LISTEN HEAR
Blues can only really be played on what is
called an untempered instrument. A tempered
instrument is an instrument that is fixed in one
tuning and it cannot be altered or changed. If
you alter the tuning you alter the entire instru-
ment. Pianos are tempered instruments, elec-
tric organs are tempered instruments. Once you
play a chord on the piano there is not a whole
lot you can do to change the tuning or the in-
tonation of a piano. Now where blues notes
are, they are located on untempered instru-
ments. That means if you have a space (he’s
holding a harmonica) here’s your note. A whole
note down is (plays) between that space – the
first note – and the whole note down is (plays)
much more than just one space or half step.
There’s all kind of notes.
This (harmonica) is an untempered instrument.
I can alter the tuning at will. Guitars are un-
tempered instruments. As you can see between
here and here it’s just one note on the fret. But
if you’re bending there’s more than one note.
This is untempered. I can change and alter the
tuning with this instrument. Other electric in-
struments – electric keyboard instruments like
synthesizers and blues clavinets that have a
keyboard are specifically designed to be tam-
pered – to be altered.
A piano you really cannot bend the
strings. You can go up to where your
piano string is and pluck the string
itself and bend it from on top. If
you just touch the string you’ll
mute it.
The most untempered in-
strument of blues is the
human voice. It can slide
all the little spaces between
the frets. Between the whole
steps and half steps. And these
are where the blues notes are.
MAY / JUNE
DIGITAL EDITION
GUITAR TRICKS INSIDER
35