British guitarist tries to play like Stevie Ray Vaughan! (and fails!) 

TIME STAMPS - 1:27 Tuning 1:45 This is Serious! (Vibrato, 13 gauge strings) 3:47 Aggressive Down Strokes 4:23 Playing with Dynamic Appreciation (Trill) 5:27 Mixing Techniques 6:55 Demonstration (Slower) 8:10 Major/minor 9:11 Hardcore Bends! 10:34 Bending 2 Strings Together 12:26 Right Hand Freedom (staying loose) 13:38 Endless Face Melting Runs! 14:42 Navigating the Fretboard

Anybody keeping Stevie’s sound alive is a win in my book.

You've explained Stevie Ray Vaughan's style and intentions of his music better than I have ever heard it said before!! GREAT JOB, FIL

Damn SRV been dead 30 years. If he were alive, I seriously doubt he would give two shits if someone showed videos of him playing on RU-vid. Such bullshit.

Fails on SRV are better than 99.9 % of the world. Jam on, Hoss

Love this channel. You're very modest and talented. I've learned a bunch of cool stuff from you and I'm not a musician at all. Stay the same, you're a treasure.

Love your enthusiasm for the topic, not that you ever lack in other videos, but more so in this one. I really appreciate your love and passion for music, especially Stevie's.

Fil ... fail? Sounds great to me 🎸 You couldn't fail if you tried to! I think SRV was born in a pod and dropped to earth 😆

I just finished Texas Flood bio on SRV. Great read, I recommend to any SRV fan. Interesting thing that Stevie said once he got clean he went to .011 strings cos he could finally feel his fingers 😎 Thanks Fil, for continuing to bring SRV to fans who have loved him forever and helping others discover him 🎶🎵

Fails? Your "fail" would be a resounding success for many guitarists. Another brilliant lesson/analysis/demo. I'm sure most of your subscribers would agree (and I never tire of saying this) that you are without peer on RU-vid.

Brilliant Fill! Come to Texas and visit Austin, SRV stomping ground. Great statue to honor him. He sat behind me on a Southwest Airlines flight from Austin to Houston. Got his autograph. He made us proud and he is missed. You've done an excellent job analyzing his style. Cheers Fil from Texas. Xx

Fil many guitarist try to play like Stevie Ray Vaughn but never understand the small intricacies that really made Stevie who he was. You understand why his sound was different and on a much higher level than almost any other major guitarist. It is this inner knowledge, the ability to use the knowledge you have plus your own remarkable talents that make you very good. There was certainly no fail here but just pure imitation. Not many guitarist can play Stevie' s songs and sound like Stevie. Well done.👍

I came for the fail, got disappointed...

Just wanted to say you’re a superlative player in your own right! You’re like a polite Ritchie Blackmore

What separates SRV from the rest is not only did he possess the creativity of an artist, he also had the workmanship of an artisan.

Geez Fil, you didn't fail at all, you sounded like SRV. What a treat to hear this. You are just so good pointing out all the good stuff. Just love it. SRV would have been honored to hear you play his style.

I think Stevie Ray was just an incredible instinctive guitar master. His playing can't be duplicated simply because what he played was what was in his mind at any instant and his fingers just knew where his head wanted to go. He's a difficult study simply because of his genius abilities. I think anyone attempting to duplicate his playing is futile. He's a man to accept as a phenomenon just for us to listen to.

Stevie said in an interview he doesn’t play with much finesse “I play like I’m breaking out of jail”. Love him, he was a character.

Excellent analysis! SRV was and is one of my favorite musicians. I saw his last concert in August of 1990 at Alpine Valley. It could take hours to get out of that massive parking lot, so we always did a bit of tailgating until the traffic cleared. So we saw his helicopter crash. I'll never forget it. It was terrible. The next day thousands of us went to Buddy Guy's (he had performed at the show) in Chicago to just be together and mourn. The last piece Stevie did was Voodoo Child. Toward the end, he dropped to his knees, went down on his back, and played the most beautiful, pure guitar I have ever heard. Thank you for highlighting him. Not only a great guitarist but a truly unique rhythmic voice.

Stevie was such a master and he made it look so easy.. I swear the guy couldn't even touch a guitar without it sounding great.. Good video.. Thanks

Was waiting for you to flip it around your back.....LOL

Fil wonderful analysis! The breakdown of how SRV made his sound was great! You can explain to the non-guitarist about the methods SRV uses and make it easy to understand.

People get caught in the trap of string gauge and “tone” but if you want to hear for yourself that tone is in the fingers, go listen to Vincent Price by ZZ Top. Billy uses .08 gauge strings and tunes waaaaaaay down and he has a monster tone.

