Posts Tagged Blues Guitar

4 Basic Tips for Your Blues Acoustic Guitar

Nov 8

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | No Comments

Acoustic music is one of the most well-received kinds of contemporary music these days. After all, how can you ever ignore a person who seems to be baring his/her soul with an almost-a-capella rendition of a particular song? There’s no other instrument than can go with his/her voice than an acoustic guitar.

There are a lot of people who believe that blues acoustic playing is really easy. Usually, the songs played are slow, which can give them ample time to position their fingers at the right keys. They also don’t have to think about complementing other sounds that may com from the drums or the keyboards. But then again, there’s also plenty of room of mistake, and one wrong move can eventually destroy the entire presentation.

Here are 4 basic tips when it comes to playing acoustic guitar:

1. Match your height with your guitar. One of the most important things in acoustic blues guitar playing is that you have to be extremely comfortable with it. If you have a constant gig, then you’re going to be utilizing the instrument the whole time. You should have no reason to feel sore for carrying it all over your shoulder. Hence, make sure that you pick a guitar that’s the right size for you. This will also help you reach out to the keys more easily.

2. Adjust the strings to the proper pitch of the song. It’s highly essential that you truly have an ear for music. This will help you determine if the music requires a low or high pitch. Depending on the real pitch of the song, you need to adjust the tuning pegs of your acoustic guitar accordingly. When you tighten the strings, you are in for a high pitch. Conversely, a low pitch is produced if you’re going to loosen the guitar strings.

3. Start with standard tuning first. This is considered the default mode in acoustic guitar and thus real easy. If you’re a beginner, you better start with standard tuning before you decide to play on some more complicated notes. You simply need to match the tune of your guitar to the pitch of the song. All six strings should be compatible with the sound produced by the singer.

4. Use a pick. You can always make use of your fingers, but if they get burned out for long playing moments, you will surely get distracted, and you won’t be able to play as better as before. Moreover, fingers don’t really create a much louder sound, which you may need when you’re playing in a large crowd. The best solution to this is to use a pick.

Jam with a live band with over 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks. These tracks are recorded with *live* musicians in a real studio. Download 12 bar blues guitar jam tracks now.

A Guide To A History of Blues Music

Oct 26

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | 2 Comments

The blues is a form of music that can be vocal, instrumental (blues guitar) or both. It utilises the ‘blue’ notes which are accomplished on a ‘minor pentatonic’ scale almost all the time, otherwise recognised as the blues scale.

Blues music was deducted from the African-American communities in the U.S. out of work songs, spiritual songs, field hollers, chants, shouts and elementary ballads that rhymed. A lot of facets of the blues comes from African culture

The call-and-response aspect of the music came immediately from African origins and there were a lot of riffs that would get duplicated thrice or more. This later developed into a line repeating twice and then on the third time around there would be an ‘answer line’. You will be able to still discover these characteristics of early blues in modern day music, especially hip-hop.

The term ‘The Blues’ refers to the ‘blue devils’ which signifies down spirits or unhappiness.

The blues guitar brings a important role in blues music as well as modern music. It has influenced Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Bluegrass and even Rock N’ Roll enormously. The original blues of the early 1900′s, otherwise known as “poor man’s blues” was commonly associated with hard times, subjugation from white folk, cruelty of the police, gambling, economic depression, floods, magic, farming and dry periods. This music was fueled by a lot of brokenheartedness and sorrow. Typically a lost loved one or an broad brutal environment invigorated the lyrics and the tone of the blues guitar.

After the world war, you start to see blues songs that were about relationships and sex. Also, wit was widened to the mix. Here is a funny example:

“That must be your woman, cause mine don’t look like that… I said That must be your woman, cause mine don’t look like that… Have you seen my baby? She’s so big and fat…”

The blues guitar style came forth from the American South’s instruments of the time which were the banjo and the Diddley Bow. This was a home made one stringed instrument that was favorite in the early 20th century. Figures such as Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Son House and Blind Willie McTell were a part of the delta blues style which used a lot of finger picking techniques and slide guitar innovations.

Eventually, after WWII ‘electric blues’ became increasingly popular where the blues guitar was played on electric guitars as were the bass guitars. This was most prevalent in the Chicago area.

The history of blues guitar and poor man’s blues is rich with culture and histories of good times and bad. I could go on for days about the history of the blues guitar but let’s make this part 1 so you don’t fall asleep on me!

Calling all blues musicians! Want over 50 blues guitarstyle blues backing track mp3? Visit 50 Blues to improve your blues playing Download free download blues music too.

History of The Blues in 400 Words

Oct 26

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | No Comments

The blues is a kind of music that can be vocal, instrumental (blues guitar) or both. It uses the ‘blue’ notes which are accomplished on a ‘minor pentatonic’ scale most of the time, otherwise recognised as the blues scale.

Blues music was inferred from the African-American communities in the U.S. out of work songs, spiritual songs, field hollers, chants, shouts and elementary ballads that rhymed. A lot of facets of the blues are indicitive of African influence.

