Combine effortless hybrid picking, fluid legato phrasing and some Big Sky thinking to attain fretboard freedom, says Charlie Griffiths.
Following last issue’s look at the formidable TJ Helmerich, this month we delve into the equally singular style of his partner in crime, Brett Garsed. TJ and Brett’s 90s albums Quid Pro Quo and Exempt are shred fusion masterpieces, which still connect jaws with floors today.
Currently living in his native Australia, Brett has had a colourful career outside of niche instrumental guitar music, having toured and recorded with both US band Nelson and Aussie star John Farnham, as well as appearing on his country’s biggestselling album, Whispering Jack.
Guitarists will possibly be more aware of Brett’s instrumental albums Big Sky and Dark Matter, along with his appearances on the Planet X albums, and with keyboardist Derek Sheridan and drummer Virgil Donati on the legendary Centrifugal Funk album alongside Frank Gamble and Shawn Lane.
Brett’s style stems from rock guitar, with Eddie Van Halen being an early influence. But later exposure to players like Allan Holdsworth and Scott Henderson instilled a fusion fuelled ‘outside’ sound. Along with Brett’s unique combination of hybrid picking and super-smooth legato, the result is a style which is singularly his own. In the following five examples we will touch upon some of the more shred-like techniques that Brett uses to navigate the fretboard.
Our first example immediately inspires us to break out of the box shapes with a four-notes-per-string lick using all four fretting fingers. The feel of semitone and tone spacings between the fingers can be a little strange at first but will soon start to flow. This is an excellent way of moving across the fretboard to quickly transport your fingers to a new part of the neck.
Ex2 introduces something key to Brett’s approach, which is chromatic passing notes. The main framework of this lick is D Dorian mode which, coupled with the backing chords, gives us an unequivocally Dorian sound. But we can explore remaining inside the scale, then stepping ‘outside’ using chromatic notes. Brett is renowned for his legato technique and both these examples are a perfect starting point to begin training your fingers.
Brett employs hybrid picking technique, with his plucked notes blending in with the legato notes and maki
