Simple blues ideas

[Robert]

I am thinking about doing a series of video lessons on simple blues licks and ideas to play over blues.

Give me your input guys. I am thinking it should be very simple things, so beginners have a chance of learning it without tearing their hair out.

What else is needed? A backing track for download for each lesson (except those lessons that use the same backing track)?

Again, focus this time I think will be on "blues beginners".

 

[sunvalleylaw]

What you suggest sounds good. I have been trying your ones in E that are already on the sight. Many of the blues backers that are available here (like Oldguy's, etc.) are in A, so some ideas in a couple of different keys would be helpful. To me at least. Thanks Robert!

 

[Robert]

I was thinking I would show how to play the guitar parts on the backing track too. Just simple blues rhythms.

Thanks for the feedback.

I am thinking I may be too advanced in many of my lessons on my site? It is not always so easy for me to know this.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Some other simple blues rhythms would be great too. As to too advanced, oh, I don't know that I would say that overall. There is a good mix on your site right now for a lot of things I think. At least that is my opinion, and I still consider myself a bit of a beginner. I can follow most of what you are doing. It is just practice to get the skills under my fingers and flowing. Some simple ideas along the lines of what you are saying would add to my tools for sure though.

Someone else chime in too please. I am interested in others' thoughts.

 

[marnold]

If you're shooting for beginners, I'd probably stick with A: the guitar player's key. Perhaps in a later lesson you could show how to transpose the licks to any other key.

 

[Tim]

Are you talkin' to me ?

I have been waiting for this moment for some time. Thank you Sir Robert. Please remember for us not so talented players, to keep it simple. Teach like we don't know nothing (which is virtually true for me). Remember to tell us which sting and fret you are playing (at least to start off). Sometimes I can not tell which string you are actually playing due to unstable streaming. Any key will work for me as long as you explain when to make the chord progression change.

 

[Jimi75]

Hi Robert, what I've been loving about your videos so far is that they are a great mixture of stuff for beginners and advanced players.

Beginner's lessons could consist of the five positions of the pentatonic scale. Don't know if blue notes are already a little too difficult.

Blues chords and how the common progression is build up. Dominant, subdominant, Tonika...you got to serve that topic like baby food, mixed and in little pieces.

Explaining the backing track is a very good idea, but I doubt that a beginner will study how to play the backing track. If I think of myself in the beginning, I loved having backing tracks, but I wanted to solo all the time ;-)

What would be great was if you could explain several blues styles. Acoustic, Slide, Country, Electric, Chicago etc.
You could relate your examples to the styles and offer the beginner a style catalogue that let him survive in session situations.

Of course you will have to explain the twelve bar blues in E and A and of course some easy turn arounds.

Easy shapes of dominant 7 chords.

String bending is something that derives from the blues. Easy lessons how to bend and how to practice easy blues bends.

All in all I had wished sombeody took the time and teached me with a mixture of cultural blues history, practice and theory. The Blues is not only about licks and it took some time for me to understand.

 

[Robert]

Thanks for the feedback. Next blues lesson will be simple, and I will try and explain some tips for phrasing.

 

[ted s]

Sounds good Robert, looking forward.

 

[Spudman]

Just getting the rhythm right is most of a blues song. When you have that then you have the feel for the song. Everything else follows.

It would be a good idea to make one of the initial lessons a blues rhythm lesson. Otherwise it isn't the blues.

 

[Robert]

What kind of rhythm lesson are you thinking, Spudman?

 

[Spudman]

Thinking? Me?
There is certainly an art almost when playing a blues rhythm. To get it to swing you need to use the right hand just so and add the incidentals with the left hand at just the right time. It's a combination of the two that give a blues rhythm its bounce.

Make any sense?

 

[Robert]

Sounds like YOU should be doing this lesson!! :beer:

 

[jasongins]

This is a good idea. I would actually be interested in learning the rhythm parts as well.

 

[just strum]

I can't offer any suggestions, but as one of the new guys and still a beginner, I would welcome any assistance to make inroads in playing the blues.

As I noted in my intro in Fret Players, I am already using your site. I already found it helpful, but must admit there is much that is beyond my level of experience (for now). The site has a very good mix and this idea will only add to the quality of the site.

I will say that I do ditto Tim's comments regarding the occasional difficulty of knowing what string you are playing, but that just be a case of beginner inexperience. I haven't viewed every aspect of your site, but I noticed that you embed tabs directly into your videos. It would be nice to have the tabs separate from the video so that they can be printed or opened in another window where the frets are clearer to read.

Hope you don't take this as being critical because your site has become my favorite for learning.

 

[Robert]

Thanks Strum, thanks for the feedback, I appreciate that. That kind of feedback is great because it is very direct and specific. I'll see what I can come up with.

 

[Justaguyin_nc]

Just getting the rhythm right is most of a blues song. When you have that then you have the feel for the song. Everything else follows.

It would be a good idea to make one of the initial lessons a blues rhythm lesson. Otherwise it isn't the blues.

So true for this beginner.. staying with the Rhythm... I guess you either got Rhythm or ya don't...Mine seems to have a mind of its own..lol

One other thing.. Ya know how alot of guitar players doing those blues throw in a quick little lick right over the chord they are playing.. then back to chords.. learning these to combine with the Rhythm is a barrier and a half for me.. I guess it's doing everything at once.. If I am trying to play rhythm behind a backing I get bored or into it and speed up or slow down... if I try to add lead ... I seem to be waiting on it or rushing it... trying to combine those elements together...I get confused...sigh..

 

[M29]

Justaguyin_nc you hit on the head for me too. I want to be able to play chords and go off on riffs and get back to the chords and keep it going.

M29

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Me too! For us folks that play alone, the best thing are little pieces that combine rhthym & lead. I have to have tab &/or music notation (preferably both).

For me it was important to learn:

Shuffle, triplets, & waiting for the beat (ie not being anxious & playing before the beat).

For beginners the beat on backing tracks has to be exaggerated. I have spent my life listening to guitar. I've had to train myself to listen to the drummer. Discuss where the accents should be. On the 1 & 3 or the 2 & 4.

You can learn alot just playing the same thing (lead or chord progressions) but varing the accents.

Any key is fine, but start with Em or G major pentatonic and then move up the neck.

 

[Robert]

Now you guys are talking about timing and meter. The best way to practice this is to play with a drum machine or drum track, as well as play along to records. This THE most important part to sounding good. If timing is off, it's gonna suck no matter how fancy the playing is.

I think it might be hard to convey this in a video lesson, but maybe I'll take a stab at it. There are a few things that come to mind right now...

 

[Justaguyin_nc]

I took the advice on playing to records.. After using backings and the likes I felt I just can't keep time even if I was a timex... I finally just start listening to the whole song and trying to keep up or slow down with the other guitar players... I think its finally working.. kinda sorta.. oh I have dayz... then there are DAYS!! ...