AndyMaslen
Verified buyer
01/21/26
Mastery of Texas Blues can be yours
Cory really knows Texas Blues and is an excellent teacher. Great range of influences from T-Bone walker to SRV.
50 Texas Blues Licks You MUST Know
Crucial phrases, concepts and Texas blues guitar techniques you MUST know
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About this course
Texas blues dates back as far as the early 1900's but this collection of 50 licks focuses on the Texas blues scene that exploded on to the mainstream in the late 60's and early 70's. Heavily influenced by southern rock, blues-rock, slide and a dash of jazz, this modern style of Texas blues features the heavy use of memorable electric guitar riffs, blazing solos, exciting rhythm patterns and tasty turnarounds, all of which are showcased in this handpicked collection of 50 Texas Blues Licks You MUST Know.
Artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, his brother Jimmy Vaughan and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnny Winter, Freddie King, Billy Gibbons and ZZ Top, T-Bone Walker and Eric Johnson are all synonymous with the style along with many other notable guitarists.
No one has a better grip on Texas blues guitar, and no one is better qualified to take you on this Texas blues learning adventure than Corey Congilio. Corey dug deep and wide to compile this perfectly balanced collection of turnarounds, rhythm patterns, progressions and artist-inspired lickage. You'll learn how to apply techniques and melodic devices like major-minor pentatonic phrases, octaves, double and triple-stops, repetitive phrases, pre-bends, half and full bends, intervallic leaps, hammer-ons, pull-offs, muting, scratches, rakes and many more of the essentials required to play authentic Texas blues electric guitar.
50 Texas Blues Licks You MUST Know has it all and much more; these 50 licks, rhythm patterns and turnarounds will round out your Texas blues bag with enough solid material to keep you sounding fresh and distinctive in any musical setting be it jams with the buds, cover band work, and even writing your own original compositions.
Artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, his brother Jimmy Vaughan and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnny Winter, Freddie King, Billy Gibbons and ZZ Top, T-Bone Walker and Eric Johnson are all synonymous with the style along with many other notable guitarists.
No one has a better grip on Texas blues guitar, and no one is better qualified to take you on this Texas blues learning adventure than Corey Congilio. Corey dug deep and wide to compile this perfectly balanced collection of turnarounds, rhythm patterns, progressions and artist-inspired lickage. You'll learn how to apply techniques and melodic devices like major-minor pentatonic phrases, octaves, double and triple-stops, repetitive phrases, pre-bends, half and full bends, intervallic leaps, hammer-ons, pull-offs, muting, scratches, rakes and many more of the essentials required to play authentic Texas blues electric guitar.
50 Texas Blues Licks You MUST Know has it all and much more; these 50 licks, rhythm patterns and turnarounds will round out your Texas blues bag with enough solid material to keep you sounding fresh and distinctive in any musical setting be it jams with the buds, cover band work, and even writing your own original compositions.
Corey Congilio's Preferred Gear
Below is a list of Corey Congilio's preferred gear including guitars, amps, pedals, accessories, and more. What you see in Corey's lessons may or may not be this actual gear, but if you are trying to capture Corey's sound and tone, the gear listed below is recommended by Corey and it's a great place to start!
Guitars
Amps
Pedals
- J. Rockett Tim Pierce Signature Overdrive Pedal
- DOD Carcosa Analog Fuzz Pedal
- Dunlop DVP4 Volume (X) Mini Pedal
- Universal Audio UAFX Golden Reverberator Pedal
- Universal Audio UAFX Starlight Echo Station Delay Pedal
- Universal Audio UAFX Astra Modulation Machine Pedal
- Korg Pitchblack Custom Pedal Tuner
Accessories & More
What you'll learn
- Perform repetitive bend phrases with consistency
- Create melodic variation by changing only the bend amount in repeated phrases
- Apply turnaround vocabulary to different keys
- Control the difference between half-step and whole-step bends in a musical context
- Understand when to use high-impact licks with restraint
Release date: 10/19/2011 • 3h 07m runtime
Sample lessons
Double Jump
Lick #8
Classic SRV
Lick #18
Double Stop Lenny
Lick #19
Grange Change
Lick #22
What's included
52 lessons • 50 charts • 50 Jam Tracks
50 Texas Blues Licks
Welcome to 50 Texas
Blues Licks You Must Know. Think of this 50 licks course as a tribute to your favorite Texas born
guitar players.
I'll cover licks from T-Bone Walker to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Eric Johnson. Blues guitar playing has certainly evolved since the 1950's and I hope to give you a taste of some of the best licks to come from the Lone Star State. These players have molded my style and I'm really excited to share what I've learned with you.
We'll not only cover licks but, we'll tackle turnarounds and 12 bar rhythms examples as well. Notation/Tabluture and rhythm tracks will also be included for every lick. So, plug in and put your boots on and most importantly, have fun.
I'll cover licks from T-Bone Walker to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Eric Johnson. Blues guitar playing has certainly evolved since the 1950's and I hope to give you a taste of some of the best licks to come from the Lone Star State. These players have molded my style and I'm really excited to share what I've learned with you.
