Here is an example of an amazing player that makes a horrible teacher. No explanation, just spittting out "wow" factor. I am sure this is helpful with a chart. To think an Emaj7 in first inversion is disgusting sounding makes this guy a cocky mofo...Sure other inversions are more colorful, but we all have to start somewhere...jeez
Actually he didn't even want to make this video in the first place. He got stuck filming this because when his book came out, the publishing company wanted a video to it. Allan even thinks that he is not a teacher. Honestly, I blame the producer. For god's sake, have him demonstrate lines that he plays over his songs. At least, analyze all of the performances.
@shadowknight132 Sorry I don't know much about Allan H. I was just shocked by the "disgusting" statement. It left me a bit sour and turned off. I probably only have 1/2 the knowledge of AH, but I am always trying to learn even at my age. I enjoy teaching and trying to be accessible to all learners. AH just seemed to be on a whole other level!
@briankmovie Notice that he said "ugly, disgusting, dissonant sounding chord TO ME", with emphasis on the "to me", as in, "in my opinion", which is nothing more than an assessment of taste, personal preference.
I don't like chocolate. It disgusts me, gives me nausea. Does that make me a cocky mother fucker?
@briankmovie I agree with the teaching part, especially being a teacher myself. But you know - from an art point of view its exactly such calls of personal feelings and preference that defines the artist, I believe. I do believe he kind of apologizes for not being able to convey what he is doing in simple terms somewhere and that this was the best he could do since somebody asked him to do a video.
Wow, this is getting really interesting. dwilmer7 wrote in his/her comment that there is no scientific evidence proving the existence of Allan Holdsworth. He/she got like 114 thumbs up for that. But the biggest mystery of it all is, that dwilmer7 doesn't seem to exist. When I tried to check up his/her channel, the following message pops up: "This channel is not available"
@G27dude inversions affect how a chord sounds, which is why written music often specifies what inversion you use (not jazz, it assumes you can figure it out)
@cominroitover80 I suppose. It's still the same notes. To me, the inversions of a chord all sound the same. Just with different notes more prominent as you switch from 1st inversion to 2nd etc.
he thinks a closed position Emaj7 sounds ugly and dissonant? wtf that's one of the most beautiful sounds to me. Bob Marley's "waiting in vain" uses a closed voicing maj7...well to each his own I guess.
@NateMantle Well, Allan Holdsworth is not Bob Marley, you know. He is... Allan Holdsworth, the grandmaster of them all. Complex harmonic awareness. He's like a Coltrane, or Bach, higher league. But it's just music...
I've seen some poorly produced videos in my time, but this one takes the cake. You you actually expect anyone to get anything out of this ridiculous piece. You provide no Notes. No TABs no reference as to what notes your fingers are actually pressing on and you expect someone to jus pick it up. What by osmosis? This is a perfect example of why not everyone should assume they can teach.... the fact is they can't!
Can someone tell me how Allan achieves that synth like effect with his guitar playing? I can sort of a hear the notes in the chords suggested at a highier octave, like a keyboard player is playing quietly with him..
@Nathankthanks probably a sound -> midi thing in there somehow and the midi just makes the synth play. How exactly and what boxes? i am not intrested and i do not know.
@Nathankthanks several things, 1st off are you aware he uses alot of odd guitars,one in particular called a "synth axe", look it up in the wiki for details, i imagine its also in his playing (fingers)and alot of it is w/ his effects that he uses..when i saw him in a little club in ft laud back in the 80's, he had two tremendous racks of all effects and guitar related gear, amps, pre-amps,fx, compressors, etc, and i think he had two of each (stereo) again check wiki for more info
@MOSKII58 also he almost always performs w/ a keys player who uses all kinds of synthesizers, that is a part of his over-all recorded & live sound as well..
@Nathankthanks It's probably a harmonizer pedal, and it seems like it's set to an octave above for this video. He also has it set to playing the fifths above and probably a whole load more combinations aswell.
@tromblay99backup - Okay, so you're like 13, right? There aren't many other reasons to say something like that. If you don't like jazz, that's fine. It's your loss, really, but nobody here wants to hear it. Better yet, go learn to play an instrument; the only people who can say things like that are the close-minded individuals that don't understand it. You should recognize the talent in musicians, even if you don't like to listen to their music.
@tromblay99backup - Also, shut the fuck up, ass. I have a hard enough time convincing people of the musical merit of all forms of metal without people like you going around making everyone think we're a bunch of elitist, half-retarded douches who have to shit on everything that doesn't equate to, at the very least, infant sodomy on the brutality scale -.-
@TacoBot5000 Well, it's hard for a chord to sound bad when you use 8-voice chorusing (LOL). But when you think about it, (I'll spare you the full explanation about equal temperament) the major 3rd/minor 3rd Western music uses is slightly out of tune from what it should ideally be. Ever try playing a chord with a 3rd with distortion and have it sound kinda shit? That's why.
that's it ! when you are able to say " primitive, ugly " about what is kind of "mainstream" way of playing, you're about to break free into a really artistic approach of music
How generous is the man to share his knowledge like this - I'll soonbe able to catch up with him now (lol!). Good of you to post this shadowknight, thanks
@jazzpsalti He uses a melodic minor #4 scale (mM#4), which is a mode of the Harmonic Major scale....I don't know if anyone's worried about the #4 being the same as the b5 here, enharmonically.....I doubt he is....
Wow, his ear is so far ahead of mine. He plays these different, shall I say, famalies of notes that are based on one chord, and I hear 37 different chords.
I just downloaded the tabs. The voicings for D melodic are brutal. I'm 6ft 4 with big hands and I cramped up into the second one. ouch! They sound sweet though...
@dwilmer7 lol, i would be inclined to agree w/ you, if i had not actually met him a few times..he is one of the nicest,most humble chaps i 've met,.. espec for someone of his stature..
