Episode 8 - Soloing techniques and writing melodies

Here's a nice, sweet melody showing many soloing techniques. It's a good demo on how to write melodies and how to combine best over your rhythm tracks.

Rhythm Chords

e----2-------2----

B----2-------0----

G----2-------0----

D----0-------0----

A----x-------x----

E----x-------3----

Solo

e----------------------------------------------------------17----------19--17~~~~~---------15h17p15-17

B--------------------------------------------------14--15------15--17---------------------------------

G----------------------------------14----------16-----------------------------------------------------

D--------------------------11--12------12--14---------------------------------------------------------

A----------12----------14-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

E--9---10------10--12---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I--1-------.-------.-------.-------2-------.-------.-------.-------3-------.-------.-------.--------4--

e----------------------------------14~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~10-----10h12p10-------------------------

B------------------------------12-------------------------------------------------------------------

G--------------------------11----------------------------------------------12p-11h-12p-11---9~~~~~--

D---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I--4---------------1---------------2---------------3---------------4---------------1---------------.

e--15p14p12-14-----------------------------------------------------

B------------------15p14p12-14-------------------------------------

G----------------------------------12p11p9--11---------------------

D--------------------------------------------------12p11p9--11-----

A------------------------------------------------------------------

E------------------------------------------------------------------

I--1---------------2---------------3---------------4---------------

e--------------------------------------------------------10----------------10-12-14-12~~~~~~~---

B-----------------------------------------------10-12-14----14-12-10-12-14----------------------

G--------------------7-----------------7--9--11-------------------------------------------------

D-----------7--9--11----11-9--7--9--11----------------------------------------------------------

A--7--9--10-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I--1-----------------2-----------------3-----------------4-----------------1-----------------2--3

e--------------------10-12-14-12~~~~~~-------------------------------------------------------

B-----------10-12-14-------------------------------------------------------------------------

G--9--11-12---------------------------------------------/19----18----18----18----18----18----

D-------------------------------------------------------/x-----x-----x-----x-----x-----x-----

A-------------------------------------------------------/17----16----16----16----16----16----

E--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I--4-----------------1-----------------2-----------------3-----------------4-----------------

e--------------------------------------------------------------------------

B--------------------------------------------------------------------------

G--18\---14----14----14----14----14----14\---12----12----12---/18----18----

D--x-\---x-----x-----x-----x-----x-----x-\---x-----x-----x----/x-----x-----

A--16\---12----12----12----12----12----12\---10----10----10---/16----16----

E--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I--1-----------------2-----------------3-----------------4-----------------

e--------------------------------------------------------------------------

B--------------------------------------------------------------------------

G--18----14----14----14\---12---/14----12----------------------------------

D--x-\---x-----x-----x-\---x----/x-----x------(I think you get the idea)---

A--16\---12----12----12\---10---/12----10----------------------------------

E--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I--1-----------------2-----------------3-----------------4-----------------

Tab request, Prong: Snap your fingers, snap your neck

Prong

Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck

Transcribed By Robert Day

***Make sure you're in Drop C tuning!!!!

Intro

     pm  . 

D----------------------------------------------------------------------------(0)------------------

A----------------------------------0------------------------------------------0-------------------

F----------------------------------0------------------------------------------0-------------------

C-----------0---------------0------0-------------------0---------------0------0---------------X\--

G----4---3--0---------------4--------------------------0---------------4----------------------X\--

C----4---3--0--------------(3)-------------------------0--------------(3)---------------------6\--

Use hard palm-mutes, pressing down on the open strings with your picking hand to slightly bend the open C notes sharp.

This gives the subtle impression that the first fret is being barred.

   pm                  .       .   .

D----------------    ------------------------------    ------------------------------

A----------------    ------------------------------    ------------------------------

F----------------    ------------------------------    ------------------------------

C----------0-----    ----------------------0-------    ----------------------0-------

G--0---0---0-----    --0-------0---0---0---0-------    --0-------0---0---0---0-------

C--0---0---0-----    --0-------0---0---0---0------- x3 --0-------0-0-0---0---0-------

You might try this; it almost sounds like there's a short slide in the riff:

   pm                  .       .   .   *Right here's the slide and pull-off

D----------------    ------------------------------    ------------------------------

A----------------    ------------------------------    ------------------------------

F----------------    ------------------------------    ------------------------------

C----------0-----    ----------------------0-------    ----------------------0-------  (alternate)

G--0---0---0-----    --0-------0---0---1/3p0-------    --0-------0---0---0---0-------

C--0---0---0-----    --0-------0---0---1/3p0------- x3 --0-------0-0-0---0---0-------

                                               pick scrape

D---------------------------------------------------

A---------------------------------------------------

F---------------------------------------------------

C-----------0----------------------------------X\---

G----4---3--0----------------------------------X\---

C----4---3--0---------------------------------(13)\-

Pre-Chorus 1 (FAST RIFF)

                             . *ph                           . *ph

D-------------------------------------------------------------------

A-------------------------------------------------------------------

F-------------------------------------------------------------------

C-------------------------------------------------------------------

G------------------------------5*------------------------------5*---

C--0---6-6-5-5---0-6---0-5---0-----0---6-6-5-5---0-6---0-5---0------ x4

I--1-------.-------.-------.-------2-------.-------.-------.------- (tempo)

Chorus 1

D------------------------------------------------------------------

A-------------------------(0)--------------------------------------

F--5---5---5---5---0---0---0---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---

C--X---X---X---X---5---5---5---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---

G--3---3---3---3---6---6---6---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---

C-----------------------------(0)----------0-----------------------

I--1-------.-------.-------.-------2-------.-------.-------.------- (tempo)

Or you could play this, which incorporates a similar bass line:

D------------------------------------------------------------------

A------------------------------------------------------------------

F--5---5---5---5---0---0---0---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---

C--X---X---X---X---1---1---1---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---

G--3---3---3---3---x---x---x---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---

C--5---5---5---5---1---1---1--(0)--0-------0-------0-------0-------

I--1-------.-------.-------.-------2-------.-------.-------.------- (tempo)

Repeat the similar riffs from the Intro:

   pm                  .       .   .

