My bass player bought Alan's old house in vista that he lost in his divorce. His studio was in the garage which is now our rehearsal space. Alan came to visit before he passed. I was not there but I heard it was very emotional. It's s nice feeling to honor him by playing music in his space
Mike Marabeas That’s only second to Zappa’s old house and studio “The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen”! And guess who bought that one? That’s right! You guessed right! .................Lady Gaga!!! Better than some Arab buying it and ripping it down to build some monstrosity in its place, I suppose!
Congratulations Rick, you broke my hand with the first chord. Allan Holdsworth was more than a "guitarists guitarist" he was of that rare breed: a "guitarists guitarists guitarist".
He never really reached a broad audience you could say he was a guitarist’s guitarist . Never the less he was among the worlds finest. I’m so thankful to have discovered his music .
Marc Scordato born in the wrong century. He had such a vast musical knowledge that I’m convinced he’d be composing alongside titans like Paganini or Chopin. He’d be hailed in that generation by all as a genius. In our dumbed down cynical society he was merely admired by other musicians. Sad.
I feel lucky to have found him when the first IOU LP came out and saw that band shortly after. The music rocked/swinged, and while the melodies are memorable, there's nowhere else to compare them in rock or jazz...they reminded me of something that would come out the head of Gesualdo...a dog would be tilting it's head., "huh?"; Good on vocalist Williams too, for being able to pull off that stuff and making it more accessible. Even so- for some reason, it was still way over most people's heads. I won't live long enough to see the world when they finally "get it" 50 years from now.
Holdsworth clearly doesn't worry about the technical stuff. He just plays it because that's how he thinks on the guitar. Other people are just aghast at how difficult it is. But he's been playing it this way all his life. Genius. It is amazing that Holdsworth doesn't suffer from problems with his hands. It's easy to get shooting pains from the strain of playing this. Carpel tunnel syndrome is a real risk when playing like this.
Rick Beato doesn’t have whatever it is in my brain that says, “No way can I figure that out. It’s not humanly possible.” God bless you Rick, for showing me it’s possible!
I am a drummer who loves Holdsworth ... for me this was interesting and great to see your appreciation of his genius. Looking Glass is one of my personal favourites with Tony Williams playing sustained rolls which to me imply accompanying notes under the chords of the guitar. Thanks for the great work you are doing.
I just started getting in to Holdsworth. This chord work is fantastic. I can feel myself, my brain chemistry changing after learning this. And that feels exciting.
Tendonitis is evil! Avoid pain. Pain is a warning. Stretch little by little over weeks and months. I have small hands. Fretting hand thumb tendon gets me. Play lightly and use shorter scale guitars with low action and lighter guage strings.
Putting in a request for fretboard mastery. I know there are thousands of tutorials out there but I enjoy your way of explaining things, Mr. Beato. Thanks for the videos.
Yes! as soon as I heard you speak about spread triads, I thought "he must know Holdsworth's stuff". My favorite chords of his (that I can play) are the stacked version of a Dmaj7 (C#F#DA) and Dm9 with stacked 5ths (as AEFC) -but it works sounds different over different bass notes. Keep up the amazing work. This is the music college I never got around to attending.
As a guitar player every explanation of Allan’s playing ends up with me realising how insane his musical vision was. His ease of playing these chordal gymnastic creations are a marvel to behold but are also in my case, a cramp...😊
Great vid! But, Holdsworth did not grow up playing the viollin as Rick says. He played the guitar for a long time already before picking up the violin. He played the viloin for a short period, more as an experiment. Now we want part 2 and 3!
Years go in a different time, I remember being drawn to U.K. (Jobson, Holdsworth) when many friends in high-school were listening to radio tracks..(nothing wrong with that). These were 'mysteriously' crafted chord progressions for a teenager; not easy on the dissonant free ear (which was why none of my friends could relate). But, it was the musical mystery created by these progressions and their harmonic tensions that led me to follow a road less traveled.
I agree. Jobson's harmonic knowledge is so advanced and, as you say, mysterious. Holdsworth's complex chords were more in the jazz realm, whereas Jobson's were more classically advanced and deep. When the two of them worked together there was nothing more harmonically unique and profound in music.
Very seldom in the musical world can someone leave an impression which is so unique, so technical, so musical and so beautiful and indelible as the man who became Allan Holdsworth. The loss is tremendous for anyone who missed the opportunity to see him. The more I study music, the more I’m convinced his gift was from God and as my good friend says, pretty sure he was part Vulcan. If you want to experience a taste of what a true genius is, listen to his music and try with some amount of intention to apprehend what he is doing and how the flow of ideas comes out with lightning speed and otherworldly creativity. All great music makes some demand of the listener. It is no different here. The rewards are rich for the curiously attentive. God bless the Holdsworths and we are better for having had him in our world
Excellent work, I see/ hear lot's of stacked fifths with notes on the bottom or top. Makes me appreciate Holdsworth even more..... Debussy for a Rock audience.
