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A Closer Look At Since I'm sure most people who are reading this article are fans of Trey Anastasio and Phish, I probably don't need to spend much time gushing about what a great guitarist Trey is. Without a doubt, he is one of the most talented, creative, and skilled rock guitarists our generation has seen. And while I would never claim to have Trey "all figured out" or anything like that, I do think that, having played well over a hundred of his compositions with Phix, I am in a position to at least offer some insights on to some of the aspects of his playing that make it so great. I should point out that for the most part, even the most creative and innovative musicians have at least one foot firmly planted in the traditions of the music that they play. While there are some avant garde composers who deliberately avoid anything traditional, most composers--from Bach to Beethoven to Ellington to The Grateful Dead--manage to come up with some kind of blend of tradition and innovation. In this respect, Trey is no different. While many of his ideas are extremely innovative (and some could truly be considered avant garde), much of what he does is nevertheless firmly rooted in the bread-and-butter material that makes great music great, no matter what the style. Blues/Rock Influence I list this one first because I think it's the most important. People tend to talk a lot about Trey's jazz and classical influences, and while I would not deny the importance of these, I firmly believe that Trey's style comes first and foremost from good old rock and fuckin' roll. While certain portions of Trey's solos are plenty complex, I would say that Trey is actually in fairly standard blues-, pentatonic-, and mode-land EASILY 75% of the time. Much of it is the same stuff that blues/rock guitarists have been playing since the 1950's'--the same notes, but of course played with Trey's unique spin and sense of phrasing. Because, for the most part, that's what sounds good. If a guitarist plays purely in the standard territory of blues, pentatonics, and the major modes 100% of the time, it can start to sound stale after a while. And likewise, if a guitarist NEVER plays any straight ahead blues/rock licks, at some point it ceases to be rock and roll, and starts to sound more like jazz fusion (or aimless noodling, I suppose). That's where Trey's particular genius comes into the picture--in addition to having outstanding technical prowess on the instrument, as well as an incredible sense of phrasing and tension and release, he mixes in just enough complexity to keep it fresh and keep the listener on their toes. But a lot of the time he pretty much just rocks. Jazz Influence At times, Trey's jazz influence is easy to hear. Early recordings of Phish shows are loaded with jazz standards such as let's "Take The A Train", "Caravan," "Jump Monk," etc., so it's clear that jazz forms an important aspect of Trey's early stylistic influence. That jazz influence has gotten less apparent over the years, but it's still there and comes out in certan songs, like "Foam," "Stash," and "Punch You in the Eye/Landlady." You can also frequently hear Trey playing chromatic passages in his solos, which is certainly a jazz "thing"--connecting chord tones with chromatic passages of notes. 3rds and 7ths. Trey has mentioned focusing on the 3rds and 7ths of the chords to bring out interesting melodies. This is absolutely a jazz concept. In jazz, the 3rds and 7ths are sometimes called "guide tones" because they have the biggest effect on the sound of the chord--the 3rd determines whether the chord is major or minor, and the 7th determines whether it's a major 7th or a dominant 7th. The only thing I would add to this idea is that while the root and 5th can sometimes seem a little uninteresting, there are other times when the root or the fifth is exactly the right note to play...so don't avoid them completely. The way I look at it is that it often sounds good to start a melody on the 3rd or 7th, or focus the melody around the 3rd or 7th, but ultimately resolve the melody to the root or the 5th. That's just one way to approach things of course. Classical Influence Trey's classical studies in college have had more subtle, but extremely important influences on his style. Trey's technical mastery of the guitar is something that was likely obtained in classical study. I studied classical guitar fairly intensively for a couple of years, and was very surprised how much my teacher had to teach me about physical technique on the instrument. It makes sense, though--classical guitar is an art form that has been around for several hundred years (whereas rock/jazz/blues guitar has been around for maybe a century or so at the most), so the technique is the product of, literally, centuries of evolution. Whether you like classical guitar music or not, you can't deny that these people really know how to play their instruments. Watch Trey's fingers as he plays a difficult passage like the intro to "You Enjoy Myself," and you can see the grace and precision that would be characteristic of a classical guitarist. Another place where Trey's classical influence can be seen is in his more avant-garde compositions such as "Reba" or "Fluffhead," to name just a couple. Throughout many of his complex songs, you can also see compositional "tricks" in action, such as the sequencing of a melodic idea through several different keys. He also wrote fugue-like sections that appeared in "Fluffhead," "Guelah Papyrus," and "All Things