Derek Trucks - guitar style

Derek Trucks - guitar style

"Founded by singer Susan Tedeschi and guitarist Derek Trucks, the Tedeschi Trucks Band sit at the crossroads of blues, soul, rock and jazz, an expansive, big-hearted sound carried by an ensemble of nearly a dozen musicians. For this extract, we chose one of the concert’s most unforgettable peaks: Derek Trucks’ solo on “Midnight in Harlem.”

It’s the kind of playing that says everything without rushing, lyrical slide lines, raw emotion, and that unmistakable tone that turns a single phrase into a full story. Backed by rich harmonies, a powerful horn section, and a band that breathes as one, the solo lifts the song into something cinematic: tender, fiery, and totally transcendent."

this blurb from Qwest TV

This blurb is what makes rock writers unbearably funny the praise here is little short of hagiography gone mad - truly awful writing

Now this may seem harsh and a tad unkind especially as I feature Derek at 13 but these two examples show exactly why I really do not care for his slide paying at ALL! I prefer his wife’s playing. There I have said it but frankly I would rather listen to her play all day than one version of Layla with Derek wavering away!

It is full of stylist ‘mistakes' everyone makes when learning, the 'tail off' dragging the slide back off the note, the constant wobble on the note (you avoid holding the right note a la Ry Cooder) and his right hand technique drives me nuts, no pic and an upward strum/pluck that limits your playing. It's an inaccurate reverse strum of some unique style and a bad habit he should have dispensed with after playing for folk at 13! Someone should have told him when but a youngster but no he is still using it as an adult! The tone on the piece at the top of this page is truly awful screeching and too high a tone, we all do that when starting out it is almost unlistenable to me!

The Derek Trucks Facebook page (clearly not him one would hope!? sic)

"Young talent! 13-year-old Derek Trucks rockin’ ‘Layla’ - opening for ABB in Raleigh, NC, July 1993. 🎸"

Could I have played like this at 13? No clearly, but it shows why he shouldhave had lessons from someone IMO