Very OT: Texas Blues Tips

[Rain Dog]

You need and I mean NEED to own or at least view the SRV Live at El Macambo. ... I'd also like to suggest two from Johnny Winter. Progressive Blues Experiment from @ 1968.

I heartily second that !! ... was just listening to PBE yesterday - one of my faves ... SRV at the El-cambo doesn't have one bum note in the whole show - simply killer  

I got a bootleg video of Johnny playing Toronto in the early 80's with John Paris doing great bass and harp stuff and an awesome wild-double-kick drummer who's name I can't remember ... wow !! ... that stuff sure sets a high standard for a three piece ... at one point Johnny's using what looks like a Vibration Technology "Phasor Twin" transistor amp and it sounds awesome ... (** anyone got the schematic for it ??! **)

The interesting thing about those two albums is they have the same bass player. Tommy Shannon, the bassist in Double Trouble was Johnny Winter's bass player in the 60's. He is on Progressive Blues Experiment and backed Johnny at Woodstock! The dude's got one hell of a history. I always laugh when someone says "blues bass is easy". Yeah, it may be easy the way you or I play it but it isn't easy the way Tommy plays it. It's a study in taste and groove.

[BD13UK]

Someone who hasnt been mentioned thus far is Otis Rush who I first heard of in the middle 60's, he's really well worth a listen for pure feeling and note selection. I would also highly recommend Buddy Whittington who plays with John Mayall again for the same reasons.

[Gilles C]

A good place to go...

http://comp.uark.edu/~scherry/srv/

And I would take a look at TrueFire and buy a few lessons, some are even free.

http://truefire.com/list.html?store=dvd_instruction§ion=new_arrivals&orderby=&offset=0&item=5658

[Lonestarjohnny]

Check out Gatemouth Brown, Chris Duarte, and  Jimmy when he was doin the Fab Thunderbirds, sometime's it's not how much you can say but the way you say it, learn to slow down and feel what you do know how to play, I was never a great guitar player, but I had no problem drawing a crowd when I did play, I played for the people and I feel the music I play very emotionally, A good song done right can still thrill me as much as it did when I was a teen, and that's been many Moon's ago.
JD

[Fret Wire]

Don't forget Freddy King. Great Player!! He was a bigger influence on Clapton than SRV, but he was still one of the great masters. Look for the old 17 greatest hits package.

Completely different style than Albert King, who, by the way, played right handed guitars, left handed without restringing. Picked with his thumb too. Part of the reason his phrasing and bending sounds so different. Where he bent down, we bend up, and visa versa. Nothing cooler than the old pic of him smoking a pipe, playing a V, with the strings upside down.

Albert Collings used a different tuning, with a capo between the 5th and 12th frets. Also played with the thumb.

Some of Hubert Sumlin's best stuff was with Howlin' Wolf. Check out the Chess Greatest Hits CD. Stuff like Spoonful and Killin' Floor are awesome. The combination of the Wolf and Hubert was amazing. Total blues.

For slide, Elmore James and Houndog Taylor (crazy, bad-ass, buzz-toned, blues slide man)

You must also listen to Jimmy Reed. Not much of a soloist, but you'll understand where most of the rock rhythms came from.

Most of the old masters have unusual techniques because when they started they didnt know the rules, so they just made em' up. What you are learning from them isnt technique, like when you study up on guys like Yngwie. It's the tone, feel, phrasing, attitude, and guts. And when not to play.

Funny, the Supreaux by Runoff Groove brings something to mind. The old greats had killer tones, many by using the smaller budget amps dimed out, most couldnt afford the Fenders.  

BTW, another good, later Johnny Winter cd is Third Degree.

[Lonestarjohnny]

Fret Wire, How bout Derek and the Dominoe's recorded mostly with Tweed Champ's,
JD

[Fret Wire]

Yup, so how about it?

[Fret Wire]

I guess you missed what I meant. Many of the old blues guys great tones came from the cheaper amps dimed out. Just pointing that out. Of course, you can get a great tone from the old tweeds, just different. You can hear the difference between a tweed and a Supro, Monkey Wards, Sears, etc., can't you?

[george]

maybe it's time to learn to sing ... all your guitar heros sang, right?

Hey Alpha

I just re-read my post and I think it might have come across a bit like "why not give up and take up singing instead?"

Believe me that is NOT what I meant.  What I meant was that it might help you also sing thru your guitar instead of just playing riffs that you've practiced.

Singing the song (even when you're just practising) should also get your leads sounding more a part of the song.

Learning solos off records will help develop your ear - lotsa people done that.  I remember reading that Dickie Betts started off learning all of Chuck Berry's solos - and he certainly doesn't sound like him now! (Try and pick out the rhythm parts too!)

All the other suggestions BTW are GREAT - I've got some listening to do!

