I recall the time when I started playing guitar and what I remember is that I began by playing songs from the bands I admired most like Metallica, Nirvana and Blink-182. After a while I withdrew from playing songs from these bands because I wanted to be able to improvise with no restrictions on my guitar. Around this time blues guitar really started to call my attention. I remember one night going through a Stevie Ray Vaughan video on YouTube and I thought to myself ‘Wow, I have to be able to play like this guy.’ Luckily, some time after that night, I met a great blues guitar instructor that got me into Stevie Ray Vaughan’s style. In this article I will pass on some of the knowledge I have attained along the way.
First I want to show you some of the things involved in Stevie Ray Vaughn’s signature style.
The Techniques
Bends
One of the guys Stevie Ray Vaughan looked up to was Albert King. It will be good for us to learn some Albert King licks before we dig into Stevie Ray Vaughn’s style. Here is an example: Notice the use of the bending technique.
Bent Vibrato
A lot of what makes up Stevie Ray Vaughan’s unique style is the juice he gets out of every note. He is very good at infusing as much feeling as possible into every note. We are going to talk about how you can develop this technique into your own playing in a second, but first lets look at a vibrato technique that will allow you to be highly expressive.
Bend the string up using all three fingers; your ring, middle and index fingers so that you have more authority over the string you are bending. When the bend has reached it’s target note (in this case the E-note), add a medium-width vibrato to it. While you are doing the vibrato, hit the string over and over making sure to keep the string bent. With some practice you should be able to do this pretty quickly.
Left Hand Muting Technique
Stevie Ray Vaughn’s style oozes lots of power and that’s what we’re going to talk about next. To be able to play like him, your left hand muting technique should be very good. If you were to play only one note as loud as you can, it will still sound thin in comparison to when Stevie Ray Vaughn plays the same note as loudly as he can. If you want to be able to strike your strings very hard, you have to practice muting them with your left hand. Here is an example of how to do this:
Take for instance this D-note from above, if you hit the G-string by itself you will miss out on the power that comes from hitting all the strings at once. In the measure on the right hand side you will see the same note with all other strings muted. Hit all the strings and notice that only the G-string will produce a tone and ring out while all the other strings will sound dead. Use your thumb to mute the three low strings (e, a and d) and the front part of the fingers that press down on the strings to mute the first two strings (the b and the high e). It will take a bit of practice to get all the strings to sound clean, but here are some exercises to get you started:
In the next video you see me playing a lick in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan with this technique where you hit all the strings at once.
The Licks
The above lick from the Am pentatonic scale is a great place to start exploring some signature SRV-licks. I left out the rhythm on purpose because there are lots of different ‘ways’ to play this. Stevie would use a lot of ‘rubato’ or ‘floating rhythm’ in his playing so the best way to get his sense of rhythm is by listening to his songs. The Bb-note he uses on the first string (6th fret) is used as an out-of-key passing tone, adding some cool ornamentation to this lick. The blue-note is also used on the third string (8th fret).
Stevie Ray Vaughn is known for playing long lines with lots of notes. He does this by expanding licks diagonally across the neck. In this second lick you’ll notice that we connected lick 1 to an expanded pattern on the lower strings.
The Tone
Stevie Ray Vaughn’s tone has a lot to do with maintaining a hard grip. Get aggressive with your fingers and hold the strings down rigidly. The same goes for your right hand, there are times that you need to pick very softly, but I’ve found that many intermediate players play with a weak attack, so practice gripping the guitar and attacking those strings (make sure that you maintain the proper left-hand muting technique to prevent unwanted string noise). As far as equipment goes, you can use any Fender tube-amplifier. For overdriven tones, just use a tube screamer pedal, like the Boss Bluesdriver. When you talk about Stevie Ray Vaughan, the saying ‘Tone is in your fingers’ holds a lot of weight.
The Feeling
Blues came from people that were not so fortunate with not a lot to lose so there’s a lot of aggression and sexuality in the Blues. If your are playing blues guitar, but you lack that ‘feel’, try listening to the dynamics Stevie Ray Vaughn uses in his playing. See if you can attack the strings with as much energy as he does. In blues guitar playing, dynamics are crucial. If you always play every note with the same amount of attack, you might fall into the trap of not sounding as good as you might like.
