Al Di Meola Solos

An Exploration of His Music, Including Transcribed

Solos and Lessons (by Dan Towey)

Published by Hal Leonard Corporation

ISBN 0-7935-3671-5, HL00660336

Introduction

If you cut your baby teeth in jazz listening to the jazz/rock/fusion guitarists of
the mid-seventies then you are certain to know of the intense, blistering,
rapid-fire solos of Al Di Meola.

Most of the material in this book reveals a distinctly different Al Di Meola from
that of the 70s. This new character began to reveal itself with the 1985
release of Cielo e Terra and has continued to evolve ever since. It is a
combination of sophistication, refinement, introspection and experimentation
(without having lost any of the mind-boggling, rapid-fire, palm-muting,
sizzling splendor we have all grown to know and love). In fact, it's all of these

elements combined that makes Al's playing such a joy to hear.

The solos in this book are spectacular in and of themselves but they cannot
be fully appreciated without considering the compositions from which they
emerge. Al's songwriting demonstrates an amazing imagination and maturity.

From the raw electric power and intensity of groups like Return To Forever to
the fascinating Latin, Mid-East Tango polyrhythms of World Sinfonia; from the
proddings of keyboardist Jan Hammer's insistent computer rhythms in
"Sequencer" to bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi's surreal approach in songs
like "Last Tango For Astor", Di Meola makes the most of his influences.

The song forms range from the very simple (one-chord-per-tonal-center

arrangement of "Sequencer") to the very complex (like "Kiss My Axe," with its
maze of strange and unrelated deviations from its poppish beginning).
Complexity isn't confined strictly to the song form. Abrupt mood and style
changes within a song have become a trademark for Al. Some of the internal
meter changes are extremely hard to follow without a road map, as in the
opening section of "Morocco." Fitting phrases to meters are a real bear in
those unison breaks, something Di Meola is famous for. And then there are
the chord changes themselves...

The chord progressions over which he solos are often quite unorthodox when
compared to standard jazz or rock changes. "The Embrace and Global Safari"
from Kiss My Axe, although using traditional jazz harmonies and colors, uses
very non-traditional and often very complex progressions (no ii-V-I's here,
folks) combined with multiple key changes. One of Al's signature techniques
is to use modulations of a half-step (say from C#m to Dm) in such a way that
you are virtually unaware of the change if you're not listening for it.
Sometimes this will happen during the course of the song, as in "Traces Of A
Tear," or even within a solo ("Traces Of A Tear" and "Morocco"), Still, Al
manages to tie all these various and complex ideas into cohesive songs by
the strength of his excellent melodic sense. This is true in the case of his
melodies and solos as well.

Andonea

"Andonea" is a beautifully constructed song, full of charm, yet haunting and

mysterious. I have chosen to include the whole song, rather than the solo
alone, because the guitar part is so beautiful.

As in many of Al's songs, the form is both logical and ambiguous: Logical in
both the general layout (an ABAB form with an extra A section intro) and in
the way in which the melodic content weaves the chord progression into a
comfortable and familiar sounding pattern. It is ambiguous in the way that
the chord progression, sounding so familiar, is so full of substitute chord
changes (the key of this song is B minor, yet we are continually drawn to hear
E minor, as in the IVm, Im, V, Im at bars 9-14 and the IIm, V at bars 15-16).
There's also the abruptness of the key change from B minor in the A section
to C minor in the B Section. How unrelated can you get? Yet Al manages time
and again to somehow connect even the most unrelated of forms. That is the
beauty of his compositional technique.

The melody of the intro is based on the E melodic minor scale. Section A's
melody (bars 17-31) is derived from both E harmonic minor and E Aeolian
scales.

Notice the effortless way in which Al solos around the melody line being sung
in the A section starting at bar 17.

The lines in Section C cover every note of the chromatic scale (bars 45-59
and 46-61). Here, Al is following the changes much more closely than before,
thus requiring the use of much more chromaticism to fit his lines into the
harmonically unrelated chords (i.e., Gmaj7 and G7, Bm and B+7). Some
special moments in this section are: The whole tone scale lick over the
Gmaj7#11 at bars 45-46, the descending Fmaj7 arpeggio resolving to D over
a Dm at bars 49-50, the E7(add11) chord arpeggio over a G7b9 at bars 51-52

and the descending arpeggios outlining the F#m7 and B7b9 at bars 59-60.

The chord progression in the B section is in the key of C minor (IIImaj7-ii7b5V+7-i) for the most part, but contains some striking diversions (A7, F#dim7
and F#+7). The solo part is mainly concerned with fill lines to support the
melody. Pay particular attention to the many different ways Al finds to phrase
the numerous diminished arpeggios here.

[ Andonea ] [ mp3 ]

The Embrace

"The Embrace" from the 1991 release Kiss My Axe, is full of compositional
twists and turns. After the first main section, the song weaves in and out of
four or five different thematic statements, each with its own particular flavor.
It finally ends up at the guitar solo which uses the same chord progression as
the first section, effectively sandwiching all the middle material together. This
style of writing is reminiscent of the group Return To Forever in its complex
arrangements and multiple meters. However this is as far as the similarity
goes. "The Embrace" couples a contemporary jazz sound with a strong salsa
influence to create a totally different rhythmic feel.

