gradually raise the level is reached
Engraved on the beat.
by DigitalMusicArt.Com
signal path volume pedal delay reverb
tG DVD
~~~ œ
N.C. G 5/D N.C. Fmaj 7 N.C. G

œ w
#4 œ œ œ œ ˙ œ w œ œ ˙ ˙˙ w
w/bar

· œ ww w
œ ˙ ww w
& 4œ w ww ww
Freely

œœ ww n ˙˙ w w
w w
w w
~~~ 15
NH
Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. w/bar Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol.
Vol.

5 8
T 16 14
3
TGR258.mon_soundadvice.fig02.musx
12 0 5 12
15
14 16
5
5 5
10 12 0
Swells
0 and Pads
A 12
15:05
File Date: 14 31/07/2014 0 12 7
Sound Advice 7 9 0
B 8
Page
1
1 of 1 3Contributor:

The fun part begins when you apply effects. The volume fades cut the attack from each note, giving an otherworldly synth-like sound.Engraved
Notes: by DigitalMusicArt.Com
We’re also using a hall reverb (50 per cent
dry, 50 per cent wet), then in bar 5 we’ve kicked in with a quarter-note delay (632ms) set to repeat four or five times. Our guitar has single-coil pickups.

signal path volume pedal octave pedal fuzz modulation delay

tG DVD
œ œ œ ˙ U
## 4N.C. ˙
Freely

˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ww ww
D 5/A

& 4Œ ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ #˙ ˙ ˙ ww ww
˙ #˙ ˙ ˙
Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol.

T 15 12
12 14 7 11 7 9 7
A 14 9 6 7 11 7
B 5 9
7
5
4
7
5 9
5
5
1
Guitars: Niko Tsonev

Here, we’re developing things by adding a fuzz pedal, which gives richness and body to the sound. Keep the gain low to moderate. Once again, crucially, the volume swells cut
off the start of the notes, allowing them to ‘grow’. Delay time is now more than twice as long, at around 1400ms.

24   october 2014
 monitor section

in the loop… TGR258.mon_loop.fig01.musx

Folk jig
File Date: 10:10 07/08/2014
Page 1 of 1
Notes:

Use your looper pedal

to create traditional-style Loop 1: tg dvd
folk jigs and reels Chord j j
#### 6 . œœ œœj œ ¿¿ ¿¿ œœ œœj œ ¿¿ ¿¿ œœ œœ ¿¿ ¿¿ n œœœ œœœ œœœ ¿¿ ¿¿ .
q.=134
B E A

œœ
strumming & # 8 . œœ œœ œœ ¿ ¿ œœ œœ œœ ¿ ¿ œœ œœ œœ ¿ ¿ n œœ œœ œœ ¿ ¿ .

T œ œ œœ œ œ œœ nœ œ œ
raditional English and Irish folk music is TGR258.mon_loop.fig02.musx
often multilayered with, for example, The B, E and A are played using File Date: 10:11 07/08/2014
1 of .1 44 44 44 ¿¿ ¿¿ 44 44 44 ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ .
guitar, violin, mandolin and percussive three different barre shapes.
Page
. 46 46 46 ¿ ¿ 46 46 46 ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿.
5 5 5
instruments such as the bodhrán drum. You The B and E chords can be T 5
4
5
4
5
4
5
6
5
6
5
6
played with a first finger barre at A
can approximate these elements on the guitar, Notes:
6 6 6 7 7 7
B 7 7 7 7 7 7
the 4th fret, but you could use a 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 5
using a looper to create a full arrangement. 1

capo to make things easier.

6/8 time provides the perfect rhythmic basis
for a traditional folk jig. Our example is based
in the B Mixolydian mode (B C# D# E F# G# Loop 2: tg dvd
A) – a common scale in folk music. On the
Mandolin
#### 6 . œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ n œœ œœ œœ œœ n œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ .
B E A
accompanying audio examples, we used an
electric guitar, but if you use an acoustic guitar style diads & #8 . .
you could experiment with adding percussive
TGR258.mon_loop.fig03.musx The mandolin is tuned quite Folk Reel
sounds by striking the guitar body. high and has four pairs of
File Date: 10:12 07/08/2014
. 19 19 19 19 19 19 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 .
strings. Emulate its sound by In The Loop
. Contributor: Charlie Griffiths.
19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 16 16 16 17 17 19 19 17 17 16 16 16
T
Page 1 No
of 1 playing high on the fretboard 19 19 19 19 19 19

looper pedal? We’ve included audio A

and alternate-picking across B
Notes: files on your TGCD for you to import two strings. A soft, flexible pick 1 Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
into a DAW, such as GarageBand will work more smoothly.

tg dvd
L o o p 3 : M e l o dy
# ## 6 n œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
B E A

& # # 8 .. œ œ ..
Guitars and backing: Charlie Griffiths

. .
. .
T 10 7 9 7 9 7
9
7
9 8 8 9
9
9
10
9
12
9
10
9
9
9
10
A 11 9
B
1

Folk jigs typically have melodies that are fiddly and technically challenging on the guitar. The first two bars are played with your first, second and third fingers positioned at the 7th,
9th and 10th frets. Quickly reposition your hand to barre the 9th fret with your first finger when you reach bar 3.

26   october 2014

In the Studio
Jack using the Kemper
Profiling amp during the
recent studio sessions
Artist:
sleeping
WiTh sirens
Post-hardcore workaholics
bringing the edge back to
daytime radio
“There’s no rock on the radio
anymore,“ says Sleeping With Sirens’
Jack Fowler. “You can’t turn on the radio
and hear rock, it’s all Iggy Azalea. Hey,
I shake my ass to that shit all day long,
but everything on the radio is in the pop
realm, there’s no edginess. We’re going
to try to change that with this album.”
With that mission statement in mind,
the US post-hardcore chart climbers are
in the studio with John Feldmann, and
Fowler admits working with the
producer is a treat. “He’s helping our
band become something different and
original. After hearing The Used records
and Story Of The Year records growing
up, I’ve always wanted to work him him,
so it’s a dream come true.”
Jack tells us that the record is 70 per
cent finished, and that it comes on the
back of a period of reflection brought
on by the departure of rhythm player
Jesse Lawson.
“I had a lot of time to think after
Jesse’s departure, and we wanted to
reinvent ourselves. We’re still the same
band but this is the next step to
changing the game.”
That isn’t the only game-changing
event to hit the band in the last year or
Album name and release is TBA. For more information, visit www.sleepingwithsirens.net.
in the studio monitor
LEGENDARY
MUSIC STRINGS
SINCE 1958
The Music Man Reflex suits
Fowler’s penchant for slab
bodies and twin humbuckers
MICHAEL AMOTT
ROTOSOUND PLAYER
so. The release of 2013’s Feel sky- NEW MOISTURE PROOF, PAPER FREE
rocketed the band’s popularity, giving FOIL POUCHES KEEPING
them a top-three chart place in the OUR STRINGS FACTORY FRESH
States in the process. “We love Feel, but
we’ve toured that album. Kids have no
attention span, they want something
quick, something high-energy, and we’re
going to give it to them. We’re not just
going to disappear for a year.”
But, despite the as-yet untitled album
being set to be their fourth record in as
many years, Jack is adamant that
Sleeping With Sirens specialise in
quality, as well as quantity. “We always
push the limits and do something new
that everyone else isn’t doing. It’s the
same with this album, it sounds like
nothing else out right now. This is a
brand-new sound, it’s not a bullshit radio
pop album, it’s a punk rock ’n’ roll record
that the kids are going to want to hear.”
Said kids will get a chance to hear
plenty of the new tunes when Sleeping
With Sirens team up with Pierce The
Veil for a huge co-headline tour later this
year. “We have this really fast song that’s
slightly Rage-y, slightly punk-y. It’s one
of those festival riffs, you will hear the riff WORLD FAMOUS MUSIC STRINGS
and you won’t be able to stop yourself
jumping to the riff.” WWW.ROTOSOUND.COM
FACEBOOK.COM/ROTOSOUND
TWITTER.COM/ROTOSOUND_UK
PROUDLY MADE IN ENGLAND
 monitor section

o
n
t
h
e
King 810
u L All hail the bearers of an inconvenient truth
istening to King 810 is like the first
time you heard Slipknot: enthralling,
inspiring and terrifying all at the same
p
time. Formed and raised in Flint, Michigan
(AKA ‘Murder Town’), they’ve spent their
lives in one of the most dangerous cities in
the US, witnessing people in extraordinary
circumstances pushed to extremes.
“Kind of… desperate,” is how guitarist
Andrew Beal describes their hometown.
“When you take away the jobs, people have
still got to eat, they’ve still got to live and
they’re going to do what they have to do
– whatever that may be.”
King 810 talk about the things that
people don’t like to talk about and they
don’t hold back – you have been warned.
They’ve come under criticism for glorifying
weapons and violence, which is kind of
missing the point of a band using shock
tactics to highlight a shocking reality.
“It’s everywhere you go [in Flint], it’s
kind of unavoidable, so of course it’s going
to influence our music. How could it not?”
says Andrew. “Music is the best way we
know how to say what we need to say, so
that’s what’s happened.”
The sound is predictably heavy – Andrew
plays an LTD EC1000 in drop-A tuning
through two Peavey 6505s – but the album
Memoirs Of A Murderer (out now) is far
28   OCToBER 2014
more varied than early EPs have indicated.
“Everybody focuses on the heavy, or the
violent aspect,” Andrew considers.
“But when this album drops, they’re not
going to be able to define it. It’s got a
broader perspective.”
The band were originally due to make
their UK debut at this year’s Download
Festival, but failed to make it after two
band members were arrested (for an old
GBH charge) shortly before they were to
board their plane at Flint airport. “I don’t
know how much I should talk about it. But
everything’s going to be fine,” is all Andrew
will say. Nevertheless, King 810 will now be
heading UK-ward for a string of dates in
late September. But will it work this side of
the Atlantic?
“I think it translates,” considers
Andrew. “Because, yeah, it’s about Flint,
but everybody has their own struggles and
I think they can connect in that way, if
nothing else. I know we’re definitely
looking forward to it and expecting
big things.”
Fans of compelling, uncompromising
metal should consider the tour unmissable.
For fans of: Slipknot, Pantera
Hear: Fat Around The Heart
 on the up monitor

Fatherson
Glistening indie-rock from the great outdoors

F
rom gritty Flint, to serene
Loch Lomond – the stunning
body of water has been both
a refuge and an inspiration for
Fatherson’s Ross Leighton.
“People call me the ‘home and
water boy’ because all I ever seem
to write about is going home and
being near the water,” says Ross.
“I spent all of my holidays next to
this loch. It completely shaped me
and I still write best when I’m
close to there.”
With his Glasgow-based band,
Ross translates this connection
with the outdoors into airy,
anthemic indie-rock songs that
recall the likes of Lonely The
Brave and fellow countrymen
Frightened Rabbit – something no
doubt aided by his other
formative influence: loud noises.
“I remember getting an amp
with a distortion channel on it and
just bashing the guitar,” he recalls.
“I wouldn’t even have my fingers
on the fretboard! I would invite
people up to my room and be like,
‘Go on, listen to this!’”
These days, he’s mainly to be
found bashing a Levinson S-type
or a Gibson ES-335 through a
1973 Fender Twin. “I still like the
sound of just a guitar and an
amp,” says Ross. “So many people
are running their guitars through
something that looks like
Battlestar Galactica, but I’m just
like: ‘Get a guitar. Get an amp.
And when you smash out that first
chord, if it doesn’t make your skin
crawl, it's not working.”
Fatherson tour with We Were
Promised Jet Packs this month.
For fans of: Lonely The Brave
HEAR: Mine For Me

Alpha Male Tea Party

Riff madness that’s just our cup of chai

D
escribing Alpha Male Tea
Party is something of a
challenge, so let’s settle on
‘predominantly-instrumental,
utterly exhilarating heavy rock’.
The Liverpool trio are the
brainchild of guitarist Tom Peters
– a man who sounds as if he was
birthed axe-in-hand and charged
by the gods to destroy humanity’s
meagre concept of rock music.
The truth is a bit different.
“I got my first guitar when I was
10. It was a right old shitbox and judgement!” he says. “I just want
I couldn’t play it,” says Tom.
“Then there was a gig in our local
secured his own US model, which
he still uses today, alongside a
much-loved Laney Lionheart, a
prototype Plexi clone, a Paul
Cochrane Tim overdrive and a list
of other pedals longer than a
Rush bootleg.
So why is Tom’s predominantly
instrumental band not boring,
when so many other
predominantly instrumental
bands are? “That’s a good
question – and so loaded with
to prove you can make energetic,
fun-sounding music that doesn’t
Photography: Jeremy Deputat Phil Sharp Emily Wylde

pub and one of the guitarists have singing in it. That it can be
happened to be [Fairport fun and bouncy and aggressive
Convention whizz] Jerry and evoke a sense of joy inside
Donahue, so the first time you.” If that’s the mission, AMTP
I played a proper guitar was are going the right way about it.
when he handed me his Telecaster
and I tried to wrap my fingers
For fans of: Mastodon
around a D chord.” Hear: I Haven't Had A Lunch Break
The Tele left a lasting Since Windows Vista Came Out
impression, and Tom later

OCTOBER 2014   29
 monitor section

Albums

Weezer
Everything Will Be
Alright In The End

It’s not easy being a Weezer

fan. Since the fuzzy pop perfection
of 1994’s self-titled ‘Blue Album’
and 1996’s Pinkerton, Rivers
Cuomo and co’s magic touch has
revealed itself only in flashes, and
gems have been frustratingly
scarce amongst throwaway filler.
For their ninth studio album, the
twin decisions to allow Cuomo
more writing time and to reunite

Slash featuring
with Blue producer Ric Ocasek
have paid major dividends, with
the band’s dense signature

Myles Kennedy &

rhythm guitar sound, artfully
skewed lead breaks and timeless
vocal melodies all making a
welcome return.

The Conspirators
Chris Vinnicombe
Download: Lonely Girl

World On Fire

I
f he was so inclined, Slash could easily sit back and
slash: coast on his name and the undisputed classic songs he’s
had a fretting hand in, while occasionally thinking back
the last on the antics of the diva frontmen in his two previous

album
i bought…
gojira
l’enfant
sauvage
“I’ve found recently, that the most
innovative and interesting stuff is
in the metal bands, it’s not really in
straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll. With
Gojira, it’s the way they do the
double bass and the guitar riffs
together, and the chord changes.
Then there’s a lot of harmonic
parts going on, which make it very
epic. But it’s very musical, and
even with that vocal style, he
manages to make it work in a very
melodic way. I really dig it.”
exceptional   |  excellent
bands with gritted teeth. But he’s still got far too much to
offer; this whopping 17-strong surge finds him in rude
Royal Blood
Royal Blood
creative health and, to be frank, he’s on fire.
Clearly, Mr Hudson has found his perfect 21st Century
Brighton duo Royal Blood
muse in Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy – here focusing
waste little time on this debut
solely on vocal duties – and the synergy of the whole band release, unleashing savage, hooky
feels honed; the songs are simply stronger and hit harder riffs and pulverising drums from
than 2012’s Apocalyptic Love. Shadow Life locks in with the get-go. There are few
attitude before a surging chorus; Automatic Overdrive and concessions to light and shade,
Wicked Stone’s joyrides are even faster; the former’s but the two-piece succeed in
weaving riff bleeds into the chorus melody beautifully. You making a massive wanton noise,
wait for the filler, but it doesn’t come. Instead, there are with bassist Mike Kerr’s closely-
guarded rig firing out vertiginous
premium Slash-isms (30 Years To Life’s Paradise City-esque
pitch-shifted bass-as-guitar lines
pacing, the Battleground solo’s channelled emotion) and
that evoke early Muse. From lusty
reminders that many try, but nobody can deliver proper opener Out Of The Black on, the
balls to the wall rock ’n’ roll like an on-form Slash. subject matter is universally dark,
Rob Laing and in Little Monster Royal Blood
Download: The Dissident have a cast-iron contender for riff
of the year. An uncompromising,
exhilarating debut.
  |  good   |  for fans of   |  poor Gary Walker
Download: Little Monster

30   october 2014

Grant Nicholas
Yorktown Heights
It’s not overly surprising that
Feeder’s songwriter has taken a
mid-paced, acoustic approach for
his first solo record, opting to
touch upon some of the more
intimate side of his craft and
eschewing the riffy fuzz-soaked
side of his playing. But the
anthemic is innate in his
songwriting, regardless; the
Pushing The Senses vibes of
Vampires and Hope especially, with
the more stripped Autumnal
singer/songwriter fare Broken
Resolutions and Soul Mates adding
a less enticing flavour with their
double-tracked vocals. But, all
told, it’s a case of solid tunes over
any self indulgence from Nicholas.
David Hands
Download: Vampires
Twin Atlantic
Great Divide
2011’s Free catapulted Twin
Atlantic from the inside of a
battered van touring the circuit to
Radio One A-listers. Now the
songwriting gloves are off, but in
the pursuit of larger venues and
the requisite ‘big tunes’, some of
the lyrics are perhaps a little
heavy-handed (Heart And Soul,    scuzzy shuffles, ballads and
Be A Kid). On the plus side, lead
man Barry McKenna has stepped
up and become the tasteful
Edge-like lead player we always
suspected he could be, and songs
such as Fall Into The Party prove
that Twin have not lost the knack
when it comes to penning an
empowering riff or three.
Matt Parker
Download: Fall Into The Party
Lower Than Atlantis
Lower Than Atlantis
For major-label debut,
Changing Tune, LTA were rushed
into recording and came out with
an energetic record that, in
hindsight, needed honing.
Unceremoniously dropped, the
Watford rockers spent a year
assembling their own studio,
management team and prepared
to make this stupendous step
forward. It’s their most accessible,
varied record to date – and it’s got
more hooks than a Peter Pan
convention. English Kids In America
and Emily are hits-in-waiting, but
this is an album full of singles.
Somewhere, in a major-label
office, echoes the sound of an
executive face-palm.
Matt Parker
Download: Emily
Joe Bonamassa
Different Shades Of Blue
Joe’s 12th solo album claims to
be his first without a cover, but
opener Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)
is actually a take on an obscure
Hendrix track, with a slow, loping
riff-based jam in E – er, nevermind,
then… From there on in, he tackles
horn-embellished, funky rock,
stomping Zep-esque riffs, but
every song has an unexpected
chordal, rhythmic or soloing twist.
Having said that, the standout
track is the most traditional of the
lot – I Gave Up Everything For You,
‘Cept The Blues sounds like a
vintage slice of Buddy Guy.
Bill Weaving
Download: I Gave Up Everything
For You, ‘Cept The Blues
This Will Destroy You
Another Language
TWDY’s doomy second album,
Tunnel Blanket, shrugged off a lot
of the band’s post-rock
characteristics to create
something more esoteric and
ambient. If that was them
spreading their wings, Another
Language is them returning to their
post-rock heartland. From opener
New Topia onwards, the combo of
delicate delay-heavy clean lines
and atmospheric sampling is the
bedrock on which myriad textures
are laid – from soaring lead lines,
to crushingly heavy walls of
sound. It’s a perfect example of
using dynamics for emotive effect,
and establishes TWDY as true
post-rock heavyweights.
Josh Gardner
Download: War Prayer
Earth
Primitive And Deadly
10 albums in, Earth’s dedication
to sludge-hammer riffery and
fuzz-heavy drones continues, and
with guest vocals from Mark
Lanegan, this is one of the more
accessible releases in a 25-year
career. Dylan Carlson unleashes
his trademark bursts of feedback
and uneasy melodies throughout
– Rooks Across The Gate conjures
images of desolate Western
plains, with bursts of clean lead
over perpetual distortion, while
There Is A Serpent Coming is as
foreboding as you’d expect from
the title, thanks to Carlson’s lithe
fretwork. A masterclass in
guitar-led atmosphere.
Michael Brown
Download: Rooks Across The Gate
albums monitor
dvd 
Meshuggah
The Ophidian Trek
The experience of seeing
this band can take you by
surprise: the Swedes are a
disciplined live machine, with
Hagström and Thordendal’s
modelled tones nailing their
recorded sound. Therein lies
the rub; the production of their
second live DVD delivers
pitch-perfect renditions of
mostly Koloss and obZen songs,
bathed in red light on their 2013
European tour in front of
crowds who seem confused as
to how they should move to
polyrhythms. With no extras,
it’s simply not an essential
purchase for the intrigued,
though a clear demonstration
of musical prowess.
Rob Laing
Paul Gilbert
Stone Pushing Uphill Man
Few guitarists have Gilbert’s
unbridled sense of fun, and here,
he reinvigorates his playing with
instrumental covers of tracks by
his favourite singers, including
James Brown, The Beatles and,
erm, Loverboy. This lends Paul’s
licks a playful edge as he recreates
each track’s vocal nuances, most
notably on the heavily vibrato’d
bends in Aerosmith’s Back In The
Saddle. The incendiary solos on
Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick
Road are the highlight, though, and
prove that whatever he’s playing,
Gilbert’s incomparable voice on
the guitar shines through.
Michael Brown
Download: Goodbye Yellow
Brick Road
october 2014   31
 monitor section
5 minutes alone
Brian Setzer
Back with new album Rockabilly Riot, the quiffy king of twang guitar
talks Beatles, Bb, and the magic of the Fender Bassman…
I got my first real six-string…
“My very first guitar was a
Harmony Rocket. My dad was a
labourer and he didn’t have any
money, so that was a big deal. And
the defining moment for me to
play the guitar was seeing a
picture of The Beatles in a record
shop. George – just being a
wise-guy – had the neck of his
Gretsch across the necks of the
other Beatles. I’d already heard
The Beatles on a jukebox when I
Brian once
received a guitar
lesson from his
hero, Chet Atkins
32   october 2014
was about seven, and I loved it,
but my parents weren’t musical
and I didn’t know what made that
sound. So that’s when I thought,
‘That’s the thing that makes the
sound I love.’”
Three steps to heaven… “The
dream guitar was the orange
Gretsch 6120. Y’know, the Eddie
Cochran guitar. And I did get it. able to beat the ’63 Bassman. It
I found it in my local newspaper,
in the ads. It was a hundred bucks.
I went over and the guy had the
guitar on one side and all the
electronics in a shoebox – and no
case. A hundred bucks: take it or
leave it. A gentleman by the name
“There’s different tricks you can  I can’t even describe how it
pull off in flat keys and sharp keys
you can’t do in natural keys”
of Jess Oliver put it back together
for me. He was the president of
Ampeg, but he was a local guy
who loved kids, and he’d take you
in his basement and show you
how stuff worked.”
On an island in the sun… “My
setup hasn’t really changed since “I think the biggest misconception
I was 17 years old. I’ve never been
was a really odd year, because
they only made it for about nine
months, then they changed the
circuitry. So I’d take the 2x12
Bassman to a desert island, along
with my ’59 Gretsch 6120 and the
Roland Space Echo. That makes
the magic for me. I’d be happy
with that, y’know.”
There goes my hero… “You can
always get a guitar lesson from
someone. Even if you’re Chet
Atkins, you can still learn. And I
was actually gonna say Chet – but
I did get a guitar lesson from him,
so I’ve actually fulfilled that
dream. Of course, he’s been gone
a long time, but on the jazz side,
wouldn’t it be amazing if you
could get a lesson from Wes
Montgomery? He was so outside
the box. I’d just like to say to him,
‘What were you thinking?’”
Built for speed… “It’s hard to talk
about your own playing, but
I think my biggest strength is my
diversity. I mix everything up, all
different styles. But there’s always
room for improvement.
Sometimes, I catch myself going a
little too fast. Sometimes, I need
to just stop and hold a note. It can
mean more than playing a
dozen of ’em.”
Rock ’n’ roll high school… “I can
give you a piece of advice on
songwriting, actually, from that
guitar lesson with Chet Atkins. He
said to me, ‘It’s good that you’re
playing in Bb and Db, because
that’s thinking outside the box’.
It’s funny the stuff that comes out
of your guitar in weird horn keys.
Most rockers play in E or A. But
when you play in Bb, listen to how
cool the riffs sound. There’s
different tricks you can pull off in
flat keys and sharp keys you can’t
do in natural keys. Try fooling
around in C# – you might come
up with something.”
Don't let me be misunderstood…
Photography: FilmMagic/Getty Images Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
about me is from people who
think my style of playing has to be
strictly limited to rockabilly.
Everyone has a different opinion
on what you should be doing.
Some people want you to just do
one thing, right down the
middle… but that’s not me,
y’know? I absorb many things,
and it just comes outta my hands.
happens.”
Brian Setzer's new album Rockabilly
Riot: All Original is out now.
 rig tour
winery dogs
words: matthew parker photography: will ireland