@dwilmer7 Funny you should say that. Yesterday I read an article on Yahoo! page regarding Charlie Chaplin. Secret documents were declassified in Great Britain according to which, there is no record that neither Charlie Chaplin (alias), nor Israel Thornstein (his real name) was born on April 16, 1889, in south London. As for Allan here, he certainly does what he can to be invisible in this video, blends in perfectly with these amps behind him
I've had many albums that introduced me to the Legato King and Ministry of Shovel Hand Chords From Jupiter. For whatever reason however I've always enjoyed Allan most when he's, uh, "confined" to a Dave Stewart / Berlin / Bruford / U.K. format. The solo on In The Dead Of Night is disciplined legato, building slowly until AH goes wormhole on ya. But when I saw him with I.O.U. it was like "okay, this is getting tiresome". I mean, is it a crime to slow down at some point and play a melody, a hook?
I agree with you 100%. I first came across Alan in college in 1978 on the UK album. I had only been playing for a couple of years although I had put alot of time into the instrument. I remember picking up the UK album and recognizing every name but his and thinking "couldn't they have gotten somebody better, i.e., more well known?" After hearing the album I was a Holdsworth freak.
@neutroniumamp I bought every album I could get my hands on that had him playing on it. Tony Williams, Bruford, JL Ponty, Gong, Soft Machine, etc. I was disappointed when he left UK but after hearing the second album, who could blame him? I could never see him playing on "Nothing to Lose". Yet after hearing his solo stuff I was bored out of my mind.
@neutroniumamp I saw him in Cleveland in the early 80s and he played his SynthAxe on almost every song which I found disappointing, not to mention the esoteric nature of his compositions. I consider it "music for musicians" and yet it still sometimes seemed above me. I wish his comps were more like "Fred" with a distinct melody and fewer modulating chord shapes.
All of these people discussing whether or not Allan has Asperger's, introverted and whatnot...I have Asperger's, and when I met him, I greeted him & HE took the initiative to shake my hand and ask my name. He definitely seemed to stand back a distance after the show, knocked back a beer. I didn't ask for any autograph or photo, and perhaps he appreciated that. If anyone in his group could be considered an extreme introvert, I would say that Chad Wackerman fits the bill.
DOES HE PLAY "TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR????? IT'S ABOUT MELODY!!!!! ALAN IS ULTRA MELODIC .....HE IS TEACHING THE GUITAR HOW TO SOUND PERFECT! AWESOME! HARMONICALLY DEFINED!!!!
@roadtonever i think only a handful of people can actually sort of grasp Allans Music, im not one of them, definetly, but my teacher is.. search for pebber brown on youtube, he knows Allan in person and has exchanged ideas with him he also teaches Allan Holdsworth scale system
Brilliant point stated by Allan, its all about creating music don't get buried under the theoretical concept, use the notes floating by.... I like that .........
excuse me but WTF is that V shaped electronic monster luking in the background against the Boogie?it looks like a sythaxe prototype ....................
I'm a trumpet player, but I listen to all sorts of different music. I've been fascinated with Allan's music for almost 30 years. It is a rare treat to listen to someone with a truly original take on harmony (a very rare occurence) actually speak about the process behind it. It's the combination of his unique approach, guided by his steadfast faithfulness to his own personal aesthetic. THANK YOU ALLAN for the lesson. It was very generous of you!!!!!
What the "#¤"#¤ is wrong with you people? just listen to to music....it does not matter if he is black white, blind or deaf even. Stop the name calling and categorizing. Its just notes....so site down...shut it....and listen. or dont.
People these days just drift more and more from the pure.....
dont get me wrong...i respect alan...i find however a little arrogant to call a certain voicing dissonant only because it is the simple way to play it... maybe in context it wont sound dissonant... its the simplicity that fusion players avoid... they complicate matters just for the sake of it... pure showing off and antagonizing eachother... another fusion player frank gambale called palm muting not real muting but a childish percussive sound. these guys beleive they are absolute masters :\
@nemogre in Allan's case it has nothing to do with complicate things just for the sake of it: his father was a jazz pianist and they simply don't play Maj7 chords like that (in 3rds)...and i don't even understand why what you wrote about Gambale has to do here (i hate gambale and pretty much all the guitar fusion players) and if you've watched the whole Allan's vid, you would have learned that this guy can't be called arrogant...
holdsworth was pretty spot when he said that was an ugly chord. mainly because of the tone he was using. a different tone could sound great with that, but that was honestly terrible sounding. trust me, the tone does make chords sound different. there are plenty of good uses for that chord, but it sounded terrible here. frank gambale is a different matter though. 99.9% of guitarists use palm muting as opposed to whatever the hell he does. they are masters though. that's undeniable.
@DontRespondImStupid i only care about good music that soothes me and makes me feel good... i dont care about mastership... you can have an absolutely useless guitar player (kurt cobain) make amazing music... however that said, these guys are masters but not the only masters...basically you can master anything you like...you can master palm muting...you can master chordal playing or whatever...the point is to use it musically
yes, but you will also notice holdsworth even said "in my opinion" obviously saying that it sounded ugly TO HIM. calling him arrogant for that is just wrong. frank gambale comes off as pretty arrogant though and his music really isn't that great. holdsworth makes amazing music.
@dwilmer7 severe aspergers is pretty noticable... your whole face looks different, you move differently, your eyes move differently. Not to mention talking and feeling differently. I'm not sure about people like Steven Speilberg and Holdsworth being Aspergers, and if they are they have a very mild case that is effectively just being 'a little different'
@szelidrocker Good ear. It's a split signal - one side is clean tone guitar with compression and chorus and delay and then he has the split signal going thru an Eventide harmonizer set to one octave up, with modulation and delay also and it produces an almost string synth type sound. I created a patch called "Hall of Mirrors" (after the AH tune) for the Roland VG-99 processor which is available at vguitarforums if you want to mess with it and have access to a VG-99.
@Adamshredsify It's a lot of processing. Most of it is from a combination of digital delay and reverb units. At the time of this video, he was using different Mesa amps, including a slightly modded DC-5, and Rectifier heads.
@shadowknight132 no i cant explain that , either can you. Autism or aspergers or whatever isnt some sort of disease, its just some dumb label that was put on a certain set characteristics common to a subset of the population. You self-limit yourself when you start saying you "have aspergers".. Theres nothing wrong with Allan, he is one of the most gifted musicians to come around in a long, long time.
