Is the path to blues perfection one note , played underwater in a glass of lemonade with a mouth full of petrol?
FREDDIE KING: Freddie King (1934-1976)
After finding an online video teaching the two-fret (whole tone) string bend as a fundamental blues lick, there has been a certain degree of disagreement around the office as to whether this simple bend can constitute a blues fundamental.
Does the simple two fret, tone long string bend qualify as a lick? Well I think it does and Dave thinks that it can`t.
So, we`ve grabbed an acoustic and tested the hypothesis.
How can something as simple as this elicit so much passionate debate?
Well, it`s all about emotion, passion and technique. A simple string bend is, although fundamental to guitar playing, nothing, without emotion. This emotion comes from experience. Some people claim to move the molecules rather than the strings and at the end of the day the TRUTH about guitar playing is that it`s in your hands… in every sense.
For me the ultimate blues lick would probably have to consist of only one note and some might say that maybe no-one has played it yet. On Texas Cannonball Freddie King’s “Pack It Up”, and “Shake Your Booty Baby” King takes this simple single bend technique and pushes it to its emotional maximum. The Album Freddie King 1934-1976 proves just exactly what a master guitarist can do with timing & expression and exactly why Eric Clapton has always considered Freddie the true master of Blues Guitar. Both Eric and Freddie get together on this album on “Further on up the Road” and this track is worth the price of the album alone.
If you wanna hear blues playing that just really, really cooks like a blister burning on the surface of the sun this album is the real deal. If you play the guitar and you`d like to develop the kind of passion and string control that will take you somewhere then this is one of the top ten albums in your list of must haves. King squeezes each note like a lemon from start to finish on this record and the result is pure blues lemonade of the highest order.
The instrumental “Hideaway”, Clapton`s tour de force with Mayalls Bluesbreakers Beano Album is actually Freddie King`s track and you can hear more of the three King`s and Buddy Guy’s, wonderful influence on Clapton`s phenomenal Just One Night Album.
The ultimate blues lick consists of just one note, your hands and ensuring you`re on fire every time you play.
Michael Jackson not only left an impressive legacy in terms of dance, R and B, performance and humanitarian principles he also worked with the leaders in their respective fields of guitar from Jazz through to Rock. It`s just a shame that he never recorded a truly country blues album.
Jackson`s first album began with the luminescent touch of Larry Carlton, and on Beat It from Thriller included both Eddie Van Halen (you know that solo) and Steve Lukather as well as Jeff Porcaro (drums) and, as usual, Quincy Jones` inimitable production. The following album, Bad, featured Billy Idol`s guitarist Steve Stevens and on tour the fiery Jennifer Batten (later to work with Jeff Beck).
1992`s Dangerous saw the in clusion of Guns `n` Roses Slash and the album Invincible featured the melodic leads of Carlos Santana.
Fender have got together with Eddie Van Halen and introduced the Frankenstein replica model guitar as well as the EVH Brand.
The Frankenstein is a complete snip at around $20,000 U.S. and you can even get yourself some matching shoes here if you`re a sucker for accessorising. Not bad going considering Eddie didn`t hesitate in describing his guitar as a “piece of shit”.
Is it right to suppose that the dudes with 20 Grand spare to spend on this baby are likely limited to being either Eddie himself, or the kind of CEO`s who bid on Clapton`s bathwater in the vain hope that its tonic “qualities” offer the true elixir of snake oil blues talent in a bottle.
Aaagh. If you do however have more sense than money I recommend coloured tape.
Call me old fashioned but the only thing I`ve ever thought was a great romantic, gothic and truly bluesy use for used guitar strings involved a tall tree, and a precariously balanced stool to dance with the devil upon…for a short while. Emo huh?
Or maybe I`ve just been listening to too much Beck Hansen…for awhile there he was definitely throwing down some Dylanesque skills both lyrically and instrumentally. I draw your attention here to Beck`s rough house cover of Dylan`s Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat in all it`s steampunk lo-fi, harp-dog magnificence. It`s great but covering Dylan is a bit like trying recreate Picasso with your local painter and decorator…scruffy!
With the rerun shows
And the cocaine nose-job
The daytime crap of the folksinger slop
He hung himself with a guitar string…
Here are some great shots of Mark McKenzie`s stratocaster. Check him out on Songpond. As you can tell by both his face and his guitar accoutrements (that`s the pick ups, and the bridge fellas) Mark`s a bloody good player, an amazing teacher and his amps go up to eleven!
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