Blues Headlines with Richard Barrett
Richard Barrett is on a mission to make you a better blues player – with full audio examples and backing tracks
Difficulty HHHHH | 15 mins
Tutor: Richard Barrett | Gear used: Knaggs Choptank, Vox AC15 C1
Example 1
THE REPEATED PHRASE and subtle development of the idea is a traditional blues technique but used in a slightly different
quite emphatically with the fingers, twanging them back against the fretboard. Some heavy compression gives a bit more sustain to play with, plus evening out the volume between heavily picked and quieter notes. It’s surprisingly expressive! To finish off the phrase, I’ve ‘dive-bombed’ the final note of the phrase using the whammy.
Example 22
MOVING TO THE PICK, this phrase begins in a similar way, though in a different position on the fretboard. This allows the higher register to be reached more easily, followed by a descending pattern that uses the pentatonic scale but isn’t particularly blues-based. Nevertheless, little touches like quarter-tone bends and slides do borrow heavily from the blues. The D#, or 6th, in the final bar is a nod to 50s rock ’n’ roll, which occurs again shortly…
Example 3
THIS ASCENDING RUN uses economy picking. The first two notes are played with a single downstroke across the adjacent strings, followed by a hammer-on to complete the triplet. The second triplet is played with a single upstroke back across the third and fourth strings, ending with a pull-off. This interesting technique allows the strings to be crossed rapidly. Once we reach the high strings, there is another touch of rock ’n’ roll with the doublestop/6th lick, preparing the ground for the final phrase.
WE END IN A SIMILAR MANNER to the beginning phrase but staying with the pick rather than reverting to fingers. The chord fragments are inspired by Nile Rodgers’ playing with Chic and Sister Sledge, using a maximum of three strings to facilitate moving shapes around quickly and rhythmically. A short pentatonic run leads to a divebomb on the final F#. In the absence of a whammy bar, perhaps a slide upwards would be equally quirky/effective?