B.B. King Resources: Reviews
To help us get a glimpse into the way B.B. plays (and thinks), Warner Bros. Video have released some excellent, and truly insightful audio, video, and print resources that document the guitar style this true American legend. What follows is a review of several of these resources.
B.B. King Blues Master3 Videotape Set
Here's a concept whose time had come; a 3-videotape portrait of BB King, in which we get a glimpse into what comprises both the musician, and the man. The footage is largely composed of an extended interview (with guitars in hand) of King, conducted by Askold Buk, broken up by in studio performances of B.B. with his band. The camera work in these live performances isn't typical of what you'd see in regular concert footage, however. It's been filmed with the guitarist in mind; there are long, lingering close-ups of B.B.'s hands on the guitar that should help provide insight into King's technique.
The band performances are great; B.B. sounds in top form, and the band behind him grooves, but the real highlights of the video are definitely in the interview segments. Buk does a really commendable job of probing King for answers to questions that most guitarists would want to know; how to play his signature vibrato, what scales he uses, what advice he has for young musicians, etc. They spend much of the interview time playing; Buk always on rhythm, and King playing solos. Whenever King plays something that Buk finds intriguing, he'll make sure he has B.B. explain, and re-play the lick slowly, so viewers can see exactly how he's executing it.
Although each tape is filled with documentation on how King approaches soloing, with specific examples, each video in the series does develop a number of distinct themes. The videos are broken down as follows.
- Tape 1: Includes documentation of B.B.'s vibrato, bending, picking, influences, phrasing, and equipment.
- Tape 2: Illustrates the style and technique of B.B. King, his use of chords, arpeggios, dynamics, warm-ups, and his signature phrases.
- Tape 3: Covers B.B.'s use of scales, slides, harmonic concepts, classic licks, and his methods of playing over changes.
While it is accurate to say that the previous topics were covered in each respective tape, in truth, viewers can learn all about BB King in each tape, because his style is so clearly on display, that even if he's not discussing, for example, his use of vibrato, it is plain to see and understand whenever he plays his guitar.
The box set itself is very nicely put-together; each video in the series is attractively packaged in a hard-shelled case, with an additional cardboard type casing that keeps the three videos together. Every volume has different pictures of B.B. in various poses with Lucille. It's safe to say that the appearnce of this package will certainly please fans.
The fundamental question remains; is this video box-set a must buy for all guitarists? For loyal fans of B.B. King, the answer is definitely an emphatic "yes". The extensive interview footage of King alone makes the package worth the price; so humble and friendly is the guitarist, that you'll surely find yourself a bigger fan after watching the video. How about for casual fans, and for guitarists not as familiar with B.B. King, though? Certainly, all guitarists could find something to learn from this video. The retail price tag of $39.95 (which is ridiculously cheap for 3 videos this attractively packaged) shouldn't keep many people away. For those who feel that is just too much money to spend, however, Warner Bros. has put together the compilation Blues Master Highlights ($19.95), which offers 62 minutes of exerpts from the three tapes (with an emphasis on performance, rather than technique). Assuming this compilation is on par with the original series of videos, comes highly reccomended.
COMING VERY SOON: Two more reviews of B.B. King-related resource materials.
