SHAUN’S CREATIVE ROCK
Shaun Baxter looks at ways of creating melodic interest by embellishing and prolonging your chromatic journey to any given target note.
Shaun Baxter continues his fine new series aiming to improve your rock theory and technnique. This month: delayed resolution.
ABILITY RATING
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We have recently been spicing up our lines using non-scale notes. Such chromatic ideas allow us to introduce tension (dissonance) then resolve it (consonance), rather than dwelling on consonant notes all the time. We’ve looked at: 1) Chromatic Approach Notes: either from a semitone above or below the target note. 2) Chromatic Bridging: whereby one note is linked to another (however far apart) by a consecutive series of chromatic steps. 3) Enclosure: which involves approaching a target note from both above and below, either diatonically or chromatically.
In this lesson, we are going to look at a method of embellishing the approaches that we have covered so far by incorporating notes from other strings (which often act as pedal notes) in order to extend or perhaps delay the chromatic journey to each target note.
Imagine a simple chromatic bridging motion whereby an A note at the 7th fret, fourth string passes to a G note on the 5th fret of the same string via a G# (giving us A-G#-G). This basic motion can be embellished using surrounding scale notes. One could use an E note on the 7th fret, fifth string as a lower pedal tone between each of our three notes (A-E-G#-E-G). Alternatively, we could try the same thing but with the E note being on the 9th fret, third string (upper pedal note).
In this lesson, we will build lines that feature this delayed resolution technique in each of the five CAGED shapes of Mixolydian (Diagram 1 shows the five shapes of A Mixolydian). Remember, it is vital to place what you are playing in a visual context or you will not be able to reapply the principles that you have learned to different musical situations and keys.
Common issues that need to be taken into consideration are: a) Whether a chromatic note is used on an offbeat (the most palatable option) or a downbeat (the most pungent option). b) The speed at which chromaticism is applied: the longer you linger on a chromatic note, the more it will prolong the agony for the listener; the quicker you play, the more liberties can be taken as any tensions created are brief.
In the transcription of the solo study, the chromatic notes are shown with an asterisk above or below each, just so that you can visually distinguish them from the ‘correct’ notes (scale notes); however, this does not mean that they should be played as ‘ghost’notes (no rhythmic value): each chromatic note has a full note-value (usually a eighthnote in these examples) and should be played as loudly and proudly as any other note within each line.
This month’s solo features hybrid picking indications for certain sections that reflect the approach that would normally be adopted by country-rock guitar players; however, it’s not essential. The same sections can also be alternate picked (flat-picked). Just focus on producing as much staccato snap and separation between the notes as possible unless you are instructed in the transcription to ‘let notes ring through’ in which case, you must hold notes down as long as possible on adjacent strings with the fingering hand.
It’s a solo that comprises many examples of delayed resolution, but it also features all of the various chromatic devices that we’ve studied in this series so far (approach notes, bridging and enclosure).
NEXT MONTH Shaun brings us another super lesson on chromaticism in Creative Rock
For this lesson with its country-rock backing, I adopted a much cleaner approach using a Fender Stratocaster through Zendrive and Marshall ED-1 Compressor pedals, into a clean Fender Blues Deluxe combo. Use the above settings as a guide, perhaps backing off the guitar’s volume to clean things up, and adding a dash of country-style slap-back echo.
TRACK RECORD Brent Mason is a virtuoso country guitarist and one of the most recorded musicians in history. Musically, he is a risktaker who executes daredevil runs that feature advanced harmonic concepts, including a generous helping of chromaticism. If you haven’t heard him, check out his playing on the tune Hot Wired or watch him jamming on Working Man Blues with Johnny Hiland on Youtube.
CHROMATIC IDEAS ALLOW US TO INTRODUCE TENSION THEN RESOLVE IT, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON CONSONANT NOTES ALL THE TIME
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