candle on the christmas tree (Photo credit: christoph_w)
I hope you all have a very wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year!
What did Santa bring you this year? I got a real nice lump of coal, but I’d be willing to bet many of you got some great new instruments. If you did let us know what you got. Cheers!
Gary Moore is one of my favorite guitar players, and certainly belongs in the ranks of the all time best guitar players of all time. While he may not have become a household name like Clapton, Hendrix, and many others, he should be remembered among the greatest guitarists who ever slung a six string over their shoulder. And, as with many the greats, Gary left us far too early and he will be missed. RIP Gary.
For a lot of you the information in this post is old news, but if you’re like me and find yourself locked into playing the same old licks and scales over and over again, give this a try and see if it works for you too.
So, what am I talking about? Targeting chord tones. I recently started working on soloing using chord tones, and I really love the results. It may take me the next ten years to master this technique, but I’m enjoying the ride. And I love the sounds it’s producing. The down side, it makes me think while playing . . . ouch, brain cramp!
When I say targeting chord tones I’m not talking about playing through arpeggios from one chord to the next. That would be boring, mechanical and not sound very good. What I have been working on is playing licks and scales based on the main chord tones — that is starting and resolving on those notes that make up the chords.
Have you ever played a minor pentatonic scale over a blues progression and wondered why not all of the notes sound quite right? We’ve all played with people, read articles or had a teacher that told us, just play a minor pentatonic or blues scale of that I-IV-V and you’ll be alright. You can get away with doing that, but the true blues masters don’t play that way. Plus, not all blues is just I-IV-V. Listen to the best blues players and you’ll hear them mixing major and minor scales together, and playing licks that fit the chords. It’s not just a technique for playing blues, it works for rock, jazz or any kind of music.
When using this method I am visualizing the chord tones and mixing arpeggios and scales when I play. It’s not a matter of playing through a complete arpeggio or scale, but it’s mixing them and focusing on the main chord tones to build new licks that I’ve never thought of before. In a way, it’s almost more about intervals than arpeggios. The other day while practicing, I was on a root note and then just popped over to the fifth of that chord, then it was like, hey there’s the third of the the next chord. I just slide over there, then there’s the b7. Add a few passing tones, slides, bends, etc. and, as the old saying goes, “now you’re cooking.” And you know what, it sounded very cool. Ok, I know I’m starting to sound like a little kid with a new toy, but I guess I am. And I love it! If you find yourself stuck in a rut like I was, maybe this technique will help you too.
I’ve just scratched the surface on this and would love to get your input. What did I miss or get wrong . . . let me know what works for you.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!
As some of you already know I’m just another “wannabe” guitar player. I practice very hard to be average at best; and that’s on a good day. No matter, I love to play. I’ll never rise to the ranks of the great players that I write about here, and I’m okay with that. I love to play and consider it a great gift to be able to enjoy something so much. It doesn’t really matter how good, or bad, you are. Playing the guitar, or any instrument, is good for your soul.
Yesterday, I plugged my Strat (which I picked up used on eBay for just a couple bills) into Garageband on my iMac, dusted off my keyboard controller (I’m not kidding, it was really, really dusty!), and laid down some tracks. It’s a funky-blues kinda thing – just a work in progress – that I’ve titled Tropic Funk. Don’t ask me why I called it that, I have no idea. Anyway, there’s a link to it below and hope you’ll listen. Better yet, post links to your songs in the comment section below. Whether you’re a hack like me or virtuoso please share your music with us. Thanks!
Listen to Tropic Funk: http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_11420491
Image via Wikipedia
Rolling Stone magazine named Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist in history.
Here is their top 10 list:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Jimmy Page
4. Keith Richards
5. Jeff Beck
6. B.B. King
7. Chuck Berry
8. Eddie Van Halen
9. Duane Allman
10. Pete Townshend
(Source: Reuters)
Would love to hear your thoughts on this list. Who would you add or delete?
Lists like this always miss great players entirely or rank them in ways people completely disagree with. I personally think these lists are fundamentally flawed from the git go. It’s not possible for anyone to know every single guitar player well enough to really judge who’s the best. If you asked me to rank the top 100 best guitarist of all time, I think I’d have to spend the next 10 years listening to albums, and watching videos. There are so many amazing players that just totally blow my mind, I’m not sure I could choose. BTW where were are all the jazz and classical players on this list? I guess we’ll need separate lists for those guys.
