Lick No.1: Peter Haycock, “Rollin’ Home”

Posted on December 20, 2017May 20, 2018 by 1242

If you have not listened to The Climax Blues Band before, then you are in for a treat. Whilst they had just one song that would classify as a 'hit', "Couldn't Get It Right", they crafted a string of excellent albums, and, in the late '70s and early '80s, seemed on the verge of breaking into the big time.

Peter Haycock, who very sadly died at a young age just a few years ago, was a gifted guitarist. Apart from his brilliant playing, he will probably also be remembered for his Veleno guitars, those all-aluminium creations of John Veleno. Several of Pete's were gold-plated, which presumably is what inspired the title of their excellent 1976 album...'Gold Plated'.

Apart from "Couldn't Get It Right", the album features some excellent tunes with terrific blues guitar work, such as "Mighty Fire" and "Rollin' Home", from which I chose my 'Tasty Blues Lick' No.1. The lick comes just into the second verse, straight after Pete sings that memorable line, "...sometimes I feel like a monkey". We could call it the 'monkey lick', I suppose, but whether we do or not, it's a beauty.

Check out the instructional video I've posted on YouTube HERE or by clicking the "Tasty Blues Lick" image below, where I break it down. And if you haven't already got 'Gold Plated', treat yourself to a copy on CD or vinyl. You'll be doing yourself a big favour, and, if you buy it via one of my links, you'll be helping to support the site and the free guitar lessons 🙂 because for each sale from a link, a small commission will be generated - at no extra cost to you. You'll find both UK and USA links to buy the album, HERE.

Enjoy the Monkey Lick and the rest of Pete Haycock's wonderful guitar playing.

Tune your guitar, especially when it matters

Posted on December 13, 2017December 14, 2017 by 1242

What's the first thing you should do when you pick up your guitar? Well, you don't need me to tell you, because you know. You should check the tuning. It's a rule that I broke most of the time back in the day when I was first learning. I'm sure I must have made more of an effort when I was playing with a band or jamming with friends. But for sitting around in front of the TV, just practising licks, bends and scales, I would give the tuning just a cursory check.

These days, I try to be more disciplined. After doing five or ten minutes of hand and finger stretches (more on that later) the first thing I do when I take my guitar from its stand is grab my little clip-on tuner, attach it to the headstock and start tuning. It's a good habit to develop on a number of levels, not least of which is that it trains your ear to appreciate what your guitar should sound like when it is in tune. And the more you do it, the more attuned you'll become to a well-tuned instrument, and the more you'll recoil in horror when you hear one that isn't. With so many tuners available for all tastes and budgets, it's an essential piece of equipment that you can't afford to be without.

One of the more versatile types of tuners on the market today is the clip-on variety. With a strong spring and a lever they can be quickly attached to and detached from, your guitar's headstock. And they are small enough carry around in your pocket in case you suddenly find yourself in a situation where you have no choice but to play. Urged on by your friends to join a Sunday afternoon blues jam at a pub far away from your home is the kind of thing that springs to mind.

So, if you have a tuner, please use it; and if you don't, please get one as soon as you can. Get tuning. You'll thank yourself for it later.

Learning guitar back in the day

Posted on December 13, 2017May 20, 2018 by 1242

Learning by listening, when learning the guitar

Listening and learning go hand in hand. If your guitar journey began in the internet age, if you started learning with your computer or iPad to hand, no doubt your playing will be hugely influenced by the many brilliant players and tutors on YouTube. Whatever style you aim for, or technique you want to improve, you can guarantee that there will be a number of videos ready and waiting to help you.

I wish it had been like that back in my day. When I started learning, I and my guitar friends got our guitar tuition from vinyl. That meant stopping and starting the record, and lifting and lowering the needle dozens of times. If you were lucky, your record player had that really slow setting, which was about 16 or 17 rpm. With that, you could slow your albums down to half speed in an attempt to pick out the licks. The only problem with that, of course, was that in addition to slowing the track down, it took the pitch down, too.