Richie Kotzen offers TG a forensic explanation of one of the most succinct,

thoughtful and highly customised rigs we’ve seen…

video
w w w.b it .l y/
tg 258 ri g

october 2014 35
 Richie with his rented Super
Lead Plexi backline: “It’s loud
and very percussive, which is
important to me”

Fender Richie Kotzen

Telecaster
“I’ll start with the guitar I play. This is my
signature-model Telecaster. The original one

H
e’s toured with everyone from came out in Japan in 1996, and it’s now available
“I still get a Tele Poison to Mr Big and now – after
the best part of a year with Mike
throughout the world. There are a couple of
unique things on it I’ll talk you through…”
sound when I roll Portnoy and Billy Sheehan as hard-
rocking power trio, The Winery Dogs Neck
the volume down. – what Richie Kotzen doesn’t know about
1 “First of all, the neck. It’s a maple neck and

But when I roll the live tone ain’t worth knowing. Imagine
our surprise, then, when we turned up
it’s thicker than your average Telecaster.
We spent a lot of time getting the dimensions
volume back up, for a guided tour of his rig and found it
consisted of no more than five items.
that I wanted – something that I felt fit my hand
– and we settled on this [a large C-shape, in satin
it’s a little more ‘Convenience without compromise’ is
Richie’s, err, ‘dog-ma’, so while things
urethane finish]. It has large frets, I think they’re
called 6100s [aka Jumbo frets].”
aggressive than the may look simple from a distance, look
closer and you’ll discover there’s some Body
average Telecaster” cunning custom gear at work.
2 “As far as the body goes, there’s a slight
[forearm] contour that’s normally not

36 october 2014

found on the Telecaster and then, on the back,
it’s comfort cut, more like a Strat, but we put it on
the Tele because it makes it more comfortable to
play. As for the wood, it’s a flame [maple] top
and a swamp ash back.”
Hipshot GT2
Electric Xtender
3 “Next, if you look at the headstock, you’ll
notice a drop-D tuner [a levered tuning peg
that when engaged, drops the sixth, low E string
a full step down to D]. It’s more commonly seen
on a bass guitar, but I wanted one here. Like the
rest of the hardware, it’s in gold.”
Pickups
4 “The pickups are made by DiMarzio and in
the neck, you have the Twang King Neck,
and in the bridge, you have The Chopper T
Bridge. It’s a higher output than a standard
winery dogs rig tour
Richie’s signature-model
Tele has jumbo frets and a
thicker-than-average neck
5
Telecaster pickup, but it’s not nearly as high-
output as some of the humbuckers that you
hear. It allows me to still get a Telecaster sound
when I roll the volume down. Then, when I roll
the volume up, it’s a little more aggressive than
the average Telecaster.”
Electronics
5 “The electronics are pretty simple. The
controls are just [the traditional] bridge,
middle and neck switching. However, the tone
knob is not just a tone knob. It’s a series/parallel
switch for the middle position, so that gives you
an extra tonality. The other thing that is
aftermarket on the guitar is this white disc, which
is a built-in guitar tuner. If I flick the switch next to This built-in tuner is
it, it lights up and I can check my tuning. It mutes
a subtle yet useful
the input. If I’m in the dressing room, or even addition to Kotzen’s
touring guitar
onstage between songs, I can check my tuning
very quickly and it’s very accurate.”
october 2014 37

7 and another two switches for the overdrive.
Marshall 1959SLP
Plexi head
“Normally, when I’m on my own gear – this
6 is rented gear – I use the Marshall HW,
which is a 100-watt Plexi, and it’s hand-wired. still get a good aggressive overdrive. Normally, to
I don’t have that with me here in London, so we
rented the 100-watt Super Lead Plexi. I like it
because it’s a very simple amp. It’s loud and it’s
very percussive, which is important for me,
because I play with my fingers, so I need an amp
that responds [to dynamic playing]. If I play
harder, I want it to be louder, if I play soft, I want it
to be quiet. This amp does that very well and
that’s why I gravitate towards these.
“I’ve run them many different ways. I used to
jump the channels [the process of patching the
amp’s two inputs together to double the
available gain] but lately, I’m finding that I’m
getting a better sound just by plugging into the
second channel, the top input. Then I’m running
the treble, the middle and the bass all the way up,
38 october 2014
Richie plays with his fingers,
so uses the dynamic range of
his Marshalls to full effect
presence is about halfway and then the volume
just depends on the room.
“Because of the overdrive pedal I’m using, the voicing correct for the distortion. If you
I can actually have this amp relatively low and
get these amps to give a good overdrive, you
crank ’em, which I do in a larger room, but
because of the pedal I designed, I’m able to get
the sound I want and not have to drive the amp
quite as hard as I used to.”
cabs
“As for the speakers, I’m using the 30-watt
7 Celestions. I like them more than the
70-watt, because they have a smaller cone and
somehow that changes the sound. Years ago, option to add or subtract treble. It also has a
I AB’d a bunch of cabinets and I went through the
25-watt speakers, the 30s and the 70s and, for
whatever reason, I preferred the 30s. I don’t
even remember why, but now that’s what tone with the volume full-out on the guitar
I always ask for when I don’t have my own rig.”
11
Tech 21 Fly Rig 5
“Years ago, I had this idea to take an overdrive
and a delay pedal and put it in one box,
because I was doing a lot of travelling and a
lot of fly dates where I was in and out and
I didn’t want to have to deal with cables.
I made this black box that had two switches
that controlled the reverb and tremolo of the
amp, with another two switches for the delay
All of the components were inside one unit,
hard-wired together and it was very
convenient. Now I’ve teamed up with Tech 21
and we’ve found a way to make this in a much
more professional – and more reliable – way.
It’s called the Fly Rig and this particular Fly Rig
is my personal signature model. We spent
about six months working on it to try and get
look at it you see there are five buttons here.
I’ll deal with the overdrive first…”
Overdrive section
“The ‘on’ button turns the overdrive on
8 and off. Then you have the level, tone
and drive control. The tone control works
pretty much like the tone control on a guitar,
where you’re actually removing the treble.
We voiced it so that when it was somewhere
around the middle, it sounded how I wanted
it to sound – meaning you then have the
boost function that you can use with the
initial stage, or without. So, for example, you
can set the overdrive to be your aggressive
 winery dogs rig tour

10 8

and you can do solos, then, if you need a little
more to push it over the edge, you can turn the
boost on. Or you can do the opposite and leave
the boost on [independently] and then boost the
amp [by engaging the overdrive circuit] for a
different kind of distortion – so it’s a pretty
flexible situation.”
Delay section
“Over on the left is the delay. Again, the ‘on’
9 switch turns the delay effect on and off,
then on the left you have a tap-tempo switch,
which I use all of the time. You set the tempo of
the song – once the drums start, or if I start it
– and that way I can have the delay be in time
with what I’m playing. If you notice here too,
there’s also a ‘drift’ control. If you turn that on, it’ll
give a slight chorusing effect.”
production models, this is something we did Dunlop Cry Baby wah
for mine – was adding phantom power. “This is the last thing in my rig. It’s a
“Now, when you plug in a stereo quarter- 12 standard Dunlop classic wah. There’s no
inch cable [to the Fly Rig’s input] you have extra boost, or voicing, or extra potentiometers.
your audio going through there, but at the It’s a straight wah.”
same time, it’s sending DC voltage to the
wah, so the wah is seeing power from the
Fly Rig.
“To make that happen, you have to modify
the wah, and modify the pedal, but once you
do that you don’t need a battery or an
adaptor for the wah pedal.”
12

SansAmp
“In the middle, the company, Tech 21,
10 invented the SansAmp [an all-analogue
amp and speaker emulator], so we decided to
put a SansAmp in here as an extra option. Even if
you don’t use the SansAmp, if you set it to
neutral, you can still use the reverb circuit and
use the middle ‘on’ footswitch as a reverb, which
is what I do most of the time. Or, if you’re doing a
fly date and you’re on an amp that isn’t what
you’d normally play through, the SansAmp can
be used to change the voicing of the amp to
something that’s more like what you’re used to.”

phantom power mod

“The final thing that we did on the Fly Rig Richie designed the versatile
11 – and this modification will not be on the delay-and-drive Fly Rig in
conjunction with Tech 21

october 2014 39
 WIN!
Worth
£899 aSE ‘Floyd’
PRS
Custom 24
Plus £100 worth
of PRS goodies for
two runners-up!
If you want to get going with this issue’s 20 riffs, you’ll need a
guitar that’s up to the task. The PRS SE ‘Floyd’ Custom 24 is one
axe that’s sure to deliver, and thanks to the good folks at PRS Guitars
Europe, we have one of these Vintage Sunburst-finished beauties to
give away, along with a host of PRS goodies for two runners-up.
The SE ‘Floyd’ Custom 24 combines Paul Reed Smith’s classic
Custom outline with a Floyd Rose 1000 Series vibrato for highly
charged whammy thrills and red-hot tones, courtesy of the coil-
splittable SE HFS Treble and Vintage Bass humbuckers. If you’re not
quite lucky enough to get your hands on the ‘Floyd’, we have two PRS
goodie packs to give away, including a t-shirt, cap, lanyard, four sets of
strings, bottle of guitar cleaner and cloth – worth £100 per set!
To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following
question correctly:

Which of these is the name of a PRS guitar line?

a S2
b R9
c F1
Head over to www.futurecomps.co.uk/tg258prs to enter.

T&Cs: The competition is open to UK entrants only. Under 18s must obtain parental consent to enter this competition and be able to demonstrate this to Total Guitar’s reasonable satisfaction. Answers must be received
between 23/08/2014 and 28/09/2014. The winners will be selected at random from all correct entries received between the relevant dates and will be sent the prize free of charge. Each winner will be notified within 28 days
of the closing date and will be required to give details of a delivery address in the UK to which the prize should be sent. By entering this competition, you consent to us using your personal details to send you information about
products and services of Future and PRS Guitars Europe which may be of interest to you. For full terms and conditions, please go to: www.futurenet.com/futureonline/competitionrules.asp

40 october 2014
 Feed ack
totalguitar@futurenet.com
  letter
Ta b l a s u r e ?
Hi, I have been taking regular
lessons now for four years after
rediscovering my love for guitar
as my two boys 11 and nine got
interested. As well as theory, a
good part of each lesson is taken
up with learning new songs.
Accurate tab is therefore
important to me, even though I’m
experienced enough to ignore the
mistakes and string catches that
get tabbed too!
The statement that you can get
any song you like off the internet
for free, made when you decided
to ditch that part of your mag, is
true, but it’s also true that you get
10 different versions into the
bargain, which can waste a lot of
time. Bring back the tabs my
friends, your magazine is just not
the same without it. It also used to
differentiate you from other
magazines, not so any longer.
David Ashdown, via email
facebook.com/totalguitar
“Ibanez now makes a “Got my copy of “The new Slipknot track
nine-string. Mother of God, @TotalGuitar and nice
where will it all end?” 
 section on @RivalSons – the
Robert Bruckner, riffs will be #facemelting”
Facebook Lisa, Twitter
42   october 2014
N o - way- s i s ?
Hey TG, great magazine as
always. But this year I have been
a little dumbfounded as to why
there has been no Oasis 20-year
celebration of Definitely Maybe?
Now, I know people don’t cut Liam
or Noel much slack because of
their ‘Manc Attitude’ but that’s not
to say they didn’t reinvent 90s
rock ’n’ roll. I’m no Oasis superfan
or anything, but I think people
deserve credit where it’s due, and
they should get some.
21 Top 10 hit singles (don’t
quote me on that) speaks for
itself! And they were a guitar-
driven band! Come on TG don’t
tell me you haven’t got a soft spot
for the brothers? Or maybe, you
don’t really wanna know!
Jonathan Henry, via email
Hi Jonathan, we’re big fans of Oasis,
alas, we haven’t been able to squeeze
in a feature about Definitely Maybe,
twitter.com/totalguitar
feels like a trip back to their
roots. I like it, can’t wait to
hear more.”
 how it sounds @totalguitar”
Craig Evans, Facebook
sta r p r i z e ! worth
£75
TC Electronic PolyTune tuner
No more tuning one string at a time – the PolyTune 2 lets 
you tune all six strings at once! www.tcelectronic.com
letters emails pics etc…
Thrown for a loop
Hi, after reading your article on loopers, I took
the plunge and got a Boss RC-30. Well, I have
not spent so much time in the spare bedroom
since the wife found out I spent 700 quid on
a guitar just before out daughter was born!
Anyway what a thing of joy the RC-30 is –
I have already done a few solo gigs, still trying to
master the effects and second channel change.
Thank you for introducing me to loopers!
Tony Gardner, email
Hi Tony, glad you’re enjoying using your looper. Check out our regular In
The Loop series omn p26 for more inspiration. For now, here’s a PolyTune
to make sure those loops are all in tune!
though Noel’s handsome visage
adorns Final Countdown on p112…
hot
’lock blocked shots
Hi TG, I really enjoyed issue 255
- revisiting those classic Zeppelin
riffs was a whole lotta fun, and
I discovered I had quite a bit of
brushing up to do when I thought
I had them down. Reading Rich
Sweeney’s letter has also inspired
me to acquire some straplocks of
my own (could you please Think we can all agree
that this is a wheely
recommend a good brand?). Oh, impressive pedalboard
and the Nile Rodgers and Jeff Beck This
month’s James Kenyon,
features are tremendous! winner Manchester
Alfie Williams, via email
Send us your pics and win
PS: Love the new layout and matt an orange amp worth £193!
cover you’ve used on issue 257 – Email your shots to us with your full
keep it coming! name and address. The best wins an
Orange Crush PiX CR35LDX amp.
www.orangeamps.com
Hi Rich, there are loads of straplocks
out there, but check out the Straptight
Straplocks, reviewed on p95 – we
were very impressed!
youtube.com/totalguitar
“Just brought an old
Satellite Les Paul from the
1970s, can’t wait to hear


Sound Unique, Twitter #Speak up… Don’t be shy
 interview lonely the brave

video
w w w.bit .l
y/tg258lt
b

44   october 2014

brave|new|world
From sleeping in their drummer’s dad’s van to gigging with Springsteen
in the space of a year, Lonely The Brave’s astonishing rise continues
C
ambridgeshire rock band Lonely The
Brave are one of the most exciting new
bands in the UK. Despite having
recorded their debut album, The Day’s
War – a captivating mixture of post
rock, grunge, punk and Britrock – over a year
ago, numerous complications, including two
record deals, have meant that it’s only just
been released. In the interim, a four-track EP
has seen LTB catapulted to sharing stages
with bona fide legends such as Aerosmith and
Neil Young, recruit and replace a guitarist, and
sign a major-label deal. We caught up with
gear-obsessed guitar mainstay, Mark Trotter…
When you started out, did you have an idea
of how you wanted the band to sound?
“Honest to god, we’ve never had any sort of
formula or sat down and talked about
it. It’s just the sum of its parts really,
we’re all into such different music, it’s
why it sounds like us. I don’t think
I could be like, ‘Right, we’re gonna write
a song like this’, or ‘We’re gonna be a
band that sounds a certain way’,
because it’s all so diverse. It’s all about
soundscapes for me!”
The album starts and finishes with some
big, lush guitar soundscapes: was that
your idea?
“That was just me jamming around the
studio and the producer just hit record. writing new material?
I was amazed because I got to play with a
real Roland Space Echo! I was having hours
of fun to myself with this little tape box
fluttering away and making these bizarre
noises and cutting out just when you didn’t
want it to! Live, I use an Empress Super
Delay that gets close. It gets a bit too digital
at times, but any of those kind of delays do,
because it’s not got that organic, ‘It’s gonna
fuck up at any time’ sound!”
Where do your post-rock influences
come from?
© Retna/Photoshot
“Again, it’s one of many things I adore, but the
band that started that for me are Mogwai.
Certainly over here, anyway. Even though
they probably wouldn’t call it post-rock, it’s
Words: Stuart Williams Portrait: Adam Gasson
what I call them. Bands like This Will Destroy
You and Explosions In The Sky, who do that
kind of textured/layered guitar thing so well.
A lot of it is actually from film scores. I like the
idea of trying to play string parts on the guitar,
if that makes any sense…”
You have a big appreciation for huge riffs,
too, though…
“I really like big rhythm players, and they tend
to be guys from bands that only had one guitar
player. So, Peter Buck, he’s probably not the
most technical guitar player in the world, but Wildhearts – Britrock was kind of my place
I like that. Big chords, and you can tell it’s him
from a mile off. James Dean Bradfield, back in
the day, did some great stuff. Technically they
were a two-guitar band, but they weren’t
really! He could riff, man, and he still can! place playing with an indie band either. Do
“We’ve played with
Springsteen, but also
opened for Deftones”
Mark’s beloved 1989
Gibson SG is all over
Lonely The Brave’s debut
lonely the brave interview
The guitar work on Motorcycle Emptiness or
something like that, there wasn’t a great deal
of stuff like that happening at the time.
“At the other end of the spectrum – I was a
big fan of Radiohead growing up, and that’s
probably where a lot of the textural stuff
comes from. I love Jonny Greenwood because
he’s kind of the anti-guitar hero in a lot of
respects. It seems that the guitar is just a
vehicle to get across what he wants, he’s not
really that fussed about it even though he’s
kind of reinvented it in his own way. The
to be, too.”
LTB are versatile enough to play at
Download, but you wouldn’t sound out of
you see that as an advantage?
“It’s a really weird one, we say the same
thing, I think people struggle where to
put us, which I see as quite a great thing
because we can do such a variety of
shows. In the last 18 months we’ve
played with Bruce Springsteen, but
we’ve also opened for Deftones and
we’re playing with Neil Young. So to
be able to hop between those bands is a real
honour. It’s just rock music, I guess.”
The album has been finished, and delayed
for quite a long time. Have you started
“Yeah, I’m actually at the rehearsal studio
now, we’re writing at the moment. So we’re
quite a long way into what will hopefully be
album number two. We always kept joking
that we wanted to finish the second one
before the first one was out, just for fun!”
Did you record the album as a live set-up?
It sounds like a band playing together…
“We had so little money when we went to do
the record, like literally no money. We
scraped together every penny we had and
could beg, steal or borrow to go and do it. All
we wanted from it was a good, solid version
of how we sound when we play live, and
I think the producer Mark Williams did a
really good job of capturing that. It was a
october 2014   45
 interview lonely the brave
LTB, l to r: Andrew Bushen,
Ross Smithwick, David
Jakes, Gavin Edgeley
and Mark Trotter
little studio in Aylesbury and every night we
were sleeping in [drummer Gavin ‘Mo’
Edgeley] Mo’s dad’s builder’s van outside with
the tools still in it. Then when we didn’t have
that, every so often the guy who owned the
studio would let us sleep on the floor in the
studio, and we were going down the
swimming pool every other day
“At Ross’s first gig, his
for showers because there were
no showers there, but we
couldn’t afford to go every day so
we went every other day!”
What other gear did you use on
Les Paul’s headstock
the album?
“I had a Klon [Centaur], which
I have to say definitely lived up to
snapped clean off”
the hype. It doesn’t live up to the price! But it
was great, one of the originals and it belonged
to Mark. Aside from that, I used a Z.Vex Box Of
Rock which is all over the album. It’s still on my
’board now, but I only really use it as a boost.
I’ve kind of moved on from it and I’ve got a
Love Pedal Amp 11 which kind of takes over
those duties now. There was probably a TS-9
at some point, too. Every track on the album
was through the Plexi apart from The Blue, The
Green, which was an Orange OR50H.”
You recently got a new guitar player
[Ross Smithwick], too...
“It’s working out great. Better than we ever
could have hoped. He was in a band called
46   october 2014
Secondsmile for a long time, and he’s just a
super-nice dude and so easy to get on with.
That’s so important because you spend so
much time in each other’s pockets. He’s a
fantastic guitar player and has great taste in
guitars. He’s gone on a mad Les Paul Custom
quest, he’s just bought two. At his first gig, his
Silverburst Les Paul Custom, the strap snapped
and the guitar went headstock-down and
snapped it clean off. I know how that feels, and
I felt so sorry for him that I took it off of him
and took it to my luthier and got it repaired
for him.”
Do you think it’s changed the way you’re
playing live at all?
“We told him that we didn’t want him to come
in and play the guitar parts that I wrote.
Obviously, there are parts where he’s gonna
have to play the right chords or whatever, but bought it back, so that one might be
I wouldn’t expect him to match my rhythm
patterns or anything. It’s gotta be him live, and
it’s important for us not to be a four piece plus
a guy that plays guitar with us. That’s not what
it’s about, is it? So things feel really good in our
camp right now, we’ve had some dark times
and now it’s all good!” l
Trotter:
Independent
Trader
Mark confesses to a
GAS problem…
“I’m terrible, GAS takes over and I just
want to buy something else!” says Mark,
whose collection of guitars is enough to
make even the most seasoned
gearhound foam at the mouth. “My SG
and Les Paul are all over the record. At
the time, I also had a Nash T2, one of the
early ones which was banging, and a
Gretsch Fire Jet, a really early 90s one
which was very cool, but I used it once at
a gig and it let me down, so it went.
“[I have] another Les Paul Standard
which is in the most amazing
Honeyburst, it’s a ’95 and it’s absolutely
spotless, but I sold it to buy a [Gibson
Custom 1959 Les Paul Standard] R9.
Then, about eight months ago, I actually
coming out live with us soon. Then I have
a Masterbuilt John English stealth
Esquire, which is the most ridiculous
guitar on the planet. I got it for a steal as
well, so I’m a very lucky boy. If this was
drugs it’d probably be better for my
health… and cheaper!”
 The 100 Greatest Riffs OF All time?

Are these the

100
greatest guitar

Riffs
of all time?
Throughout the summer, the BBC has
Words: Chris Bird, Michael Brown, Josh Gardner, Rob Laing, Milton Mermikedes, Gary Walker, Stuart Williams Photography: Neil Godwin

been celebrating its Guitar Season, with

programs across its channels,
culminating in a poll of the 100 greatest
riffs of all time. The shortlist was limited
to one riff per artist, compiled by a music
industry panel, then voted for by the
public, with the results announced on 25
August on BBC Radio 2, before we went
to press. Thankfully the BBC gave us
access to the top 20 early, enabling us
to not only write about the 100 riffs in
the list, but analyse the winners to
bring you the musical DNA (see p60)
for the perfect riff.
Over the next few pages, we’ll
dissect the list, commenting on our
favourites, the ones that we don’t
agree with and the ones we think are
missing. We’ve also roped in a few
riff-writing legends to help!

