rockschool’ Guitar Grade 2 Performance pieces, technical exercises and in-depth guidance ‘for Rockschool examinations wwm:rockschool co.ukAcknowledgements Published by Rockschool Ltd. © 2012 Catalogue Number RSK051203 ISBN: 978-1-908920-02-7 AubIO Recorded at Fisher Lane Studios Produced and engineered by Nick Davis Assistant engineer and Pro Tools operator Mark Binge Mixed and mastered at Langlei Studios ‘Mixing and additional editing by Duncan Jordan ‘Supporting Tests recorded by Duncan Jordan and Kit Morgan ‘Mastered by Duncan Jordan Executive producers: James Uings, Jeremy Ward and Noam Lederman MUSICIANS James Arben, Joe Bennett, Jason Bowid, Larry Carlton, Stuart Clayton, Andy Crompton, Neel Dhorajiwala, Fergus Gerrand, ‘Charlie Griffiths, Felipe Karam, Kishon Khan, Noam Lederman, DJ Harry Love, Dave Marks, Kit Morgan, Jon Musgrave, Jake Painter, Richard Pardy, Ross Stanley, Stuart Ryan, Carl Sterling, Henry Thomas, Camilo Tirado, Simon Troup, James Uings, Steve Walker, Chris Webster, Norton York, Nir Z PUBLISHING Fact Files written by Joe Bennett, Charlie Griffiths, Stephen Lawson, Simon Pitt, Stuart Ryan and James Uings ‘Walkthroughs written by James Uings Masic engraving and book layout by Simon Troup and Jennie Troup of Digital Music Art Proof reading and copy editing by Chris Bird, Claire Davies, Stephen Lawson, Simon Pitt and James Uings Publishing administration by Caroline Uings Cover design by Philip Millard SYLLABUS Syllabus director: Jeremy Ward Instrumental specialists: Stuart Clayton, Noam Lederman and James Uings Special thanks to: Brad Fuller and Georg Voros ‘SPONSORSHIP Noam Lederman plays Mapex Drums, PAISTE cymbals and uses Vic Firth Sticks Rockschool would like to thank the following companies for donating instruments used in the cover artwork Ee PASE Fede PRINTING Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by Caligraving Ltd (CDs manufactured in the European Union by Software Logistics DISTRIBUTION Exclusive Distributors: Music Sales Ltd ‘CONTACTING ROCKSCHOOL wwwrockschool.co.uk ‘Telephone: +44 (0)845 460 4747 Fax; +44 (0)845 460 1960Table of Contents Introductions & Information Page 2 Acknowledgements 3. Table of Contents 4 Welcome to Rockschool Guitar Grade 2 Rockschool Grade Pieces Page CD Full Mix Track CD Backing Track 5 Cranked 9 Skald For Life 13. Bonecrusher 17. Hitt Harder 21. ‘The Faith Divide 25° Buzz Saw Technical Exercises Page CD Track 29° Scales, Arpeggios & Study 13 Supporting Tests Page CD Track 32. Sight Reading 33. Improvisation & Interpretation 14-15 34. Ear Tests 16-18 35. General Musicianship Questions Additional Information Page CD Track 36. Entering Rockschool Exams 37, Guitar Grade 2 Marking Schemes 38. Introduction to Tone 40 Guitar Notation Explained 41 Grade 3 Preview 9Welcome to Rockschool Guitar Grade 2 Welcome to Guitar Grade 2 Welcome to the Rockschool Guitar Grade 2 pack. This book and CD contain everything you need to play guitar at this grade. In the book you will find the exam scores in both standard guitar notation and TAB. The CD has full stereo mixes of each tune, backing tracks to play along to for practice, and spoken two bar count-ins to both the full mixes and backing ‘track versions of the songs. Guitar Exams ‘At each grade, you have the option of taking one of two different types of examination: + Grade Exam: a Grade Exam is a mixture of music performances, technical work and tests. You prepare three pieces (two of which may be Free Choice Pieces) and the contents of the Technical Exercise section. This accounts for 75% of the exam marks. The other 25% consists of: either a Sight Reading or an Improvisation & Interpretation test (10%), 2 pair of instrument specific Ear Tests (10%). and finally you will be asked five General Musicianship Questions (5%). ‘The pass mark is 60%, = Performance Certificate: in a Performance Certificate you play five pieces. Up to three of these can be Free Choice Pieces. Fach song is marked out of 20 and the pass mark is 60%. Book Contents ‘The book is divided into a number of sections. These are: = Exam Pieces: in this book you will find six specially commissioned pieces of Grade 2 standard. Each of these is preceded by a Fact File. Each Fact File contains a summary of the song, its style, tempo, key and technical features, along with a list of the musicians who played on it. There is additional information on the techniques and style as well as recommended further listening. The song is printed on two pages. Immediately after each song is a Walkthrough. This covers the song from a performance perspective, focusing on the technical issues you will encounter along the way. Fach Walkthrough features two graphical musical ‘highlights’ showing particular parts of the song. Each song ‘comes with a full mix version and a backing track. Both versions have spoken count-ins at the beginning. Please note that any solos played on the full mix versions are indicative only. += Technical Exercises: you should prepare the exercises set in this grade in the keys indicated. There is also a Riff test which should be practised and played to the backing track. + Supporting Tests and General Musicianship Questions: in Guitar Grade 2 there are three supporting tests - either a Sight Reading or an Improvisation & Interpretation test and two Ear Tests - anda set of General Musicianship ‘Questions (GMQs) asked at the end of each exam. Examples of the types of tests likely to appear in the exam are printed in this book. Additional test examples of both types of test and the GMQs can be found in the Rockschool Guitar Companion Guide. = Grade 3 Preview: in this book we have included one of the songs found in the Grade 3 Guitar book as a taster. The piece is printed with its Fact File and Walkthrough and the full mix can be found on the CD. + General Information: finally, you will find information on exam procedures, including online examination entry, marking schemes, and what to do when arriving, and waiting, for your exam. We hope you enjoy using this book. You will find a Syllabus Guide for Guitar and other exam information on our website: wwnrockschool.co.uk. Rockschool Graded Music Exams are accredited in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by Ofqual, the DfE and CCEA and by SQA Accreditation in Scotland,SONG TITLE: CRANKED GENRE: CLASSIS ROCK 108 BPM KEY: A MAJOR TECH FEATURES: POWERCHORDS LEGATO ‘DOUBLE-STOPS COMPOSER: JOB BENNETT PERSONNEL: STUART RYAN (GTR) HENRY THOMAS (BASS) NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUNS) OVERVIEW ‘Cranked! isa track in the classic rock style that was popularised by bands like MCS, Free, AC/DC, ‘Aerosmith and KISS from the late 1960s onwards. While some are considered more punk than classic rock, the playing techniques employed are similar in places. The song features powerchords, a staple of classic rock guitar playing, as well as short legato riffs ‘Cranked’ also contains a double-stopped guitar solo based on the A minor pentatonic scale, STYLE FOCUS ‘A wide range of classic rock bands use powerchords, which are chords utilising only the root and fifth of the scale. Usually these are played on the bass strings of the guitar: the sixth, fifth and fourth strings. Double-stopped solos (where two adjacent strings are played simultaneously) are another common feature and require an aggressive plectram action using all downstrokes and firmly fretted notes. Classic rock songs are often played using an ‘eight ‘groove’ which is characterised by solid and simple drum parts and occasional pushes. A push is the moment when the entire band hits a loud chord, accompanied by a crash cymbal, played one eighth. note before the barline or half-bar. Cranked 4-108 Classic Rock THE BIGGER PICTURE “The origins of classic rock can be traced back to the 1950s