Allan Holdsworth - How to understand his solos

This Allan Holdsworth Solo Lesson takes a look at the scales and arpeggios he is using in a few phrases from the Sixteen Men Of Tain solo. I love Holdsworths playing and it is really interesting to try to figure out what is going on because his melodic language is pretty much unique.
The video breaks down 4 phrases and talks about how they are constructed using different scales sounds such as Lydian Augmented and 2 different Messiaen Modes.
Of course this is an interpretation and an analysis based on what I know about him and what I think he is playing, but if you don't agree then feel free to leave a comment!
The entire solo is transcribed here on the #11 channel: • Allan Holdsworth - Th... (They are worth checking out if you are into jazz!)
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[@JensLarsen]

Hope you like the video! Let me know what you think of the analysis 😎

[@thebomontellano4996]

Loved it. Now do John McLaughlin!

[@MrJimzovich]

I remember reading a Guitar Player interview with Holdsworth in which he said that he worked a lot with Slominsky's book. So I guess he used ideas from that along with his own scales.

[@ruh4734]

Great job Jens! I can imagine how hard this was for you to explain.

[@ruh4734]

Great job Jens! I can imagine how hard this was for you to explain.

[@ReileyWilliams]

I'm really digging these solo analysis! Thanks Jens, you're the best!!!

[@RudyAyoub]

My favorite album too! Fastest click ever lmao

[@JensLarsen]

Haha! Great! Thanks!

[@kendrakrust1244]

Rudy being sarcastic

[@QuandaliuskrispingtonXIX]

Rudy Ayoub the roody Adoobe? *heavy 035’ing*

[@Exploshi]

Here from the wrong note video

[@普天行]

bro y r u everywhere bro

[@FXK23]

Had a Holdsworth cd , back in the 90's. No clue what i was listening to. Saw his lesson on scales(?).. and returned to my Calculus college course with a smile.

[@Bridging_the_Political_Divide]

Love it!!!

[@Bridging_the_Political_Divide]

Vai said Holdsworth was doing stuff that hasnt even been invented yet...lol. Both Vai and EVH say Holdsworth was the best they've ever seen.

[@graxjpg]

Zappa and Santana too…

[@GusFogle]

I always like to think of Allan's harmonic approach as "Lydian Chromaticism". You will notice in both his chordal work as well as solos he delays resolution for as long as possible, rarely relying on dominant chords or arpeggios functionally, sparsely using them at all in fact. I'm a pianist, but hugely influenced by Allan's playing, and have spent a lot of time analyzing his lines. My favorite lines are when Allan plays what I call "chromatic elaboration over static harmony" such as on Devil Take the Hindmost. If you look at completely non-functional changes such as what is found on much of "Non brewed condiment" he superimposes and substitutes various modes over the changes without any discernible relation to the chords. Sometimes he plays whole-tone, sometimes he plays pentatonic, sometimes he plays angular Slonimsky shapes. Like you said I agree that sometimes he plays whatever he feels is right, and MAKES it work. That is a brilliant and inspiring approach to music- it takes great confidence and many years to master, and I think his playing will mystify us forever.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Gus! I am curious if you don't think that most of what he plays really is very possible to analyze beyond calling it chromatic? Like Devil Take the Hindmost has a lot of augmented lines happening?

[@GusFogle]

That just depends on nomenclature really. In the context of a G Dorian progression, I consider the use of augmented intervals to be chromatic- I'm not defining "chromatic" as a collection of semitones, but as alterations within the context of the progression at hand. There is one particular VERY fast lick he plays in "Devil" I always mistook as a mode of Hungarian minor, but upon picking it apart, it was one of Messiaen's!

[@JensLarsen]

@@GusFogle I know you don't mean chromatic scale runs. I am just curious if it makes more sense to try to figure out what it really is. If I remember the Devil Take The Hindmost is only augmented and not the complete Messiaen mode, but I could be wrong 🙂

[@GusFogle]

Sure, it makes sense to analyze the very small fragments of his solos as a means of seeing how they fit into the greater whole. As you well know, he never just uses one harmonic approach, even from bar to bar. Keeping with the simple example of "Devil" there are numerous names you can apply- he uses chromatic sequencing, enclosure, plays with augmented major 7 ideas, superimposes various keys over the changes, etc. In the end we can break down every phrase of every line and have a name for it, but I'm not so sure that a lot of it isn't coincidental and if we aren't just looking for order in something that just sounded right to Allan at the time. If you know jazz theory, it is relatively easy to explain WHAT Allan is playing, but as to WHY he applies it in the places he does is a lot more abstract. Regardless, you did an excellent analysis in this video and it is always refreshing to talk about theory that makes most musicians I know run away screaming.

[@JensLarsen]

I guess why is never really going to be possible but I think a lot of What he is playing is often left uncharted which is really a pity. The focus is often more on "how". The way he uses several sounds over the chords is in the end not too alien in Jazz, that happens all the time. To me it is interesting to figure out what the devices are both in terms of note choice and in terms of melody. In part to explore it in my own playing and in part just because it is fun to figure out.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

Thanks for this. There’s not enough on Allan the jazz musician IMO. Everyone goes nuts for the shred, but his medium tempo playing alone is so distinctive and amazing.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Christian! I completely agree that a huge chunk of his playing is never really analyzed or described at all 🙂

[@xxczerxx]

Jazz Guitar Scrapbook Hey I love your videos!

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

Thanks Mac! I’ve been looking into a fair bit of Allan so I’ll try and do my own video at some point.

[@brusselslover9333]

Holdsworth truly was the master. There will never be another like him. May he rest in peace

[@JensLarsen]

Indeed! 👍🙂

[@stealthyBLK]

agreed.

