BB King and John Mayer's Improvised jam at Guitar Center's "King of the Blues 2006". Director | Producer | Geoffrey S. McNeil Production Company | GSM Entertainment www.gsmentertainment.com
I feel like BB was like "You're doin' good kid, but don't do me like that up here tonight." And John just felt like "I'm gonna rib ya, but never disrepect ya." And BB just took off after, you can see John's admiration and appreciation during BB's solos and BB looking on at John with looks of "you did you're homework and you understand the roots." Ya'll can be silent, I'll admit to quietly weeping at greatness being performed throughout.
What's so frustratingly impressive about BB is that what he plays isn't particularly difficult, so you look at his tab and think I'll do that. But when I play it, it's so lacking something. BB king just makes every note so meaningful. His phrasing is perfect, every note is played as if it's the last note he will ever play
It's the pentatonic/blues scales. Improving with these scales is so much easier than you think. The pentatonic scale is applicable to songs in both minor and major keys, you just take the scale shape and move it around accordingly. Once you start understanding things like this, blues licks will come naturally to you, I promise. Most jam tracks on youtube have the scale diagram on them, so fire one up and noodle away. It'll help you out a lot more in the long run than just looking at tabs.
@@JadwinManuel Exactly. I never really learn licks played by guitarists in the past with tabs, i've practiced with pentatonic scales and backing tracks for nearly 2 years now almost every single day and i'm now able to improvise and play comfortably across the entire fretboard. Once improvisation becomes natural with the pentatonic it's so easy to learn all the modes too, and it opens a world of opportunities
His face makes the difference.. I learned about some tone stuff.. BB king is not a genius in terme Of scale Buuut the was he plays them is so god damn blues
It probably means you’re destined to be great playing somewhere big with great musicians. Keep working on your ability and keep performing live. In a few years your confidence will grow. Then you might have the dream that you just killed a solo and you’re pointing to BB King for him to take the lead.
I have that dream but I can't remember what key is where, and I can' make out what key the song is in, and every note is wrong and comes out blasting..
Had a dream once where I ran across SRV smoking a cigarette in a stairwell. I asked him how to get as good as he was, he told me to practice at least 2 hours a day. 13 years later, I still suck.
Jorda n Definitely not. He went to Burklee. Not for a whole undergraduate program, but he knows his stuff. You can hear his training in neon. He’s not guessing. Ear training is one of the first things a music student does.
Jorda n John Mayer is definitely a better guitarist than BB. Can’t deny how well BB understands the blues though, it’s no wonder he’s one of the kings. Also BB’s tone is smooth as butter. I love it
Mayer should just shut the fuck up. He can't play none, and he shouldn't be allowed to speak. Shit, I could listen to B.B. tell stories all night long. But Mayer? Fuck that boi.
John is a great guitarist but this was a lesson. Just look at how relaxed bb king's style is and yet how completely perfect his timing is with the placement of every note. A true king of the blues
@@JackR617 I concur.. and I think the quote was "The Blues ain't nothin' but a good man feelin' bad.." from the movie Crossroads with Ralph Machio, a good movie.. imo, the Blues is an expression, but instead of it being on your face, it's at the end of your fingers.. thanks for your reply, man..
You could see the age behind the guitars. Blues is a conversation, BB King is a wise experienced man...his words are slow, smooth, and clear. He's one of those speakers that doesn't have to speak loud for everyone to listen, people just know what he's about to say is good so they want to listen. While John Mayer is like a recent college graduate, he has a ton of highly technical knowledge and an expansive education and he's excited to share it with everyone so he speaks fast, almost tripping over his words. He has a lot to say and he tries to get it out in a single breath. They are both amazing musicians and its just interesting to see the difference in their styles.
I like to think BB King would have been very proud to see the "recent college graduate" grow up from the fast, intense, and technical "talker" to being a more nuanced, expressive, and even verbose at a time without being redundant "speaker" as he honed the art of conversing with his guitar by following Garcia's footstep with Dead and Co :D
Listening to this without watching it is so amazing. You get the cool John Mayer rhythmic and more flashy lines and they sound nice but then the king lines come up and you appreciate them so much more, it gives you so much more payoff. It’s not that John Mayer is bad, he’s crazily talented, but BB king has so much more experience
This feels like a kid taking to his dad, so excited to tell him how his day went. The dad, patiently listening and chiming in, acknowledging the kid and conversing with the kid.
@@josiahp77 obviously he did. BB king was 90 when he died in 2015. He's pretty old here so he obviously cant play the way he used to. Technically i feel jm is better than BB king but who is the better guitarist in prime is debatable
This is a conversation between an old man and a young man on guitar. The young man has soooo much to say. The old man waits. And waits. Only needs to say a few words that change his life. Wisdom.
