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SEARCH
OF THE
UNCOMMON
CHORD
Allan Holdsworth
Continues to Blow Minds
and Preconceptions ... and
He’s Still Better Than You.
BY BARRY CLEVELAND
A L L A N H O L D SW O RT H ’ S P R I M E D I R E C T I V E H AS A LWAYS B E E N
to avoid sounding like anyone else, and he has ensured compliance by
making it impossible for anyone else to sound like him. His liquid legato
lines, spellbinding speed, incomprehensible intervallic leaps, confound-
ing chord clusters, and mercurial melodies are legendary—and all but the
most intrepid (foolish?) guitarists have abandoned whatever hope they
may have once harbored of fathoming his trip.
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FEATURE In Search of the Uncommon Chord
“I put Holdsworth up
there with Paganini
and Liszt. Terrifying.”
—DAVID LINDLEY
That’s important. Particularly in these days his jazz tones for full-on Clapton crunch, out. When Williams landed a major label deal
of rock retreads, blues redux, and homogeneous including “White Room”-like wah riffs and a short while later, however, Holdsworth
jazz, when we really need musicians like even bluesy bends. Juxtaposed with the Clap- crossed the Big Pond to play on Williams’ clas-
Holdsworth to remind us what’s possible with tonisms, however, are startling bursts of fully sic Believe It, and later on Million Dollar Legs,
unwavering dedication to one’s art. And in case formed Holdsworth melodic logic, suggest- as well as touring throughout 1975 and 1976.
you haven’t kept up with the Yorkshire Terror, ing that the two approaches coexisted, rather Williams provided Holdsworth with a degree
and imagine that he’s passed his prime or gone than being different aspects of a single style. of creative freedom he hadn’t experienced
to seed—don’t worry. Holdsworth’s playing is Holdsworth’s successor in Tempest was the previously, but the band’s financial problems
more mature, majestic, and mind-blowing than late Peter “Ollie” Halsall, whom Holdsworth eventually led the guitarist to return to England.
ever. And that’s why he’s on the cover. credits with deepening his interest in vibrato About that time, Holdsworth fan George
For the benefit of younger readers, and bar technique—soon to become an essential Benson persuaded CTI Records to record the
those who could use a refresher, we’ll begin part of his aesthetic—and the two shared the young guitarist, but Holdsworth wasn’t happy
with a recap of the highlights of the guitarist’s stage briefly during the transition. with the results. Despite the heavy-hitting
illustrious career. Holdsworth’s first commer- Holdsworth played and/or recorded with lineup of drummer Narada Michael Walden,
cially released album was 1969’s ’Igginbottom’s several other significant artists during the
Wrench, a mildly psychedelic jazzy-pop outing early’70s, most notably Ian Carr’s Nucleus,
on which his tones owe more to Joe Pass than but his first real break came when he landed “Allan has the touch.
Jimi Hendrix. The intriguing chord voicings, a gig with seminal jazz-rockers Soft Machine Maybe it’s those extra-
dissonant double-tracked arpeggios, rapid note in late 1973. His concept now fully formulated, long fingers of his. No
flurries, and remarkable extended solos likely Holdsworth infused Bundles, and Soft Machine’s one can listen to him
raised more than a few eyebrows. live sets, with his singular magic—word of without being affected
Several years later, former Colosseum which soon reached the legendary jazz drum- by his tone and fluid-
drummer Jon Hiseman recruited Holdsworth mer and composer, the late Tony Williams.
ity. A superb player
for his Cream-clone project, Tempest, and an Williams brought Holdsworth to Sweden
who is a joy to hear.”