The call-and-response aspect of the music came straight from African origins and there were a lot of lines that would get duplicated thrice or more. This later developed into a line repeating twice and then on the third time around there would be an ‘answer line’. You will be able to still discover these aspects of early blues in modern day music, especially hip-hop.

The term ‘The Blues’ refers to the ‘blue devils’ which signifies down spirits or unhappiness.

The blues guitar brings a fundamental role in blues music as well as contemporary music. It has shaped Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Bluegrass and even heavy rock genres The original blues of the early 1900′s, otherwise known as “poor man’s blues” was usually linked with hard times, oppressiveness from white folk, ruthlessness of the police, gambling, economic depression, floods, magic, farming and dry periods. This music was fueled by a lot of brokenheartedness and anger. Not uncommonly a lost loved one or an generic harsh environment prompted the lyrics and the tone of the blues guitar.

After the world war, you began to see blues songs that were about human relationships and sexuality. Also, wit was widened to the mix. Here is a funny example:

“That must be your woman, cause mine don’t look like that… I said That must be your woman, cause mine don’t look like that… Have you seen my baby? She’s so big and fat…”

The blues guitar style came forth from the American South’s instruments of the time which were the banjo and the Diddley Bow. This was a home made one stringed instrument that was favourite in the early 20th century. Figures such as Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Son House and Blind Willie McTell were a part of the delta blues style which used a lot of finger picking techniques and slide guitar innovations.

Eventually, after WWII ‘electric blues’ became increasingly popular where the blues guitar was played on electric guitars as were the bass guitars. This was most prevalent in the Chicago area.

The history of blues guitar and poor man’s blues is rich with culture and stories of good times and bad. I could go on for days about the history of the blues guitar but let’s make this part 1 so you don’t fall asleep on me!

Do you want access to easy blues tab? Visit 50 Blues to jam with a full professional band with blues guitar backing tracks. Find out what are the top 100 greatest blues guitar licks of all time.

Tips and Tricks To Master Blues Scales & Improvisations

Oct 24

Posted by Ross Coleman in Music | No Comments

Join us now as we examine a few practical tips to serve you acquire and master guitar scales, and the benefits of having a set practice time for studying scales. We will also be talking about the value of using guitar backing tracks to help master and perfect our scales and improvisation techniques.

If you wish to become an outstanding guitarist you have to master guitar scales. Without completely mastering guitar scales, it’s unachievable to make lead guitar parts as well as improvising solo leads. Scales are one of the foundational units that are fundamental to attaining a complete mastery of guitar playing.

There are several facilitative tips available to assist individuals master guitar scales. One tip is to not rush and attempt to memorize a lot of several scales all straightaway. It is much easier that pick out one scale, gather knowledge of it, and practice it unless you have perfected it. By practicing them one at a time you can keep what you have taken. Learning one scale at a time will also boost up your ability to be more creative when improvising, rather than sounding mechanical, as if you were playing drills.

Having a program for how you are going to apply them is another special tip. Formulating a set routine for guitar practice can assist you to make certain that you don’t neglect learning and practicing and just skip to playing around. You can catch a guitar chord book from your discount local store, and spend just a short time every single day acquainting yourself with all the scale names and all the plots that are shown.

It may be useful to come up with a plan that sets aside a certain amount of time each practice to running through all of your scales. This will help you very much.

Start by memorizing the fundamental 5 most common keys for guitar C, G, D, A, E these are simple open scale positions. Thereafter, move on to minor a pentatonic scale which is the big daddy of all scales that is often used for improvisations on the guitar.

Once if you have initiated to perfect your scales, you will be resourceful to know how to use them in constructing improvised solos and lead sections. One of the best modes of doing this is to practice improvising along to guitar backing tracks. If you want to know what you’ve learned Guitar backing tracks will facilitate you.

About scales and how they fit in with chord progressions and key changes. These backing tracks can also assist you to improve your timing skills as well as how to play with other musicians.

Guitar backing tracks give you the freedom to write and create your personal lead parts to already existing musical compositions of music played by professional musicians.

Guitar backing tracks are really helpful to better your practice time as well as serving you perfecting your style and guitar playing powers.

Jam with a live band with over 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks. These tracks are recorded with *live* musicians in a real studio. Download 12 bar blues guitar jam tracks now.

?Mastering The Perfect Pitch – Playing By Ear For Guitar

Oct 22

Posted by Charlie Talbot in Music | No Comments

Join us as we take a view what it takes to learn to play the guitar by ear and exceptional practical tips that you can use to better your skills and fine tune your ear.

There are countless and diverse methods of learning how to play guitar, and all of them are necessary and crucial for the command of the instrument. Most individuals learn to play by utilizing sheet music, or tablature. This is certainly a required skill to learn for growth and development. There is something that a plenty of guitar players may not take the time to learn, and that is how to play the guitar by ear.

Learning to play by ear will allow you a greater depth of understanding about guitar. This will also facilitate you to recognize chords and scales you hear players using without needing the sheet music for that particular piece.

