Jack White's Blue Orchid Tone
With Your Guitar Academy, we've put together a Jack White Player Study, so you can crack the code and understand what makes Jack White sound so unique.
Our "Blue Army" is our own take on a mix of “Blue Orchid” and the classic “Seven Nation Army”, a powerful riff with some open strings, but also a very distinctive tone.
Let's look at that riff, and let's dial in its very unique tone!
The Main Riff
The riff is played using the mighty E minor pentatonic scale shape 1. That specific shape of the pentatonic scale, in this specific key, is extremely common, so try and get comfortable with it!
The riff itself is a simple melody that repeats itself, a proper riff!
The rhythm of that riff can be tricky as it's quite syncopated, and we also need to make some notes sound "dry". What I mean by that is it's not just about playing the right notes at the right time, but also making sure you're controlling the length of each note.
On the second bar of the riff, you can see that we have four quarter notes with a dot below them. These notes are staccato, meaning short and detached from each other.
What I always say is that the best way to learn the rhythm of a riff or a melody is to sing along with it, and make sure you can anticipate when the notes land instead of reacting to them late. That way, you absorb the rhythm more naturally, without overthinking it.
Getting the Tone
The tone of this song is very much inspired by "Blue Orchid", and I only used a couple of pedals!
The first one that I used on the recording is a Whammy, and even though "Blue Orchid" was likely recorded with a POG2, I've managed to get pretty close! I've set my Whammy with the harmony set to "octave down/up" to get that thick, almost organ-like sound.
Digitech Whammy
Electro-Harmonix POG2
Third Man Records/CopperSound Triplegraph
The second pedal in my chain was a Big Muff. I used my old and trusty Russian Muff as that's what I had on hand, but the American version, or any modern variant, will work just as well.
Third Man's Bumble Buzz is another great option.Electro Harmonix Big Muff - US Version
Third Man Records Bumble Buzz
Conclusion
By combining the right technique with just a couple of well-chosen pedals, you can get surprisingly close to Jack White's unmistakable "Blue Orchid" sound. Take your time with the rhythm, focus on the details, experiment with the pedals you have at home, and remember to have fun!
If you want to learn more about Jack White's playing, feel free to check out Guitar Club's "Jack White & The White Stripes" Player Study.
And if you want to improve your playing, be part of an amazing community, and learn new guitar skills in a clear and structured way, you should have a look at Guitar Club, featuring step-by-step pathways and courses to help you learn the things you'll actually enjoy playing!