GUTHRIE GOVAN

‘LES IS MORE’
 JAM TRACK CENTRAL
ARTIST MERCH
At last you can get merchandise from your
favourite Jam Track Central artists, including loads
of tasty t-shirts and Guthrie Govan’s Erotic Cakes CD

MERCH AVAILABLE BY:

GUTHRIE GOVAN
JACK THAMMARAT
DANIELE GOTTARDO
ALEX HUTCHINGS
HEDRAS RAMOS
 LES IS MORE
As recorded by jamtrackcentral.com
(From the 2011 Album GUTHRIE GOVAN'S VINTAGE MODERN)

x
E
x 7 fr. x
b
A dim7 6 fr.
x x
C 7 2 fr. F 13
x xx
b b 2 fr. F
xx
b
13(type 2) 2 fr.
x
B9
x
b` b
x x x
b
C 7 9/E 7 fr. F m9 7 fr.
x
B9 5 b 7 fr. xE6add9 6 fr. xCx7
(type 2) b
2 fr.

F m7b
x x x 9 fr. x x
b
G 7 9 fr. C 7(type 3) 9 fr. b D7 10 fr. x F 9
b 8 fr. x F9 7 fr. x
B13 7 fr.
x x
`
B 13 6 fr. B13(type 2) 7 fr.E6add9 (type 2)11 fr.
x x

This is the lead guitar part, with one of the harmony guitars to show how the parts fit. For all harmony parts, see the "Les Harmony" PDF.

D
P = 254 (P P CP PR )
A Intro - lead only

gggg 4 V V V gV 3 V gV f V V V f V V
I 4 V V V V V V fV V V
V V V V
3
1
3 3 3
3 3 3
Gtr I
2 4 5 6 7 6 5 4
T 4 7 6 5 4
A 2 4 6 6 5 4
4 7
B 2 4 6

B Verse 1 - lead only

E b
A dim7

gg cj V V V V V gV f V gV fV V
3
Igg U V j V V }W V gV V
V
u 3 3

T
A 6 8 9 8 9 8 6 5 6 5
6 9 8 8 8
B 7 9 10
sl. H P P H P

b
V V V V V V V
E C7

gggg V V V W k V V V V V fV fV V gV f V V W
7
I
u 3 3
3

4 7 4 7 5 4 5 4
T 5 6 7 6
A 4 6 4 4 6 4 7 7 6
B
H P

b Fb13
aP gV fV V V
F 13 (type 2) B9

11
I
gggg k
V gV V V f V gV f V V f V V V V V f V
V V V V z fV V

M
1/4 M
1/4

8 9 8 7 9
T 8 9 8 9 8 7 7 10 8 8
A 6 9 9 6 6 7 8
7 8 9
B
H H

BluesJamTracks Ltd 2011

Generated using the Power Tab Editor by Brad Larsen. http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org
 LES IS MORE - jamtrackcentral.com Page 2 of 7
b` b b B9b5
V gV f V V V V f V gV f V V f V V f V gV f V V V V gV V V V V
E C 7 9/E F m9

gggg V VVVV j VVV

15
I u 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 VVV
7 9 12 13 12 11 12 11 10 11 10 9 10 9 8 9 8 7 8 7 6 7 6 5
T 7 9 7
A 9 8 6
7
B 9 6
7
sl. H P H P H P H P H P H P H P P

C Verse 2 - lead & harmony 1

g b
g g
E6add9 A dim7
19
Ig
Gtr I

T
A
B

gggg 8vaV V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V gV V V V V V V V V
I
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Gtr II

T 14 17 14 12 14 17 14 17 14 12 14 17 14 17 14 12 14 17 14 17 14 12 14 17 14 17 14 11 14 17 14 17 14 11 14 17
A
B
H P P H H H P P H H H P P H H H P P H H H P P H H H P P H H

gggg E
22
I
T
A
B

gggg 8vaV V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V
I gV V
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
T 14 17 14 11 14 17 14 17 14 11 14 17 14 17 14 12 14 17 14 17 14 12 14 17 14 17 14 12 14 17 14 17 14 12 14 17
A
B

b b
H P P H H H P P H H H P P H H H P P H H H P P H H H P P H H

g gg
C 7(type 2) F 13(type 2)
25
Ig
T
A
B

g g gV V f V V gV V V gW V f V gV
8va
V V V V V
Igg V V V V V V V V j
3 3
3 3 3 3
16 15 14 13 14 15 16
T 14 18 14 12 14 18 14 18 14 12 14 18 9 8 9
A 9 8
B
H P P H H H P P H H sl.
Generated using the Power Tab Editor by Brad Larsen. http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org
 LES IS MORE - jamtrackcentral.com Page 3 of 7

gg
Igg
B9
28

T
A
B

gggg V k c j V f V gV V fV V V k Vc W
I gV V W

T 9 8 9
A 9 8 7 8
8 8 7 7
B

b` b b b
gggg E C 7 9/E F m7 G7
31
I
T
A
B

gggg j V fV V f V gV W
8va
V j W
I fU
Y Y
12 1
T 7 8 9 8 9
A 9
B
sl. sl.

