Why I Suck.... Progress Report #6 - Buddy Guy!

You damn right it's Buddy Guy! One of the last of the “first gen” guitar heroes, and one of the few living links to the early Chicago blues days, Buddy – nee George - Guy was born in Lettsworth Louisiana on July 30 1936 to his sharecropper parents, Sam and Isabel. As a child he would pick cotton, earning $2.50 for every 100 pounds picked, but music and specifically guitar was in his blood from his earliest years, and he began playing on a two string diddley bow (an instrument built around glass bottle, scrap wood and strings) that he built himself. He was eventually given a Harmony acoustic guitar which set him on his way, picking out tunes and licks by ear from records.

In 1957 he moved to Chicago and earned a contract with Cobra Records, recording with Ike Turner amongst others, and after two releases he moved to the legendary Chess Records, home of blues legends Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf amongst others. He worked largely in the session player/ sideman capacity during this period, but also appearing on occasions with British blues and rock artists like Clapton and Led Zeppelin. In fact, it was only the blues revival of the late 80s and early 90s that saw his career really start to take off, with Eric Clapton requesting his presence on the “24 Nights” all start guitar show at the Royal Albert Hall. It was off the back of these performances that Guy signed with Silvertone Records and released his signature album “Damn Right I Got The Blues” in 1991. At the age of 55, he would become a true star of the blues – the moral here is never give up!

It's worth noting that just like Albert Collins, Buddy is a true showman, and has always been – playing a Stratocaster with an extra long cable behind his head and with his teeth, and being associated in his later years with his unmistakeable “polka dot” Strat which Fender turned into a signature model in 1995.

As of 2019, he still plays approximately 130 dates a year – although sadly COVID 19 will have curtailed that this year – and maintains Buddy Guy's Legends blues club in Chicago (which I had the pleasure of visiting in 2010) which hosts many up and coming blues artists.

So, enough of the man – onto the playing! Buddy's playing is probably best described as controlled chaos, a simmering wellspring of energy barely kept in check by a player bursting with ideas. As with all the players we've been looking at over this year, the minor pentatonic forms the basis of his style – but as with all of the players we've been looking at, it's not the what but the how. For one thing, his command of dynamics is masterful, being able to go from a whisper to a shout in the space of a single bar, and skilfully juxtaposing the tone of his licks against his vocals. In this respect, he rivals even B.B. King.

His mastery of string bend is unsurpassed, with an ability to bend perfectly in tune or slightly flat or sharp as the song requires. His track “Black Night” has a trick I've never heard anywhere else, where he bends up and brings the note down while applying an almost violent vibrato, creating an unearthly, ghost like sound.

Like many players, Buddy is fond of the “BB King” pentatonic box – this utilises the highest four notes from shape 2 of the minor pentatonic, in A minor giving us the G, A , C and D notes on the 8^th and 10^th frets of the B and E strings. This allows him to reach the E (5^th) by means of a bend – also to tease the b5 from the blues scale by means of a semitone bend – and resolve to the A root with the third finger for a powerful and stinging vibrato.

He is equally at home with the major pentatonic, however, as his cover of “Sweet Little Angel” proves, including this beautiful BB King- esque intro lick:

Double stop licks like this one also form an important part of his style, as he tends to play with clean-ish sound and with a single coil Stratocaster (usually in his signature polka dot finish) – double stops help fill a lot of sonic space, I like to think of them as Nature's distortion pedal. Here's an example of his use of this technique:

Finally, a typical Guy-style fast and complex run. He manages to have the knack of cramming just the right number of notes into a particular musical space, even when you think he's going to trip up and oversaturate the beat he still manages to pull it back!

Until next month, enjoy and go check out this living link to the origins of Chicago blues – Buddy Guy was thre at the beginning, he's there now, and he's finally getting the recognition he always deserved. Next month, we're visiting Austin, Texas for a look at the lesser known Vaughan brother – Jimmie Vaughan.

Why I Suck..Progress Report #5! Albert Collins

This month, it's the Master of the Telecaster himself – the one and only Albert Collins! A hugely influential figure in the blues pantheon (just ask Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan or Robert Cray), Albert's powerful, stinging phrasing earned him the nickname “Iceman”. Marrying the bright, biting tone of a Telecaster's bridge pickup with a (usually) clean sound picked with his thumb and fingers for extra “snap” gave him a distinctive tone often described as an “ice pick”. Albert would play off this description, naming many of his signature tracks around this theme – his instrumental track “Frosty”, his cover of T-Bone Walker's “Cold, Cold Feeling”, albums named “Ice Pickin'”, “Frostbite”, “Don't Lose Your Cool”, “Cold Snap”, “Iceman” and so on.

