Combining a comprehensive knowledge of fretboard harmony with a take-no-prisoners approach, Kessel was a force to be reckoned with.
Intermediate
Intermediate
- Learn bite-sized Barney Kessel-isms you can immediately add to your own playing.
- Experiment with how Kessel used his fretting-hand thumb… if you dare.
- Examine Kessel’s approach to playing and harmonizing improvised lines.
Yeah. The guy means business.
Let’s take a look at some key elements of Kessel’s style by exploring one particular tune: his terrific live arrangement of Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Here’s That Rainy Day,” which I recently watched on YouTube. It features various hallmarks of his playing, and it’s where we’ll get all the following music examples.
Before getting started, note that Kessel used a pick almost exclusively, very rarely playing fingerstyle. All examples in this lesson are played with a pick.
Kessel’s Chordal Cool
When playing chords, Kessel frequently used his fretting-hand thumb, something unorthodox for most jazz players of the day. In fact, he would regularly use it to fret both the 6th and 5th strings simultaneously. In the first measure of Ex. 1, note how this enables him to include the low A when playing the D7b9/A. This type of voicing is rare in jazz guitar, as the resulting fourth interval between the lowest two notes creates a thicker sound most jazz players tend to stay away from. However, in Kessel’s hands, it just works.
Kessel was a master of tastefully filling in the open spaces which naturally occur in melodies. In the midst of his solo chord/melody intro, he extends a bar of Gmaj7 into two with a series of triads over a G drone, a favorite arranging technique of his (Ex. 2). Notice how he instead uses a G7 tonality in order to segue to the approaching Cm7. Note that this passage is again made possible by the use of his fretting-hand thumb on the 6th string.
Kessel’s facility with chord voicings is certainly not uncommon among jazz greats, but he had various Kessel-isms that he’d frequently draw upon in his playing. No lesson about Kessel would be complete without the minor 7th chord move in Ex. 3. Notice how he climbs up and down various extensions along the way—the 9 (E) and 11 (G)—before briefly shifting up a half-step to dramatic effect. You’ll find this figure can be applied in all sorts of situations where minor 7th chords appear, and Kessel uses it quite a bit.
Bend It Like Barney
A rock ’n’ roll-style blues lick in a jazz lesson may be a surprise, but let’s look at how Kessel effectively made this a part of his arsenal like few others of his day. In Ex. 4 he launches into a tasty blues lick over a classic IIIm–VI–IIm–V turnaround in the key of G major. While primarily drawing from the G blues scale (G–A–Bb–C–Db–D–F), he also includes a few notes from the G major scale (G–A–B–C–D–E–F#), most notably in the initial bend. Give this phrase a whirl, even if you’ve played these sorts of blues licks before. Remember, it’s how and where he’s using it that makes it so effective.
And, hey, when’s the last time you saw a jazz guitarist break a string while bending? As you’ll see in the following video, Kessel sure did…
… and it didn’t faze him one bit. It’s worth noting that as a member of the Wrecking Crew, the legendary group of first-call session musicians, he played on many popular songs throughout the 1960s (including an appearance on the classic Beach Boys’ album Pet Sounds). So, he was hip to what was going on at the time, and was involved in all sorts of musical situations outside of jazz.
Nifty Lines
Kessel was a master of improvisation, crafting lightning-quick jazz lines on the fly. Here’s one which occurs just after the above blues phrase (Ex. 5). Sure, it’s a common approach in jazz to anticipate a chord before it arrives, but here Kessel uses just about the entire second measure to foreshadow the Fm7 before it ultimately makes its entrance in measure three. His left hand doesn’t appear in the video, but you do get a close-up view of his use of sweep picking.
Kessel would also fearlessly venture into harmonizing his lines, most often using major and minor thirds. In Ex. 6 he begins with a quick ascending figure; then, for the descending figure which follows, be sure to use only your first and second fretting-hand figures on the high two strings, as he does, to keep the fingering nice and smooth.
In addition, Kessel deftly wove lines in between chords to build excitement. During the tune’s free-time intro, he adds some beautiful legato flourishes (Ex. 7).
Not surprisingly, Kessel was quite creative when fashioning endings for his arrangements, and this tune is no exception. After a slick fretting-hand thumb slide, he careens through a series of chromatically descending chordal stabs. Then, true to form, he ends with that very same thumb fretting the two lowest strings of the final chord (Ex. 8).
