PLAY GUITAR part 2

Reference chart 4
Melodic minor modes:
Mode 1 = Melodic minor scale
Mode 2 = same as the Melodic minor scale starting on the 2nd note
Mode 3 = same as the Melodic minor scale starting on the 3rd note
Mode 4 = same as the Melodic minor scale starting on the 4th note
Mode 5 = same as the Melodic minor scale starting on the 5th note
Mode 6 = same as the Melodic minor scale starting on the 6th note
Mode 7 = same as the Melodic minor scale starting on the 7th note

In the following examples you will see how to determine which mode a piece of music is in. I highly recommend to play and record the chord progressions given and then to improvise a solo / melody over the progression with the given scale / mode. Examples 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all derived from chords in the key of C major, but only 1 example is actually in the key of C major.

Reference chart 5
Here are all of the possible triad chords in the key of C major:
C Dm Em F G Am Bš
I ii iii IV V vi viiš

Reference chart 6
Mode Diatonic triads
Diatonic triad function
C Major C Dm Em F G Am Bš
I ii iii IV V vi viiš
D Dorian Dm Em F G Am Bš C
i ii III IV v viš VII
E Phrygian Em F G Am Bš C Dm
i II III iv vš VI vii
F Lydian F G Am Bš C Dm Em
I II iii ivš V vi vii
G Mixolydian G Am Bš C Dm Em F
I ii iiiš IV v vi VII
A Aeolian Am Bš C Dm Em F G
i iiš III iv v VI VII
B Locrian Bš C Dm Em F G Am
iš II iii iv V VI vii

Example 1 - Chord progression in C major:
Chord symbols C Am F G C Dm G F C
Chord function in C major: I vi IV V I ii V IV I

Record this chord progression and use C major scales to improvise over it. You will hear the C note (and the C chord) sound like the root of the key (the note that is most at rest.) Your ear wants our little chord progression to end on the C chord.

Example 2 - Chord progression in E Phrygian:
Chord symbols: Em F Em Dm Em F G F Em
Chord function in E Phrygian: i II i vii i II III II i
Chord function in C major: iii IV iii ii iii IV V IV iii

Record this chord progression and use the C major scale to improvise over it. Notice: All of the chords in this example are derived from the key of C major, and can be found in Reference Chart 5. Even though the chords in this example are derived from the key of C major, you will hear that the C note does NOT sound like the root of the key and your ear does NOT want the chord progression to end on a C chord. It wants to end on the Em chord. The C note in the scale sounds more like a passing tone most of the time. It is the E note that sounds like the root of this chord progression. Why is this so? In this example there is no C chord anywhere in the progression. The C chord and the C note are being de-emphasized. Instead it is the E note and the Em chord that is being emphasized, this is what is causing the E note and the Em chord to sound like the root of the key. This is accomplished by repeating the Em chord multiple times.

So the key is not C major, but E Phrygian. We just established that the root is E and not C, but we are not in the key of E major or E minor (because the chords in the progression are not part of either the E major or E minor scales) but all of the chords are a part of the E Phrygian mode.

Another way to look at this is: Since the chords are derived from C major but the root note of the progression is E, then we need to look at where the E note is in a C major scale. The answer is that the E note is the 3rd not of a C major scale. Now we need to determine what mode starts on the 3rd note of a major scale. Look at Reference chart 1 above and you can see that the answer is Phrygian. So we now have our root note of E on the Phrygian mode which makes the key, E Phrygian. Now look at Reference chart 6 and you can easily see how the chords in this example fit nicely in to the E Phrygian key (mode).

Example 3 - Chord progression in F Lydian:
Chord symbols: F G F Em F G F Dm Em F
Chord function in F Lydian: I II I vii I II I vi vii I
Chord function in C major: IV V IV iii IV V IV ii iii IV

Record this chord progression and use the C major scales to improvise over it. Like the E Phrygian example, this example's chords all are derived from the key of C major, and can be found in Reference chart 5. Even though the chords in this example are derived from the key of C major, you will
again hear that the C note does NOT sound like the root note of this example and your ear does NOT want the chord progression to end on a C chord, it wants to end on the F chord. The F note is the root of this chord
progression. In this example there is no C chord anywhere in the progression. The C chord and the C note are being de-emphasized. Instead it is the F note and the F chord that is being emphasized because it is
repeated many times in the chord progression. Therefore, the key is F Lydian, not C major.

