Country Guitar Legends

            Albert Lee & Brent Mason

Albert Lee - TIger Rag

Teacher: The following excerpt is from Albert Lee's version of Tiger Rag. It's a great song and solo that shines with Albert's need for speed. The tab uses the intro from the actual recording at full tempo. I would normally slow this down quite a bit for practicing purposes.

Tiger Rag


Fast Jam Track

Teacher: The jam track is regular speed so you can practice with it. If this were a private lesson I might make you one or more jam tracks, slowing it down to about 1/2 speed..

Teacher: This part of the song actually has two guitar parts. If you listen carefully you can hear the other part being played a 5th away. The lick comes straight out of the A major scale. I choose to play it in an open position but you could try other scale positions.

A Major - Open


Tips On How To Play Like Albert

Teacher: Albert Lee hybrid picks, meaning he uses a regular pick and his ring finger to strike extra strings. It works particularly well when your playing fast and skipping strings such as in this lick. He actually plays a little differently than a normal person who might hybrid pick. Whereas I might hold the pick with my thumb and index finger, he holds the pick with his thumb, index, and middle finger. This gives you more accuracy and articulation especially when playing fast and clean. It's awkward at first to play that way and also hybrid pick with your ring and pinky. What I do is play like he does until I reach a point that calls for more fingers. Then I release my middle finger from the holding pick in order to hybrid pick. Watch the video for the details.

Video Right Hand

Teacher: In the video I play two different ways which may be difficult to distinguish. The first time through does'nt use much hybrid picking except at the very beginning and the end. I play most of the lick with a pick using up and down strokes. Try this like I stated before holding the pick with your thumb, index, and middle finger.

Teacher: On the second pass I hybrid pick all of it, but you might not be able to tell. I'm playingthe down strokes of the lick with my pick and on the upstrokes I'm using my middle finger.

Teacher: Both are fairly easy at a slow tempo. Until you speed it up, will you be able to decide which way is comfortablee to you...............

         

Brent Mason

Teacher: This is a sample of the intro to Hotwired. The original example, slowed down to around 3/4 speed, is also used for the tab. The song is recorded in Bb but you'll want to play it as if your were in A. That means you need to tune up ½ step. The jam track is also in Bb. In an actual private lesson you'd get much more………

Jam Track

Lick


Teacher: Brent Mason uses a thumb pick. You don't have to. You could use a regular pick but you'd have to hybrid pick. Depending on your preferences, I would design the lesson accordingly. Assuming your using a thumb pick like Brent, you'd want to …………

Video

Teacher: I've noticed that Brent uses his middle and ring finger for most of his double stops. Normally I would use my index and middle but I've found that after awhile of practicing that his way does allo for mor accuracy and speed. If the video goes by too fast. I'm picking the open A and any other lower notes primarily on th 5th and 6th string with my thumbpick. All of the other double stops, I use my middle and ring finger.

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