[@ShredCo]

There's a probably a young player around today that could match him,eventually

[@digineet8421]

@@ShredCo Marshal Harison gets pretty far out and has the chops to do it. If he could compose and get together with a monster drummer it’s possible for him.

[@ShredCo]

@@digineet8421 Nah, he's got Good technique but no song writing skills. He's not too Young either. I remember him jamming with Derryl Gable, think vid is KZbin. Gable is probably more Holdsworthian

[@JohnPCady]

3:50 Holdsworth is an extraordinary player really. He actually made his own music theory, scale and "found hidden chords" in them. There is one or two videos where he talks about his scales. And as im concerned he gave this scale name "Bb r". He actually dont use A lot of temporary notes - all those tension notes are beneath his scales. I think People won't ever discover his true theory. Trully amazing.

[@dougsteeleguitar]

You gotta love Allan. Every line was an intimidation lick. RIP.

[@nationaltelevision666]

Any chance we could get a Chris Poland video ? Love the vids Jens !

[@JensLarsen]

I stopped making videos like this because in general my audience were not that interested, sorry 🙂

[@ΣταυροςΜοσχος-ε6θ]

@jensarsen no please we are dying for those videos they are awesome

[@ΣταυροςΜοσχος-ε6θ]

@@JensLarsen no please we are dying for those videos they are awesome

[@nobup7]

Hi! I translated the subtitles into Japanese and sent to KZbin. I hope it can help other Japanese audiences. Thanks.

[@JensLarsen]

Yes! Thank you very much! I am really grateful for that :)

[@nobup7]

@@JensLarsen Thank you for accepting my translation. I realized that Japanese subtitles are also very useful to me. I think this is useful for Japanese musicians. Thanks for your good lecture.

[@JensLarsen]

@@nobup7 Glad you like it!

[@johnhguitar]

Great video! I think odd sounds like altered chords against altered scales doesn't have to be too clinical. In other words just because someone is playing an E7#9 chord doesn't mean you have to play a scale that emphasizes the E7#9 notes. It's good to know that but any odd sounding scale with accidental notes can be used if the musician can tastefully apply those melodies against a strange sounding chord. Not trying to take anything away from this video which is excellent but just trying to share more angles and possibilities. Thanks for sharing Jens!

[@JensLarsen]

That is of course true to some degree, but none of these chords are altered chords if I remember correctly 🙂

[@bassheadjazz2708]

3:57 thank you for saying that. Holdsworth is brilliant in playing melodically through crazy polychords and changes, but I dont think he was constantly within a scale or not playing passing tones in order to get to the next key center. It was the way that he got to the next key center and made them sound related that was incredible.

[@zenncatt]

Great video, Jens. Indeed, a daunting task to explain what Holdsworth was playing/thinking over the changes. I feel along with his harmonic sophistication, it was his tone and technique that set him apart. You have done an excellent job here. Thank you.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! 🙂I think you are right that it was not only what he played but also the combination of techniques and tone👍

[@LeviClay]

Really enjoyed that mate!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Levi 👍🙂

[@pleximanic]

If you want to understand Holdsworth, you have to forget the guitar, completely!

[@andreasalustri9703]

thanks a lot...what a great lesson.......20 years back we used to say that AH was 20 years ahead...today it seems he is still 20 years ahead...by the way, who knows whether really AH had such deep knowledge of music (ex Messian modes..) or is was more instinct..? anyway it was and it is the greatest ever in my opinion...

[@JensLarsen]

You're welcome! Holdsworth did study messiaen modes, it is in his book 🙂

[@andreasalustri9703]

you are a great teacher! and a great guitar player..

[@Gregorypeckory]

Holdsworth will probably always be ahead of everyone else. It isn't so much a matter of being "ahead of his time" in my mind, but rather simply being a one of a kind genius that is far beyond all other guitarists, regardless of time.

[@Andreorsel]

He studied a lot on the Slonimsky the saurus which has similair scales/patterns in it.

[@McMinnManiac]

Holdsworth was the leader of modern jazz music in league with Wayne Shorter, mike Brecker, chick, Zawinul, and Tribal Tech I like his instructional I think Daryl Gable , has a video DVD where he covers a chord system used by Holdsworth His system seems to use scale matrix that covers the entire neck

[@GregF71]

Great vid Jens :) my fave Allan album is Secrets, which is almost 30 years old, composition and playing wise it doesn't get any better as far as i'm concerned (and of course i know all the music he's recorded very well) thanks for posting, peace from France

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much Greg! I am glad you found it useful! If you have any suggestions for topics or things you are looking for the feel free to let me know 👍

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

I think Allan might have got the symmetrical Messiaen scale out of the Slonimsky book - Jeff Berlin says he practiced from that book a lot.

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, I think he checked out a lot of stuff from that and other contemporary classical music as well 🙂

[@JohnVullo]

I was going to suggest this as well. Im uncertain if hes really thinking of Messiaen, or working out a pattern/idea from the book. In his handwritten chart for this song (he doesnt think of modes but the 'parent' scale they belong to) its all 'Dorian' and 'Melodic Minor'. As an example, the first chord of the solo, Db/B (I think of it as Db7), belongs to the key of Gb, his personal chart says "Ab Dorian". The next is E/C (Cmaj7#5), he has 'A Melodic Minor'. That pair then basically cycle around the circle of 4ths, starting and ending in different spots. Its awesome.

[@JohnVullo]

Oh, I also wanted to add he also interprets the Cmaj7#5 as not only A Melodic Minor, but also as C major with an added b6. This is also consistent with all the other maj7#5 chords as Ionian with an added b6.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

John Vullo aha! The secret Barry Harris/Allan Holdsworth connection :-D Allan mentions this and other 8 note scales in his instructional vid, but I thought he saw them as ‘bebop scales’ (ie the b6 is a passing tone, not harmonic) - are you saying he used them harmonically as well?