We just established that the root is F and not C, but we are not in the key of F major because the chords in the progression are not a part of F major. All the chords are a part of the F Lydian mode. Another way to look at this: Since the chords are derived from C major but the root note of the progression is F then we need to look at where the F note is in the C major scale. The answer is the F note is the 4th note of a C major scale. Now we need to determine what mode starts on the 4th note of a major scale. Look at Reference chart 1 above and you can see the answer is Lydian. So we now have our root note of F of the Lydian mode which makes the key, F Lydian.

Now look at Reference chart 6 and you can easily see how the chords in this example fit nicely in to the F Lydian key mode).

Example 4 - Chord progression in D Dorian:
Chord symbols: Dm G Dm Em Dm G Dm F
Chord function in D Dorian: i IV i ii i IV i III

Chord function in C major: ii V ii iii ii V ii IV

Record this chord progression and use the C major scales to improvise over it.

Like the previous 2 examples, this example's chords all are derived from the key of C major, and can be found in Reference chart 5.
Even though the chords in this example are derived from the key of C major, you will again hear that the C note does NOT sound like the root note of this example and your ear does NOT want the chord progression to end on a C chord, it wants to end on the Dm chord. The C note in the scale sounds more like a passing tone most of the time. It is the D note that sounds like the root of this chord progression. In this example there is no C chord anywhere in the progression. The C chord and the C note are being de-emphasized. Instead it is the D note and the Dm chord that is being emphasized because it is repeated many times in the chord progression. So the key is D Dorian, not C major.

We just established that the root is D and not C, but we are not in the key of D minor or D major because not all the chords in the progression are not a part of D minor or D major scales. All the chords are a part of the D Dorian mode. Another way to look at this: Since the chords are derived from C major but the root note of the progression is D then we need to look at where the D note is in the C major scale. The answer is the D note is the 2nd note of a C major scale. Now we need to determine what mode starts on the 2nd note of a major scale.

Look at Reference chart 1 above and you can see the answer is Dorian. So we now have our root note of D on the Dorian mode which makes the key, D Dorian. Now look at Reference chart 6 and you can easily see how the chords in this example fit nicely in to the D Dorian key (mode).

The best way to remember all of this information is to use it.

PLAY GUITAR part1

Modal Theory

Understanding how the modes work is often difficult to do because the modes have multiple functions. Complicating the issue further is that the functions of the modes in traditional (classical music) music theory sometimes differs from the functions of the modes in Jazz music theory. As a guitarist (or any instrumentalist) of today who seeks to fully understand and use the modes for composing / songwriting, improvising, soloing, etc., we need to understand all the functions of modes to use them effectively.

Below is a list of all the possible functions the modes can serve:

~ In a major key, each standard mode is an extension of the Major scale.
~ In a Natural Minor key, each standard mode is an extension of the Natural Minor scale.
~ In a Harmonic Minor key, each Harmonic minor mode is an extension of the Harmonic Minor scale.
~ In a Melodic Minor key, each Melodic Minor mode is an extension of the Melodic Minor scale.
~ Any mode can be in its own key.

With all of these various functions the modes can take on, how do you determine which function is in effect at any given time? The answer is: Context. In some contexts a mode may be its own key, in other contexts a mode may simply be an extension of another scale or mode. In the sections below, I¹ll give you example of this, showing you how to determine a mode's current function.

Reference chart 1
Major and Natural minor modes (also known as the standard modes):
Ionian mode = Major scale
Dorian mode = same as the Major scale starting on the 2nd note.
Phrygian mode = same as the Major scale starting on the 3rd note.
Lydian mode = same as the Major scale starting on the 4th note.
Mixolydian mode = same as the Major scale starting on the 5th note.
Aeolian mode = same as the Major scale starting on the 6th note = Natural Minor scale
Locrian mode = same as the Major scale starting on the 7th note.

Using the key of C major as our starting point, the chart below shows all the modal scales derived from the C Ionian scale. Note: The Ionian mode and the Major scale are the same thing and the two terms are often used

interchangeably. Also, the Aeolian mode and the Natural Minor scale are the same thing and the two terms are often used interchangeably. Notice that all the notes in these seven scales are the same. The difference between the modes are distinguished by which note each scale begins.