@shadowknight132 There is of course the possibility that he's just a shy introvert. He is from Yorkshire after all, which isn't exactly the brightest, friendliest and most social of places (I lived there for a few years)...
Of course we all know that Yorkshire is just a cover and that he really came from space.
Maybe but it doesn't explain the narrow interests and the lack of facial expression. I know a lot of information about high functioning autism/asperger's and Allan meets the criteria for a diagnosis in Asperger's. Here's some of the things Allan does that meets the criteria of Asperger's Syndrome.
@shadowknight132 You may be right about this. But it's more of an Anorak thing (english slang... look it up). He's nothing compared to Buckethead. Buckethead hits the nail more, on all of your descriptions. Just being obsessive about details of your trade - that is, obsessive, to an outsider - does not imply aspberger. Eric Johnson's even more obsessive in that case. Personally I don't hang out with guitarists, due to this very nature, only discussing gear all of the time.
The only guitarists I've had the chance to meet and greet, and been to clinics and masterclasses to, are - when speaking of the same generation as Allan - are Steve Morse and Pat Metheny. They can talk about other things. They KNOW about other things. Even Steve can fly and be a pilot, and I'll bet those can't have the slightest trace of any Aspberger or similar. Allan has family, was married and has kids. Allan's just introvert.
@henkehakansson2004 Steve Morse can be a pilot, Metheny can be a jogger & spaced-out guy who's never had a beer & Allan can be a brewer & was a bicycling fanatic in his younger days, so what? Extroverts & conformists to outside groups or trends usually make mediocre artists anyway because real artistry is an indvidual thing & can only be channeled from the inside out, especially when the outside world is barren & artless or even just indifferent as most were to Allan's music in England.
@shadowknight132 O.k. Obsessing over nuances....self criticism..... talk for long periods about things of interest..... sensitive to criticism.... Uncomfortable in social situations.... Jeez, this is every brilliant musician I have ever met.... and I guess I have all of these traits.... but how can it be a syndrome if you choose to be analytical, obsessive about what is important to you, self effacing, etc. I am uncomfortable in social situations cuz folks are generally.....well....you know..
@shadowknight132 Syndrome implies that you have no idea that you are doing it and that you can't control it with rational thought and self motivated action. What if he CHOOSES to be analytical, relate in math terms etc because the MUSIC motivates him? Why is that a syndrome? Don't we all show characteristics of this? It reminds me of an energetic child being given the term ADD, when he has the ability to focus, he just hasn't been taught how.
Based on the fact that I have Asperger's. I can see that he has certain characteristics. But really why would you choose to use limited head movements if you could control that. There's a difference from being shy and not being able to communicate well in Asperger's Syndrome (sometimes called high Functioning Autism). Usually people with Asperger's have this type of straight face but we can change it when we show emotions but not always.
@shadowknight132 I am sorry that you have been diagnosed with the syndrome. I know it can be quite a struggle at times. Kudos to you! I am an educator (music) and have worked with Asperger as well as Autistic students. And I have done some research involving educational psychology and cognition for Asperger's and Autism. Seems to me Allan might show signs, but I doubt he has the syndrome. The key to the diagnosis is the level to which it becomes socially debilitating.
After a while it doesn't bother me. All I do is just is keep researching and try herbs and vitamins to help with some of the symptoms. So far nothing helped with me communicating. That is something I'm going to have to work at by joining a support group.
-Apparently and visibly uncomfortable in many normal social situations (personally observed this spending time with the maestro after shows and in private)
-Eye contact avoidance, certain facial gestures and body language (observed by me and others)
-His relationship to music stated in mathematical terms (using permutations and series of notes to devise his scales), and has is own notation
@shadowknight132 I didn't know he might have synesthesia, how certain are you? Just saying there's loads of players that talk about music using colors, extensively too. Lots of people relate it to colors without actually having synesthesia.
Dislikes talking about his own music (hard to get him to discuss it for very long without the topic changing to brews, brewery equipment, etc)
This one is a major characteristic by Aspies. They only talk about one thing for a long time. Boring the heck out of people and they don't really notice it.
@catapei True, although that also renders your comment pointless, and the one I'm writing now, and hell, maybe we could get into existentialism and ask wether anything really has a point anyway.
While the conversation had no effect whatsoever on my appreciation and admiration of the music, it raised my awareness of Asbergers and it's symptoms; pointless, but interesting and enlightening (for me at least).
@SmelOdies voiced in 1st inversion close position, generally considered to be less pleasing to the ear than say a 1st inversion drop 2 voicing. or any other drop type voicing [ie drop 3, drop 2 &3, etc...].
Allan is a guitar virtuoso. I developed my legato technique by listening to early EVH, who was influenced by AH. I don't like jazz music in any shape or form. The chords and melodic lead runs Allan plays I generally avoid. His playing is beautifully executed, but also sounds very dissonant (harsh and inharmonious in sound) to my ears. Different cognitive hardwiring translates to different interpretation. So I am interested in how Allan executes his technique, but not in the final result.
Holdsworth had a instructional book called "Reaching for the uncommon chord." I don't know if it's still in print but for the guitarists in the house, it would be very useful in clarifying his chordal approach. BTW, I think Allan is simply a peerless player. I've never heard a "riff" out of him. His solo playing is a thing of beauty and his technique, flawless.
It seems like this man is speaking a different language. DERP.
mikeonthebigbike 1 day ago
I'd like to know a little more about his axe. It's obviously got a synth pickup as well as the regular ones. Sounds great!
sepulchre10 5 days ago
Here is an example of an amazing player that makes a horrible teacher. No explanation, just spittting out "wow" factor. I am sure this is helpful with a chart. To think an Emaj7 in first inversion is disgusting sounding makes this guy a cocky mofo...Sure other inversions are more colorful, but we all have to start somewhere...jeez
briankmovie 6 days ago
@briankmovie
Actually he didn't even want to make this video in the first place. He got stuck filming this because when his book came out, the publishing company wanted a video to it. Allan even thinks that he is not a teacher. Honestly, I blame the producer. For god's sake, have him demonstrate lines that he plays over his songs. At least, analyze all of the performances.
shadowknight132 6 days ago
@shadowknight132 Sorry I don't know much about Allan H. I was just shocked by the "disgusting" statement. It left me a bit sour and turned off. I probably only have 1/2 the knowledge of AH, but I am always trying to learn even at my age. I enjoy teaching and trying to be accessible to all learners. AH just seemed to be on a whole other level!
briankmovie 6 days ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@briankmovie Notice that he said "ugly, disgusting, dissonant sounding chord TO ME", with emphasis on the "to me", as in, "in my opinion", which is nothing more than an assessment of taste, personal preference.
I don't like chocolate. It disgusts me, gives me nausea. Does that make me a cocky mother fucker?
Guolettue 3 days ago
@briankmovie I agree with the teaching part, especially being a teacher myself. But you know - from an art point of view its exactly such calls of personal feelings and preference that defines the artist, I believe. I do believe he kind of apologizes for not being able to convey what he is doing in simple terms somewhere and that this was the best he could do since somebody asked him to do a video.
whynottalklikeapirat 1 day ago
3w.diegoriedemann.cl
Guk1981 1 week ago
this guy really knows EVERYTHING
stoofbuis 1 week ago
I think he's right about inversions, some sound way better than others. But as always, it also depends on where you want it to fit in to begin with
the thing about finding a cool sounding chord and then moving it to the next notes in the scale is a great trick
Barefoot67 1 week ago
thanks for uploading friend....thank so much!!!
italianobaiano 1 week ago
Wow, this is getting really interesting. dwilmer7 wrote in his/her comment that there is no scientific evidence proving the existence of Allan Holdsworth. He/she got like 114 thumbs up for that. But the biggest mystery of it all is, that dwilmer7 doesn't seem to exist. When I tried to check up his/her channel, the following message pops up: "This channel is not available"
TosiekDegutis 1 week ago
cool way to think about it
flowerdrop1 2 weeks ago
that chord sounded ugly? more like beautiful
Mrguitars1000 2 weeks ago
@Mrguitars1000 yeah, honestly the second chord he played was far uglier, still interesting.
cominroitover80 2 weeks ago
@cominroitover80 Same chord, different inversion. The tonality is the same. I don't get how one was uglier than the other.
G27dude 1 week ago
@G27dude inversions affect how a chord sounds, which is why written music often specifies what inversion you use (not jazz, it assumes you can figure it out)
cominroitover80 1 week ago
@cominroitover80 I suppose. It's still the same notes. To me, the inversions of a chord all sound the same. Just with different notes more prominent as you switch from 1st inversion to 2nd etc.
G27dude 1 week ago
I may be wrong, but I claim that unless you are from another planet, this vid is no good for learning guitar. :)
TruthSurge 3 weeks ago
he thinks a closed position Emaj7 sounds ugly and dissonant? wtf that's one of the most beautiful sounds to me. Bob Marley's "waiting in vain" uses a closed voicing maj7...well to each his own I guess.
NateMantle 3 weeks ago 2
@NateMantle Well, Allan Holdsworth is not Bob Marley, you know. He is... Allan Holdsworth, the grandmaster of them all. Complex harmonic awareness. He's like a Coltrane, or Bach, higher league. But it's just music...
Listendudeok 2 weeks ago
Ya wrong big boy
251dog 4 weeks ago
@OneDownServer No not really..Ive shook his hand and they are not that big?? i just think he has worked on them being flexible.
251dog 4 weeks ago
I've seen some poorly produced videos in my time, but this one takes the cake. You you actually expect anyone to get anything out of this ridiculous piece. You provide no Notes. No TABs no reference as to what notes your fingers are actually pressing on and you expect someone to jus pick it up. What by osmosis? This is a perfect example of why not everyone should assume they can teach.... the fact is they can't!
loveruleshate 1 month ago
@loveruleshate The video came with a multipage booklet with all of the information you complain about being missing.
aliensporebomb 4 weeks ago
@loveruleshate
I believe the video came with a booklet.
Samsgarden 3 weeks ago
He's so good that the heads of his guitars fall off when he plays them.
FormerlyMrBean667 1 month ago
Allan's music will sound perfectly consonant in about 100 years.
SideshowBob180 1 month ago 3
This has been flagged as spam show
1:31 - 1:48 But, I've been playing for 15 years and thought the first one sounded decent. I have effectively been Holdsworthed. =(
seowhistleblower 1 month ago 2
Comment removed
seowhistleblower 1 month ago
The more I see Holdsworth play the more ignorant I feel
josugarciadelotero 1 month ago
So his fingers are made out of rubber right?
powersoftritone 1 month ago
The only thing allan holdsworth's music has done for me is give me carpal tunnel
Dp010184 1 month ago
Can someone tell me how Allan achieves that synth like effect with his guitar playing? I can sort of a hear the notes in the chords suggested at a highier octave, like a keyboard player is playing quietly with him..
Nathankthanks 1 month ago
@Nathankthanks probably a sound -> midi thing in there somehow and the midi just makes the synth play. How exactly and what boxes? i am not intrested and i do not know.
LeapingDodo 1 month ago
@Nathankthanks several things, 1st off are you aware he uses alot of odd guitars,one in particular called a "synth axe", look it up in the wiki for details, i imagine its also in his playing (fingers)and alot of it is w/ his effects that he uses..when i saw him in a little club in ft laud back in the 80's, he had two tremendous racks of all effects and guitar related gear, amps, pre-amps,fx, compressors, etc, and i think he had two of each (stereo) again check wiki for more info
MOSKII58 1 month ago
@MOSKII58 also he almost always performs w/ a keys player who uses all kinds of synthesizers, that is a part of his over-all recorded & live sound as well..
MOSKII58 1 month ago
@Nathankthanks It's probably a harmonizer pedal, and it seems like it's set to an octave above for this video. He also has it set to playing the fifths above and probably a whole load more combinations aswell.
RoronoaOfficial 3 weeks ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
jazz is gay, metal is where it's at
tromblay99backup 1 month ago
@tromblay99backup - Okay, so you're like 13, right? There aren't many other reasons to say something like that. If you don't like jazz, that's fine. It's your loss, really, but nobody here wants to hear it. Better yet, go learn to play an instrument; the only people who can say things like that are the close-minded individuals that don't understand it. You should recognize the talent in musicians, even if you don't like to listen to their music.
851852093114208513 1 month ago
@851852093114208513 lol, dude I'm sorry for what I said ok. And I do play guitar. And how'd you guess my age :D
tromblay99backup 1 month ago
@tromblay99backup - Because I used to be the same way o.O
851852093114208513 1 month ago
@tromblay99backup - Also, shut the fuck up, ass. I have a hard enough time convincing people of the musical merit of all forms of metal without people like you going around making everyone think we're a bunch of elitist, half-retarded douches who have to shit on everything that doesn't equate to, at the very least, infant sodomy on the brutality scale -.-
851852093114208513 1 month ago
Where this video Come from?... What's the name of the entire Video? Thanks!
Eljubilodeltambor 1 month ago
The description is a better explination of this video. In music, the term chord scales is confusing
allanm8888 1 month ago
The first emajor7 was perfectly fine from the root up. The second chord was actually more dissonant and not as closely related to an actual Em7
allanm8888 1 month ago 2
@allanm8888
I agree. Wth was wrong with the first version.. =)
Aleksi32 1 month ago
Allan assumes we all have spaghetti fingers...
sysrq120 2 months ago
Why was that an ugly, disgusting, dissonant sounding chord?
what the fuck
TacoBot5000 2 months ago 13
@TacoBot5000 That's just his voice.
kingquaps 2 weeks ago
@TacoBot5000 Well, it's hard for a chord to sound bad when you use 8-voice chorusing (LOL). But when you think about it, (I'll spare you the full explanation about equal temperament) the major 3rd/minor 3rd Western music uses is slightly out of tune from what it should ideally be. Ever try playing a chord with a 3rd with distortion and have it sound kinda shit? That's why.
eddievhfan1984 1 week ago
Comment removed
robbmcc420 1 week ago
i met him in dc
gotta pic and signed a book/bookmark?
dont remember too well but he was incredible!
lego398 2 months ago
its funny how his basic chord shapes are my advanced shapes. why do I even fucking bother?
electric417 2 months ago 9
What's the song being played in the background at the beginning of the video?
extremities9 3 months ago
Vai cares too much about what his fans like, and this could care less. Both are wrong in my opinion.
vonalxao1 3 months ago
@vonalxao1 Vai cares too much about what he looks like when he sees himself in the mirror.
rayjr62 2 months ago 3
He is on another level. I wish he wouldn't be so damned boring tho. Ah well, cant have everything.
vonalxao1 3 months ago
Basic chords my ass...
OstentatiousTyler 3 months ago
that's it ! when you are able to say " primitive, ugly " about what is kind of "mainstream" way of playing, you're about to break free into a really artistic approach of music
RingOfRae 3 months ago
I'm convinced this guy has 11 fingers...on each hand. Cause his chord fingerings make my fingers hurt. Either way, he's damn awesome!
InquiringDeist 3 months ago
i played for more than 10 years now and i wonder .... i feel like an idiot now :)
JJStuffEngineering 3 months ago
How generous is the man to share his knowledge like this - I'll soonbe able to catch up with him now (lol!). Good of you to post this shadowknight, thanks
geespar1 3 months ago
Okay, so he takes a modal approach, which I completely agree with. But what exactly is the mode he's conceiving with the m(M7b5) voicing?
jazzpsalti 3 months ago
@jazzpsalti He uses a melodic minor #4 scale (mM#4), which is a mode of the Harmonic Major scale....I don't know if anyone's worried about the #4 being the same as the b5 here, enharmonically.....I doubt he is....
effsixteenblock50 2 months ago
@effsixteenblock50 I also realized that this voicing is the same as a 7 with the b9 in the bass.
jazzpsalti 2 months ago
now i realise how much i suck at guitar...
89ErwinR 3 months ago
Wow, his ear is so far ahead of mine. He plays these different, shall I say, famalies of notes that are based on one chord, and I hear 37 different chords.
bryonshea 4 months ago
talk about an unrated guitarist! he influenced so many musicians over time, yet is unknown to the general public
TheNeverendingfire 4 months ago
@TheNeverendingfire
and to most guitarists.
The shred movement has taken some of his oxygen but that isn't so much about music is it?
Samsgarden 4 months ago
@Samsgarden
I think music using theory is making a bit of comeback, though shred will stay a staple of most metal.
MrWiggerdale123 3 months ago
Every time I watch this video the more I know what he is doing because I'm studying music theory all the time.
rololoo 4 months ago
His name is really ALIEN Holdsworth.
junkdrop1 4 months ago
Allan Holdsworth does not belong on this stupid redneck planet.
casestudyification 4 months ago
Winston.
dimedizzle 4 months ago 42
@dimedizzle Yeah he does.. He rewired an amp of mine in 1972 ..No joke..
wilmaman 4 months ago
I just downloaded the tabs. The voicings for D melodic are brutal. I'm 6ft 4 with big hands and I cramped up into the second one. ouch! They sound sweet though...
BenFairbank 5 months ago
There is no scientific evidence that Allan Holdsworth actually exists.
dwilmer7 5 months ago 105
@dwilmer7 That's because science can only test things that exist in the natural world.
darthfocus 4 months ago
@dwilmer7 I saw him with my own eyes in concert about four times. It's kinda like multiple alien sightings. LOL!
OZRIC1985 4 months ago
@dwilmer7 Indeed, Allan Holdsworth is the map, not the terrain.
gepmrk 2 months ago
@dwilmer7 lol, i would be inclined to agree w/ you, if i had not actually met him a few times..he is one of the nicest,most humble chaps i 've met,.. espec for someone of his stature..
