BETCHA CAN'T PLAY THIS!

Rock's hottest players throw down the ultimate challenge.

THIS MONTH: JAZZ GUITARIST MIKE STERN
"THIS SINGLE-NOTE LINE is based implied tonality of Cm to Dbm, then the fret-hand fingerings).
mostly on a bebop jazz phrasing tech- Dm. In bars 4 and 5, I introduce a new "I'll often playa line like this
nique whereby a melodic idea, or motif, idea that temporarily 'sits' on Ebm and over a one-chord vamp on Cm or
is repeated in different keys. I begin is followed by a return to the 'home key' Cm? Part of what I like about this
with an eight-note motif in bar 1, which of Cm in bars 6 and? via a bluesy pen- lick is the way it alludes to different :I
then modulates up a half step in bar 2, tatonic lick. Note the use of position tonal centers, creating tension contour like this makes the line sound
and again in bar 3, moving from an shifts throughout the run (indicated by through dissonance and polytonality. less predictable and more interesting.
"The motif in "I use alternate (down-up) picking
M = dmmstroke V = upstroke
bar 1 can be ana-
em (D bm)
for most of the things I play, varying
picking: r1 V r1 V r1 V r1 V sim. lyzed as consist- the intensity of my pick attack to
1> » » >
ing of pairs of avoid sounding robotic and to make
436S242~3~4
S 6 7 notes that are a my lines more expressive. In this par-
minor third (i.e, ticular run, I accent certain notes
left-hand three half steps) while playing the rest of them very
fingerings: 3 2 1 4 3 I 2 I 3 2 I 4 3 1 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 I 2 I
apart. The first, lightly. This gives the phrase more of
~~
nVr1VnVr"'1 VnV,.,Vr-1V
~
r1 r-1V n V r;Vn
second and a natural, 'speaking' quality. You
4 > 6-s--i"'-"'7)-S > > >~~~~~ fourth pairs could, of course, incorporate pull-offs
86=7=9 9=7=8=7=6=8~:= §------i ascend, while the and hammer-ons to create a more

=5i]~~3_-:.~-_:~-_:~-_=~-
_==-
~=!
third pair
descends.
fluid, albeit less rhythmic, sound," _

3 2 I 4 1 4 2 1 4 1 3 2 1 3 3 3 1 3\3 I 3 1 3 Switching the