GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that particularly appeals to you?
BG: I love hearing catchy melodies during guitar instrumentals. If a guitar can bring out the sound of emotion with volume and tone changes, the guitar can speak through the player’s hands. No two players are alike.
GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can't?
BG: This gives the listener a chance to drift with a player’s notes and feel. Whereas vocal lyrics tell their own story, guitar melodies are open to interpretation. A bluesy slow tasty solo has more impact than fast riffage and tells its own story, and usually, you walk away humming that melody.
GT: Any tendencies with instrumentals that you aim to embrace or avoid?
BG: Overplaying and adding too many parts can be an easy mistake. Heavily distorting rhythm tones can muffle up your song too. I like to take my rhythm parts and double them then pan left and right. Maybe changing to a clean tone and a different guitar for a background part or bridge section works well too. I personally work with a singing sustaining guitar tone for soloing but there are a few ballad songs on the new Night Ranger record. I used my 1957 Stratocaster through different old Fender Blackface amps and worked my volume control for different guitar shades.
GT: Is a typical song structure intro, verse, chorus, middle, etc, always relevant for the dynamics of an instrumental?
Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av Guitar Techniques.
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Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av Guitar Techniques.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
PAT METHENY
Nick Mellor offers an insight into the jazz great's 16th-note lines, and his approach to improvising over static Minor and Dominant 7th chords.
MARTIN MILLER
Another fabulous JTC guitarist demonstrates his impressive techniques for us, focusing on an approach called Rythmically Dependent Alternate Picking.
THE KINKS' RAY DAVIES
This month Stuart Ryan takes a virtual trip into to North London to get to grips with the acoustic style of the original Muswell Hillbilly.
STEVE LUKATHER
This month Andy G Jones looks at the fluent soloing style of the LA guitarist who co-founded Toto in 1977 then ruled the 80s session scene.
JEFF HANNEMAN
This month Charlie Griffiths Shows No Mercy as he lays down the gauntlett with five shred licks from Slayer's undisputed master of attitude.
10CC
This month Martin Cooper checks out Eric Stewart and Lol Crème, whose distinctive styles helped give this UK band its unique sound.
T-BONE WALKER
From the heart of Texas to the cool West Coast, join David Gerrish on the journey of this hugely influential electric blues guitar innovator.
FERDINANDO CARULLI Andantino In G (Opus 241)
This month Declan Zapala goes back to basics to explore core classical technique with this emotive miniature by the pioneer of classical guitar playing.
THE CROSSROADS Steely Dan's Mu Chord
This month John Wheatcroft shows us how Donald Fagen and Walter Becker dressed their harmony to the 'nines, as he explores their trademark chord voicings.
GET YOUR MOJO WORKING! 60 Years Of Blues Licks
From the Kings to Jimi and Eric, Blackmore, Stevie Ray, Gary Moore, John Mayer, JoBo and beyond, Jon Bishop introduces six decades of blues guitar innovation.