and the early hits of rock'n'roll stars Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry. Each of these guitarists made use of double-stops and powerful, even plectrum downstrokes. But it was in the late 1960s and early 1970s that the style as we now know it really bloomed partly as a result of the increased availability of more powerful amplifiers, particularly the Marshall stack. AC/DC, Free and others had a huge impact on future generations of rock musicians; their influence can be heard on 21° century tracks by bands such as Jet, Razorlight, Green Day and Biffy Clyro, all of whom have adopted, and adapted, ‘elements of classic cock in their own music. RECOMMENDED LISTENING Listen to AC/DC's ‘Girls Got Rhythm’ and the title track from their well-loved 1979 album Highway To Hell. Free’ ‘All Right Now’ (1970) uses partial chords of Aand D/A (D with an A bass note) in the same positions that are featured in ‘Cranked! There are hundreds of great rock tracks with double-stopped solos but a good starting point would be Chuck Berry's 1956 hit ‘Roll Over Beethoven, and the intro to The Beatles Revolution’ (1968).Cranked ‘racks 1&2 Joe Bennett Al 4=108 Classic Rock a Ne as 2 Me Dia a Dia A 2 © Cooveieht 2012 Rock Schoo! It ‘This music ie copvriaht,Photocopsne lle2 is) fae bu on baWalkthrough Amp Settings Use a crunch tone: an overdriven sound that isn't heavily distorted but not completely clean, either. Set your gain to around 7, although this is just a guide. Your guitar’ tone should be just breaking up but not too distorted so that you're able to hear every note of the chords in bars 5 and 6, Distortion Equalisation A Section (Bars 1-4) This riff uses a combination of powerchords and single notes, that employ slides and pull-ofs Bars 1-2 | Position shift Slide into the E at the 5* fret of the B string with your t finger. As you play the open E string, move your hand back into position to fret the D at the 3" feet ofthe B string with your third finger (Fig. 1). Bar 4| Legato phrasing Legato is an Italian performance direction that means you should perform a phrase smoothly. In guitar terms, it refers to techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides that help produce more flowing phrases than those where every note is picked. While using these techniques makes it easier to play quickly and smoothly, you must ensure that your rhythms are even, All of the first six notes of bar 4 should be the same length. B Section (Bars 5-12) This section of Cranked’ contains open chords, powerchords and single notes. It uses several tied and syncopated rhythms that are easier to play than they appear tobe on paper. Bars 5-6 | Chord fingerings ‘The most efficient way to perform the A and D/A chords is to play the A chord by laying your first finger flat across all of the notes at the 2! fret. This is called a barre. Leave your first finger where it is then use your second finger to play the Dat the 3* fret of the B string and your third finger to play the Faat the 4* fret of the D string (Fig. 2) C Section (Bars 13-20) This section is based primarily on open chords interspersed with single notes. There is also a reprise of the legato fill used in the A section. Bar 13 | Note lengths. Release pressure on the A chord played on the ‘8° of beat two, preventing it from ringing on as you play the G note on the 3" fret of the E string, The aim of thisis to keep the part sounding crisp and accurate D & E sections (Bars 21-29) The D section isa guitar solo that uses slides and double- stops, while the E section is a reprise of the A section. Bar 21 | Slides Place your first finger across the E and B strings. There's no specified point to begin the slide but the speed of the slide ‘means that you shouldnt be any lower the 3" fret. Pick the string then quickly slide into the 5® fret Bars 21 | Double-stops Play the double-stops at the 5 fret with your first finger. Those at the 7 fret should be played with your third finger. Use the pad of your finger, rather than the tip, to fret both strings in the double-stop and pick them individually to ensure they are both sounding clearly ages 3 Fig.l: Position shift Fig. 2: Chord fingeringsSka’d For Life SONG TITLE: GENRE: ‘TEMPO: KEY: SKA'D FOR LIFE SKA 102 BEN D MINOR ‘TECH FEATURES: ARPOOGTATED CHORDS STACCATO RAYTHNS HEAVY PALN NUTING COMPOSER: KIT MORGAN PERSONNEL: STUART RYAN (GTR) HENRY THOMAS (BASS) NOAM LEDERNAN (DRUMS) FULL PHAT HORNS (BRASS) OVERVIEW “‘Skald For Life’ is based on British ska of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the later ska style of the American scene inspired by the original movement. STYLE FOoUS ‘Ska first emerged in Jamaica in the early 1960s. The country was newly independent from Great Britain and a wave of optimism swept the island. This mood. ‘was expressed in the new sound of ska, an uptempo style of music with an emphasis on the offbeat (the '&’ when you count, “I & 2 & 3.& 4 8), In fact, the word ‘ka comes from the sound this emphasis produces. ‘Taking the guitar as an example, chords are played on the offbeat then quickly muted by relaxing your grip on the frets for a staccato effect. Jamaican ska is usually written in a major key. However, many songs from the American scene are set in minor keys and with slower tempos. THE BIGGER PICTURE ‘Vocalists Desmond Dekker, Prince Buster and Derrick Morgan were great exponents of Jamaican ska but the genre owed as much to its instrumental 4=102 Ska groups including The Skatalites (who backed Prince Buster and others) as it did its singers, Jamaican music was influenced by the output of the American radio stations that could be heard on the island. Jazz, R&B and soul were among the most popular styles, so brass instruments were naturally a feature of ska Horn sections were less evident on releases by Coventry's 2 Tone label, home to ska’s second wave of the late 1970s and to bands like The Specials and ‘The Beat, These young English groups were inspired by the spirit of punk, so, naturally, the electric guitar became the focal point of their sound. 2 Tone inspired a wave of American ska. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Fishbone, among others, pushed the brass back to the fore while bands like Sublime, Rancid and No Doubt relied on bass, guitar and drums as backing. RECOMMENDED LISTENING Jamaican ska was dominated by singles. A compilation like Trojan Presents Ska offers a sample of the major artists of the era, The Specials’ eponymous debut (1979) epitomises the 2 Tone sound, and Let’ Face It (1997) by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones is an ‘example of the horn heavy American style.Ska‘ For Life ‘Tracks. £2) Kit Morgan 45102 Ska Boom & a Dm 8 a im | © Coprright 2012 Rock School Lid This mses copyright Photocopying illegalww a 110-0104Walkthrough Anpp Settings ‘Although we have suggested an overdriven tone here, a clean, tone will work just as wel. If you opt for overdrive, use a low gain setting because you're only looking for a small amount of distortion. ‘Skad For Life’ has quite a dense arrangement, so boosting the middle will help the guitar cut through the other instruments. Distortion Channel Equaiisation Revers oun nie ‘eat omer A Section (Bars 1-8) “This section consists of arpeggiated chords and single note lines, some of which are palm-muted, Bars 1-2 | Arpeggiated chords ‘When the notes of a chord are played individually, this is known as an arpeggio. When the notes of a chord are picked individually, usually so that they ring into each other, the chords are being ‘arpeggiated” Bar 3 | Heavy palm-muting Place the edge of the outside of your palm on the lowest- sounding strings and press firmly to get the heavy mute required for this part. Be careful not to move your hand too far from the bridge because this