Listening: A Musician’s most important job.

By Guitar Instructor: Sean Bray

Music is sound and sound is about listening. Whether you are a professional

musician or a student picking up an instrument for the first time, it is extremely important to listen to music. We all have our listening comfort zones musically speaking. We all have a favorite style or band etc. that we tend to listen to more than anything else but it is very important to listen to music outside the comfort zone if you want to grow as a musician.

Over the next little while I will be talking about recordings and guitarists that have either helped shape the way I play or just moved me in someway all the while expanding my musical horizons.

Past Artists:

Jeff Beck – Rock

Wes Montgomery – Jazz

Jimmy Bryant – Country

Roy Buchanan:

Roy Buchanan (September 23, 1939 – August 14, 1988) was a blues guitarist with a lot of country influence in his playing. He is one of the best known Fender Telecaster players and really used the Tele’s unique qualities to form his style. The use of pinch harmonics was a trademark of Buchanan’s and at times would make his guitar sound like seagulls crying. He used a guitar and amp and that was it. No effects. His idea was that if he couldn’t make the sound himself then it wasn’t personal and genuine. He hailed from Washington DC and was revered as a local guitar god before being discovered and becoming internationally recognized. Roy Buchanan toured and recorded with Dale Hawkins and then Dale’s cousin, the more famous Ronnie Hawkins. When Roy left the Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, the Hawks’ bass player, who had been studying with Roy while together in the band, became the guitar player and later went on the form The Band. This was Robbie Robertson.

Roy formed his own band The Snake Stretchers and would stay with that band until his early death. The Rolling Stones ask Roy to join their band but Roy replied “thanks but I already have a band”. Just ask Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons, Danny Gatton, Eric Clapton, and many other famous musicians and they would go on a length about how great the late Roy Buchanan was. His version of “Hey Joe” is still nothing short of spectacular.

Definitely check out any recordings by the late great Tele master Roy Buchanan. His recordings are available on i-Tunes and watch his performances on You Tube.

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