ianmitchell
Verified buyer
08/20/23
New techniques
I'm enjoying this course so far. The instruction is clear and breaks everything down, including explaining why certain notes are being played and the techniques.
Essentials: Power Ballad Soloing
Power Ballad Techniques and Approaches for Rock Lead Guitar
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About this course
Tony Smotherman’s Power Ballad Soloing edition of Essentials will equip you with a rich palette of technical and harmonic tools for crafting epic and melodic power ballad solos. You’ll learn how to craft power ballad solos over a wide range of popular chord progressions and two-chord vamps. You’ll work with pedal points, double stops, huge bends, hard vibrato, sweeps, slides, chord tone targeting, and a variety of scales to achieve a distinctive vocal quality and create engaging solos.
”I've prepared 10 performance studies that focus on the techniques, creative approaches, and soloing skills that you’ll need command of to perform searing, inspiring power ballad solos. We'll focus on whole, half and unison bends, slides, arpeggiated lines, open string applications, and targeting specific scale tones to get a really memorable effect. We'll make use of double stops to add a chordal feel to break up the use of the scales. Most importantly, you'll learn to breathe musically -- when playing ballads, it's just as important to breathe between notes as it is in faster-paced solos.”
Tony’s 10 power ballad soloing studies cover the range of keys, feels, and chord progressions that are most common in power ballads. For each soloing study, Tony will first demonstrate the solo and then break it down for you note-by-note.
All of the performance studies are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference and study purposes. You’ll also get Guitar Pro files so that you can play, loop and/or slow down the tab and notation as you work through the lessons. Plus, Sheryl includes all of the backing tracks for you to work with on your own.
Grab your guitar and let’s power out a solo with Tony Smotherman!
”I've prepared 10 performance studies that focus on the techniques, creative approaches, and soloing skills that you’ll need command of to perform searing, inspiring power ballad solos. We'll focus on whole, half and unison bends, slides, arpeggiated lines, open string applications, and targeting specific scale tones to get a really memorable effect. We'll make use of double stops to add a chordal feel to break up the use of the scales. Most importantly, you'll learn to breathe musically -- when playing ballads, it's just as important to breathe between notes as it is in faster-paced solos.”
Tony’s 10 power ballad soloing studies cover the range of keys, feels, and chord progressions that are most common in power ballads. For each soloing study, Tony will first demonstrate the solo and then break it down for you note-by-note.
All of the performance studies are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference and study purposes. You’ll also get Guitar Pro files so that you can play, loop and/or slow down the tab and notation as you work through the lessons. Plus, Sheryl includes all of the backing tracks for you to work with on your own.
Grab your guitar and let’s power out a solo with Tony Smotherman!
What you'll learn
- Understanding Phrygian dominant scale
- Explore tone variation through pickup switching
- Creating ethereal melodic lines
- Learn to use arpeggios in soloing
- Understand melodic note selection
Release date: 09/20/2017 • 1h 42m runtime
Sample lessons
Exotic Tension
Overview
Exotic Tension
Performance
Exotic Tension
Breakdown
Double Stops for Hendrix
Overview
What's included
32 lessons • 10 charts • 10 Jam Tracks
Essentials: Power Ballad Soloing
Hi, I'm Tony Smotherman, and welcome to Essentials: Power Ballad Soloing. Ballads are important musical forms. We all love songs that get our blood pumping with a driving kick drum. As a matter of fact, many times faster paced tunes are used in sports settings to get the crowds going and inspire a winning feel. Ballads, although usually laid back, can create an equally special, if not more inspiring, feel. Ballads reach deep within, and I'm certain most all of us have a favorite slow song.
In Essentials: Power Ballad Soloing, I'm going to give you some unique tools to craft epic and melodic solos using techniques like target notes by targeting certain scale tones over certain chords to get a really memorable effect. We'll also use lots of bends, some half steps, some whole steps, and even whole step and a half bends to reach for tones that some may not have been adventurous enough to try yet. We'll make use of double stops to add a chordal feel to break up the use of the scales, and most importantly we'll learn to breathe musically — while we're playing ballads it's just as important to breathe between notes as it is in faster paced solos.
