STEVE WARINER Chet Atkins Style? Paying Tribute to Friend and Mentor Chet Atkins Just Think of Your Thumb As Playing the Bass Guitar Part

JAN/FEB 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM Q&A to music. I thought I’d heard a lot of Chet music in my life, but I went and found a whole lot of outtakes, things I’d never heard before. I listened to things I hadn’t heard since I was a kid. I learned all kinds of guitar licks doing this record. I’m still cussing Chet: “Damn you, Chet! You’re still getting me! How’d you do that?”

Which guitars did you play on the album? I’ve been lucky over the years that Chet gave me some guitars, and I used a lot of them on the album. That was a cool connection. The main one I played was a Gibson Country Gentleman that Chet played on many of his records. It’s just got that fat tone. When my hands went down the neck the fi rst few times after I had it, I’m sure the guitar was screaming, “Oh, no, who’s this? That’s not Chet!” (laughs) I also played a ’58 Gretsch 6120. It wasn’t Chet’s, but it’s a beautiful guitar. I’ve got three 6120s, but that’s the best one I have. I even went so far as to use the kind of ribbon mics he used in the studio, the old [RCA] 77s. Just trying to do it fairly close to how he might have done it, staying real pure and true. Jeff Frazier

Can you offer a thumbnail description of how to play in the STEVE WARINER Chet Atkins style? Paying tribute to friend and mentor Chet Atkins Just think of your thumb as playing the bass guitar part. Then you think of your index fi nger and second fi nger as playing the melody If anyone is qualifi ed to pay tribute to late intrigued with Chet’s style. At an early age and/or the chords. Then you put those guitar giant Chet Atkins, it’s country singer, I’d sit and listen to those records over and together and do them both simultaneously. songwriter and guitarist Steve Wariner. over. I knew them inside and out. Then as The tricky part is to keep the bass going, Atkins took Wariner under his wing in the late I fell in love with the guitar I respected his and to get the right positioning. I’ve watched 1970s, welcoming him into his touring band music even more. guys who don’t have a grasp for it—they kinda as bass player, and signing the young artist to do it, but not really. The guys who are great RCA Records in his capacity as an executive How long had you been thinking of at it go to another position to grab a chord and producer. Wariner’s new album, My making an album like this? that keeps that melody line going. That’s Tribute to Chet Atkins, fi nds him spotlighting Chet died in June 2001, and I’ve been trying the beauty. You’d watch Chet play, and he’d his mentor’s illustrious career through a set to fi gure out a way to do a project honoring be all over the neck. He’d play this position of mostly new original songs in Atkins’ style. him ever since. I wanted to come up with because that’s where you could grab that We spoke with Wariner about the lessons something different than just doing some of note, but the bass never quit. His bass was he learned—and continues to learn—from his his songs half as well as he did. It’s hard to so precise. His thumb was like a machine—it longtime friend and collaborator. do. How do you honor a guy like that? This was just awesome. He had such big, strong was the way for me to do it. hands that he could really reach for chords. How did you fi rst become aware of Something about his hands, that’s where it is. Chet Atkins’ music? How did you prepare? It didn’t matter what kind of guitar he’d pick My fi rst memories of Chet were through my I’ll tell you, I’ve never done a project where I up. It’s the guitar player; it’s not the guitar. father, who had a lot of his records. I was spent so much time researching and listening –Chris Neal

‘Chet had big, strong hands that could really reach for chords. It was awesome.’

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