Well things are humming here at Jamorama HQ as we get closer to the end of the year and New Zealand is warming up as we approach summer. Festivities really start to kick off around this time of year and all of a sudden it seams every weekend is full up with gigs, parties or BBQs.
While it still may be a bit cold to hit the surf, the idea of the beach is steadily growing more and more appealing for those of us coming out of a pretty cold winter and the Stephen Shackinger track entitled Perfect Waves paints a picture for me of that exact feeling.
This is a fantastic piece of music. The Fender Stratocaster he plays provides a beautiful tone that is very reminiscent of that Dire Straits kind of guitar sound especially from about 4:17. He is using delay over the verse sections which create that echo you can hear. Also his backing track is laden with all sorts of nice embellishment’s and some duelling lines that seam to track the lead line or play up the octave.
His use of interesting licks woven in and around the main motif are very well crafted and while this man is clearly very proficient on the guitar he is also very disciplined with when, where and how he uses some of his more flashy techniques.
Today I`m going to spend ten minutes with highly accomplished south pacific blues master Darren Watson. You may not have heard of Darren but in a career spanning three decades Darren has worked on the bill with such blues luminaries as Robert Cray, Koko Taylor, George Thorogood, Billy Boy Arnold, Doug MacLeod, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Dr. John and Keb Mo . . certainly no bunch of blues slackers by any stretch of the imagination and testament to Darren’s sure skills as a musician.
To those who remember New Zealand music in the ’80s, or who have a passing interest in blues, the name Darren Watson will bring a knowing smile. As founder and leader of Wellington powerhouse Chicago Smoke Shop, Watson enjoyed a six year stint in the public eye with chart singles like Mind On My Sleeve and I Can’t Live Without Your Love.
He has been nominated a colossal six times for New Zealand Music Awards for a body of recorded work that includes two Top 40 albums and singles and three critically acclaimed solo albums including 2002′s Tui Award nominated ‘King Size’, and 2005′s stunning and genrebreaking ‘South Pacific Soul’.
Darren is the real deal when it comes to blues guitar. I’ve been listening to guitar myself for 30 years and Darren has style, taste, timing, technique and tone…and what the hell else is there ?
Hi Darren, kia ora, How`s it going man, and how`s the weather up there, blue enough for you ?
Darren :
Heh heh… not today, bro`! It’s nine degrees and raining! Wellington in springtime.. heh heh
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2.
Jake:
Darren, our readers are more often than not beginner guitarists so I`d like to start by asking how, when and where you first became seriously involved in the guitar – was there anyone in particular that helped steer you in the right direction?
Darren:
I grew up in the era just after The Beatles broke up so their shadow loomed large in my life. That, and my cousin was guitarist in a pretty popular band in NZ in the 60s – the Librettos – so I got to hear a fair bit about how cool rock n’ roll was. I played some drums, piano and trumpet before I actually thought I had settled on bass. My first couple of years playing was on bass . . a regular rightie Macca heh heh…. in my DREAMS!
But, yeah then I stopped playing in covers bands at about 17 and started taking guitar seriously instead. About the same time I discovered blues for myself.
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3.
Jake:
And, did you start out with a high-end guitar like a gibson 335, or like most of us, begin playing on a rotten old plank from Walmart? (myself – I had an old plank but I had to take a ferry from the fretboard to the strings the action was so damn high!)
Darren:
LOL…. No way man. My first six-string was a nasty Carlos Les Paul copy. The neck warped within a couple of weeks. Grin* A total P.O.S..
I didn’t have my first real Strat` until we had a record in the charts when I was twenty-two!
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4.
Jake:
Okay. So, do you have any advice for those who are struggling to get to grips with the instrument? Can you remember your early days, and which artists really inspired you back then?
Darren:
I am really lucky in that music has always come really easy to me. I feel like I have always understood how it works, even before I had NAMES for things. Getting to grips with the guitar was all about mechanics for me – and I think it is for a lot of people – you know, finding a technique that works for them. I don’t buy this idea that there is only one ‘right’ way to play.
