Stratocaster, Telecaster, Rickenbacker, Ooh Shiny!

That's about what happened when I was browsing guitars on eBay. I'm now the proud owner of this super-cool Japanese-made Squier Super-Sonic. Ooh, ahh! It arrived in fabulous condition for a ten-year-old guitar, and is flashy yet relatively traditional and retro-looking at the same time. And best of all, these things aren't terribly expensive. People keep claim they will become "vintage" but they are still tremendous deals for someone who wants one to actually play, not stick in a climate-controlled storage facility for twenty years.

For a few years a decade ago the Vista series short-scale guitars were pretty much the best short-scale guitars you could buy. They are certainly superior in quality to the Jag-Stang which was rushed into production and has numerous issues, and generally better than most of the other Squier models, and perhaps some of the Fender models from that time period too!

There are four models of guitar and one bass. The guitars are the Super-Sonic, the Jagmaster, the Venus, and the Venus XII. The Jagmaster and the Super-Sonic are quite similar; I will talk more about these guitars in future posts.

YYZ Riffs Tabbed Out

Note that in the original recording on the album Moving Pictures, Alex Lifeson plays parts of this song (especially the solo) using a lot of vibrato applied by the tremolo bar. I don't really like using the tremolo bar so the vibrato I apply is only done with my fingers. Note that in more recent live recordings he plays this song on a Les Paul with no tremolo bar so it can be done, but of course you are only bending up.

Without further ado, the tabs:

1. Intro Phrase

Plays over synth pedal notes: F#/G#/D#/C#/C

5 (A) ---3---3-3-3---3-3-3-3---------
6 (E) -----2-------2----------2-2----

Repeat the above pattern 9 times, then:

5 (A) ---3---3-3-3---3-3-3-3---------
6 (E) -------------------------------



2. Bridge to Chorus (3 parts):

Listen to recording for timing, 
hammer-ons, and vibrato. I actually 
play this in a position around the 
9th fret now because it seems to 
sound better up there, and also so 
that I can do a slide back down 
into the chorus. I'll let you work it 
out from the videos; the notes 
are the same!

1 (e) -----------------------------------
2 (B) ------------------------4-5-4------
3 (G) -------------------4-6---------4-5-
4 (D) ------------4-6-7------------------
5 (A) -3-3-4-6-7-------------------------
6 (E) -----------------------------------

1 (e) -----------------------------------
2 (B) -----------------------------------
3 (G) --4-5-4----------------------------
4 (D) ------------5-4--------------------
5 (A) -----------------------------------
6 (E) -----------------------------------

1 (e) -----------------------------------
2 (B) -----------------------------------
3 (G) --7-7-5-7-5-4----------------------
4 (D) ---------------7-5-4-(4) slide down
5 (A) -----------------------------------
6 (E) -----------------------------------



3. Chorus

Play twice:

1 (e) -----------------------------------
2 (B) -----------------------------------
3 (G) --2-2-----2------------------------
4 (D) -------4-----4-3-2-----------------
5 (A) --------------------4--------------
6 (E) -----------------------------------

1 (e) -----------------------------------
2 (B) -----------------------------------
3 (G) --2-2-----2------------------------
4 (D) -------4-----4-2-------------------
5 (A) ------------------4-3-2-4----------
6 (E) ---------------------------2-------

Play twice:

NOTE: although the video claims that the phrases 
are identical but simply shifted in position, 
on the original recording Lifeson does not play 
7-6-5 descending but 7-5-5, so I have tabbed 
it that way. These notes are quite fast so the 
difference is hard to notice unless you slow
down the recording.

1 (e) -----------------------------------
2 (B) -----------------------------------
3 (G) --5-5-----5------------------------
4 (D) -------7-----7-5-5-----------------
5 (A) --------------------7--------------
6 (E) -----------------------------------

1 (e) -----------------------------------
2 (B) -----------------------------------
3 (G) --5-5-----5------------------------
4 (D) -------7-----7-5-------------------
5 (A) ------------------7-6-5-7----------
6 (E) ---------------------------5-------

Note: on second time through, the phrase above is 
altered as follows to lead back in to the repeat
(listen carefully to recording for timing):

1 (e) -------------------------------------
2 (B) -------------------------------------
3 (G) --5-5-----5--------------------------
4 (D) -------7-----7-5-----5-5-----5-5-----
5 (A) ------------------7-------7-------7--
6 (E) -------------------------------------

Repeat the above, skipping the variation.

In the phrases below, pay particular attention to the 
whole step bends. These can also be played
as slides. The left hand has to change position 
and hammer in a way that might require some
careful practice.

1 (e) --------------------------------------------
2 (B) --4-5-7-----4-5-7-^bend^-7------------------
3 (G) ---------2----------------------------------
4 (D) --------------------------------------------
5 (A) --------------------------------------------
6 (E) --------------------------------------------

1 (e) --------------------------------------------
2 (B) --4-5-7-------------4-5-7-^bend^-7----------
3 (G) ---------2-2-2-2-4--------------------------
4 (D) --------------------------------------------
5 (A) --------------------------------------------
6 (E) --------------------------------------------

In the repeat after the solo, apply artificial harmonics 
as per the recording of your choice.

This phrase is difficult to notate: listen for hammer-ons 
and slides and position changes all while playing notes 
on a single string as well as vibrato. "/" means to hammer 
to the higher note on the same string.

