THE GREAT WES MONT-gomery often harmonized his so-los with “block chords.” Wheremost guitarists would play onenote at a time, Montgomery shad-

owed his single-note lineswith three- or four-voicechords. And not just on bal-

lads—he could let the chordsfly at breakneck tempos just

as easily.To do what Montgomery

did takes an encyclopedicknowledge of harmony and lots

of practice—start now and youmight have a grip on it by the

new millennium. In the mean-time, here’s an easy trick to get you

started. It works great over one-chord vamps in minor keys. Theformula goes like this:

• Start with a strong, definitivemelody, such as EExx.. 11, a jazzy lineover Gm7. Notice that the entirephrase is rendered on the first string.

That will keep all of our chordshapes on the top four strings.

• Use block-chord voicings toharmonize chord tones. In thiscase, use Gm7 voicings—as shownin EExx.. 22——to harmonize the melodynotes G, Bb, D and F. ( Theredoesn’t happen to be an F in Ex. 1,but there might be one in lines thatyou come up with.)

• Use diminished 7s to harmo-nize the non-Gm7 tones A, C, Eb,and F#. EExx.. 33 shows the voicingswe’ll use. (Some of the tones arewritten enharmonically to makethe chords easier to read.)

EExx.. 44 brings all the pieces to-gether. The final chord, Gm6/9, isa Montgomery-approved substi-tute for Gm7.

This block-chord concept alsoworks with major chords. Usemajor-6th voicings to harmonizethe root, 3, 5, and 6 (on a C6, for ex-ample, that’s C, E, G, and A). Aswith minor chords, use diminished7s for non-chord tones (EExx.. 55).

Once you get the hang of this,experiment with lines and voicingson the middle four strings. Re-member to start with a strongmelody first—all the harmony inthe world can’t make a weakmelody sound good.

For inspiration, check outMontgomery’s Smokin’ at theHalf Note. g

Former GP Associate EditorAdam Levy remains a regular con-tributor to the magazine. RecentCDs to feature Levy’s playing in-clude Sex Mob’s Din of Inequity[Knitting Factory/Columbia] andTrevor Dunn’s debutantes & cen-tipedes [Buzz/Challenge]. Levy’sown Separated at Birth [Lost Wax]is a dual-guitar disc with fellowSessioneer and National GuitarWorkshop instructor Mark Dziuba.Levy’s Jazz Guitar Sight-Reading[Alfred] is helpful for players of alllevels. For info on performances,lessons, or workshops, e-mail Levyat lostwax@interport.net.

S E S S I O N S

128 GUITAR PLAYER MAY 1999

===========TAB

& bb öööö öööö öööö ööööGm7

3 3 3 3

6 6 7 5

10

10 8

8

13 11 12 12

1 1 1 1

1

3 2 4

4 1

1 3

4 1 3 2

===============TAB

&C6

44 úúúú ööböö öööö ä öJöön ö wwww8 8 9 7

10

10 9

9

13

13 12

12

12

12 10

10

D°7F°7

C6

Ex. 2

====================TAB

& bb 44 wGm7

ö .ö .ö .ö . ööööJ öööö ööö# ö ä ööön öJ ä ö .ö .ö .ö . öööö# öö#öö öönöö wwwGm6/9

3 3 3 3

5

5 4

4

6 6 7 5

8

8 7

7

10

10 8

8

15 15 15 15

14

14 13

13

11

11 10

10

10 10 9 8

A°7Gm7 Gm7

C°7 F °7# E °7b# n

Ex. 4

===========TAB

& bb ö#ööö ööö# ö öööö öööö#A°7 C°7 E °7 F °7#

5

5 4

4

8

8 7

7

11

11 10

10

14

14 13

13

4 2 3

1

4 2 3

1

4

2 3 1

4 2 3 1

bEx. 3

Ex. 5

====================TAB

& 44 ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö öU

2 1 4

3 3

1 4 4 3

1 1

1 4

3 4

Cmaj7

3 2 5

5 5

4

3 7 7 8 8 5

5 5 9

7 8

Ex. 1

Instant Wes

B Y A D A M L E V Y

Send us your candidate for Lick of the Month

(preferably notated and on cassette), along with

a brief explanation of why it’s cool and how to

play it. If we select your offering, you’ll get a funky

custom T-shirt that’s available only to Lick of the

Month club members. Mail your entry to Lick

of the Month, Guitar Player, 411 Borel Ave. #100,

San Mateo, CA 94402. Include your name, ad-

dress, and phone number. Materials won’t be re-

turned, and please don’t call the office to check

the status of your submission. You’ll get your shirt

if your lick is chosen.

