Unfortunately, Jeff Beck passed away at the age of 78 on January 10th, 2023.
Beck was ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone and other magazines’ lists rankings of the greatest guitarists. He was often called a “guitarist’s guitarist”. Rolling Stone described him as “one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock”.
Beck stopped the regular use of a guitar pick. He produced a wide variety of sounds by using his thumb to pluck the guitar strings, his ring finger on the volume knob, and his little finger on the vibrato bar. By plucking a string and then ‘fading in’ the sound with the volume knob he created a unique sound that can resemble a human voice, among other effects. He frequently used a wah-wah pedal both live and in the studio. Eric Clapton once said, “With Jeff, it’s all in his hands”.
In memory of Jeff Beck, we present to you some of his riffs and licks to play along with and remember him by.
“Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”
This instrumental cover of a Stevie Wonder song showcases Jeff Beck’s ability to mimic the human voice on the guitar.
Here’s what it sounds like:
“People Get Ready”
Pretty stuff here! Jeff Beck reunites with his old Faces bandmate in Rod Stewart.
Rhythm Guitar
Use your tremolo bar to get the vibratos. Use your thumb to fret the note on the second fret of the low E string. I pick this with my fingers (even for the lead part below) Let the notes ring!
Solo Guitar
Below is the vocal-like lead. It’s played over this chord progression: D, Bm7, G, D played 3 times, Then on the 4th time: Bm7, Em7, G/A, D.
“Blue Wind”
Here’s a great example of a weird Jeff Beck riff.
This riff is in 4/4 time except for the 2nd measure in which we switch to 2/4 time (only 2 beats).
Notice that the 4th measure mirrors the 1st measure, but with the addition of bends. This is typical Jeff Beckism. Getting it to sound right may be tricky because it relies on precise bending.
Here’s how to play the “Blue Wind” riff: