Skip to main content Skip to navigation Skip to search
Song Tutorial

'Freefall' Arpeggio Study

Rick Graham
AdvancedRockTechnique Song tutorial5 lessons9m

Hey IG'ists! Thanks for dropping in on this latest tutorial in which we will be looking at an arpeggio study I wrote entitled 'Freefall'! Some of you may have seen the thread I posted in the forums about Captain Joe Kittinger who performed an incredible feat all in the name of science. Check the thread out here. I was so inspired by this that I decided to try to recreate what his experience may have been like in musical form. The approach that I took was to give the listener the impression of some kind of descent and I used an alternating Maj7 and Min7 arpeggio and pattern which I felt gave a feeling of space. These descending chords depict the initial drop made by Kittinger as he was so high and the air was so thin at that altitude, he is recorded as saying that he had no feeling of falling, only floating. It was only as his reached a lower altitude that he felt he was falling as he could feel more air around him which acted as resistance. At bar 25, the F#min7b5 chord, Kittinger reaches the clouds and the subsequent patterns depict his approach and final landing. OK, that has given you an insight into the inspiration for the study so with that done, it's bombs away into the first section!!

More like this

'Still Hurts' by Marco Sfogli Rick Graham
AdvancedRockTechnique 13 lessons30m
Hey there Lads and Lasses and a very warm welcome to a special tutorial! Following on from my tutorial of the solo section of 'Andromeda' by Marco Sfogli, today's tutorial will be an in depth look at the full...
"Play in the style of" Guthrie Govan Rick Graham
Crazy!RockImprovising 10 lessons15m
Yo! and welcome to my latest tutorial this time focusing on the style and techniques of the amazing UK guitarist Guthrie Govan. This lesson was created with inspiration from the following: Blues Jam Tracks...
Playing Vintage Guitars Sean Conklin
IntermediateRockCool Riffs 4 lessons8m
I am completely new to the world of vintage guitars. But I decided to take a plunge recently and got a refinished 1960 Fender Strat, and I absolutely love it! I wrote a new song with it for this tutorial. You...
Eric Johnson Triads Martin Miller
IntermediateRockCool RiffsChords 6 lessons5m
Hey friends, Today we’ll be dealing with a concept that has been fascinating me ever since I came across it: wide interval triads á la Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, etc. Firstly, let’s look at how these...
"Andromeda" by Marco Sfogli Rick Graham
Crazy!RockTechnique 7 lessons12m
Hey all, thanks for joining me! In this tutorial we will be taking an in-depth look at the style of one of the finest emerging guitarists of our generation, Marco Sfogli. Born in 1980, Marco started playing...
Advanced Patterns and Sequences Rick Graham
AdvancedRockScales 6 lessons4m
Alrighty then! Let's get cracking on the first sequence. The whole sequence is based around the tonal centre of A dorian and while it is mainly diatonic, there are some additional passing notes present which...
Browse all Rock lessons