Recommend a Blues Method

Okay, so I know a lot of theory, studied jazz, was into harder rock when I was younger, and honestly just pretty much skipped over the blues. I've rediscovered it and fell in love with it.

That being said, my phrasing is pretty terrible, but the technique is there. So I'm having trouble putting it together, "feeling it," and getting some cool lines up and down the fretboard. I need to really dig in and "learn" the blues.

Can anyone recommend me a really solid blues method that would help me with this? To give an idea of what I'm into, I'll include some of my influences (alot of blues/rock). Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, CCR, Clapton, Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, licks from groups like Dire Straits.

So I'd really be looking to apply this to some more rock/blues rock than just straight 12 bar blues, if that helps anyone differentiate where I want to focus my energy.

Any suggestions are sincerely appreciated. Print, online videos, physical DVDs.

Get the Greg Koch/Hal Leonard DVD called:

BLUES

It shows a set lists' worth of classic electric blues tunes, in popular versions. Learn it start to finish, and you'll have a good bit of Vocabulary to work with. Plus, it's a fun DVD to dig into.

Greg Koch DVD...works for me..."Killing Floor".

also...

http://www.halleonard.com/search/search.do?menuid=440&seriesfeature=&subsiteid=7

I have always liked how Keith Wyatt explains the elements
of blues guitar. Check this out . . .
http://www.guitarworld.com/talkin-blues-conversational-phrasing?page=0,0

Immerse yourself into the Blues. Listen to nothing but for a while.

You can learn all the licks, know the theory, etc. But, without the feel it won't show in your playing. Find some artist you want to sound like or appreciate and learn some of their songs and solos.

But, again, without feeling it all, you can learn all the licks you want and you still won't sound bluesy.

Forget Greg Koch. Get the Hubert Summlin dvd and learn from a master.

Learn your scales ! I find that knowing the major, minor and blues scales are essential. all I need to know is the key and I can find something that works. If you have a jazz background you should already have this knowledge. And , as has already been said, listen to the blues for while.

You don't learn blues from a method book!!!

Go buy some Freddie King, Albert Collins, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy records, and learn their licks. That is the only way, get it directly from the source.

You don't learn blues from a method book!!!

The OP studied jazz and theory, seems to like the academic approach. Howlin' Wolf went to school to study music after he came to Chicago. Used to study between sets...

Forget Greg Koch. Get the Hubert Summlin dvd and learn from a master.

I have Hubert Sumlin's DVD, Koch is easier to understand unless you speak Hubert, it is cool though to see Hubert demo his own licks. Met him once at Buddy Guy's, told me some great stories and also about his struggles with technique early on as he had huge hands. Later, he had thick calouses and said Wolf made him remove them as he thought they were interfering with his playing...

Hubert had an uncanny ability with his little finger. On a stretch it almost looks like he could dislocate it to stretch further than seems possible, like he was double jointed or something...

I would watch these. The BB King ones are performances and discussions about technique. Also the Buddy Guy one is helpful. You could try a free trial at Truefire.com they have lots of blues stuff. But, the best way would be to listen to lots of blues with guitar in hand and try to hear what the people you like are doing.

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You don't learn blues from a method book!!!

Go buy some Freddie King, Albert Collins, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy records, and learn their licks. That is the only way, get it directly from the source.

I agree. Listen to it till the music's in your bones. Transfer it from there to the frets and strings. It'll be natural by then.

I'm not crazy about methodically learning other people's licks, though. Play like yourself.

B.B. King still takes lessons too. Willie Dixon also studied, I think.

Anyway, sounds like you already have enough Theory to start dissecting things. My main point was learning Vocabulary. Another way is indeed soaking it up as much as possible through active listening.

You could pick a famous recording, like "Live At The Regal" by B.B. King, and learn it from start to finish. Or, "Live At The Fillmore" by the Allman Brothers Band. Something along those lines.

But, if you've reached the age of majority and are not aware of much Blues material, then I think learning Vocabulary is the ideal "Jump Start" to get you immersed quickly.

HTH.

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My point wasn't to say don't study or that music theory is bad. My point was that if you want to sound authentic you can get that directly from the masters.

All cool recommendations. I'm going to be honest, I think the majority of my problem lies in, though of course the general phrasing, actually being consciously aware of the best notes or tones to focus on or highlight and building licks around them well and proficiently.

As a jazz guy, at least the way I was taught, it was "learn a scale and mode for each possible change and apply to the specific scenario when it arises."

So obviously listening to the greats and really hammering down and slowly grinding it out will help with this (and that is something I plan to do,) but is anyone aware of a method that might specifically focus on this aspect?

You don't learn blues from a method book!!!

Go buy some Freddie King, Albert Collins, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy records, and learn their licks. That is the only way, get it directly from the source.

+1

You don't learn blues from a method book!!!

Go buy some Freddie King, Albert Collins, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy records, and learn their licks. That is the only way, get it directly from the source.

These guys are not the source. :cool:

But....

They did use your plan... They copied from the source, which was not the source, but that source did copy from the source, which really just copied from another source.

