Podcast Spotlight
Derek Trucks Teaches His Classical Indian-Inflected Solo on âMidnight in Harlemâ
Break out your glass, steel, or beer bottle: This time on Shred With Shifty, weâre sliding into glory with southern-rock great Derek Trucks, leader of the Derek Trucks Band, co-leader (along with wife Susan Tedeschi) of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and, from 1999 to 2014, member of the Allman Brothers Band.
Reared in Jacksonville, Florida, Trucks was born into rock ânâ roll: His uncle, Butch Trucks, was a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, and from the time he was nine years old, Derek was playing and touring with blues and rock royalty, from Buddy Guy to Bob Dylan. Early on, he established himself as a prodigy on slide guitar, and in this interview from backstage in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Trucks explains why heâs always stuck with his trusty Gibson SGs, and how he sets them up for both slide and regular playing. (He also details his custom string gauges.)
Trucks analyzes and demonstrates his subtle but scorching solo on âMidnight in Harlem,â off of Tedeschi Trucks Bandâs acclaimed 2011 record, Revelator. In it, he highlights the influence of Indian classical music, and particularly sarod player Ali Akbar Khan, on his own playing. The lead is âmelodic but with Indian-classical inflections,â flourishes that Trucks says are integral to his playing: Itâs a jazz and jam-band mentality of âdangling your feet over the edge of the cliff,â says Trucks, and going outside whatever mode youâre playing in.
Throughout the episode, Trucks details his live and studio set ups (âAs direct as I can get itâ), shares advice for learning slide and why he never uses a pick, and ponders what the future holds for collaborations with Warren Haynes.