Stevie Ray Vaughan Discussion

[62strat]

Hey guys, I posted here before asking where I could find some SRV tabs and what not but I guess the question I have now is can anyone give me any advice on how to sharpen my SRV skillz. I listened to all your SRV COVERS and was very impressed GREAT JOB GUYS.

My problem is I can't seem to get the right direction going as far as i bought a SRV Instructional video by Greg Coch and its great but he plays so fast it doesn't show it at half speed and I have checked out some tab stuff and that works ok but I guess I'm looking for some advce from people who play this syle of music everyday. I have been playing for a year or so and I'm pretty good for how long I've been playin I got A 62 American Vintage re-Issue strat that I put Texas Specials in and I'm playin throught a Fender 4x10 Hot Rod Deville With a tube Screamer so I think I have OK gear now I just want to get my SRV CHOPS DOWN. Any advice would be put to great use.

TTrahan and Vaughanabe13 I know you guys ROCK THE HELL OUT OF SOME SRV TUNES. If you guy could throw some of that KNOWLEDGE this way i would really appreciate it.

"GRASSHOPPER" WOULD BE VERY APPRIATIVE CONFUSSOUS <--- said with an old KUNG FO MOVIE VOICE.

THANKS IN ADVANCE,
Jay

[Vaughanabe13]

Well it's not really something that you can just teach over the internet. I learned how to play with the SRV style through a few years of listening to his music, and also listening to the people who inspired his music. Personally, I think you should ditch the tabs (unless you are really stuck in figuring something out at first) and ditch the instructual videos and guides, and just listen the hell outta every SRV CD and live concert you have.
Get more and more and notice the trends between different versions of the same song. You might start to notice a few licks that SRV repeats quite a bit. Eventually after you have them branded into your brain and you know them like the back of your hand, you can learn to play them. A general tip is that almost EVERYTHING SRV plays for his solos is in a minor or major pentatonic scale (mostly minor). The extensions he does are still part of the pentatonic scale. These extensions are most likely in what's called "Albert's Box" named after the section of a pentatonic scale where Albert King loved to hang out. Once you know in your head what it is supposed to sound like, you can figure it out from there. Playing the blues is all about listening and emulating (at first anyway). Then it's about innovation and feeling good. I grew up with the saying "you are what you eat," and that applies to this situation.... "you play what you listen to the most." Technique is the last step you want to be at. I still haven't mastered the technique stage yet, but I can basically play with the same fiery attack as SRV. Also, another good way to learn (especially for fingerings and the way he holds his hands) is by watching all of the SRV live DVD's. Study them and take copious notes in your head about everything. Eventually it won't be so complicated.

But like I said, I can't just tell you some magic words online that will make you play like SRV. It's an aquired skill, that takes years and years to develop. Don't get frustrated if it doesn't happen right away. Anyone can sound like Blink 182, but it takes a rare individual to play with the same soul as SRV.

Hope that helps,
Vaughanabe13

[TTrahan]

Honestly, live, eat, and breathe the playing style if you want to sound like a certain person.

Well said Vaughanabe. I'll tell ya some of the things that helped me.

The thing that helped me the most was watching live concert videos or DVDs. They helped me see his finger positions, which in turn helped me plant my fingers in the same sort of way. They helped me see his muting technique, and the dynamics of his playing. I think this would help you as well.

Learn how to mute correctly, this is THE major part of the SRV style.

Learn you're favorite SRV tune note for note, not matter how long it takes you. This will get you in touch with most of those licks that SRV uses everywhere, in minor blues contexts and major blues contexts. Like Vaughanabe said, SRV repeats licks a lot, in every key. Learning them in one song will make it easier to apply them to the rest of the song.

Learn to hybrid pick, you have to yank those high Es and Bs to get the blues sting. Watch some vids, you'll see what I'm talking about!

One last thing, and I am very proud of this part. VIBRATO is important in this type of style. I feel that I have really improved my vibrato in the last year or so, its much more patient and wide. You have to learn to do this. SRV's vibrato was not really fast. I have more work to do, but I have already worked on it a TON. I feel that this is the part of his playing that I have down the best, along with the hybrid picking part.

Do not get discouraged, regardless of what people say, SRV's style is a hard style to get down. There is TONS of us out there that sound like him, but all of us have worked our butts off to accomplish it!!

[Vaughanabe13]

Vibrato is probably the weakest area of my playing, as we've already discussed. I really need to sit down one day and just learn it, straight up. I'm really good at vibrato's on the G string, fairly good at vibrato while bending, and not very good at vibrato on the D string or on the high E with my first finger.

It also doesn't help that I play heavier strings than I probably should (13's). When I get my new neck I think I will move down to 12's to save both my frets and my hands from wear.