Hence as to begin learning how to play the guitar by ear, you need to have a basic knowledge and understanding of music. You dont have to be a professional, but that you should understand some of the basics of music theory. Some fundamental knowledge about chords, chord progressions, and how chords and scales work together will be very facilitative.

patience is one more important skill you’ll need to groom. Learning to play by ear can be very hard and time consuming; it requires a lot of practice. To perfect your sound, you’ll have to perpetually play the same chords, riffs, and solos time after time.

One of the premium resources available to assist you fine tune your ear is to play along with your favorite CDs. Dig out some of your preferred albums and start. One of the greatest ways to learn is to mimic the guitar legends you love. By playing along and trying to copy their sound, you’ll grow in your technique. Another fun way is to jam along to guitar backing tracks like Planet of Rock.

Learning to play guitar by ear has a lot of benefits that can help you grow as a composer. It enables you to develop a deeper understanding of how to play, as well as how music fits together. Playing by ear also helps you out tremendously if you should happen to join a band and play with other guitarists.

Download 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks and jam with a *live* band at the comfort of your room. Download these killer 12 bar blues progression backing tracks now.

Lead Guitarists: Understanding Minor Pentatonic and Blues Scales

Oct 19

Posted by Bailey Murphy in Music | No Comments

In this article we are going to provide you guidance about our basic scale, the Minor Pentatonic scale. Pentatonic is a great scale to learn, particularly for guitar. It is commonly the first scale. It is pretty simple, and it works very well over simple chord progressions, and is a great place to start practicing improvisation for soloing.

The basic information about the Minor Pentatonic Scale

Pentatonic scale has 5 notes (hence the Penta- in its name). This is the 1st scale. It is very absorbing because most scales you will learn in the future have 7 notes in them. It has only 2 notes on every string and this forms the pentatonic scale more simplified to play. The Pentatonic scale includes both major and minor – we will focus on the Minor Pentatonic musical scale in this lesson.

In the scales intro any scale can be described by a plain numeric pattern, and the pentatonic scale can also be described in the same fashion.

Its formula is: 3 2 2 3 2

Lets see how this acts in an exemplar, e.g. G Minor Pentatonic.

We start with G as our root note, and add up each step of the pattern to acquire the next note:

G + 3 semitones is Bb Bb + 2 semitones is C C + 2 semitones is D D + 3 semitones is F F + 2 semitones is G

Thus there you acquire G minor pentatonic notes that are G, Bb, C, D, F, G. This formula can be implemented with any other base note for the exact scale entirely depending upon your choice.

Furthermore, you can move these patterns up and down the neck. For example, if you want a minor Pentatonic, then you work it out as follows:

The base note A is 2 semitones up from G, so just move every of these rules up 2 frets and voila, you will find formulas for A minor pentatonic.

Also, the patterns repeat up the neck after the 1st five – therefore if you want to climb up higher, start once again with the 1st rule played with the G root note played on the 15th fret instead of the 3rd fret.

The Blues Scale

Another scale, very closely related to the minor pentatonic scale is the blues scale which is used in blues. An attitional leading note to the pentatonic scale is commonly added by the blues players which is technically known as a flattened 5th – that means an additional note in between notes 3 and 4 of the pentatonic scale. When this note is added to the minor pentatonic scale you acquire the blues scale. The formula changes when you add that extra note to it and it becomes like this: 3 2 1 1 3 2, and our example G minor Pentatonic becomes G, Bb, C, Db, D, F, G when rewritten as the blues scale.

The Minor Pentatonic Scale in Action

Now we are going to talk about that how to play the Minor Pentatonic and the Blues scale. Both the Pentatonic and the Blues scales are suitable for playing Rock and 12 bar blues with. Lets focus on 12 bar blues – a very pretty simple concept that is considered as a source of some awesome music over the years.

The chords you apply are a type of I, IV, V progression – what that means isn’t really critical at this point, but the chords you would use with a G minor or Pentatonic scale would be as follows:

G – G – G – G – C – C – G – G – D – C – G – D This chord sequence enables you to play sequences of notes from any of the pentatonic boxes and you will acquire a bluesy kind of improvisation going.

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Easy Blues Scales for Blues Guitar Musicians

Oct 17

Posted by Danny Simmons in Music | No Comments

Come and join us as we examine in depth, the advantages of utilizing blues backing tracks to perfect and hone our knowledge and expertise for playing the blues.

Blues music is one of the most passionate forms of music that is played on the guitar. Blues guitarists bleed out their emotions through their fingertips, and weave a soul-bearing story just by using six strings of Blues. Many individuals who love to play the guitar soon start loving blues music, if they werent already in love with it before.

One of the key components to learning how to play blues music is finding out the scales and chords that fabricate the foundation of blues music . Plenty of different varieties of blues music and distinct ways are there within that musical genre that you can learn, so it is critical to commence with the fundamental chords and scales and work your way up to the more complicated ones.

The standard blues scale is a pentatonic minor scale. It has one extra note than the regular pentatonic minor scale. This additional note leaves the necessary amount of tension to create the signature blues sound. The scale constitutes of six unique note names, but when you actually play the blues scale you will play all the places for those note names within that particular position.

