# What Makes SRV Guitar Playing So Tasty?



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

When I listen to him there is never that old tired pentatonic box sounds that you here a million guitar players go to.

His tone of course is super nice, but the notes he hits are never the usual or in the usual order. Something about his approach is really above the regular blues wank. 

I am not talking about his blistering speed riffs or runs, but there is something very unique to the order or approach to the pentatonic / blues scales / boxes that is much more appealing and musical. His phrasing seems to be going somewhere, and never wanking for wanking's sake.

This is a long concert video, so even just jump around and it is so tasty and non blues wanky


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## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

Growing up he listened to a LOT of the old blues artists. He would emulate them as a youngster and slowly worked into his own style based on all that learning. 

He always thought Jimmy was better than he was as well. I just finished a book about him called "Caught in the Crossfire" and learned a lot about the legend he is.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

I think his secret was the ferocity and conviction that he played with. Lots of guys can play the same thing but it seems to lack that spark.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

His timing is superb as well. He knows how to hang notes, and how to leave dead space.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

He’s smarter than you.


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## bigboki (Apr 16, 2015)

Being learning / playing couple of his songs, and I noticed that he was mixing a lot minor / major pentatonic


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## Buzz (May 15, 2008)

Its the pipe!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Chitmo said:


> He’s smarter than you.


You can't help showing your nasty snipey nature can you. It's OK I understand you have mental issues.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Some people can’t take a...joke.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

JBFairthorne said:


> Some people can’t take a...joke.


Some people always post rude snide remarks on the same persons threads and posts all the time. That's not joking, that's a form of bullying.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Listen to some of those big influences on him. I don't think he was really doing much different, he just re-introduced a lot of that stuff at the right time.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

player99 said:


> Some people always post rude snide remarks on the same persons threads and posts all the time. That's not joking, that's a form of bullying.


It’s persistence, consistency, funny, accurate and freedom of speech.


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## Eric Reesor (Jan 26, 2020)

What made his playing so great was his playing. The song always comes first always something new to say and in new ways. He made great riffs his own plain and simple nothing more and nothing less. RIP Stevie!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Chitmo said:


> It’s persistence, consistency, funny, accurate and freedom of speech.


It's ok you're not a very good guitar player.


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## Eric Reesor (Jan 26, 2020)

I hope you find my comments considerate @player99 all I am trying to emphasise is how in trying to analyse the how and what, sometimes it is the song in time that gets lost. When asked one time by an admirer "how do you find the chords you do on the guitar and the orchestra" the great composer Heitor Villa Lobos is quoted as saying he did not know. SRV I am sure if asked would not have gone into a long discussion about the theory of how he managed to insert new cadences into his playing. His guitar was his voice and he made it sing whatever came into his head, it is as plain and simple as that. The daily exercise of creating a new song with your voice anytime one comes into your head and then picking up the guitar and making the notes of the song happen is the key.

You can learn a great deal by imitating the exact sounds of others but to reach beyond that just make your own song and variations upon melodies and do it all the time instead of endlessly practising an ephemeral moment of music that someone else created.

But most importantly create your own tunes, even if they are as simple as variations upon Mary Had a Little Lamb or En roulant ma boule, it does not matter, sing something and then do it on the guitar, add some harmony and presto things start to happen but only if you try not to over analyse the harmony of a song. Mary had a Little Lamb can be done in any harmonic form Chinese traditional harmony, Indian rag style, Arabic with quarter tones and breaks into measures of 9/8 contrasting with 11/8 if you really get off the charts and dig deeply into what is possible. 

Yes play pentatonic scales in all keys major and minor with swing off and on the beat in as many patterns as you can but then learn to throw in accidentals off the beat or lead to a scale tone from below the tone. You will find that scooping down semi tones is not as rewarding as ascending to a principle note chromatically or even sliding down long intervals for effect. Avoid scooping up a minor second. 

