Ian Anderson guitar techniques 

Thanks for the kind words! Indeed, it is challenging to capture all the nuances. The thing I struggle most with is the odd rhythms and measures when singing at the same time. I can't count and sing at the same time. :)

No argument there! '72 JT show I saw was greatest ever, by a long shot!

He has such a unique style. It's very fun to try to replicate.

Thank you. He has a very unique style all his own!

Thanks for the kind words. I would say I was converted by the album "Stand Up." I heard that about eighth grade and it struck me as so unique. He is a unique composer and instrumentalist, no doubt.

My exact journey as well. Ian is one of my guitar heroes.

I can certainly hear Roy’s influence in Ian’s music. “Skating Away” is a good example.

@@caryheuchert I agree, especially Harper's 'Flat Baroque and Berserk' from 1970

He just doesn't get enough recognition, IMHO. He invented a whole style of guitar playing and has such a gift for melody. If you haven't heard it, check out his solo album "Divinities, 12 dances with God." It's completely different from the rest of his catalog as it was entirely composed on flute. I can't think of another musician as flexible and varied in his approach to music.

I'll be doing more tutorials soon. Just returned from a 2 week road trip with all my music gear so I'm getting things put back together!

By Snoozedoctor: My God Tutorial: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rvnJC9iHdus.html Thick as a Brick Tutorial: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ba7xySONmcg.html Baker Street Muse Tutorial: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Dsmm1uAWTio.html Enjoy!!!!

Great combo! Love Robby Krieger's playing. Yes, Ian definitely developed his own style and it was quite unique. I could hear 10 seconds of his playing an unfamiliar song and immediately recognize his sound.

Thanks! Yeah, I have seen Martin's interviews where he talks about Mississippi. I think it's often overlooked what a virtuoso band this was. I'm not sure any of the prog rock bands of the day could have pulled off Passion Play. Obviously there were keyboard players that could have, but Martin's electric work and Ian's acoustic parts were murderous. Martin seems like a humble guy and that's cool you've met him. My favorite live show of all time is still seeing the TAAB tour in '72. Actually saw them perform it before its US release. Glad you're enjoying the lessons!

@@snoozedoctor Great time to see Jethro Tull. I saw TAAB 2 times in 1972. Couldn't get enough. Great lineup of musicians and theatrical performances were eye opening. Set a high standard for all musicians and concerts I would ever attend in the future.

I'm so glad it's been of some help! Let me know if you have questions.

You’re welcome! Cheers!

Glad you enjoyed it! I was literally down to 62 kg by the end of that time. I'm no longer 62 kg, that's for sure!!

Thanks for giving it a listen and commenting. Wow, I wish I played flute, or about any other instrument than guitar. I add some flute to my pieces with midi, but guitar isn't the ideal instrument for midi work. Yes, Ian is just an unbelievable guitar player. When I watch old video of them playing, it's just automatic for him. He's able to do quite complex stuff while he phrases his vocal so amazingly. Gifted guy, no doubt.

I appreciate that!

I only focused on the actual techniques more recently. Not only are there intricate picking patterns to deal with, but then you have the odd meter to so many songs!

Thanks! I didn't see Cornick with JT, but I did get to see him with Wild Turkey opening, I think, for Black Sabbath. I enjoyed Wild Turkey more than Sabbath. They had a great sound. Cheers!

Thanks, and you're welcome!

thank you. Very kind of you. Cheers!

Thanks! Some of my favorites too. Tommy was one of my fav albums in high school. Then I heard Live at Leeds and ever since have wanted to reproduce the sound of an SG played through a dimed 100 watt Hi watt.

thank you for the kind comment!

Glad you enjoyed it! More to come!

Thanks for listening and commenting!

Glad you enjoyed it!

I have this more dedicate part one tutorial. Cheers! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ba7xySONmcg.htmlsi=FBP-S_dRsV2DwWg5

Thanks! They are about right for my ability. Any more complex and I wouldn't be able to play and sing at the same time!

cheers to you!

My pleasure! Cheers!

Thanks so much! I'm glad you found my channel!

I second thant - great lessons!!! Thank you!!!

Thanks so much!

I'm with you. Starting with the Stand Up album, Ian just went into uncharted water. For me, that lasted until Heavy Horses album. Certainly some good material on later albums but it became more formula, albeit with many outstanding melodies still.

