Masta Me woul ke aching he competion fhe ftewing piers 0. Joe M. Dav) ‘© Pomerfoce Mac (BM) “STORMY WEATHER” Aden T. Rosin) (© Ted Koehler Mane Co. SA Mant: Ce.(ASCAP) “ROCK ME BABY" (BB King} Joe) (© Prweroce Manic Sends a cil, ne. (BMI) “DONT GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE” {D limgion, Bs Rss (© Haron Msc Corp. EM Robes Cag Ie (ASCAP) NOBODY LOVES ME BUT MY MOTHER (King) {© Dicks Mane Corp. Sano Lacie, ne. (BMI Tate TMM 18 GONE" Hairs Dare CPowertoce Mane (BM) B.B.KING BLUES MASTER 11 =YOU DONE LOST YOUR GOOD THING NOW" (0, peg. RF so Maron Soh NA) “PAYIN-THE COST TO HE THE BOSS" (BB. King) © Deches Musc Corp. Sounds of cil, ns. 8S) sure” (8B. King) © Sounds of Lacie: (BS) “TvReE O'CLOCK LUE “88 King, Tas) ‘© Powerforce Mic Sounds of Lut, Ie. (BSI) “BLUES FUNK ‘aD. (© Sound Li “WHEN IT ALL COMES DOWN, FLL STILL WE AROUND” ‘0. Samp, W, Deans) (© ring Manic Four Kaigt Msc Co, (BMI B.B.KING BLUES MASTER I EVERY DAY HAVE THE BLUES WF Chatman) (© Are Make /PL Kioto Man (8M)TABLE OF CONTENTS Fortwono Leceno OF Musicat Symaots B.B. Kine Biues Master I You Unser Mc Bany/RHYTHM GUITAR ‘You Urser Me Bapy/INTRO ‘You Urser Me Basy/Finst $010 ‘You Urser Me BaBy/StconD SOLO Examrurt Exampur2 Exampur 3 Exampur 4 Exampur 5 Rock ME Basy/RHYTHM GUITAR Rock Me Basy/INTRO Rock Me Basy/Finst Soto Rock ME BABY/StcOND S010 Exampur 6 Exampur 7 Exampur 8 Exampur 9 Notopy Loves Mc Bur My MOTHER/INTRO Notopy Lovts Mc Bur My MOTHER/SOLO Exampit 10 Examptr 11 Tree THRItt Is Gone/Ruy THM GUITAR Tue THRILt Is Gone/InTRO ‘Twe THRILL Is GONE/FiRsT SOLO Tue THRiut Is GONE/StcOND SOLO B.B. Kinc Biues Master I ‘You Done Lost Your Goop THING Now/Finst S00. ‘You Done Lost Your Goop Thinc Now/StconD SOLO Exampurt Examour 2 Examou 3 Exampu 4 Exampue 5 Exampur 6 Exampus 7 avin THE Cost To Br THE BOSs/RHYTHM GUITAR Pavin’ THE Cost To Be THE BOss/INTRO Pavin’ THE Cost To Be THE BOss/Fikst SOLO Parin’ THE Cost To Be THE BOSS/SECOND SOLO Examns 8 Examre 9 Rupa /RaerHm GUITAR Russint Exampur 10 Exam 11 Exampue 12 18 Examrue 13 Examour 14 THREE O'CLock BLuEs/INTRO. no THREE O'Clock BLUES/FiRsT SOLO mm THREE O'Clock BLUES/SEcOND SOLO 06 ears SSUKeSBVEED W sssseeerse SeRSseeeerres 358888Exanmec 15 ns Enannie te Exanpus te Exannut to thames i” Examput 20 32 Examrcs 21 m Examput 22 22 Bivts FUNK B Examput 23 43 Examput 24, 143s Exanpis 25 us Examput 26, 144 Exanpir 27 us Examput 28 45 Examput 29 147 WEN IT ALL Comes Down, I’ Sritt BE AROUND/RHYTHM GUITAR 12 Wun Ir Au Comes Down, I'tt Stitt BE ARoUND/INTRO- 133 Win It Aut Comes Down, I'ut Sri. BE Anoun/First SOLO 134 Wren IT Att Comes Down, I'l STILL BE AROUND/SECOND SOLO 15 B.B. Kine BLUES MASTER 163 Every Dar I Have Te Buuts/InTRO 164 166 168 m m m 2 16 182 18 18 104 Exampur 10 14 ‘Au Oven Acain/IneTRo 186 ‘Aut Oven AcAIn/Finst $010 188 ALL OVER AGAIN/SECOND SOLO 4 Exampur tt 194 Exampue 12 194 Examre 13 195 Examnue 14 195 Examrue 15 202 Exampue 16 202 Exampe 17 204 Examrue 18 u10 Exampus 19 ott Examput 20 2 Danuinc You Know I Love You 18 Examrue 21 ne Exampus 22 ne Exampue 23 as Exampur 24 20 Examne 25 BD Examnr 26 2s Exampue 27 26 Sweer Lirrur ANctL/INTRO uo Sweer LiTTu ANCEL/SOLO 22ForREworRD Today, the sky's the uitar. You hi schools and CDs. The oppor the basics first, then expand your techni Le but don’t forget the litt. choice, 5 you do play. Listen to other players, and to a I find it easier to understand other people’s styles. and