Guitar Noise

“This ain’t music for the faint of heart - it’s true blues-rock, music for those who have a deep-down red-hot soul and need something to keep it smouldering.” - Colorado Springs Independent

Kelly Richey is a blues-rock guitarist who has been compared to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, for her amazing guitar leads. She has been mentioned in the Guitar Forums as a female artist with great ability. Her new album, Sending Me Angels is a must check out. Her website www.kellyrichey.com allows you to listen to a few tracks from that album, as well as tracks from previous albums. Unfortunately for me, Kelly is currently touring in a part of the US that precludes my hearing her live. However, I thoroughly enjoyed her new album, and was able to catch Kelly for an interview between her busy road trip schedule and her rehearsals. She shared so much wisdom that I’ve divided our time into two separate interviews. For Kelly’s viewpoint on learning the guitar, teaching music, electric vs. acoustic, and practicing music read on! For Kelly’s viewpoint on her career in writing, performing and playing music, stay tuned for the next installment. Kelly was generous enough to share the chords to one of her originals I Gotta Move, with me, which I’ll put in a lesson as the third part of our showcase on Kelly Richey.

Laura Lasley: I read on your website that you practiced 12 hours a day as a teen. When did you start playing the guitar?

Kelly: I started playing the guitar when I was 15. I grew up playing piano and my mom was a classically trained pianist and there was a piano in our living room. I played from the time I could touch the keys. When they started giving me piano lessons, that’s when I started not liking the piano. Because I’m dyslexic my ears serve me really well, but having to read sheet music is a drag. Then they had to force me to practice and it was this major…

LL: Torture?

Kelly: Fight. “You have to practice the piano before you can go out and play”.

LL: More torture.

Kelly: I love the piano and I’m glad that I had the training. It would have been great if it could have been a little bit different.

LL: A lot of people have learned to play the piano first. I played classical piano for 12 years; I was tortured too. When reading music, I know I think about notes on a keyboard even when I’m playing guitar (instead of seeing notes on the frets). Can you read music and translate that to frets?

Kelly: My experience from taking piano lessons is where I draw my strength when I teach guitar. I don’t want people to have a bad experience with music. I teach theory with the piano to my guitar students because you can visually see theory. If my lessons were an art class and I said, “kids go home and draw me a picture of a major scale”, whoever comes back with a picture of a piano wins the prize. You can see theory on a piano. When you play the piano you have to re-finger every key that you’re in. So that’s the advantage of being on the guitar. One size fits all. I try to make students see that. That way they can visually see where music is going and they can also visually see on their guitars. And the “CAGED” system is a kind of a way of mapping out the neck of the guitar where it’s somewhat like a piano where you start getting some vision.

I started taking guitar lessons right away when I got my first guitar. Within a couple of years I began to teach as well. So I’ve taught almost my whole career. I like to get kids playing. I think it’s really important. Some people have said that I kind of teach a Suzuki method of guitar instruction. I want people to listen to what they’re doing and I want them to play it. Some kids can handle theory and I’ll give them theory. Some kids can’t. But it’s kinda like having a car. You have to be able to check the engine, the tires, check your oil.

LL: Yes, absolutely!

Kelly: Unfortunately though, when I started playing the piano, I was bogged down with theory, and I just wanted to play the piano!

LL: I know. When you picked up the guitar, did you find it was one of those, like, love at first sight things?

Kelly: Actually I first got a set of drums. My next door neighbor had a set of drums and I used to go over there and beat on them all the time. Finally he said, “Kelly, why don’t you take this home with you?”

LL: As in, “You use them more than I do?”

Kelly: Well I thought he was being nice, but I really think he was saying “Get out of here!” And after a couple of months, my dad said, “You need to get rid of the drums, I’ll buy you anything you want!” I said, “I want an electric guitar.” So we got a Sears guitar and the smallest amp you could find. And after three months I went through three of them. Three guitars. They just fell apart I played them so much. There was just something about guitar that clicked for me.

LL: A lot of people get hooked when they pick it up, it’s such a lyrical instrument you get obsessed with it.