Brilliant as always, Fil. Bravo!

Lol already on the title 😄 Love your videos Fil 👍

I love the way you explain yourself when you see and hear his playing style, I get that it excites me too. You are a great player and.teacher. keep it up, thanks from san antonio , TX.

Forget what he's doing, what you're doing is impossible enough! Another dazzling lesson, Fil. Merci.

I know we're harder on ourselves but I would not say You fail. excellent breakdown and analysis. don't worry about not playing like Stevie Ray Vaughan, I am sure there are a lot of people out there that wish they could play guitar 1/4 as well as You can Fil. 👍🤘

Fil, you sound awesome! What fail? I loved it!!

You’re so humble Fil. That makes you more incredible than you realize. Great demo!

You did not fail, Fil. I mean, SRV was not of this planet, I am convinced. Thank you for being awesome, as you always are!

Clapton said no matter the time or place, Stevie was always at the top of his game. He never let his playing become anything less than all it could be.

I really enjoyed this. You are an awesome guitarist.❤️

Thanks I am not a musician. Except some drums But I learn a lot from your videos.

When I was doing open mics I used to give out the "Johnny B. Good" award to the best performer. This is obviously to make myself more popular, so to avoid giving it to the same people all the time, I had a rule that for your second Johnny B. Good, you had to beat yourself. I began to realize that non-players often gave great cheers to simple music, and it wasn't just the performer's parents. So I began to imagine that I did not know how to play a guitar. This I think gives you a better perspective. A majority of the audience did not know how to play a guitar and didn't care to learn. They had a life outside of guitar and were happy with it. The "beat yourself" rule gave credence and believability to regular performers when they won.

Fil never FAILS to amaze me, so much for FAILING. If I could just FAIL at Fil's level, I'd die happy in my sleep like my grandpa - and not screaming like the passengers in his car.

Great analysis Fil! Your better than what you think. Btw congrats on 170,000 subs

I saw Stevie and Jeff Beck at the RPI Fieldhouse, Troy, NY back on November, 12 1989. Stevie opened and blew the crowd away. I still have my concert stub; $17.50.

Well about 2 minutes of this and I'm off looking for the live at the El macombo video bye

I guess this is like when you finally see your bjj instructor toying with the purple belts and submitting the other black belts. I love I finally saw you playing. Playing only when there is a teachable moment speaks volumes of your respect to the artists you review and react to.

Hello Fil it has been a very long time since I stopped by to watch one of your videos. I have 2 very bust months well now I have time to see what you have been up to.

Great execution! I understand a lot more about SRVs techniques. Thank you.

We love SRV. Thanks professor ... 😃 🎸

Now...put it all together, Fil...lol. Great breakdown, thx.

Good lord, that was far from a fail my friend. You can really play. Keep up the great vids

Hell yeah dude! You got that SRV tone and feel down!

This is amazing to dissect and analyze his playing. You probably know more what he was doing than he knew. He figured out what to do to get across what he felt. What are you using to approximate his tone? Is it a modelling amp? Great work here!

These copyright blockers are idiots. Keith Jarrett and Van Morrison are fading into obscurity. Fil you’re a great musician 😎👏👏👏👏👍🏻🥂

You sounds a lot like Stevie Ray Vaughan! great video who is a tribute to one of the bedst bluse players all times

I wish you were around when I was a teenager it would of help me push myself to learn to play 😩

Nobody can copy SRV, he was unique on the guitar, but I think it's very impressive how you explain the way of playing, very good fil!

It's crazy you can't use the actual SRV audio. I made a comment on a video you did about Stevie two years ago and I'm still, up to a week or so ago, getting replies to that comment. Which means people are still watching it two years down the road. Too bad they don't look at it as you're helping to keep his music alive rather than feeling the need to block it for a few coins.

I have seen some of your reaction videos, and many are really good! Thank you! Myself, I play the drums but I have heard my fair share of guitarists. From good, to very good, to brilliant and to immortal. For my own playing, I have played with some good guitarists. It would be nice to see your reaction to John Campbell. He basically lived the blues, and as SRV, died way to young. In this video, he even has a tutorial on how to play the blues. He also proves that it works. I feel sorry for the second guitarist, that normally would have done a good/great solo... but Campbell is devastating. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lef1ERxRS6A.html

SRV is the only guitarist that I can actually FEEL the music and not just hear it. Stewart Copeland is the only other (musician) I can feel. I think you did a great job breaking down his 'technique'. You always do a great job, in my opinion.

SRV, true giant, and as I see it, no fail at all, insightful and educational, for those of us who listen and appreciate. \m/ on Fil !