Once you learn that unique scale, you will be ready to master the timing, structure, and improvisational expressions of blues music. This is best accomplished by playing along with blues supporting tracks. Practicing with blues supporting tracks is like practicing along with an full blues band accompanying you. There are a plenty of benefits using blues backup tracks to improve your practice time.

One of the benefits to utilizing blues backing tracks is it helps you to understand structure and how the scale fits in with the rhythm section. By performing along with blues backing tracks, youll be able to combine the knowledge you have of the scale and practice what youve learned about music theory.

Other special benefit of blues backing tracks is that it is a powerful weapon in mastering one of the trickiest parts of playing the blues, known as improvisation. You have complete freedom to improvise based on your knowledge of the scale and your own creativeness with these guitar backing tracks. Improvisation is an essential technique, one that is crucial for the blues guitarist to boom in, especially during a live concert.

Do you want free blues scales? Visit 50 Blues website and learn blues guitar with videos. See the list of 100 of the best blues.

Blues Guitar and Blues Guitar Influence On Popular Music

Oct 16

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | No Comments

Here is an old line from one of the famous blues songs and it says, “the blues had a baby…and they called it rock n’ roll.”

Believe me, there is much truth in that statement You can listen to all the first rock n’ roll songs and hear the blues guitar riffs, chord progressions and scales being played, just in a less bluesy kinda way.

“Johnny B. Good” is a essential example of a blues guitar progression being played with a rock drum beat and a vocal melody that is different from how a standard blues vocal melody should sound. It doesn’t stop there though. The influence on modern music is nevertheless really prevalent. We hear it in hip-hop, rock, emo, indie, reggae, r & b, funk, etc

The popularly used 1 – 4 – 5 chord progression (3 chords) that is used in blues is also used in practically All type of music that exists. Even Mozart uses this chord progression as well as many others from the classical period. Not only do blues guitar riffs and chord progressions gets played in modern music, but most guitar solos also have blues overtones in rock music as well as the other styles that I mentioned. It has been a Essential component in forming the shape sound of modern music no matter how you look at it.

Learning how to play blues music should be a top priority on any guitar players ‘to-do’ list. Once you learn the ins and outs of this genre, you can improvise it to create your own popular songs, riffs and/or solos. Many guitar players that I know improvize on the blues scale to make their key riffs and super amazing leads as well as use the chord progressions to write innovative, more modern music.

Don’t let anybody convince you that the blues is dead!

Do you want free blues scales? Visit 50 Blues website and learn blues guitar with videos. See the list of 100 of the best blues.

5 Tips To Master Blues Guitar Solos and Lead Playing

Oct 15

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | No Comments

Serious blues guitar players aren’t really content playing the guitar with the chords given to them. More than ever, they are definitely looking forward to the day that they will be able to have the spotlight to them-or to their music-by going solo. However, what does this mean to you? It means that you can already improvise with the music that you have.

Here are the things that you need to remember once you decide to go for a guitar solo:

1. Don’t attempt to create random notes. Why is Santana one of the best blues guitar players of all time? He has countless guitar solos, and yet he never misses to sound so great. The technique doesn’t really lie on the random notes. As a matter of fact, this is a completely wrong strategy. What you’re definitely after is to create your own template, where you can make your improvisation.

2. Get yourself a blues scale. This doesn’t really refer to the blues music. There’s no clear explanation why it’s called as such, though you can assume that it could be because of the certain random feeling of the music that the blues music has. Nevertheless, the blues scale is the widely used template when you’re starting to train yourself for a guitar solo.

3. Practice alternate picking. The way you pick your guitar will matter when it comes to the kind of music that you want to produce. Since you’re going to do improvisation, you need to try out the different ways on how to pick your guitar. This way, you can determine if the sound produced is good or not. The bottom line is you should avoid surprising yourself once you get on the stage.

4. Make sure that the notes are clear and even. Again, there should be no random notes in your blues guitar solos. You can accomplish this if you learn how to play the scale in different motions, such as forward and backward. Each note, moreover, should also be played twice before you proceed to the next note.

5. List the notes. Unless you have memorized the different kinds of scales used in guitar playing, or if you are already too experienced in guitar solos, you need to list the improvised notes, so you can bring with you when you’re performing, especially when it’s going to be your first time to do the improvised chords.

Do you want free blues guitar scale? Visit 50 Blues website and learn blues guitar with videos, articles and reports with free blues guitar scales.

Blues Guitar – The History and Origins

Oct 14

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | No Comments

by Zack Roberts

Blues music was derived from the African-American communities in the U.S. out of work songs, spiritual songs, field hollers, chants, shouts and elementary ballads that rhymed. A lot of facets of the blues are indicitive of African influence.

The call-and-response aspect of the music came straight from African origins and there were a lot of lines that would get duplicated thrice or more. This later developed into a line repeating twice and then on the third time around there would be an ‘answer line’. You will be able to still discover these characteristics of early blues in modern day music, especially hip-hop.