There’s no way to objectively measure how good one guitar player is compared to another. Sure its easy to tell who’s a great player, and who should take up a different instrument. But when you start comparing “great” players it becomes very subjective. Each guitar player has their own style. For example, if you asked me to compare BB King with Eddie Van Halen I really couldn’t do it. They are both great, but totally different types of music and playing styles.
Then there’s personal taste. Everyone likes something different. You and I may really dig Eric Clapton or B.B. King, but someone else may think they are just “okay” or even worse. What happens when you start talking and comparing guitarist that are equally talented, or more so, but not as well known or commercial successful? Everyone has a different opinion, and that’s how it should be. Everyone is free to like who ever they want to. No matter how good a guitar player is, not everyone is going to like them. And no matter how good a list is, not everyone is going to agree with it.
So, do I agree with the top 10 list? No, I don’t. I haven’t sat down with the top 100 list yet, and I may, or may not. But I’m willing to bet I would not agree with that list either. As far as the top 10 list goes, I was surprised that Keith Richards, Chuck Berry and Pete Townsend made the top 10. All great players, but they would not have been on my top 10 list. Either would Jimmy Page. Nothing against Page, he’s just not one of my favorites. And, as much as I love and admire his playing, I would not have put B.B. King on the list either. He’s one of the greatest blues artists ever, and I listen to him a lot, but I would not list him as the #6 best guitarist in history. Every person on the Rolling Stone top 10 list is a great guitar player. They each offer something unique that they do/did better than the others. We should appreciate all guitar players for their unique capabilities, playing styles and types of music.
With that said, am I against publishing these lists? After what I just said you may be surprised by my answer, no. These list are a good thing. They make us think, share and learn. People get all riled up and argue who’s better than so and so. This is good. It makes us think about other players, and examine who we really like. It makes us listen to artists we may nave never listened to before. We learn more about music and the people that make it great, and that’s a very, very good thing. Music is a language, and everyone speaks it differently . . . we need to make sure we continue to communicate.
Image via Wikipedia
Larry Carlton is one of the greatest guitar players ever. We all have our favorites, but I don’t think many people would argue with me on this one. I would love to do an in-depth post on Mr. 335, but instead I’d like to focus here on something that I think is very important for all of us guitar players to remember. Guitarist magazine published an interview they did with Larry in their Blues Guitar Heros edition. In that article, Larry offered some of the best advice I’ve ever heard. He offered these words of wisdom . . .
Something I aways like to share with other guitar players is my idea of getting the most music out of the least amount of information. I want to figure out how I can make the most important statement with the least amount of information.
He mentions that when he first started listening to blues he was impressed how B.B. King could get “so much feeling and intensity and beauty and attitude out of one note.” The lesson we should each learn is that, “You don’t have to play a lot, but it’s how you play what you do play,” said Larry. As a guitar player I know the temptation to shred away, but often that’s exactly what we should not do. Larry’s advice is key, less is more. Or, if you prefer, keep it simple stupid!
Image by Burns! via Flickr
If you’re a fan of Buddy Guy — if you love the blues, who isn’t — then you’ve probably wondered what’s up with his polka dot strat. Even if you don’t care, it’s a pretty cool story.
Buddy was the oldest of five children. When he was leaving his home in Louisiana to move to Chicago his mom was worried about him. To make her feel better, he told her he was going to make a lot of money and buy her a polka dot Cadillac. Buddy never bought his mom that Cadillac, but some time after she died Buddy had Fender make him a black and white polka dot stratocaster to honor his mother. While he plays other guitars, it’s been his signature guitar ever since. Buddy, you’re alright!
Sources:
http://www.iconicguitar.com/2011/05/buddy-guy-polka-dot-strat.html
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2009/Nov/Buddy_Guy_Keepin_the_Blues_Alive.aspx
Cover of Slowhand
Ok, need your help on this one. I heard Eric Clapton supposedly got his nickname “Slowhand” because the audience would clap slowly as he changed strings on stage. I guess he use to break strings a lot. Anyway, is this true?
Let me know, thanks!
Known as “Master of the Stratocaster” did you know SRV played drums too? I was reading about Stevie yesterday and I came across an interesting factoid, he played drums too. According to this article he played drums on ”Empty Arms” from the Soul to Soul album.
So I fired up YouTube and found Empty Arms and gave it a listen. Wow, if this is true, not only did he play drums, he was a very good drummer! If you know more about this and can either corroborate or disprove this please step in and comment below. In the mean time listen to Empty Arms . . .
