By: Belle Arzadon

Playing various scales on the guitar is a solid, foundational technique that any player would do well to master.

Scales are basically a set of notes in an ascending or descending arrangement and together share certain characteristics and follow a basic pattern. They also make musical organization, composing pieces, and improvising easier.

Practicing scales also makes it simpler for you to understand and memorize chords as well as give your fingers much-needed practice for dexterity and speed.

The Chromatic Scale

This is the simplest scale of all. It involves a dozen notes and each note moves up a half step in the scale. Although the chromatic scale is the easiest to learn, it’s not exactly the most beautiful to listen to. Even so, keep practicing the chromatic scale as it provides essential fingerings that other scales use.

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The Major Scale

The C Major scale is probably the best known scale of all. It uses seven notes, eight if you count the fact that the first note is often repeated, and the spaces between each note are:

Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Whole-Half – C D E F G A B C

If you know your Do-Re-Mi then that’s what the C Major scale is. Other major scales have the same spacing, only at a lower or higher pitch, depending on which note you’re starting on.

This means that if you start on the note D, following the same spacing outline above, you get the D major scale. Starting on E and using the same spacing system you get the E major scale and so on. The key is memorizing the spacing pattern and then applying that to a fingering on the guitar.

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Minor Pentatonic Scale

The next item on the list of scales to learn is the Minor Pentatonic scale. This type of scale produces a somewhat darker or more melancholic sound, which is probably why it’s often used in rock & roll as well as being the most widely used scale in blues music.

The minor pentatonic scale is composed of only of five notes and has the interval pattern (in the key of C):

m3 –Whole –Whole-m3-Whole – C Eb F G Bb C

Again, this pattern can be applied to any key, just start on a new note and apply the spacing pattern to figure out the notes of the minor pentatonic scale in that key.

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Practice, Practice, Practice

Don’t be frustrated if you don’t get these scales down on your first try. That’s okay. What’s important thing is that you continue practicing until you get these scales under your fingers. In no time you’ll be ripping up and down your favorite scales and patterns!

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Belle writes for guitar site SherwoodMusic.org, where you can read her latest posts on How to Make Good Use of a Guitar Chord Finder and How to Play Bass Guitar.

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1. Five Ways You Can Learn the Guitar Fretboard
2. “Jazz Guitar Soloing Concepts: A Pentatonic Modal Approach to Improvisation”
3. Allan Holdsworth Style Legato Pattern

By: Dr. Matt Warnock

Welcome to Day 3 of GI’s series, “30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique: Volume 1,” glad you’re here. These exercises are designed to slowly build a solid technical foundation through short practice sessions done every day, for a 30 day period.

Check out all 30 exercises on the Better Technique Volume 1 Page

This is not a “get rich quick scheme” for guitar technique. Instead, these exercises are designed to deliver results in both the short and long term, while not eating up all of your practice time, leaving you with ample time to pursue other guitar interests.

So get out your axe, turn on your favorite metronome, pour your favorite hot beverage and get ready to Increase Your Guitar Technique in 30 Days!

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The Exercise

Today’s exercise is a variation of the Day 2’s exercise. But, instead of starting on the second finger and playing 2-3-4-1, we are now starting on the third finger and playing, 3-4-1-2. Seems like a small change, but it’s a bit of a finger-twister so go slow!

All of the same technical aspects of the exercise from Day 1 apply to this new exercise.

Remember, go slow! The goal is not to rip through these exercises. The goal is to develop good, fundamentally sound muscle memory. This will allow you to play fast and not have to think about your technique, as you’ll already have trained your muscles to play correctly.

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Related posts:

1. 30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique Volume 1: Day 2
2. 30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique Volume 1: Day 1
3. Aaron Shearer “Classic Guitar Technique Third Edition”

By: Vince Lewis

Heritage club members Brent Henderson (left) and Vince Lewis (center) with club founder, John Hillman (right)

Just close your eyes and imagine that you are stepping back in time. You then enter a small custom guitar shop. This is a place where master builders created many legendary instruments. They also produced some of the most valuable guitars ever made in the United States. The surroundings are functional, but spartan. The tools and forms still used to craft and shape the instruments have been in use for ages. You take a leisurely stroll among the craftsmen at work, watch them over their shoulders, ask any questions you may have and form a personal relationship quickly.

This fantasy comes to life each year at Heritage Guitar Inc. located at 225 Parsons Street, Kalamazoo Michigan. It is the former home of Gibson Guitars. When Gibson relocated to Nashville there remained a solid group of craftsmen that decided to stay in Kalamazoo. They purchased the former Gibson property and established the Heritage Guitar Company. The date of the 2010 event was August 6, and it is generally scheduled in late Summer.

Bill Paige, Jim Deurloo and Marv Lamb remain today from the original group of owners. They were joined in 2007 by guitar aficionado and local attorney Vince Margol. J. P. Moats retired from the business just last year.

The Heritage Owners Club at the Parsons Street shop.

There are currently 14 or so employees, including the owners, who are producing roughly 3 guitars per day. They are basically hand built from the ground up. The shop functions as a custom shop in every respect. Approximately 80% of the guitars have additional features requested by their customers. This results in the ability of a player to have a true “one of a kind” guitar made just for them.

Ren Wall has been with the company since its inception, and began working years ago for the Gibson Guitar Company alongside his father. He is personally responsible for the final set up and inspection of every single instrument that is completed. Nothing goes unnoticed on his bench, and Ren is often able to recall details of particular guitars years after they have been shipped to new homes.

