From his signature Texas shuffle to Hendrix-inspired chord embellishments, Jamie Humphries delves into some of the late, great Texan guitarist’s techniques.
ON VIDEO
Stevie Ray Vaughan remains one of the most celebrated and enigmatic guitarists to emerge from the Texas blues scene. Stevie’s career lasted only seven years from the release of his studio debut album,Texas Flood in 1983, to his untimely death in 1990. But this was enough to establish Vaughan as one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time.
Stevie’s guitar playing revealed many influences which he delivered in his unique and flamboyant style. His main influence was Jimi Hendrix, with Stevie borrowing both lead and rhythm ideas including fiery Pentatonic lines, and chord embellishments. He would go on to cover some of Jimi’s tunes including Voodoo Chile and Little Wing. He was also influenced by blues greats such as Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins and Lonnie Mack, resulting in a more traditional blues sound to his leads. This is evident in such tracks as Texas Flood and Tin Pan Alley. There was also a strong element of jazz in Stevie’s playing, since he listened to Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt. Tracks such as Riviera Paradise, Lenny, and Stang’s Swang are great examples. Stevie was also heavily influenced by his brother Jimmie Vaughan with whom he released the album Family Style, in 1990.
Stevie had real groove in his playing. He had incredible control of his picking hand, yet the ability to sit back in the pocket of a groove, virtually defining the art of the Texas shuffle. His ability to mute strings while striking the guitar with large picking-hand movements, added a percussive element to his rhythms. Great examples of this are Change It, Cold Shot, Pride And Joy, as well as the jaw dropping Rude Mood which, although has a straight groove, is a great example of his rhythm prowess. Stevie would also add this approach to lead licks, pedalling off of the sixth string, fretting notes with his thumb while embellishing with Pentatonic double-stops, demonstrated in the iconic Couldn’t Stand The Weather.
In this feature we are going to look at some of the key elements that have cemented SRV as one of the greats, as well as giving you some fresh ideas to add some Texas fire to your playing. Have fun!
NEXT MONTH Jamie has a rock fuelled take on the rousing Christmas carol, Joy To The World