I’m watching this a second time, and noticed your remarks @ 12:39. By playing different areas of the string with different levels of force one can get lots of different tone colors and subtle changes of mood without touching any knobs or switches. I was mostly an acoustic player, and this is VERY true of the acoustic, because there aren’t any knobs or switches. I suspect that a Strat is so great for the blues precisely because you can do anything with tones subtly and quickly to build lots of emotional variety into one solo. Matter of fact some years ago I saw a Rory vid - I can’t remember what - where he played the first part nice and clean, nearly like a pop-country tune, then moved his hand back toward the bridge and turned his amp into a volcanic fuzz explosion. I suspect he had all his knobs turned just below the point of feeding back. I’ll let you get back to work now. And maybe I’ll steal a few of these licks. Keep the faith!

Stevie suffered a lot from those strings and would often go to to.11 if his fingers were beaten up. Even so, it's actually not that hard to play heavy strings - I use 12 -56 in standard tuning and bending is fine unless you want minor/major third bends too often. Tune down to Eb and I assure you it's much easier than you think. You gain strength over time and get used to it, like anything else.

Great analysis man. I am a huge SRV fan (who isn`t) and I picked up a couple of things I did not know about him. I was really surprised that he used such a heavy gage string. I don`t know anyone that uses a string that thick. Great job.

My guitar teach took me to see Stevie in Boston in 1984 the "Couldn't stand the weather" tour second row on floor. I could see his hands! I could not keep up. Way too fast. But his slow stuff has soul. He made me want to play even more.

I was working on and almost mastered srv on guitar all because of my work and my strong fingers. And they were wrecked by RA arthritis and loosing the use of my left hand destroyed my life's work so at least I can listen now and have been blessed with ears that can hear 4 range speakers and it wonderful I'd still can do that

Hey Fil. I've been watching your reaction videos for a while now and I find them to be a cut above most other reactors on RU-vid. The others have their place but your musical ability and talent makes your videos stand apart. I know you're a SRV fan, as am I and I'd like to see your reaction to a video that's not one of the usual vids people do reactions to. It's a concert video of Stevie playing Willy the Wimp. It's an awesome performance and if you haven't seen it I think you'll enjoy it a lot. Thx,

You are an Amazing guitarist 😎👍🏻🎸

Great analysis. I didn't know about the heavy strings. Very informative. Stevie just makes it look so easy.

Well played mate !! No fail at all. Angus Young bends strings a lot while playing his solos. Can you please do an upload on his final solo, including his chord progression, in "Let There Be Rock". Phil Emmanuel taught it to me when I was 17, in 1989, when my band had supported him. He could tell that I was self taught and that I was doing it the hard way so he offered me a guitar lesson when the night was over. He also taught me technique to simplify my lead playing. I felt like the luckiest young man in the world, and still feel that way 32 years later... R.I.P. to the amazing and generous Phil Emmanuel ... Kind Regards ... Johno ...

Love your videos and commentary! I'm finally subscribing!! SRV played at Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT b4 he died and at the time I said to myself " I'll catch him next time".😥 What a mistake. He was a rare human being. ✌

As I have commented to you before, I love your channel and video's. With SRV being my favorite of all time I loved this video. It's always great to see you show your immense talent as well.

Stevie Ray Vaughan is in my top 10 list of my favorite guitarists. I remember when he passed away, in the helicopter crash. May he rest in peace. Thanks for this great analysis video. Cheers, Fil!

Sounds like stevie ray vaughan to me.

I remember when I first heard Texas Flood, I thought two people were playing together to make that sound. Unbelievable ability. 😱

wow! great job Fil!

Good job brother.

I thought it worth mentioning that Rene Martinez srv's guitar tech said Stevie would start a tour with 13 gauge strings but has the tour went on and his hand would sometimes get tired he would have to put higher gauge string on for him by his request.

SRV was so amazing because his talent was on a visceral level. Fans can talk on & on about him but there always more to say. Plus his voice, body and guitar were one as if his magic channeled through his DNA. To me his uniqueness isn't from formal training but from listening to and ultimately playing with his heroes. I do have a question about bends. Is there a difference in the sound when bending a string up or down? I've seen Slash do it when playing acoustically but can't seem to detect the difference.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Riviera paradise is a great example of some of his talent . Thank you for the great content .

I’ve been watching your vids for months now, this is one of the best. Your “approximations” of SRV’s style are just right - because it’s your style mixed in with, and that’s a great sound too. Hey now teach us how to play one of your tunes, what do you say? You won’t get a copyright strike right!?

good shit Fil but where is your behind your back playing 🙂 👍👍✌🤘

I had my one and only chance to see Stevie the year before he died. I still regret that. God I regret that.