To find out more about the recent BBC Radio 2 Guitar Season
go to bbc.co.uk/radio2 and search for ‘guitar season’

48 october 2014

What is a riff?
According to the dictionary, it’s “A short
repeated phrase in popular music and
jazz, frequently played over changing
chords or harmonies or used as a
background to a solo improvisation”.
We’d largely agree with this, which is
why we’re going to question some of the
choices on this list. Of course, a riff can
A Girl Like You
Edwyn Collins
Gorgeous George (1994)
Edwyn Collins
This fuzzy delight comes from by far the
highest point of former Orange Juice man
Collins’ solo career – a Northern-soul-
tinged corker that reached number four
in the UK singles charts in 1995.
Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
Van Halen
Van Halen (1978)
Eddie Van Halen
Rumour has it Eddie didn’t think this riff
was good enough for Van Halen’s debut.
How wrong he was: this arpeggiated,
flange-infused slice of hard rock is an
era-defining belter.
Slash
“I was thinking Whole
Lotta Love. I remember
when that record came
out – fuck, I was a little kid. But you
know, Black Dog is another one.
Zeppelin had probably the biggest
cache of killer riffs, more than any
other band, y’know. I could go on…
there’s so many great riffs it’s hard
to go, ‘This is the one’.”
Apache
The Shadows
? Paul Kossoff
The Shadows (1960)
Hank Marvin
Long before they were using it to flog
processed meat snacks, Hank, his Strat
and Meazzi tape echo created one of the
most recognisable guitar lines ever. But is
it really a guitar riff? It’s catchy and
© Redferns Getty Images
recognisable of course, but as it’s an
instrumental track, and this is the lead
melody line, does that really count? We
remain unconvinced.
be made up of chords or single notes (or
both), however, it’s important not to
confuse a lead break or strummed
rhythm part with a riff. We’re also
questioning any part that takes the
place of the vocal as the main melody of
an instrumental tune. For us, it has to be
short, repeatable and memorable
enough to form a standout guitar hook.
Are You Gonna Be My Girl
?
Jet
Get Born (2003)
Nic Cester, Cameron Muncey
Hang on, haven’t we heard this one
before? Yes, it’s called Lust For Life. But
hang on, dig a little further into Motown
history and listen to The Supremes’ You
Can’t Hurry Love… then Tom Petty’s
American Girl, and it’s clear where the
lineage of this riff comes from. Yes, there
are a lot of snouts in this trough…
l e a rn
the riff
All Right Now
Free
Fire And Water (1970)
The early 90s remix popularised
this track with a new generation
of rock fans, two decades after its
release. Production values were
updated and the double-tracked
guitar parts were tightened up
and swapped around. Still, Paul
Kossoff’s unforgettable three-
chord rhythm idea was
essentially unchanged.
The 100 Greatest Riffs Of Time?
l e a rn
the riff
Back in Black
AC/DC
Back In Black (1980)
Angus Young, Malcolm Young
The Young brothers are known
for tight, driving rhythm guitar
and this is arguably their finest
work. Together they bash out the
E, D and A chords before,
crucially, Malcolm drops out as
Angus plays the run down the
E minor pentatonic scale. The
chords are repeated and the
brothers finish off playing the
syncopated line in unison.
Alive
Pearl Jam
Ten (1991)
Stone Gossard
Stone Gossard’s loose but iconic intro/
verse riff was originally the basis of an
instrumental demo for his previous band,
Mother Love Bone.
Are You Gonna Go My Way
Lenny Kravitz
Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993)
Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross
Lenny’s right-hand man (and co-writer)
Craig Ross joins the guitarist to
harmonise in a higher register to widen
this bending beauty of a riff.
Atomic
Blondie
Eat To The Beat (1979)
Chris Stein, Frank Infante
This 80s smash was originally intended to
replicate previous Blondie single Heart Of
Glass, but Chris Stein’s reverb’d guitar
line transformed it into a very different
spaghetti-western/pop fusion.
october 2014 49
 The 100 Greatest Riffs Of Time?
Block Buster!
The Sweet
Block Buster! (1973)
Andy Scott
Glam, bam, thank you Nicky Chin and
Mike Chapman, but their song boasts a
riff coincidentally similar to Bowie’s trailblazer and guitar hero Cochran was
Jean Genie, released just before.
?
Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley (1955)
Bo Diddley
Bo makes this list, but if you ask us, this is
more of a rhythm part than a riff.
Nonetheless, his tremolo-drenched guitar
part, employing what became known as
the ‘Bo Diddley beat’, has found its way
onto countless rock and pop tunes.
Bohemian Like You
The Dandy Warhols
? Eddie Van Halen may have
Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
(2000)
Courtney Taylor-Taylor,
Peter Holmström
Picasso once said that all art is theft, and
the Warhols certainly ahem, borrowed,
from the best with the Bohemian Like You
riff, given its rather brazen similarity to
Keith Richards’ legendary turn on The
Stones’ Brown Sugar. It’s not the last time
The Human Riff will feel like he’s due
some credit for parts on this list, either…
Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker
Boom Boom (1961)
John Lee Hooker
The loping rhythm and stop time of this
blues riff had an influence that flowed
into the lineage that followed, including
SRV. Add some reverb for the full effect.
© © Idols/Photoshot Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Images
John
Petrucci
“There’s so many, but the
first one that comes to mind
is Smoke On The Water. It’s so simple
and everybody recognises it. There’s
nothing technical about it, nothing
like the modern riffs that are coming
out nowadays. But that riff says it all.
I wish I would’ve thought of it!”
50 october 2014
l e a rn
the riff
Beat It
Michael Jackson
Thriller (1982)
Steve Lukather
played the solo, but Toto axe man
Steve Lukather is the man behind
the riff, transcribing it for guitar
after hearing Jackson’s early
vocal demos. Like so many riffs on
the list this isn’t too technically
challenging, but you’ll need
groove by the bucketload.
Born To Be Wild
Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (1968)
Michael Monarch, John Kay
This evolution of Chuck Berry’s shuffle
rhythm revved guitarists’ engines back in
1969, and remains utterly iconic, thanks
to its appearance in Easy Rider.
Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
Born To Run (1975)
Bruce Springsteen
The key song on the Boss’ ‘wall of sound’
album is driven by this sing-along
twanging countryfied riff driving the
intro and chorus.
Boys Don’t Cry
The Cure
Boys Don’t Cry (1979)
Robert Smith
Robert Smith is highly underrated as a
guitarist and songsmith, and this 1979 hit
is a classic example of his proclivity for
hooky singles.
C’mon Everybody
Eddie Cochran
C’mon Everybody (1958)
Eddie Cochran
It’s crazy that this fantastic barre chord
strummer from the multi-tracking
originally a B-side.
Cannonball
The Breeders
Last Splash (1993)
Kelley Deal, Kim Deal
Marrying a simple sliding lick with a
two-chord pattern proved a recipe for
success for Kim Deal, and proved there
was life after the Pixies.
Cigarettes And Alcohol
?
Oasis
Definitely Maybe (1994)
Noel Gallagher, Paul Arthurs
Noel was often caught ‘appropriating’ in
Oasis’ early glory run. This dirty 12-bar
blues riff that apes T. Rex’s Get It On, itself
a nod to Chuck Berry’s Little Queenie, but
there’s no denying its still a great riff.
l e a rn
the riff
Day Tripper
The Beatles
We Can Work It Out/
Day Tripper (1965)
George Harrison, John Lennon
The inevitable Beatles track on
the list was assured partly thanks
to Day Tripper’s inherent
coverability: Whitesnake, Sham
69, Otis Redding, Type O
Negative and James Taylor,
among others, have recorded
versions, and countless acts have
included it in their live sets.

l e a rn
the riff
Do I Wanna Know?
Arctic Monkeys
AM (2013)
Alex Turner, Jamie Cook
As a band who seem able to
constantly reinvent themselves,
the Arctic Monkeys impressed
with their 2013 album AM, and the riff
Do I Wanna Know is the ultra-cool
second single. Two guitars, bass
and vocals are in unison here, so
timing is crucial. Aim for a laid-
back vibe, rather than rushing
ahead of the beat.
?
Don’t Believe A Word
Thin Lizzy
Johnny The Fox (1976)
Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson
© Henry Ruggeri/Corbis Jason L Nelson/AdMedia/Corbis Rex Redfernsx2
We don’t entirely believe the inclusion of
this Lizzy track; sure, the harmonised
opening riff is a classic, but is it really an
Emerald beater? Can it compete with
Jailbreak? And what about The Boys Are
Back In Town? The jury’s out on this one.
Down Down
Status Quo
On The Level (1975)
Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt
Quo’s only number one is the ultimate
distillation of their 12-bar boogie when it
kicks in at 40 seconds.
l e a rn
the riff
Joe Perry
“The best riff is The
Yardbirds’ version of Train
Kept A-Rollin’ because it
sounds great on any guitar, it’s
instantly recognizable and it sounds
good on electric or acoustic guitar,
banjo, sitar, whatever! Anything
with strings!”
Every Breath You Take
The Police
Synchronicity (1983)
? Enter Sandman
Andy Summers
Andy Summers’ contributions to Sting’s
songwriting were often more textural
than hooky, but choosing Every Breath…
over Message In A Bottle is borderline
insanity. We blame Puff Daddy.
l e a rn
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper
Blue Öyster Cult
Agents Of Fortune (1976)
Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser
Reaper’s breakaway success
helped establish BÖC as one of
the mainstays of the US arena
circuit in the late 1970s. However arena-rock beef.
it was Saturday Night Live’s
sketch with Will Ferrell that
immortalised the riff in the public
consciousness so much so that
it’s hard to think of this riff today
without the accompanying cries
of ‘More Cowbell’.
The 100 Greatest Riffs Of Time?
Metallica
Metallica (1990)
Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield
James Hetfield might be
Metallica’s riff-meister general,
but lead guitarist Kirk Hammett
brought the Enter Sandman riff
to the table. And what a riff;
harmonically sophisticated, as it
weaves through various modes,
but ultimately pure metal.
Rivers
Cuomo
“The first one that pops
into my mind is… derrn-
der-der-unnn, der-der- unnn! What’s
that riff? Oh, yeah – Killing In The
Name by Rage Against The Machine.
It’s just awesome.”
Eye Of The Tiger
Survivor
Eye Of The Tiger (1982)
Frankie Sullivan, Jim Peterik
Sylvester Stallone originally wanted
Another One Bites The Dust for Rocky,
but we’re glad Queen didn’t sign up:
Survivor’s battle anthem is prime
Fools Gold
Stone Roses
The Stone Roses (1990)
John Squire
The funksome rhythm section of Mani
and Reni are essential to making Squire’s
hypnotic spin on rockabilly muted bass
string plucking positively groove.
october 2014 51
 The 100 greatest Riffs Of All Time?
l e a rn
the riff
Get Lucky
Daft Punk
Random Access Memories
(2013)
Nile Rodgers
It’s a case of Get Lucky by name
and get seriously lucky by nature:
near-190 million YouTube views
for this 2013 hit don’t lie. Disco
pioneer Nile Rodgers’ syncopated
16th-note rhythm playing gives
the track its groove. We challenge
you not to tap your foot.
the riff
Good Times
Chic
Risqué (1979)
Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers is one of only three
guitarists to grace this list twice, and with
good reason: his billion-dollar Strat chops
are the perfect complement to Bernard
Edwards’ groove-heavy bassline.
Hocus Pocus
Focus
Focus II (1970)
Jan Akkerman
Don’t be distracted by the yodelling from
the Dutch progateers, Jan Akkerman’s
looping riff burns this whole, slightly
twisted circus of a song into your head.
How Soon Is Now?
?
The Smiths
Hatful of Hollow (1985)
Johnny Marr
As brilliant as it is, How Soon Is Now? is
© Redferns via Getty Images x2
more of a classic tone than a riff, achieved
by Marr plugging into two pairs of Fender
Twins on the vibrato channel. Hand In
Glove and This Charming Man epitomise
Marr’s unique guitar style far better.
52 october 2014
I Can’t Explain
The Who
I Can’t Explain (1965)
Pete Townshend
This simple chord progression owes more
than a nod of the head to The Kinks – as
acknowledged by Townshend himself. hit’s simple hook was arranged under the
A certain Jimmy Page was in on the
sessions, but it’s claimed his take didn’t
make the cut.
I Love Rock ’N’ Roll
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
I Love Rock ’N’ Roll (1981)
Joan Jett
Post-Runaways success, Joan Jett turned
to a long-forgotten 1975 Arrows single –
complete with stuttering 3/4 bars and
tasty pentatonic runs – and made it a hit.
Joe
Satriani
“Satisfaction by The
Rolling Stones. Most bang
for the buck. Plus, pure freakin’
voodoo magic.”
l e a rn
(I Can’t Get No)
Satisfaction
Rolling Stones
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
(1965)
Keith Richards
Beginner guitarists, start here!
This early work by Keith Richards
is formed of just three notes on a
single string. We’re not sure
Satisfaction was voted for by
guitarists, because we think Keef
has bettered this many times
over, but it remains one of the
Stones’ most popular tracks.
Jack & Diane
John Mellencamp
American Fool (1982)
John Mellencamp
?
The cantankerous Cougar’s feel-good
expert eye and ear of Mick Ronson, but in
our book, it’s just a chord progression.
Johnny B Goode
?
Chuck Berry
Johnny B. Goode (1958)
Chuck Berry
The intro to Marty McFly’s finest hour is
one of the most imitated and instantly
recongnisable parts in popular music…
but is it really a riff? We think that, to be
pedantic, it’s more of a lead solo, not a
riff. Rock ’n’ roll owes it a pint, either way!
Life In The Fast Lane
Eagles
Hotel California (1976)
Joe Walsh, Don Felder
Joe Walsh played this storming
pentatonic stomper while warming up,
and the band made sure that he took
note – good move: the Eagles never
rocked harder.
Livin’ On A Prayer
Bon Jovi
Slippery When Wet (1986)
Richie Sambora
Richie Sambora’s talkbox ‘wow’s are as
important as the notes he plays in this
one, but it’s a huge, instantly recognisable
glam-rock riff nonetheless.
Lonely Boy
?
The Black Keys
El Camino (2011)
Dan Auerbach
No problem with Dan Auerbach
appearing in the list, but is Lonely Boy
really the best Danny Boy has to offer?
When we pick up a guitar, it’s Strange
Times, I Got Mine and Gold On The Ceiling
that flow from our fingers, not this.
Long Live Rock ’N’ Roll
Rainbow
Long Live Rock ’N’ Roll (1978)
Ritchie Blackmore
Lord Blackmore makes the list twice via
his other classic band; a riff so strong
Dio’s chorus melody simply takes its lead.
 The 100 greatest Riffs Of All Time?

Mannish Boy

l e a rn
Muddy Waters
Mannish Boy (1955)
wish you were here
The BBC’s poll is full of classics,
the riff
Muddy Waters
Muddy’s response to Bo Diddley’s I’m A but here are a few riffs we feel
Man beefs the riff when it slides in at 30 have been harshly overlooked…
seconds, and it now stands as one of the
pillars of rock – George Thorogood’s Bad Blind
To The Bone is one of many songs to use it Korn
Korn (1994)
as a close blueprint. Munky, Head
Simple, infectious… this down-tuned monster is
Marquee Moon a classic, even if it did spawn nu metal…
Television Breaking The Law
Marquee Moon (1977)
Judas Priest
Richard Lloyd British Steel (1980)
Richard Lloyd’s melodic trills illuminate KK Downing, Glenn Tipton
the 10-minute title track on an album that The Beeb’s list really gives metal short shrif, but
went on to become a post-punk cult to ignore Brum’s second greatest metal band
Killing In The Name classic and influenced scores of bands,
and their great riff? It should be illegal.

Rage Against including The Strokes. Cochise

Audioslave
The Machine Milk And Alcohol Audioslave (2002)
Rage Against The Machine Dr Feelgood Tom Morello
Tony Iommi’s favourite Tom Morello riff didn’t
(1990) Private Practice (1978) make the list. What?!
John ‘Gypie’ Mayo
Tom Morello John Mayo’s heady brew of raw rock Crazy Train
aggression and powerchord fury was a Ozzy Osbourne
What with 2009’s re-release powerful antidote to prog, and did Blizzard Of Ozz (1980)
Randy Rhoads
reaching Christmas No 1, thereby wonders for dairy-based cocktail sales… We’re getting angry now – take your pick from
keeping The X Factor champ Joe two classic riffs in this song.

McElderry off the top spot, KITN Plug In Baby

is surely as close to mainstream
as Rage ever came. Drop D tuning
and a neck position single coil the riff
with a surprisingly not-very-
distorted tone are all you need to
deliver Morello’s magic.
Loser
Beck
Mellow Gold (1994)
Beck
Played with a slide on an acoustic tuned
to Drop D, this autobiographical, hip-hop-
influenced blues earned Beck a major-
label record deal. Not bad for a guy who
had been homeless a few years earlier.
Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
Muse
Origin Of Symmetry (2001)
l e a rn Matt Bellamy
No Bellamy in the list suggests a lack of
acknowledgement to modern heroes from the
BBC’s panel, and this neoclassical fuzzfest
couldn’t be working any harder.
The Trooper
Iron Maiden
Piece Of Mind (1983)
Dave Murray, Adrian Smith
A riff so good it took two guitarists to play it in
glorious twin harmony. Iron Maiden are a British
riff institution.
Where Is My Mind?
Pixies
Surfer Rosa (1988)
Layla Joey Santiago, Frank Black
With three basic notes (E, G# and E b ) and a
Derek And The Dominos howling bend, Pixies created one of the most
simple and brilliant riffs of the grunge era.
Layla and Other Assorted
Love Songs (1970)
Eric Clapton, Duane Allman

?
Electric Light Orchestra
On The Third Day (1973) Arguably one of the most epic No Muse? No Judas
Jeff Lynne, Marc Bolan guitar parts ever recorded, Layla’s Priest? No wonder
they both look so
ELO mastermind Jeff Lynne echoes
Keith Richards’ Brown Sugar riff (yup, riff was reportedly laid down disappointed…

that one again!) for this Stones-like track. initially by Duane Allman before
© Redferns x2 REX/ITV

We reckon the main reason this song
makes the cut is thanks to the appearance
of Jeff’s mate, T. Rex man Marc Bolan, on
twin lead guitar.
Eric Clapton doubled up with his
part. Cleverly written on a key
change, there’s tension and
drama every time the riff kicks in.
october 2014 53
 The 100 greatest Riffs Of All Time?
Misirlou
Dick Dale
Misirlou (1962)
Dick Dale
? Tony
This old Greek composition was hot-
rodded by Dicky and The Deltones. As with
Apache, we’d file this one under ‘melody’.
Money
Pink Floyd
The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
David Gilmour
This is arguably more of a bassline than it
is a guitar riff, but Gilmour doubles the
bass, so it qualifies. Plus, it’s in 7/4 time –
instant kudos.
Motorcycle Emptiness
Manic Street Preachers
Generation Terrorists (1992)
James Dean Bradfield
James Dean Bradfield’s love of Slash
results in an emotive, skyscraping
bendfest, though it was recorded on the
very un-Slashy Tele Thinline owned by
Richey Edwards, with a Marshall
Shredmaster and Boss chorus.
l e a rn
the riff
Money For Nothing
Dire Straits
Brothers In Arms (1985)
Mark Knopfler
You have to fingerpick if you
want to play Money For Nothing,
because it’s pretty much
unplayable with a pick. That said,
it’s pretty tricky played without a
pick too, thanks to Knopfler’s
© Redferns REX/Ilpo Musto
unusual fingerstyle technique.
Oh and those harmonics are
tough as hell. Surely a candidate
for the top spot?
54 october 2014
Iommi
l e a rn
the riff
“Well, apart from ours...
Smoke On The Water
and some Led Zeppelin stuff.
Actually, there’s a riff of Tom
Morello’s I really like – Cochise.”
Mr Tambourine Man
The Byrds
Mr Tambourine Man (1965)
Roger McGuinn
Bob Dylan may have written this song,
but the ‘jingle-jangle’ of Roger McGuinn’s Oh, Pretty Woman
12-string Rickenbacker riff made The
Byrds’ 1965 version, like Hendrix’s take
Roy Orbison
on All Along The Watchtower, definitive.
Oh, Pretty Woman (1964)
Billy Sanford, Jerry Kennedy,
My Sharona Wayne Moss
The Knack
Get The Knack (1979) Reaching No 1 in the USA,
Berton Averre
Whatever you do, don’t think about this
Canada, Australia and the UK,
riff – it’ll be there for days. Simple, Oh, Pretty Woman was Roy
repetitive, and catchier than SARS at the Orbison’s biggest hit. Session
World Coughing Championships… guitarist Billy Sanford laid down
Need You Tonight the E9 arpeggio that formed the
INXS iconic riff. Now take a listen to
Kick (1987)
Andrew Farriss, Tim Farriss,
Day Tripper again…
Kirk Pengilly
The Australians’ signature tune has a Johnny
funky chorus with three-note chords
following a punctuating C barre chord Marr
that take us major to minor. “I think the greatest riff of
all time is Gimme Danger
No One Knows by James Williamson, off Iggy And
Queens Of The Stone Age The Stooges’ Raw Power album. It’s
Songs For The Deaf (2002) dark but beautiful, it’s got attitude but
Josh Homme is not without subtlety. There’s dark
Homme’s stomping leftfield chordal and light in it, it’s druggy and sexy,
modern classic leads in and punctures the
verse like an imp fuelled by Jägerbombs.
and sounds like me… apparently!”
It’s so good, it even works on an acoustic!
Oh Well
Fleetwood Mac
Then Play On (1969)
No Surprises
Radiohead
OK Computer (1998)
? Peter Green
An easy-sounding kinetic blues riff, but
nailing Peter Green’s E minor pentatonic
Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, work relies on alternate picking chops.
Thom Yorke
No surprises? We were surprised to see One Vision
this glockenspiel-doubled slow-burner on Queen
the Beeb’s list: Thom Yorke and co have A Kind Of Magic (1986)
had some whopping riffs over the years, Brian May
our favourites being that middle eight in Everyone else makes way for May’s riff
Paranoid Android and My Iron Lung’s (tracked by around five guitars) when it
Whammy-laden glitch-fest. breaks here based on a descending D
D/C# C C/B chord progression.
 The 100 Greatest Riffs of all time?

Peter Gunn Running Down A Dream

Duane Eddy Tom Petty
Peter Gunn (1959) l e a rn Full Moon Fever (1989)
Duane Eddy the riff Tom Petty, Mike Campbell
Eddy’s reverb-drenched take (it was A clever example of riff imitating title –
recorded in a giant steel water tank) on Mike Campbell’s rockabilly rundown uses
the Gunn theme needs all four fingers in the notes B, Bb, A, G, and E, so it’s only
action to nail it. missing a D to complete the hexatonic
E blues scale.
Pretty Vacant
Sex Pistols
September
?
Never Mind The Bollocks… (1977)
Steve Jones Earth, Wind & Fire
According to Pistols bassist Glenn The Best Of Earth, Wind
Matlock, the simple 8th-note repeated riff & Fire Vol 1 (1978)
was inspired by ABBA’s SOS. Bjorn and Al McKay
Benny – punk rock pioneers. Purple Haze Now, we know that disco was the EDM of
Jimi Hendrix the 70s, and there are plenty of funky
lessons to be learned from pioneers of the
Purple Haze (1967) genre, but in terms of guitar playing, is
Pride (In The
Name Of Love)
U2
? Jimi Hendrix

After setting the scene with the

The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
The Edge
In the name of riffs, what is this doing
here when Where The Streets Have No
Name exists? Streets… is perhaps the
archetypal example of The Edge’s delay
genius, while Pride… is a mere blueprint
of what was to come.
September really one of the big riffs of all
time? We don’t think it’s even among the
biggest in its genre.
Devil’s Interval intro, Hendrix
unleashes a fuzz-laden riff that’s
delivered with such flair and such
precision, it went on to inspire
just about every guitarist on the
planet – as such, we’re glad it
made the cut.

l e a rn
l e a rn
Rocks
Primal Scream ? the riff
the riff Give Out But Don’t Give Up (1994)
Andrew Innes, Robert Young
An indie-disco floor-filler it may be, but
questions of whether it’s a riff or a chord
sequence aside, this is a comprehensive
enough tribute to Keef’s playing to be
considered a Rolling Stones pastiche.

