I'm watching Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Live from Austin, Texas" DVD.

As a guitarist, I go through this humbling experience a couple of times a year, just to gain a bit more insight into the man's playing. I've studied his tone, his approach, his picking style (which still confounds me) and his influences.

But, few things really make it clear how he was able to produce such an endless volume of (well-played) notes. Watch "Voodoo Chile," and you'll see him doing bends on 12-gauge strings at the hardest point on the neck (right next to the nut). Goodness. Part of it, I know, has to do with SRV's incredibly large hands and years of playing on super-heavy strings.

But, other things don't add up: For example, Stevie quite obviously has comparatively long fingernails, something you won't see on many guitarists (they can get in the way).

An endless stream of notes...

... playing to an empty auditorium...

ThreadBare said:

Nah, you're not. I dig Stevie Ray, I just didn't have anything to add.

Supernova said:

Likewise