I feel like bb king was annoyed that he kept wanting to kiss his ass instead of play some tunes and have a good time. But I’m gonna be honest, I wouldn’t be able to contain myself either. So many players owe their sound and upbringing to his style
@Kingdom Axe "he King wasn't playing about leaving ha ha. He wanted to play, not talk." yeah i think BB king enjoys the fact that John Mayer respects him so much to learn alot of BB kings songs and style. So when John says "i feel like im stealing from his house" BB King starts to say that he'll leave like "if you really feel like you doing me wrong then i can leave,...don't talk like that cause you know i don't care."
The beginning of this is so cringe-worthy BB King is pretty much saying quit being a wannabe and play yeah John Mayer can play guitar but just doesn't have the soul of a worthy watching guitar player. He tries too much instead of naturally letting it flow. Respect to the king!
It must be genuinely indescribable for him to not only sit and play with one of his hero's and a pioneer of blues, but to have him nod and applaud him. There can't be words! John plays amazingly and far more than BB, but says less with his guitar. BB plays much less and says oh so much more. Must be such an insane and humbling experience for him
His Fuckboy fuckery ruined his Blues Career and made him retreat to isolate himself with country music. Who knows what masterpieces he couldve done if he had stayed unto the path. That being said, his slow country music is a class of its own.
+B Tawse I wish this John Mayer was famous and not the MTV John Mayer. People don't realize just how phenomenal he is. You know you're good when you get the BB King stank eye and head shake.
It’s mind boggling to think that some day an old and gray John Mayer will be sitting there and being paid homage to the way he is doing to B.B. King by some aspiring young guitarist. Music, in itself, is timeless.
Das sind zwei der grössten Blusgrössen an den an den Gittaren,Augen und Ohrenschmaus !!!!! Ich könnte Stundenlange zuhören !!!!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💯💥🙏♥️👍👌🖐✋♥️♥️♥️♥️😄👏👋
So you're saying that if I paid money to watch some excessively skilled jazzers or blues musicians just jamming to background chords, I'm paying to see someone just (skillfully) messing around? Nice
indonesian bassbooster I think the jazz musicians would agree. In a professional there's not much music theory and thinking about the playing going on. They know what sounds good and have fun with it. And can draw a crowd. I can dream
As impressive as they both are, can we give some love to the bassist too?? beautifully sets everything up, its so enjoyable to listen to when you focus on it
Heavenly Father, grant us the courage to face adversity with unwavering faith and the resilience to emerge stronger than before. May Your peace reign in our hearts and in our home.
BB King, Hendrix, SRV, John Mayer - величайшие музыканты и исполнители! Их творчество, яркое тому доказательство, что музыка не имеет границ и национальностей, музыка не делит людей по цвету кожу и позволяет нам понимать друг друга!
Listen to his Continuum album and then listen to the John Mayer Trio stuff. All gold. "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" on Continuum is my favorite. Great guitar work.
I guarantee you that John DREAMED of this moment for years before it actually happened. Kudos to him for putting himself in this position to be respected by one of the GODS of music, BB King.
The Grime Science Reaper John is a remarkable player in his own right, and you’re correct in saying it’s seriously impressive. He really proves his mettle here as being an absolute monster on a six string.
John knows right where he is. Many guys can play. Many can sing. Few know respect. It’s true. Been around live shows much of my life. The thing is is that John Mayer’s career is driven by gratitude. He’s a talent no doubt. But he’s genuinely cool and in the end that is part of what powers those that “make it”. I guess what I’m saying is that BB King is a legend for giving us a sound. Mayer pays homage and is grateful. He wants BB to see what he is capable of now. As a child might want to show off. It’s cool.
So hard to have the vocal and musical talent that John has a true prodigy, but while John maybe even more technical then BB at this stage the way BB plays the notes the timing the "feel" is so much better its hard to describe its just awesome we are lucky enough to see this recording.
The beginning when John kept talking bb up and bb was like I’m about to get on up out of here. Johns reaction looked chill and funny but on the inside he was going... did I just ruin my dream.
I had no idea Mayer was this talented of a Bluesman! I'm impressed! To sit with THE Bluesmaster himself and hold his own is no mean feat. Well done, John.
He's a generational talent so yeah. At this point in time definitely considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Up there with all these guys. All thanks to his passion. He could have easily taken the pop route out after Gravity. Instead he remained true to his core passion. With that said, I want him to work on an album that is just him. Not meant for a commercial release but as a display of his talent and imagination as a musician.
