Hey there GMCers - this is a tune that I have composed in the rock fusion style.

It starts with a chord section, all dominants, with a common bass line but the chords are different between each other. This generates a big contrast since there are dominant chords and sus4 sounds in combination with altered dominants.

What are dominant altered chords? Well, we could divide the dominant family into altered and non-altered. The non-altered are those that have extensions such as 9th, 11th and 13th as well as the sus4 or hybrid chords such as G/A. The altered dominants that belong to the Harmonic minor and Melodic minor scales as well as the Symmetrical diminished are the ones that have non-diatonic extensions such as B9, #9, #11, B13 or B5 and #5 depending on the case.

In this example we’re going to see many combinations of these chords. This is very interesting when you have to create a harmonic instability ambient, a very common thing on the harmonies of guitarists such as Allan Holdsworth and Scott Henderson just to name a few.

Try to incorporate this sound and to increase this dominant harmonic sense.

Then comes a part that begins with a whole tone scale. This is a simple pattern that’s followed by a riff that’s reminiscent of Hendrix’s “Manic depression”.

Totally different to the foretold part, this is a very rocker part. It continues with a diminished arpeggio in 16th notes in a seven note pattern which creates a sense of rhythmic displacement.

Try to play this lick with hybrid picking guys.

It’s followed by a melody that duplicates the higher voice of the chords in the beginning and to end it there’s a simple legato lick.

Hope you really like it. Ask in case of any doubt.

Techniques:

Chords
Riffing
Alternate Picking
Hybrid Picking
Legato

E whole note: