Knocking on heavens door solo

Lesgrandepotato

Not a complex solo but a very melodic one. It’s got me thinking about theory though as it has a couple of sections that use the same motif. 

It’s a pull of 13-12 bend 13-15 then 13-12 pull off and repeat. 

So basically we are playing on the 13th. Then pulling off twice and I think as the chord changes we bend up - I’m guess when I work out the notes I’ll find it’s going to the root note or perhaps the 5th. 

The same thing happens on the 19th 20th fret later in the solo. 

Is this how theory works. If it’s not the root / fifth then the tonality would indicate the mode of the solo? 

Is that right? It feels like a revelation...

Lesgrandepotato

So if I was just hammering away in gmaj pent I’d probably not do the bend up? The bend up represents the chord tones changing

viz

Do you mean Dylan, Clapton or GnR? can you post a clip?

Lesgrandepotato

Guns and Roses.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IEkHISZz0gM

sweepy

Still one of the worst Guitar sounds committed to tape/ protools, sounds like a Dyson swallowing a set of bagpipes

Lesgrandepotato

Right. Thanks for that. I’ll dig out some knitted turnip jazz in 13/8 for my next question. 

Rocker

Never heard GnR cover that song and did not know that they did but I would expect that the solo would have some little bit of the song melody in it.

viz

It’s a bit hard to decipher exactly what you are asking but:

The song is in G major and the chorus has the following chords:
I: G
V: D
IV: C

These chords progress in the sequence I-V-IV ad infinitum. In the verse we also have the ii-chord, the A minor. 

The song is 100% diatonic. In other words all the chords stay true to the notes in G major. (Diatonic doesn’t strictly speaking mean that, but the statement still holds). 

So,

The I chord has G A B C D E F# G

The V chord has D E F# G A B C D

The IV chord has C D E F# G A B C

And the ii chord has A B C D E F# G A (verse only).



The little motif you’re hearing (13-12-13-15) has the notes C B C D. 

As you can see, these notes will fit with any of the chords in the song. He could just play them again and again over all the chord changes and it would work, though it would be very boring.

On the song, we hear the motif start during the G chord, which then changes to the D chord. It finishes at the start of the C chord. 

Chord:    G                        D                         C
Note:       e d       c   b  |  c  d         c   b   |   c   b    e
Fret:                   13 12  13 15    13 12   13 12 
Chord tone:      4   3      7  1        7   6      1   7

Here are the chord scales again, this time in order, and with the notes in bold:

The I chord has G A B C D E F# G
The V chord has D E F# G A B C D
The IV chord has C D E F# G A B C



(You mentioned tonality. The tonality is governed by the 3rd of the I chord. In this case it’s a B (not a B flat) so the tonality of the song is major.)

stratman3142

I was thinking of replying but decided to wait a little while to see if @viz replied, who would explain things better than me.

viz

Hardly!

Lesgrandepotato

Thanks Viz, what i was hearing I think was the change to the root note on the D. 

Regards tonality, I’m imagining that those ‘key’ notes that really write home about the sound are what I would analyse to pick up on a mode.

i think it’s the first time I’ve picked on a phrase and gone, I can see why that would work. 

viz

Excellent, it’s a life’s journey