Argent's Hold Your Head Up - main verse, chorus

First off, I think I need to say something about the music I have been describing here on this blog. When I am showing how I hear a riff or solo is being played, I am presupposing that you can read or understand chord charts and names, play barre chords, can play basic scales and simple solos. I think this blog would be one where an intermediate player could get something out of it. Maybe once in a while a "more than intermediate" player might be able to get something out of this site. At least, I hope I can offer something to these types of players. When I am going to describe a lick, riff or solo, I will probably be pretty familiar with it before I try laying out the tab or chord charts. I might check out some videos or some tab sites just to see about positioning, but basically, I will have an idea of how I hear the song being played.

One thing that I know about rock and roll guitar is that usually, the guitar riffs and solos are not quite as complicated as they seem. You probably won't have to stretch and twist your fingers to make an impossible-seeming chord for the riff in a typical rock song, or move over every inch of the fretboard to do that solo. Of course, there are the guitar players like Satriani, Malmsteen, and others players like them that I wouldn't even try to do here. Their solo runs are much too complicated for me to play or describe.

With the Argent song, Hold Your Head Up, Russ Ballard's guitar playing might sound a little complicated at first, but it's really not all that bad. This is a song that can be played a number of ways. First, you can play this song by plucking with your fingers-or with a pick. I like the way this song sounds when I use the fingerpicking style! You can use the open chords that were probably originally played on the song-(according to the videos of the band playing the song) or barre chords, or a variation of the two.

I have transcribed another way to play this song using a combination of barre and open chords that might make for less hand movement (but maybe a bit more stretching for the barre chords). This version may make the chord changes a little smoother as the changes are mostly in the 5th string root "A" barre chord shape, and its just a matter of moving your playing hand between 5th string root barre chords and some variants of those chords. For the chorus section of this song ("Hold your head up...oh! And hold your head up...oh!" part) which is noted also as version one and can be played with the other version one part.

In videos I have seen of the band playing this song "live," the version two chord patterns are used (as far as I can see). For this version, I go from an open D form-sus 4 to D, to the C-I hold this chord like the "bottom end" of the barre G chord, with my index barring the D and G notes at the 3rd fret and my ring holding the C at the 5th fret 4th string, and my pinky holding the E at the 5th fret, string. I just pull off with my pinky to get the Cmaj9 chord. After going back to the open Dsus4, D, Dsus4, I just slide my index on those same last 3 strings, taking my ring and pinky off the strings, while barring the last 3 strings, up to the 5th fret. That makes a smooth transition to the Cmaj9/C6 riff in this version.

I noticed after checking, that some of the chords between the two versions are a little different. Oh well-they are similar enough to sound good! To me, I like both versions, and I like to play both versions fingerstyle or with a pick-it gives a different flavor each way you play it. You may have another way to play this song. Variety is the spice of life. I think that it is great to know several ways of playing a particular song-variations of the chords, different positions, etc-and this song is an excellent way to go about discovering those different variations!

Related Tags: Argent Hold+Your+Head+Up classic+rock Russ+Ballard

Foreigner's Cold as Ice -main rhythm part and solo

This is one of my favorite rock songs. I just never have gotten tired of it. For me, some rock songs, especially the ones many could call "classic rock" I've just gotten tired of hearing. Not this one. It just has such a memorable verse and melody, Lou Gramm's great singing, and that great guitar solo! In this post I am going to transcribe to the best of my knowledge, the main verse section of this song (that memorable keyboard part) and the solo.






Now, I have seen this song tabbed different ways-in different keys, with or without solo. Not wanting to get int From what I hear on the mp3, this song is in the key of Eb minor. I have seen it tabbed/described as E minor or C minor, but to my ear, its Eb minor. You can use more open chords to play the song if you tune down to Eb (from the 6th string on up to the 1st string: Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb) or you can just leave your guitar in standard tuning. For this description, I used standard tuning.

Here are the chord charts I made for the song's main, signature part-It is essentially just a pattern of these chords played together to get that signature Cold as Ice verse: Eb 7 sus4th/Eb minor, (oops-soory this is B6 not B13!) *B13 /B (click to enlarge)




(*these chords are probably not exactly the ones played on the keyboard as they might be Eb sus4th, instead of Eb 7th sus4th, and the (B6)B13 I am not so sure of but they still sound very close, and are easiest to play.)

The tricky part (at least for me) is getting your pinky to cooperate and move where you want it to as this is the finger that moves to form those chords in the verse. I show that I am keeping my 2nd finger on the 7th fret note (F#) so as to be ready when I play the Eb minor chord. You can do an easier version of this by making a Eb7 sus4 chord, and then taking off just your pinky to make a Ebmin7 chord. Also, you could go from the (B6)B13 chord, taking off your pinky again to to form a B7 chord-maybe not as nice-sounding as the "regular" B chord, but ok.