The guitar solo is the very last part of this tune. It is tied to the beginning via
the chord progression. At first glance, the solo appears normal starting with
iv7sus4 to a i7 in 6/4 time but don't be deceived! It's easy enough to get
used to, but it doesn't follow any standard format (that's Al for ya!). Although
most of the chords in the first nine measures fit neatly into a G# Phrygian
mode, the Dmaj7 is a borrowed chord from the G# Locrian mode. The
transition from G# minor to A minor (this should be a familiar modulation by
now) just seems to work. The last half of the original chord progression is
then repeated, this time in the new key of A minor, followed by a ninemeasure tag and ending with yet another modulation to Bb minor.

Everything shifts in this progression. The meter shifts from 6/4 to 7/4 to 5/4 to
6/4 in two 9-measure phrases, with a 4-measure tag. Then, at the
modulation, it repeats the 9-measure phrase but, this time, with an 11measure tag to the end. Try improvising a solo over this! It'll definitely give
you a run for your money.

Let's get down to the solo itself. As usual, Al's sense of structure and melody
is readily apparent upon a first listening. He is always aware of the key
pitches that are important over any one chord or set of changes. For
example, notice the key notes he uses in the first nine measures: C#m7sus4;
C# and F#(sus4), G#m7; B, F# and D#, Dmaj7; D, F#, A C#, Emaj9; B, (A),
G#, F# and D#(7th), G#m7; G# minor pentatonic (add 2). The remainder of
the solo is no less thoughtful and, after inspecting it carefully, you can see
how completely Al knows these changes. At nearly every measure, this solo
follows the chords exactly: bar 12, G#m9 arpeggio minus the 7th over G#m7;
bar 14; Dmaj9 arpeggio over Dmaj7, bar 19, Cmaj9 arpeggio C6/9, bars 2829, Fmaj9 arpeggio over Fmaj9; bar 34, Dbmaj9 arpeggio over Db6/9; bar 35,
Em7 arpeggio over Bm/E. Other spots that I should point out are: the tasty
lick at bar 18 where Al plays a run based on a D major pentatonic/add7 over a
Bm7 (D being the relative major of B minor), and the nearly identical run in
Db at bar 32, this time over a Db6/9 chord. Again, rhythmic variety is always
important, especially where he breaks up steady strums of the same rhythm
figure with flashes of new rhythms.

[ The Embrace ] [ mp3 ]

Global Safari

Omar Hakim plays drums on this tune as well as on "Kiss My Axe." He has
such command over a trap set it really makes this song sizzle. The whole

group burns and this creates a great backdrop for Al to fire it up. He doesn't
just burn from the start though. He takes his time, feeling his way through the
complex maze of changes and doesn't begin to take off until the two-chord
vamp in C minor at bars 41-56. Did you catch that? This form is 56 measures
long! (28 if you have the value of the measures, which some people may feel
more comfortable with) It's a through-composed form that you can sub-divide
into two segments, separated according to the feel produced by the rhythm
section. The first section (40 measures long) is a kind of jazz/fusion feel. It's
like the feel Jack DeJohnette and Jon Christensen used to go for on the 70s
ECM releases. The second section makes a shift to a fast salsa feel which is
carried by Jackson's bass line. The second chorus is stretched and altered to
make a 54 measure first section and second section that's only 16 measures
long.

The chord progression to this solo makes so many shifts in tonality that it's
hard to say exactly what's happening harmonically. Suffice it to say that
there are a number of two chord vamps (in the form of i7-v7, i7-iii7 and
i7iv7 respectively) throughout this form which serve to anchor the tonal
center for a few measures. There are also connecting passages of
harmonized scale tones every so often (bars 11-12, bars 37-40 for example)
to tie the various tonal centers together. I've changed keys to indicate where
a new tonal center is and to reduce the need for accidentals.

As I mentioned earlier, Al starts this solo off in a very relaxed, almost cautious
manner, as though he were methodically feeling out the sound of each chord
change. He uses the power of his Les Paul to get plenty of sustain for the long
notes and the extended sliding slurs. Heavy finger vibrato and end note slides
also give the lines a speaking or breathing quality.

With the exception of two times, he plays single notes per change over the
busier harmonic rhythms. The first time (bars 11-12) he plays the 7th of each
chord. Two other times (bars 37-40 and bars 103-106) he plays the 3rd of
each chord and one time (107-111) he plays scale tones of the C minor
pentatonic/add2 scale, starting on C and ending on C up an octave. The final
time is really a great moment. He starts with one note per chord and changes
to two per chord to increase the intensity as he launches into the famous Al
Di Meola screaming high C. At bars 77-78 he executes a series of precision,
palm-muted, triad arpeggios outlining the four chords: Cm, Dm, Ebm and Fm.
Al begins on Cm by playing the root and ascending to the fifth. He then
descends from the fifth of Dm down to its root. Over Ebm and F, Al repeats

this arpeggio in the same manner. I think it's the palm-muting that makes this
lick stand out so much since it's the only place he uses this effect throughout
the whole solo. Al's phrasing is also noteworthy. Notice how he periodically
breaks up the steady singing-like phrasing with extended lines that often go
on longer than you expect. Look at bars 43-48, 50-56 and 115-121 (not to
mention the burning lick at the end of the solo that's connected non-stop to
the proceeding six measure phrase) to see what I mean. Sometimes it's like
someone who's hyped up and can't stop talking 'cause he's afraid he might
forget something important and if he hesitates for a second somebody will
cut him off before he's finished talking.

All in all, this is a great song and a fantastic solo. Keep your ears open for
classic Al Di Meola licks. There are a few of them in here besides the most
obvious burner licks.

[ Global Safari ] [ mp3 ]

Indigo

"Indigo" is a very pretty song. The drums, played with brushes, give it a fast
jazz waltz feel, but the melody is sweet and flows easily over the fast tempo.

