30 Beginner Fingerstyle Blues Licks You MUST Know

Beginners and advanced blues players alike are drawn to fingerstyle blues because it sounds so authentic, is very satisfying to play, and since you’re playing bass, rhythm, and melody simultaneously, you can perform fingerstyle blues with or without a band.

Some players choose to play fingerstyle blues exclusively, while others just want to spice up their bag of tricks with a few fingerstyle moves or expand their repertoire with a set of fingerstyle tunes that they can perform solo. Whatever your level of play, and whatever your intention — this collection of 30 Beginner Fingerstyle Blues Licks from David Hamburger is your express ticket to igniting your fingerstyle blues chops.

”Almost every kind of blues has its roots in fingerstyle blues. As a self-accompanied style, fingerstyle blues is something you can always work on and enjoy playing; all you need is your guitar. This kind of playing has a lot of moving parts, which can be kind of overwhelming when you’re just starting out. I’ve put together this selection of 30 licks to help you master the basic techniques quickly while wrapping your hands around some of the most essential licks and moves every fingerstyle blues player should know.”

David handpicked the 30 licks presented in this course to give you a wide and very diverse variety of fingerstyle techniques, chord vocabulary, bass patterns, turnarounds, and melody lines.

For example, you’ll learn techniques like steady bass, slides and hammer-ons in Lick #8, ”The 12/8 or triplet feel here is one of the essential blues grooves, and shows up most often as the classic slow blues feel. But 12/8 is also the pulse in piano-driven New Orleans rhythm & blues and early rock 'n' roll – just think about Fats Domino doing "Blueberry Hill" and you'll have the 12/8 feel so stuck in your head it'll still be there when you're brushing your teeth tomorrow morning.”

David will demonstrate how to get the most out of the pentatonic scale, ”Where would we be without the pentatonic scale? As one of the few Greek words in my vocabulary, I really treasure the word "pentatonic". Five notes. Everyone says all you need is three chords and the truth, but for fingerstyle blues, it's more like five notes and your thumb. “

You’ll learn Lightnin’ Hopkins-style triplets, Classic delta blues voicings, Muddy Waters-style turnarounds, V IV I turnarounds in E and A, quarter-tone bends and double stops, essential chord vocabulary and substitutions, and even Barrelhouse piano-inspired licks, ”Lick 17 is a close cousin to "Barrelhouse." It too is inspired by the playing of William Brown and, more generally, the sound of classic solo blues piano styles.”

David also shows you walking bass moves that will really help bring your fingerstyle blues to life, ”Walking bass has long been one of my favorite sounds, and it's a great way to bring some unexpected motion into the steady bass approach.”

David demonstrates all 30 of the licks and then breaks them down note-by-note, move-by-move, emphasizing the techniques you’ll need to get a grip on to play them correctly. All of the licks are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference and study purposes. You’ll also get Guitar Pro files so that you can play, loop and/or slow down the tab and notation as you work through the lessons.

Whether you’re a beginner just starting out, or have been playing for years with a pick — grab your guitar and let’s get to work on our fingerstyle blues chops with David Hamburger!