[@JohnVullo]

A bit late but I wanted to add that I didnt even realize Messiaen #3 scale is something Allan did use as its in his instructional video (Scale #10). Although he said he did use it as a transitional scale and prob for outside playing as well.

[@michaelanthony9068]

I love this video the same way I love Holdsworth’s music… I don’t understand it but I love hearing you say it.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you 🙂

[@LuisGonzalez-nh9wo]

Great analysis. Have you ever done any Wayne Shorter Analysis? Like E.S.P. Or Fall.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! Songs like that are for a big part just sounds next to each other, so in that respect an analysis isn't really useful 🙂

[@JensLarsen]

@馬鍬地陸 That could be, but what you are saying could also easily be someone over-interpreting an analysis. Those are there as well, and you have to look at the analysis to be able to tell.

[@crimsun7186]

I hear a lot saxophone phrasing in his playing. Which goes with the fact that he wanted to be a saxophone payer when he was younger, but his dad couldn't afford one. Even his note choices are somewhat skin to what a saxophone would play when soloing.

[@JensLarsen]

That makes a lot of sense given his love of Coltrane, Wayne Shorter and Joe Henderson as well :)

[@Heaven-dy9lj]

Yes I can hear that, Zarabeth etc.

[@RC32Smiths01]

Another great lesson my man! Really substantiated and in depth content. Allan is a very prominent guitarist indeed!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! 🙂 Glad you like it!

[@RC32Smiths01]

Ahh definitely my man!

[@arrystophanes7909]

I remember him describing a Major 7 chord as 'disgusting'. That's quite a strong word & suggests he was emotionally invested with the actual sounds he produced & was responsible for.

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, why shouldn't he be? I think he spend a fair amount of time exploring sounds and experimenting but always kept true to his music! 🙂

[@midaro4420]

I remember that description too (can't remember where - an instructional book or video, I believe), but I think his distate was triggered by the voicing. He preferred some manner of spread voicing. I agree with your observations about his emotional investment and responsiblities.

[@PaulMcEvoyGuitars]

Recently discovered that the b7 is present in the overtone series but not the M7. Kinda makes the dominant 7 chord more consonant than the M7 chord, which has an essential dissonance in it (other than the obvious one against the root).

[@GregF71]

Arry Stophanes Actually he was speaking about a particular voicing: if it's E Maj7, the one that goes 14th fret on D string, 13 on G, 12 on B and 11th on E String (stacked thirds) then he gave an example of "a nicer inversion" of those notes that goes: 9th fret on D, 8th on G, 9th on B and 12th on E... (it's in his REH vid that i must have watched hundreds of times in the 90s :) here at the 1:30 mark roughly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZmQfpeDbK92fdU )

[@philp521]

I remember that well as well! I couldn't help but wonder how he felt about Johnny Smith's playing, if he felt that strongly about closed position chords.

[@sheercerebralpower]

I like your stuff Jens. Have been transcribing Holdsworth/Mahavishnu for decades and schooled myself with it rather thoroughly.....and whilst I am working on other stuff right now(7String Classical)I still check your stuff regularly. I think you are my age(I was born 66 and started playing in 74,professionally since 85),if not and you are much younger,sorry.Regards from Bavaria...

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Azhar. I am about your age (1973). Glad you like the videos!

[@SharpElevenMusic]

Damn, I can't believe I just came across this now! Killer job making sense of all this and taking it apart. (And thanks for the shout out!)

[@JensLarsen]

You're very welcome! Keep doing Holdsworth stuff It's really useful! :)

[@piotrhobbysta5614]

Very interesting analysis, because I am not fan of Alan Holdsworth music, although I appreciate his knowledge and skills about music and playing guitar. Simply for me lack of melody part of this music, it seems to me as random sounds/notes but I know and hear that it has deep scales and chords background. It's seems to me even more difficult to make analysis of these solos and understand all the scales and other music solution being used. Ofc I gave Like and Sub :)

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Piotr! You probably shouldn't worry too much about analyzing music you don't like if there is something that you do like that you haven't analyzed :)

[@bassheadjazz2708]

Just dont forget about Allan. I first heard him play 15 years ago and thought the same thing you do, but it wasnt until the last 4 years that hes become my all time favorite. If you listen long enough, or practice music (jazz specifically) your ears will eventually open up to hear what hes doing and the notes will make more sense. I feel like i can understand 75 percent of what hes doing (executing any of it is another part of the puzzle), and for me that is a huge reward. Give him a second (or third) chance, he really is the genius many say he is. Another thing i forgot to mention, people latch on to his soloing at first and lose their minds over his skill (and rightly so), but I think it is his chord work and composition that really makes him one of the most innovative musicians in the last 100 years.

[@snowfiresunwind]

@@bassheadjazz2708 Great comment and couldn't agree more with your last paragraph - AH is certainly one of the greatest composers (of any genre) of the last 100 years.

[@monkeysbum999]

If you know the harmonic structure ,you can be as free as you want combining source material on your way from point A to point B. At the point of execution ,for a high level player, it would be on an unconscious level .These guys are the best and ,as in art, the artist may not be able to tell you how he arrived at any unconscious decision after the fact. Tonal gravity is at the heart of jazz.

[@bjensen62]

Isn't it funny that Holdsworth, based on an extremely firm theoretical foundation, and Eddie Van Halen, who has absolutely no idea what he is doing from a theoretical point of view, both end up basing a lot of their playing on symmetric fingerings?

[@JensLarsen]

Well, isn't that writing for the instrument, so to speak? 🙂

[@bjensen62]

Exacltly :)

[@jmjrocks1999]

Not that it matters much, but eddie van Halen was classically taught o piano before getting into guitar

[@DeeJay003]

Van Halen was a skilled young concert pianist before moving on to drums and finally guitar!

