The Turnaround: Jeff Healey

Learn a few tricks based on the rhythm and lead style of the late Canadian blues-rocker, with five fully transcribed examples and backing music to jam over

Born in 1966, Jeff Healey began playing the guitar at the extraordinarily young age of three, appearing on children’s television aged nine and playing in a covers band by 15. Having lost his sight as a child, Jeff developed his preferred method of playing the guitar flat on his lap, fretting from above. This enabled him to fret with both thumb and fingers, which would in turn offer him a near superhuman bending and vibrato technique – as well as numerous phrasing options that can’t really be played any other way.

Despite his unusual technique, Jeff’s vocabulary was heavily influenced by classic blues players, such as Albert Collins, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Yet, as a passionate collector of jazz 78s (Jeff hosted his own radio show featuring these for many years) who played both trumpet and trombone, Jeff maintained that he didn’t think in terms of guitar when he was improvising.

Although his signature style is relatively tough to recreate, you can learn some of Jeff’s licks and tricks with this month’s lesson. Jeff played Stratocasters in the main (though not exclusively) so a single-coil equipped guitar is perfect for this workshop.

You will need to dial in a bright overdrive tone. Be prepared to lower the gain for rhythm parts, either by adjusting your amp or by turning your guitar’s volume down.