eventually I you can. Learn to 7 things th 'S What n't play is just as irmporant as what rasing. Son y different typ you can, Yi will start sounding like yourself. And in the long run, that’s the goal of Good luck, enjoy the book, and keep practicing’ ae B.B. King Buves Masn ComrieINTRODUCTION Article on \ppearing In the July 1992 leaue of Guitar World magazine (REPRINTED BY PERMISSION) ROYAL BLUES His majesty, B.B. King, demonstrates why he rules in this historic lesson in bends, scales and slides. King’s style POURE 2 #88 1STHPOSMON SLs PATER «cn BY ASKOLD BUK ‘Voy row MUSICIANS have bad as such wpact oo their peers as B.B. King. He influenced generations of guitarists, tnd his playing continues to be fresh and ‘brant. BB's ideas are deceptively sim ple, yet upon analysis they stand up as sophisticated musical statements. He phrases impeccably. always hits the “right” notes, and is possessed ofa vibrato that i ike nothing else ‘As the interviewer oo B.B."s instruc- tional video series B.D. King: Mluesmaster (CPP Media Group), 1 was able to hang. ft with him and discuss practically every aspect of his wnigue styl. B.B. proved to bea warm, funny and bumble man, totally committed to miasic, and generous t0 a fault when it came 0 sharing his ideas, 1 was an unforgettable experience ‘When you think of BB. King, the fist thing that comes to mind is vibrato. He says he developed it as a result of hearing his cousin, the legendary Delta bivesman Bika White, play. “He used a botlencck, and I tried to copy the sound. or get as lose us possible, with my fingers,” BB. Said before playing Figure 1. “T use the ‘ibrato to ake a point-—to end an idea.” BB. gets his vibraw sared by hooking his thumb over the top of the fretboard After that, the only point of contact be tea bis eft hand und the neck is Ut of his finger fretting the note he is play The vibrato comes from the wrist—I shakes his whole hand rapid and evenly The faster T shake my hand, the beter i sounds to me,” he sai. “I want it o sound Tike the vibrato in a person's voice.” ‘We next talked about scales, focusing ‘on B.B.’s favorite blves pater, a varia- tion of the bves scale (Figure 2), Whereas the stock minor pentatonic "box" contains the root, Hated thie, fourth, fth and lar- ted seventh, B.B.’s pattern contains the oot, second/ninth, flatied third, fourth, ives Masten Commuere(hth and snth. Tis se wef ce Figure 4 fe am champ of his alll Deng spe BB ws fied ring ering, Backing opt ing fog bent ‘withthe index end le Bag of x eft hand for moce seg and spp. [Novice that he gows ton aja sting ‘with the same finger he beads with 4 somewhat idiosyacatic ameve, 3 ‘most players would change ngs, Figure $ introduce th concept of pre- cision bending, of whic BB. sa maser In this example he eos te Do a Eb (hal. step, whereas inte previous em ple, be bea the D up oan (woes) Depending on the Rarsony of th wde- Jying cho, he wil bea eal step, whole step, siepanda i 190 sep. In Figure 6, B'. bel te G xp 0 {8 Be and old arora mean exp ng this in pitch and tie apis wen dows hand strength ‘BB, talked about some isin fences: “I got my phrasing om Hisening to horn players such as Lser Youn. Hobby Hackett and Lois ora, bt | ‘never really sat down anf tnaht tot ‘tit’ just something Tea” Bs jaz Jeanings are evident in ge 7,28 be swings hard over the IV chr Fina ‘les, He hie all the ng es fom te pper extensions of F7 (the eleven] and G the ninth) soli