But if you come away exhausted from practising without inspiration to create a song of your own then the exercises have failed and perhaps did more harm to your sense of musicality than good. In the same light you cannot explain harmonically in terms of anything other than pure creativity most of the great music of Marice Ravel. Like this famous piece which music theorists have long argued about harmonies until the arguments have reached the absurd. The music is what it is plain and simple any attempt to explain it in a codified way is not productive at all.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)




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## StratCat (Dec 30, 2013)

SRV in one word...Mojo.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Wear the finish off a guitar practicing and playing live, that's a start.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)




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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)




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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

All im hearing is that wankery. Can u list a couple of specific parts? 

He has a couple of tones that I really like but I've never found his playing interesting. Add that to the fact that he looks like a fool...


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Adcandour said:


> All im hearing is that wankery. Can u list a couple of specific parts?
> 
> He has a couple of tones that I really like but I've never found his playing interesting. Add that to the fact that he looks like a fool...



I have to admit that I haven't listened to a lot of SRV but what I've heard I'd have to agree with most of your take. I wouldn't say he looks like a fool necessarily. I remember years ago during his peak seeing some live footage of him on tv and thought his playing looked a little sloppy and he was playing fast for the sake of playing fast. I know thats probably blasphemy to a guitar god to say this but that was just my take. 
Now having said that I think I'll queue up some of his stuff on spotify today so I can get a broader view.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

SRV is a great guitar player. BUT, IMO his death has partly to do with getting all the attention he got. For me there are other excellent blues guitar players like Gary Moore, Albert King, Peter Green, Albert Collins, Rory Gallagher, Buddy Guy as an example who have influenced other guitar players too as well as played it their own way. Right now, there are even more, specially the ones who started young, like Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Derek Trucks and the excellent Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram. One thing that hasn't been mentioned a lot is that fact that most of them have been also greatly influenced by Hendrix, who for me is the most influential guitar player ever. YMMV.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

It's the pedals man!


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## Grainslayer (Sep 26, 2016)

if You have to ask....you wouldn’t understand.hahahah.🤪

I remember when SRV was starting to become a big thing...Even as a young somewhat narrow minded metal head,I was instantly a fan.Its funny how that style of music didn’t intrest me at the time but it didn’t matter,he was just awesome...He will always be at the top of my list of favourites.


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## Grainslayer (Sep 26, 2016)

Adcandour said:


> All im hearing is that wankery. Can u list a couple of specific parts?
> 
> He has a couple of tones that I really like but I've never found his playing interesting. Add that to the fact that he looks like a fool...


Lol...how the hell does his choice is wardrobe have anything to do with the topic (his guitar playing)?..Maybe the secret to his tone was in the hat feathers?hahahahahahahahaha


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Chito said:


> SRV is a great guitar player. BUT, IMO his death has partly to do with getting all the attention he got.


He was a big deal before his death, even outside of the guitar player sphere.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Grainslayer said:


> Lol...how the hell does his choice is wardrobe have anything to do with the topic (his guitar playing)?..Maybe the secret to his tone was in the hat feathers?hahahahahahahahaha


Sort of copying Hendrix. Very theatrical. But at the same time all the rockers were wearing tight spandex leotards, frilly girl shirts and makeup.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

I saw SRV a dozen or so times. Every time I was impressed, until the last 2 times, (after In Step). Those 2 times I was blown away. 

In retrospect, the earlier shows were a sloppy drugged out wank-fest. Listen to any of his live stuff pre-sobriety, (at the Elmo, Carnegie Hall, Live Alive,) and then listen to In Step. Hear the difference. There is a grace and elegance in In Step that just isn't there in earlier live work. A combination of discipline and absolute freedom. The later stuff might not have been possible without the drug fueled lead in, it most certainly would have been different.

Admittedly SRV stoned is still waaaaay better than I will ever be at my sober best. After more listening to Family Style than any other album, I agree with SRV......Jimmy is better.

YMMV


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Paul M said:


> I saw SRV a dozen or so times. Every time I was impressed, until the last 2 times, (after In Step). Those 2 times I was blown away.
> 
> In retrospect, the earlier shows were a sloppy drugged out wank-fest. Listen to any of his live stuff pre-sobriety, (at the Elmo, Carnegie Hall, Live Alive,) and then listen to In Step. Hear the difference. There is a grace and elegance in In Step that just isn't there in earlier live work. A combination of discipline and absolute freedom. The later stuff might not have been possible without the drug fueled lead in, it most certainly would have been different.
> 
> ...


