Music Lesson: Crop Duster

Okay, so Crop Duster is another really cool piece from the Rock School guys in the style of Steve Cropper. As you probably noticed from the title, Steve Cropper is a fantastic guitar player, one of my most favorite guitar players.

I had the pleasure of meeting him not too long ago. A few years back, I went down to see him play at the Borderline, and it was great! We got to hang out afterward, and he spent the whole evening telling me that he wasn't going to tell me how to mic up a saxophone, because that was a secret. Then, after a few glasses of wine, he told me how to mic up a French horn instead. It was quite an interesting evening!

Techniques in Crop Duster

Anyway, enough of that, the piece is great! It has a lot of very cool techniques, some quite advanced, which I would imagine are suitable for grade four. I'm really glad that all of it is included because it features techniques that you'll use forever.

Intro and Hammer Runs

The main body of the piece is built off of these hammer runs. One thing I'll say about that is, again, this is a stylistic choice. I read in the notes, and nowhere did it say to play it one way or the other.

My instinct would be to use this hybrid picking technique, which obviously comes into play a lot later in the grades. I'd like to touch on it quickly now.

• Hybrid Picking Technique:
  • Instead of striking all the strings with the plectrum in one downward movement, you're striking one string with the plectrum and pulling up with your two fingers.
  • This gives you a cleaner, tighter sound. With just the plectrum, it sounds looser.
  • It has a great "Stones" vibe but sounds more like Steve Cropper.

This is a stylistic choice, and it'll also depend on your teacher's judgment regarding what technique they feel is achievable for you at this stage. Hybrid picking is something you'll get into later, so I don't want to get bogged down in that too much.

Get the Feel Right

The most crucial point is to get the feel right. It's a funky tune, written in the style of songs like "Soul Man" and "Knock On Wood," which have that great drive and beat. When you're tackling the part, the melody line in itself, remember that many of Steve Cropper's guitar parts were essential to the song.

Make sure you really lock into the drums and the rhythm section on the record because they provide a lot to play off of. If you're not moving while you're playing, you're probably not playing it right. So, feel where the rhythm section is placing it.

Amp Settings

Clean Tone

Just a quick note on the amp settings: Steve Cropper is very famous for playing clean. He never really played much overdriven stuff. Although sometimes with the old amp, they would set it close to the breaking point.

• Breaking point: When the amp starts to drive a little, causing the sound to break up.
• I've got it set just on the edge, so when you play a little louder, you get a slight bit of grip without having it too loud.
• I have this Fender Deluxe set on about three or four, breaking up real nicely.

Tonal Settings

With the tonal settings:

• I've got it set to a treble-y sound.
• I'm at an advantage because I'm playing a Telecaster, which Steve Cropper also played.
• However, you shouldn't feel you need to buy a Telecaster for this tune. You can use any guitar, just make sure you have the pickup selection on the bridge pickup for that twangy, trebly sound.
• Don't be shy with the reverb! As you can hear, I have a fair bit going, it creates a nice sound. Many of those soul records were drenched in reverb, and they sound brilliant.

Techniques to Focus On

I don't want to get too bogged down in the technique of it all, as much of it is foundation stuff you'll use a lot as you become a professional guitar player. However, there's an interesting passage at Figure D, where quite a bit of technique is packed into eight bars. You might find yourself practicing this passage quite a lot until you get it right.

1. Spread Chord:

   • I use my thumb to play barre chords often. Your teacher may have been teaching you differently, but there's literally no right or wrong way to do it. Do whatever feels comfortable to you.

2. Jump to Triplet:

   • At figure D, we have this spread chord notated with a wiggly line going down, which means to play all the notes as a spread.

3. Pre Bend:

   • The most challenging technique in the piece is the pre bend at bar four of letter D.
   • Rather than a normal bend (where you'd hit the note and then bend up), a pre bend means you have to bend the note to the required pitch without playing it. It's quite tough because you need to know where you're going with that bend to avoid overshooting or undershooting.

Right Hand Technique

With the right hand technique, you're only striking the notes once while bending, muting the note on the way back up. You can achieve this by slightly taking your fingers off the fretboard or muting with your right hand, ensuring it's clean.

Once you grasp this technique, it's a fantastic one that you can use in the solo section.

Guitar Solo

The thing I'd like to focus on is the guitar solo! This is your chance to showcase your understanding of the song's style and how to construct a solo within the melody.

• There's a little ending riff as well, so I want to discuss the beginning and ending of the solo, mainly.
• You have this 16 bar phrase. It doesn't necessarily mean you need to show every ounce of technique you've learned.

When preparing for the solo:

• Start from a very cool section and transition into your solo, referencing different bits from the song within your solo.
• Develop ideas and play musically as you journey through.

Structuring the Solo

I view solos as having a beginning point and an end point. My solo works to transition smoothly between the two.

1. Point A: You just came out of a slow section, so take something from that to build on.
2. Point B: You're heading toward a big ending, starting high up on the guitar.

I kept the solo relatively simple melodically, staying around the A minor pentatonic.

• A hallmark of Steve Cropper's playing is the inclusion of the F# note, which isn't necessarily in the A minor pentatonic.
• This note helps to divert the ear away from A minor and adds a little interest to the solo.

I hope this gives you a perspective on how to approach solos. Remember, there's no right or wrong way to do it, but building a solo from point A to point B is a great starting point.

Further Development

To develop your soloing further, listen to great blues players. For instance, Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign" features Steve Cropper and Booker T. & the MGs as the backing band. This record illustrates how much can be accomplished with few notes in a short solo space.

Conclusion

Listen closely to how Steve Cropper and Booker T. & the MGs back Albert King on that record; their rhythm playing, especially Cropper's, is fantastic.

So, have fun with Crop Duster! It's a great tune to explore, and good luck with everything!