As for inspiration on guitar, I was hugely inspired by the ‘lefty-upside-down’ players like Albert King, and Otis Rush. Also really got into guys using different techniques and tunings – like Albert Collins and Skip James. You can’t go past early BB King either. I mean his 1950s stuff is almost without peer vocally and for the guitar stuff. I also like Robert Cray and early Jimmy Vaughan with the Fabulous Thunderbirds. I reckon Cray is the most important guy in blues today – he’s actually got his own voice. Too many Stevie Ray Vaughan clones out their, may he rest in peace one day…..
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5.
Jake:
Well Darren I`ve got to say I agree with you there. And why is the blues a great place to start when approaching the guitar? is it because there are a range of styles and forms from the simple to the highly complex that allow players such a depth of expression ?
Darren:
I think it’s because to make it sound good you really have to get to grips with rhythm and your sound. There’s nowhere to hide melodically or harmonically. If you just wail away playing scales you are guaranteed to sound shit in my opinion. It forces you to be inventive with time.
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6.
Jake:
That`s a smart smart answer people! Right Darren; you`ve got a killer guitar tone – what`s the deal with your guitars and amps, have you got any particular amps and guitar combinations that you prefer for electric blues playing?
Darren:
Thanks man. I have really concentrated on this for most of my life. I used to think it was about gear but the older I get the more I realize it’s mostly in the hands. You can line up 30 people playing through the same gear and they’re all gonna sound completely different. Having said that, great gear helps plenty. At the moment I’m mostly playing a Fender ’59 ThinSkin Strat through a Headstrong Lil King-S. It’s like a souped-up blackface Princeton, LOL, but not as souped up as a MK1 Boogie! I run a HBE compressor and a MXR CAE clean boost into the amp and that’s it as far as effects go. The comp for slide and the boost for… um, well boosting. Grin*
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7.
Jake:
Awesome Darren, just awesome. I just love the MK1 Boogies; but they`re definitely supercharged amp’s. The MXR CAE clean boost sounds great – and unusual; I’ve never heard of one before. Cool man.
For those out there just beginning to become familiar with the language of the blues are there any fundamental scales that you tend to use ?
Darren:
I’m a big believer in playing the changes and not getting too hung up on scales. Most of my favorite blues players aren’t big on the minor pentatonics like a lot of blues/rock players tend to be. I get modal from time to time but I really don’t think about it too much. I teach people how to use their ears and play the changes first. Too many people I hear playing in music shops and (God forbid!?!) sometimes on stage sound like they’re running exercises as solos. Rambling and phrase-less. I actually think we can all learn from singers and wind instruments. BREATHE in between those phrases, baby! Heh heh Make the notes count. Soloing is basically composition on the fly – so let’s have some hooks. I would rather play a fat groove than solo anyway.
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8.
Jake:
(smiles) Yeah Darren; I`m with you on that one it’s saxophonists for me!
So, when it comes to playing acoustic fingerstyle blues what do you look for in your guitar sound – I see you`re using a `58 Gibson LG-2 – could you also tell me what’s so special about this instrument and how it informs your playing?
Darren:
Oh man, that guitar is a total babe! I’m so lucky I found her. It’s the first small box I have found that lets me really dig in and doesn’t choke. You can also play whisper quiet and the tops are just so silky sounding….. I’m in love with that guitar, man. It cuts without ever sounding nasty and there’s not a hint of nasty boxiness. But it’s also not a boomy strum box like the D28 etc. They’re o.k. for some stuff but for what I do a small box is perfect and this is about the best example I’ve played.
Jake:
I May have to translate that for our readers a little Darren! What Darren is saying is that this guitar allows him to really rhythmically groove, like a steam train, without losing any tone or characteristic timbre and clarity at high or low volumes. Here is what it sounds like:
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9.
It would be great Darren if you could pick five inspirational records and maybe give us a short explanation as to why they resonate with you:
Darren:
1. BB King – Live At The Regal
The ultimate blues performance? Probably. BB King at the peak of his powers. 40ish and taking no prisoners. The band swings like a whorehouse and even the audience is amazing.
2. The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Girls Go Wild
This album totally changed my life. Recorded in 1978 but it sounds like it could’ve been made in the 50s. I discovered Jimmie Vaughan and (harmonica great) Kim Wilson through this album. He was channeling all the great old blues players here – and his tone is to DIE for. Unlike Stevie Vaughan who was all about flash and brute strength, Jimmie had sweet touch and a rare economy of phrasing that puts Stevie in his place I reckon. If you haven’t heard this album I suggest you try your darndest to pick up a copy.
Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombnes
I was at high school when I saw a clip of Tom on TV. In a world of vapid synth-pop and dumb ass post-punk pop this record really spoke to me that blues, jazz and weirdness could still be grown and merged successfully. I’m a huge fan to this day. Not particularly about guitar this album but then neither am I really – I always reckon music counts above petty things like what it’s played on.
Top Of The Stax – Various Artists
Steve Cropper is a big hero of mine as a writer and a session master. He plays on most of the tracks on this Stax records compilation. He never played two notes when one would do – and how about the total genius of reversing the chords for the intro of Midnight Hour to make the riff for Knock On Wood. And getting away with it! Brilliant.
Muddy Waters – His Best 1947-55
This guy did more to teach me about TIME and tone than anyone else ever did. This is the best Muddy compilation and avoids a lot of the later crap that Chess Records led him into in search of a hit.
10.
Jake:
Thanks Darren – these are great great discs and I think your comments about timing will really, really help some of our readers.Finally I noticed in some of your early performances with the big band sound you`re rocking a rather large quiff that gives you the suave yet dangerous appearance of a riverboat gambler – does this help at all – and can it be performed without blues supervision?
Darren:
LOL – yeah well at least I never sported a mullet, bro!
Jake:
Fantastic !!
Well there you have it everybody , THE WORD from none other than south pacific bluesmaster Darren Watson. Thank you Darren for talking to us and for giving us such an invaluable insight into your approach to guitar and for sharing your time.
Darren is available for one on one lessons if you are in New Zealand’s north island in the beautiful harbour city capital of Wellington. Click here for details…
If you’ve been following the progress and adventures of my recordings on the Elijah Few blog then you`ll know that thus far I’ ve had to do battle with some extremely unversatile firewood. Yes, I`m talking about acoustic guitars and I`m going to try and outline what you should be looking for in your search for acoustic guitar satisfaction and it applies to any guitar, whatever your price range. Dan receives alot of questions in customer support regarding these matters so I`m going to outline a strategy to help make the right selection.
Apparently “a bad workman blames his tools” and to some extent this is true, but a good workman will select his tools wisely. If all you have available is a plank then that’s what you have to use, and I’ve been there myself and still managed to muster a half decent sound…In the picture below one of these guitars is an old plank, the other a mellifluous heaven of tone:
The kind of tone you are looking for should be along these lines - smooth, rich and highly natural; bright, lively and warm with an entirely even response across the strings. A breeze to play, with a low action, and when simply strumming an E chord resonates with rich, manuka, gently oscillating overtones.
If this kind of language baffles you some, then here is my strategy for discovering exactly what I mean and finding the right guitar for you. Begin at your local retailer by selecting guitars that fall somewhere near the most expensive available in the store – these will be guitar brands such as Martin, Taylor, Gibson or Guild.
Don’t be shy, because it`s all about sound. Play them and get a good feel for the different sounds that each produce. You will notice that different materials used for the soundboard, upon which the bridge sits, will produce different sounds. Simply try strumming an E chord on each model and place your ear on the top of the body.
Also pay close attention to the high, mid and low tones that each model produces – in an expensive model these should harmoniously blend together and there will be no noticeable loss of volume, attack or tone from string to string.
Consider the feel of the neck profiles as well, and how they sit within your hand. The action of the strings, the gap between the fretboard surface and the strings, should be low, but with no abolutely buzzing anywhere. Play up and down the neck and spend a bit of time getting to know each instrument. It`s a good idea to give each guitar a name that relates to how it sounds – molasses, coffee, warm, bright, hollow, rich, liqourice, etcetera. It`s all about the sound and the feel of the guitar – you should know which one you prefer almost intuitively – trust your instincts and use your HANDS and YOUR EARS – never use your eyes.
Narrow it down to your favourite one…Next start comparing and playing the guitars from your price range against the expensive guitar you most liked. Try and find one that most nearly matches the qualities you had admired in the more expensive model. You will have to make a compromise somewhere but hopefully you`ll be on your way. Better still sleep on it and go back the next day and spend some time playing the model you chose the day before just to see if it sill sounds good to your ear.