The term ‘The Blues’ refers to the ‘blue devils’ which signifies down spirits or unhappiness.

The blues guitar brings a important role in blues music as well as contemporary music. It has shaped Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Bluegrass and even Rock N’ Roll enormously. The original blues of the early 1900′s, differently known as “poor man’s blues” was usually connected with hard times, subjugation from white folk, cruelness of the police, gambling, economic depression, floods, magic, farming and dry periods. This music was fueled by a lot of sorrow and depression. Usually a lost loved one or an overall harsh surrounding inspired the lyrics and the tone of the blues guitar.

After the world war, you start to see blues songs that were about family relationships and sexuality. Also, humor was broadened to the mix. Here is a funny example:

“That must be your woman, cause mine don’t look like that… I said That must be your woman, cause mine don’t look like that… Have you seen my baby? She’s so big and fat…”

The blues guitar style came forth from the American South’s instruments of the time which were the banjo and the Diddley Bow. This was a home-made one stringed instrument that was favorite in the early 20th century. Figures such as Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Son House and Blind Willie McTell were a part of the delta blues style which used a lot of finger picking proficiencies and slide guitar innovations.

Eventually, after WWII ‘electric blues’ became more and more popular where the blues guitar was played on electric guitars as were the bass guitars. This was most prevalent in the Chicago area.

The history of blues guitar and poor man’s blues is rich with culture and chronicles of good times and bad. I could go on for days about the history of the blues guitar but let’s make this part 1 so you don’t fall asleep on me!

About the Author:

Zack R is the founder of 50 Blues. Click on the link to get access to FREE blues gitar lessons and live videos! Visit 50 Blues to take basic blues rhythm tracks to a higher ground with professional lessons.

Mastering Lead Guitar By Using Blues Guitar Scales

Oct 12

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | No Comments

by Zack Roberts

Playing The best blues guitar scales include the Am Pentatonic scales, natural A minor scales, E minor, G shuffle licks and many others. These scales can help you not only to master the blues scales but also help you to play lead and make your own blues backing tracks.

There are different types of blues scales that can be used for lead guitar playing. You can also use them to make some blues backing tracks so that you can play along with the tracks and learn faster. Blues backing tracks can help you to play solo or lead even when there is no second guitarist present and the best thing is that you can even purchase some of the best blues backing tracks from the Internet from companies such as 50Blues. Let’s take a look at some of the most common blues scales used for lead guitar playing and for creating blues backing tracks.

Using Blues Scales

You can start with a natural A-minor scale also known as the A minor scale. Here’s how it looks:

A B C D E F G A w w w w w

You can start practicing the natural A-minor scale till the time you are extremely comfortable using it. You can use all the notes that are there in this blues scale for playing the lead guitar with a blues backing track. There are many blues players who use the A-minor pentatonic or the Am pentatonic scale in a mix with the natural A-minor scale.

Once in a while you should try and mix two scales together to bring out a different blues sound. To play the natural A-minor scale, you can tune it to play the Dm7 chord. The Dm7 comprises of D-F-A-C notes. The only chord that is not in the A-minor pentatonic scale is F because A-minor pentatonic comprises of A-C-D-E-G notes.

On the other hand, the natural A-minor scale comprises of A-B-C-D-E-F-G notes. So what you should ideally do is emphasize on the F taken from natural A- minor scale while playing the Dm7 chord. This will bring out a definitive blues scale and sound that can be played as lead with blues backing track.

Some of the best blues scales are just minor pentatonic scales with some added notes. This added note is commonly referred to as the blues note and helps in bringing out the specific blues sound. You can play a basic minor pentatonic scale or the basic blues scale, which will consist of 6 different notes.

When you are playing the lead or creating a blues backing track for a solo then you will need to play all the points for all the 6 notes that are within one position. For example: If you use a C blues scale then you will find that it consists of C E F G G and B notes. Here are the notes that are found in the basic C blues scale:

|–C–|—–|—–|-E–| -1st string |–G–|—–|—–|-B–| |–E-|—–|–F–|-G–| |–B-|—–|–C–|—–| |–F–|-G–|–G–|—–| |–C–|—–|—–|-E–| -6th string | 8th fret

The idea is that there are 6 different notes brought up above and once you’ve reached your 6th note, you will need to start back from the C note and go over the process over and over again to master playing lead guitar for the blues.

About the Author:

Zack R is the founder of 50 Blues. If you love the blues, visit 50 Blues to access over 50 professional blues scale pattern. These blues backing tracks will skyrocket your desire for blues playing and practicing with 50Blues.

Learn How To Play The 12 Bar Blues On Guitar

Oct 11

Posted by Michel Pale in Music | No Comments

by Michel Pale

It?s hard to describe how to play the 12 Bar blues on the guitar when you don?t have one in front of you. It?s also hard to play it if you have never done it before and you are interested in playing the 12 bar blues . What isn?t hard is writing about it so that you can get fired up enough to want to play it, or, if you play , and have lost your way, to re-kindle that passion so that you can learn the proper way.

