his phrasing which is the use of doublestops and a quarter step bend. With a
quarter step bend, you basically bend it to produce a tone sharp of the note you are
fretting, but flat of the note at the next fret. This technique creates a really cool
tension that adds some bite to the riff. Now, instead of doing a straight up rip-off of
SRV, I styled this one to be a bit more generic. Unlike the way SRV cranks out that
resolution with a shimmering vibrato, I chose to punctuate this riff with a staccato
(shortened) hit. You will hear many other blues stylists use this style of phrase. In
fact, add a ton of gain, a straighter rhythm and some attitude and you can even
swing this one in a metal context. Remember, these riffs are intended to teach you
techniques, enhance your skills and inspire your own ideas. So, by all means, use
some imagination, take these techniques and use them to form your own sound.
To view the video clip, click here.
