44 &
oeoeoeoe
oeoeoeoe
˙
5
7
5
7
5
7
5
8
&
3
33
oeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoe
3
3
oeoeoeoe Ó
5
7
8
5
5
7
7
5
5
7
7
5
5
8
7
5
oeoeoeoeoeoeoeoe oeoeoe Ó
5
58
5
7
57
5
7
57
oe
oeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoeoe oe OE Ó
5
5
8
7
5
5
7
7
5
5
7
8
5
5
7
85
Fig. 3
44 &
D7
Ó
‰
oeJ
fi oe bj oeoeoe oe
1
10
13
12
10 13
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~
oeoeoeJ˙ fi oe bj oeJ oeoeoeoe n oeoeoeoe
13
10
13 10
12
˙
10
12 10 12
11 10 8 10
7
8
10 8 10
Fig. 4
44 &
A‹ ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ
oeoeoeoe˙ fi oej oe oe
Fig. 4
Goeoeoeoeoe oe
D5
oeoeoeoeoe OE
fioej oe oe
A‹
oeoeoeoeoe oe
ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ
9
8 10
8
10
8 12 10
1/4
8
10
9
8
10
˙
10 8
9
10 7
597
&
1/2
fi oej oe b oeoeoeoe
OE fi oe bj oeoe oeoe
G
oeoeoeoeoeoeoe oe
D
fi oej oeoeoeoe oe OE
fi oej oe oe
A‹
5
7
7
57
oeoeoeoe oe oe
89
8
7
5
5
5
7
57
5
8 8 10
12 15 12 17 17
8 8888 10
5 5353
Fig. 5
44 &
fi oe bj˙
Fig. 5
oeoeoeoeoeoe oe b oeoeoeoe
Ó
˙˙
3
3
3
3
3 oeoeoeoe oeoe
3
oeoeoeoe oe Ó
1
16
13
15 13
15 13
15
16 13
15
13 13
14
13
˙
10
12 10
11 12
10
10 8
In order to play any
rhythm in a musical way,
on the fly, it’s essential to
have the technical facility
to rock through a number
of exercises with the click.
Remember, the metronome
never lies. Using one cor-
rectly is a sure-fire way of
tracking your improve-
ment, efficently icreasing
your speed, and knowing
that you can deliver a gui-
tar part with precision.
by shifting your perception of the click
so that it falls only on beat 2, then 3, and
finally beat 4.
Step #2: Create rhythmic motifs.
Now that you have the scale under your
fingers with rhythmic precision, it’s time to
jam out some motifs. Start off by making
up one- or two-bar rhythms and see if you
can weave the motif through the scale in a
musical way. Keep it going and stretch out
for several minutes, hours, or days! This is
such a great way to bring out new lines in
your playing.
In Fig. 4 I begin with a two-measure
rhythm that I repeat in different areas of
the neck throughout the example. Don’t
be afraid to add bends, slides, and double-stops to keep things interesting. I move to
a triplet-based pattern in Fig. 5 that works
well over either an F chord or D minor. In
performance, after a few repetitions, you
can springboard off the idea to lead into
your next phrase.
This approach to expanding your musical vocabulary is so practical because it
leaves a lot of room for creativity—come
up with a simple rhythm and then explore
the vast possibilities of how to express the
rhythm within familiar scales. The motifs
will inspire new ideas and help to create
thoughtful, dynamic solos.
