Hector F.
Verified buyer
03/25/25
Natural Bluesman
He is a natural blues man, with very wide set of musical tools to make his lessons enlightening and fun.
RetroACTIVE Electric Blues
Interactive Video Masterclass
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Jim Oblon
Educator
Genres
About this course
Take the modern soloing concepts of American blues and British blues -- blend that with the rhythm and tone of the early electric blues era of Bo Diddly, Willy Johnson, and Howling Wolf -- and you have what Jim Oblon calls RetroActive Electric Blues.
"Jim Oblon is one of those rare talents—a jaw-dropping guitarist, soulful singer, and compelling writer. On Jim’s first solo guitar record, Sunset, his virtuosic Telecaster-driven blues chops, and vocals shine on a set of originals, vintage rock & roll, and country blues, all delivered in a neoclassic organ trio setting comprised of Jim Keltner and Larry Goldings. Oblon gained national attention as guitarist, drummer, and vocalist in Paul Simon’s band. Always a believer in the bigger musical picture, he aims to expound upon the legacy of his forbearers without ever becoming an impersonator himself."
We're thrilled to welcome Jim to the family with his first TrueFire course, RetroACTIVE Electric Blues. You will likewise be thrilled as you play your way through this remarkable learning journey with one of today's brightest guitar talents!
”There are a few ways to approach a tradition. We live in a time where the electric guitar is close to seventy years old. There is a rich history of guitar players from this country and abroad who have invented and reinvented the approach to this instrument.
My hope for this course is to approach the electric guitar to make it a living tradition, and not a tradition that lives it's life in a museum. My wish is to use the guitar as a vehicle for self-exploration and a way to creative freedom. This can be done by looking to the past for inspiration and ideas, but also allowing room for your unique voice to shine. Let's harness electricity and get started with RetroACTIVE Electric Blues!”
Jim organized the course into two sections. In the first section, Jim presents 11 essential concepts and techniques: Fingers vs Picking, Fingerpicked Licks, Chords 1: Bell-like Inversions, Chords 2: 12-Bar Applications, Chords 3: Minors & Passing Tones Chords, Chords 4: Power Clusters, Replace Roots with Nines, Soloing Over Changes, Guitar as a Rhythm Instrument, South Indian Polyrhythms, and Applying Polyrhythms to Guitar.
In the second section, Jim presents 7 soloing performance studies over a variety of feels and keys to illustrate how he applies the concepts and techniques covered in the first section. Jim performs the solos over backing tracks and then breaks them down emphasizing the concepts and techniques being applied.
Jim will explain and demonstrate all of the key concepts and approaches along the way. You’ll get standard notation and tabs for each of the licks. Plus, Jim includes all of the rhythm tracks for you to work with on your own. In addition, you’ll be able to loop or slow down any of the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace.
Grab your guitar and let’s get RetroACTIVE with Jim Oblon!
"Jim Oblon is one of those rare talents—a jaw-dropping guitarist, soulful singer, and compelling writer. On Jim’s first solo guitar record, Sunset, his virtuosic Telecaster-driven blues chops, and vocals shine on a set of originals, vintage rock & roll, and country blues, all delivered in a neoclassic organ trio setting comprised of Jim Keltner and Larry Goldings. Oblon gained national attention as guitarist, drummer, and vocalist in Paul Simon’s band. Always a believer in the bigger musical picture, he aims to expound upon the legacy of his forbearers without ever becoming an impersonator himself."
We're thrilled to welcome Jim to the family with his first TrueFire course, RetroACTIVE Electric Blues. You will likewise be thrilled as you play your way through this remarkable learning journey with one of today's brightest guitar talents!
”There are a few ways to approach a tradition. We live in a time where the electric guitar is close to seventy years old. There is a rich history of guitar players from this country and abroad who have invented and reinvented the approach to this instrument.
My hope for this course is to approach the electric guitar to make it a living tradition, and not a tradition that lives it's life in a museum. My wish is to use the guitar as a vehicle for self-exploration and a way to creative freedom. This can be done by looking to the past for inspiration and ideas, but also allowing room for your unique voice to shine. Let's harness electricity and get started with RetroACTIVE Electric Blues!”
Jim organized the course into two sections. In the first section, Jim presents 11 essential concepts and techniques: Fingers vs Picking, Fingerpicked Licks, Chords 1: Bell-like Inversions, Chords 2: 12-Bar Applications, Chords 3: Minors & Passing Tones Chords, Chords 4: Power Clusters, Replace Roots with Nines, Soloing Over Changes, Guitar as a Rhythm Instrument, South Indian Polyrhythms, and Applying Polyrhythms to Guitar.
In the second section, Jim presents 7 soloing performance studies over a variety of feels and keys to illustrate how he applies the concepts and techniques covered in the first section. Jim performs the solos over backing tracks and then breaks them down emphasizing the concepts and techniques being applied.
Jim will explain and demonstrate all of the key concepts and approaches along the way. You’ll get standard notation and tabs for each of the licks. Plus, Jim includes all of the rhythm tracks for you to work with on your own. In addition, you’ll be able to loop or slow down any of the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace.
Grab your guitar and let’s get RetroACTIVE with Jim Oblon!
