No. 29: Frank Zappa: Where to Start?

On October 22, 2022 by Prester John

This is my latest lesson for Premier Guitar magazine. Notation and tab here: Zappa-esque Notation

This lesson simplifies Zappa’s ideas to make them more approachable and playable. Almost all of the examples begin on the downbeat, making them a bit stiff compared to Frank’s unpredictability, but easier to comprehend. I also repeated them several times, which Frank rarely did unless stating a theme or melody. This is the irony of Frank’s compositions versus his solos: The composed pieces are exacting and played meticulously, the solos are loose and performed with wild abandon.

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