Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Finally .. A Duet for Electric Guitar and Railroad Crossing in Gm!
I was transcribing Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, when I noted that the structure of his trumpet solos were different that most guitar solos. This wasn't just because Miles was a genius in technique and note selection (listen to Someday My Prince Will Come), but also because the mechanics of the instrument dictates disparate note sequences (partly caused by the limitations of the valves and the necessity to breathe). I decided to try this theory out with a Chris Botti tune and soon found myself noodling on his notes for a classic Leonard Cohen song.
A Thousand Kisses Deep is Leonard at his songwriting and poetry peak. Playing in Toronto, Botti introduced this piece as written by Canada's Bob Dylan. This melody is vastly superior to anything Dylan wrote. In live concerts, sometimes Cohen played the song, but often he just read the lyrics as a poem. Both the lyrics and the melody are exceptional. I included a little of Leonard's word at the beginning and end of this instrumental. I started out with my Botti transcription, but imagined the notes if they were played by Jeff Beck. The Beckola style for the whammy bar lends a certain sad tone when used in minor chords. For the guitar sound, I actually used my setting for Ted Nugent's Stranglehold solo!
If you want to play along to this one, here's the Backing Track ... youtu.be/L2bmuscAmtY
Finally .. A Duet for Electric Guitar and Railroad Crossing in Gm!
I was transcribing Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, when I noted that the structure of his trumpet solos were different that most guitar solos. This wasn't just because Miles was a genius in technique and note selection (listen to Someday My Prince Will Come), but also because the mechanics of the instrument dictates disparate note sequences (partly caused by the limitations of the valves and the necessity to breathe). I decided to try this theory out with a Chris Botti tune and soon found myself noodling on his notes for a classic Leonard Cohen song.
A Thousand Kisses Deep is Leonard at his songwriting and poetry peak. Playing in Toronto, Botti introduced this piece as written by Canada's Bob Dylan. This melody is vastly superior to anything Dylan wrote. In live concerts, sometimes Cohen played the song, but often he just read the lyrics as a poem. Both the lyrics and the melody are exceptional. I included a little of Leonard's word at the beginning and end of this instrumental. I started out with my Botti transcription, but imagined the notes if they were played by Jeff Beck. The Beckola style for the whammy bar lends a certain sad tone when used in minor chords. For the guitar sound, I actually used my setting for Ted Nugent's Stranglehold solo!
If you want to play along to this one, here's the Backing Track ... youtu.be/L2bmuscAmtY
