Archive for August, 2011

Blues Guitar Tabs

Sunday, August 14th, 2011 at 2:00 pm  
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Blues guitar tabs are easy to learn, allowing them to be played by both experience and amateur musicians. These tabs generally begin with bass notes which are followed by chords. Once, these have been understood by the guitarist they can move onto playing licks and solos on their blues guitar. The technique of reading blues guitar tabs is not to learn how to play like an experienced musician but to add soul to the music that is played. The tabs are not enough to teach the musician what they plan to learn. Training the ears to understand and appreciate the music is an important aspect of learning blues guitar tabs.
Necessities to learn Blues Guitar Tabs

There are certain things that every musician must learn to understand the blues style they wish to play. It does not matter if the blues guitar tabs are for an ordinary campfire song or a professional renowned song, there are certain fundamentals that must be followed. The first is learning how to tune the guitar to ensure that the tabs sound correct. The second and most important basic is learning how to read the tabs. Blues guitar tabs are musical notations which are easy to read, compared to the traditional notations. Lastly, the guitarist must learn to play the basic blues guitar tabs.
Acoustic Blues Guitar Tabs

Blues guitar tabs are presented are written for both electronic and acoustic guitars. It is for this reason that the musician must determine which tabs they are practicing on their guitar. Most acoustic blues guitar tabs begin with an open tuning on the instrument. Most of the lessons taught for the acoustic guitar follow a similar pattern. However, those playing on the acoustic must ensure that the blues guitar tabs are played on a standard tuning.
Fingerpicking in Blues Guitar Tabs

Fingerpicking is a large part of blues guitar tab notations. This is because this technique is common in all blues music. This type of technique need not be applied to the guitar alone but can also suit other stringed instruments. The finger style is used for different genres and not blues alone. This type of style is included in blues guitar tabs along with chords, hammer-ons and pulling off. The finger style in blues guitar tabs includes pedal points, this style originates from the music played on a piano and is alternated with the chords to create blues music

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Greatest Blues Guitarists To Listen and Learn From

Monday, August 8th, 2011 at 1:59 pm  
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Guitars have always defined the sounds of the blues style of music. Blues music originated in the Mississippi Delta in U.S during the 1890′s. It continued to improve for the next 20 years and came to a mature stage in 1910.  Initially the blues had powerful vocals accompanied by the acoustic guitar and were sung by the slaves and the white people as a sorrow songs.

The style was given the name “blues” in 1925. Today with the style being so popular, many people are trying to learn and become a blues guitar player. Other than buying electric or acoustic guitars with strings, try to listen and learn from some of the greatest blues guitarists if you wish to become an excellent blues guitar player.

The blues has a deep history with different artists contributing their own style. There have been a number of great blues guitarists who heavily influenced the style and captured the public imagination. Listening to their songs and music will definitely help you learn the art of playing the blues in an easy way.

Born in 1911, Robert Johnson was an initial blues guitarist whose music still makes an impact today. Having a short period of performance, Johnson contributed a lot to Mississippi Delta blues tradition and was the first one to start the slide guitar technique in blues guitars. His songs like “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” and “Crossroad Blues” are very popular and can be used to learn the right way of playing blues guitar.

Second in the list of greatest blue guitarist is B.B. King. Being a legend guitarist B.B. King had a crisp guitar style, which is perfect for beginners to start with. He had developed his own style including various blues traditions like a slide guitar. His songs like “The Thrill is Gone” and “Everyday I Have the Blues” can help the new blues guitarists to learn from his crisp individual style.

Another popular artist in the blues genre is Eric Clapton. He came during the revolution in the British Blues in 1960′s. Clapton used heavy slide guitar techniques to develop his own individual style, which was close to Blues-rock. His songs like “Layla” inspire and influence most of the budding new blues guitarists.

Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan is also a famous name. His style had a combination of a number of blues guitar styles. His guitar style became popular for including some elements of jazz guitar and a heavy use of vibrato. Stevie’s songs like “Pride and Joy” or “Little Wing” are very popular.

For becoming an exceptional blues guitar player you must study the greats. Listen to their music and watch their vintage videos. You can search for the videos on YouTube or at your local libraries. Include simple and easy songs of other blues stars like Son House, Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Charley Patton to begin with. Examine and study the work of these blues guitar legends in an attempt to learn about specific styles of play. This will surely benefit every student in beginning blues guitar and becoming the next best blues guitar player.

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Play Blues Guitar Instantly

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 at 10:32 am  
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Playing guitar can be an ordinary feat to most people. Any person, with the right ear for music, can learn any instrument in a matter of hours. On the other hand, learning how to play blues guitar is almost a form of dexterity that not everyone can master. Blues music has been the foundation of many other genres of music such as Jazz, R&B and even Rock and Roll. The style of music is so captivating that it almost sounds complicated as well. Here are a few facts in order for you to learn how to play blues guitar:

The Technique

The technique in order to play blues guitar comes from the skill in picking. Although essentially, the scales make the music when playing the instrument, it is imperative to construct the picking technique before scales can be played. The guitar can then be played as a Rhythm Blues Guitar or a Lead Blues Guitar. There has to be suppleness in the fingers of the player in order to get the rhythm right.

Knowing the Difference

For the Rhythm Blues Guitar, the chord progression is founded on the twelve bar blues structure. When you play blues guitar, more often than not, the interval cords that are in progression are the I, IV and V, but other cords may also be played so long as the tonality is present in the rhythm. The Lead Blues Guitar, conversely, is more popular in terms of the measure of its expressiveness. It primarily focuses on the technical skills of vibrato and bending. The pick’s basic motion is up and down, alternating in every turn.

In an example by James Ham, if there is a basic riff with the notes A,C,D,A,E one after another, the A would be played with a downward picking motion while the C would be played directly after the A with an upward motion. This is playing two notes in one motion. You can also try playing a 12-bar chord progression in different keys, in the same way as when you play a rhythm blues guitar in pentatonic scale. Try practicing this rhythm pattern continuously until you get the hang of the beat.

Getting Props

There are also several audio samples of blues records available online. Most of which can be downloaded for free. These samples may be played in both slow and full speed, helping you learn to pace your rhythm during mastering your picking technique. Although agility is integral when you play blues guitar, you must also concentrate on the accuracy of each note that you play and focus on your scales. Fluid rhythm and chord progression are fundamental in making blues music. You can also get a book that offers superb guitar licks that can help you practice.

Expression

As you play blues guitar, or any instrument at that, it is always important to practice. It is in practicing that we master our art and our passion. You can also sing along as you strum the guitar, after all, the blues music is all about expression.

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