Nobody says that you should have to be able to copy the raw feeling that Stevie Ray Vaughn exudes in his playing. In my opinion, the world doesn’t need another SRV-copycat, but his style has so many dynamics to it that you’re going to discover a lot of good things to spice up your own guitar playing.
About the author: Antony Reynaert is a blues guitarist and teacher based in Belguim. On his website you will find more usefull blues guitar resources to learn from, such as his free blues guitar ebook.
holy shit!!!! bends???!!!! thats mind-blowing!!!! OMFG VIBRATO!!!! Clearly this is all I need to instantly become as talented as Stevie Ray Vaughan. Also thanks for explaining the emotions behind the blues! I was really confused about that! Welp, now I'm off to sell millions of records, all thanks to you!
if you really want to sound like SRV, listen to and learn from all the blues musicians who influenced him. SRV's style was so unique but the best way to get insight into it is not by memorizing a couple of blues licks. It's by knowing your history
Why is there always that one guy who just has to be a dick? Leave the page, bro. There's actually some useful tips in here for those of us who can read.
why you hating? just giving everyone a common enemy, and Acou97's reply to my comment got him a medal! You should all thank me for annoying the shit out of you.
I think this is a nicely constructed lesson, ideal for blues players starting out. It would be nice to see an example lick that contains all of the techniques you mentioned though.
How about listening to blues? You won't ever learn to play a different style of music well until you know that style. Immerse yourself into the world of blues, even jazz, the boogie, then try playing this. The feeling will be natural, and your ears will start to tell you what notes to play.
Tim Larkin, congratats on earning your place into the Hall of Stupid. Or should I refer to you as ballbag from henceforth? Ballbag, take your stupidity elsewhere...preferably around children your own age. Mature people are trying to learn here.
good luck learning from such a shitty article! If you had to read this to learn how to do complex feats such as "bends" and "vibrato" then you need more help than this article can give you. Also your username is terrible; wtf is a Yut?
Ballbag, it's an inside joke for those of us who served in the Marines. I wouldn't expect you to get it. Back to the original topic. Clearly you payed zero attention to the article. There is a reason you have so many negs in all your posts. That one "thumbs up" you just recieve is me throwing you a bone. Enjoy.
I think the string muting is key... not just for SRV but a lot of guys who play blues-rooted stuff. When you get it down, the tone is unmistakable (and awesome). That percussive sound has become a big part of my own playing, and SRV and Hendrix were two that inspired it.
How do you bend a string?? Anyone?? Ballbag?? Help?
And what's a "mute?" I've been playing for 5 years but I still have never heard of these... Please guide me in the right direction Ballba-- I mean, Tim.
Bending a string is when you pull the string either upwards or downwards to sharpen the pitch of the notes you play. Muting is a technique that can give your notes a percussive feel. Since this is an SRV article, check out Pride and Joy and listen to the "chk" "chk" sounds of his inbetween notes. That is muting. It is used heavily in funk guitar
pretty sure people on a guitar website understand the definition of a bend..... and try using a song that wasnt used on guitar hero for an example next time?
SRV is one of the most amazing blues players ever. I'm quite surprised you didn't mention anything about hybrid picking though - that's my favourite part of his solos, particularly in Mary had a little lamb... other than that I would say that this is a decent article.
It's interesting - Some people (Jimi, SRV), in just a few short years leave a body of work that inspires generations, and yet some people can only find time to belittle the efforts of others. It's quite sad really...
What I found disorienting in the example licks was the presence of the minor second interval. If I had to choose one trademark of SRV it would have to be the use of major second.
Where do you think artists' grab their influences from? What semi famous band/musician doesn't attribute their early days to playing the work of others who they admire? I have found that the best song writers are those who have spent an extensive amount of time studying intently the music of other artists. Such an elitist comment from someone who probably has no basis to stand on to make such a comment....unless of-course I have you mistaken an ammature musician when you're really the lead guitarist of "name this uber popular band". Pretty sure you're in the minority on a site that hosts the tabs of others.