[@DeeJay003]

@Lyn K Too right! Good point.

[@Rog5446]

Although Holdsworth's jazz solos were displays of genius musicianship, his rock solos were more pleasing to hear due to their more melodic form.

[@ASQUITHZ9]

Like on the Tempest record?

[@HeavyProfessor]

Not for me. I love the jazz. Just my favorite sound ever.

[@lushkordz6643]

Hey Jens really appreciated to find some people trying to explain the Allan way of improvising on chords' changes BTW 4 those interested i found a YT channel of a japanese guy playing note by note the Allan solos ...very impressive indeed... the guy is a real geek of Holdsworth style (N maybe other guy like Tim Miller) -- Check out Yoshinori Seki YT channel it is really mind blowing !!!!!

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks! :)

[@coupe-lee]

The line over the Cmaj7#11 seems more like a line in the C half-whole diminished rather than anything augmented. I see your point that the fragments look a lot like those from the six note augmented, but the collection all together does come from the octatonic. The line could be a use of a shape within the scale and moving it around. Allan also had the same philosophy with chord voicings. As to why Allan would play such an idea, I would guess he was just wanting to create tension.

[@JensLarsen]

If you look at the notes you can certainly interpret it like that. To me it doesn't sound like it, but it is of course impossible to know for sure 🙂

[@anthonydemitre9392]

these symmetric scales do incircle target tone's like jazz players do when you can instinctively move them to suit the harmony

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, Holdsworth has a lot of strong habits when it comes to playing over harmony 🙂

[@dudeeronomy3805]

Thank you Jens. Adam Neely has not been keen to analyze Holdsworth so your efforts are much appreciated.

[@JensLarsen]

My pleasure!

[@Simeon_Harris]

nicely done. he certainly used the third Messiaen Mode a lot. once you learn to identify it by ear, you hear it all over his solos. often used to create tension preceding chord changes, or during one chord vamps. part of his genius was being able to find patterns within it on the fly and sequence them at blinding speed. there's a terrific example in the tune San Onofre at 1:40. i agree that his solos are really tough to analyse, because it can be difficult to fathom the source of his outside ideas. could be scalar, or bebop enclosures, or as you pointed out in this video, just what he happened to hear in his head at the time. i think people will be poring over his music for many years to come and learning from it. thank you for taking the time to do this, jens.

[@JensLarsen]

Really glad you like it Simeon! Actually what I find difficult is to hear when something is Augmented Scale and when it is Messiaen and the other Messiaen mode I am not familiar with at all 🙂

[@Simeon_Harris]

yes, the fourth mode is a new one to me. it's so chromatic, i don't know how you might discern a pattern formed from it from a pattern formed from the full chromatic scale. it would be pretty tough! the third mode is easier to spot, because of the contexts that allan tended to use it in. (to me, anyway). i guess we can only go so far, because we can't see directly into the mind of the man, but i'm grateful that he left us so much amazing music to enjoy and ponder over.

[@JensLarsen]

Well actually his augmented scale and his Messiaen 3rf mode patterns are similar as well (which is not that strange I guess) Maybe it's because I use augmented way more than Messiaen that I have an alarm bell for that but not for the other one.

[@JensLarsen]

The fourth mode is also a bit like two blues licks on top of each other Bb C Eb F Gb + E F# A B C

[@Simeon_Harris]

yeah, i almost never use augmented scales, so i may be hearing it the other way round :)

[@elastic65]

he plays patterns that can be played anywhere..not really scales at all

[@JensLarsen]

Then it is a fantastic coincidence that they fit don't you think so?

[@terrybessey8134]

So, in a sideways way, this kinda looks at an aspect of guitar improvisation that we’re somewhat embarrassed by - the role that physical patterns play. The thing is that, at a certain level, if it sounds good any subset of the 12 available tones will sound ok - or at least have their own distinguishable flavor - in respect of any other cluster of tones. So how far do you push it? And where is the dividing line between music and noise? And who decides? I’m not really that nihilistic - I’m just not sure standard theory is that helpful.

[@JensLarsen]

That's a very good point 🙂 I don't think using physical patterns is off limits as long as the music sounds good.

[@xxzeroxxaxxmxx]

you just need to know where you are and where to go, the rest can be anarchy.

[@JensLarsen]

Very true! Though I don't think that there is that much anarchy in this solo to be honest 🙂

[@xxzeroxxaxxmxx]

Of course Jens!, I just wanted to highlight the brilliant observation of Terry Bessey, that any subset of the 12 available tones would sound good, as long as the intervallic relationships are maintained, as is the case with the limited transposition modes, used here. Thank you very much for this kind of analysis Jens :)

[@TypingHazard]

I think getting hung up on patterns is frankly overstating the case for proficiency as a function of "total freedom from form" or whatever people think they're going for. The instrument is primarily arranged in fourths, the patterns are expressed as a fact of the instrument. I don't think we should hold pattern recognition in any special regard (or any special *dis*regard either), they just exist

[@taufiqandikajazzer]

The best approach for beginner like me. So when i heard first, the sound of allan holdsworth is similar to kurt rosenwikel (sorry because i just heard some pieces of them). Overall, this lesson very helpful to improve my vocabulary. For jazz guitar, you are the best. And for blues, i chose Mr. Robert Renman. From Indonesia; Asian Games 2018 is in my country now 😊 Assalamualaikum..

[@JensLarsen]

Sure! Really glad to be high on the list! You should let Robert know as well! He is a nice guy 🙂

[@Mrius86]

I can't find any real material on KZbin and I really want to make at least a couple videos about Holdsworth's timing. I'll race you, Jens. #LFG

[@JensLarsen]

I doubt that I will be making that any time soon, but go for it! 🙂

[@RealinDealer]

I often wonder how A.H arrived at his decisions regarding the strange time signature and meter in his composing. All I know is that I haven't a clue but it fits and works, is beautiful and is unlike anything else I've heard. I'm thinking that these strange timings may be determined and inspired by the numbers of notes in his lines. But that's a guess.

