40 years on from his incredible debut release, Texas Flood, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s jaw-dropping recorded works and high-octane live shows continue to inspire guitarists to play blues. Four decades may have passed, but he can still be considered the archetypal ‘modern’ blues player. Rock ’n’ roll attitude and wicked tone are part and parcel of blues in the 2020s – qualities Stevie had in spades, and at a time when blues had fallen out of fashion. Some call him a pioneer. The bottom line is if you play electric blues today you’ll likely be tracing some of SRV’s line of influence.
Here, we’re looking at 20 ways Stevie played the blues, including a breakdown of some of the techniques he used. Though not essential, you’ll get the most out of our