Thanks! Yeah, the open E comment kinda threw me off for awhile. When I hear that I think of what most people call open E which is really open D tuning since most people tune down rather than up. But, it was really DADGAD tuning which made sense in the end.

Yes, I learned that too. Friends with perfect pitch would be confused by the comment, but it was an Ian joke I presume. Enjoyed your picking lesson. When I used to play some of these songs I cheated with a pick and finger style to correct the sound of an up/down pick style. It was fun to see you do that!

thanks!

You are welcome! Cheers to you!

Thanks so much!

Thanks for that info! I played in the jazz band in high school when I was still learning my instrument and struggled because everything was in B flat for the horns. None of the popular music I was learning at the time was in that key. I'd like to say it broadened my horizons, but I still don't like to play in B flat.

@@snoozedoctor you see? it took me decades to figure this out, and it only happened bec i sat next to a flutist at a wedding, and he explained to me the whole deal. play a G on capo 3 and you've got your Bb!

@@pkoven It was the improvising that tripped me up because in the jazz band I couldn't capo. I'd like to be able to close my eyes and envision the scales, or be good enough to follow my ear through the changes. Last week I played with a old bandmate who went on to straight jazz career and it was ridiculous trying to follow him. I'm just not that good.

He uses the capo is for several reasons: Because the F chord is quite restrictive and harder to play than a D, especially on an acoustic and especially at speed. Also because the D shape offers a wide variety of opportunities for hammer-on/pull-off embellishments. Also because the D shape has open, un-fretted strings that can give a 'bigger' and more sustained sound. Also because a capo will often give a boost in sustain (it gives the guitar a metal 'zero fret'). Also because you can get more inversions out of a D shape (eg using an open A in the bass, or an F# on the D string or Low E). The open D shape is usually less tiring on the hands than a full barre F shape. In fact lots of Tull songs are played using the same chords... Ian tends to gravitate towards D, C, Am, G, Em and just moves the capo around to change the key. eg Cheap Day Return: C, D, G, Am, A with Capo on 7th. (Key: G) Wond'ring Aloud: C, Am G, D with Capo at 3rd (Key: Eb) Nursie: C, Am, D with Capo at 4th (Key: E) Skating Away: C, G, D,Fsus2 , A with Capo at 3rd (Key: F) Up the 'Pool: C, D, A, Asus4, G, Bm, Bb: Capo at 7th (Key: A) One White Duck: G, C, D, Em, Bb with Capo at 4th (Key: B) Pig-Me and the Whore: C, D, G, Fsus2, with Capo at 2nd (Key: A) Crash Barrier Waltzer: G, C, D, Am, Em with capo at 2nd (Key: A) etc etc etc So it's not so much about playing in F and more about using chord shapes that flow well together, sound good, and allow embellishment (especially on an acoustic)... And, as Google will tell you, "The standard concert flute, also called the C flute, Boehm flute, silver flute, or simply flute, is pitched in C and has a range of about three and a half to four octaves starting from the note C (middle C)." ... Not F. The only concert instrument I remember being in F is the Contrabass Trombone... which also comes in Bb. EDIT: Also worth noting that Tull have been in the business over 40 years. Over that time-span a man's voice naturally lowers so keys tend to get shifted down over time. Couple that with the throat operations Ian has had, and I'm sure quite a few songs will no -longer be performed in their original key.

You are so welcome!

Thanks for listening and commenting!

Thank you! I'm glad you found the channel!

Thanks! Yes, his tempo always makes all the arpeggios challenging! I hope you find the tutorials useful in your pursuits!

I love it! I worked with a surgeon named Dr. Payne. Not as good! lol.

thank you!

I'm glad it's helpful!

You are welcome!

Thank you very much!

Wow, would love to have seen/heard that CD. He was playing relatively cheap guitars up until Thick as a Brick. I think I saw that he used a Yamaha, or similar, on Aqualung. But he bought a Martin 00-21 (New Yorker, they call it) and used that on TAAB. It was a lightly built guitar so he used silk wrapped strings on it. From there he started collecting vintage Martins and his guitar sound was unparalleled, in my opinion.

