"Gimme More" Solo Cover

[thattimeofyear87]

Having a blast with the Jackson RR5FR. So I figured I'd get one last cover in during the holiday break...

[youtube][/youtube]

[Genebaby]

Kick ass!

I have that shirt too, but in black. I remember there was a purple available. I wear it all the time.

[tukoztukoz]

Cool!
Can I ask you what method(s)o you use to play these solos?

[tukoztukoz]

... I mean the transcription method...

[Streetbeat]

All those notes and melodies are so Vinnie, you got the tone too !!!
Congrats !!! everytime i listen to some Vinnie i think how come he stop playing !

[thattimeofyear87]

... I mean the transcription method...

Thanks for the comments, all! Vic, gotta love "Invasion Of Your Privacy"!

Hi there, tt,

For VV's solos, I slow them down with the software Riffstation and learn by ear. I then break the solos into sections and concentrate on a section/lick at a time, trying to either get it note for note or very close, or "in the "ballpark" as I like to say. I practice each section at a slow tempo and increase speed in various percentage intervals. Then I practice on playing the full solo at a slow speed and gradually try to build it up to actual tempo.

[poserboy71]

ATTA BOY !!!!

[tukoztukoz]

Ok, I see, thanks! I think it's always cool to learn things by ear, even with Vinnie!
While doing all those Vinnie solos, have you noticed anything particular to mention about Vinnie's choice of notes?

[thattimeofyear87]

Ok, I see, thanks! I think it's always cool to learn things by ear, even with Vinnie!
While doing all those Vinnie solos, have you noticed anything particular to mention about Vinnie's choice of notes?

That's a great question...

In terms of actual note choice and technique, Vinnie has a deep bag of tricks IMO. Some things I've noted in studying his playing over the years:

Firstly, in my opinion, Vinnie's ear for melody is amazing. There is lots of focus on his ability to play fast -- and that is a part of his playing that I admittedly love -- but Vinnie can really play tastefully. The solos for "Love Kills," "That Time Of Year" and "Ecstasy" are all extremely memorable and singable. And I've found that his work with Treasure and Dan Hartman, and most of his KISS solos, are also ripe with rich melodic content.

When Vinnie plays fast, he has a penchant for throwing in lots of chromatic notes, and notes outside of the typical scale. (Especially on the VVI albums. Lots of reckless abandon...) In his instructional video, his point was that you can make these chromatics work in the context of a fast run. For example, in "Gimme More," the solo is essentially in B Minor. There is a lick where he descends in B Minor pentatonic at the 7th position, but he throws in some extra notes to fill in some of the holes in that five-note scale: G# (major sixth/Dorian flavor), F (tritone/blues scale), and A# (major seventh). In the context of the run, all these notes work.

Vinnie also has a knack for interesting uses of sweeps. In "Deeper And Deeper," the sweep run that he does is actually based on three major chords: A major, D major and E major. In using these chords, and changing the positions, it makes for a great-sounding climax to the solo -- and sounds classical to my ears.

Also, Vinnie was apt to throw in some outside stuff. He used diminished arpeggios quite a bit -- "Burn" has some effective diminished usage. And on "Ashes To Ashes," Vinnie busts out with a whole tone scale run to end the solo. For sure, not all rock players have this type of vocabulary.

Tapping -- Vinnie liked to move his tapping finger up and down the neck to add melodic content. That final run in "A Million To One" is a great example. He is hammering B and D on the high E (7th and 10th fret) and his tapping finger plays an ascending melody.

Vinnie relied heavily on the whammy bar. He could wiggle it gently to make the notes sing a ala "Love Kills." And then he also abused it to get vulgar sounds -- think those weird sounds all over the VVI debut, the howling notes on "Fits Like A Glove" and that terrifying whammy dive on the outro to "Young And Wasted."

In all seriousness, there are so many layers to Vinnie's playing. He has continued to fascinate me for nearly 30 years...

[shramiac]

Great answer.

[Slayer]

Great thread and this solo is played very close to note for note. I love these lessons and think that your doing a great job and that these contributions are much appreciated here!

[tukoztukoz]

Thanks for the answer! I hope Vinnie's style will keep fascinate me for the next 30 years too!
Sometimes I think Vinnie chose his notes by sort of drawing imaginary geometrical figures on his fretboard. Music and geometry are very close sometimes, so why not? For example, I noticed that scales like harmonic minor or altered look very geometrical on the fretboard - on a particular position, and with the open tuning I use, ok, but... Also, when I consider Coltrane's "Giant steps", I think geometry plays an important role in it, and it's great!
If some of this is true, I wonder what Vinnie's imaginary figures looked like...

[Streetbeat]

would love to Vinnie to open up someday (maybe never) and speak about this interesting things