I've included the melody section with this solo because of the great fills Al
plays over the extended C#m vamp at the end of each chorus. The first vamp
is 27 measures long and consists of a static C#m harmony. This section in the
second chorus is only 16 measures.

In the first melody section (A), I want to mention bars 25 through 51, the first
C#m vamp. From bars 25-31, Al plays very smoothly over a C# Aeolian mode

with combinations of descending arpeggios at the end. At bar 31 he begins a

series of phrases that come from a C# Hungarian minor scale. This scale
contains three half-step pairs of notes (#2-3, #4-5 and 7-1) and two minor
third intervals (b3-#4 and b6-7). Al makes the most of this exotic sounds
produced by these intervals, primarily focusing on scale passages. He plays
with a free-flowing rhythmic feel which adds to this exotic feeling. We find the
same kind of sound in the first 8 measures of the second chorus (bars 76-83).
This time part of it is picked very close to the bridge which adds a sharp
percussive sound, bringing out more of that exotic sound. This phrase is
balanced in reverse with thirds and fourths from the C# Aeolian mode.

There's a key change to D minor before the actual solo begins. The harmonic
rhythm has been increased to nearly one chord per measure and the chord
progression is quite different. Each of the four solo choruses is 37 measures
long. The solo begins by echoing the sound of the previous melody in the first
6 measures, thus tying it to the preceding choruses. The melodic line weaves
effortlessly through this maze of a chord progression as does the rest of the
solo. Di Meola achieves this by remaining close to the tonal center of each
chord, chord group, or its relative key. For example, at bar 41, Al plays C
minor runs over the E4naj7 chord (C minor being the relative minor of Eb
major). Over the Dm, Am, C of the next 3 measures, he plays a phrase based
on A minor pentatonic. At bars 52-54 he plays an F# major pentatonic/add7
over an F#maj9.

Many of the lines may seem unrelated because he will often shift the starting
point of a line to the third of the scale. Check out bars 85-88 where the focus
seems to be on C minor rather than the Eb major the chord dictates. Also
notice how the focus in bars 115-117 seems to be on G minor instead of E
major. This works because G minor is the third chord in the key of Eb.

Focusing on key notes from a particular chord sound is another way Al holds
this solo together. Look at the way he brings a series of arpeggios together by
focusing in on the 4th of the A7sus4 in bars 63-66.

There are so many good things about this solo that it's difficult for me to
point them all out. But, dig into this one in-depth and you'll find a wealth of
information that will certainly help you improve your own solo technique.

[ Indigo] [ mp3 ]

Kiss My Axe

Di Meola is shining on this one! "Kiss My Axe" is one of the most powerful
solos of the bunch. This one has everything Al has become famous for in the
fusion realm.

Even though "Kiss My Axe" is relatively short, it packs quite a punch. The
song itself is reminiscent of the early Di Meola solo projects with comrades,
Barry Miles and Anthony Jackson. In fact they are all present here, driven by
one of the hottest drummers, Omar Hakim.

The solo sneaks up on you, though you can feel the tension brewing just
before Al takes off. The guitar is drenched in distortion and filled with "that
edgy abandon," as Bill Milkowski puts it in the LP liner notes. But even while
playing with abandon, Di Meola never loses control.

The chord progression is fairly straight forward. Ifs in the key of A minor and
aside from a few colorful chord changes, stays there nearly the whole form.
There is a 4-measure series of chords about three-fourths of the way through
(Ab9#11, G/A and Cmaj7#11) which functions as a sustained altered V chord
substitute. The form is an 19 measures long with one repeat and an 8measure tag which modulates from A7 though B7 through E5. This kind of
static chord progression allows Al to really cut loose and he does so with
style.

The first 10 measures are based on A Aeolian and are marked by 16th note
triplets. Bars 6 and 26 contain an Eb blue note adding just a bit of flair. Bars
15-16 introduce an Ab whole tone scale over an Ab7 altered chord (we see it
again at bars 34-35). Al emphasizes the sound of the Cmaj#11 chord at bars

18-19 and again at bars 37-38 by playing a run based on the C Lydian scale.
There are also some good instances of chromaticism combined with rhythmic
variety at bars 31-32. Bar 43 to the end of the solo reminds me of the kind of
fire John McLaughlin used to play with when he played with the Mahavishnu
Orchestra. In fact, you may recognize hearing the beginning of this lick in
John's solo in "Meeting Of The Spirits" from the Inner Mounting Flame LP. The
solo ends with a unison melody lick that's really slick. It puts the icing on the
cake.

[ Kiss My Axe ] [ mp3 ]

Last Tango For Astor

This song, written for the Argentine composer/bandoneon master, Astor

Piazzolla, has an eerie and dreamy feeling. When considering the title, you
might say it has a feeling of nostaligia for a lost and important friendship. Its
lush sounds swirl around in your head; the effect of the reverb-drenched
instruments luring you into a dreamland.

The lack of a steady drum beat and the off-beat rhythm feel with which Dino
Saluzzi plays his bandoneoun make it very difficult to hear where the downbeat is for the first 6 measures of the solo. Di Meola's peculiar phrasing
makes it even more confusing, but by the 7th measure you can finally get a
grasp on the beat. Al slips and slides through the four-chord progression as
though he is unaware that anyone is playing with him. Yet upon close
inspection it is evident that these musicians listen very closely and are
always interacting with one another.

There is a marked feeling of 12/8 in Di Meola's solo lines. He rarely plays

anything but triplets, though there are two exceptions (bars 3-6 and 10).

