Weighty Work

How to craft “heavy” riffs

- BY JOE BONAMASSA

I RECENTLY GOT back off the road with my band Black Country Communion, which features Jason Bonham on drums, Glenn Hughes on bass and vocals – the “Voice of Rock!” – and the master of the keyboards, Derek Sherinian. The conversation came up about the difference between what I do in my “day job” with my regular band versus when playing and writing for Black Country Communion. BCC is a “heavy” band; the songs are in a hard rock style, as opposed to the bluesier context of my normal band. Much of the difference, guitar playing-wise, comes down to the approach.