BB King didn't do chords.

[Wooly]

I recently saw an interesting documentary on BB King.

He was sitting in with U2 and someone, I think it was Bono but I don't recall for certain, was giving him the chords for a particular song they were to play. BB flat out told him that he doesn't do chords. I'm assuming because he didn't know how to??

Isn't it unusual for a player of his stature not to be able to play chords or maybe there was another reason?

Maybe someone knows more or maybe I'm missing something?

[TJE]

He knew how...he just chose not too! Different strokes, different folks!

[Bob Womack]

BB King said he didn't learn chording because he intended to be a front man and he knew that people who could chord would end up backing someone. It worked for him.

Bob

[Mr. Jelly]

Check out the early B. B. King.

[Pitar]

So, there it is. A man who actually viewed the playing of music from a class-struggle perspective.

Play chords, be 2nd class, never see the spotlight, leave this world and posthumously said to be underrated. Wait...yup, that's about right.

But, play only single-string runs with bends, hammers, pulls and such with righteous timing and go from zero to hero.

BB had it right.

[mr. beaumont]

He sure as hell knew his chords, though. Listen to the way he addresses chord changes in his playing.

[jfitz81]

Yeah, man.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

BB King said he didn't learn chording because he intended to be a front man and he knew that people who could chord would end up backing someone. It worked for him.

Bob

Exactly. He didn't do chords because he had people to do that for him. (And I'm sure he was happy to regard U2 as just another backing band . His ear was quite good enough to hear the chords, or at least to hear what to play; he wouldn't need to be told.)

His youtube lessons (as above) demonstrate how well he knew chords. Check out this one too, where he talks about the "one, four and five" (chords obviously), and shows how he resolves melodic phrases into chord tones.

[ManyMartinMan]

No, Mr. King was a complete player. From his early days he had his preferred style but he certainly played chords when he wanted to. He didn't need to and he used fewer and fewer chords as he years progressed. Certainly one of the great masters of the fret-board.

I also read that he never played while he was singing. Never personally verified this, but is true based on what I've seen. What ever he did or didn't do, it sure worked for him.

[jalbert]

Ah, but the look on Bono's face when BB said that was priceless!

[Wooly]

OK. That answers that. Thanks all for enlightening me. I'll sleep better tonite.

[SunnyDee]

Kinda like when I say I don't type.

[Toby Walker]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Exactly. He didn't do chords because he had people to do that for him. (And I'm sure he was happy to regard U2 as just another backing band . His ear was quite good enough to hear the chords, or at least to hear what to play; he wouldn't need to be told.)

His youtube lessons (as above) demonstrate how well he knew chords. Check out this one too, where he talks about the "one, four and five" (chords obviously), and shows how he resolves melodic phrases into chord tones.

He SPOKE with his guitar.... meaning that he used notes like one would use words... to create a meaningful phrase. That almost seems like a lost art, and certainly something that many beginners need to take note of. LOL.

[kdcee]

I was fortunate to have worked many of his shows many years ago when he played in one of our showrooms. He told me that he thought of the guitar as a horn and played lines a horn player would.