[@Andreorsel]

Joseph Whitaker , Allan did not count the “normal” way. He always said when asked about it : “ I count evrything in 1” So even if you have something like 5/4, to him it was 11111. Gary Husband ( The drummer who played a lot together with Allan) tells in an interview that they also had this mutual feeling of time, a lot of it was by feel. More like in classical music where the time flows more instead of being exact like a metronome. Surch for Rick Beato interview with Gary Husband on YT, here he tells about it.

[@RealinDealer]

@@Andreorsel Thank you. I will check the G.H interview. All the best

[@Andreorsel]

Joseph Whitaker, you are welcome. All the best for you!

[@YavinArba]

AmMaj7 line - I hear it more like a series of "pat metheny-esque" (i.e., Bartok) chromatic licks which can represent some sort of vague CMaj7#11 ish chord

[@JensLarsen]

Sure! If you think that makes more sense to you 🙂

[@lucascream0]

Hi Jens, I have a question, you know the song "city nights" by Allan Holdsworth? I was listening to this song and I really like the solo/arpeggios parts, but I'm not able to understand what is the scale that Allan uses on this Solo, I really like that scale

[@JensLarsen]

Maybe transcribe the chords and try to figure it out from there? 🙂

[@tonyfaelens3626]

Just talking about Allan Holdsworth, is al ready a great thing !! THNX-PEACE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it! 🙂

[@MauriceArenas]

The Messiaen mode he’s talking about Holdsworth would call the Double Augmented Scale. Mike Stern also uses this quite a bit.

[@JensLarsen]

Interesting! I never heard that name but that does make a lot of sense since it is two augmented scales together. Do you have an example of Stern using it? That could be really interesting to check out 🙂

[@MauriceArenas]

If I recall correctly Mike Stern posted some stuff in guitar player magazine about the double augmented scale. I also think he did a video for guitar player magazine which would have probably have come out in 2013.

[@JensLarsen]

Ok. I was hoping you knew a solo where he used it. I will look it up! Thanks

[@vicstrumone50]

Great stuff! He is using Violin fingerlings within a Mick Goodrich position format. You can play whatever you want over any altered dominant chord. And I love the big interals! Peace.

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it! 👍🙂

[@streetwiseguitar5113]

Nice work, Jens!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! :)

[@eternalrainbow-cj3iu]

Ab A Bb -C Db D- E F-F#...the B D# G(Gaugmented is missng) Cmaj7 upper structuring something F#isch(F#dominant- the Cchord is reanalysed..)your Messian analysis is great I didn't know such only the 9tone skale of Eef Albers... I guess, because C#-F# are comen outsight tones

[@MercutioUK2006]

Brett Stein made a similar analysis of a huge number of Allen's tunes and Messiaen appears everywhere. The fact you both arrived at that conclusion confirms, for me at least, that the symmetrical patterns aren't expedient shapes a la EvH or similar players. Sonically there are similarities (Eddie obviously transcribed a few ideas here and there to define the mechanical principles) but the source material was an awesome understanding of harmony and the shapes are utilised to make life a little easier while improvising. Fantastic video, thanks for your work over the years.

[@alanpickering4497]

Love this. I live in Tain of the sixteen men and often wonder about what influenced Allan when he wrote this stuff.. Its beautiful Glenmorangie whisky country of course! thanks.

[@SquerriliciousCrumpkin]

Mediocre guitar player who used to think he was good, here. I don't understand any of this. I don't understand how to play in a way that doesn't just sound like scales. I suppose I could memorize the theory that is being talked about in this video, but I don't think it would help me hear anything new. Holdsworth's playing sounds like random notes over random chords to me. I think a lot of people suspect an "emperor has no clothes"-type situation with Holdsworth-esque jazz, and I know enough not to say something so stupid, but I can't help but feel that this is just beyond my ear and I should stick to my pentatonics and major scale soloing over a diatonic progression.

[@jb-ro4ow]

Excellent explanation! Holdsworth would probably joke and say you know how to analyze his music better than him lol

[@monkeysbum999]

no he wouldn,t

[@maxwellshammer5283]

That’s the only Holdsworth I have. I saw him in concert and honestly, I got bored about half way through. He’s an amazing, innovative guitarist, but he just doesn’t appeal to me much. I do listen to him occasionally, though, just to change things up. Great lesson, too, by the way.

[@ASQUITHZ9]

Hi I watched a film of Allan talking about scales etc with a roll of paper with black dots representing fingerings I suppose! It reminded me of the roll of paper tape that used to go around a wheel (at seventy miles an hour) that fed the computer called Colossus! used at Bletchley park in the second world war until the eighties it had holes rather than dots where light was passed through and processed by thousands of valves ( using about 10 kw of electric ) to help solve the German high command codes!! I wonder if they had any thing in common with Allan's brain it's ok playing fast but you have to make it work and pleasing to the ear I liked Allen at all stages of his career but I particularly like his playing on the Tempest record such a breath of fresh air.

[@seifer1980]

I've always tried to focus on his words rather than his solos. In the REH instructional videos of '92 he states some interesting things when talking about his approach to music. What I've come to understand during the years is that he found scales by permutation of notes, meaning he didn't develop any harmonic approach from this point of view. This means that there isn't any specific knowledge of music theory, as he always stated. He created, however, is harmonic approach when he figured out chords from specific scales. I don't know why people try to justify his playing by talking about which scales he used at that specific section or that. The thing here is really simple, but it just gets complicated if you try to find a reason behind his musical choices. When I figured out what he tried to say in that video, I got it, I knew I got the point. I approached the same way, looked at scales as all possible notes for that specific interval separation and then played over changes trying to make melodies in my mind. There no such thing as what mode you're using, it's just playing music with all the available notes on your guitar. This method frees you from pattern based playing, giving the opportunity to rethink of music itself. After so many years, everytime I play over something is like a new musical experience... What I have in my mind today? Dunno, let's translate it on my guitar! Peace

[@jefffisher598]

This is an analysis video. An explanation of what he does regarding music theory.