[Fret Wire]

You're right so George, singing is a big help with the call-and-response lead style of the blues.

BTW, on Atlantic's The Blues Vol. 1, Chuck Barry does a nice version of "Worried Life Blues", with Matt "Guitar" Murphy on lead. Good cut.

[bwanasonic]

Don't forget Freddy King. Great Player!! He was a bigger influence on Clapton than SRV, but he was still one of the great masters. Look for the old 17 greatest hits package.

Doh! I knew I was forgetting a major Texas cat when I posted! And we open every gig with "Hideaway" too! I also neglected to mention Blind Lemon Jefferson, the *Father Of Texas Blues*. Also wanted to second listening to Jimmy Vaughn. Keep in mind I was specifically refering to TEXAS blues players. If you open things up to blues players in general, things could get out of hand. And to the original poster- if you want to break out of a rut in your guitar playing, STOP LISTENING TO GUITAR PLAYERS! Listen to Mahalia Jackson sing or something. I have gone through many self-imposed bans on listening to guitar players, and I think my playing is better for it.

Kerry M

[Alpha579]

Thanx 4 all these great replies!
I definetley want to learn to sing. Im taking lessons @ school, and im in the junior choir   , but at least i think im getting better :? .
Ill try and get some cds of the ol guys, and have a listen...Just a little short on cash right now....

[markusw]

Probably not quite the thing you are looking for but for sure you can get some new ideas: David Fiuczynski/Screaming Headless Torsos. And he also uses analog stompboxes!!

[dev]

Here's some techniques you may find useful

bend notes in the scale you normally don't bend.
add notes not in the scale.
use your index finger to bend notes.
pull down on heavier strings with index finger to bend notes.
use the side of your pick to pick with.
try to use more down strokes then use alternating up strokes when trying to pick up speed on the same pattern.
bend the B string into the G string then pick G
try to use the lower stings E A D more to finish runs etc...
don't practice crap playing, meaning don't shit out the same stuff as yesterday if you know its not good.  The muscle memory in your hands will go back to the default value so make it a good default.

be patient and determend and confident

don't just sit at home and practice, experience life so you have something to say when you play

Dev

[bwanasonic]

Ill try and get some cds of the ol guys, and have a listen...Just a little short on cash right now....

Not sure where you are, but "In my day" the local library was where you went when you couldn't afford to buy the album. I spent many hours strapped into the headphones at various libraries listening to everthing from Leadbelly to Led Zeppelin. Luckily, I've always had access to some great radio in the Boston area, but these days many college stations provide streaming audio to the whole world.  Check it out.

(my favorite station: http://wmbr.org )

Kerry M

[gez]

Ill try and get some cds of the ol guys, and have a listen...Just a little short on cash right now....

Sampler CDs are always a good place to start.  They're cheap and can avoid you making costly mistakes (if you don't like one artist it's no big deal as there are umpteen more).  

I don't know what public libraries are like in your neck of the woods but mine has a CD lending facility.  I've even got them to order stuff in for me in the past.  Great way of introducing yourself to new music!

[Ge_Whiz]

The other King...

Best boost my playing got was when I read the links at About.com on the playing style of BB King, and then listened to some of his classic cuts. No, I don't play in his style, but it helped me break out of the 'first position minor pentatonic' trap.

[Gilles C]

Speaking about the old guys.

Do not just listen to them. Try to find an old guy to play with.

That's what Johny Lang did to get his Blues feeling. Well, he also learn from them, from what I remember.

What I learned about playing Blues live came from an older Bluesman (over 60 now). I learned more (and still do) from playing with him than playing with younger guys. The feeling man... the feeling!

[RDV]

Here's a few things that might help:

1. Fall madly in love with a woman, then give everything you have, only to have her run off with some other guy(or girl) &  gives them your stuff. Do this over & over.

2. Lose your job(gig), get another, over & over.

3. Become substance addicted, kick it, become addicted again, kick it, etc. etc. ad nauseum.

4. Get thrown out of your place to live, roam the streets, start over.

5. Smoke a pack of whiskey, & drink a carton of cigarettes.

6. Put on a terribly lousy performance on stage, then hate everyone who tells you how great you are.

7. Drive a horribly beat-up old car, cause you just had to have that 3rd Les Paul.

8. Get mad, throw down guitar & break it, only to look down & see that the headstock is sticking through your calf.

9. Be hungry, really, really hungry.

10. Be young enough, but not good enough to be a rock star, then eventually get good enough, but too old to be a rock star.

Then you can be me.

RDV

[StephenGiles]

Oh wise folks of the Former Colony of the British Empire - do tell me what's special about Texas Blues. I have this vision of some old guy with no teeth, playing an out of tune copy telecaster, sittin' under the X in Texas. In England, blues is blues is blues!