Rolf Munkes Guitar Workshop

Hello! The following examples showcase some "trademarks" of my playing style. It's mainly legato oriented stuff, and I hope you can learn some new techniques from this workshop.

This first example is a 11/4 idea. Try to do it with your feet stepping the beat. This always helps you feel the rhythm and the beat.

E||-----------------------------------|
B||-----------------------------------|
G||*------------------8h---9h---11----|
D||*--8h---9h---11--------------------|
A||-----------------------------------|
E||-----------------------------------|



|------------------------------------|
|--9h---10h---12p---10p---9----------|
|------------------------------11----|
|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|


                                                                            
----------------------------------||
--9-------------------------------||
-------9--11--8----9----11-------*||
----------------------------9----*||
----------------------------------||
----------------------------------||



||---------------------------------------|
||---------------------------------------|
||*--------------------10h---11h---13----|
||*--10h---11h---13----------------------|
||---------------------------------------|
||---------------------------------------|


                                                                                
--------------------------------------|
--11h---12h---14p---12p---11----------|
--------------------------------13----|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|



|---------------------------------------||
|--11-----------------------------------||
|--------11--13--10----11----13--------*||
|--------------------------------11----*||
|---------------------------------------||
|---------------------------------------||
                
--------------||
--------------||
--10h---11----||
--------------||
--------------||
--------------||

MP3 - Example 1

Example 2 is the intro theme of a tune called "That's New", from my CD, "No More Obscurity".

E||--------------------10h---12h---14p---12p---10----|
B||--10h---12h---14----------------------------------|
G||--------------------------------------------------|
D||--------------------------------------------------|
A||--------------------------------------------------|
E||--------------------------------------------------|


                                               
--10h---12p---10p---9----9h---10p---9p---7----|
----------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------|


                                            
-------------------------------------------|
--9h---10p---9p---7------------------------|
-----------------------9----7----6----7----|
-------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|


                                     
-----------------------------------||
-----------------------------------||
-----------------------------------||
--9--------------------------------||
-----------------------------------||
-----------------------------------||

MP3 - Example 2

Example 3 offers the middle section - only hammering and pull-offs - and one slide!

E||--------------------------------------------|
B||--------------------------------------------|
G||--14h---16p---14p---12----------------------|
D||--------------------------16----14----12h---|
A||--------------------------------------------|
E||--------------------------------------------|


                                             
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|
--14h---16p---14p---12---11h---12h---14p---|
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|


                                        
--------------------------------------||
--------------------------------------||
--------------14----12----11----------||
--12p---11----------------------14----||
--------------------------------------||
--------------------------------------||

MP3 - Example 3

Example 4 is a short one. Mute the strings after the first four notes. I'm doing it with the thumb on the D string and the middle finger on the B string.
This one sounds also cool if you put a lot of vibrato on the last note. A little Indian touch.

E||-------------------------------------------------------------------------||
B||-------------------------------------------------------------------------||
G||-----------------6h---7h---9p---7p---6/---7h---9h---10p---9p---7---6----||
D||--6h---7h---9------------------------------------------------------------||
A||-------------------------------------------------------------------------||
E||-------------------------------------------------------------------------||

MP3 - Example 4

Example 5 is the beginning of a tapping solo peace called "Tunnel Strut", also off "No More Obscurity". It's not very hard to play these kind of tunes, but it's really fun! Actually it's recorded with a second guitar on the album. It adds the higher notes. I picked that kind of playing up from Joe Satriani.

E||-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B||-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G||*--14---------9---------------9----12---------9---------------9----|
D||*-------------9---------------9---------------9---------------9----|
A||---------7---------------7---------------7---------------7---------|
E||-------------------12------------------------------12--------------|


                                                                     
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
--11---------9---------------9----12---------9---------------9----*||
-------------9---------------9---------------9---------------9----*||
--------7---------------7---------------7---------------7----------||
------------------12------------------------------12---------------||


                                                                    
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
*--14---------7---------------7----12---------7---------------7----|
*-------------7---------------7---------------7---------------7----|
---------5---------------5---------------5---------------5---------|
-------------------12------------------------------12--------------|


                                                                     
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
--11---------7---------------7----12---------7---------------7----*||
-------------7---------------7---------------7---------------7----*||
--------5---------------5---------------5---------------5----------||
------------------12------------------------------12---------------||


                                                                    
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
*--14---------5---------------5----12---------5---------------5----|
*-------------5---------------5---------------5---------------5----|
---------3---------------3---------------3---------------3---------|
-------------------12------------------------------12--------------|


                                                                     
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
--11---------5---------------5----12---------5---------------5----*||
-------------5---------------5---------------5---------------5----*||
--------3---------------3---------------3---------------3----------||
------------------12------------------------------12---------------||


                                                                   
------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------|
--14---------7---------------7----12---------7---------------7----|
-------------7---------------7---------------7---------------7----|
--------5---------------5---------------5---------------5---------|
------------------12------------------------------12--------------|


                                                                     
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
--11---------7---------------7----12---------7---------------7----*||
-------------7---------------7---------------7---------------7----*||
--------5---------------5---------------5---------------5----------||
------------------12------------------------------12---------------||


                                                                   
------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------|
--12---------9---------------9----12---------9---------------9----|
-------------9---------------9---------------9---------------9----|
--------7---------12----7---------------7---------12----7---------|


                                                                   4x
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
-------------------------------------------------------------------||
------------------------------------------------------------------*||
--12---------9---------------9----11---------9----11---------9----*||
-------------9---------------9---------------9---------------9-----||
--------7---------12----7---------------7---------------7----------||

MP3 - Example 5

On "No More Obscurity", we did a cover of the Police classic "Message In A Bottle". Example 6 is the (for the original song, a very untypical) solo. It's in the key of Cm. The arpeggio in the end is played like this: Pick the first note (15) with the pick, pick the next (16) with your middle finger and the last one (18) with the ring finger. No sweep!

E||--------------------------------------|
B||--------------------------------------|
G||--------------------------------------|
D||--------------------12h---13h---15----|
A||--11h---13h---15----------------------|
E||--------------------------------------|


                                       
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------12h---13h---15----|
--11h---13----15----------------------|
--------------------------------------|


                                       
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|
--12h---13h---15----------------------|
--------------------12h---13h---15----|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|


                                       
--------------------------------------|
--------------------11h---13h---15----|
--12h---13h---15----------------------|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|


                                       
--11h---13h---15p---13p---11----------|
--------------------------------15p---|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------|


                                                            
--------------------------------------|--------------------|
--13p---11----------------------------|--------------------|
--------------15p---13p---11----------|--------------------|
--------------------------------15p---|--13p---11----------|
--------------------------------------|--------------15----|
--------------------------------------|--------------------|


                                      
--13b--------------------------------|
--------11b--------------------------|
--------------10r---10p---8----------|
-------------------------------10----|
-------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------|


                                                           
|---------------18p---15----------------------15----------|
|---------16----------------16----------------------16----|
|*--15----------------------------17p---15----------------|
|*--------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|


                                                     
--------------18p---15-----------------------------||
--------16----------------16----------------16-----||
--15----------------------------17p---15----------*||
--------------------------------------------------*||
---------------------------------------------------||
---------------------------------------------------||

MP3 - Example 6

Rolf Munkes is a German hard rock guitarist whose playing style is characterized by clean, fast legato lines, quality phrasing and accuracy.

His mostly instrumental CD is entitled "No More Obscurity", and features hard rock rhythmic grooves, coupled with a shredding solo style.

Rolf Munkes