I'm a ham-fisted piano player and can't play guitar for toffee! But Allan Holdsworth caught my ear in the late '70s - with Bruford and UK - and I was hooked. I was lucky enough to meet the man and see him perform live, once. This video opened my eyes to what my ears had been enjoying all this time, and I'm so very grateful to you for that. If there was a Nobel prize awarded for services to the understanding and appreciation of music, you'd be a shoo-in!
An added benefit to learning Allan's chord voicings is that it is good for neuroplasticity. It may have side benefits greater than just learning a cool song. It puts you in a new perception of your reality, which is a good thing for creative types.
After all these years of being mind boggled by Holdsworth's mystical magic today i just saw Mr. Joe Satriani and Mr. Steve Vai talking about the maestro on your channel. And I was like okay, that means i was always in the right direction. One humble request to you, Rick. Please do a video on Shawn Lane. I personally feel like Shawn is like one of the all time best and deserve a lot more recognition from the new age guitar lads.
„I feel harmony should be mobile, so as chord sequences go by, try to hear these as whole „sound families“ moving, instead of the four or five notes of a particular chord“ -Allan Holdsworth- It is from the booklet from his 1992 REH instructional video, which I still hold very dear. To me it is as if he is moving the sound from harmony to tension and back. You have top notes and voices chromatically moving around it. Fascinating! Good video! Playing „Looking glass“ was a huge challenge for me in these times. Well, ditch all this II V I stuff and reduce music to expression of harmonies moving and dancing together... This music is a treasure you can explore all your life and never be finished. Its like Skriabin on the piano, who created a whole harmonic system from just one chord, the so called mytical chord, equally incomprehensible to me.
+Rick Beato This is a great video, but on a rewatch, the beauty of these chords is striking. Hearing them move past you at a brisk pace on the recording is pleasing enough, but hearing you break them down slow enough to savor the sound, they're truly beautiful. Thanks again! BTW, did you ditch your Patreon account?
Not to nitpick, but this piece was from an album entitled "Atavachron," which was a time travel device from "All Our Yesterdays," an episode from the final season of the original Star Trek series. The Holdsworth album cover clearly shows him clad in a Star Trek"-ish" uniform, so he was not only a guitar god, but a sci-fi geek as well!
LOOKING GLASS ! ! ! Incredible I have been trying to find this explained in total ! Being a bassist this helps me understand the whole structure of it. I had it nearly down all the way but certain mysteries escaped me. The composition is an unspoken dedication to my long departed guitarist, songwriting partner and bandmate who sadly passed suddenly. Long may his notes ring thru the hills.
Just gonna say it - regardless of how proficient you become with these Holdsworth Chords, phrases, and solos, these are great exercises to use to strengthen/flex them fingers on that board and teach you some musical things along the way that just doesn't exist with most rock/R&B/Blues guitarists.
Are you receiving telepathic messages from me? First I think, it would be good if Rick did a vid on Bernard Hermann. Bam that appears. Then I think, some pedagogy on Allan Holdsworth would be good. Then that appears. Wicked stuff mate. Learning lots here and getting some sweet sounds into my tunes. Keep up the good work.
Thank God for Rick Beato! I've been learning so much from these guitar videos! You have a great way of organizing information and delivering it in a clear and concise manner. I have a new inspiration to challenge myself and my students. Kudos Rick!
Its all minor 11ths and sus 4's Holdworth's stuff mostly stacked & stretched wide intervals etc with double delay sustain. and the lead tones with bass eq cranked and mids and highs back offed the distortion and/or wide open amps. The voiceings are mostly stretched to insane levels. The scales/modes are all ultra wide intervals up and down the neck. Al De Miola can do the same with even smaller hands ! A good friend of mine nails all things Holdsworth. The stretches are FIVE frets, minimum. We knocked off "Fred" his most accessible tune pretty damn well. In our little FUSION cover band.
Working through this now, and weirdly the hardest part by far for me is the right hand picking. I'm so used to grouping my index, middle and ring fingers together! Love the voicings though. I have huge hands so I'm really enjoying these stretches. Thanks.
Hello Rick, thanks for your insight, will be checking you out more often..I'm here in Oz ..Sydney..I had the pleasure of seeing Alan Holdsworth at The Bridge Hotel in Balmain late 80's or in the early 90's.. I was blown away in awe...It's so sad to hear of his passing, Yes a brilliant player a nice man who I will like to understand more..very grateful of your lesson Rick..Kind Regards from down under..Pete
That's funny because I spelled it that way originally and then I looked at it in my iTunes and it was spelled with an "i" then I just went back and realized I spelled it wrong in iTunes because I have other tracks from the record where it's spelled correctly. Haha! Well, I fixed it in the description at least :) Thanks!
What i was trying to understand is how he composes with a mindset like his, and it would seem that he starts from the keys and the notes from it and hears the music that speaks to him. a heavy theoretical basis for making music ! i can relate to that by hearing sounds that speak to me to make something of it. i don't have the knowledge he has to use, so i just use my ears to help me along. i kind of envision the fret board in the same way he does by thinking of the notes in terms of the key you are working with in order to give you the fullest range of musical possibilities. he thinks dimensionally about how to make music within the framework of the instrument. Bless you Allan Holdsworth !
