by Dirk Hagemann
www.blueslessons.net
The B.B. King Guitar Style
==========================
Please notice: You can find the tab, midis and GuitarPro files of this
lesson on BluesLessons.net!
The Equipment
-------------
B.B. King B.B. King had been playing Gibsons for over 40 years when he
and Gibson officially joined forces in 1982. B.B.'s personal touches on
his signature model include the fine-tuner tailpiece, the semi-hollow
body with no soundholes and, of course, the name that has adorned his
guitars throughout his career "Lucille" with his signature Gibson
Strings: 010 .013 .017p .032w .045w .054w
The Tone
--------
You should not use a distortion on your amp too much. Just use a nice warm
overdriven tone.
The Style
---------
B.B. plays a variation of the pentatonic/Blues scale or the Mixolydian scale.
For this lesson we stick to the A-Minor Blues scale.
All licks in this exercise are in the key of A.
The Technique
-------------
B.B. King is no SRV 
His famous signature comes from the phrasing and the
vibrato (See Lessons "Slides & Vibratos" and "Phrasing").
B.B. King has a special vibrato technique: On a vibrato the only part of his left
hand touches the guitar is the finger which do the vibrato.
B.B. Kings vibrato style
------------------------
Put your ring finger on the B string on the 8th fret. Your fingertip is
the only part of your hand that touches the guitar! Then hit the string
and "shake" your wrist to get a long and intense vibrato!
e|---------|
B|--8~~~~--|
G|---------|
D|---------|
A|---------|
E|---------|
B.B. King Style Licks
----------------------
Lick 1
E||--10~-----12b-------------|--------------10--12b-----|
B||------------------10~-13--|------10--13--------------|
G||--------------------------|--------------------------|
D||--------------------------|--------------------------|
A||--------------------------|--------------------------|
E||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Lick 2
------10----------------------|--------------10----------|
----------10------------------|--------------------------|
--------------12------10--11--|------12b---------12--10--|
------------------12----------|--------------------------|
------------------------------|--------------------------|
------------------------------|--------------------------|
Lick 3
------------10--------|------|------10h12---10--------x----|
----------------------|------|-----------------13-13~-x----|
----------------------|------|-----------------------------|
--12~-----------------|------|-----------------------------|
----------------------|------|-----------------------------|
----------------------|------|-----------------------------|
--------10--12--12p10-----12p10-----|--12r-10---------10p8--------------|
----13----------------13--------13--|---------13~---x------8------------|
------------------------------------|------------------------7h9-9-7----|
------------------------------------|--------------------------------10-|
------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Lick 4
--------------------|------|--5--5------------------|--5--5--------------------|
--------------------|------|--------8--8--5~-----5--|--------8--8--5-----------|
--------------------|------|------------------------|-----------------7--5--6--|
--10~---------------|------|------------------------|--------------------------|
--------------------|------|------------------------|--------------------------|
--------------------|------|------------------------|--------------------------|
------------------------5--7b---|--5--------------------|------|
--------------5------7----------|-----5--8-----5~-------|------|
--------5/-6----5-7-------------|-----------7-----------|------|
--7--7--------------------------|-----------------------|------|
--------------------------------|-----------------------|------|
--------------------------------|-----------------------|------|
Lick 5
---------------------------|--------------------------------|
---------5--------------5--|--------------5-----------------|
----7b------7--5-----7b----|--7--5-----7b----7--5-----7-----|
------------------7--------|--------7--------------7-----7--|
---------------------------|--------------------------------|
---------------------------|--------------------------------|
--------------------------|-------------------------|
--------------------------|-------------------------|
--5--5--------------------|-------------------------|
--------7-----5--5--7-----|-------------5--5--7--7--|
-----------7-----------7--|----5--7--7--------------|
--------------------------|-------------------------|
---------------------------|--8b----------------5~---|------||
--------------5--5--7--10--|-----10------------------|------||
--5--5--7--7---------------|---------9--8--7---------|------||
---------------------------|-------------------------|------||
---------------------------|-------------------------|------||
---------------------------|-------------------------|------||
B.B. King Style Solo
--------------------
E||----------------------|--8b-----------------------|------------------------|
B||--10~-----------10----|-----10--8-----------------|------------------------|
G||----------------------|------------7b-5--5--7-----|--5b--------------5--7~-|
D||----------------------|------------------------7--|-----7--7--7~-----------|
A||----------------------|---------------------------|------------------------|
E||----------------------|---------------------------|------------------------|
---------5----------|--8~-----8------------|----------8b-9--10--10b-10--|
------5-------------|------------10~-------|------10--------------------|
--------------------|----------------------|----------------------------|
--------------------|----------------------|----------------------------|
--------------------|----------------------|----------------------------|
--------------------|----------------------|----------------------------|
--8b---8b-------------8b-|----8----8--------------|--8b-10--10--8--------------|
------------10----10-----|------------10----10~---|----------------10~---10----|
-------------------------|------------------------|----------------------------|
-------------------------|------------------------|----------------------------|
-------------------------|------------------------|----------------------------|
-------------------------|------------------------|----------------------------|
------10--10r-8----8h10----|--8b-----8--------8b---|---------------------||
---------------------------|------------10~--------|--10~----------------||
---------------------------|-----------------------|----------------9----||
---------------------------|-----------------------|---------------------||
---------------------------|-----------------------|---------------------||
---------------------------|-----------------------|---------------------||
For more exercises and GuitarPro files for this lesson visit:
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