SMOOTH & SOULFUL

An in-depth look at the subtle artistic and technical elements behind Bonnie Raitt’s celebrated and highly emotive slide playing.

- JEFF JACOBSON

LOOKING BACK ON the years I spent developing as a guitarist, I often kick myself for having taken certain musicians for granted — guitarists who always sounded so good but whose style I dismissed as “easy” to play. While I was focused on learning solos crowded with notes, another musical world was passing me by. This is not to say that playing a lot of notes isn’t musical; it all depends on when and how you do it. But that’s a lesson for another day.

I save one of my hardest kicks for when I think of Bonnie Raitt. From listening to Raitt and players like her, I learned that being a good guitarist requires playing with an emphasis on musicality and tasteful note choices, along with a dedication to making a solo serve the song. This requires a different kind of technique, one that is more subtle and surely not easy. I’m going to try to make up for all that lost time by exploring Raitt’s unique approach to music, and more specifically, the guitar.

It’s almost as if Raitt has two voices. When listening to her songs, her smooth and soulful vocal style is immediately apparent. But when she lays down some of her signature open-tuned slide guitar licks, it becomes clear that she is a musician of great depth.