Stevie Ray Vaughan style - Double-Stop Licks

Michael Johnson >> Stevie Ray Vaughan style >>

Lesson Subject: Stevie Ray Vaughan Style

What you learn: Double-Stop Licks

Michael: Michael Johnson

Michael: Welcome class to the lesson on the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan! This is our second lesson in this series. For this lesson you will learn how to use double-stops and triple-stops. The "double-stop" lick is best described as two notes being played at the same time verses single note lead lines. The triple-stop uses 3-notes at a time. Another term for a double or triple stop is a "harmonic interval". These licks create a thicker tone which is signature to Stevie's sound. Sample the licks you will learn in this lesson:

Michael: OK let's get started! The rhythm guitar pattern is in E using standard tuning. This rhythm pattern is like the pattern you learn last week, but with subtle variations. Here's the rhythm pattern.

Michael: This rhythm is a I, IV, V progression in E, using a walking bass type riff. At the end of the phrase you play a sliding interval. Notice you shift to B7 when playing the V of the progression. Here's the looping jam track. You will use this track to play the coming licks over it.

Michael: Ok, now you will learn several double-stop and triple-stop licks in E. For these licks you will use the octave E Minor Pentatonic and E Minor Blues scales. Here's the scale patterns.

Michael: OK, let's start out with the first double-stop.

Michael: This lick starts with a whole-step bend on the 14th fret/3rd string, and then playing a double-stop on the 12th fret/1st and 2nd string. In bar 2 you jump briefly into the E Dorian mode using a double-stop on the 14th fret/1st and 2nd strings. The second part of the bar 2 also features a hammer-on to the Major 3rd note. Bar 3 uses a slide triple-stop.

dh: Are you using upstrokes on the double-stops bar 2?

Michael: For this example I'm actually using all down strokes. You get more attack out of the pick that way. Let's jump to the next lick.

Michael: This lick starts with a cool half-step double-stop bend on the 14th and 15th frets. Bar 2 uses the double-stop hammer-on lick that uses the Major 3rd note again. Bar 3 repeat the triple-stop slide. Here's lick 3.

Michael: This is an interesting descending double-stop run. You briefly use the E Dorian again when you barre the 14th fret/1st & 2nd strings. You also play the E Dorian and b5 notes when you shift to the 2nd & 3rd strings. You can also practice using the Minor Pentatonic ascending and descending using double-stops as well. The main goal is to get use to playing dual notes anywhere, within the scale pattern. Here's the next lick.

Michael: This lick mostly uses triple-stops. Hendrix would often use these types of triple-stops/chords. One example is the song intro for "Red House". Notice in bar 2 that you slide up to the 19th fret and mute the 2nd string. You can mute the note by slightly touching the 2nd string with your 2nd finger which is fretting the 3rd string. Bar 3 repeats the double-stop hammer to the Major 3rd note. Bars 4 & 5 are interesting. You hold the12th fret with your thumb, and then skip to playing a triple-stop on the 1st, 2nd & 3rd strings. Notice that you also lift the thumb to play the open 6th string, before fretting the 12th fret. Here's the next triple-stop lick.

Michael: This is an interesting lick as well. You start by playing a triple-stop, using the 3rd finger to bend the 3rd string. Bar 2 uses a sliding triple-stop, and then a double-stop that uses the 1st and 3rd strings with the 2nd string muted.

Michael: Here's the next triple-stop lick.

Michael: For this lick, you start with a triple-stop that barres the 12th fret/1st, 2nd & 3rd strings, while you hammer-on the 14th fret/3rd string. Bar 2 uses a whole-step bend on the 14th fret/3rd string, then playing the 12th fret on the 1st and 2nd strings. Later in that bar you start a descending double-stop run, that uses notes in the E Minor Blues and E Dorian. The run continues in the 3rd bar as well. You can also alter the last lick as well, using double-stops. Here's the next lick:

Michael: Notice that you start off using the same notes as the previous lick, but this time you fingerpick the 1st and 3rd strings only while hammering to the 14th fret. Bar 2 of the last lick uses a cool descending run that includes the b5 and Major 3rd note. Here's the last lick.

Michael: This is a very dynamic lick! You basically use a descending rake that uses the E Minor Pentatonic scale pattern. Notice that the thumb covers the 12th fret/6th string as well. You finish the lick play double-stops on the higher strings.

Michael: Well it's time to go! I hope you enjoyed the lesson!

Doug: great one thanks lots to work on

Rokfish: nice lesson

Michael: See you next lesson!

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