Vaughn was such a character and talent-really one of a kind. A combo of mellow (smooth) and as you put it aggressive and instantly recognizable. Such a loss to the bluesy/ rock sound. Seems like all the greats in rock and roll die way too young. Thanks for sharing. Gosh it must be incredible to have talent as you do, so you can play your favorites and teach others too ! And it's the highest form of flattery. Have you ever met him, or have you been to any of his concerts?

As someone with no musical talent whatsoever, I thoroughly enjoy hearing the technical side of what's happening through your analyses.

Excellent video ! I have yet to see or hear anyone actually duplicate Stevies .013 techniques. Your tutorial maybe gives us inspiration to try something challenging to the fingers and brain. I used to cringe listening to bar bands covering SRV totally out of tune 30 seconds into the song. Billy Strings is the only one I see using .013s today.

I'm a fair size guy with big hands and it's not that I don't have the strength in my fingers to bend heavier strings, because I do, but what happens is if I overdue bends the skin will tear away from the front of my fingernails and it will sting like crazy and playing can be quite painful. It usually takes a couple days to recover from this and if it happens at the beginning of a few days run I will be in trouble. So lighter strings for me. Like B.B. King said to Billy Gibbons "Why are you working so hard?" So Billy uses a .07 on top. I played with a guy who would Krazy Glue his nails to his skin but I don't know how healthy that is.

There are so many choke joke tubers.So glad To view a talent.The old Man NC

Keep the Electric Church music alive. The Old Man NC

If you don't play guitar, I don't think you can really appreciate how incredible SRV was. He played with such an intense ferocity and he rarely ever missed a note. And he played it all on a guitar that most guitarists would consider unplayable because of the coaxial cables he called strings and the extremely high action.

What a player and what an amazing sound Stevie had.....totally awesome! I saw him Live in Melbourne many years ago.....absolutely unbelievable Fil! Sensational demo on guitar to fella....Smokin! Cheers Mario! 😀👌🤘

Humble and gifted..... don't ever lose that Fil. Wonderful video. Thank you.

Dopest vid, man! No fails dude! Attitude rocks!,!!! 👍👍💥🔥 ure playing is tight 💥🔥🔥🔥

Fill, I am so glad that you have pointed out that a person should play with the strings that they're comfortable with! I am a Stevie Ray nut and unfortunately for me I had no one tell me that when I started my journey of learning how to play songs from the greatest guitarist who ever lived now 20 years later I'm still playing with 13s because nothing else feels right on the bright side of things I can do push-ups with one finger LOL!

You might break those strings yet😎

I love the “chord that ends a run that melts your face”! I thought that every time Stevie does it. Also, he drops to very soft slow tones after shredding-then goes back to shredding 🤠

Not a fail at all. I learned a lot. Stevie had many mentors and would be proud to be one for others. Thanks for this video.

Greetings Fil, if you don't mind, may I suggest one day you find time to review or critique Randy Jackson of Zebra? ....an incredible guitarist who happened to have a huge vocal range as well. Regards from 'New' England....i.e. Massachusetts.

Nice analysis of Stevie's playing. I remember watching a video of him in an interview. He talked about how different guitarists played a standard blues song, and he played a bit while talking about how each of them played it. He really seemed to conjure their sound. Like the way he plays Hendrix tunes, he seems to capture the sound perfectly, then add bits of his own.

Stevie and Robin Robin Trower were/are two superlative guitarists, both favorites of mine, who I always felt literally expressed themselves with their guitar in the moment. That is, they played with soul, in the moment, expressing their feelings. Wonderful stuff. And Fil, you are top shelf, keep it up.

fantastic to see the breakdown of his styles

I know Stevie's playing wasn't easy but i dont see where the british guitarist failed? He even says that, kind of thing and that's not failing i think it sounds pretty good to me.

Definitely enjoyed this video. You got on pretty well there. You didn’t embarrass yourself in any way. You can play. And, that’s why we watch. You don’t just know a ton of info you can play. Thanks for doing this video.

Loving your "Covid Hair" in this video Fil. Great video. SRV was definitely from another solar system. I could listen/watch him play all day.😎

My mates thought I was nuts playing 12s on a 25.5 scale guitar when I was young (30 or so years ago) and hadn't yet given into hand arthritis. I eventually moved to 10s in my 30s, and I still am in awe that SRV did it on 13s. BTW, Fil... I wish I could fail so well at my SRV licks.

Melted your face! Lol. There's no better description 😂. Truth. Solid face melting truth! ❤ incredible. Thanks so much!