be m= jor third (EW of C7. ‘So far inthis postin, we've ee BB. bend from the secondnnth (D) tothe ‘aie third (ES) or a tind (8 and froen the fh (C) 4 te sth (A) oe faced seventh (Bs. In Fga f,bebents the fourth (F) upto theft), Noe the wnorthodor fingering wit hand fingering here—apis. BB. jomps ‘strings with the sam: fine be wed 0 ‘bend the note. Figure 91s arate tat ‘has been adopted by eany more Hus ‘and fasion players. Nose how BB. ox lines the ehond tones of F7 (FC. 3) ‘descending chromato be fated seventh Eh). “Though this is hay the oy een 1B. uses, fr all intents and paps itis his borne base. This pe iacdg Be ‘bout notes) produces te flowing nas: C.D, EBs, BS FG, A th Inco, Jou Ihave a C mixolydian wae, D,EF.G, ‘A, Ba) with am added mise sitd (), ‘which is fot move pis han minor pentatonic sale most usps turns use.“These ideas barely scratch the surface ltisfaceted style. T earned alot from B.B. but it all hithome ‘when he summarized the concepts. “Al- ‘ways wse your ears and your taste.” he said. “Lear all the positions, chords and ‘scales—that's important—but ‘et that sound Best to you.” advice any guitariat could we. @ = ahh t ifLECEND OF Musical SYMBOLS oof me Downstrokes. Upstrokes Left hand fingering. Right hand fingering Hand vibrato tune Bend Quick bend Pre-bend Gradual bend Release bend Unison bend o Hammeron Pullof Palm mute ‘Tremolo Till ick Slide Picked slide Legato slide Short slide up and down Mufed stingsYou Upser ME BABY/ RHYTHM GUITAR Here is a sample chord progression for “You Upset Me Baby.” The voiings and rhythms are what B.B."s rhythm guitarist might play on this tune. Keep in mind that you may substitute a ninth chord for a dominant seventh chord (e., G9 for G7) at any time.You Upset ME BABY/INTRO BB. Kicks off “You Upset Me Baby” with some T-Bone Walker type ideas. In bars 2-9, he uses the G minor pentatonic scale exclusively. In bars 9-10 ant 13-14, BLB, bends the 3 of the G7 chord (Bb), to the 3 (BE). ‘Swing feel + pr ppv evr? fra7 ad Da => a = Pui as Bases Mastia ComPirTsYou Upset ME BABY/FIRST SOLO “The firt solo features some great eighth-position playing. Pay specific aten- tion to the left-hand fingering in bars 10 and 12. Notice that BB. bends the © to the Cf or D on the first string with his first finger. ‘This isan imponant el iment of his style. Iater incorporated by modem blues/fusion guitarists suchas Larry Carlton and Robben Ford. Bars 15-17 feature a wide bend of a step and a half. B.B. hokds the bend while ‘grooving hard. This is a classic B.B. King lick; it might require some practice ‘on your part to keep it in pitch ‘Burs MasrinConrurtYou Upset ME BABY/SECOND SOLO In bars 13-16 of the second solo, B.B. plays a double-stop (two nts at once) idea that pays tribute to his jazz roots. He pedals the root (G) os top while moving the third (B) up to the fifth (D) chromatically. It is an idea that can be heard in much of George Benson’s playing, and which shows the depth of BB. King's musical knowledge. ‘The ending cadenza is a great workout. It covers most of the neck and includes much of B.B.'s vocabulary: sealar runs, bends, chromaticism, doube-stops and octaves, 8 ‘Buses Mason Conrtert7 = = i == fe # = z Sap — % mip . om + + = ze ws 4—+ +-3———_+- cs =o nen ff ===: =EXAMPLE 1 'B.B, bases a lot of his ideas around chord shapes. Rather than playing in one position, he moves up the neck to propel the solo. For example, inthe key