markscott
Verified buyer
06/24/26
Muddy waters on red bull
Very good electric delta blues
50 Down Home Blues Licks You MUST Know
Timeless licks respectfully inspired from the bonafide masters of the blues
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About this course
Richard Van Bergen’s 50 Down Home Blues Licks You MUST Know is an impeccable collection of authentic, timeless licks respectfully inspired from the bonafide masters of the blues. It’s also a veritable music history course in swamp pop, boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues and early Chicago blues.
Richard guides you through the fretboard dialects of blues artists who pioneered the evolution of pre-war country blues in swampy Louisiana to the electric blues explosion that followed in the smoky blues clubs of Chicago, Houston and Detroit.
You’ll recognize many of the artists that Richard pays homage to in this collection; Albert King, Johnny Guitar Watson, Robert Johnson, BB King, Freddie King, Albert King, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin’ Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. You simply couldn’t cover the genre without a tip of the hat to these masters and you’ll find Richard’s selections way above par.
However, the real gems in this collection were originated by lesser-known, yet equally significant blues artists; Lightnin’ Slim, Lazy Lester, Eddie Taylor, Johnny Shines, Furry Lewis, Slim Harpo, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Robert Nighthawk, Jimmy Rogers, Hollywood Fats, Louis and Dave Meyers, Guitar Slim, Jimmy Rogers, and Frankie Lee Sims. These lines and moves feel and sound as fresh and tasty today as they did decades ago.
All of the licks are presented over a rhythm track so that you can hear and practice them in a musical context. Each performance is then followed by a detailed breakdown of the line along with the techniques and harmonic approach being employed to perform it. Everything is tabbed and notated, plus you get all of the rhythm tracks used in the performances to practice the lines with on your own.
“I don't play a lot of fancy guitar. I don't want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks.” - John Lee Hooker
Richard guides you through the fretboard dialects of blues artists who pioneered the evolution of pre-war country blues in swampy Louisiana to the electric blues explosion that followed in the smoky blues clubs of Chicago, Houston and Detroit.
You’ll recognize many of the artists that Richard pays homage to in this collection; Albert King, Johnny Guitar Watson, Robert Johnson, BB King, Freddie King, Albert King, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin’ Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. You simply couldn’t cover the genre without a tip of the hat to these masters and you’ll find Richard’s selections way above par.
However, the real gems in this collection were originated by lesser-known, yet equally significant blues artists; Lightnin’ Slim, Lazy Lester, Eddie Taylor, Johnny Shines, Furry Lewis, Slim Harpo, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Robert Nighthawk, Jimmy Rogers, Hollywood Fats, Louis and Dave Meyers, Guitar Slim, Jimmy Rogers, and Frankie Lee Sims. These lines and moves feel and sound as fresh and tasty today as they did decades ago.
All of the licks are presented over a rhythm track so that you can hear and practice them in a musical context. Each performance is then followed by a detailed breakdown of the line along with the techniques and harmonic approach being employed to perform it. Everything is tabbed and notated, plus you get all of the rhythm tracks used in the performances to practice the lines with on your own.
“I don't play a lot of fancy guitar. I don't want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks.” - John Lee Hooker
What you'll learn
- Navigate position changes smoothly within a lick
- Integrate open strings with bent notes in blues licks
- Execute rhythm part embellishments in Jimmy Rogers style
- Navigate I-IV-V changes with connecting licks
- Incorporate bends and slides into rhythm playing
Release date: 12/04/2013 • 3h 03m runtime
Sample lessons
Johnny Shines On Me
Lick 17
Sliding Down
Lick 32
AA Couple of Aces
Lick 34
Crosscut Bow
Lick 48
What's included
52 lessons • 50 charts • 32 Jam Tracks
50 Down Home Blues Licks
Hi, I'm Richard Van Bergen. Welcome to 50 Down Home Blues Licks You MUST Know! John Lee Hooker once said: "I don’t play a lot of fancy guitar. The kind I play is mean!". This quote is a summary of the content of this course. From the swamps of Louisiana to the smoky clubs and juke joints in the metropole, these licks and grooves are going to take you down the roughest roads of the blues. Blues music in general is a simple musical form, with no fancy harmonies and chord changes. Maybe because of that, so many blues players were able to create their own personal style within this framework. This is the main subject of this course. We will dig into the styles of bluesmen like Jimmy Rogers, Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker and Frankie Lee Sims. These artists linked the pre-war country blues to electrified blues, played by bands in clubs in cities like Chicago, Houston and Detroit. We will focus on slide guitar when we analyze the playing of Fred McDowell, Robert Nighthawk and Johnny Shines. And any course containing mean and agressive blues playing isn’t complete without B.B., Freddie and Albert King! We won’t play single string licks only. You can’t play solos all the time, now can you? Swampy grooves and boogie-rhythms are an equally important part of this course. If you want to be an all around bluesplayer you have to be able to play rhythm guitar too. In this collection we will also cover subjects like bends, chromatic lines, phrasing, vibrato, rakes, double-stops and chord shapes. I play most licks with my bare fingers, which gives me an enormous dynamic range. But you can use a pick too. Although we’ll dig into the source, by analyzing the styles of the masters, I encourage you to integrate all of these influences into your own playing. Let’s spread the word and keep this beautiful music alive!