Reference chart 2
mode: notes of each mode (scale)
C Ionian C D E F G A B C
D Dorian D E F G A B C D
E Phrygian E F G A B C D E
F Lydian F G A B C D E F
G Mixolydian G A B C D E F G
A Aeolian A B C D E F G A
B Locrian B C D E F G A B

Reference chart 3
Harmonic minor modes:
Mode 1 = Harmonic minor scale
Mode 2 = same as the Harmonic minor scale starting on the 2nd note
Mode 3 = same as the Harmonic minor scale starting on the 3rd note
Mode 4 = same as the Harmonic minor scale starting on the 4th note
Mode 5 = same as the Harmonic minor scale starting on the 5th note
Mode 6 = same as the Harmonic minor scale starting on the 6th note
Mode 7 = same as the Harmonic minor scale starting on the 7th note

LINKIN PARK

They're at it again! Chester, Mike and the rest of Linkin Park released another phenomenal album titled Meteora. Sophomore albums are famously tricky affairs. Musicians have their entire lives to pen their debut album, the theory goes, and a relatively short time to follow it up. But what if the debut in question is the biggest selling album in recent memory? And what if the music industry has Hollywood-like expectations for another instant blockbuster? That was the scenario Linkin Park faced when they entered the studio to record Meteora, the follow-up to their multi-platinum debut Hybrid Theory.

To those outside the band, the pressure to follow up that success might have seemed insurmountable. But within Linkin Park, vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, turntablist Joseph Hahn, drummer Rob Bourdon, and bassist Phoenix weren't sweating it in ways you might expect. Instead of dwelling on outside expectations, they set to work, meticulously crafting each moment of each song to their own exacting standards. The bigger picture developed accordingly.

"We don't ever want to have the mindset where we need to sell 10 million albums each time out. That's ridiculous," says Bennington. "It's a blessing to sell that many albums; it doesn't happen very often in this business--even once in your career is an achievement. Our obligation is to our fans. We're not going to get too comfortable and say it's a given that people will run out and buy our albums." "And if you know us, you know the biggest pressure came from within the band," says Shinoda.

"We just wanted to make another great album that we're proud of," says Bourdon. "We focused on that, and worked hard to create songs we love. We're our own harshest critics." If you doubt that, consider this: Shinoda and Bennington wrote 40 unique choruses for Meteora's poignant first single, "Somewhere I Belong," before arriving at the best possible version.

The entire band, in fact, sounds more fully realized on Meteora. It's a rare achievement: A full integration of six members that still retains the unique qualities of each individual. The end result is the thumbprint style known as Linkin Park. "We don't really analyze the chemistry," says Bourdon. "We're just lucky and grateful that we found each other and that we work so well together."

"The collaborations are more seamless now," agrees Bennington. "Mike, for instance, knows more about me as a person, and I know more about him, so it's easier to write lyrics together. It's not possible to have secrecy in our relationship. You have to open up, because you want the other person to be on the same page. We're all that way with each other."