There are many instances where notes are held over at odd places in the
beat (the first four measures are a good example), obscuring any sense of a
pulse. Large intervalic leaps are abundant: the 4th beats of bars 1 and 2,
beats 1 and 2 of bar 12, beats 2 and 3 of bar 17. Bars 23-25 are of particular
interest in this respect. Notice how a sequence is developed from the pattern
starting at bar 23 by making the last note of one phrase into the first note of
the next. Phrases like these are effective when you want to add mystery or
obscurity to your solo.

Some othere lines I should point out are: the be-bop style lick at bar 20 (2,
7,1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b7 in E over a Gmaj chord) and a common Di Meola lick at bar
14 (8, 7, 5, 2,1, 3, 6, 4, 2 in Bb major over a Bbmaj7 chord) which is repeated
again at bar 30, but this time is thrown off by starting on the second note of
an 8th note triplet on beat 2. Notice how Al manages to finish it at the end of
the measure by changing the rhythm slightly on beat 4. That was either very
clever or very lucky.

Al has obviously been very inspired by Astor Piazzolla in the writing of this
moving tribute. He has also recorded some of Piazzolla's music on the first
World Sinfonia LP, where this song is found, as well as on World Sinfonia's
second release Heart Of The Immigrants.

[ C Last Tango For Astor ]

Mediterranean Sundance

Al Di Meola has always been admired for his technical prowess, especially
when people realized that those skills weren't just a result of his preference
for playing a "fast" guitar at high volumes. Of course it didn't take long for
people to find this out. Even from the beginning, Al had the opportunity to
demonstrate his skill on acoustic steel-string guitar on "No Mystery" the title
cut to Return To Forever's fourth LP. Di Meola continued to feature the

acoustic on at least one cut on every new LP, including Elegant Gypsy, on
which "Mediterranean Sundance" was first recorded. This song features the
bravado guitar playing of master Flamenco guitarist, Paco De Lucia.

"Mediterranean Sundance" is a guitarist's delight. Using traditional Flamencostyle chord progressions as a backdrop, Paco and Al joyfully soar through
their solos with all the fury and majesty of the best Flamenco improvisers. It's
interesting to note that, even at this early stage in his development, Di Meola
had developed a keen sense of awareness for dynamics and pacing, two of
the most important techniques of a superior soloist. The chord progression
starts out as a three chord vamp on the iv, v and V7 chords of E melodic and
natural minor (in 8 measure phrases) for 32 measures. From bar 32 to the
end of the solo, an Andulusian Cadence is used (Im, bVII7, bVI7, V7), again in
groups of 8 measures.

The solo here is pretty straight forward. It's full of fast and furious licks which
most guitarists, including myself, drool over. Notice, however, that Al doesn't
just turn on the speed drill and let it rip. Every blast of speed is balanced by
an equal response of thoughtful sensitivity.

The tremolo at the beginning is really beautiful. The choice of notes (starting
on the 6th of Am) is perfect. And the way the B notes roll to a stop just before
the B7 chord at bar 7 is beautiful. It's like watching a wave on a calm lake
gently roll along the surface of the water until, its energy exhausted, it
merges into itself and disappears. The next 8 measures are no less a joy as Di
Meola's strings sing of sorrow or wistful yearning. Bar 16 is the first place in
the solo where Al really takes off. He uses the A Dorian mode here, coupled
with 8th-note triplets and two common scale exercise patterns. In fact, he
uses the A Dorian (or E Aeolian depending on your point of view) all through
this solo. Practice playing scale exercises from violin or clarinet books if you
want to become proficient at running scales like this. It's a great exercise to
build endurance, too. One other thing I should point out is this: notice that
whenever Al plays one of these runs he nearly always avoids starting or
ending on the chord root, usually choosing a 3rd, 5th, 7th, or 9th instead. This
produces a rich and colorful sound.

[ Mediterranean Sundance ] [ mp3 ]

Morocco

"Morocco" is probably the most difficult song of the bunch when it comes to
understanding the phrasing in relation to the meter. Therefore, before going
into the harmonic content of the solos, it would be beneficial to point out
some of what's happening in the song structure itself. Solos 1 and 2 are
based on the introductory segment which is extremely hard to count. I have
devised a counting scheme that will help you follow this section. The tempo is
quite fast (1/4 = 92) so watch out! There is an intro to this section which is 9
measures long. In 6/8 time count: || 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 ||. This will
get you to the beginning of the first section which is counted:

| -3- | 6
| -2- | 9
| -1- | 6
| -6- | 9
9
| -1- | 6
| -2- | 9
| -4- |

| -5- | 6

| -2- |

This counting scheme uses each chord change as a down beat and ignores
the rhythm of the percussion instruments. As I said before, this is also the
counting scheme Pve used to count the first two solos. Solos 1 and 2 share
the same chord progression and are very similar in other ways. The chord
progression modulates frequently so I've included key changes to help
identify tonal centers as well as to reduce the need for writing in accidentals.
The solos have a rubato feel to them, as though Al was thinking of this as
metrical free space. This rubato feel is enhanced by the sparseness of
movement in the rhythm section. The phrases typically get longer as the
solos progress, creating a tension that builds and builds until the next section
seems to burst out of the solos themselves.

The first 8 measures are based on a C# minor pentatonic/add2. The first

phrase in solo #1 is long and free flowing, similar to the way a concert
violinist might approach it. Bars 9-14 feel as though there is continuous
modulation but Al manages very nicely playing in C minor. Bars 19-20 contain
two licks I hear Di Meola play often. The first starts on C in the middle of Bar
19, down a minor 6th, up a minor 3rd, down a 4th, down a whole step, up a

minor 3rd, down a 5th, down a whole, down a minor 3rd, down a whole, down
a whole to C, two octaves below. The second is connected directly to the final
C of the preceding lick and basically, consists of a two octave, Cmaj9
arpeggio, with a twist back to the first octave C.