may raise the pitch of the note. Take extra care if your guitar has a floating bridge (where the bridge is tensioned to ‘float’ above the guitars body) because pressing too hard will push the bridge down and raise the pitch of the notes. B Section (Bars 9-16) The B section uses 2 combination of syncopated, heavily palm-muted riffs and double-stops, two of which are connected with aside. Bar 9 | Staccato open strings ‘These open strings are already being palm-muted and will, by their very nature, sound shorter than notated. In order to cut the notes marked as staccato even shorter, you will need to place your pick back on the string to stop it from ringing. Bar 9 | Counting rhythms Bar 9 is quite an easy rhythm to pick up by ear, but if you find it difficult try counting the bar slowly in eighth notes and carefully place the notes at the right time (Fig. 1). Only increase the speed when you feel comfortable with the part, Bar 15 | Sliding double-stops ‘Make sure you ‘lock’ your fingers in position and slide up by ‘moving your whole hand. This will help keep your fingers in the shape they were in when you fretted the first double-stop and stop the finger fretting the G string from moving and accidentally muting the B string. As you slide up, take care to maintain pressure on the strings (imagine you are pushing into the fretboard) so that the notes keep ringing. C&D Sections (Bars 17-33) ‘The C section consists of double-stops that outline the accompanying chord progression and are played in a syncopated rhythm typical of this style. The D section isa reprise of the B section with a few variations to bring the piece to a close. Bars 17-22 | Synicopated double-stops When a part accents the weaker beats in the bar (usually the “8 of each beat), this is known as syncopation, Count along to the music in eighth notes: “l & 2 & 3 & 4 &. A double- stop is played on the ‘& of every beat in these bars. Try to lock into the feel of this groove to make your part sound more musical. You may find it easier to treat this as a rhythm guitar part using a constant strumming motion (Fig. 2) Fig. ls Counting shythms Fig. 2:Syncopated double.stopsSONG TITLE: GENRES TEMPO: KEY: BONECRUSHER vETAL 122 BPM = MINOR ‘POWERCHORDS SLIDES ALTERNATE PICKING ‘TECH FEATURES: COMPOSER: JAMES UINGS PERSONNEL: CHARLIE GRIFFITHS (GTR) HENRY THOMAS (BASS) NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS) OVERVIEW “Bonecrusher’is based on the guitar style of metal bands from the groundbreaking Black Sabbath through to Pantera, Avenged Sevenfold and Trivium, STYLE FOCUS Black Sabbath are considered to be the first and ‘most influential metal band. Guitarist Tony Tommi favoured powerchords that require just two strings to be played and can be moved easily around the fretboard to form riffs. Iommi was involved in an industrial accident as a young man and lost the tips of the fingers of his fretting hand. To alleviate the pain of fretting strings with this hand, he created his ‘own synthetic finger tips to form a shield between his injured digits and his guitar’s strings. He also slackened the strings to reduce the tension and save him from having to press too hard to form notes, A side effect of this drop tuning was a lower, heavier sound which, when combined with distortion, created a blueprint for metal’s rhythm guitar style. ‘Metal lead guitar is typically virtuosic and requires a high degree of technical skill, Common techniques include two-hand tapping, fast alternate picking, and extreme use of the vibrato bar. Bonecrusher B] =122 Metal In the late 1970s to early 1980s, two guitarists rose to prominence who would have a great influence on ‘metal guitar. Randy Rhoads introduced aspects of classical music, while Edward Van Halen displayed a level of showmanship and technical flair that hadn't been witnessed since the days of Jimi Hendrix. Iron Maiden favoured twin guiter harmony parts in their ‘music; while Pantera, Metallica and Slayer were instrumental in developing the modern ‘scooped’ sound of metal by boosting the treble and bass controls of their amps while cutting the middle frequencies. More recently, Avenged Sevenfold and Trivium combined screamo with classic metal traits like thrash chythms and twin lead guitar harmonies. RECOMMENDED LISTENING Black Sabbathis eponymous debut album of 1970 is metal’ first chapter and the title track epitomises the genre’ gloomy sound. One-time hair metal band Pantera swapped spandex for baggy shorts and revealed a heavier side on Vulgar Display Of Power (1992), which included the single ‘Walk’ with its brutal two-note riff. Finally, Trivium and Avenged Sevenfold broke through in the early 2000s with their respective releases Ascendancy and City Of Evil.Bonecrusher a) James Uings [A] 4122 era & Cd 7 ae BF Be e iN : : SS = SS = QE a 3 Le a“ ee ie a 7 €- + eee 7 p, 1 © Copyright 2012 Rock Schoo! Li, This music is copyright. Photocopying ilealWalkthrough Amp Settings The metal guitar tone consists of two key elements: a modern hi-gain distortion and a scooped tone. A scooped tone is achieved by boosting the treble and bass controls and cutting or ‘scooping out'the middle. When combined with extreme distortion this creates a heavy, aggressive tone. ‘Metal rhythm guitar parts rarely use reverb because this reduces the clarity ofthe genre's precise riffing style. Distortion Channel Equalisation A Section (Bars 1-4) ‘This section consists of powerchord stabs that make use of staccato notes to increase their impact. Bars 1-4 | Staccato powerchords Many of the chords in this section are staccato (short and detached). Normally you can play a note staccato by releasing pressure on the string, however the open string in the E5 and the distorted tone mean you will also have to use the edge of your picking hand to cut the notes short B Section (Bars 5-8) This section is a single-note riff played on the Eand A strings that utilises slides and hammer-ons. Bars 6-8 | Hammer-ons ‘Hammer-ons ate played by picking one note, then ‘hammering’ your finger down onto the next note without re-picking the string. Novice guitarists often rush the second hammered note so take your time and ensure that both notes ring for a full eighth note. C Section (Bars 9-16) ‘The C section is made up of a single-note riff interspersed with a descending line that is accented by the drums. The first time its played in powerchords; the second time it should be played in single notes. Bars 11-12 | Moving powerchords Rather than treat the five powerchords in bars 1 and 12 as separate chords, try locking your hand in the powerchord ‘shape’ and simply shift it to the fret of the next chord. This is how most rock players deal with playing fast changing powerchords because it minimises motion. D Section (Bars 17-21) ‘The D section is a variation of the riff from section B followed by a set of stabs that use a similar chythm to those found in the A section. A drum fill concludes this part of the song and leads into the guitar solo. Bars 20-21 | Counting rests ‘These stabs are not difficult to play but you may find you lose your place in the music and have trouble coming back in on beat one of bar 22, To avoid this, count either quarter notes (“123 4”) or (“1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &”) as you play. This will help you identify the first beat of the next bar (Fig, 1). E Section (Bars 22-25) ‘This lead guitar melody, based on the E natural minor scale, is played on the Band E strings. Bars 22-25 | Picking options Picking this melody using all downstrokes will produce a consistent, aggressive sound but it may be challenge to ‘maintain at this tempo. Alternate picking is an economic way of picking faster phrases because it uses less motion, helping to make your playing more fluent (Fig. 2) os 4 mer eoe ae