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speed as indicated on the audio

demonstrations. Even advanced players

Legato Part 2
Martin Goulding moves on from basic legato
exerclses to some more unusual note groupings
used bythe likes of SteveVaiand Joe Satriani...
control over those concepts
in order to move into this
month's teEitory which is
based on the firll roll legato
technique. This is a style that
Joe Satriani describes as the
sound of "liquid mercury" as
it has a rolling quality
characterised by the use of
groupings of5 and 7, which
isn't unnatual if you
consider tlat three notes per
string is an 'odd number'
concept to begin witl.
This style will allow you to
change direction smoothly at
any point of ttre scale pattern
without the skipped intervals
common in the half roll style
and is a perfect vehicle to
move fluidly around the
neck. This month's exercises
follow on progressively from
last issue interms of
difficulty and also historical
significance, as this style was
developing with the likes of
Vai and Satriani.
It is essential tlat you are
aware ofthe importance of
good muting technique, with
both hands, to keep your
playing sounding clean. The
fretting hand first finger tip
) "o mutes the string above the
one being played and rests
need to refer back to check their
foundations. The slow examples arejust as
challenging and require as much
concentration as the faster versions, and
much can be learnt abouttone, timing and
accurary at this level. Practise each
exercise for three to five minutes' constant
repetition (except when tension builds,
then shake offimmediately and have a ro
second break) for five days a week. Keep at
one speed for a week and in this week you
will start to feel a new level of accuracy.
After a week, you will feel that your
stamina improves and you are able to
sustain the exercise with little fatique and
you'll also experience the feeling of
accuracy as the timing starts to ingrain.
You will feel a new level ofcontrol, lhen it is
timeto increase the metronome as much as
possible while still maintaining that
feeling. At the higher speeds you may need
to practise for months at the same speed to
achieve a breakthrough; you will need to be
patient and just enjoy the feeling that the
exercise is improving even ifthe speed
remains static. Never associate the
development of an exercise with speed as
the evidence. Speed is a by-product of
immaculate timing, accurary and
familiarity through daily repetition. E
ll lt is essentialthat
you are aware ofthe
impoftance of muting with
both hands, to keep your
playing sounding clean tt
GETTHETONE
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will need a high gain
For this column you

m flat, very lightly, over the ottr er st rings.

OOOO Moderate/Advanced
wrrr mPRovE YouR
gFrettinq hand technique
I play a note on the fourth string, the only
T0amping and noise conffoL
goverall 5peed andfluidity
LAST MONTH WE looked at the basic 'half
roll'legato technique in the style ofrock
pioneers such as Eddie Van Halen and
Randy Rhoads. It is essential to have basic
On the fifth string, for example, you should
be able to play any note and even when
- lreble orr one otlo( k.The boost in the
strumming all the strings, only hear that
particular note ring loud and clear. Ifyou
string that may ring is the sixth string.
This string is then muted by the picking
hand. So by careful muting between the
two hands, the technique should be
absolutely clean.
Again, as per advice Iast month,you
should establish the exercises at the 'learn'
setting on your amp, with the bass on
around twelve otlock and the mid and
mid range compared to lhe more
scooped rock rhythm sound will help
your tone proyet t and .ut th'ough a mix.
Both neck and bridge pickups work well
with the legalo te.hnique. For the
colLrmn, I used the bridge position on my
lbanez (u5tom rhrough Amplitube2 set
on a Marshall type sound, with a
sprinkling of stereo.horus and reverb.

TIACI( IEC0XD -Any clbums by Steve Valor,roe Satrianl aro essontial listening for this m0nth's column. 0n tie Yaiside 0f things we heartily

mcomnend tlox-lble (1904), Passion And lYarfane (1000) and The Ultra Zone (1999), while excellent examples of Satriani's styls can be heard
on Sur,ffng Ylith Ihe Alien (1087), tlying ln A Slue oream (1989) and The Extr'emist ( 1992).

