Members Faber Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Is there such a thing? I keep reading and hearing people refering to "the" texas blues sound in the singular, but it seems to me that the bluesmen out of texas sound pretty different - I don't hear a lot of tonal similarities between SRV, Copeland and Freddie King for example. So, what is this texas blues sound? Do these people really just mean SRV's sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Harry-L Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Listen to * Albert Collins * The Fabulous Thunderbirds * Lightnin' Hopkins * Blind Lemon Jefferson * Janis Joplin * Freddie King * Leadbelly * Kenny Wayne Sheppard * Guitar Shorty * Big Mama Thornton * Jimmie Vaughan * Stevie Ray Vaughan * T-Bone Walker * Edgar Winter * Johnny Winter * ZZ Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Attila Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Listen to * Albert Collins * The Fabulous Thunderbirds * Lightnin' Hopkins * Blind Lemon Jefferson * Janis Joplin * Freddie King * Leadbelly * Kenny Wayne Sheppard * Guitar Shorty * Big Mama Thornton * Jimmie Vaughan * Stevie Ray Vaughan * T-Bone Walker * Edgar Winter * Johnny Winter * ZZ Top +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted May 23, 2007 Author Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Listen to * Albert Collins * The Fabulous Thunderbirds * Lightnin' Hopkins * Blind Lemon Jefferson * Janis Joplin * Freddie King * Leadbelly * Kenny Wayne Sheppard * Guitar Shorty * Big Mama Thornton * Jimmie Vaughan * Stevie Ray Vaughan * T-Bone Walker * Edgar Winter * Johnny Winter * ZZ Top I have, and I do, and that's what made me ask - Tell me how there's a singular, defining trait to a)their playing or b) their sound. Those guys are diverse enough that they might as well come from all over the country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JimboJ Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 I don't recall ever hearing the term "texas blues sound" before SRV came along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chiro972 Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 See avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted May 23, 2007 Author Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 I don't recall ever hearing the term "texas blues sound" before SRV came along. Exactly. I think people are mistaking one artist's soundfor a regional, general, one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BootRoots Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 the only thing the above mentioned artists have in common is that they are all from texas but you can see the evolution of the music when you listen to KWS, who is heavily infulenced by SRV, who was heavily influenced by albert king.....yada yada yada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WhiskeyClone Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Yeah I think it's usually a reference to SRV's tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tietjen Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 I don't recall ever hearing the term "texas blues sound" before SRV came along. I agree... I'd say that when people refer to Texas Blues they usually are refering to SRV even if they have never heard his stuff they probably heard someone trying to sound like him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rummy Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 go to Youtbue, and search for "SRV" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Is there such a thing? I keep reading and hearing people refering to "the" texas blues sound in the singular, but it seems to me that the bluesmen out of texas sound pretty different - I don't hear a lot of tonal similarities between SRV, Copeland and Freddie King for example.So, what is this texas blues sound? Do these people really just mean SRV's sound? "The Texas Blues" sound is not a particular tone, but the range of sounds in that broad tradition. This question is like asking "who is *the* Catholic writer?" or " who is *the* Hollywood fimmaker?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Harry-L Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Texas blues is known for having a fast swing shuffle rhythm. Many players used a ton of box 2 & 4 pentatonics along with a lot of Dorian and Mixolydian modes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rvschulz Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Texas blues is known for having a fast swing shuffle rhythm. Many players used a ton of box 2 & 4 pentatonics along with a lot of Dorian and Mixolydian modes.+1 with some very slight breakup ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jacksix Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Listen to every version of Hideaway that you can find. That is the Texas Blues shuffle and it is part and parcel of the Texas Blues sound. Beyond that, there is much variety. -Jacksix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Johnny Winter's first two albums cover a lot of ground under this heading, from acoustic delta, to Texas jump, to electric slide, to electric six string. Texas blues didn't happen in isolation, either! There was lots of cross-talk from Chicago, Memphis, and Mississippi, with a little swing, Cajun, and big-band thrown in.Good heavens, people! SRV holding the title is kind of weird, when you consider that his idols, mentors, and strongest influences included such non-Texans as Albert King and Jimi Hendrix... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slinkyoz Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 There's more to Texas blues than SRV, great as he was. These days I usually see the phrase used on some crappy sounding digital amp modeller purporting to make me sound like SRV with the push of a button. It's become a manufacturer's code, like "Vintage Tweed" and "Brit Clean".About as far away from the Texas blues sound you can get... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slinkyoz Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 Jerry Picker - got it in one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members walt0915 Posted May 23, 2007 Members Share Posted May 23, 2007 When I think of Texas Blues, I think about the rhythm and lyrics more so than "tone". Listen to Lightnin' and Albert and get a feel for that down home Texas thing. I think when SRV came alone and started putting overwound SCs in his strat is when the tone thing came along. I didn't know Leadbelly was considered part of the Texas tradition. He was from Louisiana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted May 24, 2007 Members Share Posted May 24, 2007 When I think of Texas Blues, I think about the rhythm and lyrics more so than "tone". Listen to Lightnin' and Albert and get a feel for that down home Texas thing. I think when SRV came alone and started putting overwound SCs in his strat is when the tone thing came along.I didn't know Leadbelly was considered part of the Texas tradition. He was from Louisiana. Yeah, and since David Crosby was in prison in Texas, does he qualify? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cerebrix Posted May 24, 2007 Members Share Posted May 24, 2007 not a texan but i think walter trout has one hell of a texas blues sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted May 24, 2007 Author Members Share Posted May 24, 2007 Some fine replies, thanks. I was mostly thinking timbre in the original post, but of course the texas sound can be defined by other traits. And there are probably more rhythmic similarities between the mentioned artists than aural ones and Yup, Trout is a monster, and gravely underappreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Introspectre Posted May 24, 2007 Members Share Posted May 24, 2007 When I see "Texas blues sound," I always think SRV first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cerebrix Posted May 24, 2007 Members Share Posted May 24, 2007 especially here in the states. walter is actually from my area here in orange county and i dont think ive ever bumped into any guitar geek out here thats even heard of him. sad sad state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted May 24, 2007 Author Members Share Posted May 24, 2007 I'm not sure if Trout still lives here in denmark, but he did for a while, and I must have seen him a dusin times. he always deliver on stage. The albums can be a bit spotty, but stage performances:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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