John has written in asking about pickup and amplifier configurations:
Hi my name is john I bought your jamorama and lead programs. I was wondering if you can explain the difference in the pick-ups in the fender guitars. There are the 500.00 – 1700.00 dollar guitars and up, I am confused because they look like single coil p/u but can sound like dual humbuckers to me.
If I was to buy one how would I know which ones would give me a heavy rock distortion sound, you know, switch between clear clean sound to heavy distortion?
Hi John,
Jake Edwards here. Personally I use a fender stratocaster plus with gold lace sensors used exclusively by Fender from 1987 to 1996. These were used by Eric Clapton for some time, and Jeff Beck also. So if you`re interested, check out the sounds these guys achieve between these dates in a live situation. I think they deliver a great sound through a range of amplifiers and I`d recommend them.
humbuckers
The options for pick ups are pretty vast these days but if you are keen on Fender guitars Fender are now producing their own Fender Special Design dual-coil ceramic Noiseless™ pick ups in Stratocasters, so these, which Clapton (using the vintage model) and Beck have in their current signature guitar models should be pretty good. In telecaster they are using Samarium Cobalt Noiseless™ Telecaster pickups.
The best course of action is to try and find a guitar that really has that magic feel, playability and sound for you. Try a telecaster and a stratocaster. Consider the sound that Bruce Springsteen, Joe Strummer, or Keith Richards get with a telecaster and then maybe have a listen to some strat` users – Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher or Jeff Beck….
There are two main styles of electric guitar pickups: single-coil and humbucker.
Single-coil pickups are most commonly seen in Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars.
The humbucker is basically, two single-coil pickups stacked on top of each other. They are the muscle car pick up of the guitar world and produce thicker, punchier tones. Humbuckers are seen in all kinds of guitars but are most closely associated with the Gibson Les Paul. It’s called a hum bucker because it was designed to do exactly that – buck the hum.
Country rock or blues players often choose single-coils, while heavy metal music is predominantly played on guitars with humbuckers. There is no limit to your imagination either and you can combine any array of pickups you like.
Really at the end of the day your choice of pickups is a highly individual matter and it is well worth taking the time to choose a pickup that suits your style and sound. One of the best ways to do this is to listen to some of your favourite records and use the internet to find out what kind of guitars, amplifiers and equipment the artist is using.
Cruise on over to GUITAR GEEK and check out what your favourite professional guitarist is using. You`ll be surprised at some of the set ups.
Just for example here is the set up used by Head from Korn:
Maybe start by playing the guitars unplugged so you can gain an insight into the feel of the neck, the balance of the machine and the kind of tones it makes before amplification. When you think you’ve found a guitar that really feels right then you can plug it into something!
Are you going to be playing live to 500 people or just playing at home? Will you be recording with your amplifier in the studio? Or will you be having a small jam down at your local bar?
These are the types of questions you should ask yourself when thinking about an amplifier to begin with. Having a huge stacking amplifier set up with a head and cabinets is great for high volume applications but difficult to move and incredibly loud. <a href=”http://jamorama.com” rel=”nofollow”>Personally</a> I would suggest a valve amp but at the end of the day use your ears carefully. A Fender twin sounds markedly different from a Marshall amplifier for example and a Session.
<a href=”http://www.cornfordamps.com” rel=”nofollow”>Cornford amps</a> have a great series of versatile amps, some specifically for club playing or recording.
Most of your overdrive and distortion can be achieved through your choice of amplifier. Look for an amp with both a clean and an overdriven channel – then you can switch between the channels or combine them with a footswitch. At the end of the day a good guitar and a decent amp will deliver a huge range of tonal and sound possibilities and characteristics.
Try clean sounds first with all combinations of pick up and tone control possibilities on the guitar and then play with the controls on the amplifier as well. Roll all your tone on and off across each pick up and do the same with the EQ section of the amp.
Then do the same thing with the dirty channel and a distorted sound. The combine the two and listen to the results. Spend as long as you can and concentrate on what your hear. It may take you an hour, a day or a even week. I used different Marshalls, combined with Fender Twins and a few others before I settled upon <a href=”http://www.promenademusic.co.uk” rel=”nofollow”>SESSION AMPLIFIERS</a>.
