tweet

Play blues guitar like Jimmy Page

The master of riffs was also able to turn his hand to the blues

The MusicRadar Team, Thu 8 Jan 2009, 5:53 pm UTC

Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page is a master of lead phrasing (© Neil Zlozower)

1 of 6 » View in gallery

Jimmy Page was born in Hounslow in 1944, and his passion for the guitar began at 12 years old when he heard Baby, Let's Play House by Elvis Presley. Jimmy had a few lessons, but was largely self-taught, taking inspiration from the blues and rock 'n' roll playing of Hubert Sumlin, James Burton and Scotty Moore.

He also looked to acoustic folk players like John Renbourn, Bert Jansch and Davey Graham, where he found a template for his subsequent 'light and shade' approach with Led Zeppelin.

With his first electric guitar in hand, a Futurama Grazioso, Page hit the road with Neil Christian and The Crusaders while he was still a teenager. However, a couple of years touring and a nasty bout of glandular fever later, he decided to quit the touring life and pursue his other passion, painting, at Sutton Art College.

Jimmy continued playing in his spare time, and his jam sessions at The Marquee with bands like Cyril Davies' All Stars and Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated (often alongside fellow students Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton) led to Page being approached to do some recording sessions.

Within a couple of months, he was one of the most sought after session players in London, appearing on records by The Kinks, The Who and Van Morrison.

When the sessions began to turn into what Page called 'muzak', he took up an offer he had previously passed on to join The Yardbirds, alongside Jeff Beck who had replaced Clapton. When this line up fell apart, it was Page who re-vamped it with vocalist Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham...

You can learnt these examples by following our free tab

Share:
StumbleUpon
Digg
Reddit
Del.icio.us

User comments (6)

  • aac

    Avatar for aac

    20 weeks ago.

    Excellent.
    Please can someone tell me where I can get the backing track for this and other 'Play Guitar like....' video lessons.
    Thanks

    Mark as inappropriate

  • jstokes

    Avatar for jstokes

    41 weeks ago.

    Aside from being a really nice piece of music, this is great to learn. I've been playing for over 10 years and this made me realise that I've never learned to properly/reliably bend up a full step ... tut on !

    Mark as inappropriate

  • haidar

    Avatar for haidar

    42 weeks ago.

    Once again, it is great.
    What do you say?

    Mark as inappropriate

  • haidar

    Avatar for haidar

    42 weeks ago.

    That is great.

    Mark as inappropriate

  • JamesUings

    Avatar for JamesUings

    Mon 2 Jun 2008, 1:27 pm UTC

    Hey Knarly1
    If you've just started guitar then check out MusicRadar's guitar basics lessons. They'll probably be more up your street.
    James
    Tuition Ed

    Mark as inappropriate

  • Knarly1

    Avatar for Knarly1

    Sat 31 May 2008, 11:57 am UTC

    I've just taken up the guitar, and struggling like hell!! :-), after watching that my heads pickled!! It was fantastic!, nice.

    Mark as inappropriate

You need to be logged in to post a comment. Login or Register to post a comment.

Poll

Ask MusicRadar: you've chosen the shortlist, now pick a winner. What's the best bass guitar under £300?

ReviewFinder

Search by product, brand or manufacturer

Buy here

  • Buy music products with Andertons Music Company
  • Buy music products with Hartnolls Guitars
  • Buy music products with Red Dog Music
  • Buy music products with Thomann
  • Buy music products with Professional Music Technology

MusicRadar Marketplace

If you're looking for great deals on gear, tuition, mastering, education or kit hire, click here for our new and improved marketplace.

Follow us on twitter Sign up for our free newsletter Have your say on the MusicRadar forums