SRV, John Mayer lead playing picking technique

[metallicsponge]

Hi folks,

I'm trying to get to a point where I can do SRV, John Mayer lead playing. These guys definitely have speed, but very different from how, say a jazz player, or shredder would have speed.

Watch this solo (approx. 2 and a half minutes in). Its definitely got speed, but it seems like he's alternate strumming the single note leads rather than picking it...and this seems to be true on almost all of his lead solos. My guess is that he's just strumming all the strings (in the whole solo) and muting the string hes playing.



If this is true, it could be a way to cure my lack of speed problems to a degree. IMO, it also sounds better this way.

 

[boneyguy]

That's a nice solo. I think Mayer is a really good guitar player. As for technique, yes, he's muting the strings he's not playing. I doubt he's hitting all six strings at the same time because even with that strumming technique you can be more precise than that. He's probably hitting maybe four strings or so surrounding the notes he's actually playing.

Playing single notes in that manner does have a particular sound to it that I like even though I seldom play that way. Sometimes when I'm funkin' it up, like in the Mayer tune, I do that but not that often. It makes me think I'd like to play around with that style more and use it more often.

 

[sax4blues]

I'm gonna have to keep my eye on this thread, SRV/JM in one shot. Yikes

 

[metallicsponge]

Yeah, so almost every fast JM solo, when he uses a pick is raked. Makes me think that it might be a way to cure my speed issues.

When I try it, I gain speed, but I don't have that muting down yet. Also, it sounds better on acoustic because it seems that my amp settings have a lot of muted string click noise. Gotta figure out how to dial that down.

 

[Larry F]

I don't think either guitarist uses the technique when soloing as much as single note legati (hammer-on and pull-off). When they use the kind of strumming demonstrated in the video above, it is in the context of playing octaves, 6ths, and funky patterns. In such cases, the textural energy is so high that playing strict single-note playing would seem less intense, unless done at a very fast speed. Does that make sense? I'm sort of imagining myself in such situations.

 

[Larry F]

Yeah, so almost every fast JM solo, when he uses a pick is raked.

I don't have enough familiarity with all of his music, so you might be onto something here.

 

[metallicsponge]

Here's another vid. (There's a solo at 3:29, and a nice modal intro too).



I think what he's doing is not just raking, but also kind of doublestop strumming for singlenotes (to replace where a shredder would have a sharp pick attack). So if he's hitting the high E, he might also catch part of the B...gets to keep his hand nice and loose and can move it fast since he doesn't have to actually pick the string.

Of course he's muting other strings. I hope it doesn't seem like I have an obsession with JM (as friends tell me)...its more like, if I could cop any one players lead style, it would be JM.

 

[gtroates]

This clip just reminds me of how much more taste Jimi had than his imitators do now! Seriously, all John Mayer did was screw it up by playing it that fast Hendrix plays this song so sparsely and sweetly in comparison, what more can be added to it?

Hendrix also played solos with this alternating strumming technique and I'm sure that's where any of his big fans like John Mayer, Eric Johnson, and SRV picked it up. It's a technique used by a lot of funk players, you put the center of the pick stroke/strum about an inch lower (towards the floor) than the thinnest string and you play the upper strings without hitting the lower strings at all, reverse it for the lower string notes by putting the center of the strum arc above the thickest string by an inch or so (towards the ceiling) and you won't hit the upper strings. In this way you never actually strum all the strings and can mute with the fingers of your left hand what is surrounding the note you are playing. Wes Montgomery played his octaves with his thumb by playing two note and left hand muting the rest like this too.

 

[Jimo]

Here's another vid. (There's a solo at 3:29, and a nice modal intro too).



The first part of this song he is aping Santana licks......really starts at about 17 seconds in.........at 1:21 ihe is aping Sting licks (solo) career,,,,,,you can really hear his influences...not unlike Bonamasso..when he "channels" Eric Johnson....But whatever...its all good!

 

[Breen]

SRV and Mayer does what you said, OP, which is mute the unwanted string while attacking the notes he wants to ring out. You can hear it on the Bluesbreaker 'Beano' album with Eric Clapton. Its on the Bluesbreaker thread on-going now.

Its a feel and expression thing. When you hold down one note, mute the top adjacent strings and rake into it, it gives you a reving motorbike engine kinda sound. Thats what I imagine anyway. I heard it first from Clapton, then of course SRV did it in bunches. It emphasises the note or just makes things 'thicker' sounding, but not tone wise of course.

Also Mayer and his hero SRV does alot of double stop 'framming'. Use you index and ring finger, play double stops on the 1st pentatonic blues scale, while muting other strings, and just giving all you got to the audience. Bend those double stops, throw in a pinky with a note out of the 1st blues box, throw in the major 3rd, unison bend, whatever. But try to mute the rest of the strings, while attacking with your picking hand. Its the same technique almost to sweep picking, but your digging in more with your picking hand to emphases the roughness and revvyness of your playing.

 

[telex76]

It's not that hard a technique, but until you get good at it it will as Keith Wyatt said "sound like garbage cans rolling downhill."