Rumble
Link Wray
Rumble (1958)
Smells Like
Link Wray Teen Spirit
Paranoid So full of attitude, it was banned from Nirvana
© Redferns REX/Rab G.P. Lewin / PYMCA REX/MARC SHARRAT

radio, this instrumental may seem

Black Sabbath rudimentary to its detractors, but Nevermind (1991)
Paranoid (1971) Rumble’s blues power is undeniable. Kurt Cobain
Tony Iommi Literally; it was one of the first songs to
use the powerchord. In the 80s there was spandex and
Faced with the seemingly shred guitar. Come 1991, Nirvana
Run To You
impossible task of choosing Brian Adams killed all that off with the release
just one Sabbath riff, we have to Reckless (1984) of Nevermind and, in particular,
accept that Paranoid takes the Bryan Adams, Keith Scott lead single Smells Like Teen Spirit.
There’s nothing like a moody Don’t Fear Kurt Cobain’s guitar riff is simple,
top spot thanks largely to its The Reaper-inspired arpeggio sequence to
enduring popularity with the evoke the drama of deciding to cheat on but its alt-rock influence was
record-buying public. your partner… absolutely game-changing.
56 october 2014

Seven Nation Army
The White Stripes
Elephant (2003)
Jack White
Old Kay guitar + octave-dropped
DigiTech Whammy = sports ground
singalong. Who’d have thought it?
Shakin’ All Over
Johnny Kidd And The Pirates
Shakin’ All Over (1961)
Joe Moretti, Alan Caddy
Angus Young doffed his school cap to the
influence this early British Invasion hit
had on Back In Black; note the pull-offs.
Sharp Dressed Man
ZZ Top
Eliminator (1983)
Billy Gibbons
Clean shirt, new shoes… and a dirty
Gibbons riff that drags the blues into the
80s mainstream.
Brian May
“You know, The Kinks, You
Really Got Me. I mean,
that’s got to be the
archetypal riff. I think that’s going to
be my vote. That’s the beginning of all
riff-making, isn’t it really?”
l e a rn
the riff
© Redferns Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Image © Neal Preston/Corbis
Smoke On The Water
Deep Purple
Machine Head (1972)
Ritchie Blackmore
There surely must be witchcraft
at play here as Blackmore’s
diad-based Strat riff magically
etches itself deep into the long-
term memory banks of all who
hear it. Could this be the ultimate
guitar earworm?
The 100 Greatest Riffs of all time?
Spoonman
l e a rn Soundgarden
the riff Superunknown (1984)
Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell
This drop-D 7/4-time stomper is typical
of Chris Cornell’s off-kilter approach to
riffery, topped off by a corker of a solo
from Thayil.
Stay With Me
The Faces
A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A
Blind Horse (1971)
Ronnie Wood
Ronnie Wood and the boys slow it down
to half time for this 12-bar boogie after
Sunshine Of Your Love the intro’s lead bluster and Rod The Mod
Cream struts in.
Disraeli Gears (1967) Sweet Home Alabama
Eric Clapton Lynyrd Skynyrd
Second Helping (1974)
You’ll need understanding Ed King, Allen Collins, Garry
neighbours if you’re planning to Rossington
practise this classic riff as Inspiration hit Ed King in the rehearsal
room with the band one night and the
Clapton played it, because a key whole song flowed out of his muted
part of the sound comes from pickin’ intro/verse riff.
maxing out your amp’s volume
and tone controls. A neck
humbucker with tone controls
lowered, and a half-cocked wah
pedal also contribute to Clapton’s
signature ‘woman’ tone.
l e a rn
the riff
She Sells Sanctuary
The Cult
Love (1985)
Billy Duffy
A classic driving delay riff, full of eastern
promise, from Billy Duffy. He used an
analogue Boss DM-2 in the studio, but
now has a digital DD-3 for it live.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go
The Clash
Combat Rock (1982) Sweet Child O’ Mine
Joe Strummer, Mick Jones
There’s a reason One Direction
Guns N’ Roses
shamelessly lifted the opening chords Appetite For Destruction
from this pop-punk classic; it’s the kind of (1987)
hook that grabs hold and won’t let go. Slash
Song 2 This riff was to become the
Blur
Blur (1997) driving guitar part behind Guns
Graham Coxon, Alex James N’ Roses’ biggest hit. It’s a bit of a
Yes, it might be an air guitar standard, but finger-twister, but it essentially
the only part of this riff that’s guitar is the
clean bit in the intro and verses. The
boils down to just one two-bar riff
gut-punch ‘woo hoo’ part is Alex James’ that starts on a different root note
bass, fuzzed up and double-tracked. each time.
october 2014 57
 The 100 Greatest Riffs of all time?

Take Me Out Walk This Way

Franz Ferdinand Aerosmith & Run-DMC
Franz Ferdinand (2004) l e a rn Raising Hell (1986)
Alex Capranos, Nick McCarthy
Say what you like about Franz, this song the riff Joe Perry
The original was huge, but when Joe
was everywhere in 2004 – indie riffs don’t Perry’s riff collided with Run-DMC’s
get much bigger. rapping, Walk This Way laid the path for a
whole generation of rap-rock bands,
making it a worthy inclusion indeed.
That Lady, Pts 1 & 2
The Isley Brothers
3 + 3 (1973)
Ernie Isley
? Wheels
Foo Fighters ?
Though first released nearly a decade Greatest Hits (2009)
before, they fuzzed it up 70s-style for the Dave Grohl, Chris Shifflet, Pat Smear
redux. The ‘riff’ walks a fine line between You Really Got Me What the Foo-k? We were baffled when
repetition and intro solo, so we’re puzzled
to see it make the list – it doesn’t reappear
The Kinks this entry appeared on the list, not
because it’s a bad riff, but because there
in its original form after the intro. Kinks (1967) are SO many better Foos riffs, as
Dave Davies evidenced by the Greatest Hits album
Wheels appeared on. Monkey Wrench,
The One I Love If proof were needed that less is Stacked Actors, Enough Space, Weanie
REM more, look no further than this. Beanie, even recent cuts such as Rope – all
Document (1987) would have been more worthy. Weird.
Peter Buck The iconic riff comprises just two
Just don’t call this a love song. The glory powerchords (F5 and G5) and
of integrating arpeggios with single-note five downstrokes. Dave Davies’ Whole Lotta Love
riffs is crystal clear here in the hands of
minimalist riffing doesn’t come Led Zeppelin
Peter Buck. Led Zeppelin II (1969)
cheap, however; he sliced his Jimmy Page
The Riverboat Song speakers with a knife to get the If we had it our way, this list would be full
Ocean Colour Scene distortion. Note: don’t do that! of Zep monsters, but Whole Lotta Love is
Moseley Shoals (1996) Page at his most swaggering and
Steve Craddock immediate, so we’ll settle for just the one.
Sometimes, you write a riff so catchy, you
Unbelievable
?
should probably just knock it on the head Words Of Love
and retire. This Zep-influenced earworm EMF Buddy Holly
was OCS’s first single, and by a country Schubert Dip (1991) Words Of Love (1957)
mile their best riff. Ian Dench Buddy Holly
Top 100? It’s unbelievable that this one is A favourite of John Lennon’s (and later
The Spirit Of Radio included, in our opinion. Still, the riff is covered very authentically by The
Rush easily the least annoying part of the song. Beatles), the vocal melody carefully
Permanent Waves (1980) mirrors the strummed/arpeggiated riff
Alex Lifeson for an infectious one minute, 56 seconds
Are the Beeb are referring to the flanged Tom of brilliance.
pull-off intro, arpeggiated verse or
hard-rocking outro? Whatever, Lifeson Morello Ziggy Stardust
pulls every trick out of the prog bag here. “There are so many good David Bowie
ones. I’m partial to Led The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust
Theme From Shaft Zeppelin’s Out On The Tiles… when And The Spiders From Mars (1972)
Isaac Hayes you hear that riff… Well, you hear a lot David Bowie, Mick Ronson
Theme From Shaft (1971) of the Morello catalogue in that riff.” This two-bar riff – largely Bowie’s work
Charles Pitts judging by his original acoustic demo
Pitts’ syncopated wah work is at the – was honed into an arpeggiated classic,

?
forefront of this funk monster, which – after the G chord and single-note flourish.
less impressively – inspired the music of Under The Bridge
countless blue movies and Lynx ads… Red Hot Chili Peppers 20th Century Boy
© Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1992) T. Rex

There She Goes
The La’s
The La’s (1990)
Lee Mavers, Peter Camell, John Byrne
Another possibly misunderstood hit (is it
about heroin?) with arpeggios out of the
McGuinn school of Rickenbacker.
John Frusciante
John Frusciante’s plaintive intro has
flummoxed many beginners, but it is
more of a guitar-based melody than a
true riff. We’d have gone with Scar Tissue,
Give It Away or Funky Monks.
20th Century Boy (1973)
Marc Bolan
An open E, low-string bends… sometimes
the simplest ingredients create the
tastiest riff pie. Bolan understood the art
of distilling rock ’n’ roll down to its
essential elements.

58 october 2014
 The Top 100 Riffs Of All Time?

Riffology The anatomy

We analysed the makeup of the poll’s top 20 riffs – what can we learn?
the top 20 (in alphabetical order): • Back In Black AC/DC • Do I Wanna Know? Arctic Monkeys • Down Down Status Quo
• Enter Sandman Metallica • How Soon Is Now? The Smiths • Johnny B Goode Chuck Berry • Layla Derek And The Dominoes • Livin’ On A
Prayer Bon Jovi • Money Pink Floyd • Money For Nothing Dire Straits • Motorcycle Emptiness Manic Street Preachers • Purple Haze The Jimi
Hendrix Experience • Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana • Smoke On The Water Deep Purple • Sweet Child O’ Mine Guns N’ Roses • The Spirit Of
Radio Rush • Whole Lotta Love Led Zeppelin • You Really Got Me The Kinks • Ziggy Stardust David Bowie • 20th Century Boy T. Rex

arrangement & structure The most common approach to delivering the epic riff is to
just start the song with a solo guitar (maybe doubled or with simple background support) and
then have the bass, drums and vocals enter strategically. This approach might be prefaced by
an atmospheric (often rhythmically ambiguous) intro (Livin’ On A Prayer,
Money For Nothing, Money). The essence of most of these riffs is delivered
in two bars (or less), and even when it’s longer, it usually has a structure
(such as ABAC) as in Layla, Smoke On The Water and Back In Black.

Melodic &
rhythmic features
There seems to be a
balance between
rhythmic interest and
melodic complexity in
operation here. The most
melodically active riffs Melodic & Arrangement
here (Sweet Child O’ Mine
and Spirit Of The Radio)
rhythmic & structure
have generally even and features
simple rhythms. However, Tempo /
the majority of the riffs are
less notey and rely on a meter
rhythmic ‘hook’, such as Guitar
pushing into a beat early
by a quaver (Down Down,
& effects
Ziggy Stardust), or Guitaristic Register /
incorporate a significant
amount of offbeats (aka features range
syncopation), for
example, in the answering
phrases in Layla and
Smoke On The Water.

Guitaristic features None
of these riffs shy away from the
idiomatic nature of the guitar.
Open strings, standard chord
voicings, slides, slurs, bends
(quarter-tone, semitone and tone) and muted strings.
None are alienatingly virtuosic. The guitar is allowed to
be itself and is celebrated as such.
guitars & effects Les Pauls, and then Strats, are the kings
of the riff. Other guitars are used (most notably Telecasters),
but even in the 2013 Arctic Monkeys track, it’s the classics that
deliver. Effects are actually at a minimum – only How Soon Is
Now? (panned tremolos), Livin’ On A Prayer (talkbox) and Spirit
Of The Radio (flanger) use effects beyond a (moderate)
distortion and modest reverb. Clarity is key, and effects should
contribute to, rather than merely ornament, the riff.

60 october 2014

of the perfect riff
tempo/Meter With the
exception of Money (it’s in 7/4), (breakable) rules...
all the riffs are in 4/4, but tempos
range from a stately 84 to 85bpm
(Ziggy Stardust, Do I Wanna Know?)
to the region of a nifty 170bpm
(Down Down and Johnny B. Goode),
with a good portion around the
112bpm mark. The range may
seem very wide, but consider that
practically all the examples at
112bpm or slower include
significant use of
semiquavers, and
there are hardly any
semiquavers to be
found above around
116bpm. So there’s a
sweet spot of rhythmic
density – no ballads, no
speed metal.
Scale / mode
register /
range Most of the
riffs employ the
lowest available root
in the scale, and many of them don’t
travel much further than an octave or
so above that note and are centered
around roots and fifths (and pentatonic
elements) of the scale, making them
eminently singable (at least by a
low-voiced male), which might
contribute to their ear-worm status.
There are exceptions: Sweet Child O’
Mine, Spirit Of The Radio and How Soon
Is Now? all have a catchiness that
doesn’t rely on singability.
key/tuning
It may come as no
surprise that the most
common key in the list is
the guitar-friendly E. In
fact E, E minor, ‘neutral’ E
keys and capo’d keys
based on an open E chord
made up almost half of the
cohort. What was a
surprise is that 20 per
cent of the riffs are in the
not particularly guitar-
friendly G minor, so it
seems there’s something
satisfying to play and hear
around that 3rd fret.
Key / tuning
scale/mode Unsurprisingly,
minor pentatonic/blues are the
most common scales, making
up more than a third. However
the more ‘sophisticated’
Mixolydian, Major and Aeolian
collectively account for half,
showing that these riffs are
certainly not ‘all blues’. The most
complex scale represented is in
Enter Sandman, which suggests
Locrian with an added natural 2.
The Top 100 Riffs Of All Time?
So what, if anything,
can be learnt from an
analysis of the riffs?
Well, here are the five
Rule #1
Keep it simple
and memorable – generally a
handful of notes with the musical
essence delivered in a couple of bars.
If you can’t sing it back easily (or at
least keep it caught in your head)
you’ve done something wrong.
Rule #2 Include just the
right amount of rhythmic interest.
Unless the riff is actively melodic
(Sweet Child O’ Mine and Motorcycle
Emptiness), you should recognise the
riff from its rhythm alone. This means a
use of space and a simple but effective
rhythmic hook.
Rule #3 If you want a fast
tempo, keep the riff at quavers or
longer, and at slower tempos make
significant use of semiquavers;
neither frenzied, nor laboured.
Rule #4 Embrace the
idiomatic nature of the guitar (open
strings, muting, bends and an interplay
of chords and single lines) and use
effects sparingly, and only if they
add a musical element to the track (eg,
How Soon Is Now?). Swamping your
part with über distortion, delays and
reverbs can compromise the catchiness
of a riff when a raw guitar sound might
deliver it more effectively.
Rule #5 Feel free to
break any of the rules (including
this one). Innovation comes from
intuition: learn from the past, but don’t
let it dictate all your choices. All these
riffs are classics precisely because they
broke a rule or two…
october 2014 61
 interview marmozets

Weird
And

62
Wonderful
  october 2014

With a major-label
debut imminent,
Yorkshire’s most
exciting “alternative,
but slightly tech-y”
band, Marmozets, are
all set to be kings of
the swingers
S
ome bands just seem to be guided by
destiny. Marmozets’ guitarists Sam
MacIntyre and Jack Bottomley bonded
in secondary school when, by fate or
fortune, they were dropped into the
same tutorial group. Then, in 2007, a band
somehow fell into being – completed by
siblings Will Bottomley on bass, Jack
MacIntyre on drums and not-so-secret-
weapon Becca MacIntyre as frontwoman. The
resulting sound has been honed by four years
of tearing up the road. Exciting, focused and
visceral: they’re a band that make crafting
heavy, mind-bending prog rock into storming
singalongs seem both easy (it’s not) and
hugely fun. Now, as they prepare to release
their superb debut album The Weird And
Wonderful Marmozets on Roadrunner, we
catch up with Jack and Sam to talk about the
band’s thrilling new direction, the forthcoming
record and why we wouldn’t advise standing
next to them mid-gig…
Words: Matt Parker Photography: Adam Gasson
How did you first gel as players?
Jack: “We’ve been playing guitar with each
other since we were 11. We met in school
through the fact that we both played an
instrument and were both passionate about it.
It’s pretty lucky that we were selected to be in
the same class. It’s weird how that happened
– and that we were both the smallest in the
year, as well! But I think, playing-wise, we’ve
always complemented each other.”
What do you recall about the band’s really
early days?
Sam: “When we used to play the 1in12 in
Bradford it was awesome, wasn’t it?”
Jack: “Yeah, they used to be really well
promoted and it was when Bradford had
a good scene. It was an 80-cap venue, but it
would sell out every week and it was just full
of kids that wanted to go to shows. Those
shows used to be amazing. It gives you a taste
of what it could be like, because it was before
we could even record a track: we’d record
demos on the laptop and put them on
MySpace, and it would sound like,
‘SCCCCCRRRCCCHH!’”
“I can piss off and throw my guitar at
someone, but Jack keeps it together”
Who are your current guitar inspirations?
Sam: “Jack White, love him. He’s superb, isn’t
he? The noises he can make… He’s a great
player and a technical player, but it’s the way
he plays it. The feel. You can hear a five-second
clip of him playing and you know it’s him.”
Jack: “It’s the same sort of thing with Josh
Homme. You can learn the lead parts he plays,
but it’s the feel. It’s a bit angular and weird.
And he really holds back – he’s in no rush.
Those two are massive influences, particularly
on the new stuff we’ve been writing.”
They’re both riff-y players. Does the album
move more in that direction?
Jack: “Definitely. And we’ve honed in on the
guitar tones. We’re focusing on the sound of it
and being really conscious about that as well
as the playing. The playing is more solid now.
The time signatures are still there, but they’re
more subtle and it sounds a lot more together.”
Sam: “It’s really hard to do math-y stuff and
get different tones and character. At the end of
the day, if you’re doing math-y, you have to
have a really metal-sounding guitar tone. And
we want to do more interesting things.”
How would you describe each other’s styles?
Jack: “‘Weird And Wonderful’ is Sam all over.
It’s riff-y and punch-y and hammering
interview marmozets
downstrokes to a tee. It’s really abrasive and
in-your-face, but in the coolest way.”
Sam: “For starters, Jack’s tone is insane.
It doesn’t sound like anything else I’ve heard.
Then he is a great technical guitar player, in
that he’s tight but still has feel – he’s a good,
strong guitarist for the band. It means I can
piss off and throw my guitar at someone
and then go climb something, but he keeps
it together.”
Speaking of which, you have a reputation
for a fearless live show. Have you broken
anything as a result?
Sam: “I broke all my amps recently!”
Jack: “He stacked them all on top of a 4x12
on casters when we were in Oxford. I went to
Sam: ‘Watch your head, there’s a bar across
the top of the stage, so don’t jump’, but my
hair was over my face and he thought I
meant, ‘Get on your amps!’ So he jumped on
top and they all started rocking about. He
jumped off and they all fell back and there
were just all these sparks!”
Sam: “Our guitar tech was like, ‘Oh fuck…’
I said, ‘It’s alright man! We’ll get ’em fixed!’”
Born Young And Free seems like a song that
a lot of musicians can relate to. The idea
that you can do what you want with your
life. Would you agree?
Jack: “Yeah. At the end of the day, if you are a
musician and you want to do that for a living,
there shouldn’t be anything holding you back
from doing that. But at the same time, you
don’t want to worry too much about pissing
people off. That’s the message!”
That song felt like a huge step. How did it
come about?
Jack: “It was sort of the first song that
changed us from being that math-core band
into the alternative, slightly-tech-y band we
are now. It was like, ‘This is an actual proper
verse!’ Whereas, before, we’d have a chord
sequence and be like, ‘We’ll have 5/4 for that
bar, 7/4 for that bar…’ That’s literally how
we wrote…”
Sam: “It was just because we were having a
laugh. We were just like, ‘That sounds fucked!
Let’s do it!’”
What made you want to go the other way
for Born Young And Free?
Sam: “It wasn’t one of those things where we
thought, ‘Actually, we need to start writing
some more accessible songs.’ It was like, ‘You
october 2014   63
 interview marmozets
know what? We have the ability to write really
good tunes, so we might as well.’ It’s all good
fun trying to impress people with your time
signatures, but if you’ve got it in you to write a
decent song that’s still different and
not a generic, standard song, then you should
write some.”
Jack: “Yeah. And then we wrote Move, Shake,
Hide just after that, and it was the same sort of
thing again. I think the good thing is that
Becca’s voice is a bit of a tool for us. Whatever
we do, we’ve got her voice over it, which
everyone will know; and it’s really distinctive,
which helps.”
Who produced the album, and why did you
choose to work with them?
Jack: “Our good friend Larry Hibbitt. He’s the
guitarist for Hundred Reasons. We had done
Born Young And Free with him down in Brixton
and that went great, and then we did Move,
“As long as you put the effort in, you can
push yourself to get somewhere”
Shake, Hide, so it felt like it would be wrong if
we didn’t take it over to the album. He did such
a good job and he really knows his shit,
especially on the guitar side of things.”
What gear were you using for the album?
Sam: “Larry’s Fender Telecaster, for me. It was
the Mexican one that he used in Hundred
Reasons for years.”
Jack: “It sounds amazing and you’ve no idea
why: it’s got sweat marks all over it, the neck’s
64   october 2014
Marmozets’ live shows
are loud, chaotic, often
dangerous affairs
all beaten up from where his rings have been
and stuff. Then there was a Custom Shop
Esquire that we used quite a lot as well.”
Sam: “Amp-wise, we used Laney Clips, a
Marshall JMP, and I used this Silvertone
catalogue amp – and I loved that. It’s like made
out of mesh!”
Jack: “It’s the lightest thing ever, and it’s so
badly built, but it sounds next-level. It’s a 1484
Twin Twelve, I think they call it. I normally had
a Marshall JMP50 involved, then there was
this 70s Matamp, the Laney Clip and my 1974
Fender Twin. Then, guitars, I used an SG quite
a lot, a 1968 Les Paul, my dad’s Les Paul
Standard, then a Mustang that we used on a
lot of the twangier songs, and my American
Select Tele.”
How does that compare to your live rigs?
Sam: “I’ve just bought an AC30, the green
tolex one. There was only, like, 30 of them and
it’s very, very new, but it’s bob-on! I also use a
Marshall Vintage Modern and I’m playing both
at the same time. So I’ve got that nice Vox tone
with not a lot of gain on it and the Vintage
Modern for the drive-y stuff.”
Jack: “I’m getting a Matamp and cab with
15-inch Fane speakers in it. Then I have a 1974
Fender Twin. It’s sort of a mirror image of
Sam’s rig in a way, where you have a dirty
British amp and then a combo that’s brighter
and does all the high-end stuff.”
Wild And Free
Why Marmozets bring it live
Great songwriting is often half the battle
when it comes to getting attention in the
bear pit of rock. That’s why Marmozets
have been making waves; their gigs get
pretty wild…
Jack: “The live show for us is the most
important bit. Your crowd pay to watch
you, so you want make the best show you
can. We find it weird when you watch a
band and they just stand there, whereas
a lot of people find it weird that we go
mental. We always find that the bands
we’re into go nuts live. You can tell they’re
really feeling it, and that’s what we try
and put across. Watch At The Drive-In –
it might sound like a train wreck, but it
looks cool as hell. We try and take the
trainwreck side, but make it listenable.”
You’ve signed to Roadrunner, and are
becoming a big talking point at festivals
such as Download, Glastonbury and
Reading – why do you think you’ve got this
far? What do you do that other bands don’t?
Sam: “I think that if you set the bar for
yourself, say, at supporting a big band, then
you don’t have that drive. [Likewise], if you
get to a strong point in your career and think,
‘I’m the bee’s knees now!’, it will really fuck
you up.”
Jack: “We’re always one step ahead in our
thinking, so by the time we get there, we’re
thinking about the next thing.”
Sam: “Most people, their expectation level is
so mediocre. You have to have the thought-
process that you can actually do whatever you
want, really. As long as you put the time and
the effort into it, you really can push yourself
to get somewhere.” l
 interview chuck ragan

66 october 2014
 chuck ragan interview

Wooden
heart
Whether it’s punk rock or Americana, Chuck Ragan’s
approach to writing and playing transcends all definition
of genre. We meet him to talk about his creative mindset
and special connection with acoustics
Words: Mick Taylor Pics: Adam Gasson

october 2014   67
 interview chuck ragan

W
e’re winging it to Brighton to see
Chuck Ragan and The
Camaraderie at The Haunt. It’s
damn-near the perfect venue to
create gut-stirring volume and

video
power, yet still be intimate enough for the
crowd to get a close-up sense of what this
genial songsmith and his mates are all about. y/tg258ib
anez
At first glance, Ragan is quite the musical w w w.bit .l
chameleon, spanning punk rock in on-off-on
band, Hot Water Music, all the way through to
acoustic Americana via the folk-inspired
Revival Tour. Tonight, we’ll hear pedal steel
and fiddle cut through the bass, drums and
acoustic guitar, all driven by that broken,
gravelled voice and heart-on-the-sleeve
writing style that binds the whole thing
together seamlessly.
So, with latest album Till Midnight released
earlier this year – his fullest-sounding and
most ‘band-like’ solo album to date – it seems
we have a lot to cover. The first question is
from Chuck, however: “Do you guys want a
beer?” Um, okay.

