GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you?
MP: I’ve always loved the freedom of improvised music, and there’s something to the flow of a great improvised guitar solo that I find really appealing.
GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can't?
MP: Like a good book or movie, it leaves things open to interpretation. You can almost assign any meaning to it, and that sometimes can be wildly different than what the composer had in mind.
GT: Are there any tendencies that you aim to embrace or avoid - rhythms, harmony, playing approach?
MP: I always try to write the things that I really hear. So in that sense I avoid writing out of concepts, for instance aiming to write a song in a specific metre or around a specific chord. Maybe I’ll try to have more of that in my next album to balance things out, but on the one I’ve released, it’s mainly that.
GT: Is a typical song structure of intro, verse, chorus, middle eight, verse, etc, always relevant for an instrumental?
MP: Since I grew up listening to pop and rock songs, I try to write within that structure as much as I can. But usually things end up falling on the classic AABA form of a jazz standard that, as instrumentalists, we end up getting really familiar with.
GT: How useful is studying a vocalist's approach for creating guitar melodies?
Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av Guitar Techniques.
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Denne historien er fra May 2024-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.
DOUBLE-STOPS
Playing two notes together is a useful addition to any guitarist’s arsenal. Simon Barnard shows how this can be used in a variety of styles.
