Keith Richards On Noisey’s ‘Guitar Moves’ & More
By Andy Kahn Oct 25, 2015 • 8:00 am PDT
Guitarist Matt Sweeney featured fellow axeman Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones on the latest installment of his Guitar Moves video series produced by Noisey. Released earlier this week, the footage of Richards showcases the legendary musician’s relationship with guitar playing and he shares a few tricks he’s picked up over his storied career, like the first instructions he learned from his grandfather, how Jimmy Reed moves up the fretboard like no one else and Keith even gives an impromptu demonstration of his five-string tuning technique learned from Ry Cooder.
The Richards video joins many others in the Guitar Moves series that give amazing insight for guitar players at any stage of development – though you certainly don’t have to be a guitarist to enjoy the casual and behind-the-scenes nature of Sweeney’s interviews.
Below watch the Keith Richards Guitar Moves appearance followed by a number of other highlights from the series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceWWMfhAvD4Sweeney, whose diverse resume includes recording with Johnny Cash, Cat Power, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Neil Diamond, Run The Jewels and others, went to New Hope, Pennsylvania to jam with Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo at the Ween founder’s space known as The Shack. The pair have been friends since high school and Deaner tells a story of riding an elevator with Dickey Betts as a kid and gives away a number of his secrets to getting his signature brown tone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU9fTmTsssAZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons gets loose on white wine during his Guitar Moves appearance which was filmed at Kid Rock’s house. Gibbons explains how B.B. King encouraged him to move to smaller gauge strings and Rock joins in on vocals for a quick take on Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkzofCTa5SEVirtuosic guitarist Blake Mills is a wizard on the fretboard and shows how he tries to improve his playing by focusing on eliciting tones that sound like instruments other than the guitar. His session is one of the most instructive in the series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlskErEWuRIFilmed while on tour with David Byrne, St. Vincent (Annie Clark) talks about how her uncle – talented guitarist Tuck Andress – inspired her to play without a pick. Clark shows off how she uses the entire instrument to draw out the tones and sounds she wants while playing live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE7R4nKBK8YDan Auerbach gives Sweeney a lesson in slide guitar and reveals how he learned to play blues guitar by watching Alan Lomax videos at the library. The Black Keys guitarist also talks tuning and finger picking among other topics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elK0jHNAcR4Another legend in his own right, The Stooges guitarist James Williamson gives a step-by-step breakdown of how to play one his most well-known songs “Search & Destroy” from the band’s masterful Raw Power album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OvB-wDt7mAQueens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme explains the lasting influence learning to play guitar from a polka teacher had on his current technique. He also talks discovering a pick for the first time after learning to play with his fingers, his approach to soloing and more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJDUHq2mJx0The final Guitar Moves clip to be highlighted is the Cass McCombs appearance. The underrated McCombs effortlessly demonstrates his picking styles and the importance of rhythm when playing with others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thclj_CDwxs