Swamp Thing
This is a swampy down-home rhythm groove based on an E7 chord. There’s a low E string played on every beat. Especially useful when you perform solo, but will fit a band setting too. This lick contains a brush played with the index finger and a little lick with a ringin’ high E string on top of it for some variation. With a little tremolo added, this one’s a real swampy thang!
Rock Me Slim
This lick is based on the intro of Lightnin’Slim’s 'Rock Me Mama'. Slim recorded for the Excello label in the 50's. Producer J.D. Miller’s studio was situated in Crowley, Louisiana. Other artists on the label were Lazy Lester and Slim Harpo. Their music became known as Swamp Blues. Usually played with a minimal setting of drums, guitar and harmonica, Slim’s music sounded real down-home and dirty. He didn’t care too much about the 12-bar form. That might explain why there’s a bar with only two beats! The basic pattern is based on the same E7 chord shape as the previous lick. In the turnaround there’s a great sounding quarter-note bend.
I'm Itchin'
The most successful artist on the Excello label was Slim Harpo. His 'I’m a King Bee' from 1957 was covered by the Rolling Stones on their first album! In 1966 Slim had another hit record with 'Baby Scratch My Back'. This one was a big inspiration for Jimmie Vaughan and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. I’ll show you the full 12 bar progression. This lick is in the key of F, but played with a capo on the first fret. This enables you to use open strings. A lot of bluesmen used a capo for this purpose. Artists like Johnny Guitar Watson, Clarence Gatemouth Brown and Albert Collins wouldn’t sound like they did without it!
Swampy Shoes
Here’s another swampy 12-bar progression. The basic pattern is similar to 'Scratch My Back', but with a totally different drum rhythm and played on the low strings. We’re in the key of E. With tremolo added and percussive slappin’on the guitar, you can almost feel the Louisiana heat!
Two Eddies
This rhythm pattern in E is in the style of Eddy Taylor. He played guitar for Jimmy Reed and can be heared on all the hit records like 'Big Boss Man'and 'Bright Lights, Big City'. His accompaniment is a major part of Reed’s down- home sound. In this lick we play two guitar parts in one. To get that lazy Jimmy Reed feel, it’s important to play a fraction behind the beat. Can’t play this one with a pick!
Denying the V
A slight variation in the way you play a lick or accompaniment can be the difference between gettin’ close and the real thing. This rhythm pattern in E is an example of this. The basis of this V to IV to I accompaniment is a very common, often used pattern. Figuring out Lazy Lester and Jimmy Reed records I always had the idea my playing lacked something. Why do I sound so different? Finally I got it! On the V and IV chord you play an A bass note. This adds a certain tension to it and makes it sound real down-home. In his autobiography Keith Richards has an in depth discussion about this.
+ 45 more lessons
Reviews
26 results
MarkGavin
06/09/26
So good
Licks are fantastic - can be mixed and matched
StevieR
Verified buyer
01/29/25
50 Down Home Blues Licks
I liked this set a lot. However, I never see licks as a piece of the puzzle that are plugged into something specific. Rather, I find standard licks and grooves as a starting point that my music can expand from. And 50 Down Home Blues Licks is an excellent starting point. Featured are particles of styles which include delta and swampy blues, gritty elements of John Lee Hooker, Lightning Hopkins and Robert Johnson. But the licks are all offered in an electric formant and even includes a few moments of slide guitar. Overall, 50 Down Home Blues Licks was almost exactly what I was seeking and I'm having a good time taking it in. Highly recommended.
stefobject
Verified buyer
01/26/25
50 Blues Licks I have under my thumb !
Wonderful experience , Richard is just a lover blues musician and you can feel it ! This is one my best purchases , go blind and buy it , no hesitation !
woolley13
Verified buyer
07/24/24
Really good
Love it
…
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