
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.
Lutefish, the real-time music collaboration device and platform, is excited to announce a suite of new features designed to simplify setup, streamline collaboration, and offer more flexible subscription options for Lutefish Stream users. These latest updates, Audio Presets, Automatic Session Recall, Improved Scheduling with Contact Visibility, and a new Yearly Subscription Plan, are all about making it easier than ever for musicians to jam together, no matter where they’re based.
Save Time and Stay in the Flow with Audio Presets & Session Recall
Musicians can now save and reuse their exact audio settings, reducing setup time and ensuring every session sounds exactly as they want.
- Automatic Session Recall: When users leave a session, their current audio levels are automatically saved and restored when they rejoin.
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“These tools are all about saving time and hassle,” said Patrick Finn, Business Manager at Lutefish. “Musicians want to make music, not spend time rebalancing levels every session. With presets and recall, we’re giving them time back and helping them sound their best, every time.”
Smarter Scheduling and Contact Visibility
The latest update to Lutefish also made it easier to find collaborators and book sessions. Users can now:- View all their contacts at a glance when scheduling a session.
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For more information and to start jamming today, visitlutefish.com.
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you don’t need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Kiesel Guitars has introduced their newest solid body electric guitar: the Kyber.
With its modern performance specs and competitive pricing, the Kyber is Kiesel's most forward-thinking design yet, engineered for comfort, quick playing, and precision with every note.
Introducing the Kiesel Kyber Guitar
- Engineered with a lightweight body to reduce fatigue during long performances without sacrificing tone. Six-string Kybers, configured with the standard woods and a fixed bridge, weigh in at 6 pounds or under on average
- Unique shape made for ergonomic comfort in any playing position and enhanced classical position
- The Kyber features Kiesel's most extreme arm contour and a uniquely shaped body that enhances classical position support while still excelling in standard position.
- The new minimalist yet aggressive headstock pairs perfectly with the body's sleek lines, giving the Kyber a balanced, modern silhouette.
- Hidden strap buttons mounted on rear for excellent balance while giving a clean, ultra-modern look to the front
- Lower horn cutaway design for maximum access to the upper frets
- Sculpted neck heel for seamless playing
- Available in 6 or 7 strings, fixed or tremolo in both standard and multiscale configurations Choose between fixed bridges, tremolos, or multiscale configurations for your perfect setup.
Pricing for the Kyber starts at $1599 and will vary depending on options and features. Learn more about Kiesel’s new Kyber model at kieselguitars.com
The Sunset is a fully analog, zero latency bass amplifier simulator. It features a ¼” input, XLR and ¼” outputs, gain and volume controls and extensive equalization. It’s intended to replace your bass amp both live and in the studio.
If you need a full sounding amp simulator with a lot of EQ, the Sunset is for you. It features a five band equalizer with Treble, Bass, Parametric Midrange (with frequency and level controls), Resonance (for ultra lows), and Presence (for ultra highs). All are carefully tuned for bass guitar. But don’t let that hold you back if you’re a keyboard player. Pianos and synthesizers sound great with the Sunset!
The Sunset includes Gain and master Volume controls which allow you to add compression and classic tube amp growl. It has both ¼” phone and balanced XLR outputs - which lets you use it as a high quality active direct box. Finally, the Sunset features zero latency all analog circuitry – important for the instrument most responsible for the band’s groove.
Introducing the Sunset Bass Amp Simulator
- Zero Latency bass amp simulator.
- Go direct into the PA or DAW.
- Five Band EQ:
- Treble and Bass controls.
- Parametric midrange with level and frequency controls.
- Presence control for extreme highs.
- Resonance control for extreme lows.
- Gain control to add compression and harmonics.
- Master Volume.
- XLR and 1/4" outputs.
- Full bypass.
- 9VDC, 200mA.
Artwork by Aaron Cheney
MAP price: $210 USD ($299 CAD).