Together, the current builders enjoy more than 500 years of experience. They have a total passion for their craft and it is evident by the outstanding quality of each and every instrument that leaves their doors. They are still making these guitars the same way that they always have. The main difference is that owning the business provides them the luxury of hand picking their own wood and other materials. Working for a larger business that dictates procedures and quality based upon cost often leads to less than desirable results. These folks definitely go for the best quality components available.

Heritage H110 model is one of many fine guitars built by Heritage Guitars.

It was a dream of the founders of the Heritage Owners Club for the members to meet somewhere in person each year. This is an internet group of individuals who are as passionate about their guitars as the builders themselves. It is not a blog where griping and complaining is the rule. It is a place for sharing information, music, personal anecdotes and a fair amount of instrument trading as well. The club was started by John Hillman, of Midland MI.

After contacting Bill Paige and Vince Margol to get their reaction to the idea, the first Annual Pilgrimage took place in 2008. This has developed into much than just the opportunity to briefly meet the owners and tour the shop.

Bill Paige, Marv Lamb, Vince Lewis and Vince Margol at the Heritage Owners Club get together.

Following the tour, there is a picnic and informal jam session at the farm of Brent Henderson, one of the leaders of the forum. This year Vince Margol, Marv Lamb and Bill Paige were in attendance for the gala. They did not simply make a brief appearance, but were there for the duration. They made themselves available to each and every attendee without exception. Instruments were displayed and discussed, opinions shared, and stories told for hours. Ren Wall (bass) and his brother Ron (drums) actually provided the rhythm section for many of the performances. Several of the other employees of the shop also came out to join in the festivities as well

It is so unusual in this day and age for a major guitar company to personally connect with its customers. The obvious passion and respect that exists between these craftsmen and the players is amazing to see. This is a very special bond that is totally sincere and well deserved by both groups. It truly needs to be experienced to be believed.

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By: Dr. Matt Warnock

Welcome to Day 2 of GI’s series, “30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique: Volume 1,” glad you’re here. These exercises are designed to slowly build a solid technical foundation through short practice sessions done every day, for a 30 day period.

Check out all 30 exercises on the Better Technique Volume 1 Page

This is not a “get rich quick scheme” for guitar technique. Instead, these exercises are designed to deliver results in both the short and long term, while not eating up all of your practice time, leaving you with ample time to pursue other guitar interests.

So get out your axe, turn on your favorite metronome, pour your favorite hot beverage and get ready to Increase Your Guitar Technique in 30 Days!

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The Exercise

Today’s exercise is a variation of the Day 1’s exercise. But, instead of starting on the first finger and playing 1-2-3-4, we are now starting on the second finger and playing, 2-3-4-1. Seems like a small change, but it’s a bit of a finger-twister so go slow!

All of the same technical aspects of the exercise from Day 1 apply to this new exercise.

Remember, go slow! The goal is not to rip through these exercises. The goal is to develop good, fundamentally sound muscle-memory. This will allow you to play fast and not have to think about your technique, as you’ll already have trained your muscles to play correctly.

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Related posts:

1. 30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique Volume 1: Day 3
2. 30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique Volume 1: Day 1
3. Aaron Shearer “Classic Guitar Technique Third Edition”

By: Dr. Matt Warnock

Welcome to Day 1 of GI’s series, “30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique: Volume 1,” glad you’re here. These articles, the first volume in a multi-part series, lay out 30 exercises to develop better left and right-hand technique. Though these exercises may seem simple to some of us more experienced players, they are staples of the daily routines of guitarists of all level, both professional and non-professional alike.

Check out all 30 exercises on the Better Technique Volume 1 Page

The exercises are presented in order of easiest to hardest, but if you feel like mixing things up to provide an extra layer of variety in your practice routine this month feel free to do so. I suggest spending about 10 minutes a day on each exercise. And always work with a metronome.

These exercises are designed to slowly build a solid technical foundation through short practice sessions done every day, for a 30 day period.

This is not a “get rich quick scheme” for guitar technique. Instead, these exercises are designed to deliver results in both the short and long term, while not eating up all of your practice time, leaving you with ample time to pursue other guitar interests.

So get out your axe, turn on your favorite metronome, pour your favorite hot beverage and get ready to Increase Your Guitar Technique in 30 Days!

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The Exercise

Today’s exercise is going to focus on a simple concept, but one that provides proven results over time, when practiced slowly and with proper technique.

When playing through this exercise make sure to keep your left-hand fingers curved at both knuckles, so your fingertip is the only part of your finger that touches the strings. If you find your fingers going “flat” slow down the exercise and focus on getting those fingers nice and curved.

Your left-hand thumb should be behind the neck of the guitar, sitting about half-way down the neck and pointing to the ceiling, as if you’re hitchhiking.

Remember, go slow! The goal is not to rip through these exercises. The goal is to develop good, fundamentally sound muscle memory. This will allow you to play fast and not have to think about your technique, as you’ll already have trained your muscles to play correctly.

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Related posts:

1. 30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique Volume 1: Day 2
2. 30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique Volume 1: Day 3
3. Aaron Shearer “Classic Guitar Technique Third Edition”

By: Staff

Lee Ritenour doing what he does best in the recording studio

As our article numbers and readership grow, we at Guitar International thought it’d be a good idea to list our most read articles each month for our readers who may not have had the chance to read every article. So here they are. The Top 10 most popular posts on Guitar International for the month of August, 2010.