sme amas Fig i: Counting rests Coke MEIER AH Fig, 2: Picking optionsSONG TITLE: HIT IT HARDER GENRE: BLUES 125 BPN KEY: E BLUES STUART RYAN PERSONNEL: STUART RYAN (CTR) HENRY THOMAS (BASS) NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS) OVERVIEW ‘Hit tt Harder’ isa Texas blues track in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Freddie King and ZZ Top. It features a shuffle feel, blues licks and palm-muting among its techniques. STYLE Focus Texas blues guitar is a more aggressive offshoot of the blues genre. Songs in this style can often be uptempo ar feature a strong shuffle feel that provides a sense of swagger. Your playing needs to be relaxed in order to get this feel right, but Texan blues Buitarists also use a strong picking hand attack when strumming and picking notes to help them achieve a powerful tone and a range of dynamics. The blues scale is used throughout this style. For example, you will notice how some of the descending open string runs in ‘Hit It Harder’ are based on the E blues scale. Several riffs on the bass strings are played with palm muting, feature that is also typical of this sub genre Since the success of Stevie Ray Vaughan and his. band Double Trouble, groups who perform ‘Texas blues are usually power trios (guitar, bass and drums), 1-125 Blues 374 NC. in which the guitarist will switch quickly between playing riffs, chords and licks. This is one of the greatest challenges of this style because the guitar takes the role of both lead and rhythm, ‘THE BIGGER PICTURE Stevie Ray Vaughan is considered to be the greatest of the Texas blues guitarists. This acclaim is testament not only to Vaughanis mastery of blues technique but to the exposure his own success bestowed on the sub genre, for Stevie Ray was by no means the first nor the only Texan to play a mean blues. As far back as the early 20" century players ike T-Bone Walker were putting Texas blues on the map, followed later by Albert Collins and Freddie King, Although the latter ‘moved to Chicago in his teens, he i still considered an influence on the style RECOMMENDED LISTENING Freddie King’ ‘Hideaway’ was covered by Eric Clapton on John Mayall’s Blues Breakers (1966) and has become a blues standard, ZZ Top’ “Tush’ (1975) is Texas blues with a sleazy rock twist. Texas Flood (1983) by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble belongs in every blues record collection2 Guna raue 6 Hit It Harder (oS Blues «2 ‘Stuart Ryan « eo es ; = ee eee eg wn a a Fe = - = — o-~ 4- = + a oo‘obWalkthrough Amp Settings Even though an overdriven sound is suggested above, a clean tone will work just 2s well. Ifyou opt for a distorted tone set the gain relatively low because the sound should only break up when you are playing your hardest. You're looking for a full, rounded tone so select a pickup located near the bridge and, if you fee it is required, add a litle bass. Oe € @ @ @ or “uss ‘ama “mene r-wer A Section (Bars 1-17) The A section starts with a single-note riff on the upbeat (when you count *&’) and ends with an eighth-note stab where the band play the note in unison then stop immediately. The rest of the section is a combination of single-note riffs and two-note palm-muted chords. Bars 1-36 | Swing feel The sign above the notation in bar ! denotes that you should play the first of each pair of quavers slightly longer than the second, This creates a ‘dum da dum da’ sound that is a fundamental part of the blues sound, Bars 1-3 | Starting on an upbeat To play the first note of each phrase in the right place, count the bars in eighth notes (“1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &"). The first note of the first three bars starts on the ‘&’ of beat three (Fig. 1). Bar 5 | Palo muting Place the edge of the outside of your palm on the lowest sounding strings to mute them lightly. Be careful not to ‘move your hand too far from the bridge because this may raise the pitch of the note. Take extra care if your guitar has a floating bridge (where the bridge is tensioned to float’ above the guitar's body) because pressing too hard will push the bridge down and raise the pitch of the notes. Bar 7-8 | Fingering options Play the fretted notes in bar 7 with your first, second and, third fingers respectively then shift your hand one fret lower (towards the nut) so that you can play the B note in beat one with your first finger. Next, use your third finger to play the Cfat the 4* fret. Finally, stretch up with your fourth finger to play the D note at the 5" fret (Fig. 2). Your fourth finger may feel weak at the moment but using it as often as you can, rather than shying away from using it, will build up its strength. If you do experience pain do not play through it because this may cause permanent damage, Bars 14-15 | B!! and Dsus? Chords ‘The guitar's open strings can be combined with fretted notes to produce chords that have more complex looking names but are actually quite easy to play. Look closely at the B!! and the Dsus? chords and you will see they are simple fretboard shapes. B Section (Bars 18-36) ‘The B section uses many of the ideas found in the A section but with rhythmic and melodic variations. Bar 25 | Pull-offs ‘To execute a clean pull-off, pull your finger off the string using a snapping movement towards the floor. Make sure you dont pull too hard or too slowly otherwise you risk bending the string out of tune, Bar 32 | One finger per fret This phrase is best played using the ‘one finger per fret” method. Your first finger will play all the notes on the 5 fet, your second the 6", your third the 7* and, of course, your fourth finger will play all the notes on the 8" fret. Fig. 1: Starting on an upbest Fig. 2: Fingering optionsThe Faith ‘THE FAITH DIVIDE INDIE 125 BPM A MINOR SONG TITLE: GENRE: TEMPO: ‘TECH FEATURES: OOTAVE MELODTES EIGHTH-NOTE STRUMMING OPEN STRING PEDAL TONES COMPOSER: SINON TROUP PERSONNEL! STUART RYAN (GDR) HENRY THOMAS (BASS) ROSS STANLEY (KEYS) NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS) OVERVIEW “The Faith Divide’ is written in the style of indie bands who were active in the 2000s such as the Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers and The Kooks. Stylisticaly, these groups owed a debt to Britpop, especially the movements leaders Blur and Oasis STYLE FOU! Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher wrote many of his band’ hits, including ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Live Forever, using open chords. The accessibility of these tunes ‘encouraged a generation to take up the guitar and follow his example, so you can hear open chords in many songs from the 2000s. Indie lead guitar is typically straightforward and rarely depends on vibrato to provide interest. Instead you might find pedal tones such as the E that is played on the high E string in the solo on “The Faith Divide, or octave melodies like those in the verse section that are used in the solo of Snow Patrofs ‘Run! THE BIGGER PICTURE Indie first became identifiable asa sound in the 1980s when bands on independent record labels 42125 Indie Am achieved chart success. Manchester's The Smiths were pethaps the most responsible for shaping the sound, thanks to guitarist Johnny Marr whose influences ranged from America’s West Coast (The Byrds, Neil Young) to the electric guitar sound of West Africa, However, what commercial success they enjoyed was overshadowed by that of Blur and fellow ‘Mancunians Oasis in the Britpop era of the 1990s ‘Whereas Gallagher's musical roots were typical ofa British indie band, Blur’s Graham Coxon was influenced by American alternative guitar styles, His use of powerchords and distortion was exemplified on the Blur track ‘Song 2: The latest group to flaunt the Britpop influence are Viva Brother, who boast the swagger