Wait— No Rig Rundown?!
Of course, like most jazzers of the day, Kessel simply plugged his guitar directly into an amp — in his case, a Gibson BR–3. But his guitar was rather unique — a modified Gibson ES–350 from 1946. So we’ll give BK the last word, as he gives you the inside scoop on his favorite axe.
It’s almost over, but there’s still time to win! Enter Stompboxtober Day 30 for your shot at today’s pedal from SoloDallas!
The Schaffer Replica: Storm
The Schaffer Replica Storm is an all-analog combination of Optical Limiter+Harmonic Clipping Circuit+EQ Expansion+Boost+Line Buffer derived from a 70s wireless unit AC/DC and others used as an effect. Over 50 pros use this unique device to achieve percussive attack, copious harmonics and singing sustain.
A 1000-watt speaker cabinet crafted for musicians who demand power and precision. Sunn Amps intends to reinvent the standard 4x12 configuration with the introduction of this new cabinet.
The Sunn Amps DoomBox is built to accommodate both guitar and bass, offering an impressive 1000-watt handling capacity—making it the first commercially available 4x12 cabinet with such high power handling. With four specially designed 12” drivers rated at 250 watts each, this cabinet provides clean, unrestrained sound levels that can maintain power integrity across all frequencies, ideal for high-volume performances.
Inspired and developed using feedback from artists and bands who rely on the depth of lower tunings and high volume genres, the DoomBox was engineered to meet the unique demands of professional musicians looking for a robust, high-efficiency cab that can translate the raw power of their sound without compromise.
Premium Craftsmanship and Materials
The Doom Box cabinet is crafted from solid finger-jointed Baltic Birch plywood, ensuring both durability and tonal clarity. Each cabinet is constructed by hand in the U.S.A. using original 1930s machinery, the DoomBox reflects Sunn’s historic commitment to quality, contrasting with some of the mass-produced, MDF-based cabinets on the market today. The cabinet’s aluminum basket, ferrite magnet, and custom Sunn weave Tolex with a custom grill design complete its professional-grade build.
Technical Specifications:
• Power Handling: 1000W
• Inputs: 1 x ¼”
• Impedance: 8 Ohm
• Drivers: 4 x Sunn 12S250
• Construction: Marine Grade Baltic Birch
• Dimensions: 29.25” X 30” X 14”
• Weight: 107 lbs
• Price: $2399.00
With clear low-end punch, even sound response, and ample air movement, the Doom Box ensures that every note reaches the audience with clarity and power. This cabinet is a game-changer for musicians who need high-performance, road-ready equipment that enhances their unique sound.
Does the guitar’s design encourage sonic exploration more than sight reading?
A popular song between 1910 and 1920 would usually sell millions of copies of sheet music annually. The world population was roughly 25 percent of what it is today, so imagine those sales would be four or five times larger in an alternate-reality 2024. My father is 88, but even with his generation, friends and family would routinely gather around a piano and play and sing their way through a stack of songbooks. (This still happens at my dad’s house every time I’m there.)
Back in their day, recordings of music were a way to promote sheet music. Labels released recordings only after sheet-music sales slowed down on a particular song. That means that until recently, a large section of society not only knew how to read music well, but they did it often—not as often as we stare at our phones, but it was a primary part of home entertainment. By today’s standards, written music feels like a dead language. Music is probably the most common language on Earth, yet I bet it has the highest illiteracy rate.
Developed specifically for Tyler Bryant, the Black Magick Reverb TB is the high-power version of Supro's flagship 1x12 combo amplifier.
At the heart of this all-tube amp is a matched pair of military-grade Sovtek 5881 power tubes configured to deliver 35-Watts of pure Class A power. In addition to the upgraded power section, the Black Magick Reverb TB also features a “bright cap” modification on Channel 1, providing extra sparkle and added versatility when blended with the original Black Magick preamp on Channel 2.
The two complementary channels are summed in parallel and fed into a 2-band EQ followed by tube-driven spring reverb and tremolo effects plus a master volume to tame the output as needed. This unique, signature variant of the Black Magick Reverb is dressed in elegant Black Scandia tolex and comes loaded with a custom-built Supro BD12 speaker made by Celestion.
Price: $1,699.