Yesterday marked the 25th Anniversary of the plane crash that took Stevie Ray Vaughan from us many years too early…
Stevie was a huge influence on me growing up, and the more I listen to him and the more I hear these rare interviews that appear once in a while (the good thing about YouTube) the more I wish I’d gotten to hear him play live… and the more I realize what a huge loss it really was when he left us.
So I was looking around and found this great interview/lesson with Stevie (notice the amps behind him, the lower head below the Marshall is his famous Dumble Steel String Singer for all you gear heads.)
In particular, I want you to notice that in both of the initial examples (Hideaway and Rude Mood) there’s a lot of major blues stuff going on.
And since we’ve been talking about the combination of the major and minor blues scales a lot lately, this really fits in perfectly.
At about 1:29, notice that he goes to box 1 in the key of E to play the E major blues sound…
And then again at 2:38 there’s a close up of a great lick, also in box 1 but situation in a way as to play the E major blues sound, and from the top of the box, not the bottom.
I hope you dig it, and if you want to work more on combining the major and minor blues sounds, check out this video I did on that subject.
R.I.P Stevie… we miss you.
53 replies to "A Lesson From SRV…"
SRV – that mysterious player always seems to be one with the guitar.
I am from Sydney Australia, I only knew about SRV through the lessons from Griff Hamlin of BGU and I must say by watching this video plus other videos of SRV in action, that Griff has sent us all, he certainly created a Guitarist’s world that many of us would dream of ever achieving. Here today, we have such a great teacher Griff Hamlin of Blues Guitar Unleashed who has the expertise to teach us some of the great Guitar phrases that SRV produced and in Griff’s talent we can eventually achieve what we are all aiming for in spirit & soul of such a great Guitarist. Hopefully the SRV spirit & soul will live with us, forever. RIP SRV
Griffin i got your video on major and minor and
the srv video but there was no audio. could I please get another one? Thanks so much charls
He’s Griffith – its Welsh!
My wife and I saw Stevie in Alpine Valley that weekend. We went to the first of the two shows–the night before Stevie was killed. Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, and Jimmie Vaughan were also there. We went to see Clapton–I didn’t know much about SRV at that time. I learned later that Stevie had just beaten severe drug and alcohol addiction and was on his way back. Clapton was very impressed by his performances that weekend.
http://www.guitarworld.com/august-1990-how-stevie-ray-vaughan-died
Alpine Valley is in rural southern Wisconsin (East Troy) not too far from the Illinois line. There is a pavilion there and a long grassy hill rising up from it (we had lawn seats). It is a hilly area (resort/ski area), and somewhat remote. Unfortunately it was foggy that night, and it is believed the pilot did not know the area very well.
RIP SRV.
I live in Sydney, Australia. I saw him live a the Hordon provilon in 1985 he was just a fantastic guitar player. When I heard he died in a helicopter crash that was just awful. RIP Stevie.
Wow…He was quite an artist, fun to listen to.
I actually worked on that “Superstition” video and ended up playing the #1 SRV strat !!! All I knew about him at the time was he played on a David Bowie record .. I have great stories about that shoot . Stevie and I hit it off right away and we worked together to make that video come alive with some evil deeds .. He even played through my Fender Super Twin .. He filled the theater with magic … it was so powerful .. My brush with the musician who was to become my main inspiration .. to play with passion .. just pure passion is the secret !!! It is so obvious ..
A time you no doubt carry with you as a fond memory…All who met Stevie say he was a kind soul and just loved music, all kinds, obviously, just proven by the greats he chose, and was chosen by, to play with. I was lucky enough to have seen Stevie at EM Loews Theatre in Worcester Mass…Oh, jeez in 1989 I think…and it was magical, life changing for this humble blues lover. I just know that he always brings a smile of Joy when I hear his music, and wonder what could have been. I say here, we all miss you Stevie, whether we saw you or not. You touched many hearts worldwide and your soul lives on in our ears on a daily basis. You are a lucky man Don, I wish I could have sat in on that session. Thank you for sharing. R.I.P. Stevie. and Thank You as well…
What can you but just great…There will never be another……………
That is why we play.
Thanks Griff
as tom t hall put it in one of his songs it could be that the good lord likes a little pickin too?
thank you. that was great. i have had the honor of seeing stevie twice. once actually insane diego. pun intended. with jimmie opening, at balboa. i thought i’d died and gone to heaven. i’m still here and unfortunately, he’s gone. my music library if full of his music, but my mind is full of some seious badass concerts!