Reconsidered," to name a few. You can also see it in the compositional nature of Trey's solos, where he begins with an idea that he spins out and refers back to throughout a solo. It gives his solos coherence and a sense of architecture. I know many rock guitarists don't get into classical music, but I would just point out that there is a reason why this music is hundreds of years old and still studied in music schools around the world. It may not speak to you personally, but its importance and its artistry can't be denied. General Concepts This section is just a laundry list of some other characteristics of Trey's style. Again, not meant to be a complete list by any means. Melody-based improvisation. To me, Trey's improvisations have always sounded very melodic, as opposed to just noodling around on scales. This is, of course, a characteristic of most good improvisation in any genre. Sometimes you can even hear Trey singing along with his melodies, the way you can with some jazz musicians (Oscar Peterson comes to mind). A good melody tends to have a mix of rhythmic phrasing while still having some coherence too. It also has a mix of intervals--not just climbing up and down scales, but taking leaps within the scales as well. Trey's solos are loaded with interesting rhythms and melodic leaps. I should mention here that I have read several interviews with Trey where he mentioned that it can be excellent practice to learn simple melodies BY EAR. For example, when you're sitting around watching TV, try and figure out the theme songs to the shows you're watching, even the commercial jingles. By doing this, you develop your sense of melody, and you also develop your ear. This will impact your playing in all kinds of good ways. Here's a great exercise that's way harder than you think it will be: Pick a random note on your guitar, somewhere in the middle of the neck. Figure out how to play "Happy Birthday To You" beginning with that note. You might be surprised at how tough it is! Compositional improvisation--"Theme and Variation". This goes hand in hand with the previous item. Trey's solos tend to have a lot of coherence to them. He'll start with an idea--a melodic phrase or a rhythmic figure--and he'll expand on it, spin it out in different directions. His solos will often have distinct sections to them, where he'll start playing around with a new idea. But in some cases he will return to the first idea, or even combine the new idea with the first one, which gives the whole solo a full-circle sense of coherence. It's a great way to approach a solo if you can keep it from being boring and repetitive. This whole idea could be described as "theme and variation," which is a musical concept that has been around as long as music itself. Sense of timing/drama/tension & release. All fans of Trey know that he is a master of tension and release within a solo. This is partially a function of having a very well-developed ear and melodic sense. But at least as important is his ability to listen to the other musicians he's playing with (and, I might add that he tends to play with other musicians who are also very good listeners). When everyone is listening and responding to one another, amazing things can happen. Rhythmic approach. Trey is all about the groove. His melodies are typically very rhythmically precise. I believe this is associated with having an extremely strong rhythmic feel in the picking hand, which comes from having well-developed alternate picking technique. For me personally, there are two things I can point to that have REALLY helped my rhythm. One has been learning funk lines, particularly from James Brown songs. The crispness and spaciousness of his rhythm guitarist's lines are something to be emulated. And while it may seem totally unrelated, my alternate picking technique has been massively improved by playing bluegrass songs, which are extremely rhythmically precise. Techniques And Licks Grace Notes. Something I hear in Trey's playing a LOT of the time is what I call "grace notes." Basically, instead of just simply playing a note, Trey will often slide up to that note from one fret below, or do a hammer-on to that note from one or two frets below. This won't happen on ALL of the notes in a melody, but it happens on the important notes in a melody. You can hear it all over the place, but I'm thinking of songs like "Horn" and "Squirming Coil" in particular. This technique sort of "rounds out" the sound of his melodies, makes them a little bit slicker and more liquid sounding. Pedal tone under a melody. A "pedal tone" is a repeated note. In between melody notes, Trey will often hang on to a common note underneath. This can be heard in the melodies of "Foam," "Stash," and "Dirt," to name a few. It serves to fill out the sound and give a bouncier feeling to the melody. Ascending Chord Tones in a Jam. This is something I hear more of in Trey's earlier style of jamming, what some people refer to as "Type I" jamming. To put it a little too simply, each "section" of the jam focuses on one of the chord tones, gradually ascending to the highest point on the guitar. As you climb up into the higher register, the dynamic level increases. So, if the jam is in the mode of C mixolydian, he'll use the notes of a C7 chord--C, E, G, Bb. Each "section" (8 or 16 bars, for example) of the jam will focus around a progressively higher note from that C7 chord, until reaching the high C on the guitar. Again, this is certainly an oversimplification and would sound very predictable if you stuck too closely to this concept, but is a