of G, B.B. goes up to the tenth position to play over the V chord (D7). He then moves dowa to the eighth position to play over the IV (C7). In this example, notice how B.B. outlines the C9 chord in bars 2 and, andthe D9 chord in bar 4, Freely iar 1 (8.8.) ~~ or Sites eS o eee 2 aw se fot ¥ : LF + x = | suitar 2 (Askold)EXAMPLE 2 Freely ‘guitar 1(B.B.) "Askold: That was a beautiful lick you played over the D chord, going bak 10 the C chord. B, After that exchange, B.B. proceeds to play a more complex version ofthe pre vious example. Notice the jazz-like line in bar 3, which features pian-like arpeggio over the G7 chord. Again, B.B. moves up the neck to play over the C and D chord shapes, but this time his ideas are much more intricate Don't ask me to do it again! (laughter) a Ee ¥ $—$<+ + -4 + oe st = i re = = rs 2 a ~ Buves Must ComputEXAMPLE 2 BB. finds that clements of country music. as well as jazz and gospel. creep into the overall blues feel. He says that if you play a tune with a lot of changes, you don't have to worry about playing a specific note because the lines ar in the chords. Over a simple progression such ax a I-TV-V blues, however, your choice of notes (and their placement) has to be more careful. B.B. plays this example in a jazz vein: Swingfeel TG-4 > G6 eT aq D7 G6 87 suitar 1(B.B.) guitar 2 (Astold) — : + f+ + <— + * +—+ - + + * * = + = + + 2 : = &EXAMPLE 4 He then plays the same example in a blues style, “You really got tobe placing them [the notes] in the right place.” B.B. says. “People quite often sty ‘Well, anybody can play the blues.” Yes, you can—anybody can do most ‘but would you like it?" E7fs ar bo o7 te, be ece ee —— 4j = ~ BE ~ B-R _ —e eee +h + oF —* . - = x % os + Buwes Masten Commerre a”EXAMPLE 5 "To illustrate the I-VI-II-V progression (G7-E7~A7-D7), B.B. plays this beau: tiful example. “There's a lot you can play over this progression,” be sty “and you can make it bluesy!” or 87 ar D2, or ve inar 1 (B.B.) —_— s a yoreAm? be a7 cy Cm6or 57 Am? ps a7 oRock Me BABY/RHYTHM GUITAR “Rock Me Baby” is a standard 12-bar blues which features an ineresting thythm pattern. Over the I chord (Bh), 4 Bh6 chord is played, moving wo the Ab6 chord and back. Analyzing the notes in relation to Bb, the Bb6 chord produces the root (Bh), third (D) and thirteenth (G), and the AL gives us the flatted seventh (Ap, ninth (C), and fifth (F), Combining these notes results in a Bb13 sound. ‘The same pattern is played over the IV chord (E}) and V chord (F), producing E}13 and F13 sounds, respectively. ‘Swing feel 7-) > ebi3 Bbi3 bg by Fi his ahs "Rock ME BaBy/INTRO “The solo work on “Rock Me Baby” is textbook B.B. King. Notice his choice of notes throughout the mne. In bar 10 of the intro, and bar 6 of the second solo, B-B. outlines the E37 Chord, bending the sixth of Eb7 (C) to the Matted seventh (Dp). tn bars 14-15 ‘of the second solo, he plays the high Bb note with his pinky, answering each time with a variation of a theme started in bar 13. B.B. ends the tune with « typical fiery cadenza.Rock ME BAByY/FiRsT SOLO rr br . bzRock ME BABY/SECOND SOLO bre —aby :EXAMPLE 6 ‘Charlie Christian was a big influence on B.B. King’s style. B.D. observes thet Christian's dis fed scale ideas sometimes show up in his playing. To demonstrate, B.B. plays a “bounce” blues in G. Notice the G diminished apeg- gio in bars 13-14 (G, Bb, Db, E). Swing feet 9-7} ‘star 1(B.B.) a7 be