====================TAB

& #### 44 Î ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö öÜ wE B7 E~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

( ) (

( )

)

4 3

3 1 2

4 3 ö w( )

(14) 12 (13) 11 (8)

0

6 0 0

6 7

8 8

(9) (9)

pre- B R

pre- B R

pre- B R B

H O N K Y T O N K H E A V E N

L i c k o f t h e M o n t h

MICHAEL LINDEROTH, OF

Stockholm, Sweden, brings us our May

lick. He writes, “This two-bar, I-V7-I

move makes a twangy ending lick in

the key of E. It features pre-bends and

releases, and a mix of fretted notes and

open strings. Put plenty of quick vibrato

on the double-stop at the end. Add a

Telecaster, a touch of compression, and

some short slap-back echo, and voilà—

honky tonk heaven.” g

IN LAST MONTH’S BACK TRACK,we looked at 12, one-octave major-7tharpeggio patterns, and learned how to trans-form them into other arpeggio types usinga formula chart. Let’s continue our arpeggioexploration by looking at ways to link one-octave modules into multi-position, two-octave patterns. (To get the most out of thismonth’s lesson, you’ll want to refer to the 12patterns we worked on previously, so takea moment to dig up “Snap-Together Arpeg-gios,” from the April ’99 GP.)

First, a quick recap: Arpeggios can befretted in many ways. You can play, say, adominant-7th arpeggio along one string, orfinger it on two, three, or even four strings.For now, we’re focusing on three-string pat-terns, because they’re easy to finger and vi-sualize on the fretboard.

AArrppeeggggiioo aanncceessttrryy.. As you’ll recall, whenwe squeeze a 7th chord’s four notes ontothree strings, two of the notes fall on onestring. This doubling up can occur on eitherthe lowest, middle, or highest of the threestrings. When you play a three-string, four-note arpeggio, observe which string containsthe doubled notes.

CCoonnnneecctt tthhee ddoottss.. Snapping one-octavemodules together into larger patterns re-quires experimentation. EExx.. 11, an ascendingand descending two-octave Cmaj7 arpeggio,illustrates the process. If you look closely,you’ll find four, distinct modules within this2-bar phrase. These modules—old friendsfrom last month—are bracketed; let’s inves-tigate each one:

• Bracket 1: Here we have a Cmaj7 (C, E,G, B, or 1, 3, 5, 7 of a C major scale) shapethat covers the fifth, fourth, and third strings.Notice how two tones (3 and 5) fall on themiddle of the three strings.

• Bracket 2: A half-step slide brings usto our second, one-octave Cmaj7 module,a pattern that spans the third, second, andfirst strings. Notice how this time the dou-bling (5 and 7) occurs on the highest of thethree strings.

• Bracket 3: After another half-step slide,we begin our descent. We’re still on the first,second, and third strings, but playing a dif-ferent Cmaj7 pattern. The doubling (3 and 5)

happens on the middle string.• Bracket 4: Our final descending pattern

crosses the fourth, fifth, and sixth strings.Where’s the doubling? Yep—7 and 5 fall onthe highest of the three strings.

We’ve seen and played each of these fourpatterns before. Check them out:

• Bracket 1 is the second pattern of lastmonth’s 12.

• Bracket 2 is the eighth.• Bracket 3 is the fourth.• Bracket 4 is the fifth.EExx.. 22 follows the same process, only using

Cm7 arpeggios (C, Eb, G, Bb, or 1, b3, 5, b7).Ready?

• Bracket 1: This Cm7 arpeggio occurs onthe sixth, fifth, and fourth strings. The twotones—5 and b7—fall on the highest of thethree strings.

• Bracket 2: Our second Cm7 modulecovers the third, second, and first strings. Thedoubling (1 and b3) occurs on the lowest ofthe three strings.

• Bracket 3: A whole-step slide shifts usinto position so we can descend. This Cm7occurs on the second, third, and fourthstrings. The doubling (b7 and 5) happens onthe highest of these strings.

• Bracket 4: Our final descending pat-tern falls on the fourth, fifth, and sixthstrings. The doubling occurs on the lowest

of the three strings.Each of these four Cm7 arpeggios is de-

rived by transposing one of last month’s 12major-7th patterns and lowering its 3 and 7:

• Bracket 1 derives from the fifth pattern.• Bracket 2 derives from the twelfth.• Bracket 3 derives from the seventh.• Bracket 4 derives from the ninth.Try linking some of the 12 one-octave

modules on your own. Start with major 7s,then branch out into other types—domi-nant 7, minor 7, and so on. Let your fingersfind the way.

BBeeyyoonndd tthhee llooggiicc zzoonnee.. As I stressed lastmonth, this is but one of many ways to ap-proach arpeggios. Our analysis simply provesthat arpeggios can be understood and mas-tered in bits and pieces. Always rememberthat the ultimate goal is to absorb this infor-mation, internalize your favorite arpeggio fin-gerings, and then move on to making musicwithout a head full of formulas. g

All of us—no matter how long we’veplayed or how skilled we are—have gaps inour knowledge. Back Track is an ongoing Ses-sions series designed to fill these holes. Gota topic you’d like to see us address? Sendyour question to Back Track, c/o Guitar Play-er, 411 Borel Ave. #100, San Mateo, CA 94402,or e-mail it to guitplyr@mfi.com.