Wow, that was really great!
Brilliant, this was awesome, thanks for sharing it.. learned a couple of new things from it that I can’t wait to practice..
Larson
ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG. SO SAD WE LOOSE GREAT
GUIATR PLAYERS TO BOOZE AND DRUGS. STEVIE AND JIMI. LOVE THE SHUFFEL AND THE HAMMERONDS. ONE THING I DID NOTICE, HE DOES NOT MUTE OUT THE STRINGS. HE PICKS THEM AROUND THE OPEN STRINGS. SOME TIMES I DO THE SAME. BUT I USE THE HEEL OF MY STRUMMING HAND TO MUTE , OR GIVE IT THAT LOW TONE SOUND. ,OR A THUMP. SAW HIM PLAY THE GARRET CLUB IN HOLLYWOOD BACK IN THE 80’S. WAS A GAS!!VERY HUMBLE GUY! RIP, BRO.
I had tickets to see Mr. Vaughan and EC 2 days after that horrific day of his untimely death in Kansas City. Clapton did his show that night, and at the end of his set and after band bows, Eric humbly and softly spoke into the mike, ” this ones for you Stevie” and proceeded under a single blue spotlight with no band mates, to play Vaughan’s song’s and riffs with no vocals for about a 1/2 hour. What a soulful tribute.
My brother was working in Austin, Tx. and he sent me a cassette of SRV playing at some bar there. Called In the Beginning. Recorded April 1, 1980. I was blown away. Couldn’t get enough of his music, to this day he is my all-time favorite artist. I was lucky enough to see him play at a venue in Mid-Michigan called Pine Knob, an outdoor venue. I don’t think the hill ever shook so hard, it was awesome. Joe Cocker was the special guest, what a night, will never forget it. So, thanks Griff for the clip, I too had never seen that. RIP SRV
Thanks Griff for the good stuff I remember back in the early 80s it was the hair metal time but I had this cassette SRV and I told all my friends this guy is a rippin guitar player and even though the style of music was different than what was trendy at that time nobody could argue different I would say this guy is tearing it up and he’s playing clean just wonder what we would be hearing from him today of he was still with us ???
Time passes quickly, does it not? In 1990 I was fronting a 3-piece Blues/Rock band, and we played quite a few SRV tunes, and had been for quite some time – so much so that many people didn’t know much about Stevie. Not too long before his death, Stevie played in Fargo. It so happened that we were playing the same weekend, and I remember telling myself, ‘well, I’ll just have to see him another time’. I’ve thought about that many times. There was hardly anyone that I would have wanted to see perform live, more than him. I regret that I never got that chance. I’m so glad that he and his brother were able to record together, before that tragic accident, and I’m sure Jimmie is eternally grateful they took the time to get it done. Stevie was a gentle, humble soul.
This demo is entertaining for sure , but both SRV,and Griff play to fast to totally absorb what is happening. l do find this an intriguing subject, but Griff has never been real clear enough on how this is applied pracically in usage of real songs we all like to play. l mean when l hear a 1 4 5 blues tune such as Statesborough blues , l hear minor all the way ,and even songs like pride & joy , l hear the minor blues dominating , so l would need to ask Griff in person to actually show me on real life songs we all play to prove this in a slow exact way. l Suppose on these sites they have to beware of copyright laws so therefore must use their own samples , but l am still confused about this ,and Griff just keeps on confusing me on this subject. l do sometimes on a few songs see how this works , but on many when l apply a major sound , or scale it just sounds dissonent . We need more clarification Griff.
I have always thought of Stevie as a reincarnated white Jimi Hendrix, by the way approached the guitar as just an extension of themselves. Totally awesome and natural.