He was a consummate showman, often playing with an extra long cable to allow him to interact with members of the audience. Several anecdotes tell of him leaving the club with audience in tow to buy a chocolate bar without stopping playing, another tells of him leaving the building whilst playing his solo, and then returning to the stage. A few minutes later a man showed up to deliver the pizza Albert had ordered.

I can only hope that story is true.

As you would expect, the minor pentatonic forms the backbone of his style. He was adept, however, at blending the major – particularly the natural 6^th – into his playing, and we'll look at a couple of licks that take advantage of that. However, be aware that you're unlikely to get them sounding exactly right – just as with Albert King back in January (remember that? Before R rates, PPE and social distancing became part of the everyday vocabulary? ), he would tune his guitar in a very non-standard way, in this case an open F minor (F C F Ab C F) and capo high up the neck. Happily, most of his licks do translate pretty well to standard tuning, so we can get a good approximation of his style.

Let's take a look at couple of licks from his signature track, “Frosty” in the key of D (which seemed to be a favourite).

This one has a characteristic quirk, using the major 6^th and minor 3^rd – those of you familiar with the modes will recognise that as Dorian – but what gives the lick it's bite is the six semitone interval between the b3 (F) and the major 6^th (B) – the interval of six semitones is in itself a b5, the dreaded tritone, or “Devil's Interval”.

The 6^th can be an incredibly effective note to use in a blues, as the 6^th (B) over the I chord (D) translates to being the the 3^rd when you move to the G chord (G-B-D). When you combine this with another blues trick – hammering or bending the minor 3^rd into the major – you're left with a seriously tasty blues vocabulary that can move between major and minor tonalities. Let's leave you with another couple of licks to try out:

Combine these with a stinging fingerpicked attack and a biting single coil bridge pickup and you've got a sound which inspired a generation of Texas blues players! Enjoy, stay safe out there and tune in next month for the delicate to frantic phrasing and lunatic string bends of Buddy Guy!

Raindrops - Daniel Porter

A VERY talented young student of mine making the absolute best of the lockdown - check out https://www.facebook.com/DanPorterMusic/ and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5FUWnLT-4EqK5AyZNHdUw

Why I Suck... Progress Report #4: T- Bone Walker

This month we're looking at possibly the most influential of all the early blues artists – the guy who the BB Kings, Chuck Berrys et al listened to and copped licks from, the one and only Aaron Thibeaux! (Better known as T-Bone Walker). Straight away I heard licks I recognised from Stevie Ray Vaughan and the intro to Johnny B Goode – clearly we're dealing with someone very significant in the blues pantheon.

T-Bone Walker was born in Texas (as with Freddie King a generation later) in 1910, but it was not until the late 1940s that he would start to come to prominence, as one of the first blues guitar heroes to embrace the electric guitar in the immediate post-WW2 era. His devotees included none other than Jimi Hendrix, who also admired his abilities as a showman – it was Walker who pioneered the technique of playing with his teeth, behind his back, and behind his head!

The basic foundation of his style is, as with so many blues players, the basic minor pentatonic scale. In fact, the more of his licks I transcribed, I've really found that his style is a lesson in doing more with less. He was adept at phrasing across the bar line, creating long flowing lines that never seemed to run out of notes. Interestingly, there's not too much in the way of “techniques” - hammer ons and pull offs, string bends etc – and I think we can ascribe that to the fact that he was playing a hollow body strung with 0.013 gauge strings. Most of his string bending seems to have been “sound effect” rather than melodic – quarter tones hinting at major/minor ambiguity or pulling the 4^th toward the b5th. What's interesting is the sheer amount of notes he was able to cram into a line, as this lick from the intro to “Don't Throw Your Love On Me So String” indicates:

However, he was not averse to going “outside” in terms of note choice, and seemed to have a particular affinity for the augmented (R 3 #5) triad – this chord is notable for having each of its intervals a major third (four semitones) away from each other. Symmetry is a topic I'll address another day, but essentially anything symmetrical – augmented, diminished, whole tone scale, b5 interval – tends to have a jarring, abrasive sound that functions almost as a warning light going off in the mind. Augmented triads feature in his intros, particularly in his signature track “Stormy Monday”, and I would be remiss if I didn't share this ear catching turnaround lick from Stormy Monday with you:

As you can see, this is just an augmented triad shaped moved up and down the fretboard, catching a large number of “wrong” noted before resolving back to a chord tone. Be sparing with this though, this is probably the kind of thing you can only play once a a gig...

