THERE ARE MANY guitar heroes but few who can express a simple melody in so many different ways. Jeff Beck was a master of his craft who had the power to move musicians and non-musicians alike. In this lesson, we’ll look at elements of Beck’s signature style to help you listen to him with fresh ears and to guide you on your own journey to self expression.
1. FRETBOARD KNOWLEDGE
Many guitarists know lots of scale patterns and chord shapes but are lacking in their overall fretboard awareness. To instantly transfer your musical thoughts to the guitar, as Jeff Beck did so effectively, you need to know where all 12 notes of our tonal system are located, in every octave, and how they relate to each other in any given situation. Ex. 1a is a musical etude that touches upon every possible C note on the neck and captures the adventurous spirit of the master, sliding dramatically in call-and-response fashion from octave to octave. Apply this process as a warm-up exercise (slowly and methodically) every time you get ready to play, choosing a different note each session, and it should greatly increase your overall fretboard mastery.
is a more advanced version of the