[@Gadje]

Yes. Thank you.

[@Gadje]

@@jefffisher598 You can analyse a frog by dissecting it or sitting near and watching it.

[@digineet8421]

I dont see how thats much different? He is still using scales even if he doesn't refer to mode. And aren't modes also just permutations of scales? What differemce is there really?

[@seifer1980]

Thanks for pointing that out, it wasn't very clear... :D aside from jokes, what I'm trying to say is that holdsworth never wanted a legacy of people (not referring to anyone trying to explain his playing) that copied him or tried to do that. Simply because his style developed in a unique way, of course he had influences, we know that, but what he created was unique. Personally when I see someone playing with his eyes closed over repeated chord changes lines and melodies so difficult to analyze even watching them on a paper, improvising all the time, I wouldn't talk about music theory. It's like a gift, when you do something that can't explain in other words, like a man that can explain perfectly a math theorem without even knowing what's going on :D

[@jeshdcruz]

You are brilliant.. I love the way you teach.. Simple and clear.. Thanks..

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much! I am glad you found it useful! If you have any suggestions for topics or things you are looking for the feel free to let me know 👍

[@adamg9518]

Holy fk son

[@danielcottar3269]

Jens , this episode's stupendous ! When you showed that last Messiaen MODE (#4) , I got confused. I thought , "This is not the 4th mode of that one you showed us at first." It is a completely different scale pattern. But then I thought , " Oh , Messiaen must have used the word mode just to mean , pattern or scale. I have also told students that a scale is a mode. I just usually thought of modes as different modes of the same scale. Like , Dorian is the 2nd mode of the Major scale. But then again , the Major scale is the Ionian mode. If someone said the Ionian mode , I would totally know that they meant the Major scale. Like , I never called the Harmonic Major scale , the Harmonic Major Mode. But it surely is. Thank you for getting me to think correctly ! Yeah , I guess like the Church Modes , which I assume those are from . The FIRST one you showed us , I always called "the Holdsworth scale. I knew no other name for it. I usually thought of it as the Whole Tone scale with an added Augmented triad stuck IN BETWEEN those Whole Tone scale notes , so as not to overlap any notes of that Whole Tone scale. Your lessons are the BOMB , thanks again !

[@proyectophanus]

There is only two kinds of guitarist in the world: Allan Holdsworth and the rest of us.🎉😂

[@boris123f]

goet so

[@reyesplace1096]

Fascinating that this immense talent comes from an enigmatic ocean

[@FrumpyPumpkin]

Beautifully said.

[@albertvandrejer5003]

very interesting video, thank you. At 9:20 you differentiate between parts with moving chords and more modal parts in the solo. But since the moving chords are not from the same scale, wouldn't you think of them as modal too?

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks! The term modal is not really well-defined or at least not really used in the right way in pieces where the chords are changing all the time. For a section to be modal (to me anyway) I would think it was one sound not a lot of different sounds 🙂

[@albertvandrejer5003]

yes, i would not like to call it modal either, on the other hand, which word would you use instead to describe the sound of a specific scale over a chord in a moving chord progression (that is not in a key)? to call it chaotic or free wouldn't be right either, because you can relate it to modes, but i don't think the ear is capable of adapting to a new root so fast..

[@johanblume2621]

I’m curious if the Holdsworth legato technique can be applied to rock/metal style playing, or if it’s only useful for jazz/infusion style? Thanks.

[@JensLarsen]

Actually his technique is probably better suited for metal and rock than Jazz. He does not really phrase in a Jazz way, and the technique has a few issues when it comes to dynamics within the line for bebop lines.

[@alexperez3651]

Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve and Contradictions Collapse. Both albums have some great fusion/Holdworth-esque soloing. IMO

[@ClearPathBeats]

Yeah look up Chris Poland from Megadeth, probably the closest thing to Allan holdsworth in metal

[@ASQUITHZ9]

Give Allan's playing a try on the Tempest album 1973! ( if you already haven't) fabulous playing when Allan used to play similar to other mortals much more down to earth but extra ordinary and beautiful When I first heard his solo in Gorgon I thought it was a breath of fresh air so much away from the other clones, copyist etc

[@MrDizzyvonclutch]

I feel like Holdsworth is kind of like Hindemith... May just be best to leave it be! lol

[@rolandroblejo9987]

thanks for the hard work Jens. One note * - tablature at 4:56 you have F written as 4th note in the run.. should it be F# ? Thanks

[@JensLarsen]

Just follow what I play, I often write down wrong tabs 🙂

[@theguitarblogverreng]

Actually he (Allan and Jens) plays an F# instead o F natural as written on tab and score. :)

[@Krzysztofm33]

Takie analizy nie mają sensu. To tak, jakby malarz z XIV-go wieku analizował Van Gogha.

[@astorina]

Finally on the last example the A diminished with few chromatism matches the lines but not the fifth of the chords , maybe this is inrentional as the fifth doesn t weights much in harmony or he might be playing a #11 in the chord ? He worked a lot the diminished sound possibilities by trying to break its linear nature with triads and strings jump , this is my view , any comment ?

[@JensLarsen]

Ok, I don't think that everything he played was diminished scale. I am curious why you think so?