I was lucky enough to see Stevie in Toronto for his In-Step tour… he was absolutely amazing… I was in high school when my buddy threw on Couldn’t Stand The Weather (yes a vinyl record) and I was hooked to the blues ever since… I was an SRV nut… read all the literature on him that I could find… saved every magazine… bought every album he had out… bought albums that he played on to back up other musicians… All my other classmates with an exception of few blues fanatics listened to all the hair bands while we got drunk on Robert Cray, Robben Ford, James Cotton, David Gogo, Jeff Healey, Chris Duarte, Ronnie Earl, Albert Collins, BB, Buddy, Muddy… too many to list…
At least 10 of my friends called me at home that fateful day… I couldn’t believe it… i was in total shock for a week…
Thank you Stevie for introducing me to Strat’s with fat strings, deep grooves and soul, mind bending riff’s and how to overcome the struggles in life…
I’ve always admired SRV one of my favourite guitarist never got to see him play live but his albums are in my play list I
Play him at least once a month I will never be able to play to his standard he was gifted
And a legend and he will never be forgotten thanks for the video I’ve not seen this one
Cheers Griff
For a lot of years I knew of Stevie Ray Vaughan and mostly what I heard is that he could copy Jimi Hendrix note for note. Over time I heard a few of his songs from the earlier albums which were good but I never had the desire to copy a copier and I didn’t want to play strictly blues. Maybe four or five years ago I saw on public tv his concert with Albert King, who I was not as familiar with as other blues guitarists, but familiar enough to have heard he was good. It was a great concert, and in fact I was more impressed with Albert King only because I had never heard him play previously. Watching them feed off of each other was very special and it was just a terrific concert and I gained a lot more respect for Stevie Ray Vaughan from watching him then. I imagine he might have developed even more as a guitar player, it’s hard to say, and even at that point it seems to me not too many guitar players could match him in the blues venue as it was. Hearing of his death was no less sadder than those before him, and quite frankly the same kind of shock as the others that you never really recover from. Reading all these comments no doubt he is missed. Sad.
Thank you for this video and your wonderful comments and sentiment to a great and obviously humble man.
I saw SRV live in Toledo, Ohio, with Johnny Copeland. All I can say is that he was ON that night. I thank God I have been able to see some of the greats in concert; SRV, Clapton, and Hendrix. They were bigger than life.
I have seen a few interviews with Guitar Greats but not sure I have seen one that flowed with such ease. Class Act SRV!
I was there that fateful night at Alpine Valley 25 years ago, seems like yesterday. Robert Cray opened up, followed by Stevie Ray Vaughn, then Eric Clapton. I ran into a friend pre-concert and he said “SRV is gonna blow them all away”. Now, I came to the concert as a blues fan with EC as my favorite artist. But I knew SRV quite well, well enough to think to myself “He may be right but I have to see it to believe it, I mean blow EC away?”. Well I can say this without question; I’ve never heard anyone play like SRV, before or since. I saw an interview with EC one time and he referred to SRV as having “this continuous flow of energy”. Very well put. Seeing him live was a ride man, like hold on to your seat 2-hour Indy Car 220 mph ride. In fact all three artists were phenomenal in their own special way. Interesting side note; they finished the show with a jam session; SRV, EC, Robert Cray, and a friend from Chicago named Buddy Guy. That was blues guitar heaven, those four jamming and trading licks was mind blowing. The very last song they jammed to was “Sweet Home Chicago”. RIP SRV, I’ll never forget that night, it’s so, so sad that it was his last show.
I love this version and often check out SRV. We all miss him.RIP
Thanks Griff,
I have not seen that interview before. Back in 1983 my mom was a record store manager for “Listening Booth” for those of you who remember. She won some sales contest from CBS, her prize was to pick any 3 albums from a current list of new releases. She handed me the list to choose what I liked. On that list was a hot new blues guitarist from Texas, his album,”Couldn’t Stand The Weather”. Or at least that’s what the description said. Hey sounded good to me, why not take a chance on a unknown, besides it was free. Well after the first few notes of “Scuttle Buttin”, I was hooked!!! I called all my friends over to listen to this guy. You gotta remember…this was the eightes; big hair metal bands, electric keyboards were a part of most music on the radio. Nobody and I mean nobody sounded like Stevie. We were lucky to have seen him several times. On the day he died many people called me with condolences, they all knew how much I loved Stevie.
RIP SRV. Steve was a showman, a real class act, but, it seems very few recognize that his brother Jimmy is twice the guitar player. Steve was a lot of flash and a master of slurring and covering up a bad note. Jimmy is a great technician, watch a few of his clips and see what I mean.
I got Eric Claptons biography on audio book and the first time he heard stevie, he was in a taxi and got the driver to stop while he listened to him play and like Eric being Eric just had to meet and jam with him. It was supposed to be Eric on that chopper that night, according to his biography, I believe there were also a couple of stevie’s songs that Clapton would not even attempt to cover as he considered them to difficult. Awesome guy, Awesome player and Awesome influence.
Cheers for that Griff
My greatest regret is not having enough years left to achieve anything like his caliber of playing. Imagine him only improving over the years and what he could have achieved. I’ve seen several interviews but hadn’t seen this one. Thanks for all you do.
