I'm Beginning To See The Light

White Christmas - Martin Taylor

This excerpt is played in a very free (rubato) fashion; I've tried to group the measures according to the phrasing, rather than trying to cram the notes into a regular meter.

The chord symbol F#7 13 b9 is a cumbersome but accurate way of describing a sound that can also be analyzed as D#/F#7.

At the asterisk in measure 5, I explain the procedure for sounding the artificial harmonics. To elaborate, begin by making the chord shape which youíll hold down for the entire measure. At the 4th note of the bar (Gb) youíll begin the "harp effect" by sounding that note with your middle finger, The next note (Ab) is written as a harmonic; it is fingered on the 4th fret. With your right hand index finger, touch the "node point" directly above the 16th fret (remember that the harmonics are sounded 12 frets higher than the fingered notes. Itís easy if you realize that the fingerboard "begins all over again" at the 12th fret, where the notes correspond to the open strings an octave higher). Use you thumb to sound the harmonic, with your right hand index touching the 16th fret and your left hand holding the 4th fret. Repeat this process by using your right hand middle finger to sound the subsequent Db (3rd string 6th fret), harmonic sounding at the 18th fret (you should be fingering the 6th fret on the 5th string), etc.

Page two begins with some lovely voicings in fourths, and progresses up to the last two bars which feature some beautiful chordal movement and harmonized descending thirds which imply an altered V7 (G7) chord to lead into the melody of the tune.

Exactly Like You - David Grisman

David treats this key of C standard to some nice, nasty bent Eb notes, adding a bluesy texture to his lines. Many of the notes choices remind me of Lester Young, especially the use of the A (6th) on the Cmaj7 chords in bars 1 and 2, and especially the very last note of the solo, a very elegant choice.

Watch out for those blazing sixteenth note runs in bars 3 and 14-15, which feel great (can you say "mandolinistic"?) but are treacherous at this tempo. Deal with these measures one beat (one group of four sixteenth notes) at a time, slowly, until you can play through the measure; the slowly work up to speed.

I'd also like to suggest listening to this solo on a purely rhythmic level: listen to the placement of the notes in relation to where the bass, drums and rhythm guitar are grooving. That relationship is very important, and can make all the difference in the feel of your own playing.

MUSIC STUDIO