general pattern that you can see examples of on lots of earlier Phish recordings. Preferred Modes: Mixolydian, Dorian, Ionian, Lydian. Probably 75% or more of Trey's solos could be considered mode-based (if you're not familiar with the modes, you can read about them in the HCG Mode Workshop). Whether or not he's actually thinking of it this way is debatable, but if you analyzed all of the notes in a typical solo, you could broadly categorize them as "modal." Mixolydian is a preferred mode, found in songs like "Runaway Jim," "Down With Disease," "Bathtub Gin," and quite a few others. He tends to favor the Dorian mode for minor-key jams such as "Birds of a Feather," "David Bowie," and "Mike's Song." The Ionian mode is the launching point for happy jams such as "Harry Hood" and "Limb By Limb." And the Lydian mode makes one very notable appearance in "Reba," as well as the solo to "The Curtain (with)" (which is very similar to the solo in "Reba." A couple things to note about mode-based jamming. First, it is the "stuff" of jam bands. It's what jam bands do. Miles Davis is credited as the first to use modes as a basis for improvisation, and I consider the Grateful Dead to be the first to bring the idea to rock and roll, with some help from bands like The Allman Brothers and Derek and the Dominos among others. And I also have to point out that there is another 25% or so of Trey's playing that falls outside of the broad category of "mode-based." And THIS is what makes him sound unique and fresh while still being rooted in the foundations of good ol' blues-rock. Bending the 6th up 1/2 step to the 7th. This is just one lick I hear Trey use a lot, which works in both the Dorian and the Mixolydian modes--bending the 6th up slightly to the flatted 7th. For example, in the key of C, you bend an "A" up to a "Bb." It works well in the Mixolydian mode, as well as anything bluesy, and it also works in minor keys. Influential Guitarists It is worthwhile to mention some of the guitarists that have influenced Trey. Please note, this is just my opinion; I am sure that if you asked him, Trey's list would differ somewhat from mine (but I'd bet that I'm at least 75% right!). This list is simply based on the influences that I think I hear in his style. Jimi Hendrix. When Trey is really tearing it up, I hear a lot of Hendrix in his style. Soaring notes, howling feedback, almost-reckless abandon. Also the wah pedal and the leslie effects. Carlos Santana. I can hear some Carlos in Trey's tone and phrasing. Trey has acknowledged a lot of influence from Santana, most apparent in the song "The Landlady." Jerry Garcia. While Trey doesn't exactly play a whole lot like Garcia, you can once in a while hear some Jerry creeping into a Trey jam. More importantly, I think Garcia's influence on Trey is more conceptual--the wide-open approach to jamming that few bands can even touch. Frank Zappa. I could particularly hear a lot of Zappa's influence on Trey between about '94 and '96, when Trey's chops were at peak form, and he would often play in lightning-fast little bursts of notes. Interesting, too, that as composed as most of Zappa's music was, he would often venture out on extended guitar improvisations. In that sense, Zappa was a HUGE influence on Trey--improvised sections within a complex, composed framework. Eric Clapton. Clapton is often overlooked as an influence on the jamband style--perhaps it's because so much of his music in the last 30 years has been so lame. But Clapton was the king of the 15-minute jam when he was playing with Cream in the late 60's and Derek and the Dominos in the early 70's. The Allman Brothers. The classic blues/rock sound, and co-inventors of the 15-minute guitar solo. Also I think their guitar tones have been influential on Trey. Pete Townsend. You can hear Townsend's influence on Trey's epic sense of composition. Songs like "Harpua" (listen to "Tommy" and then listen to "Harpua" and you'll see what I mean), "Vultures," and "Guyute" sound a little Townsend-esque to me. And when you hear Trey playing Pete's parts when Phish covered "Quadrophenia" on Halloween '95, you can really tell that Trey has been listening to the stuff for a long time. Tom Scholz of Boston. Boston has a distinctly late-70's/early-80's hairband style that can be a little tough on the ears these days, but if you listen to Scholz' tone (compressed distortion, basically) and his soaring sense of melody, I think you can hear its influence on Trey in a song like "Divided Sky." And I think I read somewhere that Trey has actually mentioned Boston as an influence. Eric Johnson and the other shredders (Satriani, Steve Morse, etc.). I think these guitarists have been influential to Trey in a similar way to Tom Scholz--thick, compressed distortion with a soaring sense of melody (Eric Johnson's tone in particular is gorgeous). Also, the pure technical mastery of their instruments is something that I think inspired Trey to some degree. Conclusion Again, I am not setting out to say that I have de-coded what makes Trey Anastasio a great guitarist. Rather, I'm just trying to point out that, in all music, just about everything comes from somewhere. And in addition to that, many of the basic ingredients that make great music great are present in Trey's music too. And finally, that you should not be afraid to show your influences in your playing--the important thing, in my opinion, is to be influenced by lots of different things. After a while, your own style starts to come through loud and clear.
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