I agree. He us at a point where he can record or perform whatever he wants whenever he wants. As many musicians frequently do, they separate their mainstream persona from their private interest persona. As an example, Ronnie Woods & Charlie Watts have/had their own bands that showcase(d) their personal musical preferences.
The stuff were it's just him and his guitar is epic. The pop culture he seems to dance around is a distraction imo. I too would love to see a solo thing.
I once was walking around in Georgetown and I saw a fold out sidewalk sign, it said BB King Playing 😮. Double take!! I went directly inside and grabbed the closet seat I could. What a TREAT ❤
BB "dropped-the-mic" years ago. He had nothing to "prove", and didn't need affirmation from anyone - no matter who he played alongside. He had so much humility. R.I.P BB
BB KINK WILL ALWAYS BE THE KING IN MY, HEART, MIND, SOL, BB KING I HAVE LISTEN TO, SINCE THE 60 S AND STILL, DO, ONE OF MY EXCELLENT, MENTORS, IN MY LIFE, MANY OTHERS, LOVE THEM, ALL.
BB King was a good pioneer for the guitar and the blues, but John Mayer and many others for that matter, can play BB under the table now and when he was in his prime. Thats a fact. God rest his soul. No disrespect.
It's interesting seeing these two extremely different musical personalities going back and forth in a jam. John is so energetic, impulsive, and unpredictable, whereas BB King is calm, precise, and concise with his playing. Very interesting and enjoyable to listen to
John unpredictable? The nervous energy that surrounds him might seem unpredictable but actually when you listen to what he plays it's nothing out of the ordinary. He just overplays constantly without any interesting ideas. I don't think that's unpredictable, because anyone who is reasonably experienced with guitar knows it's the most common mistake people do when improvising. Don't get me wrong, I like John Mayer, but in this video he was kinda lame.
@@tiihtu2507 yes that's right. BB King had more ideas to Express. Jhon Mayer only played the same notes over an over and very fast, trying to impress. Relax boy, you're next to BB King
@@daviesquiro4089 BB King is the best when it comes to slow blues, but we all know Mayer is a SRV/Hendrix kind of player. You can't really compare at all, Mayer did hold his own in a style he's not 100% comfortable in and you can see BB appreciated that. If he can and you can't - you need to reevaluate yourself as a guitarist and musician.
There is a video on youtube of..... Stevie Ray.....BB King, Albert King.....Eric Clapton........Paul Butterfield..... Phil Collins.....Etta James.....Dr John.....Chaka Khan.....Gladys Knight jamming together .......one of the best blues concerts ever check it out...it's from a Showtime special back in the middle 80's
StringTherapy sadly, those days of great music and real musicians on TV, especially guitarist are over. We have utube now. Not the same excitement but whatever. Better than nothing which is what’s on TV.. nothing.
Bb has a minister’s cadence. Bb mastered the art of luring in the audience with timing, sometimes building silence before riffing like a minister would from the pulpit
Never heard anyone describe it this way. Very poetic way to articulate what’s going on and I would have to agree. Instead of speaking his guitar is the voice communicating the sermon!
There is too much "old is always better" people in these comment sections. John Mayer is one of the best guitarist ever. Not saying that BB isn't because he definately is. It's just insult to say that someone like Slash is better than Mayer.
I just wish John Mayer would make a strictly blues album with sounds similar to this jam. I would buy it in a heartbeat. Sure, It wouldn't do that well commercially, but blues fans and people who respect his musicianship would totally love it.
In some cultures if you make that same motion but instead slam the back of your hand once and continue upwards in one motion as if your hand bounced off and up is the same as the middle finger,lol !
im not saying its a competition but when the king steps in its just relaxing, and the way things are supposed to be. john mayer is great, dont get me wrong but the old mans got it. always has
I'd disagree. For me, King makes me wanna slow groove my body against a man's, vs Johnny there makes me feel like I smoked a joint and am just chillaxing on a couch watching a sweet little miss dance in nothing but lingerie in front of me.
Imagine being John Mayer in this situation. He grew up listening to BB dreaming about being one of the great blues men just like him, and here he is playing next to one of the kings. I would be totally fangirling no way I could play anything resemblent of a blues solo.
Dudes, what? Every guitar player should have his own language... That's what i see in this jam, John wouldn't just use the same language as THE King... They're speaking with their own styles with each other. But that's how i see it, of course.
Mr. King also had more experience and knows what worked for HIM. Tell me IF you play would YOU play like either of them.....no. They can influence you but you would find your own path.
Even here, BB may not be able to play like he used to, but his mind is still in sync with the music. Every lick he plays is so tasteful. He knows exactly what the hell he’s doing, and I love to see it
