Register   Login
  Browse    Private Lessons    
Wolf Marshall >> History of the Electric Guitar >>
spacer.gif (877 bytes)
roots of the electric guitar home Gibson Guitars USA

instruments guitarists guitar lessons
Gibson ES 150 Charlie Christian Charlie Christian
Gibson ES 250 T-Bone Walker T-Bone Walker
Gibson ES 175 Howard Roberts Howard Roberts
Gibson ES 175D Joe Pass Joe Pass

T-Bone Walker Guitar Lesson

INTRODUCTION TO THE T-BONE WALKER GUITAR STYLE
by Wolf Marshall



This classic blues lick can be found in T-Bone Walker's solo at 1:30, during the first six bars of the second 12-bar chorus, moving through the I-IV-I chord progression. The whole phrase is in G minor pentatonic and is played in the standard blues-box position at the 3rd fret. The repeating bend riff, the pull-off lick and the thematic descending line are three main points to explore......

Lesson Highlights The idea of locking in with the pulse of the song on one note, and bending that note in a repeating, steady quarter-note rhythm, is a fixture of rock and modern blues style. It reduces the feel of the phrase to its most fundamental component: pure rhythm. This is what we find in bars 1 through 3.


star1.gif (994 bytes) In bar 4, we hear a pull-off lick which was a favorite motif in Jimi Hendrix's style and is now a standard cliche for all guitar players. Most rock and blues guitarists use this motif as an all-important nucleus idea, often to be repeated in ostinato form--as Hendrix did in his "Spanish Castle Magic" solo (bars 7 and 8). Compare the melodies and see for yourself!

star1.gif (994 bytes) The descending lick in bars 5 and 6 is a classic horn line applied to guitar, and again locks in soldly with the quarter-note pulse of the song's groove.


Play Interactive Notation Play Interactive Notation

 

           

line1.gif (51 bytes)

copyright 1998 Marshall Arts Music


There are no ratings yet
Support    About Us    Join the Mailing List    Teachers Wanted
Copyright (c) 2024 Riff Interactive   Terms Of Use  Privacy Statement