Al follows the changes very closely in these two solos. Runs in the first solo
often start and end on chord roots, while runs in the second solo often start
on 3rds and end on 7ths or 9ths. This helps to anchor the solo to the chords
and, in the second solo, helps to add interesting variation.

A very interesting effect is produced at the end of the first solo, bars 23-26,
by the F# Phrygian scale, followed by an F# minor pentatonic, starting on F#
(F#, A, B, C#, E, F#) minus the E, all played over a Bm chord. The second
solo ends with a blistering flurry of notes based on the same F# Phrygian
scale over a Bm chord as well.

The third solo in "Morocco" is the only one that is in the time signature of 6/8,
which is the meter for the bulk of this song. It is laid out in two parts
separated by a modulation. The first part is a two chord vamp (Im, IVm), 25
measures long in the key of G# minor. The second part is also a two chord
vamp, but is only 12 measures long in the key of A minor (Al sure does like
those 1/2 step modulations). Di Meola achieves a distinctly oriental flavor at
the beginning of this solo with short, percussive phrases and heavy finger
vibrato which sound a bit like traditional Asian string instruments. He solos
around an ever-present melody played by Barry Miles on synth. This melody
is based on one of Al's favorite scales, a G# minor pentatonic/add2.

The solo quickly becomes jazzed up with the use of chromatics, giving it a
kind of be-bopish sound (check out bars 14-15 and 17). One of the most
interesting moments of the solo is in bars 20-24. Here is a Di Meola lick out of
the past - one that is a challenge to play clean the way Al does. The amazing
thing about this lick isn't the tremendous rush of speed it has, but the open B
note at the beginning of each phrase. Then, check out the way he gets from
that into the modulation at bar 26. He starts with a descending scale series:
D#, C#, B, A#, then C#, B, A# and finishes with a G# minor triad (G#, B,
D#). He immediately modulates the very same lick down by a half-step to
meet the key change up a half-step (what a contrast). The contrasting rhythm
of 4 against 3 at bars 30-31 is really nice.

[ Morocco ] [ mp3 ]

One Night Last June

The 16th note rhythm of the hi-hat gives this song a feeling of urgency,
pulsating beneath the serene calm of the melody and the slow harmonic
rhythm; like hearing the sound of a steam engine chugging along toward its
destination while you sit in the train, peacefully watching a beautiful
mountain scenery out your window. The solo starts by repeating the melody
and embellishing it. This makes for good unifying material which helps to tie
the improvisation to the melody. The choice of notes is always well inside the
chords. This is often accomplished with descending arpeggios, but more
often, by simply playing appropriate scales. Knowing your four-string chord
shapes will come in handy when you want to improvise arpeggios like this.

There's a jarring moment at bar 31 when Al makes the shift from Bbm7 to
Dm7 a full measure early. However, he makes up for it with the next
sequence of modulations (bars 33-39) when he pegs every change perfectly,
even while mixing up rhythms between 8th- and 16th-note triplets. And he
does it again from bars 40-49; this time with 16th- and 8th-note triplets!

After weaving through a maze of new motives, the second solo section starts
with the piano playing the first 8 measures. This solo has a more relaxed
feeling due to a slower tempo and a less agitated rhythm in the drums. The
guitar solo picks up the form at measure 9 with a singing-like approach.
Triplets play an important role as they did in the first solo, but 16th notes are
a bit more prevalent and the phrasing is more continuous. The phrases
frequently run across the bar lines but never lose you. Simple things like
descending scales are enhanced with triplets (bars 10-11, 20-21, and 29).
There's a nice pseudo-sequence at bars 23-24; C-Db-Eb-Bb-Ab to D-E-F-A-G.
The sequence of ascending 4ths and descending 7ths is a powerful moment
at bar 28, especially after the scale run just before it.

These two solos are tame compared to the solos in "Kiss My Axe" or "Ritmo
De La Noche." But they are powerful solos, not because of great speed or
volume, but because they are so intelligently constructed. Learning to play
solos in this style will give you a command of your instrument that will leave
people in awe of your sensitivity.

[ One Night Last June ] [ mp3 ]

Parranda

"Wild Party" is what Al says Parranda means in Latin. According to the liner
notes of Heart Of The Immigrants, this piece is supposed to be less serious
than the rest - but let me tell you, this is serious stuff! I guess when you
compare "Parranda" to everything else on the LP it seems pretty tame. After
all, the chord progression is more or less the same throughout the whole
song. It consists of an A section that's 8 measures long, played twice, and a B
section that is 19 measures long. It's not too hard to understand the
progression; the A#7 is the only chord that's not diatonic and it simply
functions as a dominant chord to the D#m7, temporarily tonicizing it. The
C#7b9 is the V7 chord in the F# harmonic minor, or the ascending melodic
minor scale. It's not too difficult to master the odd number of measures in the
B section either, once you've played through it a few times.