Thanks Griff for that video. Never had a chance to see him on stage but have always been in awe of his talent. As I watch this, and the few others, that play on this level, one thing strikes me. The right hand. The left with the fast fingers is one thing but the smooth right hand is far harder than the good ones make it look. I can only imagine what he might have accomplished had he still been around.
RIP Stevie
I’ve seen this video before. Stevie comes across as a very humble all around nice guy. Jeff Beck wrote that “Stevie was well-loved by everyone”
The funny thing is that the BBCinterviewer knew so little about music The comment he makes about the Mersey Beat is like speaking Martiantia. The Mersey Beat is from Liverpool England. It’s Pop music as far from blues as you can get. That’s why SRV looks at the guy like he’s nuts. Example of he Mersey beat: Gerryand the Pacemakers, The Dave ClarkFiveetc. No blues at all. ( there’s another video with Clapton and a different interviewer who knew a thing or two about the blues. Clapton isholding that. SG called The Fool). The fluidity from SRV and the move from one style to another and great at each shows how gifted he wasStii, it’s a verygoodvideo. Especially since he’s wearing a more normal Hat than usual.
While I was aware of SRV I really didn’t know his stuff as well as I should’ve. Thanks to you I was able to start the conversation with my music teacher who’s a huge SRV fan.
Thanks Griff!
Walt
Thanks for sharing this video with all who really loved Stevie Ray Vaughan . I can still remember the day he was reported gone from this world . I was at work when I heard about it . My good friend Ken looked at Me and said I looked like I just lost a good friend . In a way it was like that I actually cried a little, like I am now . To think about all the music that Steve could have written and performed has really no words . Anyway I really am already thinking about what was demostrated . The man was incrediable in style that has yet to be copied exactly maybe never will be . Did anyone ever hear of Jimi Hendrix and Steve being friends. So that tends to make me wonder where Steve got his ideas ?. tone the bluesman . yup thats my nic name .
Thanks for sharing that, Griff. Wonderful playing and how nice to see and hear him discussing things so openly and coherently. Very moving emotionally!
Thanks Griff that link led me to this Jam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=13&v=mPcGJahjsHY
Never really appreciated SRV or Albert King until I saw this Jam session
All the old favourites among them Bad sign Pride etc, and the major minor thing all over the place.
Some lovely licks and techniques to pick up.
Thanks again.
Griff , thanks for sending this to us. What a great guitar player he was , and only a handful of guitar players can do what he did . Makes you wonder what would he be playing today ,if he were still living ? Mike Z.
Thanks Griff.
That is a new of my favorite vids of him (next to “in session” with the Velvet Bulldozer)
He is missed and I regret being ignorant of his talent when I had the chance to go see him.
The concentration on his face in this vid when he was playing hideaway always made me feel like, “yeah, sometines it takes hard work, even for him, to play things well”
RIP SRV!!
Thanks so much for that, Griff. Very very cool.
Bell 206 Long Ranger into a man made ski slope. I too well remember. I worked for the helicopter charter co. that did it. Fog helped. Maybe time will allow to re-listen to his greatness. Thanks.
Same (minor) thing — it was a helicopter crash of course not a plane crash.. and he wasn’t even supposed to be on that Helicopter .. sigh. I only was able to see him twice — once with Jeff Beck and then about 3 weeks before his final appearance at the Mn State Fair. Both were amazing. He was amazing. Still miss him! RIP Stevie!
Yeah. I’m gonna need a little time to recover from that. If anything, he serves as an inspiration, in more than one way. I can see why you pointed out the precise moments in which to look out for. I need “Video Surgeon” to get my majors n minors sorted out. Such an obscure interview, thanks so much for shining this on to us. Stevie did leave way too soon. I believe he reached level 4, and could have established a whole new level. Stevie Ray Vaughn. A great loss, for sure.
I live a few blocks from where Stevie was born. Saw him many times. Hard to keep the tears in watching that. WOW!
That’s legacy! Though SRV is gone and you being the bridge to show us how he did things will last till the end of ages.
I live in Texas and I missed him live! :'(
Fantastic, as usual!! R.I.P. Magician!
Wow, love that, thanks for sharing. He was, he is so fluid!
Must have seen him a dozen times. Had a chance to really talk to him one night we where at the bar and he came in and had dinner right before opening up for Robert Plant. Just a table away and just felt like not to bother him. After he got done he was leaving and just stopped and turned around looked at us I guess to say come over but we just let him have his own time. Kick myself in the Ass to this day just to shake his hand and say thanks.
How cool is that.
RIP.Stevie