Most Popular Articles at Guitar International – August 2010

1) Lee Ritenour: “6-String Theory” – I had to smile, just a little, when after inputting Lee Ritenour’s 2010 album 6 String Theory into iTunes, it came up listed as genre “unclassifiable.” I couldn’t have put it better myself, thanks Steve Jobs. This record is in a class all its own, and one couldn’t nail it down to one style, genre or category even if they tried, which is a direct reflection of Ritenour’s intent behind the project.

2) David Bowie: A Lad No Longer Insane – David Bowie is one of a handful of people who have directly influenced the course of popular music during their careers. It may even be safe to say that Bowie is the only musician who has been able to change the face of rock music more than once in his career.

3) Hagar the Horrible: Eddie Van Halen Interview – I’ve never seen Eddie Van Halen so angry. Maybe he never has been this angry. He storms around the lounge in his 5150 studio, clenching his hands into fists, and pointing menacingly into the air with wicked finger jabs. Cigar smoke wafts through the air, and the studio is strangely quiet-no music is playing.

4) Eddie Van Halen: The Guitar Interview – Edward Van Halen is the prototypical American guitar icon. No stateside guitar player since Jimi Hendrix has managed to capture the collective imagination and awe of the world’s electric guitarists like Van Halen – no one. We are proud to have Eddie as the subject of our first Guitar Interview. Over the course of two days, we spent time with him as he filmed the video to “Don’t Tell Me,” a part of the corporate music process he particularly dislikes.

5) Fender Stratocasters that Pay Tribute to Jimi Hendrix – As part of Guitar International’s interest in providing our new readers with a road map to our legacy interviews and articles, we are highlighting high reader interest content at our front gallery page for easy access. Jimi Hendrix consistently rates as the “Best Guitar Player” of all time by guitarist opinion polls and his guitars continue to draw interest of musicians around the world. This legacy article discusses insights into the various Jimi Hendrix models that have been introduced by Fender Guitars in order to get Hendrix styled guitars into the hands of Jimi’s fans who play guitar.

6) The Amp Wizards: Bogner, Rivera, Soldano and Arredondo – When you walk into your local Guitar Center or Sam Ash in need of a high gain amp, or an amp with channel switching, or an amp that can handle the thunderous bottom end of a seven or eight string guitar, chances are pretty good you can find what you’re looking for. This wasn’t always the case.

7) Interview with Guitar Sensation Orianthi – From the six-year old dreamer, to the lead guitarist for the King of Pop, to her red-hot solo career, guitar virtuoso Orianthi has a story to tell. A story that stars the young Aussie as she dreams of becoming a guitar master and recording artist, both of which would come to fruition with the crucial role of supportive parents who were behind her all the way.

8) Zep Gear: A Look at Jimmy Pages Geear During the Age of Led Zeppelin – Think Led Zeppelin gear, and you think of Les Pauls, doublenecks, and Marshall amps. But Jimmy Page’s early gear in Led Zeppelin was actually a continuation of his old Yardbirds setup. In fact, the first Zep disc from 1969 showed him using a Telecaster and Supro amp, plus a Fender 800 pedal steel, the violin box, a Vox wah-wah, and a Sola-Sound Tone-Bender fuzzbox.

9) Bring it on Home: Jimmy Page Walks into a new Future with an Old Friend – As the blues-rock of the late ’60s hurtled towards the hard rock of the ’70s, four men were pushing the limits: Jimi Hendrix, and the Yardbird triumvirate of Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Page. Jimi Hendrix is gone. This apparently doesn’t affect his legacy, but it does affect his ability to create new music that still matters, regardless of how many “lost” recordings are posthumously released. Jeff Beck, who continues to be an amazing and inventive guitarist – and has the edge over Hendrix in the still-alive-and-well department – tends to prefer spending time with cars instead of guitars.

10) Steve Morse Begins His Purple Reign – Steve Morse is sitting in a studio on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida, chewing on a chocolate chip cookie and waiting patiently for the members of his band to show up for rehearsal. The band that’s he’s waiting for, though, is not made up of his regular musical partners. They are not the members of Dixie Dregs, not the members of the Steve Morse Band, not even the members of Kansas. No, this time Steve Morse is waiting for Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice – a group of Englishmen known for almost 30 years as Deep Purple.

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By: Arlene R. Weiss

Click to Download Red Velvet Car from Amazon.com

It’s always a welcome event when the very musically gifted and multi-talented sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson release new music, and what a sparkling album this is. So much so, that one feels like rolling out a red-velvet carpet for these First Ladies of Rock.

Red Velvet Car, the first new studio album from Heart since 2004’s “Jupiter’s Darling”, is a much more authentic, true, and stripped down release than their heavily polished mid ’80s and early ’90s albums. Albums where The Wilson Sisters lost much of their creative control to record labels, producers, and outside songwriters.

Red Velvet Car is refreshingly reminiscent of the delicate acoustic folk meets rock, Renaissance influenced atmosphere and sound of ’70s Heart. With Ann and Nancy once again taking up the directorial and artistic reigns themselves.

“WTF” storms the horizon much like their anthemic rocker, “Barracuda” with Ann’s soaring vocals and Nancy’s powerhouse guitar voicings, spirited and empowered, and still what they do best.