I'm back to this video after a few weeks, I have been playing the note G on the 12th fret for the first chord and note F# on the 11th fret for the 2nd chord, it's a much easier stretch using that fret approach for mere mortals. Excellent analysis, great channel.
Playing the chords slowly in isolation is just about manageable for me, but trying to play along with the Holdsworth record is impossible. Very enjoyable adventure nonetheless. Thanks.
I'm way late to this video, but for the last stretchy chord with the first finger 'pointed', I actually find it a lot easier to pull the thumb around the front, using the side of it to catch that first string. This doesn't seem to hurt at all, but it does require moving the left arm in a more upright position and tighter angle towards the guitar. I learned this from watching Marcus Tardelli, an amazing guitarist from Brazil...although I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg with his technique- he's also doing some other things such as pressing down strings with the back of his fingers for chord shapes...but not as a gimmick, but to achieve what he hears, all in service of the song.
Allan Holdsworth wasn't doing too well in his personal life for quite awhile and that's directly affected his professional life. I don't know him so I won't say definitively what the reasons are but I can take a guess based on stories he told in the book Reaching For the Uncommon Chord written about him in the mid-80's and other stories I heard through the 90's and early 2000's. It would stand to reason that's a big part of why it's been so long since he's released new music (changes in the record industry didn't help, I'm sure). Apparently the issues are nothing new...I love all Holdsworth and Holdsworth-related music, especially U.K. and Bruford, so when I met Bill Bruford in 1991, during the Yes Union tour, I asked him if he would ever play with Allan Holdsworth again and he came right out and said "No." I must have looked shellshocked because then he qualified it by saying "We're different people with vastly different approaches to work. But I wish him well." There are recent videos on TH-cam of Holdsworth in his home studio with his then new manager and they're planning out ways for him to resume making new music on a regular basis. The videos aren't too hard to find.
The intricacies of this culmination of chord embellishment, registers to the physical coordination, virtual stimuli. The nuances of these permutations, induce the feeling of 3D transparency from a solid source of complimentary voices! I love the fact that outside of the box freezes us up from being contained! It also allows for an extensive exploration of the outskirts over the normal perimeter.! A wonderful place to be! Thank you so much for sharing this eye and ear opening video. It lends itself to allowing us to be injected by a Different Serum which will motivate us to take a turn in another Direction.😳
I remember when I started guitar, maybe one or two year in the beginning .. a friend give me the book fom the video.. I try the two first chords... and then I return to the G major and pentatonic run. But I never forget this two chords !
Hi Rick. Like so many, AH is my desert island music. I saw him one time in Perth, West Australia and actually asked him for a gig??!! LOL Couldn't help myself. I spoke to Chad about this and he said how many drummers want that gig because of how Allan writes so colourfully. Anyhoo, as a stick player, I sat at the airport yesterday and transcribed this. Atavachron is probably my favourite album of his. Thank you thank you thank you !!
Thanks for the excellent analysis of the chord voicings of the late great Allan Holdsworth Rick:) It breaks my heart because there was once a time I could play fusion, and was an advanced player. Then in 2010, I woke up and couldn't play the strings the same way. I was diagnosed with focal hand dystonia. After seeing over 20 specialists over 10 years (and a few top ones), I was still never able to recover to consistently play with the same high technical ability again. There were brief periods of encouraging results, but then I would fall back to baseline. I continued to perform at gigs, but lost interest. I would love to have that feeling of playing fluid fast lines and some of these chord stretches again.
I have an inflammatory issue that causes pain and stiffness in the fingers (and toes) that I first noticed when playing guitar, some years gone. Stretches that used to be second nature were hurting. Umpteen tests and exams by rheumatologists later, no clear diagnosis - the official description seems to be, "this thing which is kind of like arthritis, but different." So sorry you have lost your hard-earned skills. Many times in my life, the ability to pick up a guitar and let out some emotion has been all that kept me sane. Best of luck to you.
@@laneadamson5686 Mine is different. I have no pain, but my left pinky involuntarily "flys out" and simultaneously my left middle finger "curls inward". So to play a simple C major jazz scale, I have to overcompensate - which is taxing. I can still play gigs, and simpler stuff, but I cannot use my pinky or middle fingers the same way. So practicing isn't enjoyable anymore. Ironically, I can play these Holdsworth chord stretches, but cannot even play the simpler solos anymore without "missing."
14:15 Those hand stretches are actually harmful. It is good to rotate and flex the wrists and flex the fingers, but forcably pulling is bad practice. Small muscles tense up to protect them selves when under stress, so those stretches cause more tension. Read this article: "5 exercises to Improve hand mobility- Harvard Health"
So what's Allan's thought process for putting these crazy chords together? They're not all in the same key. So is every chord a new key center to him? The solo section of the tune seems to be typical for him where it's one chord/one key and it changes. Very modal.
WOW...Alan was so ahead of his time...that is such a cool Les Paul. I had that Les Paul (copy) when I was a kid in the 70s...wish I would have kept it. It was probably Japanese made back then.
Another excellent instructional vid. Really the best by a mile. Always pleasant, efficient, informative, and sounding so damn good--what a rig! And yer advice of avoiding carpal tunnel is completely spot on. Thanks so much.
this song is amazing, but it definitely is hard to learn on my 21 fret fender stratocaster. i will use my other 24 fret guitar that has the frets a little bit closer so it’s easier to pull of those first intro chords. amazing lesson. thank you
check out some of the chords he plays in "home". There's one chord that definitely requires six fingers (one note is played with a right hand finger afaik while all the other fingers are well stretched and busy).
It stil wouldn't be enough to give you the requisite stretch. I just watched an old 84 video and he is making 8-9 fret stretches at times, wthout thinkig twice about it...index finger can be on fret one, with the next four frets blank before he puts down another finger. Who else ever does that?
Thank you Rick, for this mesmerizing journey that you lead us on. All who are attached to the strings with fingers, mind, and heart, and for bringing the music of Maestro Allan to those who seek out even a taste of his greatness. Your videos bring a sense of peace and discovery during these tumultuous times, far beyond the acquiring of guitar skills and knowledge of the instrument... thank you.
Rick, You're an astounding teacher and I love listening to your videos that are easier to handle and digest, but I really feel like a lot of your videos are simply way over my head. I'm starting a music theory course, but I just wanted to know if there were any of your videos in specific that I could start from that were easier for not just me, but any of your newer viewers who were enthralled with you and your family and then sucked into the world of music. -A music enthusiast, but amateur nonetheless.
Excellent video. I'd say the most difficult chords I've ever seen are in his song Home. I still have no idea how he wraps his fingers around some of the chords in that song. Would be cool to see a video on that tune.
My bass player bought Alan's old house in vista that he lost in his divorce. His studio was in the garage which is now our rehearsal space. Alan came to visit before he passed. I was not there but I heard it was very emotional. It's s nice feeling to honor him by playing music in his space
Oh, to make music studio is such a proper use of Allan's house.
Mike Marabeas That’s only second to Zappa’s old house and studio “The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen”!
And guess who bought that one?
That’s right! You guessed right!
.................Lady Gaga!!!
Better than some Arab buying it and ripping it down to build some monstrosity in its place, I suppose!
@@terrypussypower Gaga is a real musician, I don't like much of her music, but she's a real talent.
@@bgilley8199
I'm not into Lady gaga either but I do respect her as a musician!?!?
nice one dude
Congratulations Rick, you broke my hand with the first chord. Allan Holdsworth was more than a "guitarists guitarist" he was of that rare breed: a "guitarists guitarists guitarist".
Yes but just to piss us off more he starts one of his destructional videos with 'I always wanted t'be a trumpet player'
RIP Allan Holdsworth. Thanks for your brilliance and artistic honesty.
I can't even express how great I think this channel is.
Agreed!
Agreed! Free advanced music school that intermediate musicians can benefit highly from, too!
Yes ....Rick knows his stuff
This is my absolute favourite channel about music 👍
He's not playing to the newbie that's 4 sure, the magic is tho that he remains approachable what ever your level.
He never really reached a broad audience you could say he was a guitarist’s guitarist . Never the less he was among the worlds finest. I’m so thankful to have discovered his music .
Marc Scordato born in the wrong century. He had such a vast musical knowledge that I’m convinced he’d be composing alongside titans like Paganini or Chopin. He’d be hailed in that generation by all as a genius. In our dumbed down cynical society he was merely admired by other musicians. Sad.
You might be right, Allan Holdsworth was more of that rare breed: a "guitarists guitarists guitarist".
I feel lucky to have found him when the first IOU LP came out and saw that band shortly after. The music rocked/swinged, and while the melodies are memorable, there's nowhere else to compare them in rock or jazz...they reminded me of something that would come out the head of Gesualdo...a dog would be tilting it's head., "huh?"; Good on vocalist Williams too, for being able to pull off that stuff and making it more accessible. Even so- for some reason, it was still way over most people's heads. I won't live long enough to see the world when they finally "get it" 50 years from now.
Holdsworth clearly doesn't worry about the technical stuff. He just plays it because that's how he thinks on the guitar. Other people are just aghast at how difficult it is. But he's been playing it this way all his life. Genius. It is amazing that Holdsworth doesn't suffer from problems with his hands. It's easy to get shooting pains from the strain of playing this. Carpel tunnel syndrome is a real risk when playing like this.
About 5 minutes to explain 4 seconds of gorgeous music. Sounds like Allan Holdsworth.
Rick Beato doesn’t have whatever it is in my brain that says, “No way can I figure that out. It’s not humanly possible.” God bless you Rick, for showing me it’s possible!
I am a drummer who loves Holdsworth ... for me this was interesting and great to see your appreciation of his genius. Looking Glass is one of my personal favourites with Tony Williams playing sustained rolls which to me imply accompanying notes under the chords of the guitar. Thanks for the great work you are doing.
I just started getting in to Holdsworth. This chord work is fantastic. I can feel myself, my brain chemistry changing after learning this. And that feels exciting.
