Blues Guitar Lessons
Welcome to the section dedicated to blues guitar lessons. The Blues genre is a musical form originated in America, specifically the deep south, around the late 1800’s early 1900’s. Ingrained in the landscape of all American music, it is an essential foundation to understanding basic popular music forms. These lessons focus on the attributes that make up the blues and various blues styles.
Power Chords
This lesson covers power chords in the open position and 12 bar blues chord pattern. Power chords are easy two finger chords prominent in rock and pop music.
12 Bar Blues Revisited
This lesson will cover the 12 bar blues in further detail with an added finger technique and simple turnaround. A turnaround is a passage at the end of a section which leads to the next section.
12 Bar Blues Riff
This lesson will teach you how to apply riffs to the 12 Bar Blues pattern. You will also be working on right hand picking technique.
12 Bar Blues Exercise
In this lesson we will extend on the 12 bar blues riff we already know and work on a different picking technique with our right hand.
Applying Dominant 7 Chords
In this lesson you will learn how to apply dominant 7 chords to the 12 bar blues pattern. We will also cover a way to end the 12 bar blues with a single note riff.
The Pinky Matters
In this lesson you will learn ways to embellish the 12 bar blues and powers chords using your pinky finger. Several examples are demonstrated
Moving the Dom 7 Chord
In this lesson we will cover several ways to play Dominant 7 chords as barre chords and movable chords
Blues Scale Licks
In this lesson we will study ways to apply the Blues scale in your lead playing.
Blues Style Chord Riff
In this lesson we will stylize our chord with a blues favored riff.
Stylizing your blues shuffle
In this lesson we will learn some ways to stylize your blues shuffle.
Quick Change 12 Bar Blues
In this lesson we will learn the Quick Change 12 Bar Blues Progression. In this progression we switch to the IV chord after the first bar.
B.B. King Style Mixolydian
In this lesson we will study Mixolydian blues licks in the style of B.B. King.
Chuck Berry Style Blues
In this lesson we will study blues improv in the style of Chuck Berry combining Mixolydian and Blues scale
Stevie Ray Vaughan style Blues
In this lesson we will study some blues licks in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Dickey Betts Style Blues
In this lesson we study some blues lick in the style of Dickey Betts from the Allman Brothers Band.
Blues Changes
In this lesson we will study the basic 3 chord 12 bar blues changes using the I, IV, and V chords of a key.
Embellishing the Blues Changes
In this lesson we will study a couple of common ways to embellish the 12 bar blues changes.
Use of Augmented and Diminished Chords in Blues
In this lesson we study some ways to use Augmented and Diminished chords in Blues progressions.
Blues Improvisation
This lesson is a basic introduction to improvising over a 12 bar blues pattern. Use of pentatonic major and minor are discussed.
Chicken Pickin SRV style
In this lesson we will study chicken pickin licks in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Blues Improvisation 2
in this we will continue with concepts on soloing over blues changes.
Dom 7 Arpeggios For Blues
In this lesson we will go over 2 useful Dominant 7 arpeggios that you can incorporate into your blues improvisation. Applying arpeggios and targeting notes of the chords in the progression will make your sound more melodic and sophisticated.
Dom 7 Arpeggios for Ragtime
In this lesson we will apply 2 Dominant 7 arpeggios to Ragtime chord changes.
Blues Turnarounds
In this lesson we will study 4 examples of blues turnarounds you can use for your blues.
Alternative Dominant 9 Blues Chord
In this lesson we will take a look at a different voicing for a dominant 9 chord that you can use to jazz up your blues.
Blues Intros
In this lesson we will examine some common blues intros using a new voicing for a dominant 7 chord. You can use these intros to spice up your 12 bar blues. On many classic blues recording there is a tasty intro that kicks the song off. They can be based on the root chord of the song or even start on the V chord. Sometimes blues intros take the place of the first 4 bars of the 12 bar form as you will see in our first example. There are many options and ways to showcase your own personal style in a blues intro.
Walking Bass with Upstrokes
This is a technique commonly used in Texas style blues ala Stevie Ray Vaughan. It is in the key of E and involves playing a walking bass line while adding rhythm with an upstroke of the upper notes of an E chord.
Solo Acoustic Blues
In this lesson we will study a 12 bar blues acoustic arrangement that applies rhythm and lead techniques. This piece is in the style of Delta blues solo acoustic. The great originators of Delta blues used a call and answer technique to establish both rhythm and lead parts with just one musician.