Then if you really want to kick out the jams try some distortion boxes.
ABOUT LACE SENSORS
Lace Sensors are true single-coil pickups; however, internally they are different from classic single coils. The chief difference is that the coil is surrounded by metal barriers which blocks electro-magnetic interference such as power line hum. These barriers also help concentrate the magnetic field, allowing weaker magnets to be used, which results in less string pull. Less string pull, in turn, means truer pitch and intonation, and superior sustain. There are three main types gold red and blue:
GOLD: A classic 50′s Style single coil sound with a classy bell.
BLUE: Slightly increased output with the warmer 50′s humbucking sound in a single coil configuration
RED: The hottest output of our Sensor Series. Perfect for the bridge position when fat, punch humbucking output is required.
Jake Edwards current musical projects are <a href=”http://jamorama.com” rel=”nofollow”>available here</a>
Maybe start by playing the guitars unplugged so you can gain an insight into the feel of the neck, the balance of the machine and the kind of tones it makes before amplification. When you think you’ve found a guitar that really feels right then you can plug it into something!
Are you going to be playing live to 500 people or just playing at home? Will you be recording with your amplifier in the studio? Or will you be having a small jam down at your local bar?
These are the types of questions you should ask yourself when thinking about an amplifier to begin with. Having a huge stacking amplifier set up with a head and cabinets is great for high volume applications but difficult to move and incredibly loud. Personally I would suggest a valve amp but at the end of the day use your ears carefully. A Fender twin sounds markedly different from a Marshall amplifier for example and a Session highly different from a Peavey.
Cornford amps have a great series of versatile amps, some specifically for club playing or recording.
Most of your overdrive and distortion can be achieved through your choice of amplifier. Look for an amp with both a clean and an overdriven channel – then you can switch between the channels or combine them with a footswitch. At the end of the day a good guitar and a decent amp will deliver a huge range of tonal and sound possibilities and characteristics.
Try clean sounds first with all combinations of pick up and tone control possibilities on the guitar and then play with the controls on the amplifier as well. Roll all your tone on and off across each pick up and do the same with the EQ section of the amp.
Then do the same thing with the dirty channel and a distorted sound. The combine the two and listen to the results. Spend as long as you can and concentrate on what your hear. It may take you an hour, a day or a even week. I used different Marshalls, combined with Fender Twins and a few others before I settled upon SESSION AMPLIFIERS.
Then if you really want to kick out the jams try some distortion boxes.
ABOUT LACE SENSORS
Lace Sensors are true single-coil pickups; however, internally they are different from classic single coils. The chief difference is that the coil is surrounded by metal barriers which blocks electro-magnetic interference such as power line hum. These barriers also help concentrate the magnetic field, allowing weaker magnets to be used, which results in less string pull. Less string pull, in turn, means truer pitch and intonation, and superior sustain. There are three main types gold red and blue:
GOLD: A classic 50′s Style single coil sound with a classy bell.
BLUE: Slightly increased output with the warmer 50′s humbucking sound in a single coil configuration
RED: The hottest output of our Sensor Series. Perfect for the bridge position when fat, punch humbucking output is required.
POST UPDATED – see comments for more guitar tone information !!
Jamie from the US has asked us how to get a fat tone from his Les Paul. Well, tone is a particularly personal matter but also comes in as many flavours as the imagination. There is no single method, set up or solution. Alot of TONE variation is achievable simply through your guitar to start with. If you simply use your neck pick up you will find the tone becomes more warm, more naturally rounded, rich, arboreal and smooth. Compliment this through changing your tone selector pot and you`ll be on the way. A tube or valve amp such as a Vox AC 30, or a Sunn amp will also help. Personally I use an Award Session amplifier.
It`s best to experiment with as much gear as you can. If you can`t get hold of a valve amp try a valve based pedal – maybe an Electro Harmonix English MuFF`n or Big Muff PI. These things`ll give you a fat range of tones from Clapton through to Leslie West and more. You could of course hitch a ride along the digital highway and look at stuff like the Line 6.
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