Feel lucky young man, you´re in for a lifetime of pleasant surpises.
Pinky chemistry too
Tendonitis is evil! Avoid pain. Pain is a warning. Stretch little by little over weeks and months. I have small hands. Fretting hand thumb tendon gets me. Play lightly and use shorter scale guitars with low action and lighter guage strings.
Yeah, i am cursed with rather small hands. Big stretches aren't really an option for me
BTW there's a video on youtube called "Allan Holdsworth - Chord Scales" where Allan himself talks on the subject. Just to let you know.
Putting in a request for fretboard mastery. I know there are thousands of tutorials out there but I enjoy your way of explaining things, Mr. Beato.
Thanks for the videos.
Ataensic would be great
Ataensic Derryl Gabel has an excellent video on that, you should check it out
Sure is!!
Yes please do this.
Yes! as soon as I heard you speak about spread triads, I thought "he must know Holdsworth's stuff". My favorite chords of his (that I can play) are the stacked version of a Dmaj7 (C#F#DA) and Dm9 with stacked 5ths (as AEFC) -but it works sounds different over different bass notes. Keep up the amazing work. This is the music college I never got around to attending.
As a guitar player every explanation of Allan’s playing ends up with me realising how insane his musical vision was.
His ease of playing these chordal gymnastic creations are a marvel to behold but are also in my case, a cramp...😊
Great vid!
But, Holdsworth did not grow up playing the viollin as Rick says.
He played the guitar for a long time already before picking up the violin.
He played the viloin for a short period, more as an experiment.
Now we want part 2 and 3!
Years go in a different time, I remember being drawn to U.K. (Jobson, Holdsworth) when many friends in high-school were listening to radio tracks..(nothing wrong with that).
These were 'mysteriously' crafted chord progressions for a teenager; not easy on the dissonant free ear (which was why none of my friends could relate).
But, it was the musical mystery created by these progressions and their harmonic tensions that led me to follow a road less traveled.
I agree. Jobson's harmonic knowledge is so advanced and, as you say, mysterious. Holdsworth's complex chords were more in the jazz realm, whereas Jobson's were more classically advanced and deep. When the two of them worked together there was nothing more harmonically unique and profound in music.
Very seldom in the musical world can someone leave an impression which is so unique, so technical, so musical and so beautiful and indelible as the man who became Allan Holdsworth. The loss is tremendous for anyone who missed the opportunity to see him. The more I study music, the more I’m convinced his gift was from God and as my good friend says, pretty sure he was part Vulcan.
If you want to experience a taste of what a true genius is, listen to his music and try with some amount of intention to apprehend what he is doing and how the flow of ideas comes out with lightning speed and otherworldly creativity. All great music makes some demand of the listener. It is no different here. The rewards are rich for the curiously attentive. God bless the Holdsworths and we are better for having had him in our world
saw him live in Melbourne at the corner hotel outstanding
Excellent work, I see/ hear lot's of stacked fifths with notes on the bottom or top. Makes me appreciate Holdsworth even more..... Debussy for a Rock audience.
I'm a ham-fisted piano player and can't play guitar for toffee! But Allan Holdsworth caught my ear in the late '70s - with Bruford and UK - and I was hooked. I was lucky enough to meet the man and see him perform live, once. This video opened my eyes to what my ears had been enjoying all this time, and I'm so very grateful to you for that. If there was a Nobel prize awarded for services to the understanding and appreciation of music, you'd be a shoo-in!
RIP ALLAN HOLDSWORTH - WE LOST ONE OF THE GREATEST -
Thank You Rick for your amazing job! Your YT channel really is the best!
Fantastic lesson Rick! Just subscribed!
Brett Garsed Brett, your definitely Holdsworth level genius. I listen to your songs most days. Brilliant stuff!
Allan Holdsworth was super-human.
An added benefit to learning Allan's chord voicings is that it is good for neuroplasticity. It may have side benefits greater than just learning a cool song. It puts you in a new perception of your reality, which is a good thing for creative types.
RIP Allan Holdsworth 1946 - 2017
Oh, shit, I missed the news. Damn that is sad.
my new favorite channel - all good stuff..
After all these years of being mind boggled by Holdsworth's mystical magic today i just saw Mr. Joe Satriani and Mr. Steve Vai talking about the maestro on your channel. And I was like okay, that means i was always in the right direction.
One humble request to you, Rick. Please do a video on Shawn Lane. I personally feel like Shawn is like one of the all time best and deserve a lot more recognition from the new age guitar lads.
the beauty of Holdsworth's progressions never fails to stagger me.
„I feel harmony should be mobile, so as chord sequences go by, try to hear these as whole „sound families“ moving, instead of the four or five notes of a particular chord“ -Allan Holdsworth-
It is from the booklet from his 1992 REH instructional video, which I still hold very dear. To me it is as if he is moving the sound from harmony to tension and back. You have top notes and voices chromatically moving around it. Fascinating! Good video! Playing „Looking glass“ was a huge challenge for me in these times. Well, ditch all this II V I stuff and reduce music to expression of harmonies moving and dancing together... This music is a treasure you can explore all your life and never be finished. Its like Skriabin on the piano, who created a whole harmonic system from just one chord, the so called mytical chord, equally incomprehensible to me.
