Lick of the Day: Faux Octavia Lick by Paul Riario, Sponsored by Guitar ToolKit 2.0
The Octavia was a stomp box that generated a pitch one octave higher than the actual note. It had a distinct sound and was popularized by Jimi Hendrix in the solo of the song "Purple Haze."
In this bluesy, straight-up minor pentatonic, Kenny Wayne Shepherd-esque lick, I emulate the sound of the Octavia by employing pinch harmonics throughout. The key, though, is to execute the pinch harmonics in such a way that they don't completely overtake the fundamental (the original pitch), but rather so that you can hear the fundamental and the harmonic simultaneously.
The tempo is 145 beats per minute, 81 for slow practice.
Check out Lick of the Day, a free download for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch available at the App Store.
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Paul Riario has been the tech/gear editor and online video presence for Guitar World for over 25 years. Paul is one of the few gear editors who has actually played and owned nearly all the original gear that most guitarists wax poetically about, and has survived this long by knowing every useless musical tidbit of classic rock, new wave, hair metal, grunge, and alternative genres. When Paul is not riding his road bike at any given moment, he remains a working musician, playing in two bands called SuperTrans Am and Radio Nashville.