Singerstyle é = fej» Z = Pe E == a PERE tb 38 Buves Masria ComrieBAD MASTER COMPUTE ”ce cr ——— a —= SSS ——— . < 7 — io bee . < an 4 Buves Masts Commitps ar B? ay D7 on ttt ives MasreR COMPLETE “aEXAMPLE 7 ‘Hom players, particularly Louis Jordan, also influenced B.B.,. who would tr (0 mimic the phrasing of the horn on the guitar. Here B.B. plays a slow blues and ‘comments, “I'm still hearing the horn.” ‘Swing feet 9-7 guitar 1 (BB) a vbr co oo y Buves musts Commit9 a7 cn orEXAMPLE B een BB. plays this example in the style of saxman Johnny Hodges, who would of ten sit on the perfect note. By bending a note and sustaining it, BB. gets the same effect. seme 67 FA Bbe7GB ONG. \ cr Gh? FT «ETON. AmtEXAMPLE 9 ‘On this eight-bar blues, B.B. fecls like he's “talking to a person.” He believes that on a slow blues, the phrasing should be more laid-back and personal. B.B, is always aware of the chord progression and consistently chooses his notes to fit the changes perfectly, as in bars 17-18 where he bends the second (E>) to the flatted third (F}) of the Dbm7 chord. guitar I (BB. “ ae guitar 1 (8.84) | = — sgwitar 2 (Askold) Dbmaj7 Dba?pbmaj7 Dbm7Ab vb Dbm Ab cabo)Nosopy Loves Me But Myr MOTHER/INTRO “Nobody Loves Me But My Mother” is a great example of « slow, soul blues tune. B.B. plays it with an organ trio, and his performance is exceptions! Don’t let the rhythms or the amount of notes intimidate you; the tempo is qu slow and if you listen to the tape, you'll feel the phrasing, Notice how B.B. outlines the A7 chord in bars 1 and 7 and the D9 chord bars 2 and 10 of the intro. This is a B.B. trademark—he never hits a “wrong” note. Bars 34-35 of the solo feature @ sophisticated harmonic idea, as BB. plays a descending Bm9 arpeggio (C4, A, F4, D, B) over the £9 chord, These notes give us the thirteenth, eleventh, ninth, flatted seventh and fith of ,r- spectively. eeNosopy Loves ME But My MOTHER/SOLO 8? ar ps ~,58 ~ Baues Masrin Comsiertfe a = == y i ss -B 4 : <7 ae a ES = = >> ae * 9 rs se * Fas —— © 7 bs 5 i. —~ + 7 —s = 3 jEXAMPLE TO DIB. demonstraice the we of unthy Ja the blues idiom fn thin der ample Bars Tand'2 feature'« traditional turnaround which would be played over be lest two bars of a 12 bar Blues (over the Vand V chords). ssuitar (BB) NC.) (9) o7 star 2 (Askold) 7 a FIA Be? GiB Am?ExampLe 17 B.B. “stretches out” on a jump blues in F$. For someone who is primarily Kmown as a blues player, the amount of Jazz chops B.B. exhibits is amazing. Check out the chromaticisin in bars 8-9 and 1315, and the great tiple idea Sver B? in bars 17-18. Try taking bits and pieces of this solo and applying them to your own soloing style. Swing tet TT-1 2 eortiony F ais orf co Br s [ ~op rh pf? fm? G mal PhaTHe Torin Is GONE/RHYTHM GUITAR Here is a sample progression for B.B."s all-time hit, “The Thrill Is Gone.” This is a traditional 12-bar minor blues, with the V chord (G7) being. approached by the bVI chord (Ab?) in bar 9.THe THrint Is GONE/INTRO BB. primarily uses the © minor peatatonic seale to solo over “The Thrill s Gone.” He adds the flatted fifth (Gb) in bar 11 of the first solo and bars 21,26 ‘and 30 of the second solo. He also uses the natural sixth (Al) in bars 43-44, 47-49 and 53-54 of the second solo, thus hinting at the C dorian mode. Once again, B.B. displays his depth and natural musicianship. abyTHe Turin Is GONE/First SOLOTre Torin Is GONE/SECOND SOLOSe es =e nf re = * rt = ai :