@@snoozedoctor I will try to find out the correct title of that CD (Andersons acoustic riffs ) hundreds of them --sadly the DVD has gone missing -- I had in 2009--and send you the details ---thankyou for the great lessons ---appreciate !

Thank you!

Thanks 👍

I was at a party in the 8th grade and the girl hosting put on a new record she had bought, "Stand Up." I was mesmerized. Totally unique sound. Hooked ever since!

Awesome, thank you!

Thanks for the sub!

Thanks! I love his guitar style!

You're very welcome! Ian may not have been a great electric guitar player but not many could have done what he did on acoustic. Still, to me, his greatest gift is imagination and composition. He's so blessed with sense of melody. I've seen Tull exactly 5 times too!

Thanks for the sub!

Indeed! His accuracy is astounding. I can't play it that clean when I'm not singing. To sing with his sense of phrasing whilst playing all those arpeggios flawlessly, well like I said, astounding. he was known to be a monster in the studio too. One or two takes and he was out of there. That's insane.

Glad you liked it!

Thanks for the kind words!

My favorite track from that album!

Thanks! Just took the Tele on a road trip to play with buddies, hadn't played it in a while, and it was sweet.

Glad to have you onboard!

You're welcome!

best live show I ever saw, TAAB tour '72

Indeed, he is a very skilled guitar and mandolin player. His flute playing did improve quite a bit in the '90s when he focused on correct technique. Check out his solo album "Divinities; Twelve Dances with God." Composed entirely on flute.

@@snoozedoctor i know divinities, but its a paradox, bucause with his better skills and habits, his playing kinda lost balls, i guess is partially due to his breathing capacity, but many lics he relearned are not dirty enough

@@tcoudi He definitely lost that "bluesy" aspect of his playing. He pretty much quit using that humming along with his flute that was so amazing and kinda "dirty."

Thanks for listening

thank you!

Definitely!

Thanks! Totally agree with your assessment of Barre. "Tull" has never been the same without him. He has such a unique sound and impeccable time and rhythm. Also agree with Ian's playing making it hard to play and sing many of the songs. Even the simpler ones like Wondering Aloud, give me a bit of trouble. I haven't played the Clapton model. I'll admit I'm not an expert on neck shapes, but in general do you like thinner or chunkier necks?

Thanks! Wow, I'd love to try some of that Scorpion sauce! Last evening I was having some of my pickled habaneros. Those things will light you up!

@@snoozedoctor Hey SD, I sent an email to the address given by RU-vid some day last week. Did you receive it?

@@grahamrostant5035 I don't see it. Try again and I'll be looking for it. It may have gone to my promotional inbox or something.

thanks!

Thanks! Yeah, I didn't know exactly what to call it, so I used that term. I'm sure there's a more established way of describing it. Man, I would have loved to play in a JT tribute band. "Velvet Green". Love that song! I've delayed learning that one because I know I can't play and sing it at the same time. Thanks for the tip on that. If you watch any of the video of him live, it's clear he does what you describe. I believe he does the same on the '0 power of 10" section on Minstrel. I would have been tempted to play a Fsus2 there. But, a quick strum tells me it's like you say. I believe he might do the same on the chorus of Dun Ringill, instead of the Fsus2 I've been playing.

@@snoozedoctor Long hair music types call it an arpeggiated chord. Slurred means something different.

@@1MRBASSMAN good point. It really is an arpeggio.

This guitar is a 2008 Martin OMC Aura. It was a bit of a departure for Martin because it had a much slimmer neck profile and the different inlay on the fingerboard. I don't think they made them for too long. I really like it though. It also has a slightly wider string spacing at the saddle and that makes finger style easier. Glad you found the video!

Yes, he's always surrounded himself with the cream of the crop. John Evan and Martin Barre, Barrymore, all incredible. I was lucky enough to see them on the original TAAB tour in '72. Still the best live show I've ever seen. Just amazing.

Right! Check out my tutorial on both One Brown Mouse and Cold Wind in DADGAD.

He's an amazingly accurate guitar player. A bit amazing that he took up flute because he heard Clapton, Hendrix, and the like and decided he'd never be that good on guitar. I'm not sure many of them could play what he played with such precision and accuracy. Ian was notorious in the studio for getting it on the first take. He doesn't make mistakes.