Many who hear some music that they love and want to play it, often see themselves up on stage having the time of their lives with mobs of screaming fans who just can?t get enough. Well, learning should be that way too if you approach it properly.

The first thing you need to know if you are bitten by the bug is to know how to go about learning properly, and that means, wanting to really learn. If you go about it recklessly, then you won?t go far before you lose interest, and you may never touch the guitar again, and that would be a shame because all you really needed was to learn how to learn.

Start by finding a good instructor. You can usually find one by seeing where all the real musicians go. If you begin your instruction there, then you will be introduced to the world of 12 bar blues in the right way, by taking it slow at first so that you get the chords and the progression right, and then, getting it smooth. Never worry about speed, which will come once it?s fluid enough.

Once you have the basics then you can get into the theory, which is all about structure and form, and that has to with tonic chords, dominant chords, sub dominant, etc., then the 12 bar blues progression that is blended in with it. Remember, this all takes time, but if you take the time, you will get out of it what you have put into it.

There are three main chords that you need to know, and they are A7, E7, and B7, and from there, once you?ve got those down, you can move on to different keys, fifth notes, and how it all combines into that sound you first fell in love with, and wanted so much to learn. Once you do get proficient, there is a tendency to show off how technically good you are by trying to cram all you know into everything you play, and that is where the style gained through confidence is learned, and that is what makes you stand out.

So keep in mind that you must be technically proficient enough so that you can create an emotional impact, and when you do that, there will be someone else out there who will want to play the 12 bar blues guitar just like you!

About the Author:

Download 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks and jam with a *live* band at the comfort of your room. Download these killer 12 bar blues progression backing tracks now.

BB King – Play Blues Guitar In Street Corners for Dimes

Oct 10

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | No Comments

by Zack Roberts

In his youth he played on street corners for dimes and pennies! He was born on 16 September, 1925 on a plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, near Indianola. He spent his youth playing on street corners for dimes. Today B.B. King (Riley B. King) averages 250 ‘packed to the rafters’ concerts around the world each and every year.

In 1947, he hitchhiked to Memphis, Tennessee to pursue his music career. His first big break came in 1948 when he performed on Sonny Boy Williamson’s radio program.Over the years King has developed one of the world’s most identifiable guitar styles.

He borrowed from Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker and others, incorporating his distinct and complex voice-like string blends and his left-handed vibrato, both of which have become vital components of a blues guitarist’s vocabulary. His economy, his every-note-counts phrasing, has been a model for thousands of players from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Jeff Beck.

Soon after his number one hit, “Three O’Clock Blues,” B.B. began touring nationally. In 1956, B.B. and his band played an astonishing 342 one-night stands. From the chitlin circuit with its small-town cafes, juke joints, and country dance halls to rock palaces, symphony concert halls, universities, resort hotels and amphitheaters, nationally and internationally, B.B. has become the most renowned blues musician of the past 40 years.

In the mid-1950s, two men got into a big fight during one of King’s concert performances. The men, while fighting, knocked over a kerosene stove and set a huge fire to the entire venue. King raced outdoors to safety and then realised he’d left his beloved acoustic guitar behind. He rushed back in to retrieve it and almost lost his life. He found out later that the fight had been over a woman.

He named his guitar Lucille to remind him to never do a crazy thing like fight for a woman. Ever since, each one of King’s guitars has been called Lucille. Does your guitar have a name?

About the Author:

Zack R is the founder of 50 Blues Studios. If you are a blues musician, find out how blues guitar backing tracks will improve your blues guitar playing skills. Listen to the free mp3 backing tracks and start jamming right now.

Learning Blues Guitar Chords & Progression

Oct 10

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | 2 Comments

by Zack Roberts

Learning how to play and improvise great blues riffs and licks is not as easy as it might seem to a novice but the one good thing is that focused learning and practicing with a great blues backing track will help a lot in understanding blues chords and progression.

Using blues backing tracks is an important aspect of playing blues lead guitar. Blues is considered to be one of the origins of jazz music and you will find some influence of blues even in contemporary jazz. Most of the blues music and the ones used in common blues backing tracks are pentatonic scales and the mixolydian scales. These scales can be used in rock too and hence the ones used for blues are enhanced with the blues notes. If you understand the basic of the blue notes then you will be able to improvise over blues backing tracks with ease. Basically, blue notes use a drop in the pitch of the 3rd, 5th and 7th of the major scale. If you hear a professional talk about a blues scale then what they really mean is the pentatonic minor scale with a blue note like b5.

There are many people who jam to blues backing tracks in the C key and the chords used could be C, C7, G7, and F7. If th tracks are meant for a solo then the Am pentatonic scale will be rather useful and perfect to a certain degree. Some of the other options of blues guitar backing tracks include C-minor pentatonic comprising of the c-blues scale and c-major and Bb major scales in Dorian mode.

