Tuesday, February 03, 2015

Tuesday Guitar Tutorial

Eric Clapton's guitar part on the original White Album version of "My Guitar Gently Weeps." Without the rest of the backing track.




This may be old news to you guys, but I hadn't chanced across this until just last weekend.

Pretty damned amazing, and I must admit I'd never previously noted the subtle little descending crying thing God Eric is doing at the 2:06 - 2:08 mark.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Arguably Clapton's best and most innovative outside session. That's also the sound of a Les Paul, which he favored during this period (at least he was using one on the Farewell Tour gigs I saw). Got no idea what he's playing it through though. Anyone?

Think maybe he and John Lennon enjoyed a little H during the sessions?

Sweet, sweet playin'. It's too bad he became such a bore.

Vickie Rock


FD13NYC said...

Yes, an excellent contribution to the song. Actually makes the guitar weep. Then he stole his wife. Nice guy.

Billy B said...

This was always my favorite Beatles tune (until I decided the Abbey Road medley was) and it was because of Clapton's guitar work.

Brian Leonard said...

Kinda surprised you never noticed that--it's the cherry on top.

Brian Leonard said...

Kinda surprised you never noticed that--it's the cherry on top.

Anonymous said...

i'm surprised, too...it's the cherry on top.

cthulhu said...

Here's a different blog post with a comment from the engineer on the session: http://bobbyowsinski.blogspot.com/2014/11/eric-clapton-isolated-solo-while-my.html

Apparently Clapton did not use any of his own gear; he used what was already set up in the studio.

Anonymous said...

they used an effect called ADT that made it sound wobbly, according to "Revolution in the Head" book.

Gardner said...

Clapton is said to have asked for the ADT to make the solo sound more Beatle-y. What a stupendous piece of work.

Anonymous said...

Eric Clapton was playing George Harrison's Les Paul aka "Lucy," as in I Love Lucy. This was a guitar Clapton had given Harrison in August 1968 after purchasing it in New York. It's previous owners were John Sebastian and Rick Derringer.

Vickie Rock

Anonymous said...

Oh, and I hear he's playing through a Fender Deluxe.

Vickie Rock

John Thomson said...

Even tho I know it was ADT, at 3:03 it sounds just like a leslie on trem. Also interesting that Eric really had no rote form when playing the verses, just rollin with it. Beautiful stuff!