album of the same name was released in early to record with bassist Jack Bruce and key-
1973. At that point, Holdsworth had shelved boardist Webster Lewis, but things didn’t pan —ADRIAN BELEW
Speakers
4 x 12 4 x 12
Cabinet Cabinet
I L L U ST R AT I O N : R I C K E B E R LY; P H OTO S : F R U S C I A N T E — G U S VA N SA N T; M C L AU G H L I N — V I N C E N T L I G N I E R G U I TA R P L AY E R A P R I L 2 0 0 8 77
FEATURE In Search of the Uncommon Chord
“Hearing Allan’s guitar playing for the first time was a cathartic experience. His guitar sang, it pushed musical
boundaries, and it rocked. His brilliant approach to harmony is completely original, beautiful, and spellbinding. His
technique and improvisational skills make him a true guitar god—the jaw-dropping kind that influences many a
player in all styles of music. To witness him playing with Tony Williams’ band—a Gibson SG around his neck, Small
Stone Phaser, and Marshall stack in tow—was something I’ll never forget. He ripped a hole in the guitarist’s space-
time continuum that night, and we’ve never been the same.” —JOE SATRIANI
I was considering not playing guitar at all. I ini- I could get that sound without having to focus
tially wanted to play a wind instrument, and on more than one instrument. Actually, I wish
when I used a breath controller with the Synth- that I’d been given the violin when I was really
Axe, it allowed me a certain amount of young, because I got close to it very quickly,
expression that I was unable to get from the though I only played it for a few years.
guitar, particularly the ability to make notes Your sound changes over time. Do you see that
loud and then soft and then loud again, and to as a linear evolution toward an ideal, or more of a
change the sound of the note after it had been non-linear response to changing aesthetics?
struck. On the guitar you can shape notes a lit- It’s something that I want the guitar to
tle bit, but not as much. When the SynthAxe do that I haven’t been able to make it do yet.
company went out of business, however, I I can never fine-tune it enough. An example
decided that I’d better go back to the guitar. of that would be when we decided to use an
People frequently comment on the saxophone- acoustic bass on The Sixteen Men of Tain. I
like aspects of your playing, which are fairly struggled to find a way to put more of a rock
“Allan really changed guitar playing. The
obvious, but they tend to miss the other instru- sound into a traditional jazz trio setting,
legato techniques and ‘sheets-of-sound’
ments that are also reflected, such as oboe, flute, where a lot of the music is kind of soft, while
approach influenced not only jazz gui-
and various other orchestral instruments. at the same time making the electric guitar
I would agree with that. I’ve always loved sound less gnarly. So yeah, I’m trying to get tarists, but also a whole generation of
the oboe, the soprano saxophone, and of the guitar to take orders from me, instead metal players. And aside from all the
course the violin and any sort of stringed of the other way around, though usually I’m technical stuff, he’s a master jazz gui-
thing. And I’ve tried to get some of their the one getting beat up. tarist. Check out his version of ‘How
qualities out of the guitar. Is that an obtainable goal, or just an ideal that Deep Is the Ocean.’” —JOHN SCOFIELD
Are you still playing violin? you strive toward?
No. I quit when I got the SynthAxe, because I think it’s just an ideal. I resigned myself
P H OTO S : H O L D SW O RT H — N AO J U N A K A M U R A ; S C O F I E L D — K E N S C H L E S ; VA N H A L E N — C O U RT E SY O F G E T T Y I M AG E S & K E V I N M A Z U R G U I TA R P L AY E R A P R I L 2 0 0 8 79
FEATURE In Search of the Uncommon Chord
“Following Allan in
Soft Machine was one
of the toughest
things I ever did, as
the set was based
around his monumen-
tal solos. When I first
heard him in around 1973, I was amazed
by the ambition and direction of his play-
ing, and, since then, he has developed with
outstanding single-mindedness, dedica-
tion, and concentration. His playing now is
completely controlled and mature, and his
unique mastery of harmony, line, and tone
puts him among the very top soloists in
guitar history.” —JOHN ETHERIDGE
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FEATURE In Search of the Uncommon Chord
makes things even flatter. I like to keep at “That’s not the blues, man, this is the blues.” bombing and all that stuff came along, I just
least a little bit of headroom in there. And then he’d start playing more like a jazz took the vibrato arm off the guitar and played
On Tempest, you alternate between very original- blues. So at that point I made a really con- without one for years, because I realized that
sounding phrasing and note choices and Clapton-like scious effort not to play anything that sounded it was only one little tool. I just said, “Man,
playing. Were you going through an EC phase, or even remotely like a blues lick. I love to hear you’ve got to figure out a way to play some
merely accommodating the bandleader? other people playing them, but I try to find interesting notes rather than relying on a
I always liked Eric Clapton, especially in something else to play that will fulfill maybe whammy bar to make noises for you. I use it
the early days. But in Tempest, Jon Hiseman, a similar thing, but not be that exactly. now again, but in a very limited way. And just
who is a wonderful musician and a really great You also avoid every “guitar god” staple that’s when I need it, not because its there.