How did you get into punk rock?

“I wasn’t allowed to listen to rock ’n’ roll.
I wasn’t allowed to go buy records and if I did,
I’d have to hide ’em. I grew up in a somewhat
conservative, Southern Baptist family, so I was
surrounded by Cajun music, old gospel
hymns; this Christian, spirit-driven music,
bluegrass and a little bit of country… as long
as it wasn’t secular country, [laughs].
“At the same time, I found skateboarding,
which just spun my head around and I started
finding bands; Bad Brains, GBH, Germs,
Metallica, Public Enemy… just a wide and
strange range of different cultures in music.
We used to skateboard at a friend’s house, and
we played all these tapes – all this crazy stuff
that excited me and scared me! Then, every
once in a while, my friend’s dad would say,
‘Alright boys, I’ll put my music on now!’ and
he’d put on CCR [Creedence Clearwater
Punk roots and an
acoustic obsession make
Ragan a live draw
Ragan used an
all-mahogany 1948
Martin on his latest record
Revival], Woody Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt,
old Dylan stuff, a lot of Cajun music, too,
because we were in Lafayette, Louisiana. All
the music we were listening to kind of became
seamless: Townes Van Zandt one minute,
early Metallica the next!”
So the guitar was the obvious next move?
“I was 12 years old or so when I begged for my
first guitar; an electric. They finally broke
down and bought me the package… And forthright, very political, angry or sentimental.
I didn’t even know the first thing! And all of them can be used as a vehicle to help
I didn’t even know you had to press
down on the frets. I took it home,
turned all the knobs all the way up
and just started wailin’ on the thing.
They gave me about 20 minutes of
fun with it, then the door swings
open and my father scoops it up, and
I never saw it again: gone! But the
cool thing is that the following day
when I came home from school,
there was an acoustic guitar laying
up against my bed. So they were
supportive… in a sense [laughs].”
How does acoustic music square
with punk rock for you?
“People aren’t always aware how
long I’ve been doing [acoustic
music]. I think I first played with an
acoustic guitar by myself in front of people
about 27 years ago, so way before Hot
Water… I’ve always played solo stuff, and
recorded a little bit, although I never had the
resources that I had through the band… and
definitely nobody cared as much [laughs].
“I’ve always seen a lot of parallels between
[the genres]. You could probably say the same
things about many genres, but those genres
can be very personal, they can be very
raise awareness towards social causes. I guess
a lot of it stems from those memories from my
friends’ house. It became a seamless
soundtrack to our lives.”
It feels as though there’s more of a band
approach on the new record...
“I never want to write the same record twice,
or have the same feel on a record twice. The
last record we did, and the last tour, we were
mostly travelling as a three-piece with Joe
[Ginsberg] on bass and Jon [Gaunt] on fiddle.
We loved doing it, but our shows started
getting bigger. A drummer was an easy choice;
David Hidalgo [Jr, Social Distortion] became
available, then Todd [Beene, steel guitar,
Lucero] became available too, and instantly
we have this five-piece. This is it: that band
vibe was what we wanted.”

68   october 2014
 chuck ragan interview

Making A
Connection
We asked Chuck what
he thinks it is about the
acoustic guitar and a voice
that connects so easily
with people?
“To me, it’s just raw; it’s organic. There are
simple elements; it’s wood and steel, a larynx,
some air and some spirit. You could be just
about anywhere and make a sound; make
something out of nothing, and that’s where
singer-songwriters and acoustic music will
always be relevant.
“Its popularity will always grow then go back
underground; it’ll always just do its thing in that
way, but that’s part of the cycle of the music
that we all listen to. But it will always be there.
Every single person on this stage, whether it’s
my fiddle player or my bass player, whoever –
everybody plays guitar and at the end of the

video
day, when we write, no matter what instrument
we play on stage, we write on an acoustic
guitar. Sometimes piano, but mostly guitar – it uck
y/tg258ch
brings it all back to basics, but the possibilities w w w.bit .l
are virtually endless.”

How did you go about recording
Till Midnight?
“Christopher Thorn [producer] and me,
luckily, we’ve become real good friends and
we’ve developed this language that comes
when you make records with someone. You
get on the same wavelength and understand
each other. I did a lot of work writing tunes,
then I cut a big list down in half. I try to
old Martin guitars, a 1948 parlour, all
mahogany, a wonderful guitar! I used that a lot
on Covering Ground, the record before this
one, too.
“Todd played his pedal steel, and a little bit
of electric guitar; Joe bounced back and forth
between electric and upright bass, but for me
it’s all acoustic guitar.”
it’s just tried and true – a beautiful thing to
explore music on. The first time I pulled it out
of the case I felt an immediate connection.”
How do you explain that connection?
“Musicians will understand that; you
understand it: we connect with our
instruments. Guitars are made from materials
that move and absorb sound, and even

“I have a lifelong dream

start with twice as many, or three times though they’re cut into pieces and glued
as many as we need for the record. So together, it still moves and breathes. In
I cut the list down, then brought Chris that way, I believe that they can kind of
in to help me cut it further. Then we
brought the guys in to my house.
“We did a week of pre-production,
of making guitars and accept and repel energies, sound and
tone. Whatever is put into this guitar will
stay in it, somehow… I don’t know,
where we set up in the house. Every
morning, we’d wake up crazy early, get
out on the lake and go fishing, then just
making rocking chairs” I could go deeper into that. The really
important thing is that this guitar is
rarely further than 50 feet away!”
dive into the songs until we were exhausted. What guitars are you playing on this tour?
Then we’d cook some dinner, sit out back “I’ve been honoured to be taken in to the Given your carpentry skills, have you ever
around the fire and talk about what we were Martin Guitars family as an Ambassador – it’s been tempted to make a guitar?
doing. It was a beautiful way to begin and it pretty incredible! Exploring all the different “I started one and I never finished it. I have
was about just finding that bond.” body styles, types of wood, I chose a few kind of a lifelong dream of making guitars and
models that are my dream guitars. One was making rocking chairs. What a rewarding
What are the main guitars on the record? the D-28 of course, which is just a classic thing as an old man, to make a chair, then sit
“I mostly played an old Gibson, a ’67 little workhorse; also a D-18. Actually while I’m on my old ass in it and play that guitar! Then
parlour that a friend of mine gave me, Lenny the road I usually have four different models; a watch the sun go down around the people
Lashley is his name. And it was broken! Truly D-28, D-18, 000-17M and also this beauty that I love. What could be better than that?”
– it’s cracked! But for some reason it stayed in I’m cradling, which is the most enjoyable
tune and it had a great tone to it. So there was instrument I’ve ever held in my hands. It’s a Chuck Ragan’s latest album Till Midnight is out now on
that one, and I also used one of Chris Thorn’s 00-28 VS with the V neck. A super old design, SideOneDummy Records

october 2014   69
 STEAL THEIR STYLE

yngwie
malmsteen
THE TECHNIQUES &
TONES OF YOUR HEROES
In a world of media-savvy, identikit
rockstars, Yngwie Malmsteen is
a glorious misfit, more likely to throw a
curveball into an interview than a stock
answer, while wearing what appears
to be the contents of a 1970s gigolo’s
wardrobe. And that’s not to mention his
outstanding guitar playing. This Swedish-
born virtuoso spent a large part of the
1970s copping the licks of Deep Purple’s
Ritchie Blackmore, another of his guitar
heroes. The latter’s classical-influenced
licks inspired Malmsteen to take the idea
further, developing his own style, dubbed
‘neo-classical’.
Yngwie’s stylistic pioneering was
matched by an innovative approach to
guitar design: the Swede had the fretboard
of his Fender Stratocaster scalloped after
seeing traditional stringed instruments
with the same feature. He took a similarly
off-the-wall approach to playing advice
when asked by TG what a novice guitarist
do to play faster. His response: “Eat
bananas.” Malmsteen further endeared
himself to humour-starved fans of guitar
music when a recording of an incident
© Idols/Photoshot

onboard an aeroplane had Yngwie

threaten to “Unleash the fury!” on a
hapless flight attendant.

70 october 2014
 STEAL THEIR Style yngwie malmsteen

yngwie’s gigbag
Get the right gear and you too can nail
Yngwie’s tones, whatever your budget
The ‘bach to basics’ rig
➊ Squier Affinity Series
Stratocaster £147
➋
This budget Strat doesn’t offer a scalloped
fretboard, but the chunky headstock is bang-on
Mr Malmsteen.
➍
➋ Seymour Duncan YJM Fury
STK-S10 pickups £199
Upgrade your Squier’s pickups to those featured
on Yngwie’s expensive Fender signature Strat.

➌ Marshall MG50CFX £279

Get in Yngwie’s ballpark (tone-wise) with this
gig-able, affordable Marshall that comes loaded
with effects.
➌
➍ Tesco ‘Eat Me’ bananas
(min 5 fruit) £1
Yngwie says that bananas are the best way to
improve your guitar playing, and for just a quid,
you can!
➊
Total: £626
(approx based on web prices)

The ‘Sweet trilogy’ rig

➊ Fender Yngwie Malmsteen ➌ ➋
Stratocaster £1,750
Yngwie’s signature Strat features that scalloped
fretboard, a brass nut and a gorgeous Vintage
White finish.

➋ Marshall DSL100H amp and

Marshall MX412B cab £1,038
This is the actual amp Yngwie uses these days.
For total authenticity, build a wall of them that
“can be seen from outer space”, as Yngwie
boasted of his own rig.

➌ Argos 9ct Gold-Plated Silver Solid

Curb Bracelet £29.99
Nail that trademark Yngwie ‘jangle’ with this fine,
gold-plated fashion disaster. ➊
Total: £2,817.99
© iStock

(approx based on web prices)

Get the sound Amp settings: Distortion channel

Yngwie’s setup is fairly straightforward, 4

5
6 4
5
6 4
5
6 4
5
6 4
5
6
favouring, as he does, Fender Stratocasters 3 7 3 7 3 7 3 7 3 7
plugged into Marshall amps. The smoother
2 8 2 8 2 8 2 8 2 8
sound of a neck single-coil pickup together
9 9 9 9 9
with a British-style valve distortion helps 1
10
1
10
1
10
1
10
1
10
0 0 0 0 0
soften the edges of Yngwie’s fast-picking
attack. Dial in plenty of reverb to add epic
depth to your playing. CHANNEL distortion

october 2014 71
 yngwie’s playing style
Unleash the fury with our breakdown of the shred maestro’s signature techniques
TGR258.steal.fig01.musx
File Date: 21:17 28/07/2014
Yngwie Malmsteen
Steal Their Style
Page 1Malmsteen
Yngwie of 1 has an unmistakable, with rock phrasing, influenced by greats such as Ritchie Steve
Dominant. This can be heard in such tracks Allsworth
as Riot In The
idiosyncratic approach to guitar. Very much based in Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix and Uli Jon Roth. His love of Dungeon and Far Beyond The Sun. Sweep picked arpeggios,
Notes:and Classical-era harmony from the likes of
Baroque classical harmony often manifests itself with either the Engraved
diminished runs and legatoby DigitalMusicArt.Com
phrases can be found in
Vivaldi and Bach to Mozart, he seamlessly blends this harmonic minor scale or its fifth mode, the Phrygian everything from Trilogy Suite Op 5 to Bite The Bullet.

Basic neo-classical riff Tg dvd

q =160

#
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j j j j j j
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

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File
A Date: 10:29 05/08/2014 File Date: 21:47 28/07/2014 Steal Their Style
B
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0 0 10of0 1 0
2 3 2 2 2 3 6
Page 1 of
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01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 3 2 Steve
3 5 Allsworth
Notes:
This typical Malmsteen style riff is based around the classical-sounding E harmonic minor scale (E F#Notes: Engraved
G A B C D#). The rhythm is a triplet-feel by DigitalMusicArt.Com
shuffle groove. Particularly challenging is
the stretch from C to D# at the end of bar 4. Make sure you’re not cutting corners here; your fret hand should stay in one position.

Trilled approach notes Tg dvd Sweep-picked arpeggio Tg dvd

#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ ~~~~~~~~
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œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ .. œ œ œ œ ..
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Steal Their Style
8
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B B 7 10 10 9 7
Page 11 of 1 Steve Allsworth
9 10 9 10 9

Page 1 of 1

Notes:
This lick takes advantage of the minor 2nd intervals in the harmonic minor scale. Notes:
After Engraved
the initial hammer-on, play one steady downstroke byfrom
DigitalMusicArt.Com
the fifth string to the first.
Executing this many trills can be tricky, so practise in one area of the fretboard initially. Fret each note individually so you can silence each string as soon as you have played it.

Phrygian Dominant lick Tg dvd Ascending diminished 7th lick Tg dvd

œ n œ œ #œ œ œ w~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ˙~~~~~~~
B

#4 œ #œ œ ˙
B

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
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1/4 1/4

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. 10:30 05/08/2014 .
7 11 7
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T Steal Their Style
7 10 13 16
A
File Date: A
B
Page 1 of 1 1 B
1
Steve Allsworth
Notes:
By playing notes from the E harmonic minor scale over a B chord, we’ve produced one of The basic four-note pattern is repeatedEngraved byeach
three frets higher DigitalMusicArt.Com
time you move, so you
Yngwie’s favourite modes: the Phrygian Dominant. can practise it in just one or two positions until it starts to feel familiar.

Descending pull-off lick Tg dvd

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# 4 . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ n œ œ œ œ œ #œ n œ œ œ œ œ
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b œ œ œ œ œ n œ b œ œ œ œJ œ . œ w w
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8 7 5
8 7 5
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8 (10 ) (8 ) 7
A
B
1

This lick is typically fiery, so you’ll benefit from practising slowly until you get the hang of the nine-notes-per-beat pattern. That said, notice in bar 1 that the first note grouping is actually
four notes in the space of three, so just play a bit faster to cram all the notes in. Switch to a bridge pickup for a snappier tone.

72 october 2014
 interview joshua third

74   october 2014
 interview joshua third

The
Third
Way
We meet the man behind The Horrors’
S
ince they first hit the nation’s stages
nearly 10 years ago – bedecked in

shimmering sonic soundscapes; funereal attire and pumping out a

savage garage post-punk brew –

guitarist, experimentalist and pedal The Horrors’ sound has been

consistently evolving.

builder Joshua Third
Words: Matt Frost Photography: Will Ireland
And, while the band’s last three albums –
2009’s Primary Colours, 2011’s Skying and
2014’s Luminous – have seen a myriad of
synths come to the fore, Joshua Third’s
inventive guitar-playing and experimental use
of effects have been ever-central constants.
What really stands Joshua out from the
majority of his peers is that his experimental
dabblings are not just limited to the stage,
studio or rehearsal room. Since The Horrors
started in 2005, the guitarist – who has a
first-class honours degree in physics – has
designed and built “hundreds” of guitar effects
units and pedals for the band.
When it comes to carving out The Horrors’
pulsating psychedelic soundscapes, Joshua
and his electronics workshop have played a
more-than-essential role.

How did you first get into designing and

building your own guitar effects and pedals?
“I didn’t have enough money to buy my own!
I got the Craig Anderton book [Do-It-Yourself
Projects For Guitarists] when I was in
secondary school and I made some PCBs
[Printed Circuit Boards], but I never quite got
around to actually building the pedals. When I
was 20, I finally got round to doing it. The first
thing I built was a Big Muff, but I didn’t like the
sound of it and, in a rage, I broke it – but it’d
taken me ages to do. I’d never used a soldering
iron before and it was an absolute nightmare,
but I didn’t stop, and I made another pedal
pretty soon.”

october 2014   75
 interview joshua third
What other pedals did you build during the
early days of The Horrors?
“Another early one was a Fuzz Factory clone,
but that pissed everyone off endlessly and
I didn’t really use it much. I also had a [Boss]
DS-1 that I modified to sound like a Nintendo!
I think a lot of people have done that. You just
take the back off, connect the two bits in the
back with a little wire and then it sounds like
a Nintendo… and it’s useless! The damn thing
doesn’t work in bypass mode anymore, but it
was just quite funny, and I was like, ‘Wow I did
that – that sounds really bizarre!’”
Was there a turning point in terms of
producing your first effect that worked
really well?
“Very early on, I took a small bunch of parts on
tour so I could build a pedal, and I built a
[Univox] Super-Fuzz because I love Poison Ivy
and I love The Cramps. That’s my ideal way of
how a guitar should sound. Their guitar sound
is just the most beautiful thing in the world.
Not only did it work really well but I also
learned a lot about design and circuitry. I’ve
built about six of them now, but the first one
I built was the one with the crazy fabric on it.
One big thing I realised was there’s two
transistors in the circuit that would have been
randomly selected, and they make each pedal
sound completely different. I’ve had Super-
Fuzzes since, and played on other people’s,
and they never sound the same. It’s all because
of these two little transistors, which – when
they’re different – just completely change the
sound. If they match, it becomes like a
super-clean octave, but if they’re completely
off it just becomes this outrageous fuzz, and
you can go everywhere in-between once you
put a pot in to control how matched they are.”
And have you used those on many
recordings by The Horrors?
“That’s the fuzz sound on the first record
[Strange House], although I’ve used it on every
record since. Even on the new record
[Luminous], I would have used it on maybe
The Horrors are one of the
most sonically adventurous
bands in indie-rock music
© Retna/Photoshot
76   october 2014
Get building
Joshua Third gives us all a few tips on getting started in
the exciting world of DIY effects design…
• Get some proper tools “Buy an
Antex soldering iron. That’s what I use. Silly
things like tweezers can make your life so
much less stressful when you’re trying to put
tiny wires through tiny little holes.”
• Experiment “Buy some of those cheap
Korean knock-off pedals and start modifying
them. They’re ready-made for you. Put little
switches on and replace resistors with pots,
so you can change the value of them.”
half of it. It’s really good for lead, especially the
magic one I have where you can blend in how
much upper octave you want! I’ve constantly
developed it to do what I want it to. I’ve split
the latest one into two pedals, so I’ve got the
octave section in one bit and the distortion bit
in the other. The octave bit’s really nice
because it gives you really nice Krauty-type,
almost sequenced-sounding lines. Sometimes,
you just want that on its own, but then you can
kick the fuzz in and it just goes crazy!”
How would you say your physics degree has
helped you with your effects building?
“Well, I really liked electronics, and I really
wanted to go to university and learn to build
musical equipment. Then someone told me
that if I did electronics I’d end up working for a
mobile phone company doing satellites, which
was probably actually quite accurate, so I did
physics instead! But, when I got there,
• Don’t go to Maplin “Buy your
components online because Maplin never
have enough of anything in stock! Rapid
Electronics are really good.”
• Use online forums “You can’t believe
everything everyone says, but there are
always some good people who are happy to
help and give you advice.”
• Don’t be afraid to learn the
theory “It makes things a lot easier.”
I realised they had no interest at all in teaching
anything like that because it was really
beneath them to just play with these childish
60s analogue ideals. I did a really good cosmic
ray muon detection system, though, and
I quite enjoyed labs; but building musical
equipment was just seen as silliness. However,
it did teach me loads of maths – and maths is
the hard bit. I remember learning that really
early, way before university. It always amazed
me, like ‘Why is a 100-watt amp twice as loud
as a 10-watt amp?’ Then I read up on
logarithms and I started seeing things
exponentially, and then it all kind of makes
sense. That’s how pitch works and how you
understand how to make things musical and
controllable, and you understand why pots
work the way they do. You need to know all
that stuff. I could then look at a circuit and
understand why it sounded the way it did and
how I could change things to sound different.”
When you’re designing pedals, how far are
you aiming to match a sound in your head, or
a tone on a particular record?
“Kind of both really, or I’ll hear something and
I’ll want to make it a bit different and more
usable for me. I originally wanted every one
louder and weirder and battier. I think
I managed to make everything oscillate
weirdly, like chorus pedals when they’re really
extreme. I thought the normal chorus sound
was boring and I wanted a sound like a really
warped record, which is a really complex
wave. I learnt how to put loads of sine waves
in with loads of LFOs [Low-Frequency
Oscillations] controlling chorus pedals, then
I took the dry signal out so it sounded like a
record going nuts. You would play it and it
would go in and out and then stop, like a
needle skipping, then it would come back on.
It was the most fun thing to do, and I used it on
Sea Within A Sea. There’s that little noise
section where I was just making loops up and
it was all coming through this thing. I just
wanted it to sound absolutely mental.”
 interview joshua third

Joshua’s house: the

little shop of effects
pedal Horrors

“I’m always looking

at ways to be able
to do things guitars
can’t normally do”
Can you give some other examples of the
home-built effects you’ve used with
The Horrors?
“On the third record [Skying], I built a
modular synthesizer and just fed my guitar
through. I built this really good pitch detection
thing because I loved playing through [Korg]
MS-20s. The basic idea was to have it start the
pitch detection again every time you played a
new note. I taught it what a pick sounded like
– through building a circuit – so when you
played with a pick, it would detect the burst of
high frequencies present. And while I never
ended up using the oscillators, I did use the
filters in it, and that helped me develop the
filter I use the most, which is a bit like a
Steiner-Parker filter. It’s a really weird sound to
describe, but you can really hear it on Mine
And Yours from the new album. If you listen to
the lead line on that, that’s the sound. If you
don’t want a guitar to sound like a guitar, just
get a moderate drive and a filter, and then you
can start making different textures. On Jealous
Sun, I built a box that took me ages to make.
It basically has four filter banks, like
parametric EQs, with Vactrols as the control
elements so you can control the frequency.
I built a small simple analogue computer,
which I programmed to control the
frequencies and the space between them.
I basically wanted the guitars to sound like
an army of people marching and shouting!”

