THE GENIUS OF JACK WHITE

WITH THE RELEASE THIS MONTH OF THE WHITE STRIPES’ GREATEST HITS, TG ANALYSES FIVE KEY STRATEGIES THAT MADE GUITARIST JACK WHITE A GAME‑CHANGER.

1 THE DUO

Many onlookers were cynical about a rock band without a bass player, but Jack and Meg White quickly showed that a guitar-anddrums format could be more agile, spontaneous, and original. This made space for the likes of The Black Keys. Ten years later, the guitar-less Royal Blood turned the format on its head.

2 THE WALL OF SOUND

The EHX Big Muff creates a wall of sound that spans the entire frequency spectrum. A problem for busy mixes, but just the thing when guitar is the only instrument. Combined with the Digitech Whammy, adding octaves above and below, the resulting sound left no room for a bass player.

3 BLUES-ROCK REINVENTED

It’s easy to forget now how uncool classic rock was at the turn of the century, but White’s Robert Plant howl and Jimmy Page riffs quickly fixed that. By combining blues-rock with a garage sound and attitude, he made rock young and energetic where it had been lumbering and irrelevant.

4 THE GEAR

Jack cleverly chose to play obscure vintage instruments, simultaneously sealing his retro credentials without imitating anyone else. His trademark Airline Res-o-glass was unlike classic guitars in looks or construction, with a plastic body. His equally idiosyncratic amps included the Sears Silvertone (with unheard-of 6x10 cab) and RCA Clubmaster.

5 ROCKING THE WHAMMY

It’s Jack’s picking technique and vibrato, combined with creative use of the Whammy, that sound unique. His staccato attack gives a manic quality to relatively standard note choices. He’ll often rock the Whammy pedal up an octave while playing doing a semitone trill or fast vibrato, for an arresting and unconventional sound.