Their ’70s classics “Little Queen” and “Mistral Wind” shine through and are reborn via “Queen City’s” lustrous chime harmonics guitar intro, Ann’s elegant vocals, and poetry laced lyrics.

Nancy does a stunning turn on both lead vocals and autoharp throughout the lovely and delicate, “Hey You.” An ensemble piece with a rootsy, folk effervescent air wafting through it.

Check Out the Heart Collection at Amazon.com

“Safronia’s Mark,” a blissful duet of luminous mandolin and acoustic guitar courtesy of Nancy, makes way for her sun-kissed turn on lead vocals once again on “Sunflower”.

The subtle title-track showcases Ann’s bittersweet vocals and a tale of love’s resolve, hope, and ultimate redemption. Much like the wondrous, enchanting storytelling of these sweet and musical soul sisters, charming us with fiery rock-prowess, intelligence and grace.

Track Listing

1. There You Go
2. WTF
3. Red Velvet Car
4. Queen City
5. Hey You
6. Wheels
7. Saffronia’s Mark
8. Death Valley
9. Sunflower
10. Sand

© Copyright August 23, 2010 By Arlene R. Weiss

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By: Brian D Holland

Click to Download Spread the Love From Amazon.com

Some people are of the opinion that instrumental music sounds routine or redundant after a while, especially when the instrumentals are in specific genres, as it can be theoretically enslaved. However, that idea couldn’t be further from the truth in Spread the Love, the 2010 instrumental release from Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters.

That the album is without a human voice is nothing new for Ronnie, as his guitar voice has always been known to express more than enough melody and emotion anyway, whether a human voice is in the mix or not.

But what’s often the key to keeping genre music, especially instrumentals, fresh and diverse is the ability to properly ignore restrictions. Ronnie is one of few blues performers who can say that he stays true to the genre, even though typical boundaries don’t exist in his music.

Nevertheless, signature style and tradition is welcomed, as that’s what the blues is generally all about. Spread the Love is a brilliant example of the sundry instrumental sound of Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. It has a good mixture of both tradition and the more divergent in style.

Although the album does have its share of that Ronnie Earl signature blues style and sound, what fans expect, it also includes a few songs that will without a doubt astound and mesmerize—merely because of the tangential changes and melodic diversity in each. But more than anything, Ronnie spreads love and devotion throughout, as most of the titles are tributes.

The album’s opener, “Backstroke,” is in that traditional category. The band slows the Albert Collins cover down from its original form just a bit, adding just the right amount of funk and B3 resonance alongside the scorching guitar notes. Ronnie deposits some crackling ice tone into the licks to pay homage to the blues icon.

“Blues For Dr. Donna” follows, a traditional slow blues in honor of his loving wife. Ronnie has habitually named some of his originals after adoring people and friends over the years, in this “Blues For …” manner. The songs are often in slow blues progression form, taking the listener down an acoustic or electric path.

Others here are “Blues For Slim,” “Blues For Bill,” “Tommy’s Midnight Blues,” and “Ethan’s Song,” all of which are treated in that Ronnie Earl traditional air, which can be wherever the highlighted name takes his mood.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The band gets into a blue-jazz atmosphere amid a Latin tempo in a cover of Kenny Burrell’s “Chitlins Con Carne.” “Ethan’s Song” enters jazz territory as well, and features a nice B3 solo from Dave Limina. Ronnie takes a back seat to Limina in a few other places as well, most notably in Limina’s own “Spann’s Groove,” a roadhouse piano romp in memory of Otis Spann.

Now, that’s all well and fine, as the aforementioned songs are good enough on their own. However, the incredible gems to follow are truly special, because they justly reach the uppermost level of originality and innovation that many instrumentals only aspire to.

“Cristo Redentor” will blow you away. Up there without a doubt as one of Ronnie’s finest slow blues to date, the sweet, weepy notes in this melancholy and laidback Duke Pearson penned melody will leave an impression for years. What’s unique about it is Ronnie’s brilliant ability to be subtle. Each note has incredible purpose, and nothing is overly exerted or wasted.

“Happy” is vigorously positive, just as the title states. It’s very Allman Brothers-like in places, as Ronnie gets into some lively rhythmic chops in the first half while Limina soars off in keyboard heaven.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all to discover that Skydog himself is smiling down upon Ronnie when hearing his dreamy notes in “Skyman,” the laidback and romantic tribute to Duane Allman. Dave Limina’s jazzy piano notes are reminiscent of Lyle Mays in places here.

And then there’s “Patience.” It’s different that this excellent piece of music was written by Broadcasters’ drummer Lorne Entress, but in knowing the amazing talent that this band is as a whole, it doesn’t surprise me. It’s a slow blues that doesn’t only break boundaries, it hurdles over them. And it’s everything that patience actually is: the even-tempered, almost divine ability to wait and linger, a display of kindness through diligence and tolerance.

It’s a stunningly epic and flawlessly executed instrumental, abundant with dazzling melody and adept technique. Reminiscent of Roy Buchanan riff magic in places, Ronnie’s volume and tone manipulation accents his raw Fender guitar straight into Fender tube amp and Fender tube reverb sound: the trifecta of great tone.

And as usual, it’s not all about Ronnie Earl. It’s also about the piano and Hammond B3 flair of Dave Limina, the solid yet subtle bass lines of Jim Mouradian, and the percussive diversity of Lorne Entress—the Broadcasters for the past eleven years. Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters exert a magnitude of imagination and creativity into the blues in Spread the Love.