MOSKII58 1 month ago
@dwilmer7 Funny you should say that. Yesterday I read an article on Yahoo! page regarding Charlie Chaplin. Secret documents were declassified in Great Britain according to which, there is no record that neither Charlie Chaplin (alias), nor Israel Thornstein (his real name) was born on April 16, 1889, in south London. As for Allan here, he certainly does what he can to be invisible in this video, blends in perfectly with these amps behind him
TosiekDegutis 2 weeks ago
this is a dude who wouldn't be caught dead playing sweet home alabama
manifestgtr 5 months ago 2
I can't actually reach the chord at 3:56 haha wow
KH2R0xas 5 months ago
I've had many albums that introduced me to the Legato King and Ministry of Shovel Hand Chords From Jupiter. For whatever reason however I've always enjoyed Allan most when he's, uh, "confined" to a Dave Stewart / Berlin / Bruford / U.K. format. The solo on In The Dead Of Night is disciplined legato, building slowly until AH goes wormhole on ya. But when I saw him with I.O.U. it was like "okay, this is getting tiresome". I mean, is it a crime to slow down at some point and play a melody, a hook?
neutroniumamp 5 months ago
@neutroniumamp
I agree with you 100%. I first came across Alan in college in 1978 on the UK album. I had only been playing for a couple of years although I had put alot of time into the instrument. I remember picking up the UK album and recognizing every name but his and thinking "couldn't they have gotten somebody better, i.e., more well known?" After hearing the album I was a Holdsworth freak.
Fripperphant 5 months ago
@neutroniumamp I bought every album I could get my hands on that had him playing on it. Tony Williams, Bruford, JL Ponty, Gong, Soft Machine, etc. I was disappointed when he left UK but after hearing the second album, who could blame him? I could never see him playing on "Nothing to Lose". Yet after hearing his solo stuff I was bored out of my mind.
Fripperphant 5 months ago
@neutroniumamp I saw him in Cleveland in the early 80s and he played his SynthAxe on almost every song which I found disappointing, not to mention the esoteric nature of his compositions. I consider it "music for musicians" and yet it still sometimes seemed above me. I wish his comps were more like "Fred" with a distinct melody and fewer modulating chord shapes.
Fripperphant 5 months ago
All of these people discussing whether or not Allan has Asperger's, introverted and whatnot...I have Asperger's, and when I met him, I greeted him & HE took the initiative to shake my hand and ask my name. He definitely seemed to stand back a distance after the show, knocked back a beer. I didn't ask for any autograph or photo, and perhaps he appreciated that. If anyone in his group could be considered an extreme introvert, I would say that Chad Wackerman fits the bill.
myworms 5 months ago
What/when is this from??
Aidan6496 5 months ago
Allan is an alien.
sbriskey0390 5 months ago
Chord at 4:10 - ordinary hands crumple and fail. AH - no problem!
aliensporebomb 6 months ago
@aliensporebomb His reach is inhuman.
Fripperphant 5 months ago
Heyyy... I like Maj7, jerk... >:(
cruelzeppelin666 6 months ago
He is the best.
DSherinian1111 6 months ago
Where can I find the full lenght dvd?
DARKAGEKNIGHT 6 months ago
I've finally understood what's going on. Allan Holdsworth is autistic. He is the 'rain man' of the guitar.
555pontifex 6 months ago
At 3:02 - "These are pretty basic chords..." Sigh... I might as well give up now.
555pontifex 6 months ago
Comment removed
555pontifex 6 months ago
DOES HE PLAY "TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR????? IT'S ABOUT MELODY!!!!! ALAN IS ULTRA MELODIC .....HE IS TEACHING THE GUITAR HOW TO SOUND PERFECT! AWESOME! HARMONICALLY DEFINED!!!!
311superfly 6 months ago
Xmmaj7b5 - omg
aleksandersucharski 6 months ago
I'm not a big fan of the sound of winston
boogster123321 6 months ago
Man, I browsed through the comments for any discussion about Allans chordal concepts presented in the clip and found none, zero, nada...
roadtonever 6 months ago 8
@roadtonever
Download the tab. It's from the book and dvd.
shadowknight132 6 months ago
@shadowknight132 Page 74
JonSebastianF 1 month ago
@roadtonever i think only a handful of people can actually sort of grasp Allans Music, im not one of them, definetly, but my teacher is.. search for pebber brown on youtube, he knows Allan in person and has exchanged ideas with him he also teaches Allan Holdsworth scale system
Pierceher 3 months ago
Brilliant point stated by Allan, its all about creating music don't get buried under the theoretical concept, use the notes floating by.... I like that .........
tpmbe 6 months ago
no i?
Batoo21 6 months ago
It's like Allan just translated Klingon into plain english for me.
asgerms 6 months ago 3
excuse me but WTF is that V shaped electronic monster luking in the background against the Boogie?it looks like a sythaxe prototype ....................
BTW anybody got an AH-10 for sale?
racecar06 6 months ago
I'm a trumpet player, but I listen to all sorts of different music. I've been fascinated with Allan's music for almost 30 years. It is a rare treat to listen to someone with a truly original take on harmony (a very rare occurence) actually speak about the process behind it. It's the combination of his unique approach, guided by his steadfast faithfulness to his own personal aesthetic. THANK YOU ALLAN for the lesson. It was very generous of you!!!!!
ajn465 6 months ago
Allan is amazing!
What the "#¤"#¤ is wrong with you people? just listen to to music....it does not matter if he is black white, blind or deaf even. Stop the name calling and categorizing. Its just notes....so site down...shut it....and listen. or dont.
People these days just drift more and more from the pure.....
InnerTranquility 6 months ago
dont get me wrong...i respect alan...i find however a little arrogant to call a certain voicing dissonant only because it is the simple way to play it... maybe in context it wont sound dissonant... its the simplicity that fusion players avoid... they complicate matters just for the sake of it... pure showing off and antagonizing eachother... another fusion player frank gambale called palm muting not real muting but a childish percussive sound. these guys beleive they are absolute masters :\
nemogre 6 months ago
@nemogre in Allan's case it has nothing to do with complicate things just for the sake of it: his father was a jazz pianist and they simply don't play Maj7 chords like that (in 3rds)...and i don't even understand why what you wrote about Gambale has to do here (i hate gambale and pretty much all the guitar fusion players) and if you've watched the whole Allan's vid, you would have learned that this guy can't be called arrogant...