Blues Shuffle Revisited
Apply the blues shuffle technique to full chords to give your blues new life. Previously, we have studied the shuffle from a power chord position. Now we can extend that idea into full open chords and barre chords filling out your sound. Lesson applies to both acoustic and electric players
West Coast Blues
West Coast Blues is a style of the blues combining swing and jazz elements with Texas blues. In this lesson we will be studying some common west coast blues style chord progressions.
Phrasing
In this lesson we discuss the concept of phrasing as applied to soloing over chord changes. We will study some possibilities and things to focus on to develop this skill.
Dust My Broom by Elmore James
Great blues slide guitar tune. Elmore James noted as the King of the Slide Guitar is a great player to study if you are looking to learn how to play slide. Song is played in open D tuning.
Song Difficulty: 4
Double Stop Bends in Style of Stevie Ray Vaughan
In this lesson we will study some unique bends in the style of SRV. This technique can be great for adding to your vocab of licks
Joe Bonamassa Style Descending Pentatonic Licks
In this lesson we will study a descending pentatonic run in the style of Blues master Joe Bonamassa.
Joe Bonamassa Style Lick
In this lesson we will study a specific lick in the style of Joe Bonamassa using the 3rd position of pentatonic minor.
Joe Bonamassa Style Lick 2
In this lesson we will study a specific lick in the style of Joe Bonamassa using his signature descending lick plus some
Acoustic Blues Chord Movement for E7 and A7
In this lesson we are going to study some ways to color the E7 and A7 chords for an acoustic blues progression. It involves moving the up the neck using different fingerings to create extended E and A chords.
Joe Bonamassa Dominant 9 Chords - Lick Of The Week
Lick of the week - Joe Bonamassa style dom 7 or 9 chords involve an inversion playing just the 5th and 3rd intervals of the chord, creating a heavier sound.
Jazz Blues Chords
In this lesson we will be studying the use of Jazz chords in a blues context. Specifically we will be studying a jazzy way to transition from the I chord to the IV chord in a 12 bar blues.
Stevie Ray Vaughan Style Blues Lick
In this lesson we will take a close look at an excerpt from SRV's solo in the song Tightrope. The lick embodies several of his techniques and serves as a great study to grasp a bit of his style. The lick is in Bb Pentatonic minor. It incorporates bends, pull offs, hammer ons, and raking.
Funky Blues Groove
In this lesson we are going to study a funky blues groove using a 3 note dominant 9 chord shape.
Fingerstyle Acoustic Ragtime Blues
In this lesson we will be studying a fingerstyle ragtime blues. Ragtime Blues is made up of a different chord progression than the typical I-IV-V 12 Bar blues. It follows a I-III- VI-II-V-I with a bVI turnaround. One of the key defining elements of acoustic blues is the use of the alternating bassline with the thumb. While this style can be tricky to get down, it is well worth the effort.
Beginner Minor Blues Solo
In this lesson we will study a beginner level minor blues solo. This lesson is specifically designed for those just beginning their exploration of blues improvisation and soloing with the pentatonic minor scale. We will go through one pass of a minor blues chord progression note by note. You are encouraged to expand upon the specific solo taught and come up with your own style.
Common Blues Endings
In this lesson we will study 5 specific licks that serve as a way to end a 12 bar blues chord progression. We will cover a few in key of E, A, and G. All the licks are easily played in any key.
Beginner Major Blues Solo
In this lesson we will study a beginner level major blues solo. This lesson is specifically designed for those just beginning their exploration of blues improvisation and soloing with the pentatonic major scale. We will go through one pass of a major blues chord progression note by note. You are encouraged to expand upon the specific solo taught and come up with your own style.
Boogie Woogie Blues
In this lesson we will study some Boogie Woogie Blues riffs in the key of E. The riffs try to emulate the style of the boogie woogie piano players with the emphasis on the bassline. Great for use in coming up with your own style of boogie woogie blues.
Review of Blues Chords
In this lesson we will be reviewing different options that are available to you when playing a 12 bar blues. We will be covering all the different bluesy chord options we have covered thus far.
B.B King Style Blues Solo
In this lesson we will be taking a close look at a B.B. King youtube video where he walks us through his approach to soloing over the 12 bar blues changes. We will analyse and learn exactly what he does note for note. Great lessons for blues improvisation and soloing!
Watch B.B. solo (starts at about 0:48)