Track Listing

1. Backstroke
2. Blues For Dr. Donna
3. Chitlins Con Carne
4. Cristo Redentor
5. Happy
6. Patience
7. Miracle
8. Spann’s Groove
9. Skyman
10. Blues For Slim
11. Tommy’s Midnight Blues
12. Eleventh Step To Heaven
13. Ethan’s Song
14. Blues For Bill

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2. Otis Taylor: “Pentatonic Wars and Love Songs”
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By: Dr. Matt Warnock

One of the newest blogs on the guitar block, Fretterverse, has been in my Google Reader almost since its inception. Maintaining a steady publishing schedule, most weekdays, the site offers guitarists and fans of the instrument opinion articles, artist profiles, free downloads, album and product reviews and lessons covering a variety of different styles and background. This varied approach to topics is one of the site’s strongest points, and one of the reasons it has been getting so much attention in recent months.

Every blogger travels a different path between reading other sites and starting one of their own. For Josh, (the site’s owner and main contributor), it was a personal journey that led to his decision to start the site. First and foremost, he states that he “loves the guitar,” but he also “felt like I had something to say that other people might be interested in hearing my ramblings. Perhaps that’s just my ego talking. Either way, I thought a blog would be a great way to get my thoughts out without trying to write a traditional book.”

One of the reasons I find Fretterverse so appealing, is the willingness of Josh to express his opinion and take chances with edgy material and content from time to time. This is obviously something that Josh has thought about as he states one of the biggest challenges in running the site is “trying to maintain an original voice without falling into the typical trappings of a blogger.”

Not to say that the site is going to offend people, but some articles (See the Guitar Heroes I Just Don’t Get for a good example) do make readers rethink, or reassess, a certain artist, band or performance concept. This is something that is lacking from many other sites, guitar or otherwise, in the ever-growing blogosphere.

When it comes to building the site, Josh takes a hands-on, down to earth approach, noting that he has to “be prepared to work hard. If you want to be successful you need to be a good writer, a thought provoker, and you need to be consistent.” This hard work shines through not only in the layout of the site (Josh is a full-time programmer with 15 years of experience and it shows in the site’s design), but in the quality of content that Fretterverse features throughout the week.

He also puts a lot of effort into writing his articles. He approaches his writing with the same fervor and dedicated study one would give to their instrument, and he is aware of how important this is in developing a readership and connecting to his readers. Josh notes, “If a phenomenal player writes like a nine-year-old, he probably won’t get much traffic, unless he’s just doing videos.”

Another reason for the site’s early success is Josh’s ability to find his niche and personalize the site: “You have to be original and find your own voice. If your site is just like 800 others out there, people won’t feel compelled to visit your site. You need to find a corner of the guitar universe that you can call your own and work from there.”

Besides being a strong writer, Josh also brings to the table many years of experience as a guitarist and student of the instrument. This is something he feels has helped him develop his reputation with readers and fellow guitarists. “I don’t think guitar players would be able to relate to someone who isn’t a guitarist, but blogs about guitar. There’s just too much involved in the guitar universe, where players, styles, gear, music, and playing are too intrinsically tied together in player’s minds.”

Josh has also embraced new mediums to reach out to his fans and readers. Fretterverse has a Facebook fan page and like every other site on the planet has embraced Twitter, willingly or not. As Josh says jokingly, “at first I thought it was a useless technology. I was wrong. Twitter is pretty much a necessary evil for bloggers at this point, as it seems people are becoming less interested in long-form email correspondence and just want to shortcut communication. Personally I like email better, but I’m old.”

As he settles into his position as one of the rising stars of the guitar blog realm, Josh has confidence that Fretterverse, and related sites, will be around for a long time. When asked if new platforms will replace the traditional blog sites Josh responds, “I don’t think so, at least not yet. Video is already starting to run into roadblocks in terms of monetization, and I suspect they are going to try and figure that model out first before anything else replaces the current paradigm.”

Though he doesn’t have the budget or giant staff of a Guitar World or Premiere Guitar, Josh runs Fretterverse with the attitude and work ethic of any big-name publication, and has recently received a Guitar Blog Award for his efforts. If you haven’t checked out the site yet, do yourself a favor and head on over. You won’t be disappointed.

Read more about the 10 Great Guitar Blogs.

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By: Steven Rosen

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Photo by W.A. Williams.

Upon entering the Columbia Records conference room, Stevie Ray Vaughan paces like a caged lion. He has just listened to a final mix of his performance on the Rocky IV soundtrack and is less than pleased.

This native from Dallas, Texas, is much more than just another good ol’ boy from the south. He takes the guitar very seriously and when someone messes with his playing, he is angered.

So furious was he about his work on the “Living in America” track (featuring James Brown), that he asked some of the label reps in the room if it was too late to have his name removed from the package.

After several minutes, Stevie cooled down enough to take a seat. He lit a cigarette, tried to arrest his breathing, and we began our conversation. This exchange took place on October 29, 1985, just five years short of his passing on August 27, 1990.

Unbelievably, Vaughan’s entire recording career (from the time he was signed to a major label) only lasted for four studio albums: Texas Flood (1983); Couldn’t Stand the Weather (1984); Soul To Soul (1985); and In Step (1989).

Soul To Soul had just been released and while talk would eventually find its way there, the conversation began with the great blues player’s work with Albert King.

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The whole world knows that Albert King was a major influence on the way you play. In fact, he even christened himself your ‘godfather’ in terms of style. What was it like playing with Albert on the ‘In Session’ album a couple of years ago? [The recording was released posthumously in 1999.]

Stevie Ray Vaughan: It was to be able to give him a chance to put out a record that sounds like he wants to sound for a change, as opposed to a producer molding his sound. He wants things exactly like he wants ‘em. That takes pretty easy-to-deal-with musicians because when Albert wants somethin’, he gets it or he gets mad. And I can understand it.

Check Out the Stevie Ray Vaughan Collection at Amazon.com

Are you like that? Are you demanding of the people with whom you play?

SRV: Oh, only to a certain degree. If I know someone can do it and I know that they’re just being lazy, I might get a little edgy.

You were a bit edgy about your performance on the ‘Rocky IV’ soundtrack?

SRV: I don’t understand it at all. It’s kind of, I don’t want to take it this way, but it’s kind of insulting. There’s only enough of what I played on there to legally use my name. You can’t really even tell what I played.

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Photo by W.A. Williams.

If someone didn’t know you were on the track, they would be hard pressed to identify you as the guitar player?

SRV: I can show you what I played on it and where I played. I mean I played on the whole thing; they had me do the whole thing several times so that they could have different parts of the same style to use. And this is the first mix I’ve heard that didn’t use my guitar part all the way through.

And I’d used parts off of a song that I was writin’ and I blew it off. I blew it off so that I could keep this one in a separate place. Now they didn’t use my parts that are on there. I don’t know, it’s just that I’m kinda shocked.

And how do you feel about your new album, Soul To Soul? It’s a stretch musically from the Couldn’t Stand the Weather record.

SRV: I like the record a lot but the sound quality could be better on it. The way it was mixed originally was a lot stronger. It was re-EQ’d and remastered in California after we had been through with it as far as we knew.

Someone took it out here and tried to make it their record. And it turned out to be this little skinny sounding thing with a hole in it. And we took it back to New York and in two hours we put some balls back in it.

As far as what’s on there song-wise, I like the album a lot. It meant a lot to us what we went through to get this record. There were a lot of odds and we still stayed strong. We grew a lot with the people in the band and immediate friends around us; we learned a lot and grew a lot closer. That has a lot to do with why it’s called that.

Are you fairly critical of the sound of your guitar on records?

SRV: It’s really important ‘cause I know what it sounds like when I’m playing it and especially in a studio situation where you have control over it. And I do want it to sound as big as it can and there is different ways to go about it.

I know that I have plenty of signal on this record; I played through every amp that I had and could find. And all of ‘em, I played through all of ‘em at the same time. I had all of these, I had lots of things to choose from.

You’ve been working with Dumble amplifiers lately?

SRV: Well, I’ve had one for goin’ on two years. Two years, I guess, in about, God, I wanna say it’s been two years [already] but it may be middle of next month. I’m not really sure. I’ve got another one ordered. They’re great amps; when they’re workin’ right they sound like an overgrown Fender. I keep using Fenders as well along with ‘em.

There’s these two Vibroverbs, number 5 and 6, and there’s one of ‘em, number 5, just sounds different than any other one. And it gets funny, when it starts getting kind of worn out soundin’ the only way to get it to sound fat and clear is to turn it all the way up and make it work harder. And it works.

In the studio, we kept goin’, “Where’s all this fat comin’ from?” We singled it out and it was right there, two 40-watt amps, standin’ right in the middle of 650 watts. And they were like fatter than them.

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Photo by W.A. Williams.

Does the Marshall sound appeal to you on any level?

SRV: Yeah, I used to have one that I sold and I could kick myself for it day after day. It was a first series SuperBass and I found another one that I’m gonna check out and see how it is because I think it would probably fit in real well with at least part of the sound.

Your main guitar is the Fender Stratocaster and yet you’re pictured on the cover of Soul To Soul with a Gibson. Any reason why?

SRV: Mmm, I played it on some of the…on one or two of the songs. That’s what I had with me that day, too. [Laughs.] [The Gibson] is on “Empty Arms” and, let’s see here, actually I guess that’s the only one that I left it on; I’d used it on one of the takes of “Say What!”’ but I ended up using my Stratocaster on there.

So, I guess it’s just on “Empty Arms” but it’s on the rhythm part, lead part, and what sounds like an organ. It’s a guitar. I play the drums on it. I play everything but bass and piano.

Are you a real drummer?

SRV: Yeah, but I don’t get a chance to play too often. When I practice for a couple of weeks at a time, I can play the shit out of ‘em. I have fun doin’ it, too.

And how do you gauge your progression as a singer?

SRV: I’m only startin’ to learn how to sing. Finally. Singin’ instead of hollerin’. It’s still fun to holler. [Stevie picks up a Chet Atkins acoustic-electric guitar that has been brought into the interview room and tears out a stunning blues lick.]

Do you actually tune down your guitar to accommodate your singing?

SRV: Actually it’s the sound of it I like.

Hendrix used to do the same thing because he was conscious about his singing – is this where you picked it up?

SRV: He tuned down, not always, but like during different phases. I started off doin’ it ‘cause it was easier to sing and I was having throat problems [Vaughan was a relatively heavy smoker]; it was two or three years ago.