guy, wanted that band to be a power-trio kind come along in the past 35 years, including extreme Describe the ways in which you use finger vibrato.
of thing, so I felt obliged to do what I was told string bending, sweep-picking, vibrato dive- The vibrato that I use mostly came from
to some extent. But I’d disobey orders and do bombing, and even palm muting. Is that just playing the violin, and is akin to the vibrato
what I wanted once in a while. He also used because those techniques are so widely used? that classical players use, stretching and
to point his finger at me and say, “Too many A lot of it is that. For example, back in the shortening the string by moving your finger
notes,” but all you’d have to do is wind for- SG days, and particularly after I started playing backwards and forward, as opposed to across
ward 20 years to see about too many notes! a Strat, I got into the whammy bar thing a lot the fret. It’s a totally different sound, because
Some of the playing on Tempest is almost more, and I started doing those slurs and scoops if you roll the finger back on a violin the note
bluesy, but that’s something you’ve otherwise and flicking the bar and all that. Then, all the is going to go flat, and if you roll it forward
avoided throughout your career. sudden I heard a lot of the rock and heavy metal it goes sharp, which doesn’t happen when
The blues didn’t really interest me that guys doing it in really extreme ways, like the you are just bending the string from side to
much. Also, when I first started listening to vibrato from hell. It was like an opera singer. side. I’ve found that I can get some incredible
people like B.B King, trying to pick up some Like, “Oh man, there’s a note in the middle of
blues licks, my dad would come in and say, that somewhere.” And then when the dive- CONTINUES ON PAGE 84
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FEATURE In Search of the Uncommon Chord
ALLAN ON
HIS AXES
Holdsworth has relied on a lot of different guitars to manifest his creativity. Here, he comments
on a few of the models that have fallen under his fingertips throughout the past 35 years.
$OZD\HVVW
Dunlop 6000 fretwire. All the Steinberg-
MAPLE-BODY ers after that were sent directly to Bill
FENDER STRATOCASTERS without frets or pickups. These were
WKHILQ
Vox
“These were customized with DiMarzio PAF hum- used on Sand, Secrets, and WardenclyffeTower.”
Mark IX buckers.”
(c.1965)
DELAP (2)
’70S FENDER STRATOCASTER “When Steinberger [temporarily] folded, Bill
“This one had specially wound DiMarzio PAFs. Nice.” DeLap stepped in and made me a number of great
New • Used • Vintage wood-bodied headless guitars—including a cou-
ple of double-necks [regular/baritone]. I used
Order
them on Hard Hat Area, None Too Soon, and The
Sixteen Men of Tain.
Online! 2
84 A P R I L 2 0 0 8 G U I TA R P L AY E R P H OTO S : CA RV I N A N D D E L A P — G L E N L A F E R M A N ; YA M A H A — N AO J U N A K A M U R A
YOU DECIDE
3
YAMAHA
CUSTOM SHOP (3) SOME MUSIC SCHOOLS really do a number on their students. They put them in ginormous
“This was a one-off headless guitar built by John classes and then expect them to learn something. No wonder serious musicians have
Gaudesi. It was very special.”
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you get the personal attention you need to become as great as you can be. To avoid
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my guitars. I used
these on The Sixteen
Men of Tain.”
