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Stealing
is easy to do. Making it work for an original sound
is more difficult. Randy Rhodes did a great job
when he stole the chord progression from the first
16 measures of Leo Brouwer's (1939- ) Estudios Sencillos
#6. He used it for the intro of Ozzy's "Diary
of a Madman".
I
confess, I've also stolen. One of my more blatant
rip-offs is the contrasting middle section (starting
at measure 44, 1:23 into the tune) of "Zen
Parked on Z" from my CD, "Eat This It's
Safe". It uses a right hand arpeggio pattern
lifted directly from study #1 of the 12 studies
by Heitor Villa-Lobos (1881-1959).
"Zen"
is in C Tuning (CGCGCE low to high). The arpeggio
pattern is as follows: pipi pmia maim pipi. It's
done with a sixteenth note rhythm. The whole section
(measures 44-77) uses this pattern except for the
quintuplet figure at measures 64 and 77. To count
a quintuplet I always use the word un-i-ver-si-ty.
It helps me to play the figure smoothly instead
of lapsing into a three/two or two/three feel. Say
university as you play the figure. It works.
If
you really want to own this arpeggio pattern, I
recommend tying a cloth underneath the strings up
by the nut around the first and second frets. Then
sit in front of the television and play the pattern.
To
play this arpeggio fluidly and make the top two
strings ring strong, you will need to really dig
into the strings. Having that cloth tied underneath
the strings will help you gain strength in your
right hand. The ama move in the middle of the pattern
is tough to get loud and fast. But it is essential
that you do.
It
will take lots of practice. Play slowly with a metronome
to keep the pattern at an even pace. It is well
worth your time. You will end up much more coordinated
and faster, and with a much bigger sound.
By
using a different tuning and obviously different
fingerings, I've taken something someone else did
(not to mention a standard part of the guitar repertoire)
and made it my own.
Both
the Villa-Lobos 12 studies and Brouwer's 20 Estudios
Sencillos are great for fingerstyle guitarist to
study. It doesn't matter whether or not you want
to play classical guitar. Working on them will give
you lots of ideas to build upon.
Remember,
good composers borrow, bad composers steal.
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Tom
Yoder
Tom Yoder is a guitar instructor at Coastal Carolina
University - the emminence grise behind countless
guitar players in South Carolina, including Edwin
McCain.
His
CD "Eat This It's Safe" showcases his
phenomenal compositional and fingerstyle talents.
Yoder bears comparison with the likes of Hedges,
Bensusan and Kottke.
Visit
Tom's site at www.tomyoder.net
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