Serrana
Encyclopedia
Serrana is a solo guitar
etude
that relies heavily on arpeggio
s and the technique of sweep picking. It was written and composed by neo-classical metal
guitarist Jason Becker
.
Though the final orchestral trumpet
version appears on his 1996 album Perspective, its roots can be traced to almost the mid-1980s.
. Around this time, the guitarist began to incorporate the composition into his solos
, using complex sweep picking techniques. One such performance was filmed during an April 1989 concert in Japan.
Again in 1989, shortly before being diagnosed with ALS
at nearly 20 years old, Becker performed a nearly ninety-minute guitar clinic
at the Atlanta Institute of Music
in Norcross, Georgia
. This is his last recorded performance of Serrana.
Melodically, the piece is mostly composed of one and two octave
major and minor triad
ic arpeggios within the key
of D major. The last half of the piece is composed of various minor and diminished arpeggios.
The piece follows these chord
changes: D major, G major, A major, D major, F# minor, B minor, E minor, C minor, G# Minor, Eb major, D diminished, C minor, C diminished, G Major. The piece ends on the note G.
At the end of the piece, Becker uses his whammy bar on his Floyd Rose
tremolo system to bend the notes up a half step and back down.
Becker's father played the trumpet part backwards on guitar on the introduction of the studio version of the song. The recording was then played in reverse. Jason mentions this during the Atlanta performance of the song. His ex-girlfriend and still best friend shares the song's name. He thought her name suited this piece perfectly.
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
etude
Étude
An étude , is an instrumental musical composition, most commonly of considerable difficulty, usually designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular technical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popularity of the piano...
that relies heavily on arpeggio
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
s and the technique of sweep picking. It was written and composed by neo-classical metal
Neo-classical metal
Neo-classical metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that is heavily influenced by classical music. It refers to a very technical performanceExact quote from the french text: "L'arrivée du néoclassique remet au goût du jour la virtuosité et le travail de l'instrument", « Les secrets du metal-...
guitarist Jason Becker
Jason Becker
Jason Eli Becker is an American virtuoso neo-classical metal guitarist and composer. At the age of 16, he became part of the Mike Varney-produced duo Cacophony with his friend Marty Friedman. They released Speed Metal Symphony in 1987 and Go Off! in 1988...
.
Though the final orchestral trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
version appears on his 1996 album Perspective, its roots can be traced to almost the mid-1980s.
History
Serrana was composed in the late 1980s while Becker was in the band CacophonyCacophony (band)
Cacophony was an American Speed metal band formed in 1986 by guitarists Marty Friedman and Jason Becker. Cacophony is often recognized for its technically challenging, neo-classical metal and speed metal elements, as well as featuring two shred guitarists...
. Around this time, the guitarist began to incorporate the composition into his solos
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
, using complex sweep picking techniques. One such performance was filmed during an April 1989 concert in Japan.
Again in 1989, shortly before being diagnosed with ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
at nearly 20 years old, Becker performed a nearly ninety-minute guitar clinic
Clinic (music)
A musical clinic is an informal meeting with a guest musician, where a small-to-medium sized audience questions the musician's styles and techniques and also how to improve their own skill. The musician might perform an entire piece, or demonstrate certain techniques for the audience to observe.The...
at the Atlanta Institute of Music
Atlanta Institute Of Music
The Atlanta Institute Of Music is a facility with an instrumental certificate program for guitar, bass and drums. A recording arts program, complete with DigiDesign Pro Tools training, began in October 2008...
in Norcross, Georgia
Norcross, Georgia
As of 2010 Norcross had a population of 9,116. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 40.8% white , 19.8% black or African American , 0.7% Native American, 2.1% Asian Indian, 10.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 21.5% from some other race and 4.3% reporting two or more races...
. This is his last recorded performance of Serrana.
Melodically, the piece is mostly composed of one and two octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
major and minor triad
Triad (music)
In music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:* the Root...
ic arpeggios within the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of D major. The last half of the piece is composed of various minor and diminished arpeggios.
The piece follows these chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
changes: D major, G major, A major, D major, F# minor, B minor, E minor, C minor, G# Minor, Eb major, D diminished, C minor, C diminished, G Major. The piece ends on the note G.
At the end of the piece, Becker uses his whammy bar on his Floyd Rose
Floyd Rose
The Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo, or simply Floyd Rose, is a type of locking vibrato arm for a guitar. The first of its kind, Floyd D. Rose invented the locking vibrato in 1977, and it is now manufactured by a company of the same name...
tremolo system to bend the notes up a half step and back down.
Becker's father played the trumpet part backwards on guitar on the introduction of the studio version of the song. The recording was then played in reverse. Jason mentions this during the Atlanta performance of the song. His ex-girlfriend and still best friend shares the song's name. He thought her name suited this piece perfectly.
See also
- CacophonyCacophony (band)Cacophony was an American Speed metal band formed in 1986 by guitarists Marty Friedman and Jason Becker. Cacophony is often recognized for its technically challenging, neo-classical metal and speed metal elements, as well as featuring two shred guitarists...
- Marty FriedmanMarty Friedman (guitarist)Marty Friedman is a guitarist, well known for his tenure as the lead/rhythm guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth, which lasted almost a decade...