of Oasis and the songwriting flair of Blur, RECOMMENDED LISTENING The Smiths’ Hatful Of Hollow (1984) isthe perfect place to hear Marr’ distinctive playing, from the jangly ‘Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now’ to his inimitable use of effects on ‘How Soon Is Now?” Gallagher's songwriting bolstered Oasis’ What’s The Story (Morning Glory) (1995), while rivals Blur had a new guitar hero on Parklife (1994) in the shape of Coxon. In the 2000s, The Killers admitted an Oasis influence heard best on their 2004 debut Hot Fuss.The Faith Divide a) Simon Troup He ° 8 « 0 ee ee eae cat rat > a ——— a a ee ee rr | eee sees a rr oe or ee ueteeeee a ase sa 8 es = as i © Copyright 2012 Rack Schoo! Ld This musi i coryegt, Photocopying ile“This musciscoowrieht Photocoovine ilealWalkthrough Amp Settings You're looking for a fairly overdriven tone for “The Faith, Divide! Set the gain quite high to help the melody in the C section sing. Even though you want quite a lot of distortion, don't add so much that the chords and octaves in the A and B sections lose their clarity, Distortion Channel Equalisation| A Section (Bars 1-6) The A section is based on open chords played in a syncopated rhythm. Notice how the open strings are combined with the A minor chord to create a riff-like idea, Bars 1-6 | Constant strumming motion Your strumming hand should move in a constant down up, ighth-note patter even when its not playing (these are called ghost strokes), This technique will improve your sense of timing and make your chythm parts more fluent. Fig. 1 illustrates the strumming directions with the ghost strokes identified in brackets, B Section (Bars 7-14) The B section melody is made up entirely of octaves. The first six bars use an accented eighth note rhythm, while the final two consist ofa syncopated rhythm. Bars 7-14 | Playing octaves Fret the lowest-sounding note with your first finger and the highest with your third or fourth fingers, Dontt pick the notes individually: instead, strum the two notes as though you were playing a chord. The underside of your first finger should naturally mute the fourth string. fit doesn't, adjust its position slightly so that it makes light contact with the string to stop it ringing, Bars 7-14 | Accents An accent sign is placed above or below a note head. There are five different kinds of accent signs but by far the most ‘common is the one used in this piece. When you see this sign you should accent the marked note by playing it slightly Jouder than the other notes in the phrase. Bars 13-14 | Sycopated rhythms ‘Many syncopated chythms are easy to pick up by ear and feel more natural to play than the written notation might suggest. If you have problems with a certain rhythm you can break it down by counting through the bar and working out ‘where each note lands in relation to your counting. C & D Sections (Bars 15-35) ‘The C section isa single-note melody that uses the open string as a pedal tone, which fills out the melody and facilitates moving up the fretboard. The D section isa reprise of the A section with an added melodic variation. Bars 16-18 | Pedal tone In guitar terms, a pedal tone is a note that’s either repeated between a moving melody's notes or sustained while a ‘melody is playing. In this case it’s both (Fig. 2). The pedal tone, Eis played as the first note in a sequence of three and allowed to ring until its replayed. Bars 16-18 | Fretting accuracy Fret the notes of this melody with the tips of your fingers so that the fingers fretting the B string do not mute the E string, which must ring freely. Ifyou encounter difficulty, experiment with the position of your thumb because this has a large impact on your hand's mobility Fig. Constant strumming motion Peds tone Ped tone Fig. 2: Pedal toneSONG TITLE: BUZZ SAW GENRE: SOUTHERN ROCK TEMPO: 190 BPM KEY: G MAJOR TECH FEATURES: PULI-OFFS HIGH TEMPO CHORD EMBELLISHMENTS DETRDRE CARTWRIGHT STUART RYAN (GTR) HENRY THOMAS (BASS) NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS) OVERVIEW “Buzz Saw’ is written in the southern rock style revived by Kings Of Leon on their debut album Youth ‘And Young Manhood in 2003. It features pull-offs and chord embellishments among its techniques, and is played at a fast tempo. STYLE FOCUS ‘Today a southern rock track is as likely to feature trashy barre chord riffs as itis the major pentatonic scale. However, classic bands of the genre set many of their licks based on this scale that, unlike barre chords, is typically more at home in country than rock's! roll, Like many American styles, southern rock is an amalgamation of various genres. Eric Clapton and the British blues boom were highly influential so blues-rock soloing is common, as are country flavoured powerchords in open position. ‘THE BIGGER PICTURE ‘The Allman Brothers Band and Creedence Clearwater Revival were the first major artists in the southern rock mould, Duane Allman was one of many talented guitarists to have played for The Buzz Saw J=190 Southern Rock Allman Brothers Band and before he was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1971, he secured his legacy by co-writing and playing on Clapton's song ‘Layla. Lynyrd Skynyrd were influenced by The Allman Brothers and CCR. Their classic line-up featured three guitar players and created ‘Freebird’ and ‘Sweet Home ‘Alabama, both of which are regarded as classics not ‘only of southern rock but of rock music in general. Today the legacy of The Allman Brothers Band lives on in the music of Derek Trucks, whose uncle was a founding member of the group. Trucks’ own ‘music, recorded with The Derek Trucks Band, is similarly eclectic to the Allman’s while never straying 100 far from its southern rock roots. RECOMMENDED LISTENING Creedence Clearwater Revivals third album, Green River (1969), features two of the band’s most popular songs: the ttle track and ‘Bad Moon Rising’ The latter is played using only three chords in open position and is ideal for beginners. The Allman Brothers Band’ live album At Fillmore East (1971) isa showcase for the {guitar work of Allman and Dickie Betts. ‘Freebird’ and ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ can both be found on Lynyrd Skynyrd’ Greatest Hits (2008).Buzz Saw Tracks 1 fe) Deirdre Cartwright ”) wl i © Copyright 2012 Rock Schoo id “his musics copyright. Photocopying Megsan es “is ui copyright Photocopying i egal.Walkthrough Amp Settings Youre aiming for an overdriven tone that’s only just distorted. You can, in fact, use a clean tone if you wish. If you decide on an overdriven tone, set the gain low so you can only just hear the overdrive when you strum or pick hard — you want an edgy tone but not at the expense of clarity. Distortion Channel Equalization fever aun ss one unt anr-vet A Section (Bars 1-12) ‘The A section uses mainly open chords played using dotted rhythms and ties, There is also a descending run based on the G major scale. Bars 1-42 | Playing at high tempos Ifyou aren't used to playing at high tempos, you may feel as though you can't keep up with this songs pace. It's important to remember that the phrases and rhythms aren't as challenging as they sound: ‘Buzz Saw’ uses simple ideas played at a high tempo. Ifthis is a concern, work on the piece one bar at a time at a slow tempo and only build up speed when you're ready. Bars 1-3 | Fingering options At this tempo its important to use a fingering that minimises motion. One option isto play the G chord with your third and fourth fingers, the Gmaj7 with your third and second fingers, and the C chord with your first finger (Fig. 1), Bars 9-12 | Accurate double-stops Is common for guitarists to accidentally play only the lowest note of a double-stop, particularly at speed. Work on this phrase slowly to ensure you are playing both strings