Kelly: I was very obsessed with it! And I didn’t set it down! I slept with it, I took it to school. If I went to the grocery store I walked to the grocery store with it.

LL: I love that part in your website about taking your guitar to school with you. There are some places where they would throw you out of school for bringing your guitar with you!

Kelly: Well, they did disconnect all the outlets on the outside of the school building; they did everything that they could…

LL: You had an electric first?

Kelly: Yes, I started out on the electric. I played for at least a year before I even owned an acoustic.

LL: Wow!

Kelly: Most girls tend to start on acoustics. I think times have evolved and the electric guitar has become a little bit more important to girls.

LL: When I started to take lessons, the teacher had told me that the acoustic was better to learn on. Acoustics are more difficult to play because of the action and the strings being heavier and so forth. If you master the acoustic, you will fly through the electric.

Kelly: It really is a lot easier on the electric. Also it annoys me when the parents buy kids these outrageously expensive guitars to learn on. Get them something that they are going to have to work to get a sound out of. Let them buy their first nice guitar.

LL: Make them work for it!

Kelly: Yeah, I’m not being a slave driver or anything like that. Every situation is different. My parents spoiled me a lot. When they got me my first nice guitar and they said “Now you’re on your own”. They provided me with a vehicle. They helped me a lot when it came to touring. But if you want a guitar and you want gear, that’s yours. Don’t ever ask for that. They paid for my guitar lessons and saw to it that I had a decent instrument to play.

LL: I think that’s one of the things that we’re always harping on Guitarnoise since we try to help aspiring guitarists. We get a lot of beginner questions. You don’t have to go out and buy a major rig that some famous dude has.

Kelly: Go get something and learn how to play it.

LL: Go get a used one.

Kelly: Yeah!

LL: Get a new set of strings, strings are cheap and learn to restring your own instrument. Get a tuner, and GO!

Kelly: Learn to listen. That’s what people forget to do; they forget to listen. Of course, there are lots of guitar players out there. The guitar gods of the 60’s and 70’s, there just seemed to be more people that Played. Today we have computerized music so available to us that it’s kind of gotten…

LL: Too much tech?

Kelly: Well, computerized has become acceptable, as if it’s equivalent to playing an instrument. I don’t want to say one method is better or worse, because art is subject to interpretation and everybody has a right to their own opinion. But I sure do like to see actual musicians playing their actual music.

LL: We went to see Isaac Hayes recently. The biggest disappointment about the performance was finding out that all those beautiful horns you remember from the album are actually played by 3 keyboards. 3 Korg Tritons, doing the work. I’m thinking, both my kids play saxophone. Why don’t you have a sax player up there? It’s because it costs more to have a huge brass section.

Kelly: It comes down to cost.

LL: It does, unfortunately. It’s sad, I agree with you. There is nothing like the original music with genuine instruments. I think that really comes through in your music. It’s music.

Kelly: I’ve kept it simple and I’ve kept it three pieces.

LL: It’s real instruments, real people and real emotions.

Kelly: When I went into the city, I said to the guys, “Y’all, I have to pull this off three piece, so we’re going to do a record that represents that and we’re going embellish in a way that complements.”

LL: Exactly. You can use the tech, don’t get me wrong.

Kelly: I would love to have keyboards if I could afford it! One day I will, but right now, we recorded a record where I don’t have to use keyboards.

LL: That’s great. From our earlier conversation it sounds like you also enjoy the teaching that you do. I think that’s really great that you teach! It’s wonderful that you are sharing your talent with others.

Kelly: I love to teach! (OK, Guitarnoise students in the Cincinnati area, don’t all call Kelly at once.)

LL: That’s great!

Kelly: I’ve got probably about 30 students that I cram into 2 ½ days.

LL: Oh, Gosh! How does that work with touring and everything else you do?

Kelly: It’s hard. I’m crazy, though.

LL: Your students understand?

Kelly: Yes. Usually I’m available 3 weeks out of every month. A lot of my adult students take one lesson every other week. Adults can’t go at the pace kids do, because kids don’t have lives yet. Kids aren’t going to work. Not that school isn’t a big responsibility, but when you’re a kid, you have some luxuries that you don’t have as an adult.