Hi blackpagoda! That's a chromatic note added to E minor scale. This note is known as b5 or "blue note" and it's used a lot in jazz, rock and blues as an addition to minor pentatonic scale.
This note is not only added to pentatonic scale, it can also used as a passing note in other scales as for example aeolian and dorian. When it's added to minor pentatonic scale, the resulting scale is also known as Blues Scale.
question: what inspired the outside Bb notes in the first few bars? just for the tritone outside sound i wonder?
Amazing Ben! Have you got any tips on nailing a tone like Marty's from RIP/CTE/Youthanasia?
so damn awesome
I didn't know Marty became an instructor in GMC lol
great to see this lesson featured!
Thanks guys, glad you think so ! :-)
Wow Ben, this is amazin !! Love friedman and love the old megadeth times .. This captures it so well .. Thanks m/
Awesome lesson, that sounds a LOT like Friedman!
Absolutely fantastic, Ben!
Thanks a lot guys !! :-)
wow Ben amazing technique you showed here for 50 seconds.
Yet another amazing solo! Love the t-shirt as well Great job Ben!
Cool you made the front page! Nice job!!
Thanks Adrian.. that deal with Satan really helped ! :-)
wow ben you got an amazing technique going on brother!
Haha, Marek that's awesome ! And Zsolt, thank you.. it's definitely an honour coming from a player as great as you !! :-)
I didn't know Marty Friedman was an instructor here at GMC... nice disguise Just kidding, you've nailed his style completely!
Holy moly, no time to waste on commenting, need to practice more and reach that power level as fast as possible!
Thanks so much guys !! I really hope people will be able to get something from it !! :-)
this is amazing Ben!!! one of the best of yours!
Awesome lesson Ben! Very insightful lesson for those studying Marty's style!
Hehe what can I say Ben - you have nailed Marty's style to the point that comments are unnecessary... I am listening to this one over and over and I feel I am learning just by hearing someone else nail Marty's style like you do!
Hello everybody! In this lesson I've created a solo in the style of Marty Friedman and, along with the backing track, I've used the Countdown to Extinction / Youthansia era of Megadeth as my inspiration.
There's a lot of string bending and wide vibrato. Also, there's a lot of choked bends, where the pick cuts off the note just before bending it and picking it again. Marty also does a lot of pre-bends in his playing too... this can be a challenge if you struggle with getting the pitch accurate when string bending so it's worth spending time perfecting this technique which will certainly improve your string bending overall !
There's also a fiery legato lick to look out for near the end, which is a trademark of his playing, especially during the Cacophany days with Jason Becker. There's nothing too technically difficult in this piece. The real difficulty lies in trying to fit so much expression over a quick solo. Also, the ability to stagger the notes over the beat in a way that makes it sound as if the notes are 'cascading' or 'tumbling' over the beat is one of Marty's strengths and we can all learn a lot from the way he always sounds as if he's in control and never rushed !
The solo is all based in the key of E minor with occasional chromatic notes from outside the scale. Marty is well known for using exotic modes such as the Hirajoshi scale but, but most of these modes use notes which are in the minor scale anyway so I haven't added them here. There are a couple of phrases in this piece that could be classed as a mode perhaps, but they're made up of notes that are in the E minor scale anyway. You just need to learn to trust your ear and use the notes within a scale that please you to come up with your own signature sound, which is what Marty would also say !
So, I hope you enjoy the lesson and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Until next time.. happy guitaring !
/Ben
E Aeolian