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"Play in the style of" Guthrie Govan

Rick Graham
Crazy!RockImprovising Song tutorial10 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 Cornford Records I first came across Guthrie Govan when he won the UK Guitarist of the Year back in 1993 with his track 'wonderful slippery thing'. After winning the competition, Guthrie went on to contribute didactic material for the UK's best selling guitar magazine 'guitar techniques' and still contributes to this day. After the release of the 'tone merchants' dvd, which was recorded at the NAMM show in January 2005, Guthrie attained a kind of legendary status, amongst guitar fanatics, as a virtuoso who seemed to have no technical limitations. Guthrie spent some time writing and performing with the Prog Rock group 'Aisa' and also 'The Young Punx' but it was the release of his debut CD 'Erotic Cakes' in August 2006 that made the biggest impact upon the underground guitar world. OK, even though there are some very advanced techniques employed here, you don't have to be an advanced guitarist to benefit from some of the tasty phrasing on offer. Check out the solo example and get ready to learn some of those lucid lines!

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10 Lessons

  1. 1 0:52 Lesson · 1m 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Full Video 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... Tab
  2. 2 0:18 Lesson 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Lick 1 Alrighty, let's kick off the proceedings with the first lick. Guthrie tends to use this kind of idea within his improvisations with great effect. I really like that kind of unexpected burst of notes and to... Tab
  3. 3 0:48 Lesson · 1m 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Lick 2 OK, time to take a deep breath as this one is a challenge! I try to see this whole pattern as one entire lick rather than segments pieced together. Of course, it will be necessary to subdivide the parts so... Tab
  4. 4 0:17 Lesson 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Lick 3 This final Lick is very reminiscent of Guthrie's style of playing and is one that he uses on a regular basis. It is made easier by the fact that the shapes used on each successive string are exactly the same... Tab
  5. 5 2:20 Lesson · 2m 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Section 1 OK let's nail this solo! One of the most important aspects of this first section is the string bending and control of intonation. You must practice with the aim of getting perfect intonation and complete... Tab
  6. 6 1:27 Lesson · 1m 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Section 2 Ok let's continue! Notice how the motifs start developing here. Including motivic development within this solo was a vital part of capturing the style of Guthrie's playing. If you analyse any of his solos, the... Tab
  7. 7 2:52 Lesson · 3m 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Section 3 Lets continue further into the world of Mr Govan! Again the use of motivic development occurs here in a sequential chromatic pattern which ascends on the top e string by step. With these legato patterns try to... Tab
  8. 8 2:10 Lesson · 2m 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Section 4 OK, the legato madness continues to greater heights! This section is where the solo reaches its dynamic peak in the tapped string skipped arpeggio again commonly used by Mr Govan! At this point I'd like to... Tab
  9. 9 1:48 Lesson · 2m 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Section 5 Hang in there guys we're almost there! This final section includes a very often used 'Guthrie-ism' in the final string skipped tapping lick. The actual pattern is based on the pentatonic scale and the beauty... Tab
  10. 10 2:11 Backing track · 2m 'In the style of' Guthrie Govan - Backing Track Here's the backing track for you. Once you feel that you have nailed every lick of the solo, try it at full tempo along with the backing track. Be sure to post any recordings, be it audio or video, for...

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