Blues Chords and Progression

Here are some characteristics of the blues chords and progression, which will definitely help you to play blues backing tracks effectively:

Most of the blues chord progressions are in a 12 bar form. Apart from this, you will also find 14, 16, 24 or even higher number of bar forms for blues. The tonic chord in blues progression is basically the dominant 7th chord. The blues music has been predominantly defined not only as music that focuses on chord changes as well as scales but also on feeling. There are 3 basic chords in blues and they are all dominant 7th chords.

A few of the blues backing tracks improvisation techniques include:

Using hammer-on or even a slide right from b3 to natural 3 Mixing the Mixolydian scale with the dominant blues scale

Mixing scales is probably the best way of enhancing blues guitar playing techniques.

Blues Tabs

In the first part, you need to use the C Mixolydian scale with a natural 3. In the second half of the 2nd bar, you need to use the C-minor pentatonic scale using a flat 3. If you really want to pursue blues guitar techniques then the best place to learn is by listening to recording of blues guitarists or legends like Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. You can also listen to some of the compositions of famous jazz guitarists like Kenny Burrell and George Benson.

About the Author:

Learn to play blues guitar for free now. 50Blues has tons of lessons on blues chord and many more. With videos, articles and backing tracks to go along too!

Guitar Lessons On The Slowhand Blues – The Blues Scales

Oct 8

Posted by Zack Roberts in Music | No Comments

by Zack Roberts

The slowhand blues is the most prominent technique that makes blues music what it is today. Mastering the slowhand blues will demand time, effort and focus and above all in-depth comprehension of the different blues scales and the blues notes.

Defining blues is not the simplest of things and playing it well s a completely different ball game. There are plenty of great blues players and guitarists in the blues hall of fame to learn from. The fact of the matter is that if you are able to master slowhand blues then who knows you might be able to create a great blues record that will take you to the hall of fame too! But then that’s just a thought right now. The main focus should be on mastering the blues scale and creating a blues backing track so that you can practice soloing using that.

When we talk about blues, you need to first learn to differentiate between different guitar techniques. You may be able to do impossibly fast runs or stretch your fingers far on the fretboard to play multiple notes but that’s not what blues is all about. There is a degree of emotion and feeling that comes with the blues scale and has been well rendered by the likes of BB King, Albert King and Eric Clapton. Eric Clapton is one of the greats who is so versatile that he can play almost all the guitar styles including acoustic or unplugged, electric, slide, fingerpicking, open tunings, among many others but his real root lies in playing slowhand blues.

Starting with Slowhand Blues

Where do you actually start from especially for mastering the slowhand blues? Tough question really but it depends on quite a few elements like personal influences, the specific key, finger size and special patterns also called boxes. Each box has the notes of an octave in an arrangement that will be easy to play. Once you are comfortable with the boxes, it will help you to play with a blues backing track. The boxes or patterns mostly highlight the places where you can bend an important note with your index finger. One of the best ways of mastering the slowhand blues is by spending more time in researching various positions that will help you to play your strings better.

You will have to start with an open E-string and when you reach the D-string, go onto the 2nd fret, which is also an E. You need to play both the notes simultaneously so that you can hear it. To make it easier, download some of the blues backing track for the same and practice with it. One more important thing: Never download any midis of blues backing track as it will not help you to understand the scales and the changes.

About the Author:

Are you a blues musician? Get over 50 blues backing tracks for guitar, harmonica or harp at 50 Blues Studios. Listen free samples of guitar backing tracks and start jamming right now. Visit 50 Blues today – Your #1 Blues Guitarist Resource.

The Right Way to Learn Blues Guitar

Aug 11

Posted by Mark Wilson in Music | No Comments

by Mark Wilson

Despite what many may believe, playing the blues is a skill that very few guitarist have successfully accomplished. It is of paramount importance that they understand the message on music blues and partake in many guitar lessons that seek to cultivate the necessary skills. Starting with the basics of blues guitar may not be an enticing pastime, but it is nonetheless important to open new ideas within the guitarist.

Musicians will find that playing blues guitar can only be dominated with lessons. Both online and offline sources in lessons and chords are valuable means of providing the content that is necessary to play blues guitar. Many of these sources are managed by guitarist who are experienced. With internet lessons, guitarist will begin to play blues guitar much faster over normal lessons, but the disadvantage is that they offer no personal contact. Instructors who are dedicated in grilling their students with guitar coaching will agree that success on the student’s part is based on dedication.

The internet is known for the valuable content it provides about speed guitar and blues guitar chords to musicians. The experts is blues guitar will admit that fingering, picking and other useful techniques are important to add on one’s knowledge. Regardless of the musician’s category (beginner, intermediate or advanced), many sources are available online to attend to his demand for knowledge.

Flexibility is one of the many attributes that Internet lessons provide for guitarists who want to learn guitar blues. A learning routine can be developed based on the musician’s available time. This learning is further facilitated with the musicians own input towards his lessons on a regular basis. The more frequent the lessons, the less the time that needed to play like a professional.

