The career of journeyman guitarist Steve Morse has been defined by constant invention. From his work with the Dixie Dregs to becoming Deep Purple’s longest-serving guitarist during a 28-year stint — and later adapting his technique to combat arthritis — Morse has consistently found new ways to push the envelope.
In his new appearance on the No Cover Charge podcast, Morse demonstrates his innovative employment of the tone knob to create frequency modulation effects.
“Are you doing a wah effect with the tone knob?” asks eagle-eyed host Tyler Larson, who also runs the YouTube channel Music is Win.
“Yeah,” Morse replied before demonstrating what is a simple-but-genius technique via some smooth blues playing. It really does sound like a wah pedal, and it's achieved by anchoring his fourth finger on the tone knob while playing for an optimized economy of movement.
“Turn it off, hit the note, and turn it on,” Morse says, explaining the technique. The rolling motion essentially helps mimic the motion of a wah's envelope filter effect. In the video clip, he can also be seen switching to the volume dial a couple of times for slight volume swells that he uses to introduce certain phrases.
The position of the tone knob also has a pretty big impact on how easy or hard it is to execute the technique. On Morse’s Music Man signature guitar, the control knobs are in proximity to the strings, but Larson finds it’s far more challenging to nail on a Gibson 335 as the controls are far less accessible in relation to the strings.
It’s certainly a handy technique to have in your arsenal, especially when you find yourself in a jam sans pedalboard.
It also shares a parallel with Eric Clapton’s infamous woman tone, which generates its magic by rolling the tone knob all the way off. Together, they are prime examples of how versatile guitars can be without needing extraneous tools like overdrive and chorus pedals to alter their character. Joe Bonamassa's viral guitar lesson video also proves that.
Morse has just released Triangulation, his first album with the Steve Morse Band in 16 years, and his first album since leaving Deep Purple three years ago.
“The 'Tri' part of the title comes from the tritone interval that's used in the basic guitar riff," Morse says of the album's title track.
The album features guest performances from Eric Johnson and John Petrucci, and ends with a collaboration with his son, Kevin. “Taken by an Angel” was written for his late wife's funeral; it was her battle with cancer that prompted him to leave Deep Purple, opening the door for his successor, Simon McBride.
The record also features a song called “Tumeni Partz,” a tongue-in-cheek sequel to one of his greatest ever songs.
Yet if it weren’t for Lynyrd Skynyrd, Morse would have left music behind decades ago. He retired from music to become a commercial airline pilot in the late '80s. But the chance to get onstage with the southern rock legends brought him back to his passion for the electric guitar.
With that in mind, Morse recently spoke to Guitar Player to offer his advice on how to keep your love for guitar burning when the going gets tough, leaning into a lifetime of playing to aid players who may find themselves in positions similar to those he’s regularly found himself in.