D----------------    ------------------------------    ------------------------------

A----------------    ------------------------------    ------------------------------

F----------------    ------------------------------    ------------------------------

C----------0-----    ----------------------0-------    ----------------------0-------

G--0---0---0-----    --0-------0---0---0---0-------    --0-------0---0---0---0-------

C--0---0---0-----    --0-------0---0---0---0------- x3 --0-------0-0-0---0---0-------

Verse 2

   pm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .         . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

D----------------------------------       ----------------------------------

A----------------------------------       ----------------------------------

F----------------------------------       ----------------------------------

C----------------------------------       -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--

G--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5- X4 OR ----------------------------------

C----------------------------------       ----------------------------------

I--1-------.-------.-------.------- (tempo)

Repeat those parts that, um… repeat

Then, the solo!!!

Solo

You can play the beginning two different ways. Both sound good:

Like this:

D------------------------------------------------------------------

A------------------------------------------------------------------

F----------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------

C--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10-----4------------

G--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10-/5---------------

C------------------------------------------------------------------

Or like this:

D------------------------------------------------------------------

A------------------------------------------------------------------

F----------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-------

C------5-----------5-----------5-----------5-----------4-----------

G--3-----------3-----------3-----------3----------/5---------------

C------------------------------------------------------------------

I--1-------.-------.-------.-------2-------.-------.-------.------- (tempo)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------0-----------0-------0---12--12--12--11------11--11~~\---

-------5-----------5---------------x---x---x---x-------x---x---\---

---3-----------3-----------3-------10--10--10--9-------9---9~~~\---

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I--3-------.-------.-------.-------4-------.-------.-------.------- (tempo)

* These are like half-hearted pitch harmonics, part-tone and part-squeal

 ph*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

D------------------------------------------------------------------

A------------------------------------------------------------------

F------------------------------------------------------------------

C------------------------------------------------------------------

G--10--10--10--10--9---9---9---9---10--10--10--10--9---9---9---9---

C------------------------------------------------------------------

I--1-------.-------.-------.-------2-------.-------.-------.------- (tempo)

   *   *

----------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------11/-12--12--12--12------12--12/-14--14--14--/---19-

-------------------x---x---x---x---x-------x---x---x---x---x---/---x--

---10--10--9---9---9-/-10--10--10--10------10--10/-12--12--12--/---17-

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I--3-------.-------.-------.-------4-------.-------.-------.-------1-- (tempo)

"Purified" by Lamb of God

I'm not sure why I love this song so much, but I sat down, played along and captured it on my MacBook Pro the other day. It's just fun to play. In general, I usually can't stand cover videos uploaded by so many guitarists. They usually have the worst sound quality and are played horribly. But here I am, doing the same thing... Oh well.





If you'd like to see the tabs for this, or any other song you might be having trouble playing, I just decided, as I write this, that I'll take requests. Just send me an email to killtherob@gmail.com, and I'll tab out the songs, record them and upload them.

Episode 7 - B Harmonic minor run

Short, fast harmonic minor lick in the style of Yngwie Malmsteen or any other classical-oriented guitar playing style.

e--------------------------------------------------------------
B--------------------------------------------------------------
G-------------------------------------9---------------9-11-12--
D----------------------8-9-11-9-11-12---12-11-9-11-12----------
A---------------7-9-10-----------------------------------------
E--6-7-9-7-9-10------------------------------------------------


e--------------------12----------------12-14-15-14-15-18-19~~~-
B--11-12-14-12-14-15----15-14-12-14-15-------------------------
G--------------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------

Time constraints

School's a bitch, and doesn't make for the best schedule when an individual like myself has many other creative tasks to fulfill.

This whole podcasting and blogging stuff is always at the top of my mind, and it has really become a part of who I am. Not just in the sense that my brand -- KillTheMusic, KillTheRob, KillTheTech, KillTheWhatever -- is what represents my online presence, but rather that the whole online communication, writing, setting my own schedule, and ultimately doing exactly what I want to do and talk about the things that I want to talk about, as well as the idea that people may purposefully seek out possibly gain something from my efforts? That means more to me than anything in the world right now.

But anyways, while I cannot completely set all my time and effort toward the things that I wish, I'm stuck relegating every second I can to this podcast in tiny increments.

I've been working on a complex riff, which combined with some fairly complex drum parts, make for a great piece that would work well to show off to your friends. However, its taking me just about forever for it to come together. Soon more episodes will follow, even if they are simple licks that don't require an entire orchestra of instruments -- just me, my guitar and a video camera should suffice. Metal is what I do, however, and so without proper drum backing, sometimes the proper context of the riff seems out-of-whack.

Expect more soon, as my schoolwork can finally take a chill pill and lay down in the backseat of my life. But priorities are priorities, man.