When the marketing machine itself seems to become more a part of the product it promotes than the product itself, when the inherent qualitites of individuality have been crushed under the weight of commercialism and when all the corners have been knocked off, rounded down and filed into a useless dust by the “machine” then what is there left of real, intrinsic value?

Luckily some artists are born with a respect for their art and instrument and a no holds barred approach to quality control,

When it comes to modern acoustic fingerstyle guitar Paul Ubana Jones is one of the highly regarded champions, perhaps even a pioneer, of a unique and highly expressive, soulful approach to acoustic guitar that he effortlessly combines with song.

Paul fuses a bold approach to tunings, percussive harmonics, and melody with a highly fluid picking technique and soulful intensity to deliver a wonderful mixture of an almost funky, Hendrixy and blues-rock approach to the bass end of the groove with European flavoured folk and progressive classical motifs, leads, lines, hybrid arpeggios, blues picking styles and more. It`s a very modern and expressive mix of technique, soul and talent.

Born in London and playing guitar by the age of 11, Paul graduated from a London music college, where he studied guitar and cello, and began to forge the solo acoustic style that he has stuck to and developed over the years.

In the late eighties Paul and his family moved to New Zealand, which is still their permanent home. He has continued to perform internationally, to growing acclaim. Concert performances include opening for the likes of Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo’, Tuck and Patti, and Crowded House.

Understandably Paul’s “off the hook” skills aren’t something that’ll come to you overnight, unless you’re friends with the devil, but, to compliment the awesome Blind Blake style fingerpicking lesson from Jim Bruce, Paul’s approach to fusion expands upon an already eloquent vocabulary.

So, here is Paul discussing one of his clawhammer thumb picking patterns.

Whilst this may be out of your playing depth technically Paul describes some helpful techniques in approaching fingerpicking such as focusing upon a relaxed hand and extracting and concentrating upon the the rhythm of the left hand – it`s well worth spending some time in trying to apply Paul’s advice to your own picking practice regime.

Cheers,

Jake Edwards

Eric is from Texas. And while there’s definitely something in the water in Texas it`s affected Eric a little differently because his approach to the guitar is somewhat idiosyncratic. Besides, it must be talent, melody or some kind of mystical otherworldly pan-galactic musical goodness flowing from those southern taps and Eric Johnson is definitely drinking it.

Man, I’m thirsty this morning.

By the time Johnson released his Capitol Records debut Ah Via Musicom in 1990, he was regularly winning awards for his musicianship in the guitar press. During this period, Eric Johnson was also drawing recognition for the rich, violin-like tone he coaxed from his vintage Fender Stratocaster.

The instrumental “Cliffs of Dover” exemplified his unique sound and won Johnson a 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The album Ah Via Musicom was a crossover hit, and was soon certified platinum. Here`s Eric playing “S.R.V.” an undoubted piece of absolute fretboard excellence…

Johnson`s approach to sound tends to blend clean, highly melodic and dramatic guitar runs, licks and arpeggios with a fusion of eastern and world approaches to tone such as koto like string effects and bends with subtle tapping and harmonics fuelled by a devastatingly precise and accurate picking technique and  knowledge of the fretboard washed down with bucketloads of talent and a hint of psychedelia. What’s highly noticeable about Eric J.’s approach is that he likes to literally “think outside the (scale) box”:

I tend to stay away from the box fingerings a bit. Instead, I kind of connect different things together and try to be a little bit methodical in my approach. I jump around as per the string tension and the kind of sound and tonality I want.

To re-iterate whereas some players tend to play up or down a scale using almost predictable scales and licks Eric makes a conscious effort to jump across wider intervals and bridge uncommon scales & elements  and in doing so create a whole new ultra-fresh guitar sound.

Here he is fusing jazz and blues techniques in the instrumental “Song for George”:

If you`re thinking of taking the guitar to a new part of the melodic galaxy unfettered from the chains of the blues-rock tradition then Eric’s music is a great place to look for inspiration. DON’T, no; DON’T allow the complexities of Eric’s style phase you out though – adopt a less is more approach and think about the more classical elements in the playing. A touch of reverb won’t go amiss here people! It’s a heady mix of influences from Wes Montgomery to Jimi Hendrix to Jeff Beck with maybe a touch of Bach or Paganini thrown in.

