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SHRED CLUB 7 an exclusive track by Paul Gilbert
General notes
Paul tuned down a whole tone for this track, so the tuning is DGCFAD, low to high. This can make
things a little confusing when we talk about what notes you should play. So

If youre learning from the Tab, all notes and chords are named as if you were in standard
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tuning. If you see the open 5 string in the Tab, its shown as an A, even though it actually
sounds a whole tone lower. The first chord is shown as F#7, even though its a whole tone
lower. This makes it easier to study what Paul is playing and apply it to your own solos. The
downside is that youll have to tune down to use the backing properly. Unless

If youre just soloing over the backing track, scroll down to the end of the Tab file and youll see
the chord progression shown at actual pitch, designed for standard tuning.

If youd like to experiment with adapting Pauls solo for standard tuning, dont forget that you can edit our
Powertab files. Remember to make a copy, so you can always return to the original if necessary!
Bars 1-8
First things first were in 7/8 time, so there are seven pulses per bar. It might feel weird at first, but
keep trying. After a while the groove will start to feel more natural, and youll develop a more instinctive
feel for when the downbeat is going to arrive.
The backing alternates between static sections of F#7 and a shorter D7-B7-F#7 sequence. For this
introduction part, Paul is superimposing partial chords over the F#7. His partial chords suggest F#7-B7E7-F#7.
Bars 9-12
Paul shows off his considerable knowledge of the fretboard here, switching between scales to fit the
underlying chords. The D7-B7-F#7 progression doesnt fit any single scale, so he starts with D
Mixolydian (D E F# G A B C), B Mixolydian (B C# D# E F# G# A). Notice in bar 9 how he smoothly
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moves from the D note (10 fret) at the top of the D Mixolydian run to a D# (11 fret) which is the start of
a little B major triad leading into the B7 chord.
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For the F#7 in bars 11-12, he plays the familiar blues scale box shape at the 14 fret, but look how he
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uses both the minor 3 (A, 17 fret) and major 3 (A#, 18 fret) for a bluesy sound.
Bars 13-16
Paul starts off using F# Mixolydian (F# G# A B C# D# E) over the F#7 here remember, the Mixolydian
is the safest scale to use over a static dominant 7 chord. At the start of bar 15, hes playing the F# major
pentatonic (F# G# A# C# D#) but that scales notes are all found within the Mixolydian anyway.
Bars 17-20
He uses arpeggio-based patterns for the D7 and B7 chord, with some typically Pablo-style stringskipping.
Bars 21-24
Instead of switching scales here, Paul plays right through the progression with just the F# minor
pentatonic (F# A B C# E) and blues scale (F# A B C C# E).
Bars 25-32
This is the hardest part of the solo, and it takes some serious technique (and stamina) to maintain this
sort of speed with such fluency and consistency. Theres nothing particularly melodic here, but thats not
the point its almost like a rock version of John Coltranes Sheets of Sound concept in the late 50s
instead of listening for individual target notes, you focus on the bigger picture an undulating wash of
general F# Mixolydian sound.
For most of this section, Paul is using his efficient combination of picking and legato, but in bar 30,
almost every note is picked!

Bars 33-37
Again, Paul plays through the progression with the F# blues scale, but this time hes adding the G# and
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D# (16 fret on the E and B strings) so its more like the F# Dorian (F# G# A B C# D# E). He returns to
the Mixolydian at the end of bar 36.