I can't stop listening to the 'live at the regal' album - man what a great tone!!!
What do you think?
He's one of the masters...it's hard to find a guitar player of his caliber. I love listening to the album he recorded with Clapton a couple or three years ago :)
Phillip
seen him 4 times.. but it's too bad i'm not older.. maybe i could have seen him stand and play at least once ;p
he's one of my favorites.
C
Hi. I haven't been around the forums in a long time. But, I have to say, I love BB King. I think that I read that his tone comes from the overdrive channel of his solid state amp-- I think a Laney? (Anyone?)
His phrasing can't be beat.
His voice impresses me more than his guitar playing. Try it, you can't sing like him - nobody can.
I've seen him many times over the years, but mainly in my teens when I was a real blues head. He always used Fender amps when I saw him, now I couldn't say. I think that his guitars are wired so that the humbuckers are out of phase. Whatever, the main stuff comes from his fingers and his soul!
I believe the SS amps he was known for using were Gibson Lab series.
Jim
Yep, I love him too. Yep, Gibson Lab series amps. Good compressor on those. Amazing that it still works.
I just saw him 6 months ago at the Val Air ballroom here in Des Moines. Even sitting, he's an amazing guitarist, singer, and showman. I also saw him in Sioux City about 5 years ago with Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Delbert McClinton, and the Neville Brothers. Excellent show. The Neville Brothers blew me away! I wasn't a fan until I saw them live. Then of course BB comes on and he's got this great horn section and two drummers! His band is paired down now, but still swingin.
Anyone know what scale/notes he uses in his soloing? I can cop Albert King and SRV, but I just can't seem to get BB.
I love BB King. I was in the states about a year ago and saw him play in his club in LA. Wow!
As far as scales go, he plays lots of 9ths, and some flat 5s. There's a little box pattern he uses all the time - five frets up from the basic blues pattern (minor pentatonic) using the top three strings. He also plays "in key" where, say in an E blues he uses E A and B blues patterns, following the chords around. Together with playing lots of 9ths, 5b, etc, it gives him a more sophisticated sound than staying in the basic blues key.
I used to own a Gibson Lucille, too. Top guitar. Too good for my quality of playing, so I sold it and bought something cheaper. But it had really "hot" pickups and a sensational ebony fretboard.
As far as I'm concerned, BB is a true legend.
Saw him playing live last year. I wish I saw him in the Regal years.
http://guitar.about.com/library/weekly/aa052901b.htm
Quote from: javacodyAnyone know what scale/notes he uses in his soloing? I can cop Albert King and SRV, but I just can't seem to get BB.
The box position Brett mentioned is a pentatonic major scale which gives you the basic major triad plus a major ninth and major sixth. It’s basically a pentatonic minor scale only started on a different note. So in the key of E, for example, you’d play a C# minor pentatonic (relative minor key) only the root note (the note the scale starts on) is E. You end up with E F# G# B C#. Bending the second into the third on the second string (F# into G#) and the fifth into the sixth on the first string (B into C#) are favourite tricks he uses, plus adding the fourth (A) and Aug 4th/flat5th (A#/Bflat) in there for good measure. If you transcribe his stuff/go through transcriptions, you’ll see the same licks played over and over again only his phrasing changes, so he improvises rhythmically with this stuff fitting it to the music.
There’s more to it than just playing these notes of course. His jazz influences mean that he sneaks in some chromatic runs here and there. Listen to T-Bone Walker and you’ll hear where BB got a lot of his stuff from.
Apologies if the above is all gobbledygook (I studied music many moons ago).
:lol: Generally speaking, British blues guitarists took bits from here and there and moved techniques and sound to a new dimension, eg Eric Clapton, Robin Trower and yes....Jimmy Page on occasions and even me once or twice after a few pints of guiness and cider!....a dimension which I have rarely heard from so called blues masters.........that'll upset a few :lol:
Maybe this would be easier to understand:
http://guitar.about.com/library/weekly/aa052901a.htm
A good article to start you on the road to BB Kingdom!
uncle boko, I'm assuming then that you have actually listened to the great blues artists in their heyday? Have you ever listened to Buddy Guy? Surely none of the people you mentioned can compete with John Lee Hooker in funkiness? And I've never heard anyone bend and snap like Albert King. Then there's the slide playing of Elmore James. I don't think any of the guitarists you spoke of can hold a flame to just the four guys I just mentioned, and they are just the tip of the iceburg. 8)
Just a friendly bit of disagreement.
I too think BB is great- but is it true that he uses 9's ?(strings, that is). I have heard he uses really light strings- funny that- I use 11s in an attempt to get a good blues tone (the SRV thing)
I hope to see him, but unless he comes to Brisbane, Oz, I doubt Ill get the chance (he must be getting on a bit)
anyway,
Cheers,
Luke
Great to see so many people feel the way I do!
There's so much soul in his tone...
then you'll be happy to read this...
http://www.bmi.com/news/200310/20031022b.asp
Johan
Quote from: javacody
Anyone know what scale/notes he uses in his soloing? I can cop Albert King and SRV, but I just can't seem to get BB.
Major Pentatonics work well too...