Frank Gambale Licks

BLUES TO JAZZ LICKS

FRANK GAMBALE

TRACKS 24-27

Can Frank Gambale play high-energy fusion and contemporary be-bop? No problem! Iain Scott

DIFFICULTY: Intermediate/Advanced

❚❚❚❚❚

RECOMMENDED LISTENING Natural High (Wombat, 2005)

Frank Gambale’s playing has been at the forefront of contemporary jazz and fusion since the 1980s, with many guitarists in awe of his speed picking style known as sweep picking (one pick stroke crossing two or more strings). Certainly, he knows how to use altered dominant scales to please jazzers and fly around the fretboard like any of the shrapnel shredders! His more recent

playing has pioneered new and different guitar tunings (Nouveau Tuning) and embraced acoustic guitar. When he is not touring the world he can be found leading the guitar program at the Los Angeles Music Academy. I have put together six licks in a minor jazz blues context to show some of Frank’s excellent be-bop lines. Good luck getting up to speed!

GEAR Frank uses Yamaha guitars including the AES-Frank Gambale Signature, AEX1500 Jazz guitar, FPX300 acoustic guitars and a Carvin Tone Navigator Pre-Amp. For this recording I used a Gibson ES-335 played through a PODxt (Twin Amp, Low gain, compression)

Tracks 24-27

Blues To Jazz Licks

Lick 1: I have put together six licks in a minor jazz blues context to show some of Frank’s excellent be-bop lines. This starts off with an opening phrase featuring the G Dorian mode (GABbCDEF) over the Gm9 chord (I know there’s no E there to signify G Dorian but that’s what I’ve considered the harmonic ballpark is here). Lick 2: After two notes (G and F#), this lick features an F major triad idea that is then repeated a semitone lower in E major. You may also view this as Dm7 to Dbm7 leading to the Cm7 in Lick 3. Like many jazz blues players, superimposing arpeggios over a chord is a great way of sounding sophisticated.

Lick 3:

This is a long line from an implied C Dorian (CDEbFGABb) despite no Dorian flavoured major 6th (ie the note A) being present. It’s a typical George Benson-esque sound and worthy of getting under your fingers.

©»™™º Lick 1 j b & b 44 ‰ œ œ œ

Gm9

Lick 3 œ œ œ œ œ nœ nœ #œ nœ nœ ‰ œ œ œ œ J

Lick 2

œ #œ œ . œJ œ . œJ œ . œJ

E maj arp

F maj arp E B G D A E

2

3

3

2

5

3

3

5

7

8

7

6

8

5

6

5

5

7

4

5

4

7

6

5 7

Lick 4:

This phrase moves up through G natural minor (GABbCDEbF) with the last three notes derived from G jazz minor (GABbCDEF#). Pat Martino uses this type of minor-isation in his playing as well. C m7

&

bb œ

E B G D A E

4

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 6

3

4

3

5

3

5

Gm9 Lick 4

œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ

3

6

5

6

8

3

5

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

10

7

10

8

8

œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ

11

10

8

11

10

11

5

Lick 5:

This is made from two short angular ideas. The first seven notes being from Eb Lydian dominant (EbFGABbCDb). The first two notes surround the A note, which is called targeting (semitone movement both up and below the final desired note). Bar 10 features the D Superlocrian (DEbFGbAbBbC) over the D7#5b9.

Lick 6: Finally, you have a long lick based in G minor. You can view Bar 11 as featuring a minor be-bop scale (G Dorian with a major 7th, F#, added) and as it continues into Bar 12, G Harmonic minor (GABbCDEbF#).

b

# b

E 9 Lick 5

D7 5 9

œ bœ nœ œ œ œ # œ œ b œ œ œ œ œJ b b œ ‰ &b E B G D A E

11

9

Lick 6

9

10

10

11

12

10

11

11 13

13 11

10

13

Gm9

œ œ œ œ #œ nœ nœ œ

11 10

12 11 10

9

12

œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ

10

8

12 10

9

12

11 10

APRIL 2006

GIT275.tex2 179

179

6/3/06 4:25:40 pm