Please help me figure out this riff.....

[Last Triumph]

Perhaps a strange request (i'm not a great guitarist by any stretch) but I've been trying to figure out the TAB/fingering for a specific part of this riff....

It's a typical 4 part piece, repeated with a couple of changes second time round like so many riffs. I've got the first run down no issue, along with sections 1, 3 and 4 second time round, but cannot work out the second phase of part two which is exactly between 20 seconds and 23 seconds as the camera cuts away from the player at this point. The camera returns to his hand position before he moves down to the nut for the 3rd part, so I know where I need to be on the fret board, but I cannot fathom the TAB/fingering for the part to allow all notes to ring throughout.

I can play the right notes, but resort to having to play two notes on the same string after each other using a pull off, which sounds wrong, as in the piece all notes are left to ring making it sound like he's picking round a fixed chord shape, which is what makes it sound so awesome and haunting and I can't figures out a single hand and finger position to play all those notes whilst letting them all ring.

I'd be SO grateful if any of you could step by step, finger by finger, fret by fret, note down those 5 notes so I can complete this piece that has been driving me nuts.

How does he keep all notes ringing between 20-23secs?

[youtube]whlZ2fRY0DA[/youtube]

Thanks in advance.

 

[stratamania]

At about 22 seconds you can see what he has been holding down since around the 19 - 20 second mark. It is a mix of open and fretted notes. What are the two notes you are trying to figure out.

 

[gingataff]

To be fair he's using an ambient delay. He may well be doing a pull off but the delay will let the notes to blend together.

 

[Last Triumph]

At about 22 seconds you can see what he has been holding down since around the 19 - 20 second mark. It is a mix of open and fretted notes. What are the two notes you are trying to figure out.

The 5 notes in question that I'm playing go like this...

Open bottom E string
8th Fret - B string
11th Fret  - G string
Open top E string
Open G string..... which requires me to release/pull off the 3rd note, whereas I can hear them all ring with beautiful saturation.

I'm confident the notes are correct, but how do I get those notes whilst letting everything ring - I can't find the correct combination of strings / frets.

 

[stratamania]

I think he is doing this


Open bottom E string
8th Fret - B string
7th Fret  - B string
Open top E string
Open G string...with tremolo

That gives you the last four notes ringing over each other.
The delay does the rest.

 

[Last Triumph]

Thank you, that makes more sense - as the ringing is definitely present on the later notes.

There is simply no way to do it without using the same string twice or stretching to a high fret on the A string which would be goofy and sound too fat.

Now all I've got to do is try to get my VIP with DiMarzio Nortons to sound the same through a Marshall Valveestate, spring reverb and no delay........ never gonna happen!

That is where the Gretsh comes into its own I think. That glistening saturation that doesn't get muddy is awesome. The Marshall is either scooped out chug or clear as crystal - the in between sounds lame.

 

[jay4321]

I get something a little different

------------------------------------------0------------------
-------------------------7----------0x----------------------
------------(12)-------------------------------------0----------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
---0----------------------------------------------------------

If you read this before I made an edit, ignore everything I had before. Do it like this, the 12 is a harmonic and the open B and E strings are quick and played lightly. The open B might even be an error sounding when you release the fretted note, it's very faint and skip it if you want

I went through about 6 ways to do this and half work perfectly fine with that gain and delay but this is easy + if you want notes to hold and ring out it's hard to beat. I can beat it though and have all five ring without moving your left hand but that's not what's happening.

I do it fretting 8th + 11th fret and can probably thank Jim Martin from Faith No More, does something similar in Woodpecker from Mars, also with delay.

 

[jay4321]

bottom line with that phrase is I think those two early notes have to sound together and with more than just delay, even if just through the duration of the 2nd note.

 

[stratamania]

I thought about harmonics but honestly given the playing style I just don't think the player is moving his hand that much. You also see while the video is visible the position of the neck he goes to and afterwards he is still there.

Although I have not listened or looked at it that much as I personally found the tone painful on the ears.

 

[jay4321]

I have a couple guesses as to what the guy is actually doing but this sounds correct, is easy, and easy to transition to and from. The 8th and 11th fret way without the harmonic sounds fine too/. Would not spend another minute of life on this one.

The tone esp gain could use a lot of work but I can vouch for Gretsch 5655, and those pickups are IMO the best Gretsch makes, including the higher end models.   

 

[stratamania]

I am sure the Gretsch in and of itself sounds fine.

 

[jay4321]

There’s a good ad for on YT somewhere. But I was in a shop to try out a metallic rose falcon used that was a little too rough to buy as it turned out, but I went through trying 6-7 models and couldn’t get away from those. It’s centerblock and not really true old school Gretsch flavor but sounds great.

Seems to work best in the Deluxe amp models in the Axe 3 and I’ve tried it through a Princeton with a 12” also. Outside of the hard stuff it’s great for everything and one of my best purchases in last decade or so

Awesome for Tom Petty binges

 

[TBurst Std]

As a FYI, if you like those sort of riffs and sounds, research U2 songs as well as most contemporary Christian. Those style of riffs are a requirement.