Ballbag, we've missed you...we're you been buddy? Since we're being grammar and writing natzis....you might want to go back and capitalize the first word of your sentence.
Yes, and I have made a typo with "we're" which should have been "where have". You going to point that out as well to try and mask how much of a complete tool you are? There is a reason your profile page has been bombarded with negative remarks.
I have a new game Ballbag. Lets quote comments from your profile:
I have seen some of your comments, namely on the SRV thread, and I must say...you seem like a real *******. Let others have their opinions and they will let you have yours. Don't jump on someone for liking Son House more than SRV, for example. You just come off as stupid. I'm not saying you ARE stupid...but your comments sure make you seem that way. Just a heads up. We are all here b/c we love guitar...let's not be dicks to each other.
-Kyle"
"No this guy loves he's dick more I bet. I'm not being nice to ballbag champ he needs to show respect before he gets it from me."
"i used to come to this website to get tabs. now, i come to watch you. you are now one of my biggest influences."
"Why would go on a site that is about guitar and learning music, and just be a dick to be a dick? I know a couple people like you who used to have friends, but since no wants to hang out with them they spend all day on the internet trying to stir the pot. Listen, I get it, Pinterest must get old...you blew your wad in 13 seconds watching porn, and cat memes aren't your thing. But seriously...why such a douche...?!?"
Ah well, I'm officially bored with your "royal troll-ness". I'm sure I'll catch you in another article where your douche behavior manages to earn you another 100 down votes. You are entertaining though. I have to give you that. I meant it when I said you remind me of the retarded kid in the 4th grade class that all the other children flock to for their own amusement. Be proud of that I guess since that does appear to be what you are aiming for either intentionally or unintentionally. Now go ahead and come behind me to point out all my spelling mistakes so you can feel a vague sense of "one-upmanship". Go ahead little guy...it's ok; I won't give you a hard time for it. However, before you do. It's "I", not "i". "It's", not "its". "I'm", not "im". "though", not "tho". Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids!
I actually enjoyed this lesson. Don't misunderstand the authour. he doesn't meran for you o copy these licks and play them verbatum. use the technique to improve your own playing.and this isn't static to blues either. You can use these techniques to improve soloing and playing for any genre because blues licks translate pretty well.
stevie sounded great, and played great.but I think too many people follow his methods like a religion, and it does more harm than good. go see a comment on almost any SRV cover on youtube, and youll likely see some asshat bashing because the cover guy didnt use 13s. imo if your not going to do heavy session work, or are just playing for fun then its not worth it to destroy your hands with those strings.
Stevie is my biggest inspiration. But I agree with those who have stated the importance of listening to his heroes as well, as he lifted quite a bit of his licks and stylings from guys like Albert King, Lonnie Mack, and Hendrix as well.
Have you ever picked up a guitar Larkin, or are all your "comments" negatively directed to get you all the attention that you never had in your pathetic life
Some people ask me why I troll. I troll because its easy. Why is it easy? Because idiots like you always have to put their two cents in. Also you posed a question without a question mark at the end of it.
Have you ever picked up a keyboard in your life? Or are you just intentionally not using question marks to hide the fact that you have a small penis?
What would make you certian that i had a small penis Larkin if that were true? Do you go around peeking in peoples bathroom windows at night, or do you just have a vivid imagination in your lonely little life?
This is a good article, however anyone that is trying to play like Stevie, I would recommend you to Stevie Snacks. They have some amazing SRV style lessons.
Another thing, for those of you trying to get that tone or sound, SRV played the guitar and not the amp. You can get his sound with his same gear but it's not going to make you sound anything like him without his fingers and soul. He played actually on the Clean channel, not the distortion and he used very low gain on the guitar, so you could actually hear his strings ringing out and not drowned out by the amp. That's essential with Blues playing, guys like T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker did the same thing barely using any gain at all so you could hear their chords very clearly.