Jimmy can't play at the technical or musical skill that SRV can. I don't get how anyone can say he is better. Could you explain that? When I watch him play on YouTube his fingers are clumsy and his playing is mediocre. In my opinion, of course.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

player99 said:


> Jimmy can't play at the technical or musical skill that SRV can. I don't get how anyone can say he is better. Could you explain that? When I watch him play on YouTube his fingers are clumsy and his playing is mediocre. In my opinion, of course.


I'm seriously, 100% not trolling. This is me completely sincere. We all watch video and try to see and hear and learn. To some degree most of us listen, in part, with our eyes. If I were to compare SRV with JLV I would focus on what I hear, and not how they achieve it. (I am a sucker for elegant technique, I wish I had some.) I'm trying to ignore my eyes for a moment.

With my ears:

I hear SRV playing guitar; I hear JLV playing music. I hear SRV throwing paint on the canvas; I hear JLV painting a picture. I hear that JLV knew what the picture was going to look like before he started; I hear SRV as less purposeful, and often lucky. 

(For context, I will freely admit that I love The Shaggs. The pure joy in their music is stunning to me.) 

I always think of music as a language, and the best music is an interesting and engaging conversation among musicians. That's what I hear more consistently with JLV, less so with SRV. That is not to say SRV doesn't have some absolute gems in his C.V. Riviera Paradise is a staggeringly beautiful piece.

Better/worse are probably the wrong words. Given the opportunity I'd love to play with Stevie, but at the same time, I'd love to play like Jimmie.

As always, YMMV.

Peace,

Paul


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Albert Collins, Stevie, Jimmy


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)




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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)




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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Adcandour said:


> All im hearing is that wankery. Can u list a couple of specific parts?
> 
> He has a couple of tones that I really like but I've never found his playing interesting. Add that to the fact that he looks like a fool...


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

High/Deaf said:


> View attachment 328474


Barf


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

Just going for the low hanging fruit here, but wasn't he always tuned down half step? Our ears find that new and tasty... I mean beyond all the practice and learned skill, combined with just being a rare one, his sound always appeals to me for that reason.

C


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Cardamonfrost said:


> Just going for the low hanging fruit here, but wasn't he always tuned down half step? Our ears find that new and tasty... I mean beyond all the practice and learned skill, combined with just being a rare one, his sound always appeals to me for that reason.
> 
> C


Yes but it also makes stretching and vibrato easier and more effective. Although SRV used heavy strings. I have spent a year or two tuned down and the vibrato and stretching becomes more prominent. Recently I tuned back up to record at regular tuning and my fingers really notice the difference. (I am pre arthritis).


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

player99 said:


> how to hang notes, and how to leave dead space


think about the context he was playing in at the time as far as how they managed time and gaps and a sense of feel
U2 was at the top of their run - all the dead space full of delay behind the beat and pace pushing forward there's no gaps to fill even when they did work with blues and gospel players
'80s pop wasn't much for hanging on anything with super strict synth time even guys that have become more expressive later on like Mark Knopfler or Peter Gabriel were doing pretty tight time then
about the most cheeseball glitzy that country ever got with overproduction and high gloss veneer no dead space or anticipation there and maybe not much to anticipate
hair metal ... no gaps to fill at a Motley Crue show 
so then along comes SRV and in that context he stands out in the crowd

i think if he were around now he would record pride and joy a bit slower but at the time it already felt looser than people were used to

j


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Stevie was a fucking beast. I'd say anyone who is doubting the man better have some serious chops in order to back up the critique.
Did he have some sloppy wankfest live shows? Yeah, of course. 
When he was "on" though, man what a powerhouse. 
I'll just say this; if you were on the same bill with SRV, you better hope to hell you were not going on after him.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

fretzel said:


> I think his secret was the ferocity and conviction that he played with. Lots of guys can play the same thing but it seems to lack that spark.


That‘s what I came in to say. He hits so strings with such authority and confidence.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

zztomato said:


> Did he have some sloppy wankfest live shows? Yeah, of course.
> When he was "on" though, man what a powerhouse.


I remember when this one came out and I saw it on TV, I had to reassess what I thought I knew about his playing.


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