@@snoozedoctor Hi Doc, if you allow me....which JT song would you recommend a beginner/almost intermediate guitarist to learn ? Thanks

@@denisnagot6982 I think the acoustic section of Aqualung would be a good place to start. I'll try to think of others.

@@snoozedoctor Thanks. I have found several tutorials of that part, but it's quite easy, and I'd like to try something more challenging. Let me know you have any ideas. I might try My god, with the help of your tutorial.

@@denisnagot6982 I did a tutorial on Slipstream from the Aqualung album. That one is pretty straight forward.

What gets me is how effortless it is for him. I tend to have to concentrate so much on my fingers that I have no attention left for vocal phrasing, something he did so well.

@@snoozedoctor crash barrier waltzer is an example of his amazing guitar/voice talent..a one man orchestra 😂 By the way, your version is awesome 👍

tutorial is up

@@snoozedoctor ty ty ty ty ty tyty!🙏

That would be really hard on the fingers. I frequently keep my guitar tuned down a half step to E flat to make it easier to play.

Someone else has asked about the timing of that strum. Was that you? I will post a video when I'm back in town next week.

I use Elixirs on all my guitars, both acoustic and electric, even my bass. I prefer the regular over the newer bronze option. The tone is slightly subdued to most uncoated strings, and that doesn't bother me, but the coated strings last so much longer! I play many guitars and I don't want to be changing strings every week. :)

I'll get around to it! Laid up for a while due to surgery but I'll be back soon.

Thanks! I haven't given that part a serious go, but I know it will be rhythmically challenging. Like almost every song of his, doesn't sound that hard, until you try to play it.

I like the smaller bodies, although the one I play in this video is a little bigger body but it is so comfortable to play it gets a lot of use. This one has a very thin neck and it's a bit wider, both of which I like. Wow, I think a nice compromise would be an OM body. If you are mostly a strummer, sometimes fingerpicker, an OM body is great. I'm a sucker for a good parlor or 00 body but I use them more for finger style. Man, Ian is playing those tiny guitars now! They are custom made for him, but I sure would like to try one. Contrary to what you might think, well built small guitars are very loud. My 00 Huss and Dalton is a cannon. By far the loudest guitar I own, but I don't strum it very often. As far as brands, Martin and Larrivee are great mid-priced brands. Personally, never cared for Taylors although people seem to love them. Ian's New Yorker was a bit different. He said it was lightly built and wouldn't take the strain of regular steel strings so he used steel wrapped silk. I always wondered how he got that incredible warm tone on TAAB. He started buying vintage Martins, especially 30s and early 40s. Probably what he used on Passion Play, although it may have been the New Yorker still. At any rate, try some 00, OM and parlors if you're able. It's still important to play it before you buy it. Over the years I've bought 3 unplayed and I got rid of all of them. I hope that helps. Oh, lastly, wood. I would recommend an entire wood body without laminate wood side and back. The laminates are super stiff and while durable, stifle the lows. Spruce top for me. Sides and backs, maple = bright, treble mahogany = even tone across the register, rosewood (getting hard to find and pricy) is warm and powerful.

@@snoozedoctor Thank you doc. This is very helpful!

I use Elixir light gauge, .12. Recently I did buy some of their .10 for the same reason, to save my fingers. I have short, soft fingers and having my action super low helps too. I always have it on the verge of buzzing.

I have that one on the list to learn!

Let me see what I can do. I've only done one song, an instrumental, so I'm not too good at it.

He comes up with stuff that I've never run across anywhere else in my guitar journey. Totally unique player. The acoustic passage "At the Foot of Our Stairs" from Passion Play being a prime example. Totally weird chords and riffs.

Sure. It's a Martin OMC Aura that I think was built in 2008. It's considered an "orchestral" sized body, slightly bigger than an OM. This guitar wasn't a great success for Martin and they don't make it any longer. It was different in that the neck has a slimmer profile and the string spacing is slightly wider, both of which I really love.

@@snoozedoctor Thanks, appreciate the info.

Totally agree! I think his most impressive skill is just the arrangement of the acoustic parts, his accuracy in playing them live, and his ability to sing expressive vocals over the playing. It's a personal style for sure.

Absolutely. Ian Anderson is a song writer and musician out of another time. "My God" comes to mind instantly as inimitably original guitar bit.