Do you have any new effects units in

the pipeline?
“I want to start programming digital pedals
and I’m going to try and learn C++ on tour.
You can do really crazy things with digital,
like split the signal to bits and just affect one
half of it. You could do things like effects loops
on only the bottom three strings, or you can
make all the bottom strings ring out and the
top ones all glide between each other, so
suddenly it sounds almost like you’re playing
slide in a weird crazy way. I’m always looking
at ways of opening myself up to be able to do
all these different things that guitars can’t
normally do.” l

october 2014   77
 Start writing
songs today!
Total Guitar presents the complete guide to songwriting. Use chords, tunings,
structure, lyric and gear tips to improve your songs; learn from successful songwriters
including Ed Sheeran, Ben Howard, Pearl Jam, Frank Turner & Chris Cornell
091

Ibanez RG9
Nine strings, infinite possibilities���������������� 082
Freshman Songwriter SONGOCRW
An electro-cutaway for all you
budding troubadours�������������������������������������� 084
T-Rex SoulMate
Where multi-effects meet stomps����������� 085
ROUND-UP: Vintage Reissued Series
V100MU Midge Ure Signature Series,
Vintage V58JD & Rock Series VRS150��� 086
Vox AC15 Red Limited Edition
The era-defining combo sees red�������������� 090
Washburn LSB768SEK
Get low-down with a long-necked
acoustic baritone���������������������������������������������� 091
ROUND-UP: Xotic & EWS pedals
Xotic SL Drive, EP Booster, SP
Compressor & EWS Little Brute Drive����� 092
Quick Tests
TC Electronic Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo,
Seymour Duncan Dirty Deed Distortion 094

085 090 082

october 2014 81
 REVIEw
ibanez rg9

video
w w w.bit .l
y/tg 258ibanez

82 octobER 2014
 gear ibanez rg9

Ibanez RG9 £689

A nine that’s a sign of the times

When it was first

unveiled in
prototype form at Winter NAMM
2013, the RG9 caused a fair bit of
commotion, provoking delirium
and bewilderment in equal
measure. We understand the
fervour: after all, it has 50 per cent
more strings than your average
axe. Now available to buy for a
surprisingly reasonable price, the
RG9 suggests Ibanez is putting its
money on a new generation of
nine-string players coming out of
the woodwork – and hopes that
this will be their weapon of choice.
Let’s start with the strings
themselves, which come factory-
for a glassy shimmer, while
position four triggers a lower-
output, parallel connection of the
neck humbucker’s coils. These
yield sweeter, lower-output tones
than you might expect, which lend
themselves to melodic tapping and
crystal-clear arpeggios, not to
mention convincing bass tones on
the lower strings.
Yet this guitar’s natural territory
is the gained-up, guttural roar of
djent, and the bridge pickup
capably delivers on this front. Left-handed: No
It’s not as high-output as an active
humbucker, but has more than
enough bite and brightness to cut
through the dirt – although when
At A Glance
Body: Basswood
Neck: Maple/bubinga
Scale: 712mm (28”)
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Frets: 24
Pickups: 2x QM-9 humbuckers
Controls: 1x volume, 1x tone,
5-way pickup selector switch
Hardware: Gibraltar Standard-9 NECK
hardtail bridge – Cosmo Black Reinforced with a pair
of titanium rods, the RG9’s
five-piece maple/bubinga
neck is seriously hefty, but
Finish: Black only its flat rosewood
fingerboard ensures it’s
Contact: Headstock Distribution still capable of handling
0121 508 6666 www.ibanez.co.jp speedy fretwork

tuned (low to high): C# F# B E A you’re playing notes this low, you

D G B E, with gauges starting at don’t need much gain to sound
0.009 inches for the high E, right heavy. Sure, nailing staccato riffs
down to a mammoth 0.090 for the on the low C# takes practice – it’s
C#, stretched out over a 712mm prone to ring out without careful

The RG9 invites you to learn a Pickups

Forget what you

new vocabulary of playing

(28-inch) scale neck. That’s a lot
of tension, and consequently, the
five-piece maple/bubinga neck is
supported by two titanium rods,
and features dual truss rods for
neck adjustments.
The RG series is known for its
slimline necks, but – although we
can’t imagine a nine-string neck
getting much skinnier – it’s still question remains over whether
one hell of an adjustment from a
think you know about
extended-range
guitars; these QM-9
humbuckers are
capable of much more
pick-hand placement, while than just heavy riffs,
and offer plenty of tasty
transitioning between bottom-end clean tones
riffs and top-string solos can be a
bit of a struggle, but like any
extended-range guitar, the RG9 is
very much its own instrument, and
looks
requires serious dedication to get Aside from the
wider neck and
the most from it. pickups, the RG9 is
Whatever the guitar’s merits, the the spitting image of
Ibanez’s recent Iron
Label RG series – and it
you’d opt for a nine-string over an only comes in black, too

six-string. If, however, you’re eight-string – that low C# might be

already over the eight-string
hump, it’s not that huge a leap,
especially when you consider that
the RG9’s factory tuning almost
covers the range of a six-string
guitar and five-string bass in one,
and as such, invites you to learn a
new vocabulary of playing.
An unexpectedly inspiring
palette of tones helps to galvanise
Photography: Dave Caudery
a little too earth-shattering.
Yet the RG9 remains a great
compositional tool, able to cover
all the bases (and indeed basses)
– so throw your scepticism aside
and open your mind to the power
of nine.
Michael Brown
Features 

your riffs. The RG9 has a clever

SUMMARY

sound quality 
five-way switching system Value for money 
onboard, enabling ‘in-between’
Build Quality 
settings from the QM-9
humbuckers: position two PLAYABILITY
activates both pickups’ inner coils Overall rating 

october 2014 83
 REVIEw
Freshman Songwriter

Freshman Songwriter
SONGOCRW £599
Nut
One high-level appointment
is the nicely cut and polished
bone nut – it’s not too

Songwriter by name, songwriter by nature; see common at this price

where this electro cutaway will take you

Talk about covering all
the bases. There
are 13 models in Freshman’s new
Songwriter Series: dreadnoughts
and OMs, including cutaway
versions and left-handers,
a 12-string dreadnought and
a mini-dreadnought. We’ve been
living with this OM cutaway
electro for a while, and it’s one of
the cornerstones of the new range.
A friendly 14-fret cutaway with
solid AA Sitka spruce top and solid
mahogany back and sides, the
SONGOCRW sports a pretty
conventional look, but its matt
finish and mahogany binding
create an artisan-style, classy
them here. But the voicing is
near-perfect in a band, for
overdubbing on recordings or
simply to support a solo voice. The
OM’s clarity sits happily in a mix
without muddying up the low-end,
and there’s a delicate, almost
harp-like tonality when tuned low
to DADGAD, capo’d at the fifth –
it’s chiming and very modern.
Although the custom AER
pickup system bares the moniker
‘Tube System’, there are no valves;
it’s an under-saddle pickup with
endpin jack and active preamp,
developed for this range. Plugged
in, it’s an impressive system that
reproduces the guitar’s unplugged
at a glance
Top: Solid Sitka spruce
Back & Sides: Solid rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Scale: 650mm (25.6”)
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Frets: 20
Electrics: AER Tube System
under-saddle/active preamp
Controls: 1x soundhole volume
Hardware: Vintage-style
open-backed tuners – gold-plated
Left-handed: Yes, acoustic only
Finish: Natural satin only
Contact: Freshman 01355 228028
www.freshmanguitars.net
Body
With a solid Sitka
spruce top and solid
rosewood back and
sides, the SONGOCRW
offers impressive spec
for the money
Pickup
Under the
compensated saddle is
an AER pickup, which
passes signal to an active
preamp, controlled by a
single volume control in
the soundhole

This OM is crisply made and

has a bright-voiced tonality
appearance that nods towards
more costly USA brands such as
Taylor and Larrivée’s start-up
models. But our OM was designed
in Scotland and made, to a very
good standard, in China.
All 13 of Freshman’s new models
feature scalloped X bracing, and –
rare at these prices – bone nuts,
along with more commonly-used
synthetic compensated saddles.
Good fretting and neck profile,
plus a low, slinky setup, make for a
good player, perhaps for someone
with a slightly lighter touch.
At first, we were underwhelmed
by the SONGOCRW’s sound.
However, a fresh set of strings and
a lighter gauge – Rotosound TB11s
– livened up the tone and sorted a
couple of intonation anomalies.
Some lube on the open-backed
tonality with clarity. There’s just a
soundhole volume control but no
EQ, indicating the confidence in
the pickup’s sound.
If you want an all-solid wood
guitar, with a price point reserved
for instruments with a solid top but
laminate back and sides, the
Songwriter Series is well named
and aimed. This OM is crisply
made, stylish, playable and has a
bright-voiced modern tonality and
impressive electro performance.
That bright voice might be seen as
lacking low-end, and it’s not the
most dynamic, but for the money,
it’s a tidy job, and if your budget is
tight, it’s worth checking out.
Isobel Morris & Jim Kimberley
Features 
SUMMARY

sound quality 
tuners made them smoother and Value for money 
more responsive.
Build Quality 
There’s a bright, contemporary
voice to this guitar – if you hanker playability 
after earthy lows, you won’t find Overall rating 

84 october 2014

at a glance
Type: All-analogue multi-effects pedal
Controls: Overdrive: overdrive, level, blend,
tone; distortion: distortion, level, tone,
presence; delay: delay, chorus, feedback, time;
reverb: reverb, tone, decay, type; boost
Sockets: Input, 2x output, loop
in, loop out, power in, power out
Bypass: Buffered
Power: 12V power supply only (included)
Contact: Westside Distribution
0844 326 2000 www.t-rex-effects.com
T-Rex SoulMate £459
Meet the multi-effects with a stompbox soul
Not everyone enjoys the
usual multi-effects
trawl through screens of signal
chains, yet stompboxes present
their own problems: loose jacks,
dodgy patch cables and knackered
power supplies among the most
persistent offenders. What’s a
guitarist to do? T-Rex reckons the
SoulMate’s the answer.
Essentially, the SoulMate is five
T-Rex pedals in one: the Møller
overdrive, Mudhoney distortion,
Replica/Reptile delay and
Room-Mate reverb, plus a separate
boost, controlled by five effect
footswitches. The furthest-right
switch acts as a tap tempo for the
delay and, held down, activates a
built-in tuner, viewable via a bright
display on the top-right of the unit.
While you can operate the
pedals as individual stompers (we
reckon that’s how most guitarists
will use the SoulMate), there’s also
the ability to create presets, which
you can assign to the five
footswitches. And for anyone
Boost
Need to up the stakes for your
big solo? The boost footswitch
is the answer, and offers up to
14dB of extra volume
looking to stick a modulation
pedal into the mix, T-Rex has
included an effects loop positioned
post-dirt, pre-delay in the chain –
there’s even a power output jack
for extra stompers, although its
12-volt rating won’t suit all pedals.
T-Rex designed the SoulMate
with gigging guitarists in mind,
and judging from its substantial
T-Rex designed the SoulMate
with gigging guitarists in mind
2kg enclosure, it will survive
stomps from the most gargantuan
of clodhoppers – it even comes
with its own gigbag, and trust us,
these tones are worth protecting.
For starters, the overdrive has a
pushed-amp style grit, with a
bright tonality and slight mid
hump, plus an effective blend
control for balancing break-up
crunch with your natural guitar
Tap tempo
This handy switch allows you to
set the delay time, and if you hold it
down, you’ll mute the output and
activate the built-in tuner
tone – so much so that you may
never want to switch it off. The
distortion ups the ante with
everything from crunchy ‘Plexi’-
style dirt to full-on British-style
chunk at higher levels of gain,
while the presence control dials in
harsher sounds for filthy metal
grind. Combine all that with the
almighty boost (controllable via a
small dial on the rear), and there’s
huge potential for dirt textures.
There’s not quite so much
versatility in the delay and reverb
sections. The former offers one
setting: a modulatable tape-esque
decay, where the low-end
gradually rolls off the repeats,
while the latter provides four
’verbs (spring, room, hall and
LFO), none of which take you into
gear t-rex soulmate
Bank/live
With only five effects, you might not use
them, but the SoulMate offers 10 presets –
the live footswitch swaps between preset
and live modes, the bank switch alternates
between two banks of five presets
ambient territory, but liven up a
dry tone. Whether they’re extreme
enough for your tastes or not,
you’ll struggle to get a bad sound.
We love the SoulMate concept –
it encourages you to play more and
worry less, while providing a
smattering of sonic options.
Whether it’s worth £459 is another
matter, particularly if these effects
aren’t to your liking – a six-strong
pedalboard may cost more, but at
least you have the option of
swapping a few pedals out. That
said, there’s great potential here,
and anyone after a fuss-free
alternative to modelling multi-
effects and pedalboards would do
well to find their SoulMate.
Michael Brown
Features 
SUMMARY
sound quality 
Value for money 
Build Quality 
playability 
Overall rating 
october 2014 85
 round-up
Vintage Reissued Series

Vintage Reissued
Series round-up
It might lack the big-brand profile, but Vintage has a formidable complement of
mid-priced electrics for guitarists who don’t worry about the name on the headstock
Words: Jonathan Horsley Photography: Simon Lees

86 october 2014

For anyone who just wants to play
guitar, Vintage is a brand to
watch. Making his name in top-quality
components, Trev Wilkinson is respected
throughout the guitar industry; think of him as
some kind of Maharishi in boot-cut jeans and
a sensible shirt. Here, Wilkinson has helped
design and equip three electrics in the
Vintage Reissue Series, which give you plenty
of change out of £500: the Vintage Rock
Series VRS150, V58JD and V100MU Midge
Ure Signature Series. The Vintage Rock Series
VRS150 is a 24-fret double-cutaway electric,
a budget option for those who secretly covet a
24-fret Custom from a certain US
GEAR Round-up
manufacturer but baulk at the four-figure
price tag and MOP fretboard aviary. The
V100MU, meanwhile, is a smart-looking,
LP-inspired Goldtop, developed for former
Ultravox and Thin Lizzy man, Midge Ure. It
should go some way to compensating Midge
for the 1980 chart fiasco that saw Joe Dolce’s
Shaddap You Face beat Vienna to number one
in the UK Singles Chart, and it even has a
vibrola vibrato – very nice. And finally, if
you’ve ever wanted to play a T-type electric
bearing the name of former Fairport
Convention guitarist and esteemed
Hellecaster Jerry Donahue, you now can,
thanks to the V58JD.
october 2014 87
 round-up
Vintage Reissued Series

VINTAGE V100MU
MIDGE URE
SIGNATURE SERIES £499
Ure new guitar has arrived

Midge Ure is an
unlikely
guitar hero: he made his name
with Ultravox, but earned his
stripes after replacing Gary Moore
in Thin Lizzy, learning the setlist
on the plane over; he also co-wrote
Do They Know It’s Christmas?
He’s had an interesting career,
and his guitar’s interesting, too.
Initial impressions suggest it’s
just another riff on the classic
LP outline: the V100MU has a
slimmish neck profile, and has a
drop shoulder curling in towards
the fretboard, plus an offset heel to
improve upper-fret access. Two of
Trev Wilkinson’s WP90SK soapbar
pickups handle plugged-in duties,
with a Vari-coil control to convert
them to single coils.
Somehow, despite the design
oddity of fitting a vibrola to
a contoured body, it all holds
together, stays in tune and plays
great. There are a lot of features
on the V100MU, but it doesn’t
take long to find its sweet spot.
With a little classic-rock crunch,
the V100MU has a punchy, bright
tone that cleans up nicely; using
the Vari-coil just adds a little extra
subtlety for crisp cleans. The
vibrola takes plenty of wobbling
before retuning’s required, a
welcome addition to a guitar that’s
hugely playable, affordable and
endearingly eccentric.

Vintage V58JD £399

Jerry Dona-who?
Famous
work with woolly folk-rockers
first
for his
Fairport Convention, Jerry
Donahue is now a feisty member
of The Hellecasters.
Breezily described by the
Vintage website as ‘the doyen
of the string-benders’, we can
imagine Jerry leading the string-
benders into war with the V58JD.
Ash Blonde with classic 60s
‘Woman’ tone – the guitar, that is,
not Jerry – it’s a simple weapon
for a man of simple yet refined
tastes. We love the no-nonsense
construction; a satin-smooth
and comfortably clubby one-
piece maple neck is bolted to
an American alder body, with a
hardtail ashtray bridge making for
a stable, solid guitar that rewards
aggressive picking and more
gentle fingerpicking alike.
Sure, the V58JD is built for
boogie-woogie blues, and bend-
laden country chicken-pickin’, but
with a five-way pickup selector,
there’s a smorgasbord of tones
available, from overdriven blues
to snappy cleans. We can’t entirely
endorse the V58JD’s claims to
‘Woman’ tone, though – the neck
pickup and custom capacitor
combo, residing at position four on
the five-way switch, sounds warm,
woody, and bright, so not like
‘Woman’ tone to our ears. We can,
however, definitely endorse the
Vintage marketing department’s
promises of ‘quack-tone’ and
‘country twang’ – there’s a pleasing
elasticity to the V58JD’s voice.
Just don’t be fooled into
thinking that this is a guitar that
might sound too tame; drive your
amp hard and it will show more
than a little attitude. It looks like a
house cat, but it’s really a complex
tiger, a bit like Jerry. Either way,
it’s a wrench to put down, which is
how it should be.

88 october 2014
 GEAR Round-up

Vintage Rock
Series VRS150 £419
Double-cutaway, double cream
Unlike its siblings,
the VRS150
doesn’t have a celebrity player’s
name on the headstock, but this
shouldn’t set it apart. Jerry and
Midge’s signature models meet
the first test of any good signature
guitar; namely, that anyone could
pick them up and make them their
own. Similarly, the VRS150 invites
you to make your own mark, and
like its siblings, it’s a versatile
electric that offers a lot of tone and
playability at a competitive price.
The double-cutaway body is
carved from mahogany, capped
with a flame-maple veneer. It has a
set maple neck with a profile that’s
reminiscent of Midge’s but a little
flatter, and thanks to its super-
stable Wilkinson Compensating
GBT vibrato unit and E-Z-Lok
tuners, it’s another dependable
electric from Vintage.
The bridge humbucker has
plenty of punchy midrange and is
dynamic enough to handle subtle
cleans and hard, driving rock alike.
It’s just how we like it: raucous
at the bridge, creamy at the neck
– well, it’s not quite that hot at the
bridge, but the neck pickup has a
reassuring, abundantly thick, high-
calorie tone. It plays fast but, for
some, the neck would benefit from
more girth to seat your fretting
hand for long sessions. It also lacks
a little of the charm that makes
Jerry and Midge’s guitars such a
pleasant surprise. Still, it’s worth
checking out, particularly for those
players with long-term aspirations
of more expensive, similarly
named guitars.

Vintage V100MU Midge Vintage V58JD Vintage Rock

Ure Signature Series
At a glance
Body: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Scale: 628mm (24.75")
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Frets: 22
Pickups: 2x Wilkinson
Stacked WP90SK
Controls: 2x volume,
1x master tone, 1x Vari-coil
Hardware: Vibrola vibrato,
Wilkinson GBR roller bridge,
Wilkinson E-Z-Lok tuners – chrome
Left-handed: No
Finish: Gold only
Contact: John Hornby Skewes
01132 865 381 www.jhs.co.uk
At a glance Series VRS150
Body: Alder At a glance
Neck: Maple Body: Mahogany w/ flame maple
Scale: 648mm (25.5") veneer cap
Fingerboard: Maple Neck: Maple
Frets: 22 Scale: 635mm (25")
Pickups: 2x Custom Designed Fingerboard: Rosewood
Wilkinson WJTD single coils Frets: 24
Controls: 1x volume, 1x tone, Pickups: 2x Wilkinson
5-way pickup selector Double Coil MWCHB humbuckers
Hardware: Chrome Controls: 1x volume, 1x tone,
Left-handed: No three-way pickup selector
Finish: Ash Blonde only Hardware: Compensating
GTB vibrato, Wilkinson WJ04
E-Z-Lok tuners– chrome
Left-handed: No
Finish: Tobacco Sunburst,
Honeyburst (shown)

Features  Features  Features 

SUMMARY

SUMMARY

SUMMARY

sound quality  sound quality  sound quality 

Value for money  Value for money  Value for money 
Build Quality  Build Quality  Build Quality 
Playability Playability Playability
Overall rating  Overall rating  Overall rating 

october 2014 89
 REVIEw
Vox AC15 red limited ed.
Grille
This AC15 certainly looks
the part – the Tygon grille
cloth and gold badge are a
perfect match for the Garnet
Red vinyl covering
Speaker
A Celestion V-Type
loudspeaker is the AC15
Ltd’s driver of choice – it
doesn't quite nail the classic
Vox chime, but it’s packed
with mids for epic leads
Vox AC15 Red
Limited Edition £599
Time warp alert: plug in to the look and sound of the swinging 60s
HAVING been
designed
by audio genius Dick Denney and
launched way back in 1958, Vox’s
AC15 was the early sound of The
Shadows and The Beatles, before
the higher-powered AC30 version
arrived and fuelled most of the
classic ‘British Invasion’ sounds of
the early 1960s. Here, we’re taking
a look at a special limited-edition
version of the modern AC15,
which comes in a super-cool retro
Garnet Red vinyl, with Tygon grille
cloth and a Celestion V-Type
12-inch speaker.
Circuit-wise, the Red Limited
Edition is an evolution of the
original, with two channels,
dubbed Normal and Top Boost,
accessed via separate input jacks.
The Top Boost channel features
volume, treble and bass, while the
Normal channel has a single
volume knob. Both channels feed
into the AC15’s reverb and tremolo
effects, before arriving at a global
volume control and Vox’s
90 october 2014
trademark Tone Cut control,
which works backwards, rolling
off treble as you turn it up. On the
back panel, there are extension
speaker sockets and a socket for
the optional two-button
footswitch, which toggles the
reverb and tremolo effects. The
build quality is excellent – since all
its amp production was moved to
T he reverb and tremolo effects
both sound really impressive
China, Vox has had plenty of time
to get its processes right, and it
shows in details such as the custom
cream corners and carry handle.
We love the retro colour scheme,
reminiscent of the vintage
Dansette record players that were
so popular in the 50s and 60s,
although it won’t be everyone’s
cup of tea. The new Celestion
V-Type loudspeaker definitely adds
to that vintage vibe, with a creamy
midrange bias that sounds great
for lead stuff.
However, the higher harmonics
you might expect to hear from a
Vox are less obvious, even using
bright single coils, with the treble
maxed out and no cut on the
power amp. They’re there, sure,
but just not as defined as we’d like.
The reverb and tremolo effects
both sound really impressive; it’s
just disappointing that the
two-way switch needed to
remotely control them isn’t part of
the package. With plenty of
volume for small to medium gigs,
the AC15 holds its own with a full
drum kit, although with the master
right up, things can get a little too
muddy, especially if your axe of
Effects
Reverb and tremolo
effects add to the AC15’s
vintage vibes, and they’re
footswitchable, too
at a glance
Type: All-valve 2-channel combo
Output: 15W
Speaker: 1x 12" Celestion V-Type
Valves: 2x EL84, 3x 12AX7
Controls: Normal volume, Top Boost
volume, bass, treble, master volume,
master tone cut, reverb level, tremolo
speed, tremolo depth
Sockets: 1x normal input,
1x Top Boost input, 1x footswitch,
1x external speaker, 1x extension speaker
Weight: 22kg
Dimensions: [HxWxD] 450x600x265
Contact: Korg UK 01908 304600
www.voxamps.com
choice is powered by humbuckers.
Compared with some of the closest
competition, the Vox could be
viewed as a little quirky, lacking
many of the modern features some
of us take for granted. However, if
you’re looking for an amp that
typifies the early Brit Invasion
sound, then the AC15 is the one –
but we’re not sure the V-Type is the
right speaker for this amp, unless
you want a great creamy lead tone
and nothing else. If you really want
to hear Vox’s trademark complex
high-end sparkle, you might want
to think about saving up for the
Alnico Blue-powered version,
which costs slightly more, but in
our opinion is definitely worth it.
Nick Guppy
Features 
SUMMARY
sound quality 
Value for money 
Build Quality 
playability 
Overall rating 
 gear Washburn lsb768sek

