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Practice Sessions: Blue Highways Soloing

8 Soloing and Improvisation Techniques for Blues Guitarists

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Practice Sessions: Blue Highways Soloing
Josh Smith

Josh Smith

Educator

blues, modern blues, blues-rock

Genres

About this course

Josh Smith covered a wide variety of key approaches and techniques in his highly acclaimed Blue Highways Masterclass. Throughout the masterclass, Josh stressed the importance of the “head, the hand, and the heart” as the building blocks for honing your skill as an improviser.

In this hands-on course, you’ll take your soloing and improvisational skills to the next level by digging deeper with Josh on 8 of his own most impactful approaches.

”We’ll start out with a practice session for getting double stop licks under your fingers. Triplet patterns are a huge part of my soloing, so we’ll dig into those in the second session.

The third session focuses on expressive bending licks. Hybrid picking is next and then we’ll look at another one of my favorites, sliding licks.

We’ll work on chromaticism — the simplest way to start building connections between licks and chords. The seventh session focuses on repetitive licks, which are crucial in creating a theme in your solos and giving the listener something to latch on to.

And finally we’ll work on open string lines, another great way to add color to your improvisation and make your story really unique.”

What makes this format really special is how you’ll get these approaches firmly under your fingers -- you’ll practice each of the concepts together with Josh, in a series of interactive practice sessions.

Josh will kick off each study with a breakdown of the key concept, technique, or underlying approach and then he’ll perform the approach over a backing track to give you a feel for how it sits in the rhythm section.

You’ll cap off each soloing study together with a hands-on practice session. Josh will roll the track and you’ll trade back and forth as he guides you through the core examples followed by several variations and embellishments.

Working regularly with these “practice sessions” is the key to having command of all 8 soloing and improvisational approaches.

You’ll get standard notation and tabs for all of the performance studies. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tools to sync the tab and notation to the video lesson. You can also loop or slow down the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace. All of the backing tracks are included to work with on your own as well.

Grab your guitar and let’s dig in with Josh Smith!

What you'll learn

  • Apply slides to existing licks to personalize them
  • Improvise using slides as a primary expressive tool
  • Understand how to create thematic solos
  • Develop eight core soloing techniques used by professional players
  • Build improvisational skills through interactive practice sessions
Release date: 02/01/2021 • 2h 00m runtime
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Sample lessons
Hybrid Picking
Hybrid Picking
Demonstration
Hybrid Picking
Hybrid Picking
Performance
Hybrid Picking
Hybrid Picking
Practice Session
Chromaticism
Chromaticism
Performance

What's included

26 lessons • 24 charts • 8 Jam Tracks

Practice Sessions: Blue Highways Soloing
Hi, I'm Josh Smith. Welcome to this Blue Highways edition of Practice Sessions!

In my Blue Highways masterclass we covered a variety of key approaches and techniques. More importantly we talked about the head, the hand, and the heart -- the building blocks for building your skill as an improviser: knowledge, technique, and soul!

In this hands-on course, we'll focus on building your soloing techniques and improvisational skills by working on 8 key techniques that I personally rely on.

What makes this format really special is how you'll get these approaches firmly under your fingers -- we'll practice each of these 8 techniques together in an interactive practice session.

I'll kick off each study with a breakdown of the technique and then I'll perform an example over a backing track to give you a feel for how it sits in a groove.

We'll cap off each study together with a hands-on practice session. I'll roll the track and we'll trade back and forth as I guide you through the core examples followed by several variations and embellishments.

Working regularly with the “practice sessions” is really going to help you get these soloing approaches down.

All of the performances are transcribed and you'll be able to sync the tab and notation to the video using TrueFire's learning tools.

You can also loop or slow down the videos so you can work with the lessons at your own pace. All of the backing tracks are included to work with on your own.

Ready to get started? Grab your guitar, and let's go!
Double Stops
Double stops are one of the most unique ways guitarists have to tell their story. Let's explore what they are and how to use them! The options, both rhythmically and harmonically, are so diverse when using double stops.
Double Stops
A patented double stop lick using hammer-ons, chromatics, and slides. I'll play it for you a few times so it will be clear.
Double Stops
Let's learn this double stop lick! I'll play then trade with you guys. Then, I'll expand and give you more options in which to play this lick and style.
Triplet Patterns
Triplets are the true key to swinging! I use them constantly to make the dotted eighth note feel. Let's really explore all the ways I use them to swing, connect ideas, repeat phrases, etc.
Triplet Patterns
OK, let's learn the triplet lick. A cool Emin triad over G on a rumba feel! Swing it!
Triplet Patterns
OK, let's trade! Going back and forth on the lick. Then we'll expand on it! Such a fun sound!

+ 19 more lessons

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Reviews

8 results

STRINGER12345

Verified buyer

08/26/26

Josh Smith

Want this and just got started, so it's too soon to review. But everything I have by Josh Smith is amazing! I generally play some of his licks and try to implement them into all kinds of different rhythms. It would take years and years to go for all this! But I love it!

MarekT

06/05/23

Exploring the specifics

Always onto a winner with a Josh Smith course. This one goes deep into some guitaristic techniques involved with playing the blues such as hybrid picking, bends, double stops and all the bluesy things you need to get going. Great explanations, examples and backing tracks. Definitely a workout for both hands.

FrankHammer

Verified buyer

12/14/21

Just watch him!

Josh is a player who is so much fun to watch. I am inspired and motivated just watching him! He is such a complete player that he is giving me new ideas anytime I see one of his videos. Also, he seems to be such a nice guy that I would really love to go out with him for a drink and chat about guitars, blues, our favourite music and so on... Beside that, the practice sessions are really useful to get into playing and practicing.

JohnSmithers

Verified buyer

11/19/21

Practicing with a master

What can one say about Josh Smith that has not already been said.The man is an inspiration and it is a testament to Truefire to have him open up and teach all his secrets.

SamStamos

05/19/21

Josh Smith- Ties it all together with "Practice Sessions: Blue Highways Soloing."

Josh's course takes the late intermediate to advanced player through the fundamentals and ties them together through "practice sessions" to tie together the mind (double-stops and triplet patterns), body (bends, "chicken pickin'", and slides), and soul (implementation of the improvisational techniques). Knowledge for the mind, technique for the body, and food for the soul. Truly a coming together of the head, the hand, and the heart! An integrational course that opens the highways to the blues!

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