[@Andreorsel]

In my opinion i also think there is a lot of diminished or octotonic lines in Allan's playing. The octotonic is also one of the Messiaen, mode 2. Indeed Allan would stretch the lines with stringskips to make that scale sound more interesting Surch on YT for: Allan Holdsworth/Gordon back dimished reaposability. From about 1:20 great impro with lots of dimished ideas which he uses also in other impro's. So, for me Allan used the dimished or octotonic scale a lot.

[@Andreorsel]

Here's the link. Solo from about 1:20 From about 6:00 there's realy crazy lightning fast diminished question-answer stuff! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJC7aoyOls-Hr7c

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Thanks so much for your work on this, Jens! Best, Daniel

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it! :)

[@superspeederbooster]

I was waiting for this video. Really nice

[@JensLarsen]

You're very welcome! I am glad you like it! 🙂

[@JonHeagleOnGuitar]

I agree with your interpretations of the material here--well done! Allan also had a lot of lines in his solos that are, I think, pretty free and don't really yield to music theory analysis. A lot of times, those parts of his solos are my favorites. And 16 Men is my overall favorite Allan album too--just very consistently great, end-to-end.

[@TheSnakeEyezz]

I love your videos! I'd love to see an analysis of Johnny Smith! :)

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! What Johnny Smith album or song would you recommend? 🙂

[@TheSnakeEyezz]

Jens Larsen Johnny Smith's Walk, Don't Run album has got some great songs on it. The Sophisticated Lady intro is some impressive playing :) Thanks!

[@mikaelbiilmann6826]

I have played or attempted to play the guitar since 1987. Videos like yours make me realise to look at the big picture instead of diving off of the deep end and attempt some hopeless pentatonic hellscape. But good to keep learning. 😊

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! Go for it! 🙂

[@vibratoryuniverse308]

Fantastic presentation, thank you Mr Larsen

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it 🙂

[@CathyJoseph-vp6zh]

Greatest fussion guitarist ever frm my point of view

[@hugos.w.8976]

Hey Jens! Nice to see you on KZbin :) I just wanted to thank you for sharing you knowledge in Jazz FOR FREE! Thanks to you I can understand Jazz and play Jazz, which I consider the most important thing. Thanks a lot! 😊 I admire you and hope to play like you someday.

[@JensLarsen]

You're so welcome! All it takes is practice!

[@ZFlyingVLover]

hang on. wtf is an am major???? either it's a flat 3 or a major 3 or are you playing both?

[@JensLarsen]

AmMaj is an A minor chord with a major 7th : A C E G#

[@astorina]

Hi, i am not mono scale and i know others than diminished ;-)) I suspect that allan was using specific chords and progressions (notably "open" harmony in which the fifth was considered as a flexible note/concept, this can also be validatef by traditional jazz bop hatmony) but he was more soloing line driven my suggestions in effect do not match some secondary notes , like the fifth, of some chords but in his harmonic system the chords itself is not behaving as a resolving function, so he was creating a context hatmonically in which he can use and explore, with virtuosity and smart digital paterns (that cannot be reached by the typical guitarist with normal fingers and/or too much static on the neck), many delicious dissonances (either in a flow of notes or when concluding a line with a surprise (relative to the chord which is in essence an open chord , not major fully, not minor really , not dominant/resolving either In other words his harmonic system is thought and suited to his incredible sense of building moving melodic lines I was recently , actually yesterday in my cat, trying to sing the bass lines of some of his tunes and i realised that the basses movement is everytging but not/never based on V to I relation, this is an element that make me think that his harmony is in the back office in some ways I hope i was a bit clear ?

[@JensLarsen]

Ok. Holdsworths music obviously isn't really functional. I think that there are so many places that he plays very natural things on the chords that he thinks like most jazz musicians when it comes to interpreting the chords, so probably his less obvious choices are also for the most part related to the chord in some way. To me, the way you explain it makes it less logical and more mysterious and I am not sure it really adds any useful information about the music, I also don't think it really describes all the places where his note choices are completely normal on the harmony. But of course I also make interpretations and you don't have to agree with me 🙂

[@Shawn-hs8qk]

Just listened to the Sixteen Men Of Tain album last night.

[@JensLarsen]

And? Is it still great? 🙂

[@Shawn-hs8qk]

Yes. I had a teacher around 1987 that had me run out and by the Road Games album which I love, and IOU. Road games is really special to me because that was the album that hooked me. But last night while listening to Sixteen Men Of Tain I couldn't help but stop and think just how much he evolved even much further. Love all the tones as well.

[@ShredCo]

How to understand his solos... Good luck.

[@jackkuelling7946]

Great lesson. Could you maybe do a lesson on Julian Lage at some point?That would be awesome!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! If I can find a solo that I think demonstrates something or that I really like I will 🙂

[@mikewazowski5335]

Nice work, Can you explain in a future video one analysis of the intro of the first song of metal fatigue?

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you. I am not doing videos like this at the moment. The first song is metal fatigue right? Like power chord with a harmonizer?

[@alandalaku719]

Sounds good to me, and Holdsworth is one of my favorites.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you 🙂

[@alandalaku719]

@@JensLarsen not for nothing but even JOHN MCLAUGHLIN said to Allan, "If I knew what you were doing I'd steal it, but I DON'T know." Both Eddie Van Halen and Frank Zappa have claimed that Holdsworth is THE best.

[@squiresuzuki]

Very nice. Vid on making use of Slonimsky's Thesaurus?

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Andrew! Never really used it that much, so I am not sure I am the one to make a lesson on Slonimsky 🙂

[@tribeshift]

I would love a video about that!

[@JensLarsen]

I think a video on some of the ideas with messiaen modes are probably more useful to be honest. Slonimsky is a huge systematic work of note sets and combinations. Not really about music.

[@tribeshift]

How about a video on how best to USE the thesaurus?! 😎

[@demetriusaraujo474]

Muito obrigado.