Musicians can encourage themselves with tricks they can learn from a guitar with steel strings and that is tuned in E-A-D-G-B-E. Reading tablatures is indispensable along with the musician’s own aptitude. Inspiration can be fueled from a good chord book and some blues music CDs. These are the preliminary requirements that have to be in place before using different Internet lessons. Due to the fact that online sources are many in step by step tutorials, there is no bounds towards the learning experience.

With commitment in place, blues guitar lessons become easy. A musician’s relentless dedication and committed time will be rewarded, principally for those who are learning a new genre. With the endless online options, many guitarists will delight in their ability to play similar to their guitar idols.

About the Author:

Wondering how to play blues guitar? Visit our free guitar lessons resource site.

How to Play Blues Guitar-Essential Tips – 12 Bar Blues Guitar

May 8

Posted by John Travis in Music | No Comments

by John Travis

If you want to play Blues guitar there are many different methods to choose from, even hundreds of them. The style has many variations and is the most traditional and well-known forms of music in the world. It would be too difficult to exactly describe how to play blues so instead here are a few tips that may help along in your quest to play a very rewarding and soulful type of music on the guitar.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #1 First off, understand that you don?t have to be the best at technique or know lots of tough cords to play the blues. The best blues sound originates from the heart using your feelings about true life and real situations. Later your technique will improve and you can add more difficult chords to try different variations of the blues but at first just get across the emotions of the song and you will be a good blues player. Remember to play with feeling and the speed will later come.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #2 You have to get used to the rhythm of the blues. A pretty common style is known as a ?swung ? feel. Just think of the sound of a heartbeat to guide you along for the beat. Most of the blues as well as other types of music are played in straight 4/4 timing which can be easy to play and is easy on the ear. Once you get comfortable with this style, you?ll be well on your way.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #3 Picking the notes of the blues will get you familiar with the fret board of your guitar. Learning different licks can be great for all types of music but are the heart and soul of the blues. Take the licks your comfortable with, play well, and experiment with them all over the fret board. This will give you different keys and get you used to the various positions on the neck.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #4 Another style of the blues that makes for quite a different sound is playing slide guitar. It?s not always easy to play a regular guitar and is ignored by a lot of other guitarists for this reason. It?s definitely an art form in itself and if you learn this art you will stand out from the crowd of blues players and regular guitarists.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #5 The final tip and probably the most important is to learn the blues scale inside and out. Many different kinds of music incorporate this scale and can open the door for a more rewarding experience of the blues. It?s an easy scale to learn and if you want to try solos, it?s a great scale to practice with.

These tips, while not teaching you how to play the blues will help in honing your techniques and help you find your own style of the blues. One thing is for certain they are going to help you to enjoy many hours of guitar playing.

About the Author:

Jam with a live band with over 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks. These tracks are recorded with *live* musicians in a real studio. Download 12 bar blues guitar jam tracks now.

4 Common Mistakes Guitarists Make When Playing The Blues

May 2

Posted by John Trellis in Music | No Comments

by John Trellis

When learning how to play killer blues guitar, you always start with the basics and gradually advance to mastering riffs, style, and complex phrasing.

Phrasing is how you take all the techniques and all the details that go with it and make it yours. In other words, phrasing is the way you have made all the technical stuff that you’ve learned sound exactly the way you feel.

In any kind of music, it’s the phrasing that makes the piece unique, because you?ve learned how to express yourself through all the techniques and mechanical aspects of the music. Phrasing is your way of playing and singing and your ability to create an emotional impact with all you’ve learned. However, with everything, there are pitfalls, and here is a short guideline.

It is easy, when playing to get lost in the notes themselves. What distinguishes your style from others is rhythm ? pacing, or timing. Doing a solo without this crucial element will only run everything together, and eventually it will all sound the same. It is the timing and knowing of when to add something new or let the effect of what you are doing linger.

The second thing to watch for is to avoid doing the same interval all the time. Good players always mix and match for effect, it breaks up the same pattern into interesting pieces and shows your versatility at the same time.

The third pitfall is to try to do too much. Don?t try to cram in as many notes as you can. The idea is to keep it simple which means refrain from getting it bogged down. Remember, that it is layered simplicity that, when put all together, sounds like a very complex piece that has depth and peaks interest.

The last pitfall concerns too much technique. Players who are too technical are boring because they don?t have the ?fire? that makes an emotional impact. The idea is to have sufficient technique that is adequate, in and of itself to make an emotional impact, and that goes for any form of communication, be it painting, writing, photography, or music.

Really, what these pitfalls are all about is your common sense. It is easy to get so involved with your playing that you concentrate on how technically good you are. Nobody cares about the technical way you did that last riff, they only care about it makes them feel.

To summarize then, be sure that once you are technically proficient, you don?t forget the emotion behind it. It is the emotion that an audience wants, and if you are just technique then you don?t convey an emotional impact, and you will turn off your audience by boring them to death. If you are wondering about the emotion part, just remember what got you into this in the first place ? it was the passion, and that is what drives everyone who has any life in them at all.

About the Author:

Jam with a live band with over 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks. These tracks are recorded with *live* musicians in a real studio. Download 12 bar blues guitar jam tracks now.

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