M E T A L L I C A

The most consistently innovative metal band of the late 80s and 90s was formed in 1981 in California, USA, by Lars Ulrich (b. 26 December 1963, Copenhagen, Denmark; drums) and James Alan Hetfield (b. 3 August 1963, USA; guitar/vocals) after each separately advertised for fellow musicians in the classified section of American publication The Recycler. They recorded their first demo, No Life Til' Leather, with Lloyd Grand (guitar), who was replaced in January 1982 by David Mustaine (b. 13 September 1961, La Mesa, California, USA), whose relationship with Ulrich and Hetfield proved unsatisfactory. Jef Warner (guitar) and Ron McGovney (bass) each had a brief tenure with the band.
At the end of 1982 Clifford Lee Burton (b. 10 February 1962, USA, d. 27 September 1986; bass, ex-Trauma) joined the band, playing his first live performance on 5 March 1983. Mustaine departed to form Megadeth and was replaced by Kirk Hammett (b. 18 November 1962, San Francisco, California, USA; guitar). Hammett, who came to the attention of Ulrich and Hetfield while playing with rock band Exodus, played his first concert with Metallica on 16 April 1983. The Ulrich, Hetfield, Burton and Hammett combination endured until disaster struck the band in the small hours of 27 September 1986, when Metallica's tour bus overturned in Sweden, killing Cliff Burton. During those four years, the band put thrash metal on the map with the aggression and exuberance of their debut, Kill 'Em All, the album sleeve of which bore the legend "Bang that head that doesn't bang".
This served as a template for a whole new breed of metal, though the originators themselves were quick to dispense with their own rule book. Touring with New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands Raven and Venom followed, while Music For Nations signed them for European distribution. Although Ride The Lightning was not without distinction, notably on "For Whom The Bell Tolls', it was 1986's Master Of Puppets that offered further evidence of Metallica"s appetite for the epic. Their first album for Elektra Records in the USA (who had also re-released its predecessor), this was a taut, multi-faceted collection that both raged and lamented with equal conviction.
After the death of Burton, the band elected to continue, the remaining three members recruiting Jason Newsted (b. 4 March 1963; bass) of Flotsam And Jetsam. Newsted played his first concert with the band on 8 November 1986. The original partnership of Ulrich and Hetfield, however, remained responsible for Metallica's lyrics and musical direction. The new line-up's first recording together was The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited - a collection of cover versions including material from Budgie, Diamond Head, Killing Joke and the Misfits, which also served as a neat summation of the band's influences to date.
Sessions for ... And Justice For All initially began with Guns 'N' Roses producer Mike Clink at the helm. A long and densely constructed effort, this 1988 opus included an appropriately singular spectacular moment in "One" (a US Top 40/UK Top 20 single), while elsewhere the barrage of riffs somewhat obscured the usual Metallica artistry. The songs on 1991's US/UK chart- topper Metallica continued to deal with large themes - justice and retribution, insanity, war, religion and relationships. Compared to Kill "Em All nearly a decade previously, however, the band had grown from iconoclastic chaos to thoughtful harmony, hallmarked by sudden and unexpected changes of mood and tempo.
The MTV -friendly "Enter Sandman" broke the band on a stadium level and entered the US Top 20. The single also reached the UK Top 10, as did another album track, "Nothing Else Matters". Constant touring in the wake of the album ensued, along with a regular itinerary of awards ceremonies. There could surely be no more deserving recipients, Metallica having dragged mainstream metal, not so much kicking and screaming as whining and complaining, into a bright new dawn when artistic redundancy seemed inevitable. Metallica was certified as having sold nine million copies in the USA by June 1996, and one month later Load entered the US charts at number 1. The album marked a change in image for the band, who began to court the alternative rock audience.
The following year's Reload collected together more tracks recorded at the Load sessions, and featured 60s icon Marianne Faithfull on the first single to be released from the album, "The Memory Remains". Garage Inc. collected assorted cover versions, and broke the band's run of US number 1 albums when it debuted at number 2 in December 1998. The following year's S&M, recorded live with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, evoked the worst excesses of heavy rock icons Deep Purple. In January 2001, Jason Newsted announced he was leaving Metallica after almost fifteen years service with the band. During spring 2001 Metallica entered the studio again, although with no bassist, and began recording the new album which they hoped would be released by christmas that year or early 2002. However, in July 2001 James Hetfield announced that he was in re-hab for alcohol and 'other' addictions. The recording of the new album was put on hold until he recovered.
Robert Trujilo is the new bass player!

