ALLEN HINDS solos over... Broadway Blues
Allen is back! Check out key aspects of his slinky legato style as he takes a solo over Jason’s cool track Broadway Blues. With John Bishop.
It’s great to have this fabulous LA blues-fusion guitarist back for another video masterclass series. Check out his first slippery solo!
We once again challenged LA session ace Allen Hinds to improvise a two-minute solo over six of Jason’s bespoke GT tracks. Each of these tracks presents a unique set of challenges and we were delighted that Allen once again stepped up. In this issue we are going to look at the first track entitled Broadway Blues, a 6/8 groove with some jazzy chord changes.
Allen starts by using a Jeff Beck style approach with the whammy bar on his Lake Placid Blue Xotic guitar and also includes some bluesy fusion-based ideas. The groove used for this month’s track has a 6/8 feel, and to highlight this Allen plays his semiquaver (16th-note) lines with a swinging gait.
As Allen explains on the video the track is predominantly in G and uses G Mixolydian (G-A-B-C-D-E-F) vocabulary as a ‘home base’. In order to musically navigate the chord changes, however, other scales and arpeggios need to be utilised, as all the chords are not from the same key (non diatonic). For instance for the bridge section (bars 11-14 and 35-38)
Bb Bb- Allen moves to the Lydian mode ( C-D-E
Bb
F-G-A) which fits the chords perfectly. He also explains that for the main section it is easier to use G Minor Pentatonic-based blues licks provided they are used tastefully.
Ab7b5
Bar 54 features the chord which is a tritone substitution for D7. Here Allen opts
Eb for the D Altered scale, mode 7 of Melodic
Eb- Gb-Ab-Bb-
Minor (D- F- C)
The notation may look quite intimidating and this is due in part to the 6/8 time signature. It is also fascinating to study how much articulation is added to make the phrases come alive. Among the concepts and articulations used are legato, arpeggios, chromatic notes, string bending, finger slides, harmonics, whammy bar and finger vibrato, which are all used to taste and added liberally.
Another of the key aspects of this solo is the use of space and pacing. Everything is placed in a considered fashion and the emphasis is on the melody and outlining the chord changes. To help with this try vocalising phrases as it’s a great way to break out of well-used ‘guitar centric’ ideas, and make sure the emphasis is on creating melodies and not simply trotting out the same old licks.
The notation contains all of the
the notati on contain all the artic ulati ons and phra sing from the vide o per formance
s