Although the basis of T-Bone's style was the minor pentatonic, he was adept a extending this basic framework with the addition of the 2^nd, 6^th, b5 and major 3^rd degrees, creating the “hybrid”blues scale which, let's be honest, we all use even though there doesn't seem to be an official name for it.. (Music Theory, meet Blues.. hey, Theory.. where did you run off to!?!) and here's a lick which demonstrates how naturally he was able to integrate these notes:

Now, you'll have heard this before, because it's also used in the intro to Johnny B.Goode, and everyone's heard Johnny B. Goode! This is what I mean about him being influential – he's the guy Chuck Berry stole that from!

Turning to chords, there's a lot of stuff that T-Bone invented (or at least popularised – in a style of music like blues where it's very much an oral tradition it's next to impossible to truly say who “invented” anything!) that any aspiring blues player needs to check out – don't forget, even in blues, you need to be able to set up a groove and accompany the singer, and plodding out the same Chuck Berry boogie shuffle in every song is going to get old very quickly.

T-Bone had an affinity for the dominant 9^th (written as 9 for short – so G9, C9 etc) – R 3 5 b7 9. I've shown it here with it's root on the A string, and this shape is actually derived from a C shape.

He would tend to pair this with a technique sometimes called the “Gospel Slide” or the “6/9 Slide”. Basically what you do is take the notes on the thinnest 3 strings, slide them up a tone, and then back. If you're starting with a C9, that means you start with a 3^rd fret barre across the G, B & E strings giving you Bb (b7) D (9) and G (5). You slide that up a tone and get C ® E (3) and A (6 or 13). This averages out as giving you R 3 5 b7 9 13 – a dominant 13 chord without ever having to play a whole dominant 13 shape. Clever! He does the same idea on the D, G and B strings with an E root voicing but note that only the D and B string notes are slid, as if you slide the G you end up with a #11 which won't fit the sound we're after.

(If you want to see this demonstrated, check out the YouTube practice Vlog)

So there we have it, a potted history and style analysis of an often overlooked but crucial artist in the evolution of blues guitar. This has been a real eye opener and I've come out with a new respect for his abilities – maybe T-Bone spent a little time in negotiations with a certain horned individual down at the crossroads at midnight! See you next month for the Iceman himself, Albert Collins.

Why I Suck, & What I'm Doing About It - Progress Report #4: April, T-Bo...

Why I Suck... Progress Report #3 – B.B. King

This was it. This was the biggy. Mr. Riley B. King, the King of the Blues himself – B. B. (Blues Boy) King! Armed with a tuxedo and a shiny Gibson 335 (the ever faithful Lucille), this man carved himself a place in history – even the normies out there, those non-musos and non-blues fans have heard of this guy. Christ, he played Glastonbury 2011 (remember that? Remember Glastonbury? Remember... outside?)

I've dealt with the extraordinary man and his equally extraordinary career in a previous post, so this time out I'm going to focus on the technique, the licks and his overall musical approach. I'm going to break this down into three categories – 1) major and minor pentatonic 2) arpeggios 3) quirks! So.. let's dive in!

Major and minor pentatonics – firstly, unlike his namesakes Freddie and Albert, BB's style was largely based around the major pentatonic. The classic “BB box” was centred on the root note on the B string under the first finger, with easy access to the 2^nd falling neatly under the third finger allowing a bend up to the major 3^rd. Equally, the 5^th scale degree is easily accessible by the third finger, allowing a bend up to the 6^th and back (a trick BB would often do when playing a turnaround and nailing the V chord), as well as those characteristic 5^th to root resolutions. Some example licks are below:

This box pattern also has the benefit of being able to shift handily into minor pentatonic – the b3 falls nicely under the third finger, able to be bent up to the 4^th (or even b5 if you're feeling adventurous). The presence of the 2^nd nearby allows you to easily get both minor and major 3rds, as well as being able to bend in between them – the “blues curl” quarter tone bend.

Arpeggios – BB was wont to break out the odd jazzy lick now and again, and my first encounter with this was whilst transcribing “Every Day I Have The Blues” (key Bb) from “Live At The Regal”. In the first solo, he pulls out something very tasty in the turnaround – making his way down the I chord, followed by a very tasty inverted dominant 13^th V chord (F13) arpeggio! Another trick used elsewhere in the album (Please Love Me), he plays over a blues in Eb, and over the V (Bb) chord he plays an arpeggio of the ii (Fm). Fm is comprised of F (root) Ab (b3) C (5). When played over a Bb root, however, these notes translate to 5^th (F) b7 (Ab) 9^th © - giving the overall impression of a Bb9! Whether he was operating on a purely intuitive level or whether he had perhaps a little more theoretical knowledge than he liked to let on, BB King was a wily old fox with a beautiful taste in note choice. I've tabbed out both the licks below:

Quirks! - the main BB King-ism that springs to mind is the famous “stinger. This is simply a high root note, often played on the change to the IV chord. Although notable by it's absence on the entirety of “Live At The Regal”, it does crop up on the iconic blues standard, “The Thrill Is Gone”. This track is in B minor, the intro solo played around the 7^th and 12^th frets, but in the main solo he leaps up to the 19^th fret as the chord changes up to the Em.