Even though the harmonic movement is slow, everything else about this solo
is fast, fast, fast! Al shoots out of the starting gate in bars 1 and 2 with a
wicked F# melodic minor scale run (this includes both the E natural and the
E#) in thirds, followed closely by a combination of a B minor pentatonic and
Bm9 arpeggio. He plays Amaj9 arpeggios in bars 5 and 6 in anticipation of
the F#m7, virtually ignoring the E chord. The run in bars 15-18 comes from
the F# diminished scale, played over an F#m7. In bar 25, over the A#7
chord, Al plays a run based on the fifth mode of a D# harmonic minor scale
and in bars 26-28 he plays a D# minor pentatonic/add2, two of his favorite

scale forms. One of my favorite runs is at bars 30-33 over the G#m7 and
C#m7b9 chords. It starts with a descending G# minor pentatonic/add 2, and
moves directly to a descending B augmented arpeggio. Al follows that up with
a fifth mode of F# harmonic minor run starting on the b7 of C#7b9 and ends
with a descending G#dim7 arpeggio in bars 34-35.

One final point to consider in trying to get the feel for a solo like this is to pay
particular attention to the way phrases are accented and where those
accents tend to fall within the measure.

[ Parranda ] [ mp3 ]

Passion, Grace and Fire

Certain modern styles of music are derived from Spanish and South American
tradition. One of them is the Flamenco dance with its characteristic 6/8 meter
and descending chord pattern. The Flamenco dance style is said to have
come from the Andalusian Gypsies, hence the name Andalusian cadence that
describes this descending chord pattern in the solo.

Paco's rhythm style is often so syncopated that it's hard to tell what beat of
the measure you're on. So don't get hung up if you have trouble feeling the
beginning of this solo. It begins with a mixture of F# Aeolian and harmonic
minor scale runs. At bar 13 and 14, Al plays B and E Mixolydian over the B7
and E chords, respectively.

The beginning of his second solo chorus (bar 19) is very melodic and has a
singing quality to it. It has an A major sound because of his phrasing. Bars 2224 feature a C# double harmonic scale pattern against an F#m harmony with
an F diminished triad thrown in at bar 23 for good measure. Great stuff!

[ Passion, Grace and Fire ] [ mp3 ]

Ritmo De La Noche

Electric Rendezvous marked Al Di Meola's return to high volume electric

guitar. That, coupled with a heavy salsa beat makes this solo kick hard. The
chord progression reminds me of a Santana groove. In fact, in bars 13-18
you'll swear you're listening to Carlos. At bar 17, the sliding blue notes (b5, F
to 4, E) come from the minor blues scale (1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7) adding spice to
this phrase.

It's simply amazing what Al can do with the palm-mute technique. It

dominates the first half of this solo. Bars 1-4 are based on the B minor
pentatonic/add2. An interesting point here is how well the F# in bar 2 falls
nicely into place over the A chord. The 16th-note triplet sequence at bars 1012 is simply great! Also, palm-muting gives such a percussive effect. And the
speed! - what more can you say? There are two more great sequences in this
solo. At bar 20 a sequence starts on the last two notes of the third beat, with
a three note phrase (E, G, F# or 4, b6, 5 of B harmonic minor). It is
sequenced up in thirds from the last note of each preceding phrase until it's
covered every half step in the harmonic minor scale. This sequence ends on
bar 22 with a phrase from the B minor tonality (unless we say the F natural
belongs to the B diminished scale). The final sequence at bar 24 is a killer. It's
played in paired, 8th-note triplets. In other words, the pattern created in the
first pair of triplets is then sequenced downward, by scale step, to E while
staying within the diatonic scale. It's not an authentic sequence. The last lick
only follows the shape, but it sure is neat.

This one is raw energy at its best!

[ Ritmo De La Noche ] [ mp3 ]

Scenario

"Scenario" is one of many acoustic duos Di Meola has written over the years
for piano and guitar. The majestic bravado of songs like "Short Tales Of The
Black Forest" from Al's debut LP, Land Of The Midnight Sun, is as thrilling to
hear today as it was when it was first issued.

This song is no exception, though there isn't much guitar soloing. I thought
Jan Hammer must have written this because his stylistic signature is all over
it. So I was surprised when I saw that it was a Di Meola tune. I've included the
two 4-measure solo spots that Al takes. Both of them consist of 4 measures of
an arpeggiated D#dim7 chord in two inversions (D# and F# are the same
diminished chords) and resolving to E7b9 (essentially an Fdim7 chord with an
E bass). Although the guitar is playing along with the piano, the piano
dominates the background arpeggios. Therefore, I wrote out a guitar fingering
which will approximate the kind of sustain quality of the piano.

For the solos, notice that Al covers over three octaves on the first section and
one half step shy of four octaves in the second solo. This is really getting the
most out of your instrument!

You can break down the phrase in the first 2 measures into three distinct
licks. It starts with an ascending F# diminished scale run, blends into a
D#mb5 arpeggio, then descends with a C# Phrygian pattern. Finally, in the
last two measures, he plays an ascending C diminished arpeggio, zigzags up
to an A note via a C 1/2-whole scale and ends with an Adim7 arpeggio,
twisting back at the F# (bb7) to end on the E root of the E7b9 chord.

The second solo begins with a syncopated D# and A of D#dim triad, and

descends through an F# diminished scale. The continual descending

movement adds weight to the force of the next sweeping phrase, an
ascending, two octave series of diminished arpeggios. Starting at A below
middle C, he plays an A minor arpeggio and shifts down a half step to play a
D# minor arpeggio. He then repeats this pattern up an octave, but changes
the A minor arpeggio to an A major arpeggio. The final A note becomes the
beginning of the last, sweeping, descending arpeggio of two octaves (with a
couple of scale steps thrown in).

These solos are dramatic and free flowing. Al plays the lines effortlessly, as
though he were sliding a finger up and down the fretboard and catching the
right notes with each pick stroke along the way. The key here is how Al can
create maximum interest with a limited amount of material.