I got used to it and I liked the way it sounded better; it was easier to work the guitar, harmonics are different, they act differently. [Stevie kisses the guitar in his hand and mutters, "People think they’re just pieces of wood."]

Did you ever meet Jimi?

SRV: Not in person. I wish. I’ve met him in many dreams. But I’ve also tried to play some of the stuff that I was shown in those dreams and it took me a while to figure out why none of it worked. I was bewildered but I finally figured out if it had been that easy I wouldn’t have learned anything, you know?

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Photo by W.A. Williams.

Is this where your cover of “Voodoo Chile” on the Couldn’t Stand the Weather album came from?

SRV: Well, I always wanted to try it and then when we tried it it sounded right. We’d just played it for quite a while and ended up recordin’ that, we recorded that and “Little Wing/Third Stone” [From the Sun] [medley], “Come On” and what else?

On Couldn’t Stand the Weather we recorded all that, then we did a lot of it again this time and just ended up using “Come On”. [The "Little Wing"/"Third Stone" medley was added to later releases of Soul To Soul].

You actually own Hendrix’s original wah-wah? Is that it on “Voodoo Chile”?

SRV: Mmm hmm. It’s a great wah-wah. It’s that one and sometimes I use two.

Two wah-wahs at the same time?

SRV: Yeah, I did it a couple of different ways during the session. Sometimes I would just sit on a stool and work both of them separately. Sometimes I would get a piece of rackmount, you know what I’m talkin’ about? The spacer. And I would set it on top of the wah-wahs with the major part of it hangin’ off in the back so when you turn it on and take your foot off, it wouldn’t go squeak [imitates the rise/fall of a wah-wah].

And what it amounted to is if you hit the front end on the right-hand side you could turn that one on by itself and if you hit on the left-hand side you could turn it on and off. And in the middle it was like serious overdrive. But it was fun.

You can get some wild sounds out of ‘em ‘cause one of ‘em drives the other one and then it goes from there and then I’m drivin’ the first wah-wah with a [Ibanez] Tube Screamer. So by the time it gets to the amp it’s like, it’s fun, it’s a lot of fun.

Typically, do you experiment much in the studio? Is that a facet of recording that intrigues you?

SRV: Yeah. Some people don’t understand that but it’s nice when it really just gets to the point then that it [music] doesn’t get played so much that you’re overdoing a lot of things; that it’s fresh ideas. And they come out fresh and if you’re already in the mode, I guess, to simplify some things so that it comes across better on record, it’s the right time to be tasteful with somethin’. Even though there’s reasons to try things that may or may not work, it’s still a real intimate way to finish the song with everybody right there in the band just locked in.

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Photo by W.A. Williams.

When you lay down tracks, are you out there with the band in a live situation with all three of you performing at the same time?

SRV: Uh huh, most of it I didn’t do a bunch of [overdubs]. Most of it I did the guitar playing all at once. But a couple of the songs I did double on this time. Well, on “Empty Arms” ‘cause there’s no way I can play all that stuff at once and “Change It” I was singin’ it as someone else was playing the rhythm on the first time. Then I was playin’ the solos then I went back and put a rhythm part ‘cause it really needed one.

The guy who wrote it [Doyle Bramhall] was playing rhythm and he plays it like [Stevie picks up the Chet Atkins and proceeds to bang out a terribly simplistic rhythmic figure]. So, I thought, you know, it needed more than that but he’s a great songwriter, and a great drummer, and great singer. But I think it needed a little more than what it had.

You produced the new record in the same way you’ve produced all the earlier albums. Might there come a time when you’d bring in an outsider to produce?

SRV: Mmm, maybe co-produce. But we pretty much know what we want to do with the records because we all produce together. There are stages of it when they all trust me to it but I’m wide open for input at all times with it ‘cause we’re all in this band, not just me…because somebody wants contracts signed with my name on it doesn’t mean that this band, doesn’t mean that the band is all just sidemen. This is a band, not a guy with a bunch of sidekicks.

You’re able to stand back from a solo and be objective enough and know when you’ve captured the moment?

SRV: Yeah, when it’s right, I get chill bumps and things when it feels good.

And the ’59 Stratocaster is the guitar upon which these solos were played?

SRV: It’s still the main one. It’s still my first wife, I can’t leave her. I had to change one of ‘em [pickups] for a while ‘til I got one of ‘em [original pickups] worked on. I just had to dick it in dips [pot the pickup] but I had to get it to the right person who knew how to do it right – Charley, Charley Wirz, who is now gone; he died in February. I miss him. I’m sure he’s up there dealing guitars somewhere – and still making fair deals.

You’ve added keyboardist Reese Wynans to the Double Trouble trio – how has that expanded the sound?

SRV: Yeah, I’ve been wantin’ to work with a keyboard player again for quite a while. Reese is one of the best I’ve ever heard. He came in to do a piano part on “[Look At] Little Sister” and we got to talkin’ and we got this wild look in each other’s eye again. He goes, “You still want me in your band?” I says, “Yeah!” He says, “‘When do I start?” and I say, “Now.”

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Photo by W.A. Williams.

There is no actual synth on the album is there – only Hammond and piano?

SRV: He’s been bringing one to the gigs lately, but he only uses it on one song to double a part that I do. It’s got a great clavinet sound on it though that I’m tryin’ to get him to use it more. ‘Cause if you play it right, then it’s more like a guitar sound mixed with a piano. ‘Course, I like the real funky.

