INSTRUMENTAL INQUISITION
Guitar instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative moments. Jason Sidwell asks some top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This month: Night Ranger’s outstanding guitarist, Brad Gillis.
Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy and much more.
GT : What is it about guitar instrumentals that particularly appeals to you?
BG: I love hearing catchy melodies during guitar instrumentals. If a guitar can bring out the sound of emotion with volume and tone changes, the guitar can speak through the player’s hands. No two players are alike.
GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can't?
BG: This gives the listener a chance to drift with a player’s notes and feel. Whereas vocal lyrics tell their own story, guitar melodies are open to interpretation. A bluesy slow tasty solo has more impact than fast riffage and tells its own story, and usually you walk away humming that melody.
GT: Any tendencies with instrumentals that you aim to embrace or avoid ?
BG: Overplaying and adding too many parts can be an easy mistake. Heavily distorting rhythm tones can muffle up your song too. I like to take my rhythm parts and double them then pan left and right. Maybe changing to a clean tone and a different guitar for a background part or bridge section works well too. I personally work with a singingsustaining guitar tone for soloing but there’s a few ballad songs on the new Night Ranger record. I used my 1957 Stratocaster through different old Fender Blackface amps and worked my volume control for different guitar shades.
GT: Is a typical song structure - intro, verse, chorus, middle, etc, always relevant for the dynamics of an instrumental?
BG: Not at all. As long as an instrumental is structured with a flow and has peaks and valleys, the song should stay interesting. I usually try and peak my solo with a
climax and break back down entering the next section. I think it’s also important to give the listener an ear break at one point of the song with a good rhythm riff, as the guitar is the only focus.
GT: How useful is studying a vocalist's approach for creating guitar melodies?
BG: As a guy who sings harmony vocal parts with my band, I’m all about melody. Sometimes I approach my instrumental song parts humming the line in my head; I like recording the new part with my voice and then translating the idea onto guitar. That gives you a whole new perspective on parts and you’re not always relying on licks, scales and your fingers around the fretboard to write your song. But mostly all my songs are written around a fresh guitar lick or idea that started in my head.
GT: How do you start writing one; do you find that there a typical approach or inspiration?
BG: I’ll get inspired by a cool drum beat or hearing a great singer and grabbing my guitar and start playing along. Once I’m warmed up, I start with finding a good drum beat and messing around with ideas. I record so many ideas on my iPhone recorder - I probably have hundreds of songs that need to be flushed out.
GT: What do you aim for when your performance is centre stage, as with an instrumental?
BG: I aim to visually connect with the audience while I’m playing, and sometimes make a direct connection with a few audience members. Being front-centre and moving to the left and right onstage lets you aim closer to all your fans. A problem I’ve had before was closing my eyes or looking at my fretboard too much while soloing.
GT: Many vocal songs feature a solo that starts low and slow then finishes high and fast. Is this useful for developing pace and dynamics over the tune's length?
BG: It seems that mostly all 80s solos ended up in that fashion. Even my solo in the Night Ranger ballad Sister Christian had that structure. Listening to other players, there are no rules-of-engagement for song structure. In fact, being creative with the arrangement, developing peaks and structure, is usually a treat for listeners. A new approach is always welcome.
GT: What type of guitar tone do you prefer for instrumentals?
As a collector of vintage guitars and amps, I have the luxury of many great tones in my toolbox. Along with in-the-box amp simulators and rackmount gear, sounds are endless. I’ve been using the Radial Injector for recording multiple sound sources such as direct, a tube head with a 4x12 cabinet and a Boss GS-10 on some songs. With one input and six outputs, many combinations can be acquired.
GT: Do you have favourite keys or tempos to play or write in?
BG: It might seem that all guitar players love the E and A keys because that’s what most of us started out learning on guitar. Back in the day, our favourite radiodriven rock songs were simple and easy to learn. Once guitar players get to the next level, more keys are developed for songwriting and soloing. The complete guitar players and session players learn to play and solo in any key. As a young wanna-be guitarist at eight years old, my father bought me my first guitar. He made me take lessons and it seemed too much like homework and my fingers used to bleed. Slowly my calluses built up and things got easier. A friend of my brother’s, a 17 year-old gigging in a local band, told me to start listening to music on the radio and start figuring out the songs by ear. This set me in a whole new direction for learning guitar. I developed a knack for hearing a song and knowing exactly what key the song was written in and all surrounding chords. Around the age of 12, my brother set me up with all the latest records to play along and learn. That’s when I got into lead guitar. In 1969, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Santana, Blue Cheer, The Doors and so many other artists were at my disposal. I never learned scales from a book, I developed my style by emulating other great guitarists and incorporating the whammy bar and harmonics a few years later.
GT: Do you find Minor or Major keys easier to write in?
BG: I enjoy both as they convey different emotions. I’ve been placing music for decades (ESPN,
Fox Sports, Tiger Woods Playstation, Monday Night Football, etc) and sometimes the client wants dark and ethereal or happy and uplifting music. Heavy metal, hard rock to easy listening and flamenco were styles that I placed. To be able to write all styles is a fun challenge.
GT: Do you have favourite modes?
BG: Not really, as I try to stay diverse and create new music ideas in my head and on guitar and record them when motivated.
GT: What about modulations into new keys?
BG: I’ve used modulation to new keys on several songs as it gives the listener that uplifting feel and can take the song to a new level. Whether it be a half step, whole step or somewhere else, it can be a refreshing change.
GT: Do you view the backing band differently than you would on a vocal song?
BG: Not really, as the players should adapt to the original idea of the song whether it be a vocal or instrumental tune. I recorded my first instrumental record, Gilrock Ranch, with Derek Sherinian on keys, and only two vocal tracks with Gregg Allman singing. When you record your own solo record, you have control of all instruments.
GT: What are your views on harmonising melodies?
I love harmonising guitar melodies! When Night Ranger formed, Jeff Watson and I had so much fun coming up with our harmonies on songs such as: Don’t Tell Me You Love Me, Eddie’s Comin’ Out Tonight and many others. So many twin-guitar bands before us were doing the same. Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy and The Allman Brothers were just a few bands who inspired us into harmony guitars. Night Ranger’s latest single, Breakout has Keri Kelli and me jamming harmonies throughout the song.
“I AIM TO VISUALLY CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE WHILE I'M PLAYING, AND SOMETIMES MAKE A DIRECT CONNECTION WITH A FEW AUDIENCE MEMBERS”
GT: What three guitar instrumentals do you consider iconic or have inspired you?
BG: The three I like the most are Jeff Beck’s Cause We Ended As Lovers, which has great feel and emotion; The Allman Brothers’ In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed which keeps the listener engaged; and Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein. I think it’s a guitar player’s dream to play live with his band. These three instrumentals I listened to a lot when I was growing up.
Night Ranger's ATBPO (Frontiers) is out now.