Learning the blues

[Ozric]

Let low down finger licking dirty hound dog smith tell ya all about dem blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KZg5...e_gdata_player

[erictheweary]

Let low down finger licking dirty hound dog smith tell ya all about dem blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KZg5...e_gdata_player

Not seen that before, quite neat.

[Ozric]

There's a couple of versions about but, although it's a ropey recording, it's Beck playing.

[ElectroDan]

It depends how you want your blues to sound. Different blues masters would probably approach the same progression differently. Some more Minor, Major, Jazzy or Swingy than others.

The trouble with A min pentatonic position1 noodling through a whole 12 bar blues, is that it can become stale, some notes don't sound good to rest on, and you will be missing some interesting notes out.

If you check out the arpeggio section of justinguitar.com, he explains how to use chord tones to make the note choices in your blues soloing sound more intentional. There is also good advice on learning how to use the arpeggios over changes.

Add this to the good advice mentioned earlier, throw in some quarter tone bends, and you should be closer to where you want to be.

[Quist]

Hey -

I recommend jamming on a simple 12-bar blues in E to get you started ... like this one for example Funky Blues in E - it's got suggested scales in the info beneath the video as well...

Here's one for A Minor as well A Minor blues backing track

Happy jamming

[DC01]

I think this demonstrates phrasing perfectly.
Pretty much all minor pent / blues scale

Might not be everyones cup of tea but i think its one of there best tunes, and excellent to play along to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b76kjd5nvMg

[sambostar]

I think this demonstrates phrasing perfectly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b76kjd5nvMg

I find minor blues the easiest thing to play in the world and make sound good, Since I've been Lovin you etc. The trouble I have always had (I think, although everyone phrase licks differently) is rolling stuff together around a couple of strings and making it last forever, accenting the rights notes and getting the timings and phrasing right and repeating a note in a lick when it feels unnatural with the pick position, I always rush a note or two or fall on rock muscle memory opr miss a repeated note and the notes never sound even, or the phrasing is slightly off, so the licks sound completely different. I think it's amateurism or my style is completely different. Richie Kotzen and Satchel kind of demonstrate what I mean:

Satchel 1:29 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk81pAEOOBk

Kotzen 2:50+ etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrP3NOSYi_E

I think major/pent minor roadhouse type blues is the hardest to nail, but sounds the easiest. It's hard because you have to have to have real discipline to walk the notes when changing strings, without rushing pull offs etc and you have to be really careful to get your accents right and note loudness even plus you have to tell a story with the notes, like they are going someplace, all at a million miles an hour, without falling on cliches and muscle memory. I find it really hard to sound original doing stuff like that. But those are the things you should practice if you want to get good. Slow minor blues is easy if you have the strength and you'll end up over rating yourself. The major/minor roadhouse stuff, will teach you rhythm, phrasing and story telling like nothing else IMO.

Eddie Van Halen will teach you more about fast blues shuffles, associated rhythms and phrasing than many others IMO.

I find the fast and funky stuff really easy too, notes pour out.

Blues shuffles are my weakness.

[sambostar]

And talking about styles, donno if it's strictly blues but you gotta love this. Totally different ways of playing one instrument and three different styles. I really like Kotzen, he is really disciplined and a great player, but he can get boring for me, Gilbert is very rhythmically sequential and arpegio-y but I lean toward Lynch, even though people probably think he is the crappest. He is a legend and completely mental, I like that winging it and stretching it and the bum open string note. I love his sound. Something comes out of his guitar, probably because he's trying hardest...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSAtR...eature=related

I think what I am trying to say is that, if you are anything like me and have the chops, the best thing you can do next is try and play rhythmical solos, rather than paying non rhythmically. (Just watched a Gilbert vid and he basically sums up what I was trying to get across).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFr3TRN2CWk