The Blues Guitar, How to play Rev Gary Davis Gospel Style
Reverend Gary Davis (born on April
30, 1896 in South Carolina -- he died on May 5, 1972 in New
Jersey) was an incredible blues guitar player who was an expert in the way of playing generally referred to as Piedmont, which is ragtime blues
style.
He often played on the street, constantly move on by the police, where he had the times to experiment with complex fingerstyle picking patterns.
A fine example of his mastery is the way he syncopates the Candy Man chords, a very simple chord progression.
Even within the generic term ‘ragtime’ guitar, there
are other categories, like piano style ragtime finger picking and of
course ragtime blues guitar.
The ragtime blues technique was born because guitarists tried to emulate the joyous dancing music of that piano technique created by Scott Joplin et al. Guitar players in those times were fascinated by the alternating bass patterns and general rhythmic feel.
In South Carolina; when Davis was a young man, the
acknowledged guitar master was Blind Willie Walker, who played incredibly
accurate and very fast, much like Blind Blake.
Davis picked up several tunes up from Walker, including Cincinatti Flow Drag and Make Belief Stunt. This meeting was probably crucial to the development of Davis’ style, no doubt expanding his skills and repertoire.
When he plays Candy Man chords, there is often a very distinctive single string run that no other player includes. It was his policy to be unique, it was his master card in the game of keeping ahead of other blues guitarists.
By his own admission, Davis ‘was scared o’ no guitarist’
by the time he was 30 years old. Even though an expert in the ragtime guitar style, he could
truly play in any style and in any key with equal skill.
After he became
ordained as a minister, he refused to play the old blues, and favored gospel
songs relating the word of the Lord.
He also had many party songs in his song
list. Musicians at that time played on the street, parties, and any where where
they could get a few coins, a bed or a meal.
It was essential that they varied their playing and offer music that appealed to a wide range of audiences and the Candyman's song did just that.
Candyman Rev Gary Davis
In the video below, Jim demonstrates some Gary Davis techniques in the key of C.
Many great guitarists picked with just one finger
(Doc
Watson, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Boy Fuller)
but none so slick and inventive as
the Reverend. His songs were truly creative with a wide variation in chord
sequences used.
Most ragtime blues songs have a standard chord progression depending on the key, and these progression are notably more complex than a standard blues progression in E or A, but Davis further extended these progressions adding a new level of richness.
Reverend Gary Davis has been a source of inspiration for a great number of guitarists over the years and his legacy will always be with us. Any students wanting to learn how to play blues guitar should study the Reverend's techniques.