JOE "MASTER GUITARIST" SATRIANI

Storming onto the music scene nearly a decade ago, Joe Satriani has been widely recognized as the archetypal post-modern hero.
Since his emergence in 1986 with a self-released, self-titled debut album, Joe has become the most recognizable guitar voice of his time, earning his place alongside the great masters of rock guitar. As an instrumental artist in a pop-dominated field, Satriani's accomplishments are even more remarkable: He is perhaps the most successful rock instrumentalist in recent history, selling millions of records and consistently packing concert halls - yet always preserving a strong musical vision, as well as the respect of fellow musicians and forward-thinking music fans worldwide.
Satriani's gift is creating highly evolved instrumental music, using the structure of popular standard songs that allows listeners to latch onto tuneful melodies before being dazzled by his acclaimed musicianship. His hallmarks are a warm, bluesy tone and delicate phrasing, combined with the bursts of superhuman technical facility which upped the ante well beyond the standards set by generations of great rock musicians before him.
Satriani's latest disc, Crystal Planet - his first studio album for Epic Records - reunites the guitarist with G3 Live in Concert producer Mike Fraser, and finds the artist at a new peak of inspiration. From the pounding crunch and sizzling harmonics of "Up in the Sky," to the delicate strains of the solo closer "ZZ's Song," Crystal Planet ranks with Satriani's most adventurous and accessible discs.
Crystal Planet teams Satriani with bassist Stuart Hamm and drummer Jeff Campitelli, two longtime collaborators who lend rich support to the album's striking variety of tunes. Satriani unleashes his heralded sounds and techniques throughout the album, reaching apocalyptic extremes on the title track and "Time." Typically, his soloing never disappoints, and on such new pieces as "Trundumbalind" and "With Jupiter in Mind," he hits new heights of stun-guitar artistry. Tunes like the moody "A Piece of Liquid" conjure cooler, more subdued atmospheres which balance the record's intensity.
Elsewhere on the album, Satriani revisits the familiar sound that demanded the attention of millions of pop fans: "A Train of Angles" creates the joyous pop mood heard in such classic Satriani radio hits as "Summer Song." On new tunes like "Raspberry Jam Delta-V," the melodies escalate into passages so stunning, it's difficult to believe they were performed with just two hands on a single instrument.
Joe Satriani was born in Westbury, New York, and began playing guitar at age 14. By 1971, he was teaching guitar to others, one of his students being Steve Vai. In 1974, Joe studied with two modern jazz masters, guitarist Billy Bauer and pianist/composer Lennie Tristano; four years later, he moved to Berkeley, California, where he began a 10-year guitar teaching career with students including David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Larry LaLonde (Primus), and Charlie Hunter, among others. In 1984, Joe released a self-titled five-song EP on his own Rubina label, and the following year completed his first full-length album Not Of This Earth, which was financed on a credit card and released in 1986 on Relativity Records.
In October 1987, Relativity released Satriani's second album Surfing With The Alien. The record became a global phenomenon, going platinum with sales of over a million copies in the U.S. alone and landing Satriani's face on the covers of such magazines as Guitar Player, Musician, Guitar World, and dozens of other international publications. Surfing With The Alien was a landmark release which showcased the guitarist's stunning array of composing, playing , and producing talents. Consequently and deservedly, it became the most successful instrumental rock record since Jeff Beck's Wired.
Each subsequent Satriani release - including Flying In A Blue Dream, The Extremist, Time Machine and the recent Joe Satriani, which was produced by the legendary Glyn Johns - has drawn great commercial and critical attention. The same seems certain to be the case with Crystal Planet, and it's not just Joe's fans who have been moved by his unique tone and feel: Players from all walks of musical life have been attracted to Satriani's work.
After sitting in with Joe's band at New York's Bottom Line, Mick Jagger recruited Joe in 1988 as lead guitarist for the singer's very first tour apart from the Rolling Stones. Deep Purple tapped into Satriani's mastery when he assumed lead guitar position in the band for its 1994 tours of Europe and Japan. In 1996, the G3 Tour - featuring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson - played 24 dates to some 90,000 fans across North America, a tour documented on the G3 Live In Concert album and home video (both Epic). In 1997, Joe united with jazz guitar great Pat Martino to record two tracks, "Ellipsis" and "Never and After," for Martino's acclaimed all-star collection All Sides Now (Blue Note); and enlisted in a second G3 summer tour, this one co-starring Steve Vai, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Robert Fripp.
With its cunning marriage of well-structured songs, challenging sonic surprises, moody moments and breathtaking guitar playing, Crystal Planet has all the marks of a great Joe Satriani disc. After a decade of ground breaking work, this is one musician still willing to push the edge of conventional rock beyond what's come before.

Joe Satriani's Chronology

July 15, 1956 
Born in Westbury New York 

1970 
First picks up the Guitar 

1971 
Teaches guitar for next three years at home in Westbury, Long Island (NY). Steve Vai is one of his first students. 

September 1972 
High School Music teacher Bill Wescott introduces Joe to pitch axis theory. 

1974 
Self taught for the last four years, Joe takes lessons for three weeks with Billy Bauer in Glen Cove, NY. The same year studies with Lennie Tristano in Queens, NY, for two months. 

1978 
Begins a 10-year stint teaching at Second Hand Guitars in Berkeley, CA; students include David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kirk Hammett, Charlie Hunter, Larry LaLonde, Alex Skolnick, and others. 