Fjord76 6 months ago
@nemogre "I respect Allan"? Fuck's sake, he's God
AnonymousCowardX 6 months ago
@nemogre
holdsworth was pretty spot when he said that was an ugly chord. mainly because of the tone he was using. a different tone could sound great with that, but that was honestly terrible sounding. trust me, the tone does make chords sound different. there are plenty of good uses for that chord, but it sounded terrible here. frank gambale is a different matter though. 99.9% of guitarists use palm muting as opposed to whatever the hell he does. they are masters though. that's undeniable.
DontRespondImStupid 5 months ago
@DontRespondImStupid i only care about good music that soothes me and makes me feel good... i dont care about mastership... you can have an absolutely useless guitar player (kurt cobain) make amazing music... however that said, these guys are masters but not the only masters...basically you can master anything you like...you can master palm muting...you can master chordal playing or whatever...the point is to use it musically
nemogre 5 months ago
@nemogre
yes, but you will also notice holdsworth even said "in my opinion" obviously saying that it sounded ugly TO HIM. calling him arrogant for that is just wrong. frank gambale comes off as pretty arrogant though and his music really isn't that great. holdsworth makes amazing music.
DontRespondImStupid 5 months ago
Goddammit allan...you make it look so easy.
BioGeometric066 6 months ago
He doesn't have Aspergers, he's from Yorkshire.......If you've ever lived there, you'd understand.....
keithmequick 7 months ago 3
@keithmequick lol
dwilmer7 7 months ago
Does anybody know from what DVD are these lessons from?? Thanks is advance!
Cheers, Arnie.
arnieg65 7 months ago
Why is there a discussion here about Aspergers? I came on here to watch an Allan Holdsworth video.
Will137 7 months ago
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@dwilmer7 severe aspergers is pretty noticable... your whole face looks different, you move differently, your eyes move differently. Not to mention talking and feeling differently. I'm not sure about people like Steven Speilberg and Holdsworth being Aspergers, and if they are they have a very mild case that is effectively just being 'a little different'
12inchvertical 7 months ago
What is that interesting effect on the guitar? Chorus and reverb?
szelidrocker 8 months ago
@szelidrocker
Yeah. Pretty much.
rololoo 7 months ago
@szelidrocker Good ear. It's a split signal - one side is clean tone guitar with compression and chorus and delay and then he has the split signal going thru an Eventide harmonizer set to one octave up, with modulation and delay also and it produces an almost string synth type sound. I created a patch called "Hall of Mirrors" (after the AH tune) for the Roland VG-99 processor which is available at vguitarforums if you want to mess with it and have access to a VG-99.
aliensporebomb 6 months ago
How does he get his guitar tone like that? it sounds so spacey
Adamshredsify 8 months ago
@Adamshredsify It's a lot of processing. Most of it is from a combination of digital delay and reverb units. At the time of this video, he was using different Mesa amps, including a slightly modded DC-5, and Rectifier heads.
DrTaz 8 months ago
@shadowknight132 no i cant explain that , either can you. Autism or aspergers or whatever isnt some sort of disease, its just some dumb label that was put on a certain set characteristics common to a subset of the population. You self-limit yourself when you start saying you "have aspergers".. Theres nothing wrong with Allan, he is one of the most gifted musicians to come around in a long, long time.
dwilmer7 8 months ago
I heard that Allan is like 6'5" ... is that true?
dwilmer7 8 months ago
@dwilmer7 really that tall? anyway, i've never seen him face-to-face but i'm pretty sure he's at least 6' lol
anyway, that's not important.
what matters is he can play :)
youbadcrazyman 8 months ago
Hi, which is the chord to
4:03-4:04
magyarjan1 8 months ago
This armchair psychology is pretty pathetic. Leave the actual science to scientists and continue on with your nothing.
JoshIsNumber3 8 months ago
could someone please tell me what the name of the tune playing at the beginning of the video?
WillHerndon 9 months ago
@WillHerndon House of Mirrors from the album Hard Hat Area
youbadcrazyman 8 months ago
Chordal complex is superior in music.
WeveGotNoTimeToLose 9 months ago
@WeveGotNoTimeToLose But Rhythm is by far the most important!
lidesnowi 6 months ago
@shadowknight132 There is of course the possibility that he's just a shy introvert. He is from Yorkshire after all, which isn't exactly the brightest, friendliest and most social of places (I lived there for a few years)...
Of course we all know that Yorkshire is just a cover and that he really came from space.
JuIsTheLaw 9 months ago 22
@JuIsTheLaw
Maybe but it doesn't explain the narrow interests and the lack of facial expression. I know a lot of information about high functioning autism/asperger's and Allan meets the criteria for a diagnosis in Asperger's. Here's some of the things Allan does that meets the criteria of Asperger's Syndrome.
shadowknight132 9 months ago
@shadowknight132 You may be right about this. But it's more of an Anorak thing (english slang... look it up). He's nothing compared to Buckethead. Buckethead hits the nail more, on all of your descriptions. Just being obsessive about details of your trade - that is, obsessive, to an outsider - does not imply aspberger. Eric Johnson's even more obsessive in that case. Personally I don't hang out with guitarists, due to this very nature, only discussing gear all of the time.
henkehakansson2004 9 months ago
The only guitarists I've had the chance to meet and greet, and been to clinics and masterclasses to, are - when speaking of the same generation as Allan - are Steve Morse and Pat Metheny. They can talk about other things. They KNOW about other things. Even Steve can fly and be a pilot, and I'll bet those can't have the slightest trace of any Aspberger or similar. Allan has family, was married and has kids. Allan's just introvert.
