Back in 1971, if you wanted to scare your parents, all you had to do was leave Jethro Tull’s Aqualung on top of your album collection before leaving your room. The cover portrait of the raggedy, depraved, lecherous, child-molester-looking vagabond (central character on the first side of the album) was enough to send any mom scurrying to the nearest shrink to book sessions for her misdirected offspring. But, creepy album covers aside, Aqualung shines as one of progressive rock’s most beloved gems, and is a grand representation of Jethro Tull [Ian Anderson (lead vocals/ flute/acoustic guitar), Martin Barre (lead guitar), Jeffrey Hammond (bass), Clive Bunker (drums), and John Evan (keyboards)] entering into its prime period. The album boasts several classic radio hits (“Locomotive Breath,” “Cross-Eyed Mary,” and “Hymn 43”), but it’s the epic title track that has become the group’s enduring, signature song.

CAPO AT THE THIRD FRET
The acoustic guitar (played by Ian Anderson, and notated as Gtr. 2) is capoed at the third fret. (Gtr. 4, an electric guitar, is also capoed at the third fret. It appears sporadically in the Guitar Solo section, essentially doubling Gtr. 2’s parts.) The acoustic guitar plays the chords that are written in the parentheses above the staff. The chords that are not in parentheses (starting on the second page), are the actual sounding chords. In other words, since the capo is at the third fret, in essence this transposes them down a minor third, to the key of E minor, whereas the rest of the musicians are playing in the key of G minor. Likewise, when Gtr. 2 is written in standard notation (starting on the third page), the key center reflects E minor. If you’re confused, just imagine that the song is in E minor, and you’re playing in open position.

THE OPENING RIFF
The ominous, opening strains of “Aqualung” feature lead guitarist, Martin Barre, “spitting out pieces of” the G blues scale (G–B♭–C–D♭–D–F). The line is so devilishly fun, it almost seems a sin that the acoustic guitar is tacet (silent). Strumming a Gm chord (Em on the capoed guitar) is an option, but it muddies-up the figure. As an alternative to just standing there twiddling your thumbs (if you’re the acoustic player, that is), Fig. 1 offers an open-position arrangement that works as a compliment to the electric riff.

THE VERSE
The Verse is comprised of a repeating, sevenmeasure progression that starts with the opening riff, and follows with an, apparently, random series of chords that never seem to settle into any one particular key. You don’t necessarily need to analyze it, just try to memorize where the chords (power chords, and single notes in the case of the electric guitar) lay on the fretboard. (Refer to the chord diagrams at the top of the first page for the acoustic guitar voicings.) Halfway through the Verse, Gtr. 3 supplies a “major-thirds” harmony line. Just for fun, Fig. 2 shows the part as arranged for one guitar. Due to the slow tempo, and the fact that all of the intervals are parallel thirds, it’s actually pretty easy to pick up.

THE BRIDGE
At the Bridge, the electric guitars (Gtrs. 1 & 3) drop out, and the acoustic (Gtr. 2) takes over. The chord voicings and strumming patterns are standard, acoustic-folk fare—until you arrive at the uptempo section, where the pace jumps suddenly from 120, to 176 bmp. Here, the part breaks into a stream of muted, string scratches (notated as Xs in the transcription). Lay all of the fingers of your fretting hand against the strings as you wallop them with your strumming hand. This will insure that no open strings or harmonics “leak” through.

THE INTERLUDE AND GUITAR SOLO
The Interlude serves as a precursor to the actual Guitar Solo. As the acoustic guitar (and the band) marks the harmony with sustained chord voicings, lead guitarist, Martin Barre, cuts two-measure, chordtone savvy phrases in various spots along the fretboard. Measures 13–16 gain momentum, and it’s off to the races for the Guitar Solo. Relying heavily on G minor pentatonics (G–B♭–C–D–F) throughout, Barre opens the solo with a dotted-quarter note, rhythmic theme. From there he launches into eighth-note driven passages, sprinkled with sixteenth-note inflections.

But, like any good classical composer worth his salt, he keeps reverting back to his original motif: the dotted-quarter rhythm, established in the first two measures. Look for it in measures 13–14, 19–20, and 26–27. It’s interesting to note that, while the fast fancy stuff is exciting, often it’s the subtle application of melodic hooks and rhythmic motifs that really grab the listener’s ears. Take a lesson from this “compositional” style of soloing, and try to apply it to your improvisations.

Want more? Check out these cool links at guitaredge.com
• Download Jethro Tull video songs, tabs, and jam tracks at guitarinstructor.com
• Get cool Jethro Tull gear at oldglory.com
• Download “Aqualung” on iTunes
• Get The Very Best of Jethro Tull from musicdispatch.com
• Check out Jethro Tull Online at jethrotull.com

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