Play Blues Guitar Video Feed: Shuffle D Solo from Slide Shop by David Hamburger
First generation electric bluesmen like Elmore James basically electrified a prewar, solo guitar style, resulting in the kind of two-parts-in-one approach seen in this rhythm example. Brushing at least the bottom two strings with your thumb will make the bottom end sound fat, while brushing up on the high strings with one of your fingers will give the top end a bright, spiky kick. Right hand palm muting will increase the sense of two guitars playing at once.
For these lessons I'm using a hotsy-totsy handblown glass slide made by Nunwell. The glass is really thick and the inside is just the right diameter for me - I like the slide to come down as far as the second joint on my pinkie and no further. Glass seems to provide a smoother sound than metal, and thicker slides definitely have more sustain than thin ones, but Duane Allman got his fattest sound from a lightweight Coricidin medicine bottle.
This interactive video lesson is featured on
David Hamburger's Slide
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Nine Magical Licks from Clapton & King
Eric Clapton and B.B. King - two of the most exciting and original guitarists to play the blues—have instantly recognizable sounds. Is this because of their tone? Their phrasing? Their touch? Yes, yes, and yes! These, and many less tangible clues, tell us who we’re hearing. Like most of us, King and Clapton started by copying their heroes. For King, the list included T-Bone Walker, Lonnie Johnson, and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Clapton was inspired by Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, and the three Kings — Freddie, B.B., and Albert. Eventually, King and Clapton transformed their hero worship into the unique styles we now know and love. But how and when did the Jell-O set in its mold? The best way to answer these questions is to revisit early and mid-period recordings by King and Clapton, and observe how each guitarist spun new fabric from the threads of their forebears.
This interactive audio lesson is featured on BLUES
U.
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PDF
PowerTab
A Lesson in Memphis Soul from Andy Ellis
It's one of life's great pleasures: You sink deep into a pulsing groove, find a harmonic space to fill, and become one with the bass and drums. While other styles offer opportunities to surrender to the beat, in Memphis soul that's all that matters. In this lesson, we'll dissect some classic soul grooves to see what makes them tick, and then try to grab some of that cosmic woo-woo for ourselves. Of course, it's impossible to discuss soul guitar without acknowledging Steve Cropper. He has played on hundreds of records and crafted the hooks for dozens of soul's biggest hits. His style defines the genre. While this lesson isn't about Cropper per se, his ideas are embodied in many of these examples.
This interactive audio lesson is featured on
BLUES U.
Downloads: MP3
PDF PowerTab
Exploring Supernatural Blues from Peter Green
It's the little things the timbral shadings, radical dynamics, and spot-on intonation that make Peter Green's guitar playing so powerful and exciting.
Peter had a deftness, a touch, and a more melodic style, asserts Mike Vernon, who produced John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and all the early Fleetwood Mac albums giving him the unique perspective of overseeing both Eric Clapton and Green in the studio.
He was the very best blues guitarist England ever produced. In this lesson, we'll focus on specific details that characterize Green's lead lines. The goal is not to emulate Green, but to absorb some of his note choices and phrasing concepts. Once they've sunk in, these ideas will integrate nicely with the blues techniques you already know. This lesson's examples are all drawn from songs found in Fleetwood Mac: The Horizon Years, 1967 - 1969 Ñ a new, six-CD boxed set. In addition to offering remixed and remastered versions of familiar Mac albums, this collection includes many alternate, previously unreleased versions of the band's classics as well as a plethora of false starts, experiments, and studio banter. There's a wealth of Green licks to tackle, so grab a guitar, dial in a fat, relatively clean amp tone, and let's get rolling.
This interactive audio lesson is featured on
BLUES U.
Downloads: MP3
PDF
PowerTab
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