How to Get Started on Blues Guitar
Figuring out how to play blues guitar is a life long adventure and being passionate about the blues will keep you on the path.
Step One: You gotta search for music by the blues greats and REALLY listen to what they are doing.
Here's a shortlist (and there are loads more): John Lee Hooker Muddy Waters Robert Johnson BB King Buddy Guy T-Bone Walker Lightnin' Hopkins Son House Eric Clapton Taj Mahal Ry Cooder Roy Buchanan Find their records/CDs/mp3s, read their stories, talk about em with your buddies and let the influence of these blues giants soak into your soul.
I'm serious about this point! Feeling all their different styles will ultimately help you to create a sound and feel of your own.
Step one should continue for the rest of your life! And if that's all you ever get around to in regards to the blues, don't worry as it's a most righteous way to spend a lot of time.
Step Two: Play a basic 12 bar blues progression using three chords (E, A & B).
Generally one 'bar' in blues is 4 beats.
So grab your guitar now, play an E chord while tapping your foot four times and you've just played one bar in E.
Nice one! So to play a basic 12 bar blues progression, do as shown below.
To really hear the progression, just strum the chords 'once' at the start of the each bar.
4 bars = E 2 bars = A 2 bars = E 1 bar = B 1 bar = A 1 bar = E 1 bar = B Step 3: Play the same 12-bar blues progression again using flat 7th chords (E7, A7 & B7).
In step two, we used standard major chords which are fine but you can get a more bluesy sound when you flatten the 7th notes.
Now you're going to have to look at a chord book or on the internet if you're not sure of these chords but all I can tell you is that they're simple to play (especially if you can already do the standard chords).
4 bars = E7 2 bars = A7 2 bars = E7 1 bar = B7 1 bar = A7 1 bar = E7 1 bar = B7 Notice the different feel in these chords compared to the normal major chords? They're cool hey.
Step 4: Repeat steps 2 & 3 and mix up the major and flat 7th chords.
For example, you could play E for the first bar, then E7 for the second bar, E for the third bar and E7 for the fourth bar and so on.
Do what feels and sounds good to you.
It's important to try and play slowly with feeling first so you can really hear the differences in the chords.
If you've got a drum machine or better still a drummer friend, jam with them and more ideas will start to flow.
If you're playing with an amp...
hit the distortion, reverb, wah wah or whatever and go for it!
Step One: You gotta search for music by the blues greats and REALLY listen to what they are doing.
Here's a shortlist (and there are loads more): John Lee Hooker Muddy Waters Robert Johnson BB King Buddy Guy T-Bone Walker Lightnin' Hopkins Son House Eric Clapton Taj Mahal Ry Cooder Roy Buchanan Find their records/CDs/mp3s, read their stories, talk about em with your buddies and let the influence of these blues giants soak into your soul.
I'm serious about this point! Feeling all their different styles will ultimately help you to create a sound and feel of your own.
Step one should continue for the rest of your life! And if that's all you ever get around to in regards to the blues, don't worry as it's a most righteous way to spend a lot of time.
Step Two: Play a basic 12 bar blues progression using three chords (E, A & B).
Generally one 'bar' in blues is 4 beats.
So grab your guitar now, play an E chord while tapping your foot four times and you've just played one bar in E.
Nice one! So to play a basic 12 bar blues progression, do as shown below.
To really hear the progression, just strum the chords 'once' at the start of the each bar.
4 bars = E 2 bars = A 2 bars = E 1 bar = B 1 bar = A 1 bar = E 1 bar = B Step 3: Play the same 12-bar blues progression again using flat 7th chords (E7, A7 & B7).
In step two, we used standard major chords which are fine but you can get a more bluesy sound when you flatten the 7th notes.
Now you're going to have to look at a chord book or on the internet if you're not sure of these chords but all I can tell you is that they're simple to play (especially if you can already do the standard chords).
4 bars = E7 2 bars = A7 2 bars = E7 1 bar = B7 1 bar = A7 1 bar = E7 1 bar = B7 Notice the different feel in these chords compared to the normal major chords? They're cool hey.
Step 4: Repeat steps 2 & 3 and mix up the major and flat 7th chords.
For example, you could play E for the first bar, then E7 for the second bar, E for the third bar and E7 for the fourth bar and so on.
Do what feels and sounds good to you.
It's important to try and play slowly with feeling first so you can really hear the differences in the chords.
If you've got a drum machine or better still a drummer friend, jam with them and more ideas will start to flow.
If you're playing with an amp...
hit the distortion, reverb, wah wah or whatever and go for it!
Source...