Things With Strings

Kreutzer #3

2009-08-07T19:28:00.001Z

Kreutzer Violin Study #2

2009-03-17T16:24:00.002Z

Vivaldi "Summer" solo violin part

2009-02-13T20:15:00.005Z

This delightful little number makes for a frisky workout for the fingers. Best played on the brisk side!

String Crossing

2008-05-14T18:55:00.003Z

One of the main obstacles in securely nailing scales and arpeggios is crossing strings. These exercises should fix that!

Raking Studies

2008-05-14T18:42:00.005Z

Most players already have this for a bad habit, so why not use it for something? Try winding up the tempo on these!

Vertical Stretching#1 4-String Bass

2008-05-07T09:38:00.003Z

Pinched from Scott Tennant

Vertical Stretching #1

2008-05-07T09:18:00.002Z

This idea was pinched from Scott Tennant's book "Pumping Nylon"

Help!

2008-05-01T14:06:00.002Z

Hello pickers! I'm currently working on KC's "Pictures of A City" and Genesis' "Supper's Ready". No problem with the single line stuff but the guitar chord voicings are buggers. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to know. Also looking to get some more Yes stuff on here-especially the classic albums. If you have any accurate transcriions you could let me have I'd be keen to incorporate them. Even fragments will do, so long as they're accurate and preferably done on Finale or Sibelius.

King Crimson "In The Court Of The Crimson King"

2008-04-30T01:33:00.006Z

Can't say with 100% conviction that the chord voicings are correct here, so these are my best guess-they're definitely in the ball park, but I'd welcome any informed comment which might get at the truth.

Muse "Time Is Running Out"

2008-04-28T17:07:00.005Z

King Crimson "Moonchild"

2008-04-27T19:14:00.004Z

Ony the song itself, not the improvisation that follows. The melody shold be played with all the sustain you can muster and the chord part should be played hybrid style-pick for the bass notes and 3 fingers for the rest.

Bon Jovi "Living On A Prayer" Bass

2008-04-27T18:35:00.002Z

Foo Fighters "Long Road To Ruin" Bass

2008-04-27T18:25:00.002Z

More Chromatics

2008-04-26T18:31:00.003Z

E minor Pentatonic shapes

2008-04-26T18:20:00.004Z

Iron Maiden "Wicker Man" bass

2008-04-26T18:09:00.003Z

This isn't entirely note for note, but is a good guide.

String Crossing Study In D minor

2007-10-24T12:59:00.000Z

Short and to the point. Use alternate picking all the way. Start slowly to memorize it then crank it.

King Crimson "I Talk To The Wind"

2007-10-07T17:42:00.000Z

The Tornadoes "Bustin' Surfboards"

2007-10-05T23:39:00.000Z

Pentatonic Technique Builders

2007-10-04T10:59:00.000Z

Apply these to all the pentatonic shapes.

Rush "Madrigal"

2007-10-02T23:20:00.000Z

A lovely line this. I especially enjoy the way it wanders. a friend of mine requested this as he used to sing it to his daughter as a lullaby! Seriously folks, don't try this at home!

Iron Maiden "Invaders" bass line

2007-09-30T21:29:00.000Z

I bloody well love this bass line. Tremendous energy and some sweet key changes too. I have included a list of the scales etc used at the end.

Guns n Roses "Sweet Child o Mine" intro

2007-09-30T21:25:00.001Z

This is how Slash actually played it. To sound like the original de-tune by a semi tone

Free "Mouthful of Grass"

2007-09-30T20:56:00.000Z

This piece of solo acoustic guitar was actually played by Andy Fraser and is a nice way to work on your fingerpicking

Free "Alright Now" guitar riffs

2007-09-30T20:44:00.000Z

The main riff on the studio version is actually composed of two distinct guitar parts simultaneously, which is why one guitar never sounds right. Also the live version is quite different.

Free "Alright Now" bass line

2007-09-30T20:34:00.002Z

This is taken from the studio version. You'll have to assemble it in the correct order but that should be easy enough

Free "Alright Now" bass line

2007-09-30T20:34:00.001Z

This is taken from the studio version. You'll have to assemble it in the correct order but that should be easy enough

Happy Birthday

2007-09-28T17:12:00.001Z

Don't get caught out-learn this now!

String Crossing Exercise-Triplets

2007-09-28T14:51:00.000Z

Mike Oldfield "Tubular Bells"

2007-09-28T14:44:00.001Z

The piano intro for guitar

Link Wray "Rumble"

2007-09-28T14:28:00.000Z

This one was banned for starting fights!

King Crimson "Fracture" Moto perpetuo section

2007-09-28T14:24:00.001Z

Coming soon........

King Crimson "Epitaph"

2007-09-28T13:36:00.001Z

This is the beta version, more complete and corrected version coming soon.

King Crimson "21st Century Schizoid Man"

2007-09-28T13:25:00.001Z

STOP PRESS! I have found a flaw! Please note that the F F# G part which I have notated as power chords should be single notes! Ooops.....
I haven't included the guitar overdubs here but other than that I'm happy that this is a fairly accurate transcription. I hope that if Mr. Fripp sees this he finds it to be acceptable. really enjoyed doing this one as it is hugely important track in rock history. Perhaps surprisingly I find the octave section to be the most challenging. The fast section at bar 147 makes a good calisthenic. Contrast the guitar solo with the wilder versions played by the 72-74 band live. This was probably a considered solo-more or less planned in advance. Of note is the use of the C dorian mode and chromaticism to create tension. At times on this track its difficult to be sure whether you're hearing sax or axe, both showing the influence of modern jazz phrasing.