62 Guitax1bchniques February 2009

t6
EXAMPLES 1,2&3
There fragments a.e arranged in three sets. Where there are two whole tonesas in
Ex la, use your 6rrt, second and fourth 6ngers on the frelting hand, whi.h is also the
same for Ex 1b with the semlione and lone shape. For Ex 1c, the tone and semitone
shapei!playedusingthefir5t,thirdandfourthfingersgenerallralthoughitlsaso
common, especially when fini5hing a phrase with a bend that this type ofshape is
exec!ted using the 6rst, second and third.The frrsttwo examples are workout5 for
th€ development ofgroupinge offve.Tapyourfoot and strivefor an even velo(ity
withthe picked notes being thesamedynami. level asthe hammer onsand pul
is
AS
d
o
le
7-5 3 5-
EXAMPLE 4
Herewehaveanexampleofarapid-firestaticro.krepetitiofli.kthat!sesthefrrst,
second and third fi ngerson thefr€ttinq hand. Also more lmportandythe l.k.an
be reem as a.oncept forfinishinq runs and exiting with a bend which could in turn
prompt som€ of your own blues based voca bulary Am peotatonic shape 1- lt's a
good approach to learn a new lick and then carry on improvising afterwards.This
EXAMPLE 5
Herewe havea developmenton the previou t example where we are moving
the tagment horizontallythrough the scal€ shapes. Notice that akhough w€ are
6666
ly
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GDTRACX46
offs.The 6rstexample has three notes on the lower string and sevefl on the higher
string.Thisequalsten, so despitethe string cha nge after three notes,westillfeel
it as two groups offive. Therefore con.entrate on tapping your foot on the high
fourth finger hammer-on and hit harder in orderto accent it. This will help lock in
the'6ve(feel. lmagine a pendulum swinging andyou are a<centing rhe lowesta.d
high€st notes and reinfo(in9 that feelbytapping yorjr foot. Erample2 is a sti.dy
livenotes-perstringfullroli.Keepyourthumbinthemiddleofthebackoftheneck
withyour hand wideopen, a n d close to the fretboard in orderto mute.
CO TRACK 49
helpsto inteqrate newafd existing ideas together. The lastbar is ru5hed to help
pla.e the bend on the beat.l've transcibed it as a group ofseven, akhouqh the
intenr i5 to rush the phraseand targetthe exit bend.ltiscommon when des.ending
onto a new string thar inltead ofpicking thefrsr notefretting hand hammer-ons
are used fora smoothertone (no pickattack) dndfasterspeed potential.
GDTRACX 5()
inishinginadiferentposition,we.anstilluseournewtrusiyexitstrategytofinish
February 2009 GuitalTbclmiques 53
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EXAMPLE 6 GD TRACK 51

Nowwe can tryapplylng these fragments overwhole scale patterns. Sta rtin9 in se(ondlyover the three octave blocks. (Firstsix notes repeated in octaves).The
position 7 ofA Dorian (sam€ as position I G major - see diagrams from GTI6O), we lattergives us more distance as the rurl trav€lsthrough three positionr. Develop
can apply ourgroups offive fragments over firstly the standard s€ale position and them sjm ulta neoudy and do the samefordllseven positions ofthescale.

EXAMPLE 7 CDTRACXS2
Here we havethe same mutine as the previous examples,thistimeapplied to Again, dothe sameforall seven positaons.
groupings ofseven, Firstlythrough the scale patt€rn, and then in three octaves.

13,-ala---:__:-
E

l.ir alai?:__-:_- 7

EXAMPLE 8 CDTRACK 53
This nextexample plays throug h a two-string interlocking symmetricalpattern tone-wide ro.k vibrato. Try to experimentand locatethe differentareas ofthe
thatthen repeats in the next octave beforc 6nishing with a pulled downwards fretboard thatare good for linking together symmet.i.a shapes.

cl ftitarTecimiques februay :oog

, I
v
EXAMPLE 8 ...CONTIN UED
EXAMPLE 9
This example5hows the imponance of being ableto play legato runsthrough
sixteenth note phrases.You maybe used to odd number groupr by now, butthere
irqreatskilland a real'lnnertlme'challengeto staying in the pocketwith sixteenth
notes.The pickand the accentare unrclated on thewhole hereand so get used to
Here we havea run that usesa combination of half and full roll te.hnique,all
played as slxteenth notes.Aga n, tryto feelthe accenton each beat, and tapyour
This frnalexample is a three up,two down sequence. Again it's strict sixteenth note
feel, but as thea.tualphrase istharteen notes long, we are going to feel it going
over the barwhi.h can bedisconcerting at 6rst- lfthatfeelrodd, tap your foot
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CDTRACKSS
CDTRACK54
ac.enting byhammerlng or pulling at a slightly increased velocity to feel the beat.
On the descending part, use fretting hand hammer ons to playthe first nole on the
string.This gives a smoother sound and will ultimately allow you to execute this
type of idea ar a faster speed than the co nventional method ofone pick per string.
foot to relnforce the feel.lt is challenging at fi6tto get the absolute smoothness
and tlming to makea three notes per'string scale sound asstrict sixleenth notes-
every two notes untilyou get used to it. At full5peed it is a chall€nge to hear and
feelthe tempo ac(urately. This is developed through mastering each notch ofthe
metronome and working sometimes for many monthis at diflicult speed5.