We'll not only cover licks but, we'll tackle turnarounds and 12 bar rhythms examples as well. Notation/Tabluture and rhythm tracks will also be included for every lick. So, plug in and put your boots on and most importantly, have fun.
Alimoanin' Blues
We'll start with a lick
from T-Bone Walker. Aaron Thibeaux Walker was born on May 28, 1910 and died on March 16 1975. He's
one of the most well known Texas blues guitarists. When I think of T-Bone, I think of a big hollow
body Gibson busting out horn lines over swing and jump blues tunes. I got this first lick from a
tune called Alimony Blues and I'll play it over a 12 bar blues track. I'm doing this so you can hear
how the lick can be used over the entire form.
This lick does what I call "combining" major and minor pentatonic sounds. This is a lick you'll hear saxophonists use and I'm sure that they were the inspiration behind the lick. The lick is in the key of C and as I said, combines major and minor pentatonic scales.
I'll play it at normal speed and then I'll slow it down and explain it. Have fun with this over the 12 bar backing track.
This lick does what I call "combining" major and minor pentatonic sounds. This is a lick you'll hear saxophonists use and I'm sure that they were the inspiration behind the lick. The lick is in the key of C and as I said, combines major and minor pentatonic scales.
I'll play it at normal speed and then I'll slow it down and explain it. Have fun with this over the 12 bar backing track.
T-Bone a la Chuck
I call this lick T-Bone
Ala Chuck because it reminds me of a Chuck Berry style lick. It's in the key of A and is based on
the pentatonic scale in this position.
Notice how the lick is primarily using the E note on two different strings. This is very typical and again, reminiscent of a horn lick. This lick also employs the 9th sound which is very common in blues lead guitar playing. This 9th sound is found on the 7th fret B note. Enjoy!
Notice how the lick is primarily using the E note on two different strings. This is very typical and again, reminiscent of a horn lick. This lick also employs the 9th sound which is very common in blues lead guitar playing. This 9th sound is found on the 7th fret B note. Enjoy!
Octave Ice
The next series of
licks will be in the style of Albert Collins. The Ice Man is most recognized as a great
singer/guitarist with a killer tone. He's a big influence on me as I love playing Telecaster style
guitars. He used an open F minor tuning and almost always used a capo.
This first lick I heard on a tune called Melt Down and it's a simple yet very effective octave lick in the key of D. The rhythm track is a Bo Diddly style beat which is fun to play over.
This first lick I heard on a tune called Melt Down and it's a simple yet very effective octave lick in the key of D. The rhythm track is a Bo Diddly style beat which is fun to play over.
Never Tired
This is a one bar lick
played over a shuffle groove. It's basically the melody to the song Too Tired. I first heard Gary
Moore cover this and I loved the stinging quality of this lick. The lick is in the key of A and is
based on the pentatonic scale.
Notice the blue note on the 8th fret. This note is also called the b5 and is heard throughout blues playing and is the cornerstone of the blues scale. Take this one slow as it goes by quickly!
Notice the blue note on the 8th fret. This note is also called the b5 and is heard throughout blues playing and is the cornerstone of the blues scale. Take this one slow as it goes by quickly!
Hot As Ice
This is a repetitive
lick I got from a Collins tune I heard called If You Love Me Like You Say. Collins had a great sense
of humor in his tunes but, nothing was funny about his playing. Here is a great example of his speed
and articulation.
The lick is in the key of C and is based out of the first pentatonic scale form.
The lick is in the key of C and is based out of the first pentatonic scale form.
Pro Pre Bend
Let's move on to the
Texas blues guitarist whose stature mimicked the size of the state of Texas. I'm talking about
Freddy King. King was a major influence on Clapton and many others. The thing I like about King is
that he was very melodic and repetitive. This is an important thing to think about when playing
blues.
Keep it simple. We'll hear examples of this in the following Freddy King style licks. This first one is in the key of D and shows off some of the bends King would use. Notice that we start with a prebend and then incorporate whole and half step bends.
Keep it simple. We'll hear examples of this in the following Freddy King style licks. This first one is in the key of D and shows off some of the bends King would use. Notice that we start with a prebend and then incorporate whole and half step bends.
+ 45 more lessons
Reviews
21 results
dwa79
Verified buyer
09/26/23
Steller Lessons
The Texas feel broken down and taught in an effective manner. I like how Corey explains each lesson leaving nothing out.
SkateDawg
Verified buyer
02/17/21
OK. Nothing Earth Shattering
It was OK. Again, I'm not sure what I expected. There were a few that were not obvious. Nothing that really wowed me. Some useful ideas. Not much you really couldn't just get by listening to the records.
Gonzarelli
Verified buyer
01/27/21
Texas blues is such a staple. I mean who doesn’t want to get that Billy Gibbons sound or SRV, and Cory is great and explaining these licks which are the backbone of the Texas Blues sound. I look forward to each new lick and am learning in leaps and bounds. Gonzarelli
SWB79
Verified buyer
01/17/21
This course is great. Corey is such an great instructor. All is clear and straight explained and can be instantly used. Thanks Corey and Truefire
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