What you'll learn
- Navigate E and B chord changes with melodic ideas
- Execute octave-based blues licks with sixth and minor third intervals
- Play a medium tempo shuffle with laid-back feel
- Use drop voicings in blues context
- Apply historical lick vocabulary to backbeat grooves
Release date: 01/22/2019 • 2h 30m runtime
Sample lessons
Soloing Over Changes
Soloing: Demo
South Indian Polyrhythms
Rhythm Approach: Demo
Two-Beat in A
Overview
Two-Beat in A
Performance
What's included
36 lessons • 15 charts • 8 Jam Tracks
RetroACTIVE Electric Blues
Hi, I'm Jim Oblon and welcome to RetroACTIVE Electic Blues.
Take the modern soloing concepts of American blues and British blues - blend that with the rhythm and tone of the early electric blues era of Bo Diddly, Willy Johnson, and Howling Wolf - and you have what we call RetroActive Electric Blues. One of the things that I love doing is taking the core elements of a past era and making them active and giving them new life.
In this course, I'll show you the inner workings of my technique, tone and sense of rhythm, and then we'll play through several performance studies together. Grab your guitar, and let's get rolling!
Take the modern soloing concepts of American blues and British blues - blend that with the rhythm and tone of the early electric blues era of Bo Diddly, Willy Johnson, and Howling Wolf - and you have what we call RetroActive Electric Blues. One of the things that I love doing is taking the core elements of a past era and making them active and giving them new life.
In this course, I'll show you the inner workings of my technique, tone and sense of rhythm, and then we'll play through several performance studies together. Grab your guitar, and let's get rolling!
SECTION 1: Essential Concepts
There are a few ways to approach a tradition. We live in a time where electric guitar is close to seventy years old. There is a rich history of guitar players from this country and abroad who have invented and reinvented the approach to this instrument.
My hope for this course is to approach the electric guitar to make it a living tradition, and not a tradition that lives it's life in a museum. My wish is to use the guitar as a vehicle for self exploration and a way to creative freedom. This can be done by looking to the past for inspiration and ideas, but also allowing room for your unique voice to shine. Let's harness electricity and get started with RetroACTIVE Electric Blues!
My hope for this course is to approach the electric guitar to make it a living tradition, and not a tradition that lives it's life in a museum. My wish is to use the guitar as a vehicle for self exploration and a way to creative freedom. This can be done by looking to the past for inspiration and ideas, but also allowing room for your unique voice to shine. Let's harness electricity and get started with RetroACTIVE Electric Blues!
Fingers vs Picking
How you draw sound from an instrument is as important as what speakers and amps you use. Take some time to experiment with the differences between playing with your fingers and pick. It's fine to use both, and to find out what works best for you. Ask yourself, "What sound do I like best?"
Fingerpicked Licks
Here is my approach to playing with fingers. In my musical journey, I've found this is the best approach for me. I love the variety of sounds that's offered from using fingers to pluck the strings. Here are some licks that feel good physically to me. Over time, I've found a lick "feeling good" in my hands is just as important as how it sounds.
Pay special attention to the percussive aspects of these licks. All your favorite licks that you play with a pick, can also be played just using your fingers. Have fun trying this out.
Pay special attention to the percussive aspects of these licks. All your favorite licks that you play with a pick, can also be played just using your fingers. Have fun trying this out.
Chords 1: Bell-like Inversions
This voicing can work especially well in a power trio setting (guitar, bass and drums). It's a way I invented to play the boogie-woogie riff on guitar that sounds more like a piano. This can work in a shuffle, or straight eighth note feel.
Chords 2: 12-Bar Applications
Now let's take this unique chord approach and use it to play rhythm on a 12-bar blues. Over time, I've found this feels good to play, and comes naturally to the hands. If you play with a pick, you can use your middle and ring fingers to play the higher notes.
Chords 3: Minors & Passing Tones
It's simple to make this chord shape minor - it's not that bad of a stretch for the fingers. Here's my version of a "walk down" using major and minor chords. This sounds really good going from the 1 chord to the 4 chord. If you and a bass player can agree to do this together, it's a very powerful sound.
+ 29 more lessons
Reviews
10 results
Jordu
Verified buyer
08/24/24
Hot guitar . goods concepts!
themoose3
Verified buyer
04/24/21
Activate your blues...
Jim loblon is a really great guitarist who has a very easy going approach to his teaching style. His way of going about things lets you know that you also can achieve this level of playing. I would purchase this course for the sheer fact that Jim's a great fella. Buy it and get another view of our great instrument...
Tony D.
11/24/20
Great course from a unique and brilliant guitarist
One of my favorite courses ever- and I have an all access Truefire pass. Jim is a brilliant and unique player, and this course has helped shake up my own playing tremendously. Highly recommended. His recordings are phenomenal too. Truly one of the greatest unknown guitarists on the planet.
StringTheorist
03/28/20
A Laid Back Groove Shack!
For me, this is one of the best courses on TrueFire and a must have for any guitarist. Jim Oblon's style catches the ear but still touches the soul, it's something new but without throwing out the old! His playing over simple blues vamps and simple changes is some of the best and most original I've heard. He's got so much groove you just have to move! His approach to chords and playing over them is accessible yet expansive, and his right hand picking style, playing with fingers rather than a pick, gives a unique sound to lines and runs. And boy has he got some great lines and runs! You gotta take this lesson with Jim. It's truly a game changer to sit in with him!
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