1 (e) --------------------------------------------
2 (B) --1-3/3-5-3-5-3-5/8-1-3-3/5-3-5-3/5-8-5-8-5-
3 (G) --------------------------------------------
4 (D) --------------------------------------------
5 (A) --------------------------------------------
6 (E) --------------------------------------------



4. Rhythmic Section

The two chords are B7 and C7 (barre an E7 chord form 
at the 7th fret and 8th fret).

Listen for variations: pick root on 6th string and strum, 
or "scrub" rapidly with muting via your fretting hand to 
achieve a staccato sound, or pick additional bass notes 
to parallel the bass line:

To B7, add:

4 (D) -9-----7-------------------------------------
5 (A) ----9----------------------------------------

To C7, add:

4 (D) -10------8------------------------------------
5 (A) -----10---------------------------------------

In more recent live performances Lifeson seems to play
the last two B7/C7 as a barre form down at the 2nd/3rd
fret instead, but I'm not sure why. Maybe he's playing them
as straight major chords the last time through? It's pretty
difficult to pick out a one-string difference in a heavily
distorted and chorused chord played on top of maniacal
drums and bass.



5. Guitar Solo

The first part of the solo (before the synthesizer 
chords) is broken into five riffs. Listen carefully 
for the bends (see the videos, too).

Riff 1:

1 (e) -10-8-7-------------------------------------
2 (B) ---------0-7-8-10-8-10-8-7-8-7--------------
3 (G) --------------------------------9-----------
4 (D) --------------------------------------------
5 (A) --------------------------------------------
6 (E) --------------------------------------------

1 (e) --------------------------------------------
2 (B) --------7-8-10-8-7---------7-^-7------------
3 (G) -8-8-9--------------9-8-9--------9-8-9------
4 (D) --------------------------------------------
5 (A) --------------------------------------------
6 (E) --------------------------------------------

Riff 2:

1 (e) ------------------------14-12-11-12-11------
2 (B) -0-1-4-1--0-4-7-4-0-12----------------------
3 (G) --------------------------------------------
4 (D) --------------------------------------------
5 (A) --------------------------------------------
6 (E) --------------------------------------------

1 (e) -----------11------11-12--------------------
2 (B) -13-12-13------13---------14-13-------------
3 (G) --------------------------------------------
4 (D) --------------------------------------------
5 (A) --------------------------------------------
6 (E) --------------------------------------------

Riff 3:

Note: extremely fast with slides. If possible, drastically 
slow down the original recording and play the phrases 
very slowly until the pattern begins to make sense.

1 (e) -17-12-14-12-15-14-11-12--------------------
2 (B) --------------------------16-13-12-13-15----
3 (G) --------------------------------------------
4 (D) --------------------------------------------
5 (A) --------------------------------------------
6 (E) --------------------------------------------

1 (e) -----------------------------------
2 (B) -15-^-15-13-12-13-12-13-^-13-12-10-
3 (G) -----------------------------------
4 (D) -----------------------------------
5 (A) -----------------------------------
6 (E) -----------------------------------

1 (e) ------------------------------
2 (B) --12-13-12-10-12-10-8-10-8-7--
3 (G) ------------------------------
4 (D) ------------------------------
5 (A) ------------------------------
6 (E) ------------------------------

Riff 4:

Note: entirely on the B string! Watch my video, since
this one is complicated.

2 (B) --0-1-4-1-0-1-0-5-7-4-0-4-5--

2 (B) --4-5-4-0-10-13-10-12-10-8-10-7-8-7-8-10--

Riff 5:

The final series is played as a descending series of 
hammer-ons/pull-offs:

2 (B) --0-10-12-10-0-10-12-10-0-8-10-8-0-8-10-8-

2 (B) --0-7-8-7-0-5-7-5-0-4-5-4-0-1-4-1-0--

The note Lifeson uses to sustain and generate 
feedback during the first part of the synthesizer 
section is "A," maybe played on the G string at
the second fret and then played an octave or 
two higher; I'm not certain.



6. Synthesizer section

Note: to play this song on solo guitar, I play the 
synth chords Am, G/A, D/A, F/A
as x02210, x00033, x00232, x003211 twice 
then play some minor variations on what
the guitar does in the original recording, 
which is more or less as follows:

1 (e) --------12-----------------------------------------
2 (B) --------------13-12-13-12-----------------13-------
3 (G) -----------14-------------12-14-14-14-14-----------
4 (D) -----14--------------------------------------------
5 (A) --12-----------------------------------------------
6 (E) ---------------------------------------------------

1 (e) --------12-----------------------------------------
2 (B) --------------13-12-13-12--------------------------
3 (G) -----------14-------------12-12-12-12-14-14-14-14--
4 (D) -----14--------------------------------------------
5 (A) --12-----------------------------------------------
6 (E) ---------------------------------------------------

1 (e) -------------------------
2 (B) ---13-15-13--------------
3 (G) -------------------------
4 (D) -------------------------
5 (A) -------------------------
6 (E) -------------------------



7. Closing

Play the chorus, ending on a sustained "G" on the 
8th fret of the B string. Hold this with vibrato (and 
feedback if possible) for 2 bars, then the big finish:

5 (A) ----3-3-----3-3-3-------------------------------------
6 (E) ---------2---------2----------------------------------

(Hold the F# with vibrato)

4 (D) ----4-2-----------------------------------------------
5 (A) ---------5-2------------------------------------------
6 (E) ------------------------------------------------------