all the time. Once you can play it without errors, gradually increase the speed while continually monitoring your accuracy. B Section (Bars 13-28) ‘The B section is an open position, uses occasional pull-offs. These with double-stops ingle-note melody that ile notes are contrasted Bar 19 | Sustained notes ‘The first note in bar 19 should be allowed to ring for four beats and on beat two of the bar you should play the G and. D notes at the 3” fret without muting the two notes you played on the first beat. The end result isa four-note chord, C Section (Bars 29-36) ‘The start of the C section is based on the notes of open position chords and can be challenging because you are required to cross strings. Bars 29-31 | Crossing strings There are several options for the pick directions you can use when crossing strings (Fig, 2). If this is the first time you have played a melody like this, experiment with all of them to discover which one you feel most comfortable with. D Section (Bars 37-42) Here you will find double-stops and single-note phrases played on beats three and four of the bar. These are an ‘answer’ to chord hits played by accompanying instruments, Bars 37-42 | Playing tightly After relatively long rests such as those found in bars 37~40,, it’s common for guitarists to play the note on beat three later thaa they should. This is because they react to the beat rather than anticipating it. To avoid this, count along to the music and aitn to hit the first note exactly as you say the number ‘3. Fig. 1: Fingering options Fig. 2: Crossing stringsTechnical Exercises wl® In this section the examiner will ask you to play a selection of exercises drawn from each of the three groups shown below. Groups A and B contain examples of the scales and chords you can use when playing the pieces. In Group C you will be asked to prepare the riff exercise and play it to the backing track in the exam. You do not need to memorise the exercises (and can use the book in the exam) but the examiner will be looking for the speed of your response. The examiner will also give credit for the level of your musicality. Groups A and B should be prepared as indicated below. Before you start the section you will be asked whether you would like to play the exercises along with the cick or hear a single bar of click before you commence the test. The tempo is 4=80. Group A: Scales 1. Cand G major scales (G major shown) —_ SESE‘Technical Exercises Group B: Chords 1. Powerchords: three-note chords to be played in a continuous sequence. fo ” e ” ® ee 3. Minor? chords: individual chords will be strummed once as directed by the examiner. ae? on! ts?‘Technical Exercises Group C: Riff In the exam you will be asked to play the following riff toa backing track. The riff shown in bars 1 and 2 should be played in the same shape in bars 3-8. The root note of the pattern to be played is shown in the music in bars 3, 5 and 7. The tempo is 1-80 1200 Rockight Reading ‘an improvisation and interpretation test (see facing you by the examiner. The testis a four bar .ds to prepare it and will set the tempo for this section you have a choice between either a sight reading test or 2). You will be asked to prepare a sight reading test which wil be given fo clody in the key of C major or G major. The examiner will allow you 90 secon ‘wu. The tempo is J=70. 470 Fe =Improvisation & Interpretation You will be asked to play an improvised line to a backing track of four bars in the key of G major or E minor. You may choose to play either rhythmic chords (first CD track) or a melodic lead line (second CD track). You have 30 seconds to prepare then you will be allowed to practise during the first playing of the backing track before playing it to the examiner con the second playing of the backing track. This test is continuous with a one bar count-in at the beginning and after the practice session. The tempo is J=80-90, 2985 Rock “4.(9) There are two ear tests in this grade. The examiner will play each test to you twice, You will find one example of each type of test printed below. Ear Tests ‘Test 1: Melodic Recall ‘The examiner will play you a two bar melody with a drum backing using the C minor pentatonic scale. The first note of the melody will be the root note and the first interval will be ascending, You will play the melody back on your instrument. You will hear the test twice, Each time the test is played it is preceded by a one bar count-in, There will be a short gap for you to practise. Next you will hear a vocal count-in and you will then play the melody to the drum backing. The tempo ants f = —— = - a Z = :aanaeem > == ==nes Test 2: Rhythmic Recall The examiner will play you 2 two bar rhythm played to a drum backing on the lowest-sounding E string. You will hear the test twice. You will be asked to play the chythm back. You will then be asked to identify the rhythm from two printed examples shown to you. Each time the test is played it is preceded by a one bar count-in. There will be a short gap for you to practise. Next you will hhear a vocal count-in and you will then play the rhythm to the drum backing, The tempo is «=90. 4.90General Musicianship Questions In this part of the exam you will be asked five questions. Four of these questions will be about general music knowledge and the fifth question will be asked about your instrument. ‘Music Knowledge ‘The examiner will ask you four music knowledge questions based on a piece of music that you have played in the exam. You will nominate the piece of music about which the questions will be asked. In Grade 2 you will be asked: «The pitch names of notes * The meaning of the time signature marking * Whole, half, quarter, eighth note and 16* note values + Rest values * Construction of a major or minor chord Instrument Knowledge ‘The examiner will also ask you one question regarding your instrament. [In Grade 2 you will be asked to identify: + The following parts of your guitar: neck, fretboard, body, tuning-pegs, pick-ups, scratch plate, jack socket and bridge += The location of the volume and tone controls on your guitar «Names of all open strings Further Information Tips on how to approach this part of this exam can be found in the Syllabus Guide for guitar, the Rockschool Guitar Companion Guide and on the Rockschool website: www: rockschool.co.uk.Entering Rockschool Exams Entering a Rockschool exam is easy. You may enter either online at www.rackschool.co.uk or by downloading and filling in an exam entry form. Information on current exam fees can be obtained from Rockschool online or by calling +44 (0)845 460.4747. * You should enter for your exam when you feel ready. + You may enter for any one of the three examination periods shown below with their closing dates: EXAMINATION PERIODS PERIOD DURATION CLOSING DATE Period A 1" February to 31" March 1 December Period B 1" May to 31" July 1° April Period C 23% October to 15" December 1° October These dates apply from 1" September 2012 until further notice «= The full Rockschool examination terms and conditions can be downloaded from our website. The information shown, betow isa summary. * Please complete your entry with the information required Fill in the type and level of exam and instrument, along with the examination period and year, Paper entry forms should be sent with a cheque or postal order (payable to Rockschool Ltd) to the address shown on the entry form. Entry forms sent by post will be acknowledged either by letter or email, while all entries made online will automatically be acknowledged by email. += Applications received after the expiry of the closing date, whether made by post or online, may be accepted subject to the payment ofa late fee. + Rockschool will allocate your exam to a specific centre and you will receive notification of