The
1980s were an amazing decade for guitar playing – pioneered
(arguably) by the incredible virtuosity of one Edward Van Halen, a
guitarist capable of absolutely blistering fretboard gymnastics became
the absolute must-have accessory for any self-respecting rock and
metal act. Amidst the blizzard of 3 note per string legato and swept
arpeggios however, one man stood tall, with pinch harmonics that made
wolves howl and vibrato that could choke a dinosaur – and that man
is longtime Ozzy Osbourne cohort and Black Label Society frontman,
Zakk Wylde!
I've
always had a fondness for Zakk's playing – rootsy pentatonics
cranked up beyond 11 with insane speed, attitude and that
aforementioned vibrato just resonated with me even if I've never been
much of a metal fan. In interviews Zakk has often stated that when he
got serious about playing he made a conscious decision about sticking
to the pentatonic as a way of differentiating him from his peers,
using chromaticism where necessary to season this basic framework. He
also credits an instructional video by country legend Albert Lee with
influencing much of his hybrid picking and double stop techniques.
So,
as is now customary, let's start with a little potted history while
warming up the fingers...
Born
Jeffery Phillip Wielandt on January 14th 1967 in Bayonne,
New Jersey, Zakk initially began playing aged 8 but didn't really get
serious about it until around age 14, when he would regularly
practice all night after getting home from school, catching up with
sleep during school time (disclaimer – for parents and kids reading
this, JM Guitar Tuition does not endorse this as a sustainable
approach) – Zakk himself has described the following day often
being “rough”...
There
doesn't seem to be much information surrounding Zakk's early playing
career pre-Ozzy, and he credits a side-interest in powerlifting as
being instrumental in how the pair met – Zakk claimed that he met
Ozzy around 1987 at a weightlifting meet and offering to cut him a
deal on some steroids in return for a job with his band, as things
had recently gone bad with guitarist Jake E. Lee (which is a complex
story in its' own right) – Zakk put together a demo tape and the
rest is history! He has gone on to be Ozzy's longest serving sideman
despite stints away focusing on his own bands Black Label Society and
Pride & Glory and the two have a close longstanding relationship.
In terms of influences, Zakk has consistently referenced Frank Marino
from Mahogany Rush, Jimmy Page, Randy Rhoads, Al Di Meola and John
McLaughlin, and a passing nod to Elton John – in addition to his
guitar skills, Zakk is a fine singer and pianist (and I bet he never
brings his lyrics on stage.. just saying ;-) ).
Potted
history thus complete, let's take a look at some licks! We'll dive in
with an absolute classic – the blistering end part of “No More
Tears”. Here Zakk is using D minor pentatonic with a sextuplet
picking pattern moving through positions 1, 2 and 3 of the scale
before moving to arpeggios on the Bb and C chords of the underlying
progression using 1st inversion shapes before finishing on
a howling D root note right up on the 22nd fret. I'll
demonstrate Zakk's uncompromising pick attack and vibrato on the demo
video so stay subscribed to the YouTube channel for that one!
For
this second example, we'll take a look at Zakk's solo work on the
Book of Shadows album with a lick taken from “Sold My Soul” in E
minor. Zakk starts off with a trademark soaring harmony bend using
position 4 of E minor pentatonic, before trilling his way up the E
minor scale along the G string before a massive overbend on the D
note at the 19th fret sold with some of his signature wide
vibrato – as ever, it's the articulation, the sheer fire with which
he plays which makes this line stand out.
Like
many players, Zakk has a few signature patterns that he gravitates
towards when he puts pedal to the metal and gets into serious shred
territory – this third example is drawn from “Farewell Ballad”,
a solo recorded for Guitarist magazine back in 2006, using the D
blues scale – notice that Zakk is using the exact same fingering
pattern on both string groups and you can even trace a line here back
to the Magic Three Notes (a concept students of mine will be familiar
with), simply extending out to include both positions 1 and 2 of the
scale.
For
our final example, I've drawn from the solo to “Crazy Babies”,
based in B and then E minor pentatonic – Zakk sets up a “call”
hook in B minor pentatonic with signature savage vibrato, before
bending the 9th fret G and pulling off to the 7th
before tapping with the pick hand on the 21st fret G,
bending up and pulling off to the 9th and then the 7th,
back to the E root on the 9th before a blistering run
grouped in fives through positions 4, 5, 1 & 2 of the E minor
pentatonic!
This
has been an absolute blast, Zakk has long been one of my absolute
favourite guitar players and working through his stuff has been a
joy.. and I do think I can feel my vibrato getting wider by the day!
Keep an eye out for the demo video and see you soon, happy
practicing!