G U I TA R P L AY E R A P R I L 2 0 0 8 85
FEATURE In Search of the Uncommon Chord
with that. It’s funny, now that you mention because the only time you’re going to be
it, I don’t think I ever thought about doing improvising is when you make a decision to
that. I hear chords moving like they would go from one lick to another. So, I always try
“Allan is in a on a piano rather than something where you to go in as many different directions as pos-
league of his go from one string to another, like on a banjo, sible. Of course, we can all get trapped, and
own. During my where basically you arpeggiate everything. when that happens to me, then I don’t feel
over-analytical
What’s going on internally when you are so good about playing. But sometimes I get
improvising? loose of all the chains, and it seems like
teenage years, I
Usually the beginning of a solo is easy, almost anything is possible.
left one of his concerts feeling very frus-
because I’ve got an unlimited selection of Has your approach to practicing changed over
trated, because I simply didn’t get how he different things that I can play for the first the years?
was able to pull everything off in such a note. But once I’ve made that choice, then No, it’s exactly the same. I basically have
smooth, delicate way. Nowadays, I’m it goes to an unconscious place, and I’m not three modes. One is where I just pick up the
happy simply letting the playing floor really thinking about it at all. I’m hearing guitar and noodle around, almost completely
me. I believe he is from another planet.” this note, and then I hear the harmony, and brain dead. In the second mode I’m just
—MATTIAS IA EKLUNDH sometimes I see the chords. It’s like looking studying. I choose something that I want to
at a Rolodex or an abacus. I can recognize practice—a particular scale or odd fingering or
distances between intervals. Then it’s just a whatever—and I play that and nothing else.
matter of navigating from one place to And in the third mode I try to incorporate some
another and squeezing in lines in interest- of those things that I’ve practiced in the sec-
ing ways. All this stuff is just happening in ond mode into my improvisations. But that’s
real time, like instant composition. something that I don’t usually do live, because
That’s why I’ve always been against play- I’ve found that whatever I’m practicing in the
ing “licks.” Some people have boxes of little second mode takes about two years to uncon-
things that they just string together, and I don’t sciously show up in my live improvisation, and
see how that can be considered improvising, by that time it’s become so much a part of what
86 A P R I L 2 0 0 8 G U I TA R P L AY E R
FEATURE In Search of the Uncommon Chord
I’m doing that I don’t even think about it. would fill the whole book.
Because I think improvising should be just that, Since wealth and fame aren’t your prime moti-
an unconscious release of all the things that vating factors, what is it that inspires you to get
you’ve learned—but without pushing. out of bed every day and keep making music?
That said, I do wind up trying to force It would have to be the music itself.
things on occasion, if something’s wrong or There’s something in the music that’s been
the sound is bad, and I find myself going back there as long as I can remember. I can recall
to my tool box to see if I can stretch some- listening to the records my dad gave me when
“Allan’s prodi- thing out. Then I feel really depressed, and I was really young, and when I would play
gious technique usually have a bad gig, but I have to keep going. some Debussy I’d start crying, and I’d ask
and soaring, On a good night, however, ideas just keep com- myself, “What’s going on?” And then I’d play
melodic fluidity ing. So I just try to get one or two of those something else and it would make me feel
nights a year, and I’m happy with that [laughs]. really happy. So right from the start, there
are inspiring and daunting. That tone! The
Do you play along with anything while practic- was just something about music. I probably
amazing accuracy of his pull-offs! That
ing, or just play the guitar by itself? feel about music like some people do about
limpid wang bar! Like other giants such as
Both. Quite often I’ll play chord sequences religion. That’s the thing for me. g
Jimi Hendrix or Jeff Beck, he spawned into the SynthAxe’s sequencer and play over
generations of imitators who, in a way, them at different speeds.
threaten to make one forget how great Are there any guitarists that have caught your
the original master is. Don’t succumb to attention lately? MORE ONLINE
this! None of them can touch the man I really love James Muller, the guy who
Read interview outtakes and full quotes
himself.” —NELS CLINE plays with Chad Wackerman sometimes. He’s from great guitarists weighing in on Allan
a great guitar player. [Read about Muller on Holdsworth’s playing at guitarplayer.com.
page 40.] Also a guy named Tim Miller that
I met in Boston. There are lots of them, and
I feel bad not mentioning them all, but that guitarplayer.com
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