In this rock track, Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert showcase their skills in speedy note sequences on the guitar. Notably, Sheehan shifts from using three to four fingers for his plucks. This outstanding piece hails from Mr. Big.
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Renowned rock band Mr. Big released their ninth studio album, Defying Gravity, in 2016. The album is a testament to the band's versatility, featuring a diverse range of genres, from heavy rock and melodic tunes to acoustic-flavoured outings and blues-drenched shuffles.
The album's standout track, "Mean to Me," is inspired by the groove of Christina Aguilera's "What a Girl Wants." The song showcases a blazing riff with a dialog between guitar and bass licks, including a complex nine-bar guitar solo. Bassist Billy Sheehan, known for his unique playing style, uses a tapped, 4th-based pattern and another flurry of tapped 32nds in the song, primarily using notes from the C# natural minor scale.
Sheehan's skills are not limited to his left hand. He taps with his left index and middle fingers, but the index and ring fingers of his right hand are responsible for the pick-handed work. In one of the takes, he reconfigured a pattern to make it more musically to his liking.
The album was tracked at California's Ocean Studios during an intensive creative burst. During the recording process, Sheehan used his Yamaha Attitude III guitar strung with signature Rotosound round-wounds. The band members involved in the recording were Sheehan, vocalist Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert, and drummer Pat Torpey, with Matt Starr as a stand-in.
Gilbert and Sheehan's interplay often involves explosive unison guitar and bass lines, facilitated by their long-standing familiarity which allows for fast, automatic coordination. In "Mean to Me," they share duties for the track's primary motif, a descending two-bar-long 32nd-based figure.
The album features 11 songs, including rock stompers like "Everybody Needs a Little Trouble," acoustic-flavored outings like "I'm in Love Again," a blues-drenched shuffle called "Be Kind," and songs with explosive unison guitar/basslines like "Open Your Eyes" and "1992."
Sheehan encourages aspiring musicians to take it slow and figure it out when learning complex parts. He believes that there's nothing he does that someone else can't do, given enough time and practice.
In terms of the technical aspects, Sheehan uses a separate direct from the P-Bass pickup for a separate bass tone on a separate track. The neck-position pickup of his guitar went to the low amp, while the P-Bass pickup went to the high amp, with clean and distortion mixed together.
Defying Gravity is a testament to Mr. Big's musical prowess and their ability to push the boundaries of traditional rock music, creating a distinctive sound that is both engaging and memorable.
- Billy Sheehan, known for his unique playing style on a Gibson Les Paul guitar, employed a tapped, 4th-based pattern and another flurry of tapped 32nds in the song "Mean to Me," primarily using notes from the C# natural minor scale.
- The album Defying Gravity showcases a diverse range of genres, with songs like "Open Your Eyes" and "1992" featuring explosive unison guitar and bass lines, facilitated by the long-standing familiarity between guitarist Paul Gilbert and bassist Billy Sheehan.
- In one of the takes for the album, Sheehan reconfigured a pattern to make it more musically to his liking, using his Yamaha Attitude III guitar strung with signature Rotosound round-wounds.
- As an aspiring musician, Sheehan advises taking it slow and figuring it out when learning complex parts, believing that there's nothing he does that someone else can't do, given enough time and practice.
