The first time I heard Kenny Wayne Shepherd was on his break-out record Deja Voodoo, and I’ve composed a solo around the changes and groove of the title track of that recording. The solo is over a vamp and not any type of 12-bar progression. This vamp toggles between E7#9 and A7 sounds and is full of quintessential Texas Blues goodness.
KWS draws a lot of influence from Stevie Ray Vaughan, and oddly enough, so do I! One of the signature things we both took from SRV was the idea in bar #1. I love playing those quick bends, then continuing with a gradual bend. I think you’ll dig that. The rake technique is something I’m often asked about so, I made sure that this solo had some of that as well. The form of the solo is 12 bars, but with a fun groove like this, you could solo for days!
You’ll also see that I’m working straight out of Em pentatonic for this solo. I’m not using a lot of tricks, however I’m really trying to evoke that aggressive vibe that KWS and other Stevie-influenced players contain. As always, I’m using repetitive phrasing like a good blues player would. My advice with this one is to just go for broke—try to break a string, pick or whatever to get that sound!
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Jam Track
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