[@JensLarsen]

Nós que agradecemos!

[@astorina]

On the third example again the diminished scale of C matches but half tone tone , is it ?

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, but again niet really fitting the chord. Basically you think everything he played is diminished? 🙂

[@t-streetamvs10]

3:21 kind of sounds like Younk Funk to me

[@kevingamble9050]

Thanks brother!!!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it! 🙂

[@astorina]

On the second example , the A harmonique major matches also well the line

[@JensLarsen]

But not really the chord though 🙂

[@GiorgioGalletti-vt9rl]

You have the gift of the gab...

[@Shuzies]

oh wonderful.................I love this......It's no wonder just about anything I play with this album sounds right.

[@JensLarsen]

Yes I guess that makes sense :) Glad you like it Ron!

[@jonasdnkjr5774]

Great job Jens !! is all i can come up with really, cause you have just saved my day :)

[@JensLarsen]

Glad to hear it Jonas! :)

[@astorina]

Hello jens , the Bb diminished tone half tone matches well the line until the Eb note , isn it ? Thank for covering this hard subject that most people neglect because for sure allan had one peculiar logic , by the way i know well is discography but i didn t know this album, personnally one of my favorite is road games , do you this one ?

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Antonio 🙂 I don't think dim scale works too well with that chord though?

[@snowfiresunwind]

'Drums were Yellow' is a masterpiece.

[@borbor78]

it is a great pleasure to discover your channel.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@janroberts347]

From Andrew(BOB)Yates.Allan had a marvellous musical brain wonderful memory and dexterity having played guitar many years off and on with few of the above qualities I believe part of his music is based on target notes linked by the timing and underlying harmonic movement chromatically I believe Allans unique skill to be almost genius listening to his development is interesting I am no expert but he seems to be in experimental mode a lot of the time from the earliest fast fingered but less musically accurate 70s till the later more honed playing .I prefer the more guitarish sounds but love this mysterious non definable music

[@meowtrox1234]

Hi Jens, check out "Mikio Fujioka" and try to make an analysis on how he plays . Thanks!

[@JensLarsen]

What is a good album to check out? 🙂

[@meowtrox1234]

Please try "trickbox"

[@JensLarsen]

I don't think that really fits with what I do on this channel 🙂 You could try suggesting that to Chris Zoupa or Ben Eller?

[@meowtrox1234]

Jens Larsen Oh too bad but The one's you see on yt are not His fusion side. One of his influences Is holdsworth. Anyway thank you !

[@JensLarsen]

Ok. The stuff I heard sounded like typical Satriani or Vai stuff

[@piotrhobbysta5614]

PS: Do you plan making video about using chromatic scale in some parts of solos? I know very fine solutions used by Steve Morse who often (IMO cause I am not musician) used during his solos and improvisations. Ofc recently he mostly plays rock, not jazz, but a scale is scale and its role is about the same, independently of genre of music I think?

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks! How about one of these? kzbin.info/www/bejne/p324hZifdqmepdk

[@piotrhobbysta5614]

Thank you for that link. I watch this. Yes, it's exactly what I meant and I am interested in.

[@JensLarsen]

Just ask if there is something you are looking for! 🙂

[@EarthAltar]

In that first figure over the BbMaj7(#11) there's really no need for all that stretching. That whole lick can be done between the 10th and 12th frets quite easily. Just find the notes E, G, A, C, F#, A ascending from the low E for the first measure. Which I look at as an Amin13. Then A, C, F#, A, Bb, Eb ascending from the A string. You still have that Amin13 tonality but you're introducing the b9 and b5 color tones. Nothing special about going from the first arpeggio to the second. The genius here is that it's being used over the BbMaj7(#11) which I spell as Bb, A, D, E. Now that's jazzy. Another great Vid, Jens!

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks! I think it is easier to play with the stretch to be honest, and I know he did that a lot 🙂

[@EarthAltar]

No doubt. His hands were like spiders on the neck. For those of us that with mortal sized claws though, at least there's an alternative. His sense of harmony is what impressed me most about his playing. Thanks for breaking it down because in a million years I would never have thought to play those notes over that chord. Spent a few hours last night looking for Amin13 arpeggios all over the neck, and throwing in b9's and b5's. Good stuff, man!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you put it to use! 👍🙂

[@Allan-et5ig]

Great analysis and 'lesson' if you like. Your technical analysis - which is on the outer reaches of my knowledge of theory (mine, not everyone's) seems correct in all your observations. More fundamentally, Holdsworth wasn't really 'doing' as much as 'being' himself. His brain was just different. He had an innate ability to create scales based on everything and nothing: chords, tones, fragments, modes riffs and none of the above. It's almost an impulsive thing, like great writers with the written word. It's there from day one, that ability. To me most of what AH did was duh, based on harmony. I certainly wouldn't call him a great melodicist! It's either great stuff, or insanely unapproachable, but it was Holdsworth and I don't think he could stop that brain from 'wandering' the way it did, if he wanted to.

[@McMinnManiac]

I like the way ppl think great musicians never studied anything study is a means to an end, as far as limitation , the study frees self expression There is always more fuel for new ideas For example , should i read what eric johnson did on cliffs of dover , or make up my own licks Well, i can , but am i going to think of the same guitaristic interval choices ...?

[@shaofu424]

enjoyed it introduced me to Messiaen Modes good work be safe, be happy, work hard peace \m/

[@tomscott1741]

The phrase you're dissecting at 7 minutes is taken from two diminished scales, I'm a clarinet player, but I'll use the notes from the piano. F sharp G, A, Bb, C, C#, Eb, E, F. And the second one is, F, F#, Ab, A, B, C, D, Eb, F

[@tomscott1741]

That's how I see that anyway LOL

[@tomscott1741]

He switches to the second diminished scale after the C sharp