Just going to mention that Justins book ‘Blues Lead Guitar Solos’ s fantastic. I found a copy on amazon and there is so much to use or adapt.Plus, it has two of my favourite Freddie King songs.
I cant recommend it enough.
It’s actually this:
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This is probably the best way I’ve ever heard it explained. I enjoy almost all music, but I especially like jam bands with the Grateful Dead being my favorite. A large part of my motivation in learning guitar is to understand why it sounds so good and how did Jerry, Bobby, and Phil know how to “talk” to each other through their playing on stage in real time.
Recently I’ve finally gotten proficient enough with my looper that I am able to reliably lay down a simple rhythm and then play over it. Using the pentatonic scale and focusing on the R, 3, 5, I’m starting to get the faintest idea of how to say something. After a few weeks of practice and repetition using Justin’s lesson on Five Blues licks, I have found just in the past week or so that I can start to think about what sound I want to come next and my fingers intuitively know where to go.
Like I said, it’s only the faintest hint of what “talking” with music might be, but it feels like I have accomplished the impossible. Thanks to Justin for his great lessons and this community that continues to inspire and support.
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@jjw
I completely missed your Grateful Dead reference yesterday
@Rider2040
Thanks for the nudge. I’ve heard of the Grateful Dead but have not been familiar with their music. Just been reading about how the trade mark of their live sets was improvisation. If I understand correctly they had jazz influences, which in turn would of had roots from blues?
The more people explain, the more I realise how much there is to learn. I’ve only just started grasping the idea of R, 3 & 5 and chords in a scale. Prior to that I’d been picking out single notes melody by ear without having knowledge of the theory. I’ve recorded quite a few jam sessions so at some point will try and go back over them to see if I can work out a pattern in relation to theory? In the meantime, time to really knuckle down with the Practical Music Theory and keep methodically working my way through the regular grades so I can get some first hand experience of how blues may fit in.
@Rider2040 @Peterctid Thanks for both sharing your experiences with blues and what is lying ahead.
The earlier you can figure stuff out by ear, the better. Its daunting at first, but it just needs a little practice. Start of slow, figure out the root notes of chords playing, if you have to check every fret before you find it so be it, the more you do it, the quicker you find the notes. If you have videos you can get ideas of where the guys hands are as well.
Dont fret(teehee), I was you one day, recently I figured this out by watching and listening, it took me a couple of hours to get the gist of it down, but has taken me a few weeks to get all the feel and touch to where its close. If I can do this, you can do this, long sessions are good, but always a little often at the minimum will serve you best in the long run. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=621CWwZ5UhA
To the threads title, its a means to making you a guitar player. Blues is a great first call as its main focus is on expression and feeling. Thats something every great guitar player has, blues is brimming with foundational techniques on guitar.
Well you get a good workout jamming on the pentatonic for 10+ minutes, that is certain.