Dan Mumm’s Weekly Guitar Challenge Podcast
9-07-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge Podcast: “Dark” Modulation Tapping Legato Run
This weeks Challenge is a riff that will fit nicely into your Halloween arsenal or Horror collection. This pattern uses
one of my personal favorite modulations that gives it a “dark” or eerie sound. This modulation is something you can have
a lot of fun with on it’s own. Basically, if you take any minor chord (which can be strummed, arpeggiated, sweeped, or tapped)
and transition into another minor chord that is a Major 3rd higher or lower, then you will achieve this sound. It’s a simple
idea, with awesome results. For example, try playing a Gm arpeggio and transition into a Bm arpeggio, then transition into
a D#m arpeggio and then back into Gm. You can also skip around these chords as in: Gm, D#m, Gm, Bm. If you are a composer
looking for something a little bit darker to throw into the mix, you can really have some fun with this. You can also try
changing some of the minor chords to Major chords to get a very interesting and dynamic sound. Composers from all genres and
eras have taken advantage of this, with some amazing results.
Ok on to today’s Challenge! Today we will be subtly adding this modulation into a legato run that uses finger tapping at
every turn. The chord progression that is being used in this pattern starts with a Gm, uses the “dark modulation” and moves
down a Major 3rd to D#m. It then continues in this pattern by moving down a minor 6th (the inversion of a Major 3rd, which
has the same effect) to a lower octave of Gm and then to a D Major arpeggio. It resolves on a G note.
The pattern begins with a short 3 string sweep pattern of a Gm arpeggio, hammers-on to a high G note, which is then topped
off with a Bb (the minor 3rd of Gm), back down to G and then swiftly moves into the D#m arpeggio on the second string starting
with a tapped F# note. At the end of this part the 4th finger slides down one fret from a D# to a D (16th fret to 15th fret on
the 2nd string), which puts us back into a Gm arpeggio. This arpeggio moves down with just one note on the 3rd string followed by a repeat of the Bb that was played on the 11th fret on the second string, now being tapped on the 20th fret of the 4th string (same note and octave). With the first finger of your picking hand (the one that is tapping the Bb), you will slide down one fret to an A on the 19th fret and pull-off into the D Major arpeggio. At the end your 4th finger on your fretting hand slides up from the 16th fret of the 4th string (F#) to the 17th fret, which resolves the pattern back on our root note of G.
You can download all of the files by clicking the link below. You will receive the audio file
from the podcast, a Guitar Pro 5 file (.gp5) of the tab, and an identical PDF file of the same tab. To view the TABS now,
click the picture of the TAB below. To view while listening to the podcast, be sure to right click and open in a new tab or
window.
Download 9-07-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge – Podcast MP3 and Tabs
If you have enjoyed my Weekly Challenges so far, be sure to check out my full length instructional DVD’s Fret Touch Mechanics and
Sweep Pick Mechanics at MetalMethod.com