Insanity 101
(#2)
by David M. McLean
=====
Let’s say we start with a basic melody
line. Then let’s say we cut out a signature section, something like this:
Play this a few times through and
improvise for a while. Now, amid whatever shred-fest you’ve jammed out to go
along with this, try referring back to this fragment. Seasoned guitarists like
Neil Schon, George Lynch, and Steve Stevens are known for this sort of
repeated reference, often spicing it up with octave displacement and
micro-themes played between long scalar runs. Try these following examples,
which feature octave displacement:
Scalar runs:
And even “alien” harmonies:
This last fragment uses the initial
melody fragment plus a parallel harmony (minor 3rd). Using
“perfect’ parallel movement, rather than diatonic movement, is a great way to
achieve bizarre harmonic effects – though it’s probably easier to pull it off
either by double-tracking (when recording) or using a harmonizer (when playing
live), rather than playing such odd diads. Experiment with different intervals
and get a feel for the flavor of each.
Meditate on this for a while, and next month we’ll explore a little game invented by Mozart.
=====
David M. McLean is the proprietor of Skinny Devil Music Labs, former guitarist of the avant-garde fusion-metal band Aurora-Sen, guitar instructor, and columnist for TinFoil Music Magazine (where he conducts interviews in the on-going series “Guitar Gods”). His new solo album, “Hunger”, will be released later this year.