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"Originality and innovation often come from playing melodically within the stylistic confines of the old style. BB King's contribution can be described this way."
LUIGICABRINI
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One of the really great thing about B.B. King's music is it's simplicity. As cool as his guitar playing sounds, the truth is, King's basic solo style is pretty easy to learn. Besides the actual notes that B.B. King plays (which we'll learn about in part two), there are a few major concepts that define B.B. King's guitar work - his phrasing, and his very unique vibrato.
The first concept to tackle when trying to learn to play blues in a B.B. King style is how to "phrase" your solos. Think of the way you talk - you form ideas into sentences, and at the end of each sentence, you pause. B.B. King plays guitar the same way. He plays an idea, then pauses at the end of each phrase, before continuing on with another idea. Guitarists tend to play notes endlessly, without pause, and this may prove to be a difficult concept to master. Practice playing five or six notes, then pausing for a few seconds, then continuing with a new series of notes. Concentrate on making each short riff sound complete - try not to let the series of notes sound unresolved. This should prove to be overwhelming at first, but as you continue to practice, your phrasing will grow stronger and stronger.
Mastering the highly individual sounding vibrato of B.B. King will also take some practice. While some guitarists use only their fingers to create vibrato, B.B. uses his whole hand, rapidly rocking the string back and forth. Listen to King's guitar playing, and try to mimic his vibrato sound. Notice that although B.B.'s vibrato is very pronounced, he doesn't use it all the time. King reserves vibrato for notes that are held for longer periods of time, or notes he wants to accentuate. But, don't take my word for it. Learn about B.B. King's vibrato from the man himself, in a free online lesson on vibrato the guitarist wrote for Guitar World magazine.
Next page > Learning the B.B. Position > Page 2, 3, 4, 5
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