I'll perform every piece and break it down for you, demonstrating all the key left and right hand techniques along the way. Everything is tabbed and notated for you, plus you'll have all the rhythm tracks to work with on your own. So, grab your guitar and let's get started!
In Essentials: Power Ballad Soloing, I'm going to give you some unique tools to craft epic and melodic solos using techniques like target notes by targeting certain scale tones over certain chords to get a really memorable effect. We'll also use lots of bends, some half steps, some whole steps, and even whole step and a half bends to reach for tones that some may not have been adventurous enough to try yet. We'll make use of double stops to add a chordal feel to break up the use of the scales, and most importantly we'll learn to breathe musically — while we're playing ballads it's just as important to breathe between notes as it is in faster paced solos.
I'll perform every piece and break it down for you, demonstrating all the key left and right hand techniques along the way. Everything is tabbed and notated for you, plus you'll have all the rhythm tracks to work with on your own. So, grab your guitar and let's get started!
Exotic Tension
"Exotic Tension" makes use of a melodic chord progression common in many forms of classical music. These types of progressions are really great for creating memorable solos over because of their interesting harmonic changes. This chord progression in the key of C minor, and the tempo is in 6/8. The chords are Cmin - Abmaj - Bbmaj - Ebmaj - Abmaj - Ddim - Gsus4 - Gmaj.
Exotic Tension
Making use of special target notes over chords can create a really musical effect. There are so many options to choose from.
On this track, I'm mainly targeting major and minor 3rd intervals. You'll notice lots of bending, from half step, whole step, and whole step and a half bends to reach the target notes. Creating themes in your solos are a great way to create individuality in your writing. Try experimenting with singing a line and figuring it out, after a while the lines will sing to you!
On this track, I'm mainly targeting major and minor 3rd intervals. You'll notice lots of bending, from half step, whole step, and whole step and a half bends to reach the target notes. Creating themes in your solos are a great way to create individuality in your writing. Try experimenting with singing a line and figuring it out, after a while the lines will sing to you!
Exotic Tension
We're making use of simple pedal points in the opening of the track. You can expand on this for a wealth of ideas on other string sets. Notice the low string bending, this can give a very vocal like quality to your solos instead of staying in the higher register all the time. I also create a moving melodic motif by simply ascending a C minor scale without the 4th or b7 in octaves. This is a nice way to create an inspiring sound in your solo.
Sweepin' & Slidin'
"Sweepin' & Slidin'" is another classical style ballad. The chords are Amin - Cadd4 - Bdim7 - E7.
Having the diminished chord in this progression can opening up some great harmonic possibilities that will allow us to really expand out while still keeping things musically simple. There are plenty of target notes to hit, and lots of bending, especially in the higher register.
Having the diminished chord in this progression can opening up some great harmonic possibilities that will allow us to really expand out while still keeping things musically simple. There are plenty of target notes to hit, and lots of bending, especially in the higher register.
Sweepin' & Slidin'
For the overall feel, we want to create an inspiring sound, even in a minor key, so this is why we try and weave out of the minor 3rd target notes into more bendy and bluesy phrases. We're trying to catch the listener's ear and make our solo have some harmonic movement.
Sweepin' & Slidin'
In this ballad, we start out with an arpeggio to catch the listener's ear and from there we really make use of it to explore some slides vibrato and sliding on one string. The high register bends can be tricky to keep in tune, so make sure you're using more than one finger to bend the notes.
+ 25 more lessons
Reviews
7 results
weinstja1
Verified buyer
10/18/22
Great Course!
Fantastic melodic ideas and also appreciate the clear discussion about the various techniques.
Severi
Verified buyer
10/18/21
Amazing
RicVn
Verified buyer
09/20/21
Am enjoying it....
I haven't finished the course. So far I like that the tutor's explanations are clear and straightforward, yet the musical aspect is expressive and intense.
ReneM81
Verified buyer
10/29/20
Awesome!!
Very good, learning very interesting stuff!!
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