We have two new lessons based on lesser known but extremely talented blues acts. In the Style of Magic Slim will teach you some upbeat and electric blues guitar licks. Mentored and given his nickname by Magic Sam, Slim himself became a standout on the Chicago blues scene. Our second lesson is for acoustic guitar and teaches you the Piedmont Blues style of Cephas & Wiggins This harmonica and guitar act out of Virginia made music that was a perfect accompaniment to any porch sitting session. Below you will find Youtube videos by both acts or ou can check out a NPR broadcast of a concert by Cephas & Wiggins.
The folks over at Guitar Noize are challenging you to create a great blues solo. View the link for the full details. In short though, you download a jam track, record a video of you soloing over the track, and then upload it to Youtube. The prizes includes a PRS guitar and a variety of guitar pedals, straps, picks and more. The contest closes Monday September 16th.
We have two new premium guitar lessons that will teach you all about the Five Pentatonic Scale Forms and Variations of the Blues Scale. Both lessons cover the basic construction of the scale, different forms of the scale, and how to link the forms together. We then show you how to use the scale to solo over an appropriate jam track. If you’re just starting to create your own blues guitar solos, these are invaluable tips.
I’m as much a jazz fan as I am a blues fan. I like country and western music, too. Chet Atkins, to me, is a master guitarist. But among my very favorites are these ten men: T-Bone Walker, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Johnny Moore, Bill Jennings, Big Joe Williams, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Charlie Christian, Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, and Lloyd Ellis.
T-Bone Walker, for instance, has a touch that nobody has been able to duplicate. I’ve listened to Alexis Korner, Big Bill Broonzy, and others — all possess a certain touch and tone settings that are different. And when I hear T-Bone play, his tone setting is like no one else’s. He has a strange way of holding his guitar, slanting it away from him instead of having it lay flat against his stomach. It’s almost like he were playing a steel guitar, but he curls his left arm underneath, and reaches his fingers up over the top. And he seems to kind of scrape his pick across the strings. How he’s able to hit specific strings, I just don’t know. And that touch he gets! I’ve tried my best to get that sound — especially in the late ’40s and early ’50s. I came pretty close, but I never quite got it. I can still hear T-Bone in my mind today, from that first record I heard, “Stormy Monday,” around ’43 or ’44. He was the first electric guitar player I heard on record. He made me so that I knew I just had to go out and get an electric guitar.
Roger “Hurricane” Wilson’s newest lesson combines learning a guitar lick with a little bit of blues history. This guitar lick is based on a traditional Blues Moan. You’ll notice a “call and response” feel and a “tension and release” nature to the lick. Download the video and view the tab for this lick here.
We have two new premium lessons by Roger “Hurricane” Wilson available. The first lesson will teach you how to play Railroad Bill in a simplified arrangement of Miss Etta Baker’s version. This is a great way to get introduced to the Piedmont Blues picking style. The second lesson will teach you to play I Know You Rider based on Jorma Kaukonen and Hot Tuna’s version. Below I’ve included videos of each artist performing their version of the song. Etta starts discussing and playing Railroad Bill around the 1:40 mark but the whole interview is interesting. The Hot Tuna clip is from a 2007 concert and features acoustic guitar, bass, and mandolin gracefully working their way through an extended jam. Unfortunately there’s a decent amount of crowd noise to deal with.
“Albert King is my all-time favorite guitar player,” Trower said. “I listen to a lot his stuff in the car and Howlin’ Wolf is the other guy that I still (listen to) alot.
“Albert King’s playing and Howlin’ Wolf’s music and singing still have a great effect on me. As far as rock and roll goes, Pete Townshend is a giant to me. (Townshend) plays guitar to support the song, and I think he and I have that in common.”
Trower said he also listens to alot of popular music from the 1930s and 1940s.
“I quite like the music of Dinah Washington and Al Bowlly,” Trower said. “I really like early American and British popular music.”
>Earlier this month, the I Heart Guitar Blog came up with 5 Fictional But Awesome Guitar Players. And really it’s hard to argue with any list that features Janice from the Muppet Show’s Dr Teeth & The Electric Mayhem. But their post lead me to reflect on some my favorite movie characters that played guitar. So I went through the list in my head and found the evidence on Youtube. I’ve stayed away from real guitarists like anybody featured in Blues Brothers or Jeff Healey in Roadhouse. If you have other suggestions or comments leave them in the comments.
1. Drew from Deliverance. Earns points for being so dedicated to playing guitar that he decided to bring along a six string for a white water canoeing trip.
2. Clint Eastwood in Honky Tonk Man. Because it’s Clint Eastwood. Enough said.
3. Tommy Johnson in O Brother Where Art Thou. I know that Chris Thomas King is actually a musician, but I’m making an exception because 99% of America wouldn’t know about him if it wasn’t for this movie. Tommy Johnson deserves props for not only being the soul selling bluesman, as he’s featured below, but also for doubling up and playing the flatpicking lead guitar part for “Man of Constant Sorrow”. That’s range.
4. Russell Hammond in Almost Famous. “I AM A GOLDEN GOD”
5. Dusty Bottoms singing Blue Shadows (On the Trail) in Three Amigos.
>Jody Worrel has a new video lesson teaching you a blues lick for an intermediate to advanced player. This lick is in the key of E and would sound great over a slow blues groove. You can watch the Youtube version below and click here to view the tab
>Someone has uploaded the first ten minutes of Joe Pass’ “The Blue Side of Jazz” instruction video to Youtube. It’s pretty informal. Joe’s speech is as off the cuff as his playing. To learn some specific Joe Pass style licks check out Billy Wilkie’s Classic Jazz Licks (Lesson One and Two) and More Joe Pass Style.