Washburn LSB768SEK £429

The longest-scale acoustic baritone known to man or beast

The acoustic baritone

guitar took a big leap
when Taylor added a six- and
eight-string to its line-up in 2011.
Tuned down, typically, B to B, it
means you can play the same
fingering but the pitch is lower –
the reverse, if you like, of a
pitch-raising capo. You can tune
how you like, so long as you
respect string gauge and tension.
This Washburn baritone – we’ll
shorten it’s name to LSB, aka
Lakeside Baritone – is a large and
deep, round-shouldered pre-
dreadnought design that debuted
in 1912. But the baritone scale
features a compensated saddle.
The electrics are from Fishman:
a Sonitone active preamp system
with Sonicore under-saddle
pickup, soundhole-placed volume
and tone wheel controls, and base
output jack/strap button.
So, big body, ultra-long scale…
well, check the string gauges of
D’Addario’s EXP-23 phosphor
bronze bari ropes: 0.016, 0.022,
0.029, 0.048, 0.060 and 0.070-
inch – the top two are plain, the
others wound.
Our first hours with the LSB
were a little unmusical and quite
painful on the left hand. The depth
at a glance
Top: Solid Sitka spruce
Back & Sides: Laminated
rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Scale: 737mm (29”)
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Frets: 20
Electrics: Fishman Sonitone
under-saddle/active preamp
Controls:
Soundhole volume, tone
Hardware: Vintage-style
open-backed tuners –
Tuning
The LSB’s standard tuning,
from low to high, is B E A D F#
B. The top string is the same
pitch as a standard guitar’s B
string; the low B is the same
pitch as a bass guitar’s A string
played at the 2nd fret
Body
This big Lakeside jumbo
shape first appeared in 1912,
a precursor to Martin’s
dreadnought shape

length is more contemporary and,
if our research is correct, unique.
Acoustic baritones are rare; aside
from Taylor, Walden has the
futuristic B-1E, and Alvarez’s
of the tone makes everything you nickel-plated
play sound slowed down, but Left-handed: No
slowly, we got our hands around it.
Pickup
Finish: Natural gloss There’s no side-mount
It’s a huge sound, and acoustically preamp, but this is still an
well-balanced and projecting. Contact: Sound Technology electro: Fishman’s Sonicore
01462 480000 system uses volume and tone

It’s a huge sound, acoustically

thumbwheel controls placed
www.washburn.com inside the soundhole – it’s
powered, as usual, by a
nine-volt battery

well-balanced and projecting

ABT60E is highly affordable. In
addition to the bulk of the body,
the scale here is the longest we’ve
encountered. While the
aforementioned baritones aim for
a 686mm (27-inch) scale,
Washburn has gone for 737mm
(29 inches), just 25.4mm short of
the standard ‘short’ bass scale of
762mm (30 inches). Irrelevant of
the maths, it’s huge!
Overall construction is very tidy,
though: from the bound rosewood
’board with diamond and dot
inlays through to the not overly
thick-looking gloss natural finish
that covers the solid Sitka spruce
top and laminate rosewood back
and sides. The 15-fret neck join is
usual and it means the neck feels
even longer: played seated, it’s
really quite a stretch to play a root
Plugged in, it’s not the hottest
output we’ve encountered, and the
low B is a little quiet. But plugging
into an acoustic pedalboard with
compression, EQ, reverb and
delay/looper, we really begin to
hear the potential. A simple low
bassline/percussion slap loop
becomes a solid foundation for
upper-fret parts, which after
recording and adding overdubs,
becomes an almost orchestral,
piano-like soundscape:
tremendous. For any creative
musician looking to expand their
pitch, this is a great place to start. It
won’t overly hurt the wallet,
either… just your fingers!
Dave Burrluck
Features 
SUMMARY

sound quality 
position E major chord. The neck Value for money 
width and depth isn’t excessive –
Build Quality 
43mm (1.69-inch) wide at the nut
with a 56mm (2.2-inch) string playability 
spread at the bridge, which Overall rating 

october 2014 91
 round-up
Xotic & EWS pedals

Xotic & EWS pedal round-up

£113-£130 Tiny they may be, but there's nothing small about the tones emanating from this
fresh batch of mini pedals, featuring a range of drives and compression

Wait a second: pedals from two

different companies in one
round-up… how does that work? Well,
California-based Prosound Communications
is the parent company of Xotic and EWS,
which have different designers and design
philosophies. Xotic is the high-end boutique
brand, with pedals designed and built in the
USA, while EWS pedals are designed and built
in Japan. Xotic introduced its first guitar and
bass pedals in 1999, with the idea of creating
pedals with a transparent sound so as not to
interfere with the characteristics of your guitar
and amp. This resulted in pedals such as the
AC Booster and the RC Booster, which quickly
found their way onto the pedalboards of LA's
finest. The key factor that connects these
three Xotic pedals and the EWS Little Brute
Drive is their size – these are solidly built mini
pedals that can fit onto any pedalboard, no
matter how crowded.

Xotic SL Drive £121 Xotic EP Booster £113

Compact drive for super leads
Based on Marshall’s 1959 model
amps, the SL Drive has a series of DIP
switches inside its enclosure, which call
up the characteristics of the Super Lead
or Super Bass amps. Once you've found
the combination that suits you – the
Lead having more top-end crunch, the
Bass a smoother heft – you can use the
three knobs to dial in authentic-
sounding late-60s/early-70s Marshall
drive sounds. It’s just the job if you don’t
have a lot of pedalboard space but
you’re on the lookout for some classic
rock tones.
Vintage-style tonal enhancement
It's been well documented that
certain well-known guitarists, Jimmy
Page and EVH included, utilised the
Echoplex EP-3 tape echo’s preamp to
add a bit of tonal mojo to the front of
their amplifier, and this pedal aims to
recreate that classic crunch. There’s
20dB of boost available from the single
knob if you want to drive your amp, but
even at minimum boost, the pedal’s
unique EQ naturally improves your tone,
enhancing top- and bottom-end. So
stomp on one, and you might never turn
it off again.

92 october 2014

At A Glance
Type: Overdrive, boost,
compressor & overdrive
pedals
Controls: SL Drive:
Drive, tone, volume, 4x
internal DIP switches;
EP Booster: Gain, 2x
internal DIP switches; Xotic SL Drive
SP Compressor: Blend,
SUMMARY
volume, hi/lo/mid switch,
4x internal DIP switches;
Little Brute Drive: Gain,
internal treble cut and
output level trim pots
Sockets: Input, output,
power
Xotic SP Compressor
Bypass: True bypass
Power: 9V battery,
SUMMARY
9V power supply
Contact: Xotic Effects,
EWS www.xotic.us
www.ews-us.com
GEAR Round-up
Xotic SP
Compressor £130
Compress and boost in one
The SP offers three compression
strengths alongside a blend knob that
mixes compression with the dry sound,
plus an output volume with up to 15dB
of boost. Now, you can use it purely as a
compressor – it sounds great, and you
can dial in a very natural mix with the
blend knob, but turn up the volume and
you can boost your amp while adding as
little or as much compression as you
want for fat, juicy overdriven tones. You
may think you don’t need a compressor,
but at this size, you may think again.
EWS Little Brute
Drive £121
This Brute is a beaut
Derived from the larger Brute Drive
pedal, this bijou Brute still offers a very
useful range of overdrive and distortion,
from a smidgeon of crunch to fully
cranked amp gain. There’s just one
knob, but you get internal trim pots to
adjust output volume and treble, which
goes from neutral settings – letting your
amp tones shine through – to searing,
‘take your head off’ tones. The Brute is a
practical little box that can add an
overdrive channel to a clean amp, or get
an overdriven one screaming.
Solidly built mini pedals
that can fit on any ’board
Xotic EP Booster
Features  Features 
SUMMARY
sound quality  sound quality 
Value for money  Value for money 
Build Quality  Build Quality 
USability  USability 
Overall rating  Overall rating 
EWS Little Brute Drive
Features  Features 
SUMMARY
sound quality  sound quality 
Value for money  Value for money 
Build Quality  Build Quality 
USability  USability 
Overall rating  Overall rating 
october 2014 93
 REVIEw
tc/seymour duncan
TC Electronic Alter Ego
X4 Vintage Echo £209
Retro delay tones aplenty, courtesy of Pro Guitar Shop
We love TC’s original
Flashback X4: it’s easy
to use, has great delays, and comes
with three assignable presets and
a 40-second looper. For this Alter
Ego incarnation, American retailer
Pro Guitar Shop presents all-new
models of classic tape delays, such
as the Maestro EP-2 Echoplex,
Roland RE-201 Space Echo and
Watkins Copicat, all according to
genuine vintage examples. There
are 12 new sounds in all, as well as
four TonePrint slots, which allow
you to beam preset sounds to your
pedal via your phone or computer
using TC’s TonePrint app.
You can’t fault the PGS guys’
attention to detail: all of the Alter
Ego X4’s retro voicings are utterly
convincing. The Copycat’s warm,
Seymour Duncan
Dirty Deed Distortion £139
Duncan does distortion
As well as its legendary
pickups, Seymour
Duncan is forging a name in FX,
too. The Dirty Deed Distortion is
part of its latest compact range,
and, as you might expect, deals
with the filthier side of gain.
The DDD falls on the classic-rock
side of distortion, with a presence
and mid kick aimed at the stage.
It boasts full-bodied gain at any
drive level, courtesy of a circuit
based around MOSFET transistors,
which feature a dynamic response
similar to a cranked amp. That
keeps the higher-gain sounds clear
for liquid legato lines, and ensures
they clean up with your volume
knob for lighter crunches.
Although SD reckons the DDD
is also great for boosting already-
distorted amps, we preferred
94 october 2014
crunchy repeats capture the classic
Shadows vibe to a tee, while
modulated settings such as the
Echo Rec and Echoflanger have an
ambient haze, perfect for spacey
rock. Some modulation – such as
the Deluxe Memory Man’s vibrato
– is too seasick, and will have some
hankering for an intensity control.
But considering the quality of Type: Vintage-voiced digital delay pedal
sounds such as the gradual tape- Controls: Mode, time, feedback, delay
like decay of the EPlex 2 setting, it’s level, looper level, subdivisions switch,
hard to complain.
If tape delay means nothing looper/delay switch
to you, you could save the Sockets: 2x input, 2x output, expression Features 
extra £30 and pick up a regular pedal, power, USB, MIDI in, MIDI thru
SUMMARY
sound quality 
Flashback X4, but for vintage delay Bypass: Buffered or true bypass Value for money 
connoisseurs, this is as close as Power: 9V power supply only (included) Build Quality 
you’re likely to get to these echoes
from the past.
Contact: TC Electronic 0800 917 8926 USability 
Michael Brown www.tcelectronic.com Overall rating 
running it into a clean valve amp –
if you’re using humbuckers, you’ll
struggle to get low-gain sounds
from the pedal on its lowest
drive setting, and this can mean
an overly saturated tone when
combined with amp gain. The
treble and bass controls’ active EQ
helps to maintain the distortion’s
clarity, though, with up to 12dB of
cut or boost for beefing up single
coils or brightening ’buckers.
We’ve tried plenty of distortion Type: Distortion pedal
pedals over the years, but the DDD
Controls: Level, treble, bass, drive
ranks among our favourites: it’s
full of gain, low-noise and never Sockets: Input, output, power
Features 
fizzy. In this case, dirty deeds ain’t Bypass: True bypass
SUMMARY
sound quality 
done cheap, and more versatile Power: 9V battery, 9V up to 18V Value for money 
drives are available, but for amp- power supply Build Quality 
like, balls-to-the-wall distortion,
Contact: Rosetti 01376 550033 USability 
the DDD is worth plugging in.
Michael Brown www.seymourduncan.com Overall rating 
 gear accessories

Korg Rimpitch
Acoustic tuning, soundhole-style

The internet exploded when Korg announced this soundhole-

mounted acoustic tuner – probably something to do with the name.
The Rimpitch slides onto your acoustic’s soundhole, and fits any ‘hole
with a diameter of 100mm +/- 3mm. When fitted, it’s certainly discreet,
and once activated via a small push-button, its piezo pickup makes for
quick, accurate tuning. However, with no chromatic mode, alternate
tunings are out, and if you strum too hard, you could knock it into your
soundhole. Players who standard tune and strum light will be alright.
(£15.99, www.korg.com)

Dunlop
Primetone
Sculpted Plectra
Plecs primed for tone

Dunlop, legendary purveyor of picks, has launched a new range

of plectra for 2014 dubbed Primetone, which boast ‘hand-burnished
sculpted edges’. Basically, that means a worn-in feel, with a smoother,
darker tone than pointier picks. They come in a variety of shapes,
too – we had the Triangle, which was great for smoky blues, while
the Semi-Round’s blunt edges made it an ideal choice for strummers
looking to tone down the sizzle of a spruce top. If you find your high-end
overbearing, a Primetone could be the first step to toning it down.
Curt Mangan Custom (£3, www.jimdunlop.com)
Signature Set strings
They’ve got your name on ’em

want your own signature string set? Yes you do. Curt Mangan
provides a choice of gauges, and your name printed on the packaging.
For anyone who mixes and matches individual strings, it could be a
convenient solution. We opted for a set of 0.010-gauge strings, with
a 0.056-inch sixth string, which we used to drop the low E to a B: the
strings retained their tuning well. £86 for 12 sets isn't the best value,
but there’s a wealth of options for string-gauge sticklers.
(from £86 for 12 sets, www.curtmangan-eu.com)

Straptight
Strap Locks
Strap goes in here

There are few onstage situations more nightmarish than your

strap falling off and your guitar hitting the floor. Unfortunately,
this is exactly what happened to Straptight's co-founder, but
fortuitously, it inspired this new Joe Satriani-approved strap lock
solution. Made from a ‘strong yet flexible high-grade material’,
the Straptight is incredibly easy to fit, yet near-impossible to take
off unless you want to: simply twist and push to put on, twist and
pull to take off. Despite rocking out to the best of our abilities and
tugging with all our might, our strap wouldn’t budge, and for that
kind of piece of mind, £7.80 isn't much to pay.
(£7.80, www.straptight.com)

october 2014   95
 techniques

Complete
your workout in
12 mins

guitar workout
On your TG DVD

Pentatonic runs
Your 12-minute
Workout guide…
1.  CHOOSE AN EXERCISE…
EX 1 Ascending 4ths
Three minutes
EX 2 Descending
three-note pattern
Three minutes
Improve your soloing skills and your picking technique by
EX 3 Descending
four-note pattern applying sequencing to the minor pentatonic scale
Three minutes
EX 4 Rhythmic displacement Practising the pentatonic Historically, pentatonic scales devil, but became syonymous
Three minutes scale ascending and descending can be found in both Western with rock guitar in the 1960s:
2.  SET YOUR METRONOME is a good way to learn the shape, and Eastern culture; they are legends such as Eric Clapton and
These exercises can be played but just climbing up and down believed to be some of the SRV built their careers on it. So
to a metronome for a greater the scale won’t prepare you for earliest scale forms in human whatever music you play, the
technical challenge (we’ve improvising a solo. That’s why history. There are many different minor pentatonic scale can’t be
suggested tempos). For best
results, play with strict alternate the pros don’t just practise types of pentatonic scales, but ignored. Whether you’ve just
picking to ensure you build a scales, they practise sequences; the one dearest to guitarists’ learned the shape, or you’re tired
rock-solid picking technique. sequences are repeating note hearts is the ubiquitous minor of the same licks, these exercises
3.  START THE STOPWATCH… patterns that effectively program pentatonic. It’s featured in guitar will make you think differently
All of the exercises are suitable melodic fragments into your solos ever since Robert Johnson about the humble minor
muscle memory. made his mythical deal with the pentatonic scale.
Words and guitar: Phil Capone

for all players except absolute

beginners to attempt. Either dip
in and try the exercise that
interests you most, or for a guest lesson: Ask Total Grades: ROCK Grades:
tougher challenge mix and
match any or all of the marty friedman p102 Guitar p104 SCHOOL p106 RGT p107
exercises. Don’t stop before
three minutes is up, though!

october 2014 97
 |
techniques pentatonic runs
TGR258.workout.fig01.musx Pentatonic Runs
File Date: 20:42 28/07/2014 Guitar Workout
Page 1 of 1 Contributor: Phil Capone
ExNotes:
1 Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com TG DVD
This ascending 4ths sequence can be used to create weaving, angular lines

œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
q = 80-125

& 44 .. œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ ..
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
. .
. .
5 8 5
T 5 7 5
5
7
8 5 8
A 5 7 5 7

⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ etc.
B 5
5
8
7 5 7
1

Play the first note with your first finger then, instead of lifting your finger off of the string, flatten
it so that it lies across the fifth string. The pad of your finger should now be fretting the fifth string
TG TIPS
Use alternate picking
while the tip mutes the sixth. Repeat the process as you cross from fifth to fourth strings. throughout to build
your picking
YOUR workout routine… technique

1 80bpm 45 seconds
2 95bpm 45 seconds
3 110bpm 45 seconds

© Redferns/Getty Images
4 125bpm 45 seconds

Angus Young is a
20-second challenge
TGR258.workout.fig02.musx Descend through the scale using the Pentatonic Runs
master of minor
pentatonic phrasing
File Date: 20:44 28/07/2014 same pattern Guitar Workout
Page 1 of 1 Contributor: Phil Capone
Ex 2
Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
TG DVD
Create cool pentatonic licks using three-note sequences

œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
q = 70-100

4 . œ œ œ œ œ ..
3

&4 . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ó
3 3 3

œ œ œ œ
3 3 3 3

. .
3

. .
8 5 5
T 8 8 5 8 5
7
5
7 5 7 5 5
A 7 7 5 7 5 5

⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ etc.
B 7 7 5 7 5
8 5
1

Although it may seem a little awkward, it’s important to use strict alternate picking
throughout this exercise (if you’re picking correctly you should finish on an up-pick). To increase
speed and accuracy, try to keep your fingers hovering close above the strings when not fretting.
TG TIPS
Thinking of a blues
shuffle will help you to
YOUR workout routine… get in the groove

1 70bpm 45 seconds
2 80bpm 45 seconds
3 90bpm 45 seconds
© Redferns/Getty Images

4 100bpm 45 seconds
Listen to the notes
Jimmy Page chooses
20-second challenge to bend while playing
Ascend through the scale using the the minor pentatonic
same pattern

98 october 2014
 TGR258.workout.fig03.musx |
techniquesPentatonic
guitarRuns
workout
File Date: 20:47 28/07/2014 Guitar Workout
Page 1 of 1 Contributor: Phil Capone
Ex 3 Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
TG DVD
Supersize your soloing skills with these pentatonic four-note groupings

œ œ œ œ œ
q = 60-90

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œœ
& 44 .. œ œœœœœœœœœœ Ó ..
˙
. .
. .
8 5 5
T 8 5 8 5
7
8 5
7 5
5
7 5 7 5 5
A 7 7 5 7 5 7 5 5

⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ etc.
B 7 7 5 7 5
8 5
1

TG TIPS
Accent the first note
Use alternate picking throughout, as indicated in bar 1.
To increase accuracy and speed, use the finger-rolling technique
of each four-note from exercise 1 to play notes on adjacent strings.
grouping to help
with timing
YOUR workout routine…
1 60bpm 45 seconds
2 70bpm 45 seconds
3 80bpm 45 seconds
© WireImage/ Getty Images

4 90bpm 45 seconds

Zakk Wylde links

20-second challenge
TGR258.workout.fig04.musx pentatonic sequences
at lightning speed
Transpose the lick to E minor in the Pentatonic Runs
open position
File Date: 20:54 28/07/2014 Guitar Workout
Page 1 of 1 Contributor: Phil Capone
Ex 4 Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
TG DVD
Learn how to use rhythmic displacement to give your solos an unusual edge

œ œœ œœ œ
q = 60-90

4 œ œœœ œœœœ œœ œ œ
& 4 ‰ R ..
. œ œœœœœœœœœ œœ
œ œœœ ˙
Œ ‰. R ..

. .
. .
8 5 5 8
T 8 5 8 5
7
8 5
7 5
5
7 5 7 5 5
A 7 7 5 7 5 7 5 5

≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ etc.
B 7 7 5 7 5
8
7
5
1

This sounds w complex, but it’s actually a simple technique. Basically, the whole of exercise 3 has
been shifted so that it starts a 16th note earlier; so, although it contains the same notes and uses
TG TIPS
Practise by
the same four-note pattern, it sounds very different because different notes fall on the beat.

emphasising the first

note of each group, YOUR workout routine…
then the second,
then third, etc 1 60bpm 45 seconds
2 70bpm 45 seconds
3 80bpm 45 seconds
© Redferns/Getty Images

4 90bpm 45 seconds
Listen to Stevie Ray
Vaughan’s rhythmic
displacement in the 20-second challenge
solo to Honey Bee
Swap between exercise 3 and exercise 4

october 2014 99
next month on sale 29 september

Slash &
Myles Kennedy
New guitar-mag exclusive album interview!
Learn five brand-new Slash riffs!
New Epiphone Slash models reviewed!
Win! Dunlop pedals signed by Slash
Interviews
Avenged Sevenfold Chevelle
J Mascis Lower Than Atlantis
Steal Their Style Zakk Wylde
Technique Alternate Picking
Maximise speed and efficiency
with our technique workout

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 guest lesson

Marty
video
lesson
w w w.bit .l
y/
tg258ma
rty

Friedman
In his final lesson, Marty covers Japanese
sounds from traditional Hirajoshi to J-Pop
Marty Friedman has lived
in Tokyo for more than 10 years,
and has absorbed Japanese
musical culture and assimilated
it into his own playing style. On
his Tokyo Jukebox albums, Marty
performs arrangements of J-Pop
tunes. Marty has also become a
Japanese TV personality, with
his own show Rock Fujiyama.
In this lesson, ‘Hebimeta-san’
(Mr Heavy Metal) starts by
demonstrating the traditional
Japanese sound by improvising
around the E Hirajoshi scale.
Also known as the ‘Japanese
Scale’ in western circles,
‘Hirajoshi’ has five notes/
intervals (1 2 b 3 5 b 6). This is the
same as the natural minor scale,
or Aeolian mode, only with the
4th and b 7th intervals removed.
This Japanese pentatonic scale
is an easy way of creating exotic
sounds over minor tonalities.
Finally, Marty plays a typical
Japanese pop, or ‘J-Pop’, chord
progression that uses lots of
interesting chord changes within
the key of C major.