b
D Middle - lead & harmony 1
C 7(type 3) D7 b
C 7(type 3)

V V fV V V V fV
8va

gg V f V V gV V fV V V gW
35
Igg j 3
3 3
16 15 14 13 13 12 11 11 10 9
T 14 12 9
A 12 11 10
B

gggg V
8va

j W V V f V gV V
I
M
1/2

19
T 7 8 9
A 9 (9) 8
B
sl.

Generated using the Power Tab Editor by Brad Larsen. http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org

 LES IS MORE - jamtrackcentral.com Page 4 of 7

b b
V V V
F9 F9 F9

gg V fV V fV V
39
Igg u u j
9
T 9 8 9 9 8 7
A
B
sl.

gg
3
V gV
Igg V j j
3
3
gV V V
V V V V V V V gV
T 2 2 5 11
A 6 3 3 3
2 4 2 4 4
B 4
sl.

`
gggg V f V V V gV V V f V V V fV k V k cj
B13 B 13 B13

43
I V u V
u
T 9 7
A 8 7 6 7 8 8 7 6 6 5 4
4
B

gggg W W
I W
\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
T 7
A 8
7
B

g b` b b
g g
E6add9 C 7 9/E F m7 B13(type 2)
47
Ig
T
A
B

gggg
I U gU U U
T
A 6 3 4 1
B

Generated using the Power Tab Editor by Brad Larsen. http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org

 LES IS MORE - jamtrackcentral.com Page 5 of 7

E Verse 3 - lead & harmony 1

b
V f V gV V V f V V V V gV
E6add9 A dim7

gg k Vc V V V V V }V }V V V V V V
51
Igg j
3
7 9 8 7 8 9
T 7 8 9 11 11 8 8
A 6 8 9 9 8 9 8
6 9 11
B

gggg
P sl. H P

I U U U U
T
A 2 (2) (2) (2)
B

E b
C 7(type 2)

gggg V V V V j V fV gV
55
I V
3 3
T
A 4 5 6
9 11 9 9
B 11
H P

gggg j k f VcgV V V aP gV j aP gV j V U
I U z u z u
T 3 4 3 4
A 4 6 6 (6)
5 6
B
H sl. sl.

b
F 13(type 2) B9

gggg V j j V V fV V V V fV k V k f V gV f V W
59
I V V V
3 u
M
1/2

T 5 5 7 8 9 5
A 6 5 4 5 6
5 (5)
B 7 4
H

I
gggg k gVc V

T
A 8 9
B

Generated using the Power Tab Editor by Brad Larsen. http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org

 LES IS MORE - jamtrackcentral.com Page 6 of 7

E b` b
C 7 9/E b
F m9 b
B9 5

gggg
63
I j k V V V V V V V f V gV
u
T
A 6 9 8 7 8
9 7 6 7
B

R
P

I
gggg aP gV j k gVc V aP gV j
z u V W V V V gV V
u
\\\\\\\\
T 8 9 8 9
A 9
8 9 9 11 9 8 9
B
sl. sl. P sl.

F Ending - lead & harmony 1

E6add9 b` b C 7 9/E b
F m9 b
B9 5

V V V V V V V V gV f V
8va

gggg j k V f V gV j
67
I u 3 3
7 9 7 9 7 7 19 18 17
T 8 9 9
A 9
B
H P P P

gg V
Igg k V f V gV V V V
k c
V W
T
A 6 7 8 9 6
B 9 7 6 (6)

b` b b b
V V V fV
E6add9 C 7 9/E F m9 B9 5

gggg V V V fV V V fV V
71
I
16
T 17
A 18 17 16 16 19 18
19 16 17 18
B

V V aP gV W V V V
gg
Igg k V V
u
V V k z u
10 11 (11) 14 16
T 12 14
A 14 13 11 14
B
sl.

Generated using the Power Tab Editor by Brad Larsen. http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org

 D
LES IS MORE - jamtrackcentral.com Page 7 of 7

P PR CP P
E6add9(type 2)
8va

gggg j V fV V V V
1
I V V U
3
tr [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
14 13 12 11
T 12
A 13 11 13 (11)
B
P P P H

gggg U U U
8va

I
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
19 (19) (19)
T
A
B

Generated using the Power Tab Editor by Brad Larsen. http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org

 GUTHRIE GOVAN
Welcome to this new collection of jamtrack goodies!