Here is the solo as I hear it. If you think it has any mistakes or flubs let me know. That last harmony guitar part I just ad libbed. Maybe you might have some different ideas about that part. (Click to enlarge)





some notes about the solo:
-those ascending two-note patterns are hammer ons and pull offs, but can be picked as I noted
-both those bends on the 16th fret- 6th string are a quick bend up, not really letting the bent note ring, before hitting the note on the 14th fret 6th string
-I noted that Mick sounds like he slid down the neck before doing the second ascending run, but its hard to tell exactly what is done at that point
-I use my first and second fingers on the ascending runs, just moving those fingers for each little two-note part till I get to the 11th fret -6th string and there I use my first and 4th finger (in a more natural pentatonic lick positioning) You can just as easily use your 3rd and fourth fingers to do that ascending run, then slide your 1st finger up to the 12th fret -5th string for that little two-note lick before the pentatonic lick

check it out-let me know how you like it!!
MG



Related Tags: Foreigner Cold+As+Ice guitar chords guitar+solos classic+rock

David Bowie's Rebel Rebel-Main Verse Section

For this post I am going to give some hints about playing the main verse part for Rebel Rebel by David Bowie. It can be suprisingly tricky to get the notes to ring out accurately while getting your playing hand in position for the next chord (the E chord). It involves palm muting, positioning and anticipating the playing hand positions so that the part sounds smooth.

I have checked out YouTube videos and I have seen different guitarists showing how to play the main verse part in different ways. Some are showing the part being played as a slide up from D to E on the B string and the E chord part that's right after as more open. When I hear this song, I hear more arpeggiated chords than slides or individual notes. If you look at some of the actual David Bowie concert videos (I provide a link to the AOL Sessions video below, a version I love which features a little opening riff for this song that you may have heard in recent live versions of the song, and described in the tab) you will see that the guitarist(s) play the riff as more of a broken chord/arpeggio than sliding up and using more individual notes. Doing the riff like this makes it more smooth and actually (I think) more easy to play.

First off-this song is in regular tuning, its in the key of D. On the original recording, the guitar seems to have a slight delay or echo, maybe a little chorus, and a touch of overdrive.

Here is some tab and stuff to play that main riff:




To play the main verse guitar part, I hold a D suspended 2(nd) chord, and then hit the D string, (letting it ring throughout the first little part of the riff), pick the E string open, and the D on the 3rd fret-B string, hit the A/C# notes on the G and B strings respectively, (which infers an A chord). I slide my 1st finger down to the G# to hold the E chord. See the tab for expanation.

When I get to the E part, I strum up (hence the arrows) from the open B string (of the E chord) twice and then, holding the E chord I pick the E on the 4th string/2nd fret and use my pinky to pull off from the C# to the open B string, picking up in an arpeggio (B, G# E, and then D-4th string open) As the D-4th string is played I slide my 1st finger to the A-2nd fret 3rd string, and place my 3rd finger on the D-3rd fret-which is back to that D sus 2 chord that we began with.

That's pretty much it! Sorry if I made this more complicated than it had to be! I was trying to complement and add to the tab, but I don't know if I succeeded!

Here is the player for the original studio version of Rebel Rebel :



Here is a link for the video which has that cool little intro part:
http://video.aol.com/video/music-david-bowie-rebel-rebel-aol-/1123610

*Next time I will be describing how to play Foreigner's Cold as Ice (the main part that's played on keyboard) with the solo. See you then!


Related Tags: David+Bowie Rebel+Rebel rock+and+roll

Welcome to Guitarthrill.blogspot.com!

Hello-If you came by looking for guitar information, I am hoping that you can get some inspiration, information, and ideas from this blog! From time to time I will offer some ideas on how to play some songs that either are not found in tablature on the internet, or that may be transcribed inaccurately, or just some songs that I find interesting, and I hope you find interesting!

For this first post I am going to describe the chords to the English pop singer Aqualung's "Brighter Than Sunshine"



This is a great song-I really like the British pop sound and this is a song with some great hooks and a really beautiful arrangement. Guitars are not at the forefront of this song, its more keyboard-driven, but the guitar can easily be used to augment the sound of this tune.
Here are the chords I hear in this song. Sorry its a little messy, but I think you'll get the picture if you play along and use these chords. Good luck!

*Repeat then verse

Here is how I hold my hand when I am trying to let the B and E strings ring out for that funny F#/open B, E chord:

continued:



Have fun! This is a really melodically interesting song, with its semi-chromatic chordal progressions in the verse. I like it and I hope you do too!

Related Tags: Guitarthrill guitar Aqualung Brighter+Than+Sunshine