# Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia on inspiring creativity and playing guitar



## JasO (Nov 11, 2010)

Back in 1985, a few days before he got busted, I did this 10,000-word interview with Jerry Garcia, which has never before been published in its entirely. Jerry goes deep into his approach to guitar playing, his creative process, his musical heroes, songwriting, and the inner-workings of the Grateful Dead and his duo with John Kahn. 


For example, here's our give-and-take on playing with a pick:

On acoustic, do you have to make many compensations in terms of technique with your right-hand picking attack?

Yeah, it’s a whole different ball of wax, yes. It’s very different. I hold my whole hand kind of differently. And just the position of the guitar and the thickness of the guitar and everything means my whole arm and wrist and everything have a whole different attitude. Electric guitar is real thin, so my elbow is close to my body and my wrist is close to the guitar. It’s all in here [demonstrates close-up playing position]. With an acoustic guitar, it’s all out here [hold arms further away from his body].

Do you hold the pick the same way?

Pretty much, yeah. But I move it around all the time while I’m playing anyway. I don’t have “a” way I hold the pick in an iron grasp. I constantly adjust it. I more it around a lot.

Do you always use the pointy end?

Yes.

A lot of guys lately have been using the rounded shoulder.

Yeah, I know. It’s because it makes it seem like you can play faster. But what you pick up in speed you sacrifice in point. I like to have a lot of control over the point of the note, the attack. And when you use the point of the pick, it means that by relaxing or tightening upon the pick itself you get, uh, . . . I use a real thick pick, one with absolutely zero flexibility. It’s like a stick. And the point is you get a lot of change in touch and a lot of change in tone and point attack of the note and coloration on that level and harmonic content of the attack by holding on to the pick tighter or looser. That makes a big difference in the tone. And on acoustic guitar, that’s one of the ways you can really color your playing.

Anyway, there's a lot of great info in here for guitar players, regardless of whether or not you like the Dead, so I invite you to check it out: 

Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead Complete 1985 Interview


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Cool... I just learned Bird Song from that period last week ...


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## leejross1972 (11 mo ago)

Jerry inspires this Bass Player more than any Bass Player.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Dylan & the Dead


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

How? Honestly curious if you could articulate Jerry’s inspiration for you as a bass player. Thanks!



leejross1972 said:


> Jerry inspires this Bass Player more than any Bass Player.


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## leejross1972 (11 mo ago)

I've been asked 4 times what it is about the Grateful Dead or Jerry Garcia that ignites passion in others. 
As far as an explanation in a Guitar Forum on the specifics of what Jerry does/plays that is more or less specific to Bass, I cannot explain.
All I can say is that nothing, NOTHING, gets me more revved to practice than Jerry Garcia.
Honestly, only 'Deadheads' have as much material to listen too. Say for example I may have heard 50/150+ versions of the same tune. That's one single tune I'm talking about. It's appreciating the familiar and opening oneself to the unpredictability of the unknown. That's why they call him Poppa Bear.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

You do not merely want to be considered the best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones that do what you do. _Jerry Garcia_


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## info_please73 (Jan 15, 2020)

JasO said:


> Back in 1985, a few days before he got busted, I did this 10,000-word interview with Jerry Garcia, which has never before been published in its entirely. Jerry goes deep into his approach to guitar playing, his creative process, his musical heroes, songwriting, and the inner-workings of the Grateful Dead and his duo with John Kahn.
> 
> 
> For example, here's our give-and-take on playing with a pick:
> ...



im new to the forum and just discovered this! I'm a huge deadhead and major huge jerry garcia fan. I would love to the read this but the link doesn't open up the article and im having a hard time trying to navigate the website that comes up!

Thank you kindly!!!!


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Doesn’t look like he’s an active member anymore.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

info_please73 said:


> im new to the forum and just discovered this! I'm a huge deadhead and major huge jerry garcia fan. I would love to the read this but the link doesn't open up the article and im having a hard time trying to navigate the website that comes up!
> 
> Thank you kindly!!!!


maybe: Jas Osbrecht Interview, 1/12/85, San Rafael, CA


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## Fred Gifford (Sep 2, 2019)

Jerry Garcia of the aptly named Grateful Dead, told an interviewer, " Instead of making something that lasts forever ...... I think I'd rather have fun." _Serious_ fun. Fun you're willing to bet your life on.


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