Like the other players we've examined so far, BB was not afraid to stick to one note – in fact, on "Worry Worry", he plays the same bend (B up to C, 2 to b3 in the song's key of A) no fewer than twenty consecutive times. TWENTY. This is a man who is unafraid to stick to his guns when he feels he's on a good note!

So, this has been a very informative month for me, I've thoroughly enjoyed wrapping my ear and fingers around the licks of one of the undisputed masters of blues guitar. Having gone so in depth with him, I've come to understand much more instinctively just WHY he's so highly regarded. There's a lot more to the BB King style than just pentatonics, and I'm VERY glad to have finally got around to this step in paying my dues!

See you all next month for spot of T-Bone Walker...

Why I Suck... Progress Report #2 – Freddie King

Sandwiched between the better known Albert and the regal BB, Freddie is arguably the least known of the Three Kings of blues. And while Albert's approach was smooth and effortless with a touch of funk, and the tuxedo-clad BB was stately and genteel, Freddie's approach (both vocal and guitar) was earthy and gritty.

Born September 3 1934, the young Freddie King began playing guitar at age 6, encouraged by his uncle and his mother. In 1949 his family made the move from Dallas, Texas to Chicago's South Side, and Fred (as he was known at that point) began exploring the native blues scene in the city. By 1952, the 18 year old king was working in a steel mill during the day and playing as a sideman with bands like the Little Sonny Cooper Band and Earl Payton's Blues Cats. He would gradually work his way up as the 1950s progressed to playing with stalwarts like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, but was consistently rejected by the iconic Chess record label for sounding too like BB King vocally.

(Personally, I would take that as a huge compliment, as for all the attention BB's guitar playing gets, he was an astonishing singer, but there we go..)

Eventually, in 1960, Freddie King was signed to Federal Records, and after his first single “Have You Ever Loved A Woman”, he went on to record his signature tune “Hideaway” which was a runaway success, hitting #5 in the blues charts but also #29 in the pop charts. This has become a true blues standard, covered by Eric Clapton on the iconic “Beano” album he recorded with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, and more or less every interview I've ever read with any high profile blues player has mentioned them spending time learning it. During his time at Federal, King also worked with soul/ R&B stars James Brown, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson.

In 1966 his contract with Federal expired and from 1967 Freddie King was on nearly constant tour, playing over 300 dates most years. The constant touring – not helped by Freddie's habit of consuming Bloody Mary cocktails in lieu of actual meals – sadly took its toll on his health, however, and in 1976 he began developing stomach ulcers. By the end of that year he would be dead from a combination of this and acute pancreatitis, at the age of 42. He left behind his wife, Jessie Burnett, and seven children.

So that's the history. What about his playing?

My take, after 29 days studying his licks, is that of the Three Kings, Freddie is probably the closest to a rock player in phrasing. If, like me, your main influences have been bluesy rock players like Slash, Hendrix etc, Freddie's style is not too far removed. That's not to say he's not without his tricks though- he was very fond of the prebend (check out the intro solo on “Going Down”) and was adept at using both up and down string bends in his solos. This is a tricky technique to get to grips with, but worth practicing as it's a key part of the blues vocabulary. He also had a signature technique of slowly releasing a downward bend while giving it heavy vibrato – to try this, bend the string without picking as you would for a normal prebend. Then pick and slowly release the bend but give the note vibrato as you go – it's tricky as hell to begin with, but the effect is worth it!

Freddie was also a fingerpicker – according to Wikipedia, he would use a thumb pick and a metal fingerpick on his index finger (similar to what a banjo player would use) – and this allows him to “jump” strings and get wider interval leaps that spice up his licks. He was also fond of blending major and minor pentatonics, and would regularly bring the 2^nd degree of the scale in along side the regular minor pentatonic (R b3 4 5 b7).

To wind things up, I've tabbed out a couple of his licks that I think are indicative of his style.

But don't stop there – dive in and give him a listen! It speaks to his influence as a guitar player that one of the songs covered on the first G3 tour back in 1997 (Satriani, Vai, Eric Johnson) was his proto-heavy rock song, “Going Down”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Km1XYXI3k

And Freddie King's original:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_ONyukSLqA

So while the whole world is stuck in coronavirus lockdown, keep calm and play the blues!