+Rick Beato This is a great video, but on a rewatch, the beauty of these chords is striking. Hearing them move past you at a brisk pace on the recording is pleasing enough, but hearing you break them down slow enough to savor the sound, they're truly beautiful. Thanks again!
BTW, did you ditch your Patreon account?
Not to nitpick, but this piece was from an album entitled "Atavachron," which was a time travel device from "All Our Yesterdays," an episode from the final season of the original Star Trek series. The Holdsworth album cover clearly shows him clad in a Star Trek"-ish" uniform, so he was not only a guitar god, but a sci-fi geek as well!
LOOKING GLASS ! ! ! Incredible I have been trying to find this explained in total !
Being a bassist this helps me understand the whole structure of it. I had it nearly down all the way but certain mysteries escaped me.
The composition is an unspoken dedication to my long departed guitarist, songwriting partner and bandmate who sadly passed suddenly. Long may his notes ring thru the hills.
Those chords voicings are unearthly!
I saw Holdsworth touring the album Atavachron at the Paradise in Boston in '86. Great show!
This channel is such an amazing resource; i'm so glad that this video exists
Just gonna say it - regardless of how proficient you become with these Holdsworth Chords, phrases, and solos, these are great exercises to use to strengthen/flex them fingers on that board and teach you some musical things along the way that just doesn't exist with most rock/R&B/Blues guitarists.
when rick starts a video with his guitar on his lap, he means business...
Thank you for revealing this to me! I had never heard of this guy before, but now ready to do a deep dive into his work!
This reminds me of the best article I ever read in my entire life on music about Allan Holdsworth. In Search Of The Uncommon chord
Allan’s chord work was truly other worldly ✨
Are you receiving telepathic messages from me? First I think, it would be good if Rick did a vid on Bernard Hermann. Bam that appears. Then I think, some pedagogy on Allan Holdsworth would be good. Then that appears. Wicked stuff mate. Learning lots here and getting some sweet sounds into my tunes. Keep up the good work.
I would be even more interested if he could just send me the knowledge via telepathic messages :-)
That would be pretty cool. I'd tap into Chic Correa and Herbie Hancock's brain as well if that were possible.
Ooohhh! Bernard Hermann would be awesome to dig into. He has such a distinctive sound.
Thank God for Rick Beato! I've been learning so much from these guitar videos! You have a great way of organizing information and delivering it in a clear and concise manner. I have a new inspiration to challenge myself and my students. Kudos Rick!
Rick Beato, I LOVE your comment on Allan Holdsworth not included into Jann Wenner´s ever-forgettable list of no contents.
Really, as always, love the way you do the videos Rick. Very professional. From the biggest Holdsworth fan -Steve
Thanks for breaking those chords down and making it seem like they don't come from another planet. you are very talented.
Its all minor 11ths and sus 4's Holdworth's stuff mostly stacked & stretched wide intervals etc
with double delay sustain. and the lead tones with bass eq cranked and mids and highs back offed
the distortion and/or wide open amps. The voiceings are mostly stretched to insane levels.
The scales/modes are all ultra wide intervals up and down the neck.
Al De Miola can do the same with even smaller hands !
A good friend of mine nails all things Holdsworth. The stretches are FIVE frets, minimum.
We knocked off "Fred" his most accessible tune pretty damn well. In our little FUSION cover band.
That song always touched me so much for some strange reason….
Outstanding! Is there any aspect of music you are not a master of? Thanks.
Working through this now, and weirdly the hardest part by far for me is the right hand picking. I'm so used to grouping my index, middle and ring fingers together! Love the voicings though. I have huge hands so I'm really enjoying these stretches. Thanks.
Hello Rick, thanks for your insight, will be checking you out more often..I'm here in Oz ..Sydney..I had the pleasure of seeing Alan Holdsworth at The Bridge Hotel in Balmain late 80's or in the early 90's.. I was blown away in awe...It's so sad to hear of his passing, Yes a brilliant player a nice man who I will like to understand more..very grateful of your lesson Rick..Kind Regards from down under..Pete
The album is "Atavachron" - not "Antavicron"! Great video.
That's funny because I spelled it that way originally and then I looked at it in my iTunes and it was spelled with an "i" then I just went back and realized I spelled it wrong in iTunes because I have other tracks from the record where it's spelled correctly. Haha! Well, I fixed it in the description at least :) Thanks!
still, it's "Atavachron" Rick, not "Antavacron" lol. Looking forward to the next vid!
I screwed it up again!
np Rick :P
lol
What i was trying to understand is how he composes with a mindset like his, and it would seem that he starts from the keys and the notes from it and hears the music that speaks to him. a heavy theoretical basis for making music ! i can relate to that by hearing sounds that speak to me to make something of it. i don't have the knowledge he has to use, so i just use my ears to help me along. i kind of envision the fret board in the same way he does by thinking of the notes in terms of the key you are working with in order to give you the fullest range of musical possibilities. he thinks dimensionally about how to make music within the framework of the instrument. Bless you Allan Holdsworth !
