need help with some SRV regarding muting technique

[ravelle]

Hey guys! I need some help here , my left hand muting kinda suck , any recommendations on which SRV song i can practise on to polish my muting technique?Its just so amazing , his muting seems to invisible !

[Zippo]

You may need to adjust your action a little higher and use heavier strings. At least 10 gauge. A pick with a little give is best, say a Fender medium.

Start by laying your hand over the strings and getting a rhythm going with your pick. Adjust your picking and left hand grip until you like the sound of the muted strings.

Now pick out a single note and try and play it while keeping the rest of the strings muted maintaining the established rhythm. Use the down and the up stroke to sound the note.

You may find that different strokes are required for the set of low strings and the set of high strings.

When you can do a single note try a multi note riff using a couple of strings.

Do this long enough and you should be able to play any SRV song you want.

[ravelle]

so almost every player can play like SRV ( muting technique ) after years of experience eh. :)

[Zippo]

If that's your goal, dude...

[Tony]

of being able to play all of SRV's songs exactly like he played them, so I'm working on Django now. I'm about 3/4 of the way through his stuff. Only using two fingers, too.

(edited to add winking emoticon)

[TheGoodTexan]

Originally Posted by Tony

I myself got tired of being able to play all of SRV's songs exactly like he played them, so I'm working on Django now. I'm about 3/4 of the way through his stuff. Only using two fingers, too.

Congratulations.

Originally Posted by ravelle

any recommendations on which SRV song i can practise on to polish my muting technique?

Pride and Joy

Just after the opening lead, when the band comes in, he switches to rhythm to accompany himself on the verse.

Learning this song is a great excersize in basic electric blues....playing rhythm and lead together. He walks the bass line with Tommy and mutes the strings on the upstroke, then plays a little lead lick in the open spaces.

Learning how to do this well is essential to playing a good blues rhythm shuffle, and does not automatically make one a SRV clone.

[Zippo]

I suppose one could just get a Vaughanabe pedal from these guys and be done with it:

http://www.angelfire.com/yt3/redtele/

[TheGoodTexan]

You know what?

I'm sick and tired of the condesention toward people that want to learn guitar in the style of SRV. Yes, I get it. There are a lot of people that are drawn to his music, and sure, for whatever reason a lot of young guitar players start off wanting to know how to get "that SRV tone". So what?

Let the guitar player that has never spent time trying to sound like someone whom they highly respect, throw the first stone.

Otherwise, I don't want to hear the condesention. What, you're better than someone because you didn't learn any SRV songs? So what?

I think that part of the beginning stages of musicianship is that you try to sound like something else that you've already heard. It takes awhile of doing this before you find your own voice.

I think we should all applaud ravelle for wanting to learn a new technique, and being smart enough (and humble enough) to ask for help.

[Zippo]

Me?

Call off the dog. I gave him advice on how to go about it and got back what looked to be a smartass reply.

I love SRV -- I'm listening to him right now! My last post was just meant to be humorous.

[eddiewagner]

i must admit: i am 47 and this winter i wanted to polish my bluesplaying a bit. so i ordered 2 greg koch dvds that deal with srv. i can tell you i learned soooooo much. that was a very good investment. svr really knew how to organise a bluesolo and do effective and entertaining things on his guitar. now my bluesplaying is a whole lot better and i do not sound like srv at all! (whish i would). specially if you live somewhere where there are no real good guitarplayers at every streetcorner that are willing to share their secrets, its a good thing to steal some stuff from well known players and turn that into something of your own.
AND: its always better to know and not need, than to need and not know (bb king)

[Tony]

If my comments inflamed. In looking back at the thread, I believe I misunderstood Zippo. I thought he was making light of SRV's playing by saying if you practiced the rhythm technique he suggested one could play any SRV song. I thought Zippo was being hyperbolic, much like an earlier thread a few months (or even years) ago where an author said that Freddie King only had 6 or 7 licks.

I believe in retrospect I misunderstood Zippo. I hope you can accept my apology. Tony

[Zippo]

My "play any SRV song" statement was meant to address the "which SRV song should I learn" question.

I thought this was an odd way of asking for info on how to do this stuff, so I tried to answer in a way that provided tips on how one might approach any SRV song that used this technique.

It wasn't my intent to say that if you merely "shuck and jive" on the strings you'd sound like SRV.

Like I said, I love the guy and often cop licks from him. The only thing I like more than SRV is his brother Jimmie.

Freddie King is awesome, too. 8)

[TheGoodTexan]

Originally Posted by Tony

If my comments inflamed. In looking back at the thread, I believe I misunderstood Zippo. I thought he was making light of SRV's playing by saying if you practiced the rhythm technique he suggested one could play any SRV song. I thought Zippo was being hyperbolic, much like an earlier thread a few months (or even years) ago where an author said that Freddie King only had 6 or 7 licks.

I believe in retrospect I misunderstood Zippo. I hope you can accept my apology. Tony

Fair enough brother.

And Zippo, I wasn't being a smartass to you. I was being a smartass to Tony in my first post. Although you did offer some valid advice, I felt that you were poking fun at ravelle (and in affect, all fans of SRV's tone/technique) with the Vaughanabe remark.

Again, I do get it. I don't like to see guys playing out in a live setting that only play SRV licks, note-for-note. And I'm not a fan of those who have become famous for doing it. I completely understand how boring the over-commercialization of post-mortem SRV product has become. I get it.

I just hate to have someone's interest in learning new guitar techniques squelshed with condesention. And it seems to be rampant with SRV.

If I misunderstood you, I apoligize.

[Zippo]

I'm good. No harm no foul.

I'd encourage anyone to learn SRV on a Tele. Two great tastes that taste great together.

[ravelle]

Originally Posted by TheGoodTexan

Congratulations.

Pride and Joy

Just after the opening lead, when the band comes in, he switches to rhythm to accompany himself on the verse.

Learning this song is a great excersize in basic electric blues....playing rhythm and lead together. He walks the bass line with Tommy and mutes the strings on the upstroke, then plays a little lead lick in the open spaces.

Learning how to do this well is essential to playing a good blues rhythm shuffle, and does not automatically make one a SRV clone.

Thanks alot GoodTexan , i am sure learning the muting technique will open new doors for me.

[zombywoof]

Yeah, I agree with Pride & Joy as a good one to practice muting left hand muting. Nice single string runs as well. As someone said, just a great blues primer all the way around.

You might just try some good ol' Bo Diddley. Great stuff to play around with and will give ya plenty of opportuntiy to use some left hand muting (unless, of course, you are left-handed).

[Tremo]

I think KBR has some instructional videos that deal with the SRV style.

He is as good an example to learn the chug-chug muting technique.

In a live gig I do that, but with other non-SRV material.

[Tom P.]

Heres a link to a great SVR interview with some wonderful shots of his hands demonstrating what he did so well.

SRV Interview

[Tremo]

He makes it look so easy.

[ravelle]

Muting won't be easy for me , the neck profile is giving me some problems...and if i raise the action of the strings....i can't imagine what i will be doing.

[KBR]

I am working soon on a streaming video that can be bought online and doing some of SRV's styles, (He had so many!)

KBR

[The Bone2]

Had something nobody else had...

I'm not sure what,

but he had it... 8)