1979 
Forms pop band The Squares in San Francisco with Jeff Campitelli on drums and Andy Milton bass. 

1984 
Releases five-song, EP Joe Satriani on the independent label he names after his wife, Rubina. The album contains guitars exclusively. 

1985 
Completes the tracks for Not Of This Earth, financing the recording on a credit card; introduced to Relativity Records by Steve Vai. 

September 1986 
Tours with pop-rocker Greg Kihn to make ends meet while awaiting a deal-decision from Relativity. 

November 1986 
Fifteen months after it's recorded, "Not Of This Earth" is released by Relativity 

December 1986 
Signed to Relativity Records, Joe is already putting together demos for songs that will appear on Surfing With The Alien. 

October 1987
Surfing With The Alien is released (quickly goes gold and platinum) 

February 1988 
On the strength of Surfing's reception, Relativity does a second pressing of Not Of This Earth (the initial stock had sold out); because the original artwork is lost, a new cover adorns the second run. 

February-March, September-October 1988 
Interrupts own tour twice to go on road with Mick Jagger. 

June 11, 1988 
During the Surfing tour three live tracks are recorded for the Dreaming #11 EP (one studio cut - "The Crush of Love," originally recorded for a Guitar Player Flexi-disk-completes the package) 

November 1988 
Dreaming #11 is released (goes gold and fetches Joe's second Grammy nomination) 

October 1989 
Flying In a Blue Dream is released (Joe receives third Grammy Nomination and album sells over 750,000 units), and includes Joe's vocals an six of its 18 tracks. 

July 1992
Following two intense years of writing and recording, The Extremist is released (immediately goes gold, debuts at 24 on Billboard and gets yet another Grammy nomination); it spawns the hit "Summer Song," which is later used in a Sony Walkman Commercial.


October 1993 
The double-CD Time Machine is released: Disc One contains studio out-takes and foreign releases spanning Joe's career, plus four of the five tracks from the original Joe Satriani EP and three new cuts; Disc Two contains 14 live tracks. 

October 1994 
Time Machine certified gold, and Joe begins his seventh album. 

October 11, 1995 
Joe Satriani releases his seventh album, self titled "Joe Satriani", produced by Glyn Johns. "(You're) My World" was nominated for a Grammy. 

October 1996 
The G3 Tour, featuring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson, played 24 dates to 90,000 fans in North America. 

May 1997 
G3 featuring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Adrian Legg, tours Europe. 

June 1997 
G3 Live In Concert CD and video released. 

June 15, 1997 
G3 featuring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Robert Fripp, begins U.S. tour. 

November 1997
G3 US Tour with Joe, Steve Vai, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Robert Fripp ends 

November 1997
"Merry Axemas" released, featuring Joe's version of "Silent Night". 

February 1998
"Ceremony" is released as the first single in the US from the "Crystal Planet" album. 

March 1998
Joe's 8th album "Crystal Planet" is released. The album is produced by Mike Fraser {G3, Metallica, AC/DC}. 

March 1998
"Summer Song" from the "G3 LIVE" album is nominated for a GRAMMY. 

March 1998
CRYSTAL PLANET US TOUR begins. A series of SOLD OUT showcase events featuring a 1 hour segment of CRYSTAL PLANET songs, followed by an hour's worth of classic Satriani hits. Four of these events were NETCASTS from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago. 

May 1998

G3 European Tour begins featuring Joe, with Jeff and Stu, Michael Schenker and Ule Jon Roth, with special appearances by Brian May in London and Patrick Rondat in France. 

July 1998
Joe, Jeff and Stu begin the 3rd leg of the CRYSTAL PLANET US TOUR . 

July 1998
"Train of Angels" released in the US.

Carlos "Guitar Legend" Santana

Guitarist. Born July 20, 1947, in Autlán de Navarro, Mexico. His father, Jose, was an accomplished professional violinist, and Carlos learned to play the guitar at age 8. In 1955, the family moved from Autlán de Navarro to Tijuana, the border city between Mexico and California. As a teenager, Santana began performing in Tijuana strip clubs, inspired by the American rock & roll and blues music of artists like B. B. King, Ray Charles, and Little Richard. In the early 1960s, Santana moved again with his family, this time to San Francisco, where his father hoped to find work.

