ANDY TIMMONS Rock soloing masterclass

In a very special video masterclass Milton Mermikides analyses a unique guitar solo from this world-renowned rock virtuoso.

This stunning rock guitarist improvises a solo over Jason Sidwell’s composition, Jubilant, before analysing and explaining his approach.

Andy Timmons is an all-round guitarist with an extensive experience of world-touring and chart-topping success (with the hard rock band Danger Danger). He’s a peer and regular jam buddy of the likes of Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Mike Stern and Steve Vai, a stylistically diverse and literate studio guitarist, leader of a highly-respected and busy instrumental trio and a guitarist’s guitarist with a thoroughly convincing heritage, great earthy tone and chops galore in the service of idiomatic melodic and harmonic interest.

He’s also humble and diffident to boot. If you want to get a flavour of the respect held for Andy in the guitar community, watch Steve Vai’s concert of Passion And Warfare in 2016 in Dallas, when – recognising Andy in the audience – Vai smiles and hands over his guitar mid solo and beams with joy at Andy’s impromptu soloing.

So there was no doubt that a video masterclass from Andy would be instructive and enjoyable, and what he produced with Jason Sidwell’s backing track shows a guitarist full of melodic ideas, harmonic and modal knowldege, feel, tone, technique and generous instructive commentary.

The backing track, Jubilant, has an immediately accessible rock feel but a fair amount of harmonic twists and turns requiring a through musical fretboard understanding. The track itself is centered in B but includes many non-diatonic chords (chords that include notes from outside the key). Let’s take the first section: B-F#m7-Emaj7-Dmaj7-C#m7-F#m7 Only the B, Emaj7 and C#m7 are in the key of B, so how do we handle this chord progression? Andy makes two mutually supportive suggestions: 1) Find a key or mode that accommodates as many of the chords as possible, so that you can play through in one key area. For example the first three chords happen to belong to B Mixolydian (B-C#-D#E-F#-G#-A) – so that one mode can be used through those. Or 2) Treat each chord individually, finding an appropriate scale or mode for each and then changing it for the next chord (as we will see below, this approach can also involve just using a Pentatonic subset (five notes) of the underlying scale or mode (seven notes), which can be guitaristically very useful.

Andy also advocates being aware of common tones between chord changes as well as which notes change. This helps connect melodies and solos horizontally rather than just agreeing with the chord vertically.

Here are some of the key concepts and techniques employed by Andy here:

• Support melodies with other notes in the chord: You’ll notice that even with this rich distorted sound, Andy’s melodies have a harmonic integrity with the use of doublestops (often in 6ths and 3rds), a really useful concept particular when playing in a trio situation (see bars 1-12, 20-21, 57 and 62)

• Pentatonic superimposition. Andy manages to keep one foot in the blues-rock vein with the use of Pentatonic scales but creates some harmonic sophistication, by cannily superimposing Pentatonics over

chords. Here’s the specific technique that he uses: For a major sound (particularly a major 7 chord) use a Major Pentatonic based on the 5th of the scale for Emaj7, Andy uses B Major Pentatonic (for the Dmaj7, A Major Pentatonic, etc.). Rather than outlining the root, 2-3-5-6 of the underlying chord, this approach targets the 2-3-5-6-7 – the replacement of the root with a major 7th creating a more open and magical sound. If, like me, you prefer to think in terms of Minor Pentatonics, then simply play a Minor Pentatonic on the 3rd of the chord (eg for D major 7 play F# Minor Pentatonic). This approach, of course, relies on knowing all positions of your Pentatonic scales and the ability to play along one or two strings in a fluid fashion. This happens throughout the solo but bar 18 ( a box position G# Minor Pentatonic over E/G#) is a very clear example of this approach in action.

• Target 3rds. In his melodies and soloing Andy loves to outline the 3rd of the underlying chord (eg. bar 24, 41, 42 and 44). This creates a strong and convincing interaction of melody and harmony.

• Find common and neighbouring notes on chord changes. Andy is drawn to harmonic changes that use common tones or close voice leading, and underlines them in his soloing and melody writing: note for example bars 25-26, when the G natural (the 5th of the Cmaj7 chord) is dropped down to F# (the 5th of the B chord) or bars 14-15 when the G# (3rd of Emaj7) is bent up to an A (the 5th of Dmaj7). For a common tone check out how the F# in the melody in bar 1, is repeated is bar 5, and is now the 9th degree of the chord, creating both continuity and harmonic interest.

• Pick your major modes for a major 7 chord (or other chords in the major family, such as major, 6, sus2 etc.) your main choice of modes are Ionian (the Major scale) or Lydian. Note that the Major Pentatonic and the Minor Pentatonic on the 5th works for both of these; however, Ionian has a rather stable quality (so works well on tonic chords) while Lydian has a kind of floaty magical quality. They differ by the 4th degree (perfect for Major, augmented for Lyidan). Andy uses a lot of 4ths (E natural) in the tonic B chord (bars 34-35 has many) creating a quite stable sound, and the Emaj7 in bars 54-55 but for the other major chords in general when a 4th is used it is raised. See for example the G#s on Dmaj7 in bars 15, the D#s on Asus2 bars 19-20, C#s on G6 bar 23 and F#s on Cmaj7 in bars 24-25. This is a useful insight into mode selection.

This performance provides plenty of education in tone, rhythmic, melodic and harmonic ideas and despite the prepared nature of the melodic sections is delivered with a satisfying visceral and spontaneous energy. Even if some of the techniques are beyond you for now there is plenty to learn from this. And do check out more of Andy’s amazing playing in his excellent playing site, at andytimmons.com or tuition based site guitarxperience.net

ANDY IS A REGULAR JAM BUDDY OF THE LIKES OF JOE SATRIANI, ERIC JOHNSON, MIKE STERN AND STEVE VAI

Superb solo analysis from the wonderful Andy Timmons

Andy Timmons: highly regarded musician among his virtuoso peers

Andy uses his signature 1994 Ibanez guitar, now custom fitted with a coil-tap on the bridge pickup. On this track he plays through the clean channel of his Mesa Boogie Lone Star with custom GHS@ distortion pedal for the melodies on the bridge pickup and a BB preamp with the neck pickup for the bridge section. Effects were a Strymon Timeline with a dotted quaver, crotchet delay, and for added spaciousness Soundtoy’s Echoboy plugin.