I'm back to this video after a few weeks, I have been playing the note G on the 12th fret for the first chord and note F# on the 11th fret for the 2nd chord, it's a much easier stretch using that fret approach for mere mortals. Excellent analysis, great channel.
Interestingly, the "hardest chords" mentioned (G# E B F#) and (F# D# G# E), are not a big problem IMHO, so we are all different.
Playing the chords slowly in isolation is just about manageable for me, but trying to play along with the Holdsworth record is impossible. Very enjoyable adventure nonetheless. Thanks.
I'm way late to this video, but for the last stretchy chord with the first finger 'pointed', I actually find it a lot easier to pull the thumb around the front, using the side of it to catch that first string. This doesn't seem to hurt at all, but it does require moving the left arm in a more upright position and tighter angle towards the guitar. I learned this from watching Marcus Tardelli, an amazing guitarist from Brazil...although I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg with his technique- he's also doing some other things such as pressing down strings with the back of his fingers for chord shapes...but not as a gimmick, but to achieve what he hears, all in service of the song.
Fabulous - thank you.
And it’s Great that you raise awareness of the tendon risks here...
Allan Holdsworth wasn't doing too well in his personal life for quite awhile and that's directly affected his professional life. I don't know him so I won't say definitively what the reasons are but I can take a guess based on stories he told in the book Reaching For the Uncommon Chord written about him in the mid-80's and other stories I heard through the 90's and early 2000's. It would stand to reason that's a big part of why it's been so long since he's released new music (changes in the record industry didn't help, I'm sure). Apparently the issues are nothing new...I love all Holdsworth and Holdsworth-related music, especially U.K. and Bruford, so when I met Bill Bruford in 1991, during the Yes Union tour, I asked him if he would ever play with Allan Holdsworth again and he came right out and said "No." I must have looked shellshocked because then he qualified it by saying "We're different people with vastly different approaches to work. But I wish him well."
There are recent videos on TH-cam of Holdsworth in his home studio with his then new manager and they're planning out ways for him to resume making new music on a regular basis. The videos aren't too hard to find.
The intricacies of this culmination of chord embellishment, registers to the physical coordination, virtual stimuli. The nuances of these permutations, induce the feeling of 3D transparency from a solid source of complimentary voices! I love the fact that outside of the box freezes us up from being contained! It also allows for an extensive exploration of the outskirts over the normal perimeter.! A wonderful place to be! Thank you so much for sharing this eye and ear opening video. It lends itself to allowing us to be injected by a Different Serum which will motivate us to take a turn in another Direction.😳
Allen Holdsworth is the Andres Segovia of the Electric guitar and will never be duplicated just like the way Segovia played.
Make me mad how gorgeous those voicings are on piano. That's not fair!!!
Kudos to Rick for being able to learn Allan Holdsworth songs by ear.
I consider myself a good guitar player....Allan holdsworth is untouchable!! great job!!
I remember when I started guitar, maybe one or two year in the beginning .. a friend give me the book fom the video.. I try the two first chords... and then I return to the G major and pentatonic run. But I never forget this two chords !
Hi Rick. Like so many, AH is my desert island music. I saw him one time in Perth, West Australia and actually asked him for a gig??!! LOL Couldn't help myself. I spoke to Chad about this and he said how many drummers want that gig because of how Allan writes so colourfully. Anyhoo, as a stick player, I sat at the airport yesterday and transcribed this. Atavachron is probably my favourite album of his. Thank you thank you thank you !!
"Atavachron" was a time machine in an episode from the original "Star Trek."
How completely cool
Thanks for the excellent analysis of the chord voicings of the late great Allan Holdsworth Rick:) It breaks my heart because there was once a time I could play fusion, and was an advanced player. Then in 2010, I woke up and couldn't play the strings the same way. I was diagnosed with focal hand dystonia. After seeing over 20 specialists over 10 years (and a few top ones), I was still never able to recover to consistently play with the same high technical ability again. There were brief periods of encouraging results, but then I would fall back to baseline. I continued to perform at gigs, but lost interest. I would love to have that feeling of playing fluid fast lines and some of these chord stretches again.
I have an inflammatory issue that causes pain and stiffness in the fingers (and toes) that I first noticed when playing guitar, some years gone. Stretches that used to be second nature were hurting. Umpteen tests and exams by rheumatologists later, no clear diagnosis - the official description seems to be, "this thing which is kind of like arthritis, but different."
So sorry you have lost your hard-earned skills. Many times in my life, the ability to pick up a guitar and let out some emotion has been all that kept me sane. Best of luck to you.
@@laneadamson5686 That's heartbreaking, sorry to hear that, I know your pain.:(
@@radjet I'm lucky enough to still have the same mediocre ability I've always had, just have to push through the ouches sometimes.
