A master of making major key licks sound moody, Mark Knopfler is one of guitar’s true alchemists – take your melodic phrasing to new heights with this lesson in the Dire Straits icon’s soloing style

As lead guitarist and singer with Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler has been one of the world’s most high-profile artists since Sultans Of Swing captivated listeners back in 1977.

A few years later in 1985, the group’s Brothers In Arms album became a colossal hit, coinciding with its release on the new music format, CD. The iconic song Money For Nothing, with its reference to MTV, and a video featuring computer generated animation, caught the wave of enthusiasm for music television featuring artist videos.

Knopfler’s approach is based around a rootsy fingerpicked way of playing (mostly thumb, first finger, and second finger). This gives a varied texture and warm tone to solos, comping, and riffs. Some of his parts would be much more difficult to execute without at least using hybrid picking, where the pick and fingers are used together. This approach is particularly appropriate for country, folk, and roots styles.

I once did a session with Straits’ bassist John Illsley, who told me that Little Feat were a big influence on the band’s sound. If you listen to the grooves they were purveying at the time, you might hear some kinship with that great American group, despite the fact that Knopfler’s guitar style is quite different.

Dire Straits - Money For Nothing (Live At Knebworth) - YouTube

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Knopfler has been working as a solo artist since Dire Straits stopped working, and has amassed a fine body of work that capitalizes on his playing, songwriting, and singing.

In addition to his work as a solo artist, Knopfler has lent his talents to recordings by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, and others. He also famously recorded an album called Neck And Neck with Nashville guitar legend Chet Atkins. It’s well worth a listen is you’re a fan of classy fingerpicking and country solos.

Our examples all feature in the final solo. The chord sequence is a four-bar loop, which I envisaged as a contrast section for a tune based in D Major, which you should see as still being within that key center, despite the fact that it starts on chord IV.

Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing (Live Aid 1985) - YouTube

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I was struck when transcribing some of Knopfler’s recent solos that he’s a master of making solos on Major key sequences sound exceptionally moody and atmospheric, almost as though he’s playing in a Minor key.

The trick over the sequence that underpins our solo is to lean into the Bm7 chord, as B Minor and D Major Pentatonics contain the same notes (B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A, start from the D note for D Major), being relative Minor and Major respectively.

You can even extend this way of thinking by playing or implying the B Minor Blues scale (B-D-E-F-F#-A; F is the blues note) over some of the D Major sequences. This is useful where the tonic Blues scale (in this case, D Major) doesn’t fit well, as the b7th degree (in this case, Bb) would clash.

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 6, Bass 7, Middle 4, Treble 6, Reverb 3

Knopfler is best known for playing single-coil guitars like Fender Strats or Schecters and Pensa Suhrs. In later years he’s also used humbucking instruments, like his fabulous 1958 Les Paul. Using the flesh of the picking fingers gives warmth to his picking, so do try it. You’ll need a cleanish sound with some light overdrive, or a slightly driven guitar amp with light reverb.

Example 1

This is a lyrical phrase played legato style and mostly using D Major or B Minor Pentatonic. Watch for the momentary use of the bluesy b5 in the second bar.

Example 2

This line grows out of the phrasing in the first bar, developing from that idea and into the B Minor chord section. It’s a great bluesy sound and classic Knopfler.

Example 3

This line has a few more ornaments around the melody – little flourishes to add detail and lyricism. This is a big part of Knopfler’s style, especially on a ballad.

Example 4

Here we’re using 6ths to harmonize the scale. The C# in bar 1 is there because the key center is D Major. If your hands try to guide you to a C note- don’t do it!

Example 5

This one develops the motif in example 2. It’s good to play thematically like this, almost compositionally, especially on a ballad.

Example 6: The Solo

This uses the above licks and adds some more classic Knopfler moves. Every time the B Minor comes round we’re referencing or ‘leaning on’ that sound. Knopfler likes to refer back his own classic licks while constantly developing them and finding musical ways to weave them around or through the chord changes.