The other thing we did when learning was swapped licks in person, but I suppose players of today do that, too. I can well remember coming out of the youth club, then later the pub, and heading back to a friend's house to make toast, jam around on guitars and show each other what we'd worked out since we last got together.

The point to note out of all of this is that, in these days of YouTube learning, brilliant thought it is, it is even more important to take some time out and just sit and listen closely to what you are trying to emulate. We had no choice but to do that back in the day. But today, it's optional.

So please don't forget to go to the source and listen to the music. Listen to the Beano album over and over. Listen to the subtleties that made Eric Clapton such a brilliant player. Sit down with no distractions and listen.

Playing the first 12 bars of ‘Hideaway’

Posted on December 12, 2017December 13, 2017 by 1242

Arguably the most difficult track to master from the Beano album, 'Hideaway' presents the player with some tricky techniques and timing challenges. The first one to be aware of is right at the start, the second time we play the main riff. If we listen very closely to the record, we can hear that Eric does not play the second note. Instead, it is 'implied', and our brain fills in the gap. This subtle point goes a long way to capturing the feel of the track as it was recorded.

Another thing to be very careful with is the string bending. It is important to make sure we end our bends on the correct notes. Listen carefully to where those notes should end and get them as close as you can. Also be aware that you need to kill them stone dead and cleanly. Do not leave them hanging on.

The hammer-ons in the opening riffs, played in the ninth position (i.e. with the first finger at the ninth fret) can be played with either the second or third finger. Experiment with both, and play it the way that works best for you. I tend to chop and change, sometimes using my second, sometimes my third. And be sure to get the repeated hammer-ons in the third phrase nicely in time. Listen very carefully to the underlying beat as you are playing.

For the closing part of this section, the riff moves down to the open strings, more in the style of the original Freddie King version. For the part where it comes out of the riff (after the slide-up on the E string which is followed by the three repeated hammer-ons) those three notes are usually seen played on the open B and G (2nd fret) strings, but I find I can control the tone and the damping much better if I play it all on the G string, at the 2nd and 4th frets. Give it a try and see what you think.

Trills play a big part in Hideaway, and next we come to the first of them. It's on the G string, and we trill on the first fret. You can use either your first or second finger. I usually use my second, because it has more strength and I do the trill much more effectively.

After a couple more notes, you then have the rapid slide on the G string, from the 3rd to the 2nd fret then the open G string. Listen to the record to check the sound you are aiming to achieve, then work on it.

‘Hideaway’, first video on the YouTube channel

Posted on December 11, 2017December 13, 2017 by 1242

I've just uploaded the first cover video (scroll down) to my new YouTube channel. That old favourite, 'Hideaway'. I've also listed five of nine video lessons that break the tune down. I'll get the remaining four done and up as soon as I can.

This tune is packed full of great techniques for the blues and blues-rock guitarist. Eric is in total control of his guitar. His phrasing, bends and timing are immaculate. For anyone wanting to play this style of guitar, a study of this piece is essential.

It was recorded in March of 1966 in one of Decca's London studios, one of twelve tracks on the classic album, John Mayall. Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton. For this recording, Eric was playing his sunburst Les Paul Standard through a 30w Marshall combo.

That famous guitar was stolen not longer after the album was recorded, at a very early rehearsal of The Cream. It is has never been seen since, although there have been claims in the music press that its whereabouts is known. I have never heard anything reliable myself, but I would love for it to surface again.

There has been some debate on whether or not Eric was using a Rangemaster Treble Booster on the recording. The consensus opinion appears to be 'no', but there are a few parts on the album that do make me wonder. The distorted solo on 'All Your Love', for example. Could that be the Rangemaster, or is it all just the Marshall combo turned up to full volume?

Once the album was released, the die was set and the electric guitar would never be the same again. Countless players from Eddie Van Halen and Bernie Marsden to Gary Moore and Billy Gibbons, have all been quoted as saying how great an influence this album had on them. I can well remember hearing it for the first time myself, many decades ago.

Hideaway is one of the best pieces on the album, one of two great instrumentals that showcased Eric's talent, the other being 'Steppin' Out', which I will be covering and breaking down in a future video.