@@laneadamson5686 Mine is different. I have no pain, but my left pinky involuntarily "flys out" and simultaneously my left middle finger "curls inward". So to play a simple C major jazz scale, I have to overcompensate - which is taxing. I can still play gigs, and simpler stuff, but I cannot use my pinky or middle fingers the same way. So practicing isn't enjoyable anymore. Ironically, I can play these Holdsworth chord stretches, but cannot even play the simpler solos anymore without "missing."
Tony Williams is drumming on that track I think; another incredible innovator. Sweet video!
U are amazing. Holdsworth is the master!
Great content as always! Thanks.
I would love to see a video on Larry Carlton and Guthrie Govan
@stefanhoefer Rick did one on Guthrie in 2022.
I love Allan Holdsworth, in all his hand-breaking genius
Yess!! I am such a knucklehead. You covered Allen Holdsworth already. Lol. Awesome Rick! Thank you. Amazing voicings, such color!
It's Atavachron 😉(Holdsworthian mix of "Avatar" and "Chronos") - Timelord.
14:15 Those hand stretches are actually harmful. It is good to rotate and flex the wrists and flex the fingers, but forcably pulling is bad practice. Small muscles tense up to protect them selves when under stress, so those stretches cause more tension. Read this article: "5 exercises to Improve hand mobility- Harvard Health"
So what's Allan's thought process for putting these crazy chords together? They're not all in the same key. So is every chord a new key center to him? The solo section of the tune seems to be typical for him where it's one chord/one key and it changes. Very modal.
Scott Mcgill has some great Holdsworth chord vids. Definitely worth checking out
WOW...Alan was so ahead of his time...that is such a cool Les Paul. I had that Les Paul (copy) when I was a kid in the 70s...wish I would have kept it. It was probably Japanese made back then.
Bravo! More on Allan please. Watched many of your videos and wondered if Allan had crossed your radar and this appears! Thanks
I must have pretty big hands or something because I can play those hardest chords without a sweat. Neat. Thanks for the explanation!
My joints start aching only by looking at how it's played. This is an amazing lesson
Looking forward to part 2
I am currently studying Non Brewed condiment myself stunning melody
Another excellent instructional vid. Really the best by a mile. Always pleasant, efficient, informative, and sounding so damn good--what a rig! And yer advice of avoiding carpal tunnel is completely spot on. Thanks so much.
Alan isn’t a human he is God from a other world
this song is amazing, but it definitely is hard to learn on my 21 fret fender stratocaster. i will use my other 24 fret guitar that has the frets a little bit closer so it’s easier to pull of those first intro chords. amazing lesson. thank you
Holdsworth songs are one of the few when I listen to my ears can't even comprehend what is going on.
more holdsworth PLEASE sir !! this video helped so much
Are you looking to adopt a 38 year kid as your musical son? :)
Thanks, Rick. I'm always game for learning ANYTHING Holdsworth!!!
Alan Holdsworth.. there are NO substitutes ! Rick is probably the only one who gets close!!
As my father said " there's two kinds of guitarist in the world, those who play the guitar and Allan Holdsworth "
Truth
Although I don't think that I will do much with this lessen I've seen it a few times. It's inspiring!
i think one needs six fingers on the left hand to play Holdsworth's music
check out some of the chords he plays in "home". There's one chord that definitely requires six fingers (one note is played with a right hand finger afaik while all the other fingers are well stretched and busy).
It stil wouldn't be enough to give you the requisite stretch. I just watched an old 84 video and he is making 8-9 fret stretches at times, wthout thinkig twice about it...index finger can be on fret one, with the next four frets blank before he puts down another finger. Who else ever does that?
@@mason4490 4 I could just about imagine doing in the future, 5 is just rude lol
I would highly recommend doing all the stretching before practise, not after. Stretching after just adds to the strain.
Incredible teaching and technical ! I love these videos! Thanks
Great video Rick, when I first heard Allan Holdsworth it was this album it just blew my mind! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you Rick, for this mesmerizing journey that you lead us on. All who are attached to the strings with fingers, mind, and heart, and for bringing the music of Maestro Allan to those who seek out even a taste of his greatness. Your videos bring a sense of peace and discovery during these tumultuous times, far beyond the acquiring of guitar skills and knowledge of the instrument... thank you.
Excellent video, it inspired a chord sequence/song structure for me within 7 minutes. Subbed
Rick,
You're an astounding teacher and I love listening to your videos that are easier to handle and digest, but I really feel like a lot of your videos are simply way over my head. I'm starting a music theory course, but I just wanted to know if there were any of your videos in specific that I could start from that were easier for not just me, but any of your newer viewers who were enthralled with you and your family and then sucked into the world of music.
-A music enthusiast, but amateur nonetheless.
your vids are awesome for musicians. you go there... we appreciate that! and your a great talent yourself. thx
Thanks for your videos. I know you put a lot of time and effort into these.
Great tutorial and a great bunch of advice. Thanks for all that.
FANTASTIC LESSON!!! Thank you so much.
Excellent video. I'd say the most difficult chords I've ever seen are in his song Home. I still have no idea how he wraps his fingers around some of the chords in that song. Would be cool to see a video on that tune.