ABOUT THE SONGS: Supernassive Black Hole
Grade 6 Guitar: Rock & Pop 2012
Muse is made up of three multi-instrumentalists who met when they were at school - Matt Bellamy (vocals, piano and guitar), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, keyboards and harmonica) and Dominic Howard (drums and electronics). They are well-known for their spectacular live performances. Muse combine a range of different musical styles — including hard rock, electronic, progressive and classical music — to create their own unique sound.
‘Supermassive Black Hole’ is taken from their 2006 epic album Black Holes And Revelations. Muse wrote this album whilst immersed in the New York club scene. This, along with their interest in science fiction and conspiracy theories, is evident in this song — which features paranoid lyrics, electronica and a dance beat.
Matt Bellamy’s father was the rhythm guitarist with the 1960s pop group The Tornados. Bellamy often uses guitars made by Manson of Exeter, mainly a silver model which he helped to design. Its features include a built-in fuzz box.
PERFORMANCE HINTS & TIPS
‘Supermassive Black Hole’ should be played with distortion. The guitar part involves quick position shifts, with repeated notes being played by different fingers at the same fret.
There are several different types of string bends used in this song. It is important that all notes are played in tune and reach their target notes. Grace note bends should be played on the beat and rise quickly to the target pitch. Rhythmic bends (indicated by bends between full-size notes) should be played fluidly in the rhythm shown.