Boston "More Than a Feeling"

2007-09-28T13:19:00.001Z

Just the intro. Gorgeous on a 12 string

John McLaughlin "Meeting Of the Spirits"

2007-09-28T13:08:00.001Z

A transcription of the head from this Mahavishnu Orchestra classic. An excellent cross picking exercise. Mind the time signature!

Flight Of The Bumle Bee

2007-09-28T11:41:00.000Z

AKA "Bum of the Flightle Bee". This was written for the violin but virtuosi on all instruments have used it as a technique builder. Check out Harry James version on Trumpet. Brit readers may well remember the old Lurpak TV ad campaign where "Douglas" the butter trombonist kept getting thwarted in his attempts to play this at inappropriate moments. The original metronome markings indicate a tempo of 169-220 b.p.m. Anywhere above 160 is hard work on a guitar in my experience.

Chromatic Exercises#1

2007-09-28T11:17:00.000Z

These exercises include all possible fingering permutations. Master each before moving on. Try taking them all over the neck, along the string, basically use you your imagination! Start without a metronome, then move to one note per beat (crotchets/quarter notes) at a snail's pace on the 'nome (maybe 80b.p.m.). Raise this steadily to 160 b.p.m. then you're ready for 2 notes per beat (quavers/8th notes) at 80 b.p.m. Repeat the process to 160 b.p.m. then go to 16th notes at 80 b.p.m.. Master these at 160 b.p.m. plus and you're ready for "Flight of the Bumble Bee"!

Carcassi Studies For Guitar

2007-09-28T10:53:00.000Z

The Caprice should be taken at a steady tempo and be sure to alternate pick it. Anyone from beginner onwards should get some mileage out of this. Just take it a little at a time.

This Allegro is a tough little bugger to nail

For a great example of how this should be done with a pick check out King Crimson's Live At The Marquee.
In the middle of the Improv section Fripp lets rip with this in its entirety.

Yes "Starship Trooper"

2007-09-27T14:34:00.001Z

A snippet from The Yes Album. Sorry it's upside down!

Major Scale Shapes

2007-09-27T13:38:00.000Z

Here are the first set of major scale fingerings. With these it is possible to learn all the note possibilities for any key all over the neck.

The Soundcheck session

2006-05-17T22:55:00.000Z

Yesterday, a first recording session for the trio at a wonderful little studio in Portsmouth called Soundcheck UK. 2 rooms and a sofa! Oh, and the most useful engineer I've met so far-understood the music and got the best result for time available. The music moves ahead again. And again i found myself emotionally drained by it-this is frighteningly powerful stuff. Incredible dynamics. i am consistently amazed by the growth of Vic and Haydn, Vic's voice is becoming more distinct and expressive-a sweet solo on Summertime too (only half of which made the cut unfortunately ; Haydn-ever more creative, always ready to listen to suggestions and still a force of immaculately controlled violence. This is a band where suggestions are not automatically taken as insults! Which is incredible given the individuals involved. In fact, I think this is the essence of why it works-we have subdued our selves in favour of the needs of the music. Woohoo! In your face!
One of the most pleasing aspects of the songs is their strength of identity as a whole, there are some rollicking individual performances but they haven't drawn attention from the song.-The Crow is one of the most powerful feats of drumming I've ever heard, but people just say how "cool" it sounds (burning is the word I favour). Despite a horrendously tricky groove which is essentially a G vamp-both major and minor-with a fucking awkward unison triplet figure every other bar, Summertime comes over as delicately funky in the verses and a Mosh everywhere else. Ade gets top marks for the mostly gloriously un PC use of clave and bongos in the creation of this righteous groove! Go Soul Brother! Vic , I pity the poor sod who lands the job of transcribing those chords, man-sweet confusion.
The One is rapidly becoming our anthem, an expression of self-hood; the swelling sections leave me breathless, with a racing pulse.
I Swear I Could Say-simmering intensity, with a clearly implicit threat. "That's fucking evil" said the engineer.
"Hell Yeah!" say we.

the 3 piece grows

2006-05-11T00:16:00.000Z

this band has been a 3 piece for 4 weeks and tonight it showed what it can be. some new elements-funk (the crow) -punk (also the crow)-humour! a silly count in to summertime had Vic helpless, as did ade exposing himself to vic in "the one". vic's solo on cowardice-gathering impact every time he plays it, Ade-a volcano, me? its all comin out now! look out motherfuckers, im ready to play some bass. I've waited 19 years for a band like this-that's right, since I was 14! this is huge! We're finally working instinctively, in fact the mental medication I took from this rehearsal, convinced me once and for all of the value of this music-we have a duty to share this-the music wants us to play it!

Another rehearsal

2006-04-05T16:20:00.000Z

We move forward-no new songs today, but everything else sounding a lot better. If only we could have recorded it. Many ideas flew by but I only caught a few-musta been the good ones. First cover today-Spoonful. Can't remember why but the suggestion of "If you don't know me by now" brought hoots. "Owner of a lonely Heart" reared its pretty little head too.
"So Damned Young " is showing a little Yes-a la Wurm but very tense. Finding my contributions getting more rockish. Used effects for the first time today-got a lot of mileage out of the Reverberator and the Vibratrem. No one complained so they will stay. I sensed what I interpreted as a mild but controlled tension. In the room some time into the rehearsal, which may have been the combined effect of several things;

4 blokes listening very hard
4 blokes strenuously ignoring each other
4 blokes trying to remember WTF they're supposed to be playing

or not.........