It wasn't until the corporate publishing machine came along that there were "methods".

I have always liked how Keith Wyatt explains the elements
of blues guitar. Check this out . . .
http://www.guitarworld.com/talkin-blues-conversational-phrasing?page=0,0

Nice lesson. Thanks for posting it.

All cool recommendations. I'm going to be honest, I think the majority of my problem lies in, though of course the general phrasing, actually being consciously aware of the best notes or tones to focus on or highlight and building licks around them well and proficiently.

As a jazz guy, at least the way I was taught, it was "learn a scale and mode for each possible change and apply to the specific scenario when it arises."

So obviously listening to the greats and really hammering down and slowly grinding it out will help with this (and that is something I plan to do,) but is anyone aware of a method that might specifically focus on this aspect?

A published method? Probably not any specific one. Lots of lick copy tutorials, collections of licks, playing in the style of, etc. But even of you get any of these down, you still only end up with a little piece of the pie. I have a pile of these books, videos, etc. I like the Homespun stuff, the Lick Library stuff, the Truefire stuff... I will say that i do enjoy it more when someone tells me why they are playing certain notes in certain places... it does make it easier for me to understand. One of the recent discoveries along this line for me has been David Hamburger's stuff on Truefire. He's very good at telling you why he's choosing a certain note in a certain place, etc.



But, I stick to my premise that to learn the vocabulary, you must be familiar with it. To be free and comfortable with the use of the phrasing and licks, you really should be relaxed. to do this... load up the iPod and plug in the earbuds!

Think of loading up the iPod like the Rosetta Stone language program. Total immersion. :mrgreen:

All cool recommendations. I'm going to be honest, I think the majority of my problem lies in, though of course the general phrasing, actually being consciously aware of the best notes or tones to focus on or highlight and building licks around them well and proficiently.

As a jazz guy, at least the way I was taught, it was "learn a scale and mode for each possible change and apply to the specific scenario when it arises."

So obviously listening to the greats and really hammering down and slowly grinding it out will help with this (and that is something I plan to do,) but is anyone aware of a method that might specifically focus on this aspect?

blues comes from a hard life of being broke and beat down, with no way out. I am of the opinion that you can't play (improvise) good blues licks or phrases if you concentrate on the music theory too much. It will sound fine, but it will be lacking something. You have to throw yourself into the music and culture.

Step 1: Get out of New Jersey.

Step 2: Spend the month of August in the Mississippi Delta, without air conditioning, transportation, or change of clothes. Walk everywhere!

Step 3: During that vacation, listen to nothing but the "Classics" starting with Robert Johnson, and work all way up through to Seasick Steve. (This is most important part.)

Step 4: Also, during that vacation, drink plenty of cheap wine (Mad Dog, Thunderbird, etc.), or whiskey; and dwell obsessively on every bad thing that ever happend to you, then write a happy song about it.

I know this sounds like the story line from the movie Crossroads, but it is true. Again, the most important part is to listen to the music; nonstop rotation, and think about the place it comes from. To me, its like you can actually hear the heat and humidity in the music.

A published method? Probably not any specific one. Lots of lick copy tutorials, collections of licks, playing in the style of, etc. But even of you get any of these down, you still only end up with a little piece of the pie. I have a pile of these books, videos, etc. I like the Homespun stuff, the Lick Library stuff, the Truefire stuff... I will say that i do enjoy it more when someone tells me why they are playing certain notes in certain places... it does make it easier for me to understand. One of the recent discoveries along this line for me has been David Hamburger's stuff on Truefire. He's very good at telling you why he's choosing a certain note in a certain place, etc.



But, I stick to my premise that to learn the vocabulary, you must be familiar with it. To be free and comfortable with the use of the phrasing and licks, you really should be relaxed. to do this... load up the iPod and plug in the earbuds!

Think of loading up the iPod like the Rosetta Stone language program. Total immersion. :mrgreen:

YES! I have been trying to learn slide for a couple of years now and recently, for and entire week I listened to Ry Cooder constantly. After that, I noticed a slight improvement/difference in my phrases.

Immerse yourself into the Blues. Listen to nothing but for a while.

You can learn all the licks, know the theory, etc. But, without the feel it won't show in your playing. Find some artist you want to sound like or appreciate and learn some of their songs and solos.

But, again, without feeling it all, you can learn all the licks you want and you still won't sound bluesy.

This is what many players looking to learn blues overlook. You need to listen to blues. Listen to the masters, absorb their styles, timing and phrasing.

All cool recommendations. I'm going to be honest, I think the majority of my problem lies in, though of course the general phrasing, actually being consciously aware of the best notes or tones to focus on or highlight and building licks around them well and proficiently.

Many of the Methods seem to touch on this, but often do "gloss over" the subject. I think you're going to need 3 or 4 different ones, and work with them all a little. Going at it from Traditional Theory means you'll need to make a lot of educated guesses.

As a jazz guy, at least the way I was taught, it was "learn a scale and mode for each possible change and apply to the specific scenario when it arises."