the exam showing a date, location and time, as well as advice on what to bring to the centre. We endeavour to give you four weeks notice ahead of your exam date. + You should inform Rockschool of any cancellations or alterations to the schedule as soon as you can because it may not be possible to transfer entries from one centre, or one period, to another without the payment of an additional fee. * Please bring your music book and CD to the exam. You may use photocopied music if this helps you avoid awkward age turns. The examiner will sign each book during each examination. Please note, you may be barred from taking an exam if you use someone else's music. * You should aim to arrive for your exam 15 minutes before the time stated on the schedule. Guitarists and bass players should get ready to enter the exam room by taking their instrument from its case and tuning up. This will help with the | smooth running of each exam day. + Each Grade 2 exam is scheduled to last 20 minutes, You can use a small proportion of this time to set up and check the sound levels. + You will receive a copy of the examiner's marksheet two to three weeks after the exam. If you have passed you will also receive a Rockschool certificate of achievement.Guitar Grade 2 Marking Schemes Grave Exams | GRapes 1-5 ELEMENT PASS MERIT DISTINCTION Performance Piece 1 Performance Piece 2 12-14 out of 20 12-14 outt of 20, 15-17 out of 20 15-17 out of 20 18+ out of 20 18+ out of 20 Performance Piece 3 12-14 out of 20 15-17 out of 20 18+ out of 20 Technical Exercises 9-10 out of 15 11-12 out of 15 13+ out of 15 Either eee 6outof 10 7-8 out of 10 9+ out of 10 Improvisation & Interpretation Ear Tests Gout of 10 7-8 out of 10 9+ out of 10 a manent 3 out of 5 out of 5 Sout of 5 TOTAL MARKS 60%+ 74% + 90% + PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATES | GRADES 1-8 ELEMENT PASS MERIT DISTINCTION Performance Piece 1 12-14 out of 20 15-17 out of 20 18+ out of 20 Performance Piece 2 12-14 out of 20 15-17 out of 20 18+ out of 20 Performance Piece 3 12-14 out of 20 15-17 out of 20 18+ out of 20 Performance Piece 4 Performance Piece 5 12-14 out of 20 12-14 out of 20, 15-17 out of 20 15-17 out of 20 18+ out of 20 18+ out of 20 TOTAL MARKS 60%+ 75% 90%+Introduction to Tone A lange part of an effective guitar performance is selecting the right tone, The electric guitar's sound is subject to a wide range of variables, and this guide outlines the basic controls present on most amplifiers as well as the common variations between models. There is also a basic overview of pickups and the effect their location on the guitar has on tone. Finally, it covers the differences between the types of distortion, which is crucial to getting your basic sound right. At Grade 2 you are only expected to use one tone throughout the song and you do not have to use any additional effects units, though you may use them if you wish. You do not have to use distortion and remember that at Grade 2 a performance onan acoustic guitar is perfectly acceptable. Basic amplifier controls Most amplifiers come with a standard set of controls that are the same as, or very similar to, the diagram below. Its important to understand what each control is and the effect that it has on your guitar’ tone. Distortion Channel Equalisation Reverb cr a ee * Channel (Clean/Distortion) ‘Most amplifiers have two channels that can be selected either by a switch on the amp or a footswitch. One channel is usually ‘clean’ while the other can be driven harder to create a distorted (or ‘dirty’) tone. If your amp doesnt have two channels, look at the ‘variation of basic controls’ below to see how to get clean and dirty tones from a one channel amp. *Gain In simple terms, the gain determines how hard you drive the amp. This governs how distorted the dirty (also called “drive, ‘overdrive, or distortion’) channel is and acts as a second volume control on the clean channel (though a high gain setting will distort even the clean channel). = Bass This adjusts the lowest frequencies. Boost it to add warmth and reduce or ‘cut’it if your sound is muddy or woolly, * Middle This is the most important equalisation (often shortened to just EQ) control, Most of the guitar's tonal character is found in the mid-range so adjusting this control has a lot of impact upon your tone. Boosting it with a dirty sound will create a more classic rock tone while cutting it will produce a more metal one. = Treble ‘This adjusts the high frequencies. Boost it to add brightness and cut it if the sound is too harsh or brittle, «Reverb: Short for ‘reverberation! This artificially recreates the ambience of your guitar ina large room, usvally a hall. This dial controls the balance between the ‘dry’ (the sound without the reverb) and ‘wet (the sound with the reverb) sounds. Variations of basic controls The diagram above shows the most common amp controls. There are many variations to this basic setup, which can often be confusing, The following section is a breakdown of some of the other amp controls you may encounter: «Presence control Sometimes this dial replaces the ‘middle’ control and other times it appears in addition to it. It adjusts the higher mid- range frequencies (those found between the ‘middle’ and ‘treble dials).«No reverb control jon to your guitar tone but its not essential. Don't be concerned if your amp doesn't have a + Volume, gain, master setup Single channel amplifiers often have an extra volume control (in addition to the master volume) located next to the gain control. For clean sounds, keep the gain set low and the volume similarly low and use the master control for overall volume. Ifthe master control is on 10 and you require more level, turn the volume control up. However, you may find that this starts to distort as you reach the higher numbers. To get a distorted tone, turn the volume down low and the gain up until you get the amount of distortion you require. Regulate the overall level with master volume, Ifthe master control is on 10 and you require more level simply turn the volume up. In this case, however, you may find you lose clarity before you reach maximum. Pickups Entire books have been devoted to the intricacies of pickups. However, three basic pieces of information will help you understand a lot about your guitar tone: = Singlecoils ‘These narrow pickups are fitted to many guitars. The Fender Stratocaster is the most famous guitar fitted with singlecoils. They produce a bright, cutting sound that can sound a little thin in some situations, especially heavier styles of rock music, + Humbuckers ‘This type of pickup was originally designed to remove or ‘buck’ the hum produced by singlecoil pickups, hence the name, They produce a warm, mellow sound compared to singlecoil pickups but have a tendency to sound a little muddy in some situations. They are usually identifiable because they are twice the width of a singlecoil pickup. The Gibson Les Paul is a well-known guitar fitted with humbucking pickups. «Pickup location Basically pickups located near the guitar's neck will have the warmest sound and those located near the bridge will have the brightest sound, Different types of ‘dirty’ tones There are lots of different words to describe the ‘dirty’ guitar sounds. [n fact, all the sounds are ‘distortions’ of the clean tone, which can be confusing when you consider there’ a ‘type’ of distortion called ‘distortion’ Below is a simplified breakdown of the three main types of dirty sounds, plus some listening material to help you through this tonal minefield: + Overdrive This is the ‘mildest’ form of distortion. It can be quite subtle and only evident when the guitar is played strongly. It can be also be full-on and aggressive. Hear it on: Cream ~ ‘Sunshine Of Your Love, AC/DC “Back In Black, Oasis ~ ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ + Distortion This is usually associated with heavier styles of music. Its dense and the most extreme of the dirty tones and is usually associated with heavy styles 6f music. Hear it on: Metallica ~ ‘Enter Sandman, Avenged Sevenfold - ‘Bat Country, Bon Jovi - ‘You Give Love A Bad Name. Fuzz As the name implies, fuzz is a broken, ‘fuzzy’ sound, It was popular in the 1960s but, while still evident in certain genres, it less common now. Hear it on: Jimi Hendrix Experience ~ ‘Purple Haze, The Kinks ~ ‘You Really Got Me!Guitar Notation Explained "THE MUSICAL STAVE shows pitches bd rhythms and is dvded by ines nto bars, itches ae named ser the fist seven eters of the alphabet TABLATURE graphically ——— represent the flar 4 Sgebnard Each horional 3: Inevepreents sing and - - cach umber reeset suing. fet Open Debord iytm gation wth Solr and Cnt. sim sections Sorgetedhogerng—_aeshownnsntoton Definitions For Special Guitar Notation HAMMERON:Pickthelower not, PULLOFE: Pick the higher ote then SLIDE:Pickthe fst note and side GLISSANDO: Ste offofs note a then sound the higher note by sound the ower note by iting the lathe nat ifthe line connects at endef ernhmic value Te note Freting i ethout picking Singer without picking below) te second pees mot epicked, that follows epic. — a: ee I a= ‘STRING BENDS: Pick the frst nole then VIBRATO: Vibrate the note by bending, TRILL: Rapidly alternate between the NATURAL HARMONICS Ligh touch ihe bend (release the bend) tothe pitch and elesinghestringsmonihly two bracketed notesby hasneringaringabove the mdicated ct thew indicated in brackets ‘and contingoush, ‘onan pling of Pekto sound » harmonic. see — PINCHED HARMONICS: Bring tbe PICK HAND TAP: Strike the indicated FRETHAND TAP: As pick hand ap, QUARTER TONE BEND: Pic aie thumb ofthe pking hand into hole wih finger irom the picking butusefreting hand Usually Indicated and bend the string p contact withthe tringimmmediately hand. Usually folowedly'a pull af fllowedby a pul efor hamimec on, bya quarter tone alter the pick ianilay f PRE-BENDS- Before picking the note, WHAMMY BAR BEND: Use the * Gosbac to the sig hen pay und beta the string fom the fel ndistedwhaany-buro bead wetecto te D8. al Coda thebar marked Te Coda then skipto Teeween besteventotheegurslent™ ches tated nents the TAB thestction marked Coda, ‘pds a rackets te TAB om i teeing ecm ad D.C al Fine read H]Fvotbonbameen sis Wh + When a repeated section his diferent ndings play theft enciog onthe rst time and he second ending only the second te.SONG TITLE: MAIDEN VOYACE GENRE: INDIE ROK TENPO: 130 BPM KEY: E MAJOR ‘TECH FEATURES: OPEN STRING DRONES CRCSS-PICKING PALM-NUTING COMPOSER: JOE BENNEIT PERSONNEL: STUART RYAN (GTR) HENRY THOMAS (BASS) NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS) JOE SENNEP? (KEYS) OVERVIEW ‘Maiden Voyage’ is an indie rock track influenced by bands like Coldplay, Arcarde Fire and The Killers. It takes advantage of the home key being E major, by using the E and B strings as open string drones, played together with fretted notes on other strings. ‘These ringing open strings help to create some of the unusually named, exotic sounding chords, including Aadd? and Fémadd!! STYLE FOCUS Many indie rock artists write songs that are less pentatonic than traditional classic rock, which means their guitar parts tend to be more closely related to the chords rather than riff-based. It less about playing hythm or lead guitar than defining a part that uses ‘elements of both throughout. In contemporary rock the synth sounds supply a lot of the harmony, so itis sometimes unnecessary for the guitar to play full five or six-string voicings. ‘When you are soloing in this style, its vital to take account of the underlying chords in the accompaniment; an arpeggio-based or major-scale method will be more successful than a blues-based or pentatonic approach. Sometimes just picking a few notes from the current chord and playing them GRADE 3 PREVIEW high up the neck is enough to make a simple solo that sounds great within the song. THE BIGGER PICTURE The idea of using synthesizers and guitars as equal pariners in a rock track is not new. The Beatles did it in the late 1960s using early Moog synths. Prog rock bands of the 1970s such as Yes and Genesis used the synthesizer, electric piano or organ to share melodic duties with the guitar and vocal. These days, ‘of course, many keyboard sounds are provided by ‘computers, with bands such as Coldplay and The Killers frequently using a laptop on stage. RECOMMENDED LISTENING ‘The Beatles’ songs ‘I Want You (She8 So Heavy)" and ‘Here Comes The Sun’ include some great guitar/synth tradeoff lines, The Who’ guitarist, Pete ‘Townshend, plays some wonderful, sparse rhythm guitar between the synth lines on “Who Are You, ‘Love Reign Oer Me’ and ‘Won't Get Fooled Again’ For other examples of guitar/keyboard sparring, check out Van Halen's Jump, The Killers’ ‘Somebody Told Me’ or Coldplay's ‘Fix You.Maiden Voyage (Grade 3 Preview) {®) Track 19, Joe Bennett 40130 Indie Rook e Asca? Flmadat ‘Aad? Chm A ton fs tr 17) pu {© Copyright 2012 Rock School Li This muse ie copyright. Photocopying i illegaloy EI sie 3 ¢ 2s 7 amt 8 e ‘asd?Walkthrough (Grade 3 Preview) Amp Settings Aim for a slightly overdriven sound while maintaining clarity. Boost the middle alittle to help the guitar cut through the other instruments. Finally, adding some reverb will serve to augment the more atmospheric guitar parts, Distortion Channel Equaitsation A Section (Bars 1-4) Here the chords use open strings to create an exotic sound, Bars 1-4 | Counting rhythms You can ‘decode’ a complex looking rhythm like this by working out which beat each note falls on (Fig. 1). B Section (Bars 5-12) Open string drones are used to provide colour to simple chord shapes. These are palm-muted and allowed to ring. Bars 5-12 | Strumming and picking options ‘You have two strumming options here, The first is to move your hand in an eighth-note motion so that down strums are on the beat and upstrokes on the upbeat. The second is to move your hand in a 16*-note motion so that all eighth notes in the bar are played with downstrokes (Fig, 2). C Section (Bars 13-20) ‘The C section is a single-note melody featuring some wide intervals. Hammer-ons and vibrato are used to enhance the melody, followed by an accented chordal part. Bars 13-16 | Vibrato Whether your vibrato is fast and wide or slow and shallow, make sure the movernent is even and consistent otherwise your playing will sound out of tune. D Section (Bars 21-28) ‘The D section consists of a palm-muted double-stop melody interspersed with muted strings, building to the drum solo. Bars 21-28 | Muted strings ‘The muted strings in this section are marked as ‘x’ in the notation. These are played by releasing pressure on (but not losing contact with) the strings after you have played the note that precedes the muted strings. Then, you should pick the strings normally. E Section (Bars 29-36) In this section the chord names and rhythms are provided in the notation, but you should decide which chord voicings you think will work best. Bars 29-36 | Selecting chord voicings {In bars 29-36, you can use whichever voicings you feel work best. However, you may find that voicings which are too far away from each other will be difficult to move between and ‘may sound disjointed sonically. F Section (Bars 37-46) ‘The F section isa guitar solo followed by a four-note motif that gradually crescendoes. Bars 37-40 | Guitar solo The E major and major pentatonic scales are the most obvious choice of scale here. Although you are free to solo as you wish, create a part that’ in keeping with the tracks style. 2 98H6 9 @ ewe Fig, Counting rhythras Fig. 2 Stramming and picking options