[62strat]

Stevie Would've Been Proud Of Lastnight, Two young guys not trying to be STEVIE just trying to be a part of what he did and what he gave to the world. Thanx Troy for all your help. I really appriciate it Bro.





"I'm still married to my FIRST WIFE, that's my first gu-it-ar. She's a '59 Stratocaster. I've always called her my FIRST WIFE. She don't talk back to me, she talks for me. She don't scream at me, she screams for me, and she sho does have a sweet tone when she Do..."

Stevie Ray Vaughan
1987 Interview

[TTrahan]

[bluz_playa85]

Learn to play like yourself. Thats 100 times harder than learning how to play like Stevie.

[62strat]

BLUZPLAYA.....

LOOK MAN NO ONE HERE WANTS YOUR HELP SO STEP OFF.......
WE WERE ALL DOING FINE ON THIS LITTLE FORUM BEFORE YOU ARRIVED AND WE WILL ALL BE FINE LONG AFTER YOU LEAVE, OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO PLAY SOME SRV TUNES OR WE WOULDN'T BE ASKING THE QUESTIONS WE ARE ABOUT HIS SOUND. YOU SAID YOURSLEF YOU ONCE PLAYED STEVIE TUNES NOTE FOR NOTE SO OBVIOUSLY IT WAS OK FOR YOU AT SOME POINT CUZ NOW YOUR ON THIS FORUM NAME DROPPING ABOUT WHO YOU HAVE PLAYED WITH ALL LIKE" LOS LONELY BOYS THIS AND WILLIE NELSON THAT" GOOD FOR YOU MAN BUT YOU SAID YOURSELF YOUR STILL TRYING TO PLAY LIKE SOMEONE ELSE IN TRYING TO BE CHRIS DUARTE WHO IS ABOUT HALF A STEVIE RAY WANNABE HIMSELF SO WAY TO GO ON THAT.

BUT YOU NEED TO QUIT TELLING PEOPLE WHAT TO DO WITH THERE MUSIC AND WHAT STYLE THEY PLAY.

DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER EVER TELL YOU TO WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF AND LET OTHER PEOPLE DO THE SAME?

YOU WERE TELLIN PEOPLE WHAT TO DO HERE ON YOUR 2 POST WAY TO GO. I'D LOVE TO MEET YOU IN PERSON.

[TTrahan]

Since this is an SRV forum, it makes sense that most of us are trying to play like SRV, because for one reason or another, we have fallen in love with that style.

Granted most of us will inevitably grow out of it, however, I personally am not quite ready to move on just yet. So I think I will make my own decision when to exit the "SRV Mania". I don't need a push from anybody on the forum, I can figure out which direction I need to go in by myself.

I appreciate the advice though, but I've also heard it a thousand times.

[Adam H]

The main thing you need to sound more like SRV is heavy strings, a pick that's at least a med-heavy to heavy, and you've got to pick the louder notes like you're trying to tear the strings off the guitar. I learned a lot from the tab books, but you've got to learn the solos, and then learn to play them by ear until they sound smooth and lyrical. Making the guitar come alive is the key, and SRV was a master, maybe THE master. I have taught lessons for years, and have taught the Mary Had a Little Lamb solo dozens of times. It's a good one to start, because it gets progessively harder as it goes on, and is very easy to hear all the nuances on the recording. Good luck!

[Blind Melon Chitlin]

Sharpen your ears and everything else will follow. Few people have perfect pitch, but if you have relative pitch (as most people do) you can train your ears.

If this isn't the answer you were looking for and you still think there's some magic pill you can take that's going to make you play like SRV, try the following: puncture both of your ear drums with ice picks and bash your head against a brick wall repetedly.

If you find that one of the above suggestions isn't working, try the other one.
_________________
The stars at night are big and bright....

[TTrahan]

BMC,

NIce to see ya back. Where ya been?

[Blind Melon Chitlin]

[TTrahan]

[62strat]

BMC,
So because I ask for help with SRV style of play you can ridicule me? I don't expect to play like him in a couple of days, couple of weeks, hell for the rest of my life but I would like to play a couple of his tunes. It is important to listen to your influence and understand there style so you can create your own style. If I'm not mistaken all those bands that ever one thinks are so great have done for that last 50 years everbody rips off somebody elses music and BMC or BLUEZPLYA if you think your above that then I would like to know what kinda music you invented because whether it is BLUES,JAZZ,ROCK'N'ROLL, COUNTRY, CLASSICAL, POLKA, OR THAT NEW STYLE YOU GUYS CREATED. IT'S ALL A RIP OFF OF SOMEONE ELSE.

P.S WHAT IS THAT NEW STYLE OF MUSIC YOU CREATED CALLED?
ASSHOLEKA........