[ Scenario ] [ mp3 ]

Sequencer

Di Meola meets Miami Vice! This is a Jan Hammer composition, which should
be obvious to anyone who remembers the things he did for the Miami Vice
soundtracks at about the same time this LP was released. Jan was really into
this kind of computer sequencing groove when he and Al teamed up and Al's
soloing techniques (especially palm-muting) work really well in this
environment. Listen to some of Jeff Beck's work with Hammer in the late "70s
and note the interesting differences (and similarities) between Beck and Di
Meola when they solo over a Jan Hammer jam.

Even though this song has a moderate tempo (only 1/4 = 112), it has a
sustained agitation because of the sequenced bass synth lines. Al contributes
his own machine-like lines as well. Listen to the way he spits out the
syncopated line at the beginning of his solo. Such precision never ceases to
amaze me. The chord progression in this solo is simply a series of three

static-chord modulations (A7, G7, D7). I used the key signature of a A major
simply for convenience.

Most of the interest in this solo is created by the rapid execution of notes
while palm-muting. But there are many interesting sounds happening as Al
takes advantage of the ambiguous nature of the chord progression to play
some mixing and matching games. At the beginning of the solo he plays what
appears to be part of an Em7 harmony against the A7 tonal center. Another
way of looking at this would be to connect the three repeating melody notes
and the chord root in a stacked 5ths relationship (D-A-E-B) which creates a
non-committal, modal sound. Also very clever is the 1-3-5-6-(8)-b7 pattern he
plays a 4th away from the root of the chord in bars 2 and 3. In bar 5 there's a
wild Amaj13 arpeggio, also set against the A7 tonal center. It resolves to B,
the 3rd of the G7 modulation coming directly after it which causes the ear to
accept it without too much of an argument. He connects the idea, reinforcing
its validity, by restating the 9,11, 13, and root of the chord A over G7 in bar 9.
This time it is well within bounds since it is also the 3, 5, b7, 9 if a b7 chord.
In bars 10 and 11, Di Meola chooses the sound of a G Lydian mode to play
against the G7 harmony. At bar 13 he plays a descending D major scale
against the D7 chord. Bar 14 - there's that darned 1, 3,5, 6, 8 pattern again,
still in the key of A and still against the D7 tonality. After all that, Al ends the
solo solidly on the chord root with an obligatory vibrato and slide at the end.

[ Sequencer ] [ mp3 ]

Song With A View

In Rayburn Wright's Inside The Score, a study of big band orchestration, he

stresses the importance of a good "dynamic contour" in the writing of a
strong score. Mr. Wright points out how many of the best scores follow a
formula of well-paced highs and lows with the highest point of intensity often
occurring somewhere around 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through the piece. Solos
are like mini compositions within a composition and in analyzing Al Di Meola's

solos, it becomes clear that he has learned this invaluable rule quite well.

Both solos (Synclavier pan pipes and distorted guitar) are based on the A
Aeolian scale. The harmonic background consists of a simple two-chord vamp
between Am9 to G13 and Am11 to G11 respectively. The effect of the two
chords is enhanced by the use of upper extensions (9, 11, and 13), creating a
feeling of openness and color.

The pan pipes solo is sweet and soft and serves as a good intro for the guitar
solo that follows. The use of triplets against the eighth notes of the piano is a
nice opening touch. The focus is again on the upper chord extensions which
give a mysterious effect to the lines. The solo closes with a restatement of
the triplet idea with which it opened; a good way to bring closure.

The distortion and layered sound of the guitar is a good contrast to the pan
pipes and helps convey a sense of intensity, an aspect for which Al has long
been associated. At bar 18, he begins on the same note (E) that the pan
pipes end on and slowly propels the song forward, increasing intensity as he
goes. Each idea is presented and then expanded through subtle changes
which bring about the impetus for new direction. Notice how the simple scale
run in the 25th measure (A-B-C-C) is first expanded, then reshaped and
Grafted through the next five measures. Here, Al introduces the only
chromatic alteration in his solo, adding a twist of unpredictability.

Next, note the classic Al Di Meola burner lick, followed by the wail of those
beautiful soaring high B notes. These are the elements which bring about that
wonderful sense of passion one comes away with after listening to Al's solos.

After easing the tension a bit, there's a tasty Fmaj9 arpeggio played against
the G dominant chord at measure 40. At bar 43, Al begins a series of
syncopated rhythmic punches with the llth of Amil to create more tension,
finally resolving on the 9th of the G dominant chord. A new rhythmic idea is
introduced at measure 47, based on the 7th, then the llth of the chord and
played through a series of ascending notes up one and two octaves.

The solo has been building, pitch-wise and now culminates at the highest

note, C, three octaves above middle C. Al then restates the three-note scale
idea first presented in measure 25, this time expanded and combined with
new phrases. Finally, the solo winds down and ends on the same E note with
which it began, bringing about a sense of completion. This time, it is the 13th
of the G dominant chord instead of the 5th of A minor.

All in all, this short solo shows how well Al manages the tools of solo building.
Every note sounds as though it was meant to be and every phrase connects
perfectly with one another. Al combines rhythmic variety with his frequent
use of upper chord extensions to create beautiful, well-crafted solos.

[ Song With A View ] [ mp3 ]

Traces Of A Tear

1985 marked the beginning of a new sound for Al and "Traces Of A Tear" from
Cielo e Terra (the first of two studio versions) is a good example.