If you’re familiar with any of my previous Jamtrack Central

packages, this one may well strike you as somewhat un-
usual. Stylistically, it features some stuff which is pretty far
removed from the fast-chromatic-madness-over-a-blues-
backing theme which characterised many of my previous
collaborations with the JTC guys... Fear not: this was en-
tirely intentional. Here’s hoping you’ll have some fun with
the diversity of these three new tracks!

My guitar part on A Brush With Basil drew on two basic inspirations. For the more overdriven parts, I was
trying to channel the sound of a blues harmonica player, by mixing up a touch of slide playing and copious
whammy bar manipulation: this kind of playing seems to sound the most convincing when you pile on plenty
of overdrive and roll the tone knob down on the guitar, aiming for the thickest tone you can muster. You’ll
also hear some lightly overdriven country-esque noodlings thrown into the mix: I think these sections have a
tiny hint of a Steve Morse vibe about them, which is surely a good thing!

Les Is More, as you may well have deduced from the cheeky title bestowed upon it by Jan, was originally
intended to be a tip of the hat to that veritable Da Vinci of the electric guitar world, Lester Polfus - a.k.a. Les
Paul. For some reason, the finished product ended up evoking Brian May and Les Paul in equal measure par-
ticularly towards the end: seems like it’s practically impossible to come up with any kind of harmony guitar
piece without reminding the listener of those two guys!

Given the profusion of guitar overdubs on Les Is More, the track offers a great opportunity for you to unleash
your creative side. I think it can be interesting to deconstruct a multi-tracked piece like this to see how it
works - hence the inclusion of all the “stems” - and in play-along terms you could learn Solo 1 and/or solo 2.
Alternatively - and I’m always in favour of this tactic! - you could ignore what I played entirely and come up
with a new approach of your own, using the transcriptions merely as a source of ideas regarding suitable note
choice.

Tipsy Gypsy is, of course, my humble attempt to evoke a little of the gypsy jazz tradition. I don’t pretend to
be a qualified practitioner of this style - check out some of the real exponents of manouche jazz, with their
moustaches and Maccaferris, and you’ll see what I mean! - but I’m quite pleased with the way the track
turned out, anyhow: it seems to have a pleasingly cheeky, upbeat vibe about it!

If you’re trying to coax a pseudo-Django tone from a conventional steel-string acoustic (as I did) your best
bet is to pick hard, staying relatively close to the bridge. An ultra-heavy pick certainly helps, too! I think the
most important thing with this kind of playing is to try to capture a sense of fun and energy - as is so often
the case, trying to convey the appropriate attitude in your playing is just as important as getting the notes
right.

Enjoy!
GG
 Bonus Theory and Technique
Les is More
Although the lead and harmony parts interact to create the overall sound, it’s easier if we deal with them
separately...

Lead Guitar
Introduction (measures 1-2)
Guthrie uses a mixture of B Mixolydian (B C# D# E F# G# A) and some chromatic notes to outline a B7
chord. Notice how the line allows him to land perfectly on the G#, fitting the E chord that follows...

Verse 1 (measures 3-18)

In keeping with the Swing sound, Guthrie bases a lot of his licks around the chords, instead of playing
long scale lines. This means you really have to learn which notes are found in which chord!

Middle (measures 35-50)

In measures 35-37 there’s a great example of how you can blend chord tones with chromatic passing notes.
Notice how all the long notes are taken from the C#7 chord. Another example of the same approach is
found over the B13 chord in measures 43-45 (the high G# note is the 13th which gives the chord its
name).

Harmony
Instead of analysing every scale and chord tone, we thought we’d look at a few selected features...

Measures 19-25
Some of these parts use big stretches, so be careful. With four guitars playing together, you can easily
build up a dense harmonic effect, Guthrie combines the four parts so that all chord notes are covered...
E6add9 (E G# B C# F#), A#dim7 (A# C# E G) and C#7 (C# E# G# B). For the rest of this section, the four
guitars create block chords, often moving chromatically up and down in parallel. For instance, over the
F#13 in measure 27, the four notes are G# C# E G#.

Measures 41-42
Each part plays a sequenced F#7 arpeggio, but each one starting on adifferent note... C# F# A# C#. The
resulting sound is huge!

Measures 45-50
Although these block chords follow the underlying chord changes, Guthrie doesn’t just move all four
parts in parallel. Notice how the parts often cross over each other, moving in both parallel and contrary
motion.

Measures 68-70
Throughout this tune, the most common way Guthrie uses to arrange the four parts is to have the lowest
and highest playing the same note (an octave apart) with the other two in the middle. Over the B9 chord,
we have high and low D# notes (the major 3rd) with F# (5th) and B (root) in between.