“Mick Goodrick was the first guitarist I ever played with who made me feel ridiculous.” —Pat Metheny, Dec. ’81 GP

ExtendedArpeggio Patterns

B Y A N D Y E L L I S

====================TAB

& 44 ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö öU

2 1 4

3 3

1 4 4 3

1 1

1 4

3 4

Cmaj7

3 2 5

5 5

4

3 7 7 8 8 5

5 5 9

7 8

====================TAB

& bbb 44 ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö ö öUCm7

4

4 2

1

1 1

3 4 4

1 1

1 3

3 4

1

8

8 5 6

5 8 8

6 8 8

8 11

10 8 10

11 8

Ex. 1

Ex. 2

B A C K T R A C K

S E S S I O N S

ELDON SHAMBLIN WROTEthe book on Western-swingrhythm guitar. Considered as in-fluential to Texas-style music asFreddie Green was to big-bandjazz, Shamblin is best known forhis work with Bob Wills and hisTexas Playboys. During the early1940s, the Playboys were one of themost popular bands in the coun-try. Shamblin was hired in ’37 toramp up the Playboys’ arrange-ments with big-band sounds.

From 1937 to 1973, he was theband’s primary guitarist. Even afterWills’ death in 1973, the Playboyscontinued to perform into the ’80s.Following a long, legendary career,Shamblin passed away last Augustat the age of 82.

LLoonnee--SSttaarr ccoommppiinngg.. Let’s lookat a few moves that typify Sham-blin’s style by examining his ac-companiment to the fiddle introfor “Faded Love”—a Top 10 hit forthe Playboys in 1950. This cool ex-

ample features three elements thatcharacterize Texas-swing rhythm:passing chords that link the mainharmonic changes, a moving bassline, and a flatpicked boom-a-

chuck strum. (For related info,read “Texas-Style Backup” in theFeb. ’99 Sessions.)

TTeecchhnniiqquuee ttiippss.. These point-ers will help you master our

================================TAB

& ## 44 ö ö öö ö ö ö ö ön ö öö. ö ööö. ö ö ö öö ö ö ö# ö#öö ö3

ö ö ö ö ö ö.ö.D F m7/C D/C D/A# # G6/D Gaug/D Em7# D°/F

to Coda Þ

5 4

3 2

2 4 4 2

3 4

3 2

0 0

3 2 4

5 5

5 4

0 5 6 6

4 4 5

7 5

4

7 8

6

6 7

...1

let chords ring

4 3 2 1

2 1 2

4 3 1 2

3

4 1

2 3

1 1 2

3 2

1 3

önn bö ö ö ö.=

1

1 2

================================TAB

& ## ö ö ö. ö ö ö ö ö ö. ö ö ö.5D6 F m7/C Bm7 D/A

10

9 11

9

9 7

7

7 7 7

7

5

ö ö öööö. ö ö ö ö# ö ö ö ö ö# ö ö öEm A

D.C. al Coda

0 2

2

0 0 0

0 2 3 4 0 0 2 2 3 3 4 4

# .#( )

2 1

4

2

1

3

3

2

4

1

3 4

1 2

1 2

3 1

2 3

#

================================TAB

& ##9

ö ööö ö ö ööö ö ö ö öö ö ö ö öö. ö ö ö. ö# ö# .öööö ö ö ö

###wAEDD/F Bm Em A9/C# #

9

7 7 7

7

7 7

9 9

9 7 9

9 8

0 4

5

5 4

5 7

7 7

6 8

8 8

9 9 9 7 7 0

0 2 4

ÞCoda

#( ) 3

1 1 1

1

3

1 1 4 . 1

3

2

4 .1

3 4 2

1 4

4 4

ö1

4 ööÜ#4

4 ö#4 4 4 1 1

1 3 #. D#

Comping à la

ShamblinB Y R O G E R F E R G U S O N

chordal workout:• Play bar 1’s slides with

your 2nd finger. The fingeringshift between beat two’s eighth-notes is quick. Fortunately, thefirst eigth-note of the pair isstaccato, so you have a littlelonger to make the jump.

• Pick bar 3’s triplets usingan down-up-down pattern. Usedownstrokes for everything elsein this example.

• Like Freddie Green, Sham-blin favored voicings that useonly three of a chord’s four orfive notes. Check out measures5 and 6.

• The I-VIm-IIm-V progres-sion in bars 9 and 10 sets up themodulation in bars 11 and 12.

• Notice the prevalentboom-a-chuck (two eighth-notes followed by a staccatoquarter-note) rhythms, and howShamblin varied his patterns soas not to sound repetitious.

• Use rest strokes wheneverpossible: After you attack astring, let your pick come to restagainst the next higher string.

This will give you a solid toneand help you find the groove.

• For contrast, play the bassline legato and keep the chordstrums staccato.

• Keep your tone round.Though Shamblin used a Strat,his sound was rich.

• Finally, experiment withthese chord inversions and findways to use them in your music.

To hear Shamblin in greatform, listen to Bob Wills and hisTexas Playboys for the Last Time[Liberty]. Recorded in 1973, thereunion album features manyof the musicians who werePlayboys in 1937. g

National Flatpicking GuitarChampion Roger Ferguson hasperformed and recorded withMark O’Connor and Jerry Dou-glas. Ferguson lays down lone-some bluegrass and stompingWestern-swing licks throughoutthe Pacific Northwest.