This also works, up to a point, with Blues and Blues-Rock. I think the main problem arises with the choices of Scales and how you perceive the Harmony. But again, you can bypass a lot of roadblocks through the learning of Vocabulary. Many things become self-evident through the doing in this case.

So obviously listening to the greats and really hammering down and slowly grinding it out will help with this (and that is something I plan to do,) but is anyone aware of a method that might specifically focus on this aspect?

That Greg Koch DVD (as well as many others) spells out the tunes and phrases. And he offers some good insights as he teaches.
As far as the grinding it out part, this is exactly what I meant above about the "doing". It's one note at a time, Transcribing that will really get you there.

So, learning how to play these tunes by yourself is of huge benefit to you, as you already know a good bit of Theory. You're going to need to make decisions, those educated guesses, as you go along. Base it all off of your experience and knowledge. I really think that's at the bottom of everybody's individual journey.

Mine has led me to looking into the Overtone Series and Just Intonation, to help me clarify things in some more specific ways. I got there from the same method of asking questions and then trying to find the answers.
I think that may be off the track for what you're asking here. So, I won't open that can o' worms! LOL But, it sounds like you're just needing to get in there, roll up your sleeves and Transcribe.

Hope this helps in some way.

blues...:sad:

All I want to know is, can a blue man play the whites?

blues comes from a hard life of being broke and beat down, with no way out. I am of the opinion that you can't play (improvise) good blues licks or phrases if you concentrate on the music theory too much. It will sound fine, but it will be lacking something. You have to throw yourself into the music and culture.

Step 1: Get out of New Jersey.

Step 2: Spend the month of August in the Mississippi Delta, without air conditioning, transportation, or change of clothes. Walk everywhere!

Step 3: During that vacation, listen to nothing but the "Classics" starting with Robert Johnson, and work all way up through to Seasick Steve. (This is most important part.)

Step 4: Also, during that vacation, drink plenty of cheap wine (Mad Dog, Thunderbird, etc.), or whiskey; and dwell obsessively on every bad thing that ever happend to you, then write a happy song about it.

I know this sounds like the story line from the movie Crossroads, but it is true. Again, the most important part is to listen to the music; nonstop rotation, and think about the place it comes from. To me, its like you can actually hear the heat and humidity in the music.

can't tell if serious

+1 to seasick steve though

can't tell if serious

+1 to seasick steve though

25% serious. I was in a silly mood.

i love the blues, and in some way feel fortunate that i come from the same place it does.

after this i was inspired to listen to Muddy Waters all day.

you need enough theory to get you in the ball park, but from there, feel it out. most of the greats weren't masters of music thoery. they just sit down and play; learning from others.

i can't think of one single place to find tips on theory for blues, I just read and listen to everything i find, and keep what i like and understand. I listen to it constantly.

I love jazz too, but most of those cats loose me in music theory before the end of the first sentence.

blues comes from a hard life of being broke and beat down, with no way out. I am of the opinion that you can't play (improvise) good blues licks or phrases if you concentrate on the music theory too much. It will sound fine, but it will be lacking something. You have to throw yourself into the music and culture.

Step 1: Get out of New Jersey.

Step 2: Spend the month of August in the Mississippi Delta, without air conditioning, transportation, or change of clothes. Walk everywhere!

Step 3: During that vacation, listen to nothing but the "Classics" starting with Robert Johnson, and work all way up through to Seasick Steve. (This is most important part.)

Step 4: Also, during that vacation, drink plenty of cheap wine (Mad Dog, Thunderbird, etc.), or whiskey; and dwell obsessively on every bad thing that ever happend to you, then write a happy song about it.

I know this sounds like the story line from the movie Crossroads, but it is true. Again, the most important part is to listen to the music; nonstop rotation, and think about the place it comes from. To me, its like you can actually hear the heat and humidity in the music.

i see from your later post you were joking here, but i just had to say that for awhile i was living a life somewhat like this - and it didn't help my blues guitar playing one damn bit. tho i do think listening to howling wolf non-stop for a year would have some kind of effect, create either a bluesman or a raving lunatic.

In my case, I'm only speaking for myself, I think growing up in Mississippi has created a raving lunatic!

Here's a cool link:

http://www.12bar.de/

I agree with a previous post. Live the blues.



Shoot a man or cut him with a razor.

Cheat on your woman.

Have your woman cheat on you.

Have your best friend steal your last dollar.

Cut your best friend with a razor when you catch him with your woman.

Stay drunk all the time.


Or you could watch a bunch of YouTube videos. There are some pretty good ones out there.

My bad. I see you want rock/blues not blues/blues. Based on the groups you mentioned.

Revised list.

Snort coke off of naked groupies. Repeat.

You don't learn blues from a method book!!!

Go buy some Freddie King, Albert Collins, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy records, and learn their licks. That is the only way, get it directly from the source.

IMO this is the way to go as well. Find a cat that you really like and learn his/her style and then move onto the next. To follow it up, find an open blues jam in your area and play what you learned. Staying in the bedroom won't help you get better after playing for a while.

check this out

http://chuckdaloiamusic.com/