Do you like working more in the trio format than in other configurations?

SRV: I like playing in trio form and I like working with keyboards and I like working with huge horn sections. I just, I like all different phases of it. Chris [Layton, drummer) and I used to play gigs, just he and I every once in a while. I’d just plug the microphone in one side of my amp and plug my guitar in the other. The great part about it is you don’t have to pay attention to when you change – you can do it whenever you want to.

Why do you think these last several years have seen a boom in the popularity of the blues? You did the Montreux shows in ’82 and it’s just been building from there.

SRV: We think that they’re [fans] getting a chance to hear it because it’s being accepted by [record] companies. A lot of bands have opened up a lot of doors for other people. We’re trying to do the same thing and it seems to be workin’ pretty well.

There’s more of a trend, by the marketing of this kind of music, to make it more accessible and that’s a wonderful thing because blues and rhythm-and-blues is pretty much the roots of damn near every kind of American music I can think of. And it’s never bad to have where it came from start off to be listened to again instead of being a stepchild. It was a stepdaddy.

How far from the blues would you stray? Would you do a pop tune?

SRV: To be honest with you, I’m not sure what a pop tune is. I’m sure if I hear it on the radio, I’d say that’s pop or this or that. But, really, what I pay attention to the most is just music that moves me. It’s all at least a root-type music instead of a formula.

Were the sessions with David Bowie and the Let’s Dance album a departure for you?

SRV: The waiting was the hard part ‘cause what I was doing was I would go in for say about fifteen, twenty minutes while he was doing his vocals and get an idea of how the song went and play with it for a little bit, just to myself. And then get away from it because I didn’t wanna wear out the ideas that I had. And I also didn’t want to play in places that he was planning on himself filling up with vocals.

He was finishing up vocals and things and arrangements as he was goin’ as well. So a lot of the things had to be, I needed to let the holes that I would play in develop so that I didn’t have wrong ideas beforehand. I ended up doing it all in about two-and-a-half, three days. In fact, some people got mad at me because I was not willing to take a cut in pay because I was done already.

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Photo by W.A. Williams.

Did you actually do any of the live shows with Bowie?

SRV: Unh unh. There was a whole different light on the subject almost that had nothing to do with the way he offered the tour. We [Double Trouble] were supposed to open up all the shows and he was supposed to be wanting to have us in that situation to help us out. And as it turned out, I was supposed to quit them [Double Trouble] and not have anything to do with them, not do interviews or anything. And, I’m sorry, I’ve worked for that a long time. Fame and this big tour is really not that important.

And you’re on tour right now?

SRV: We go to Mississippi, no, not Mississippi, excuse me, Memphis tonight. And then take off for, I believe, Florida from there, it’s either there or Atlanta, where we start tourin’ with the Thunderbirds which will be a lot of fun. I haven’t got to do that with my brother in a long time, I’m lookin’ forward to it because we both need to get on each other’s case a little bit.

And when I say that I don’t mean in any kind of a rival meaning at all. I mean we have fun makin’ each other get out there and work our butts off and grin at each other while we do it. It really is fun.

And then you’re off to Japan?

SRV: That’s the way it looks like in the middle of February [1986], the last two weeks of February, we’ll be doin’ Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Bangkok I hear. From there I don’t have any more of the schedule yet so I guess I’ll see when everybody else does. I’ll probably hear it on MTV; that’s happened plenty of times. Find out what we’re doin’ by turning on TV and go, “Oh, I guess that’s the way the mop flops.”

You have to be more than pleased with the way your career has progressed.

SRV: Sure. I hope I don’t sound like a old biddy. Hell, I just kinda got a shock, I wasn’t ready for that [referring to the Rocky IV soundtrack]. I was all pumped to hear it; I guess I’ll have to find out what happened. I’m afraid we already talked about that.

When you return from touring, will you start concentrating on writing for the next album?

SRV: Well, actually I’ll be writing in the meantime. Also be working on these soundtracks which is gonna be…I’ve never got the chance to do it before. There’s a lot involved there and I’d like to make it really strong; I don’t have any desire to do it if it’s not gonna be right.

[Note: In 1987, Vaughan would appear on Back to the Beach, a year later on Bull Durham and posthumously, Stevie’s music could be heard on a handful of releases including Major League II and The Dukes of Hazzard.]

I got that impression today.

SRV: Yeah. Alright?

******

[Editor's notes: This is the first publication of the above interview in its entirety. According to Steven Rosen, only a small fraction of the piece presented here was previously published in a Japanese magazine, most likely Player.

Also, several of the photographs appearing in the interview have never been previously published, per photographer W.A. Williams.

About Steven Rosen

Steven Rosen has been writing about the denizens of rock ‘n’ roll for the past 25 years. During this period, his work has appeared in a myriad of publications including Guitar Player, Guitar World, Rolling Stone, Playboy, Creem, Circus, Musician, Classic Rock, Q/Mojo, and a host of others. Long recognized as an authority in the field of electric rock guitar journalism and the culture surrounding it, Rosen has written seminal pieces on a number of musicians including: Edward Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Frank Zappa, Billy Gibbons, Ritchie Blackmore, and Zakk Wylde. Rosen has authored five rock biographies: The Artist Formerly Known As Prince; Bruce Springsteen; The Beck Book (Jeff Beck); Free At Last; and Black Sabbath (currently in a third printing).]

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