“Intergalactic March” is a mind-blowing banger for prepared guitar that consistently leaves people in awe at my shows.
To perform the piece as intended, you'll need a DVD (or CD) placed between the strings to create the signature rattling snare-drum effect. In addition, I use Schlagwerk percussive add-ons to imitate a full drum kit: a Schlagwerk Frame Buzz for the side snare and Schlagwerk Krix for “open cymbal” sounds.
While these add-ons help the piece shine, they're not strictly required. If you’d like to approach the sound without them, the piece can also be played using standard guitar body percussion, adapting the techniques to find comparable textures.
This is one of the most detailed tablatures I’ve ever created. Every note and percussive sound is clearly notated, including which hand to use, which fingers to use, and where each sound is produced.
The placement of the DVD between the strings and how it changes the instrument’s behavior is also precisely explained in the tablature.
The tuning here is low and powerful - A#FA#FFA#, and there is no detuning on the fly in this piece. Keep in mind, however, that inserting the DVD shifts the effective key of the piece, something that’s fully addressed in the notation.
To make the piece truly shine, I use a combination of pickups, with the magnetic pickup being the most important, ensuring the strings cut clearly through the percussive noise. I also use generous reverb and delay to create a wide, spacious soundscape.
Acoustically, the piece doesn't sound as impressive as it does through my amplification system, but it’s still great fun to learn, even though it’s quite demanding to play due to the diverse range of techniques and textures involved.
The tablature is provided in Guitar Pro 7 and PDF formats, and the package also includes the album version of the track in WAV format.