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?
Bu hikaye Guitar Techniques dergisinin May 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Guitar Techniques dergisinin May 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
THE MOODY BLUES
This month Stuart Ryan delves into the picking style of this British prog legend whose acoustic guitar has powered many a Moody Blues song.
WAYNE KRANTZ
This issue Nick Mellor provides an insight into this brilliant jazz stylist, focusing on his approach to improvising over static chords.
OPEN G TUNING
Open tunings are great fun and can help create exciting new ideas. Simon Barnard shows how to incorporate open G tuning into your playing.
RODRIGO GOUVEIA
Last month we featured Mateus Asato, and mentioned the importance of the neo-soul style in his playing. Here we turn to his fellow Brazilian, the master of neo-soul fusion.
MARK KNOPFLER
Our topic this month is a master craftsman as both guitar player and songwriter. His style is unique and his influence spreads far and wide.
U2
Martin Cooper checks out the chiming pedal delay tones of this stadium-filling band from Dublin, Ireland, and guitarist The Edge.
LUTHER ALLISON
It’s blues with a touch of soul this month, as David Gerrish explores the dynamic, expressive style of an often overlooked Chicago bluesman.
JOHANN KASPAR MERTZ Capriccio
This month Declan Zapala explores the music of Austria at the turn of the Romantic period with a fiery caprice to level up your fingers and unlock your inner virtuoso.
THE CROSSROADS Michael Landau
John Wheatcroft explores the playing of a session ace _ and blazing blues-rock maestro who graces the top-flight m band of singer-songwriting legend, James Taylor.
VIDEO MASTERCLASS Troy Redfern
This month GT welcomes this slide guitar virtuoso. If you've been wanting to take your slide playing to the next level then this is one's for you. With Jon Bishop.