To be clear, my offering is not a transcription of what Albert played during our interview. Rather, it is a collection of licks and lines in his style, using mostly similar techniques to those Albert himself uses, although I do not use my little finger to pluck with, as Albert often does. That said, you’ll see comprehensive details for both hands shown in the supplied transcription. Learn each lick or phrase slowly, while memorising relatively longer lines, then gradually build up some speed, going for high speed now and again. Repetition - the stuff of practice - is the order of the day. However, be careful not to practise too hard or for too long, which could lead to RSI: take regular breaks.

Albert Lee’s Delay effect

Albert is perhaps the best-known exponent of mind-boggling delay effects, whereby the notes seem to be rapidly spat out, machine-gun style. Well, there is mechanism at work in the form of an electronic device: the delay. Many guitar teachers, myself included, describe the effect as the “dotted 1/8” (which generates a repeat 3/16 later than each played note), but Albert usually refers to it as being “a beat and a half”, and with respect to the fast quarter notes used in my chord progression, that’s exactly what’s going on: the set tempo is 275 bpm and, to save you the calculation, you need to dial in a delay time of 327ms, with only a single repeat (regeneration set to minimum) and with the “wet” (delayed) signal the same level as the “dry” (original) signal (i.e. 50% mix or the equivalent thereof, depending on how your delay device operates). Albert doesn’t use this effect as much as he used to, but when he does it’s always attention-grabbing and mesmerising. Other exponents of this effect include John Jorgenson (e.g. ‘The Price I Pay’ by Emmylou Harris with the Desert Rose Band) and The Edge (e.g. ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ by U2). Enjoy-joy-joy-joy-joy!