In San Francisco, the young guitarist got the chance to see his idols, most notably King, perform live. He was also introduced to a variety of new musical influences, including jazz and international folk music, and witnessed the growing hippie movement centered in San Francisco in the 1960s. After several years spent working as a dishwasher in a diner and playing for spare change on the streets, Santana decided to become a full-time musician; in 1966, he formed the Santana Blues Band, with fellow street musicians David Brown and Gregg Rolie (bassist and keyboard player, respectively).

With their highly original blend of Latin-infused rock, jazz, blues, salsa, and African rhythms, the band (which quickly became known simply as Santana) gained an immediate following on the San Francisco club scene. The band's early success, capped off by a memorable performance at Woodstock in 1969, led to a recording contract with Columbia Records, then run by Clive Davis. Their first album, Santana (1969), spurred by a Top 10 single, "Evil Ways," went triple platinum, selling over four million copies and remaining on the Billboard chart for over two years. Abraxas, released in 1970, went platinum, scoring two more hit singles, "Oye Como Va" and "Black Magic Woman." The band's next two albums, Santana III (1971) and Caravanserai (1972), were also critical and popular successes.

As the band's personnel changed frequently, Santana (the band) came to be associated almost exclusively with Santana himself—who soon became the only remaining member of the original trio—and his psychedelic guitar riffs. In addition to his work with his band, Santana recorded and performed with a number of other musicians, notably including the jazz drummer Buddy Miles, pianist Herbie Hancock, and guitarist John McLaughlin. Along with McLaughlin, Santana became a devoted follower of the spiritual guru Sri Chimnoy during the early 1970s. Disillusioned with the heady, drug-addled world of 1970s rock music, Santana turned to Chimnoy's teachings of meditation and to a new kind of spiritually-oriented music, marked by a popular jazz album he recorded with McLaughlin, Love, Devotion, Surrender, in 1973.

Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Santana and his band released a string of successful albums in their unique style. Notable albums of this time period included Amigos (1976) and Zebop (1981). During the 1980s, he continued to tour and record both solo and with the band, but his popularity began to decrease with the commercial audience's dwindling interest in the jazz/rock blend. Nevertheless, Santana earned critical acclaim throughout the decade, winning his first Grammy Award, for Best Instrumental Performance, for the 1987 solo album Blues for Salvador. He toured extensively, playing in sold-out auditoriums and on tours like LiveAid (1985) and Amnesty International (1986).

Santana left Columbia in 1991 and signed with Polydor, releasing Milagro (1992) and Sacred Fire: Live in South America (1993). Though he ended his association with Sri Chimnoy in 1982, he remained intensely spiritual; this quality came through especially strongly during his live performances. In 1994, he played at the commemorative concert at Woodstock, 25 years after his band's transformative performance at the original festival. Under his own label, Guts and Grace, he released a collaborative album, Brothers, with his brother Jorge Santana and nephew Carlos Hernandez, that was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental in 1994.

Santana's phenomenal comeback on the pop charts began in 1997, when he re-signed the band with his first producer and mentor, Davis, then the president of Arista Records. Davis enlisted a roster of prominent musicians—among them Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, and Wyclef Jean—to perform on the legendary guitarist's 35th album, Supernatural, released in 1999. By early 2000, the album had sold 10 million copies worldwide and spawned a No. 1 hit single, "Smooth," featuring catchy pop lyrics sung by Rob Thomas and Santana's Latin-spiced, electrically-charged guitar licks. Nominated in nine categories at the Grammy Awards—including Album of the Year (Supernatural), Record of the Year, and Song of the Year (both "Smooth")—Santana won in every category. With his eight awards (the award for Song of the Year went to Thomas and Itaal Shur, who wrote "Smooth"), Santana tied Michael Jackson's 1983 record for most Grammy Awards won in a single year.

Santana followed up his award-winning album with Shaman (2002), which received many accolades. He and Michelle Branch won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for the song "The Game of Love." Another interesting array of collaborators appeared on his next album All That I Am (2005). Santana worked with Mary J. Blige, Los Lonely Boys, Steven Tyler, and others on this album. Santana also continues to take his music on the road, playing numerous tour dates each year.

Carlos Santana lives in Marin County, California, with his wife, Deborah, whom he married in 1973, and their three children, Salvador, Stella, and Angelica.