Lessons

Guthries Slippery Things

By daVid BrewSt er

ex. 1




 5







 4


F m (Aeolian)

T
A
B

5 7

6 4

6 7

7 5

4 6

7 6

7 9

0 2
ex. 2

Em9

Gm9

Am9

Cm9

Dm9








4    




 4 

T
A
B

7 10

12 15



12

10 12

14

17

15 17

ex. 3



      


4
6
    

4


3
    
6


Em7 (Dorian)

T
A
B

0 3 7 9 5

5 7

5 9 11 7

7 9

8 12 14 10

10 12 15(15)

ex. 4

  
    

     
 4


 4

6
E7 (Mixolydian)

22 19 16
T
A
B

98

17

19 16

19 15 12



13

14 12

14 13 9

12 9

11

12 14

G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / N O v E M b E R 2 0 1 5

F e w wo u l d a rg u e t h at g u t h r i e

Govan is an inspiring musical guru. His

ability to easily incorporate many advanced
techniques is beyond impressive, not to
mention his phrasing, feel, tone, and
quirky rhythmic sense. One specific area
of his playing includes blurry slip-andslide licks and phrasing, complete with
seamless position shifting all around the
fretboard. Govan has a knack for discovering innovative ways of moving around the
neck, and a number of his favorite sliding
licks will be analyzed and demonstrated
in this lesson.
ex. 1 is inspired by the sliding moves
found in Govans instrumental opus
Waves, from Erotic Cakes. The interesting intervallic structure found in this lick
is typical of his style, and the combination of unorthodox movements and finger-twisting slides creates a modern and
fresh sounding idea.
The next lick [ex. 2] features an openvoiced minor 9 arpeggio that moves along
the fretboard, with a cool, alternating
shift-slide on the A and B strings as it
shifts up the neck. Notice how the arpeggios used in this lick move through several keys as it ascends, but the fingering
remains constant as it slides upward into
higher positions.
As you play through Ex. 2, you should
notice that were taking the three-note
Em9 arpeggio and shift-sliding it along
the fretboard, using the Em9-Gm9-Am9Cm9-Dm9 progression as a guide. The
combination of wide-spaced intervals,
an alternating note grouping, and some
clever slide moves creates an unusual and
unique sound. This one is definitely Guthrie-approved.
Govan likes to move around the neck
and along the strings using a variety of fingering movements and position shifts, and
ex. 3 features an ascending diagonal movement that he likes to explore. Notice how
this Dorian-flavored idea has a smooth and
blurred sound, thanks to the combination
of slurred legato phrasing and a challenging shift-sliding technique.
To continue exploring Govans fretboard movements, play through ex. 4 to
get a feel for a descending diagonal movement. As you play through this lick, you
should notice the shared fingerings as this

7ths (D#). The bluesy sound comes from

flirting with the minor and major 3rd (G
and G#).
The final idea in this lesson is a real showstopper and features an advanced stringskipping legato lick with some unusual
sliding moves. As you play through Ex. 7,
you might find that it requires additional
patience and practice to perform this lick
smoothly, cleanly, and accurately.
String-skipping licks like Ex. 7 are quite
common in Govans playing, and these
ideas allow him to weave new sounds and
licks intervallically and all over the fretboard. You can also find skipped ideas like

lick moves across the strings and shifts

into lower positions.
Ex. 5 reveals an interesting variation to
standard pentatonic movement, shifting
an E minor pentatonic scale in a reversediagonal direction. This idea should feel
strange at first, as were ascending through
the scale but moving along the strings in
a descending manner.
The next idea showcases Govans fondness for sliding into jazzy sounds, but its
camouflaged as a blues lick. As you play
around with Ex. 6 you should listen for
and notice the use of jazzy extensions,
including the use of 9ths (F#) and major

this coming from shred legends like Paul

Gilbert, Richie Kotzen, and John Petrucci.
Seek out some of their ideas for more
string-skipping concepts and licks like this.
As you dive deeper into different sliding approaches and techniques, youll
discover theres a wealth of new ideas
and licks waiting for you to uncover and
fully explore. In time youll become more
familiar with Guthries idiosyncratic playing style, and examining his music, licks,
and innovative ideas are worthwhile study
for any guitarist, especially those searching for new ideas, moves, and sounds.
Good luck! g



Ex. 5



 
4                                  
 

 4
Em (Pentatonic)

T
A
B

19 17

19

17 19

17 14

17

17 14

17

14 17

14 12

14 12

14

14

12 14

12 10

12

12 10

12

10 12

10 7

10

10 7



7 10 12 (12)

Ex. 6


 5
                 


 4 

Emaj7 (Ionian)



B1/2

T
A
B

12 14 17

16

14 13

16 14

12

13

14

12

16 14

13

14

16 14

13

Ex. 7

E7 (Mixolydian)

4
4
T
A
B

12 9 7 6 7 9 12

7 9 12 7 12 9 7 12 17 12

3
14 13

16 12 14

n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 5 / G U I TA r P L A Y e r . C o m

99