Hey Friend,
It’s one of those days…
It’s been raining for hours, and as I sat down to write this morning, I just wasn’t feeling it. Ever felt that way?
It’s kinda like a Monday morning at work…
Anyway, I couldn’t just take the day off and leave you hanging, so I went looking for something I could share. I did start a new exercise for you last night, but it’s not quite ready.
Instead, let’s take a look at a very recent Premier Guitar magazine article about playing in a style very near and dear to my heart...
80s New Wave Guitar.
Whoa. Wasn’t 80s music all about synthesizers and drum machines?
Nope.
There are tons of interesting and challenging guitar parts from the 80s New Wave scene.
New Wave guitarists didn't get a lot of love back then. If you weren’t in a Hair Metal band, you had to find other ways to stand out and get noticed as a guitar player (and no, I’m not hating on bands like Poison, Ratt and Motley Crue! Just different techniques and sound).
Unfortunately, many an interesting guitar riff went unnoticed during the 80s as most of them weren't found on mainstream radio...
You might not associate some of the artists referenced in the article as New Wave. Personally, I always thought they were more Punk-leaning, but after listening through the exercises, I get where the author is coming from.
But if you like the music of The Police, Talking Heads and King Crimson, dive into this lesson. There’s a wealth of information in here.
My musical formative stage was the 80s, and I can tell when I write that my music is heavily influenced by 80s guitar sounds. I love the sound of "sus" and “add" chords, and I use them every chance I get.
Peace~
Dave
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