When most people hear "the blues", the first image that probably pops into their mind is a middle aged African American man plucking away at his acoustic guitar on a porch somewhere in Louisiana. While many of the genre's forefathers may have fit that mold, it is a restrictive and inaccurate view of a diverse and rich form of music that is the root for almost all modern music. Those that maintain this stereotypical view of the blues and assume it is "grandpa music" are missing out on a lot.

Since the electrification of the guitar shot it to the forefront of three and four piece bands, music entered an evolutionary time warp not unlike that the quantum leaps in science and technology occurring at the same time.

Some of the pioneers during the 50's were B.B. King, Albert King, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. Chuck Berry was among the first to take the blues and kick it up a notch, speeding up the tempo and creating many rock riffs and techniques that are standard vocabulary today.

By the 60's and 70's, the blues had traveled across the pond to Britain. Bands like Cream, the Who, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin all traced their roots back to the blues forefathers. Even Angus Young of AC/DC, considered metal by many(the band always maintains that they are a rock band, not metal) has a very bluesy style of playing.

By the 80's, "Blues-Rock" had become indistinguishable from "Hard Rock". It wasn't until artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan came along and took blues back to it's roots.

Some modern bands that have bluesy overtones include the Black Keys and the White Stripes.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Classic Blues Guitars 2 - The Fender Stratocaster

The Stratocaster, or "Strat", is an iconic guitar that spans blues as well as rock and roll.

It was developed by Leo Fender who ironically enough, didn't play guitar himself. The Strat uses single coil pickups that give it a brighter, "twangier" sound than the humbuckers used in most Gibsons. The Strat's construction is different than Gibson as well. The Strat is made of Alder which lends to a brighter tone as opposed to mahogany in solidbody Gibsons. Ever practical, Leo Fender constructed the Strat with a bolt on neck to make repairs easier (Gibsons use a set neck, or glued in).

While there is debate over which has superior tonal qualities, the Stratocaster is a highly customizable guitar. Eric Clapton's "Blackie" was a conglomeration of parts from multiple Stratocasters (quality control was not as tight back then, sometimes negligent workers might overwind pickups twice as much as stipulated in design specs leading to a "hot" sound that many musicians found desirable).

While humbuckers lend themselves better to distortion, the single coil pickups of a Strat are better for a nice clean tone that is appropriate for certain blues styles.
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