Hitting The Mark

Tutor: richard Barrett Mark knopfler is a versatile guitarist, equally comfortable dishing the dirt with a Les Paul on Money For Nothing, fingerpicking delicate passages on his 1937 National Style-0 resonator for Romeo And Juliet – or even a nylon-string in Private Investigations. However, what I’m concerned about for now is the classic Strat style, jamming the pickup selector between bridge and middle, probably inspiring Fender to introduce the five-way selector by 1977 in the process. Like many, Mark was influenced by Eric Clapton and the blues, but he also took inspiration from players, such as Chet Atkins and Hank Marvin. By eschewing the use of a pick in favour of his thumb and (primarily) index and middle fingers, he caught the imagination of guitarists who were looking for something fresh. As you’ll be aware, certain techniques can lend themselves to specific technical and melodic approaches, and Mark managed to tread a line between country-tinged doublestops and bends, classical-sounding arpeggios and raunchy rock ’n’ roll. For the faster passages, he alternated between thumb and fingers in the way a ‘flat-picker’ would alternate between up and down strokes. Using light gauge strings and digging in hard with his fingers gave an expressive, dynamic approach – suited to the slightly ‘hi-fi’ sound of the Strat’s single coils through a cranked Fender Vibrolux combo, though if you’ve followed Mark’s playing through the years, you’ll know he gets a recognisable sound whatever the guitar/amp combination. If you’ve heard Tunnel Of Love or Sultans Of Swing, you’ll understand where I’m coming from. Hope you enjoy and see you next time!