Hirajoshi Scale Diagram

3 4 1 3 4
1 3 4 1 2
3 4 1 3 4
1 3 4 3 4
1 2 1 3 4
1 2 1 2
TGR258.guest_mfriedman.fig01.musx Guest Lesson
File Date: 14:03 11/08/2014 Marty Friedman
This1
Page diagram
of 1 shows two positions in which the E Hirajoshi scale can be played across the neck; the first one starting with the open sixth string and
Contributor: Griffiths
the second
Charlie
shape starting at the 7th fret, sixth string. These shapes can also be started from the note B and used as a mode known as the ‘Kumoi’ scale (1 b 2 4 5 b 6).
Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
Transcription: Charlie Griffiths Picture: Tom Couture

Hirajoshi improvisation

#4 œ œ œ œ œ œ
q =120

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ
& 4 œ œ œ œ œ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
let ring
let ring œ œ
7 7 3 2 0 0
T 1 0
0 0
0
0 0
0 0 0
0
A 4 4 2 4 5 5 4 2 2
B 2 3 3 2
3 2 0
2
0
1

# œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ
6

&october 2014
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TGR258.guest_mfriedman.fig02.musx Guest Lesson

TGR258.guest_mfriedman.fig02.musx
Marty plays around with the E Hirajoshi notes and uses slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs to move smoothly through the scale. He also incorporates open Lesson
Guest
TGR258.guest_mfriedman.fig02.musx
File Date: 15:09 11/08/2014 Marty
strings to cluster notes into chords. As Marty plays quite freely and pushes and pulls the tempo, the rhythmic notation shown is intended to be a guideGuest
Friedman
only. Lesson
TGR258.guest_mfriedman.fig02.musx
File
Page Date: 15:09
1 of 15:09
1 11/08/2014 Guest
Marty Lesson
Griffiths
CharlieFriedman
Contributor: Marty
File Date: 11/08/2014 Friedman
File
Page Date:
1 of 15:09
1 11/08/2014 Contributor: Marty
Charlie Griffiths
Friedman
Notes:
Page 1 of 1 Engraved Charlie Griffiths
by DigitalMusicArt.Com
Contributor:
Page
Notes:1 of 1 EngravedContributor: Charlie Griffiths
by DigitalMusicArt.Com
J-Pop progression
Notes:
Notes:
Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com

q =104
q =104 E 7sus 4

œœ ..
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& œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
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13

This progression is typical of contemporary Japanese pop music. Most of the chords belong to the harmonised C major scale. Cmaj7, Dm7, Fmaj7, G11, Am9
and Bm7 b 5 are all diatonic to C major. The Gm and Fm chords are borrowed from the parallel C minor key, and the E7 hints at the relative key of A minor.

october 2014 103

 |
techniques sweep picking

ask TG
TG’s top tutors
talk on video to
help you beat your
technical difficulties
Sweep picking
This issue, Luc and Annie Di Gerlando, Wayne Ryles, Sam WelshBoi Elliott, video
Brendan Lanigan and Jimi Fernando Kannisto all asked… w w w.bit .ly/t
g258askt g

“Dear Total Guitar – please help us

improve our sweep picking…”
Lightning-speed Sweep picking takes its name fluid motion. It’s vital that you
fretting is vital with from the continuous sweeping don’t play single pick strokes.
sweep picking motion of your pick when you play The technique lends itself
adjacent strings, usually in the particularly well to arpeggios over
form of an arpeggio. What three or more strings and allows
About your differentiates this technique from for fast, smooth movement
tutor…
basic strumming is that every note between notes. Players such as
Steve Allsworth is
one of the UK’s should be heard one at a time Yngwie Malmsteen and Alexi
most versatile rock without ringing over one another. Laiho are experts in the field, often
guitarists. He has This tricky technique requires you combining the basic sweep
toured Europe with to instantly remove each fretting technique with legato to create
various high profile finger as soon as you play a note more interesting ideas. Check out
artists and played
on the recordings of
on a new string, so the previous the video and tab as TG’s ace tutor
many indie and string is kept silent. The sweeping Steve Allsworth helps you through
signed acts. Steve pick motion and the swift fretting the early stages of this notoriously
TGR258.askTG.fig01.musx
has taught at many TGR258.askTG.fig02.musx
technique should all be part of one tricky technique. Sweep Picking
top music colleges
File been13:16
Date:
and has one of 11/08/2014 File Date: 13:16 11/08/2014 Ask TG
Page 1 of 1tab
Total Guitar’s Page of 1 Are you having trouble with
GET in1touch... Contributor: Steve
your technique? Allsworth
Struggling with
and technique sweep picking? Lamenting over your legato? Email your questions to
Notes:
contributors for Notes:
totalguitar@futurenet.com with ‘AskEngraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
TG’ in the subject header and one of TG’s
nearly 15 years. world-class tutors will tackle your problem in a future issue.

Basic three-finger sweep Changing direction

œœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ. œ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ
& b 44 .. œ . & b 44 ‰ œ
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

.7 6 57 6 5 76 5 7 6
TGR258.askTG.fig03.musx . TGR258.askTG.fig04.musx
5 8 5 8 5 8
Sweep 6 Picking
5 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8

. .
5 5 5 5 5
T 6 6 6 6 T 7
6
7
6
7
6
7
6
7
6
7
6
7
6
7
6
7
7 7 7 7

B Date: 13:15 11/08/2014 B Date: 13:15 11/08/2014 Ask TG

A A
File File
Page 1 of 1 etc. Page 1 ⇥of⇥ ⇥1 ≤ ⇥⇥ ⇥ ≤ etc. Contributor: Steve Allsworth
Notes: Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
This three-string arpeggio is great for beginners. Rake your pick This lick includes an upstroke on the high C note. After the initial downward
across the strings and lift each fretting finger when you start the next note. sweep, hit the C with an upstroke to prepare your hand for full upward sweeps.

Rolling ‘rubber stamp’ motion Re-using one finger

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ
4 œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ
b
& 4 ‰ œ & b 44 ‰ œ
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5
T 5
5
5
5
5
5
5
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5
5
5
5
5
5
5
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5
5 T 5
6
5
6
5
6
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6
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6
5
6
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A A

⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ etc. ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ etc.
B B

Here, you must roll your first finger across three strings at the 5th fret. The Often, you’ll need to re-use a finger on different strings. Here, the first finger
rolling motion is a crucial part of keeping the strings quiet after picking them. skips from third string to first. Don’t barre the first finger; it’s better to be mobile.

104 october 2014

 File Date: 14:18 12/08/2014 File Date: 14:19 12/08/2014 Ask TG
Page 1 of 1 Page 1 of 1 Contributor: Steve Allsworth
Notes: Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com techniques ask TG |
Reversing the sweep Neoclassical arpeggio
œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
& b 44 .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .. 4
&4 œ œ œ œ.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
. 8 5 65 8 5 65 8 5 65 8 5 65 8 5 65 8 5 65 8 5 65 8 5 65.
TGR258.askTG.fig07.musx Sweep Picking
FileBDate: .14:18 12/08/2014 .
8 12 8
T T 9
10 10
9
A A
Ask TG
10 10

Page 1 of 1 ⇥ ≤ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ≤ etc. ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤
B 12 12

Contributor: Steve Allsworth

Notes:
This is the basically a repeat of the last arpeggio, only in reverse. Aim for
Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
The pull-off on the first string gives you a short pick-hand pause before you
fluid pick-hand wrist motions as you change from downstrokes to upstrokes. play the second string. Don’t rush! Just resume the upstroke at the same speed.

Moving in both directions

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& 44
6 6 6 6
TGR258.askTG.fig08.musx
8 12 8 8 12 8 8 12 8
Sweep
8
Picking
8 12
T 14:18 12/08/2014 Ask TG
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
File
A Date:
9 9 9 9

Page
⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤
1 of 1
≤ ≤ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ ≤ etc. Contributor: Steve Allsworth
B

Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com

This exercise will help you connect upward and downward pick strokes in one fluid motion. If you struggle, practise the picking and fretting separately.

Bluesy sweep lick

œ œ œ œ bœ nœ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ
& 44
1/4

J ‰ Œ
TGR258.askTG.fig09.musx 3
TGR258.askTG.fig10.musx 1/4 Sweep Picking
10 12/08/2014 File Date: 14:18 12/08/2014 Ask TG
12 8 8 10 11 12 11 10 8 10 8 5
T File Date: 14:18 9
10 10 10 8
9
10 8
A
B Page 1 of 1 Page 1 of 1 Contributor: Steve Allsworth
≤
Notes: ≤ ≤ ⇥ ⇥ etc. Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
This lick combines the previous lick with notes from the A blues scale (A C D E b E G) to take us away from neoclassical territory.

Gilmour-style sweep Pentatonic rake

œ œ ⇥j
œ ˙ œ œ ~~~~ ~~~~
& b 44 ‰ & b 44 ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ
1/4

Ó œ œ œ œ œ Œ
1/4
œ 1/4

œ
~~~~ ~~~~
3
3
BU
TGR258.askTG.fig11.musx TGR258.askTG.fig12.musx Sweep Picking
1/4
12 15 (17 ) 5 1/4 1/4
T 14
13 T 5
5 5

B Date: 14:17 12/08/2014

A
File A Date: 14:17
File 12/08/2014
7 5 7 7 7 5 7 7
Ask TG
Page 1 of 1 ≥ ≥ ≥
B 7 7

Page 1 of 1 Contributor: Steve Allsworth

Notes:
As with Ex 2, your rhythmic target is the fourth note of the sweep, so try to
Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
This backwards rake is essentially the reverse of Example 3. It’s used a lot
land this note on the beat. Use your third finger on the 15th fret bend. in many guises throughout the blues, so it’s worth practising.

Pentatonic Sweep No 1 Pentatonic Sweep No 2

œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œœœœœ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ
4 œœ œœ œ œ œœ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ
&b4 & b 44
8 12 8 8 12 8 8 12 8 8 12 8 10 15 10 10 15 10 10 15 10 10 15 10
T 9 12
10 10
12 9 12
10 10
12 9 12
10 10
12 9 12
10 10
12
T 12 14
13 13
14 12 14
13 13
14 12 14
13 13
14 12 14
13 13
14
A A
⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ ≤ ≤⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ ≤ ≤ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ ≤ ≤⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ≤ ≤ ≤
B B

Breathe life into sweep picking with the minor pentatonic scale. Here, This lick moves everything up to the next pentatonic note in the sequence,
we’re ditching the 10th fret D to maintain a similar fretting pattern to before. creating a wide interval gap between the 10th and 15th fret on the first string.

october 2014
014 105
 get your grades! video
lesson
rockschool / lesson one / grade five w w w.bit .l
y/tg 2 58 ro
ck

Swing rhythm
In the first part of Rockschool’s series on Grade Five guitar it’s
time to get stuck into some pop-punk…
Over the next six lessons you will punk piece that has a swing feel start with an upstroke, rather than
be working through the and features lots of triplets. The a downstroke. This may feel
Rockschool Grade Five exam odd number of notes in triplets unusual at first, so start slowly Grade Five Book
piece Geek. You’ll start by working (three notes per beat) can make until you feel comfortable with the
Buy the Rockschool
through the notated sections of picking a challenge. At this high technique. Be sure to watch the
Grade Five book to
TGR258.grades_rock.fig01.musx
the piece before moving onto
TGR258.grades_rock.fig01.musx tempo, they will almost certainly video for a full breakdown on how Geek
get the rest ofGeek
the
TGR258.grades_rock.fig01.musx
creating your own solos and have to be played using ‘down up’ to play Geek’s A and B sections.
Date: 10:48
10:48 31/07/2014 syllabus. Go Geek
to:
File
File Date: 31/07/2014 Rock School
Rock School
chordal backing
10:48parts for other
31/07/2014 style alternate picking/ For more information, go to www.musicroom.com
Contributor: James Uings
File Date: Rock School
Page 1 of
Page 1 Geek
soloists.
1
of 1 is a full-on pop- strumming, so some beats will www.rockschool.co.uk Contributor: James Uings
Page
Notes:1 of 1 Contributor:
Engraved James Uings
by DigitalMusicArt.Com
DigitalMusicArt.Com
Notes: Engraved by
Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com
geek a and B sections
Notes:
tg dvd
j
qq qq == qq qqj
3
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q=
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## 4
q =137 =

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pp œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ffœ.. œ. œ.
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These two sections are based entirely on two- or three-note powerchords. These are fairly easy to fret, so it’s best to focus on picking, maintaining a steady
swing groove and playing a smooth, gradual crescendo (gradually getting louder) through the first four bars.

106 october 2014

 |
techniques gET YOUR Grades

rGT / Performance Award / Level One

Heavy video

metal lead
lesson
w w w.bit .l
y/tg 2 58 rg
t

Try out heavy metal in your Level One RGT Performance Award…
Nearly everybody that plays
electric guitar loves playing a solo,
and this is of course included as an
essential section of RGT’s electric
guitar Performance Awards. For
this section of the Level One exam,
you choose a track from RGT’s
book Improvising Lead Guitar:
Performance
Awards
RGT is the UK’s only
specialist guitar
Beginner Plus to play over. A choice distortion on your amp (or using a examination board.
of 10 tracks is provided, and the pedal) to get a suitable guitar tone. You can download a
chord chart for one of the tracks is At this level, a fast solo is not free Performance
Awards syllabus and
shown below. This track is in the expected; aim to play accurately,
find a registered guitar
key of A minor, so the A minor clearly and in time with the backing tutor to help prepare
pentatonic scale can be used for track. Check out the video lesson you for RGT exams at
lead playing. This track is in a heavy for an example of the type of lead www.rgt.org
metal style, so dial in some playing that is expected.

A minor pentatonic scale

1
1 4
1 3
1 3
1 3
TGR258.grades_rgt.fig01.musx
1 4 Rhythm Playing
File Date: 20:23 28/07/2014 RGT
Page 1 ofchord
As the 1 progression is in the key of A minor, all the notes in this scale will fit with the chords. However, some notes will sound better than others over
Tony Skinner
certain
chords; experiment and let your ears guide you as to which sound best.
Notes: Engraved by DigitalMusicArt.Com

Level One lead chart tg dvd

4 ..
4 Am ’ ’ ’ G ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ Am ’ ’ ’
1

Dm ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ G ’ ’ ’ Em ’ ’ ’ ..
5

This is a typical Level One lead guitar chord chart. Although the backing track sounds quite fast, you can use long notes to contrast effectively with this. Dial in a
distortion tone on your amp (or with a distortion pedal) to assist in sustaining those long notes.

october 2014 107

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108 october 2014

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october 2014 109

 techniques tab guide |

Tab Guide
Get more from TG by understanding our easy-to-follow musical terms and signs

What is tab?
Tab is short for tablature, a the sixth (thick) string at the Unfretted strings are shown
notational system used to give bottom to the first (thin) string with a ‘0’. The key and time
detailed information as to at the top. On these lines, signatures are shown in the
where notes should be played numbers represent the frets traditional notation. TG also
on the fretboard. Tab appears where you should place your includes a timestamp to tell
underneath conventional fingers. For example, an A note you where in the original track
music notation as six on the 2nd fret, third string, will you’ll find each example.
horizontal lines that represent be shown as a number ‘2’ on Finally, a tempo marking is
the strings of the guitar, from the third line down on the tab. expressed in beats per minute.

FRET BOXES: chords, scales and capo notation

Hand labelling Nut and Fretboard Chord example
2 m o o o o o o o o o
3 1 i a
4 c
1
T p
2 3

G
Here are the abbreviations used for each finger. Fretting hand: 1, 2, 3, 4, (T) This fretbox diagram represents the guitar’s fretboard exactly, as seen in the photo. This diagram represents a G chord. The ‘o’s are open strings, and a circled number
Picking hand: p (thumb), i (index), m (middle), a (annular), c (little finger) This design is used for ease of visualising a fretboard scale or chord quickly. is a fretting hand finger. A black ‘o’ or circled number is the root note (here, G).

capo example capo notation scale example

o o o x o o
CAPO 2nd
FRET >
CAPO 2nd
FRET > 4 1 1 1 1
1
2 2 2 2
1 2
3 3
2 3 3
4 4 4 4 4

A (G)
The blue line in the diagram represents a capo – for this A chord, place it at the
2nd fret. Capos change the fret number ordering. Here, the original 5th fret now
becomes the 3rd fret, 7th fret now 5th fret, etc.
D (C)
Here the chord looks like a C in the tab, but the capo on the 2nd fret raises the
pitch to make it a D. The 2nd fret capo’d notes are shown with a ‘0’ in the tab as
if they were open strings.
A major scale
The fret box diagram illustrates the fret hand fingering for the A major scale using
black dots for root notes and red dots for other scale tones. The photo shows part of
the scale being played on the fourth string with the first, third and fourth fingers.

Guitar techniques: Picking

Down and up-picking Tremolo picking Palm Muting pick Rake Appreggiated chord

The symbols under the tab tell you the Each of the four notes are to be Palm-mute by resting the edge of Drag the pick across the strings shown Play the notes of the chord by
first note is to be down-picked and the alternate-picked (down and up-picked) your picking hand palm on the strings with a single sweep. This is often used strumming across the relevant strings
second note is to be up-picked. very rapidly and continuously. near the bridge saddles. to augment a rake’s last note. in the direction of the arrow head.

110 october 2014

 techniques tab guide |
Fretting Hand
Hammer-on & Pull-off NOTE TRILLS Slides (glissando) fret hand tapping Fret hand muting

Pick the first note then hammer down After picking the first note, rapidly Pick the first note and then slide to the Sound the notes marked with a square X markings represent notes and
on the string for the second note. Pick the alternate between the two notes shown in next. For the last two notes pick the first, by hammering-on/tapping with your fret strings that are muted by your fret hand
third note and pull-off for the fourth note. brackets using hammer-ons and pull-offs. slide to the next and then re-pick it (RP). hand fingers, instead of picking. when struck by your picking hand.

Bending And vibrato

Bend and Release re-picked bend pre-bend quarter-tone bend Vibrato

Fret the first note (here, the 5th Bend up to the pitch shown in the silently bend the string up from the 5th Pick the note then bend up a quarter- Your fretting hand vibrates the string by
fret) and bend up to the pitch of the brackets, then re-pick the note while fret (PB5) to the pitch of the 7th fret note, tone (a very small amount). This is small bend-ups and releases. Exaggerate
bracketed note, before releasing again. holding the bent note at the pitch shown. pick it and release to the 5th fret note. sometimes referred to as a ‘blues curl’. this effect to create a ‘wide’ vibrato.

Harmonics
Natural Harmonics Artificial Harmonics pinched Harmonics Tapped harmonics touched harmonics

Pick the note while lightly touching Fret the note as shown, then lightly After fretting the note in the triangle, Place your finger on the note as shown, A previously sounded note is
the string directly over the fret place your index finger directly over ‘x’ dig into the string with the side of your but sound it with a quick pick hand tap at touched above the fret marked TCH
indicated. A chiming harmonic results. fret (AH‘x’) and pick (with a pick, p or a). thumb as you sound it with the pick. the fret shown (TH17) for a harmonic. (eg, TCH 9) for it to sound a harmonic.

Vibrato bar / whammy bar

Whammy bar bends Scoop and doop Sustained note and Divebomb Gargle Whammy bar vibrato

The note is picked as shown, then the Scoop: depress the bar just before A Note is sustained then the vibrato Sound the note and ‘flick’ the vibrato Gently rock the whammy bar to
vibrato bar is raised and lowered to the striking the note and release. Doop: bar is depressed to slack. The square bar with your picking hand so it ‘quivers’. repeatedly bend the pitch up and down.
pitches shown in brackets. lower the bar slightly after picking note. bracket indicates a further articulation. This results in a ‘gargling’ sound! This sounds similar to fret hand vibrato.

Others
Pick scrape Violining Finger numbering pima directions Pick hand tapping

The edge of the pick is dragged either Turn the volume control down, The numbers in the traditional Any kind of fingerpicking Tap (hammer-on) with a finger of
down or up along the lower strings to sound the note(s) and then turn the notation refer to the fingers required to requirements are shown at the bottom your picking hand onto the fret marked
produce a scraped sound. volume up for a smooth fade in. play each note. of the tab notation. with a circle. Usually with ‘i’ or ‘m’.

october 2014 111

 The Final Countdown

10 Guitar Heroes
and their
Football Teams
9. Serge Pizzorno – Leicester City
For the Kasabian man, the Midlanders’ chilling
mediocrity is the whole point. “The great thing
about Leicester City is we’re shit,” he told Four
Four Two. “We are absolutely rubbish. But that
doesn’t matter, because every so often when we
do achieve something, it’s all the sweeter after so
much suffering.”

8. Bryan Adams – Chelsea

The wedding-dance king adopted the Blues
when he moved to London. “It’s easy to walk to,”
he reasons. “My first game was in 1985. The fans
recognise me, but they don’t hassle me, It’s just
[cockney accent] ‘Alwight…?’”

7. Steve Jones – Fulham

As a teenage oik, the Pistol was a face in the Craven
Cottage stands. “I never watched the game,” Jones Standing on the shoulders of
clarifies. “I used to go for the aggro.” Al Nahyan: Noel and Johnny Marr
celebrate a Man City victory

Pete is obsessed 6. Slash – Stoke City

with both kinds
“I’m a football fan and I always root for Stoke, 2. Paul 1. Noel Gallagher –
of scoring
because they’re the underdog,” said the guitarist, McCartney Manchester City
interviewed at half-time in the 2011 FA Cup Final – Everton &
between Man City and Stoke. “They’re a great Liverpool The former Oasis
10. Pete Doherty – team, but they never quite make it.” [They lost 1-0]. “My family are guvnor is a ‘proper’
officially Evertonians,”
Queens Park Rangers 5. Simon Neil – Rangers Macca explained of
fan – he supported
As a teenage stoner, “I’d rather not say who I support,” squirmed the his dual allegiance. City before the 2008
the Libertines Biffy Clyro singer, in a 2010 video interview ahead “But I thought, ‘You
know what? I am just
injection of sheikh-
of the Old Firm clash with Celtic. “It’s a family thing.
frontman edited a I don’t go to the games, but that’s my team.” going to support them dosh that transformed

Words: Henry Yates Photography: Starstock/Photoshot Getty Images Lillian Evans/REX

QPR fanzine called All
Quiet On The Western
Avenue and treated the
team’s ground like his
own personal squat: “I
would climb into Loftus
Road in the summer
when the stadium was
empty and sit there
with my little book and
pen, smoking a spliff
behind the goal.”
both, because it’s all them from whipping
4. Ronnie Wood – Liverpool and I don’t
West Bromwich Albion have that Catholic- boys to champions.
The Black Country sloggers are the unlikely choice Protestant thing’.” Noel also hates local
of rock royalty, with Eric Clapton wearing the club rivals Man United
scarf on the sleeve of Backless and the Stones’
guitarist admitting a “soft spot” for the Baggies: with such venom that
“They were very big in the 50s. It’s a bit like my boys when their defender
now supporting Arsenal and Chelsea.”
Gary Neville quoted
3. James Allan – Celtic an Oasis lyric, he
As a flying teenage winger, the Glasvegas frontman
played 105 games in the Scottish Football League,
threatened to “tie him
but daydreamed of a place in the double-winning to a chair, pull his tash
Celtic side of the late-80s: “I’d love to have been
a sub or even just trained with them. The players Strawberry midfields
out and shit in
around that time were as artistic as any painter.” forever? The Beatles
didn’t do football rivalry
his manbag”.
– they were happy to let it be

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