Eric fuses a more classical sense of melody with a highly accomplished and adult sonic palette blending vibrato, bends, scales and tones in a way that avoids the hair-metal neo-classical plagiarism of guitar for guitar’s sake and the time honoured cliches of the ‘been there, done that’ blues-rock guitar cannon.

Here he is playing “Manhattan” – so, listen up and listen good because it’s said that Eric can tell the aural difference between the brands of batteries in his effects pedals.

So where does this leave the rest of us, down here on the ground? Absolutely Nowhere! But fear not the awesome and versatile koto string bending technique is available for us mere mortals down here on earth and here is how you can learn to do it.

Fret a note with your picking hand index finger.  Pick right behind your index finger with your picking hand thumb. These two steps occurs almost simultaneously.  Next you can choose to bend this note by stretching the string with your fretting hand.  Then you can pull off from your picking hand index finger to your fretting hand.

G DEC

Eric has also got together with Fender to endorse the G-DEC practice amplifier.

The G-DEC is a guitar practice amplifier which incorporates:

1. A modelling amp, which can sound like any of 17 different amplifiers
2. A digital effects processor containing 29 effects (many in stereo) so you can add reverb, phasing, flanging, wah, etc.
3. An on-board General MIDI synthesizer with MIDI In and Out jacks on the front panel
4. 50 preset and 50 user-definable presets combination backing tracks
5. A 14 second phrase sampler, so you can record licks and practice against them
6. Auxiliary input for CD or mp3 player
7. Phones jack can be used with stereo headphones or as a stereo Line Out jack
8. A second input jack on the rear panel
9. A chromatic tuner

There’s a great interview here for those who’d like to find out a little more about Eric’s approach to the guitar.

Several years back I walked into Guitar Village in the U.K. to have a look at an Echoplex they had acquired.
Yeah!
The sales assistant was gushing with enthusiasm because this baby had been previously owned by none other than Eric Johnson himself. When he started the machine we heard  Eric’s instantly recogniseable tone and playing coming off the tape.

Wow! “How much is it?” I asked.

I think he said it was somewhere around the 800 pound mark! Phew!
I decided to save a massive 783 pounds- and go and buy one of Eric’s C.D’s instead – smooth.

Have great weekend!

Cheers,

Jake Edwards

Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710), Fernando Sor (1778-1839), Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829), Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909), Andrés Segovia (1893-1987), and John Williams (1941) and Julian Bream.

During the Golden Age of Flamenco, between around 1869–1910 guitar players supporting flamenco dancers had gained an increasing  reputation and flamenco guitar as an art form was born. By the beginning of the Twentieth Century however the status of the classical guitar was in decline, and only in Barcelona and in the Rio de la Plata region of South America could it have been said to be of any significance.

The classical guitar is a plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones. The modern classical or Spanish guitar typically has 6 nylon strings (the 3 bass-strings additionally being wound with a thin metal thread). The basic characteristics of the shape of the modern classical guitar were established by the nineteenth century Spanish luthier Antonio Torres Jurado.

When Andres Segovia arrived on the scene, this situation was just beginning to change, and it was in this changing milieu that Segovia, whose artistry coupled with new technological advances in recording, radio, and air travel, succeeded in moving the guitar forward to become more popular again. Segovia said that he began playing the guitar at the age of six but it is important to note that Segovia did not play flamenco guitar and his personal mission was to elevate the guitar to an instrument capable of expressive art-music. Segovia delineated a new style utilising both fingernails and fingertips which, although frowned upon by the students of the great flamenco player Francisco Tarrega, made it possible to create a wider range of timbres.  Both Segovia and Tarrega transcribed works by the great composers (for example Bach, Mendelssohn and Beethoven) for the guitar.

Well, That`s all folks,
Cheers…

Jake Edwards