Featuring lush, reverb-drenched, acoustic guitars and the Brazilian

percussions by Airto Moreira, this new sound has a warm, soothing effect
upon the listener. It's also enhanced by the great variety of textures Al
produces with his Roland GR-300 guitar synth. and Synclavier Digital Music
System. The other studio version of "Traces Of A Tear" from his next LP,
Soaring Through A Dream, featured the Al Di Meola Project. It has an
interesting contrast in texture which I would highly recommend listening to
for comparison.

The first solo section is really an embellished melody but I have included it
here because of the many interesting solo fills (this is a piano solo in the

other version).

The 11-bar form of this section is unusual, but works because of the rubato
feel and the sustained repetition of the E7b9 chord over the last three
measures. Likewise, the chord progression is on the unusual side. It starts out
with a series of descending 3rds (i, VImaj7, iv11, ii7) before doubling back on
itself and creating what feels like a new tonal center of F#m. In other words,
the C#m7-E9-F#m7 is like a v7-b VII9-i7. This chord progression is then
repeated twice.

Bars 1-8 and bars 12-19 are basically alike except that the second time they
start an octave lower and somewhat embellished. The melodic line is based
on a B Dorian mode.

In both solos Al demonstrates his affinity for exotic scales. Check out how he
accomplishes this over the E7b9 chords, using the E Spanish Phrygian (E-F-GG#-A-B-C-D) in bars 20-21, and a phrase based on E Phrygian at bars 34-35.

One other interesting sound you will hear Al frequently use is the
superimposition of one chord sound in arpeggiated form over another played
or implied in the chord progression. You can hear a good example of this
technique at bars 22 and 32 where he plays a Fmaj9 arpeggio over an E7b9.

The second solo consists of six touching choruses. Al knows how to bring out
the emotion in a song whether he's wailing away at 20 on his trusty Les Paul,
or sensitively caressing the soft nylon strings of a classical. Take special note
of how he achieves this kind of emotional feeling.

Each chorus of this solo can be divided into two 8-bar phrases which
modulate between the keys of Bb minor and B minor. The chord progression
bears a resemblance to that of the first solo, as do some of the melodic lines
helping to tie these two parts of the song together. The use of many altered
chord sounds allows Al to interpret them freely and gives him the freedom to
use exotic scales to enhance the flavor of the tune. Rhythmic variation and
space between phrases give the solo an extremely vocal quality as do the
use of ornamental devices such as sliding grace notes and 16th note triplet

hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Di Meola also makes use of many altered scales in this solo: 5th mode
harmonic minor, bars 5-8 (Db); bars 14-16 (B harmonic minor); Ab double
harmonic minor (1, b2, 3, 4, 5, b6, 7), bar 24-85; C Lydian b7, bar 76; and one
of Al's favorites, A minor pentatonic add2, bar 75.

There are many noteworthy arpeggios, such as the diminished 7 arpeggios at

bar 8, bars 15-16, bar 64 and bar 79. There are two spots of particular appeal
at bar 24 and bars 85-86. In the first, Al focuses on the half step intervals of
an Ab double harmonic scale (playing 1-b2, 7-8, 5-b6) in successive,
descending pairs over an Ab7b9. In the second, he plays ascending pairs
(b6,5 ;1, 7; b4, 3) over a C#m/G leading to the Ab7b9 (very outside but very
appealing).

The key to understanding this kind of solo is melody. Learning to hear what
you want to play as though you were singing the words to a song is what
makes this kind of soloing work. For practice, try singing what you play. It will
make you more conscious of the direction of your solo lines and help you to
create masterpieces of melody.

[ Traces Of A Tear ] [ mp3 ]

Vistaero

Heart Of The Immigrants is a milestone for Al Di Meola. It marks the end of

the second 10-year phase of his recording career. Hopefully, it also marks the
beginning of the next 10-year phase of his future recording ventures.

"Vistaero" is a jazz-style waltz. It's in a fast 3/4 and the solo moves right
along, so don't be napping when you listen to this. Some of the solo lines are
stretched out over 4 measures or more and sometimes they're a little out of
sync with the pulse of the rhythm section (take bars 12-16 for example). The
tonal center shifts about every 4 measures (C# minor to Eb major to D major
to C# major), but C#m seems to be central and its key signature covers most
of the accidentals. The first chorus solo is 32 measures long with logical
breaks in the progression at 8 measure intervals. But each succeeding chorus
has extra 4 measure vamps from C# major to C# minor, one extra in the 2nd
chorus and two extra in the 3rd.

The solo starts out very singable (through bar 16), but from the first
diminished chord on Al gets caught up in the challenge of this demanding
progression. In bar 3 he plays a descending Bdim7, and then cleverly alters it
in the ascending direction to conform to the B minor chord in bar 4. There's a
familiar Di Meola lick in bars 6-7. It's obvious how well Al knows these chord
progressions when you hear him maneuver through bars 9-16 (also bars 4148 and 77-85 are the same) with such ease and control. Check out this chord
progression: iii7, IVmaj7, V7, ii7, Imaj7, vi7. Granted, these chords are all
diatonic in the key of D major, but he doesn't just play the D major scale - he
shapes it and tailors it perfectly to match the sound of each individual chord.
He handles the C# major/C# minor vamp with equal dexterity, using the
major pentatonic/add7 and the minor pentatonic/add2 respectively, as well as
alluding to the relative minor and major keys of these two chords.

For the last 12 measures I changed the time signature from 3/4 to 2/4
because Al had shifted to a quarter note pulse over the dotted quarter feel of
the rhythm, or two against three. One other point - look at how he nails those
shifts from major to minor by using the appropriate arpeggios and by using
the 3rds as a focal point for scale runs.