henkehakansson2004 9 months ago
@henkehakansson2004 Steve Morse can be a pilot, Metheny can be a jogger & spaced-out guy who's never had a beer & Allan can be a brewer & was a bicycling fanatic in his younger days, so what? Extroverts & conformists to outside groups or trends usually make mediocre artists anyway because real artistry is an indvidual thing & can only be channeled from the inside out, especially when the outside world is barren & artless or even just indifferent as most were to Allan's music in England.
metamorphosis67 9 months ago
@JuIsTheLaw -Moving out of the spotlight when playing (when the spotlight was shown on him) - source: UK interview
-Obsessing over exacting nuances and minute details of his sound and equipment, even while performing. (I think many have noticed this)
-Over the top self effacement and continually criticizing his own performances and work (I think many know this)
shadowknight132 9 months ago
@shadowknight132 O.k. Obsessing over nuances....self criticism..... talk for long periods about things of interest..... sensitive to criticism.... Uncomfortable in social situations.... Jeez, this is every brilliant musician I have ever met.... and I guess I have all of these traits.... but how can it be a syndrome if you choose to be analytical, obsessive about what is important to you, self effacing, etc. I am uncomfortable in social situations cuz folks are generally.....well....you know..
3shiftgtr 8 months ago
@3shiftgtr
It's a syndrome if you show characteristics of it. Also, a big one is that you never talked until you was three.
It's based on how your brain functions. Plus Aspies tend to be very depressed. I mean like clinical depression.
shadowknight132 8 months ago
@shadowknight132 Syndrome implies that you have no idea that you are doing it and that you can't control it with rational thought and self motivated action. What if he CHOOSES to be analytical, relate in math terms etc because the MUSIC motivates him? Why is that a syndrome? Don't we all show characteristics of this? It reminds me of an energetic child being given the term ADD, when he has the ability to focus, he just hasn't been taught how.
3shiftgtr 8 months ago
@3shiftgtr
Based on the fact that I have Asperger's. I can see that he has certain characteristics. But really why would you choose to use limited head movements if you could control that. There's a difference from being shy and not being able to communicate well in Asperger's Syndrome (sometimes called high Functioning Autism). Usually people with Asperger's have this type of straight face but we can change it when we show emotions but not always.
shadowknight132 8 months ago
@shadowknight132 I am sorry that you have been diagnosed with the syndrome. I know it can be quite a struggle at times. Kudos to you! I am an educator (music) and have worked with Asperger as well as Autistic students. And I have done some research involving educational psychology and cognition for Asperger's and Autism. Seems to me Allan might show signs, but I doubt he has the syndrome. The key to the diagnosis is the level to which it becomes socially debilitating.
3shiftgtr 8 months ago
@3shiftgtr
After a while it doesn't bother me. All I do is just is keep researching and try herbs and vitamins to help with some of the symptoms. So far nothing helped with me communicating. That is something I'm going to have to work at by joining a support group.
shadowknight132 8 months ago
@3shiftgtr stupid :P
Pierceher 5 months ago
@JuIsTheLaw
-Apparently and visibly uncomfortable in many normal social situations (personally observed this spending time with the maestro after shows and in private)
-Eye contact avoidance, certain facial gestures and body language (observed by me and others)
-His relationship to music stated in mathematical terms (using permutations and series of notes to devise his scales), and has is own notation
-Has implied he has Synesthesia
-Very sensitive to criticism, real or perceived
shadowknight132 9 months ago
@shadowknight132 Hahaha OK, you've convinced me.
JuIsTheLaw 9 months ago
@shadowknight132 I didn't know he might have synesthesia, how certain are you? Just saying there's loads of players that talk about music using colors, extensively too. Lots of people relate it to colors without actually having synesthesia.
Botdra 8 months ago
@JuIsTheLaw
Dislikes talking about his own music (hard to get him to discuss it for very long without the topic changing to brews, brewery equipment, etc)
This one is a major characteristic by Aspies. They only talk about one thing for a long time. Boring the heck out of people and they don't really notice it.
shadowknight132 9 months ago
@JuIsTheLaw there is no point in this conversation.
catapei 9 months ago
@catapei True, although that also renders your comment pointless, and the one I'm writing now, and hell, maybe we could get into existentialism and ask wether anything really has a point anyway.
While the conversation had no effect whatsoever on my appreciation and admiration of the music, it raised my awareness of Asbergers and it's symptoms; pointless, but interesting and enlightening (for me at least).
JuIsTheLaw 9 months ago
What a beast
co05 9 months ago
Allan even puts his strings on his instrument better than we do!
Afurthyclays 9 months ago
What the hell did Emaj7 ever do to Allan Holdsworth?
hungro2 9 months ago 37
@hungro2 It hurt his ears and made his brain explode with its sheer boringness.
InquiringDeist 5 months ago
@hungro2 Yeah, I don't get that either. Dissonant? Explain that to me.
SmelOdies 4 months ago
@SmelOdies voiced in 1st inversion close position, generally considered to be less pleasing to the ear than say a 1st inversion drop 2 voicing. or any other drop type voicing [ie drop 3, drop 2 &3, etc...].
rillloudmother 4 months ago
Allan is a guitar virtuoso. I developed my legato technique by listening to early EVH, who was influenced by AH. I don't like jazz music in any shape or form. The chords and melodic lead runs Allan plays I generally avoid. His playing is beautifully executed, but also sounds very dissonant (harsh and inharmonious in sound) to my ears. Different cognitive hardwiring translates to different interpretation. So I am interested in how Allan executes his technique, but not in the final result.
FrozenDoberman 10 months ago
Is it an Eventide harmonizer what sounds like an octave up ?
javiceres 10 months ago
Holdsworth had a instructional book called "Reaching for the uncommon chord." I don't know if it's still in print but for the guitarists in the house, it would be very useful in clarifying his chordal approach. BTW, I think Allan is simply a peerless player. I've never heard a "riff" out of him. His solo playing is a thing of beauty and his technique, flawless.
Joeh1154 10 months ago
What the hell are the intervals in these chords? I'm going crazy trying to figure out how to play these.
TheFigueroa007 10 months ago