I’m into a lot of styles of music like Jazz, Alternative, Punk, Rap, Metalcore, Prog, Deathcore, and a lot of the related subgenres of the aforementioned genres. I’m at Beginner Grade 3 (Module 18, slowed down massively to focus on practicing and letting the rest of the modules release) and have been enjoying what I’ve learned so far… aside from one thing.
I have a huge appreciation for Blues and its influence on all my favorite genres, as well as modern popular music as a whole. I know the pentatonic scales that have been in the lessons thus far, and the rhythm of the 12 bar shuffle, but I find it difficult to resonate with and want to play/follow along with the more Classic Blues oriented lessons. I’m open to coming back and visiting it later in my guitar journey, but I just don’t find it gripping enough.
Is it really 100% essential for me to learn at this moment, if I feel I’m progressing fine? I don’t want to do something that’ll take me out of the experience, but is it truly something I must learn in order to master, or even be good at guitar?
Well, if you don’t feel like studying blues techniques more deeply, you don’t have to force yourself to do it (or anything, really). There are plenty of other genres or techniques you can learn.
Personally, I appreciate the blues as such and I like listening to some types of it, but I’m not interested in it enough to learn licks and all that stuff and jam along to the same old 12 bars. I think this musical form has become so ubiquitous that it’s very difficult to put one’s own stamp on it the way Hendrix, Clapton, Howlin’ Wolf, etc. did and, to my regret, I don’t think I have enough affinity for the blues to get even halfway close to that level. So I try and discover/study other fields of music that might be more accessible to me.
I think if blues doesn’t resonate with you, trying to **force yourself to learn it is going to be extremely difficult. For the styles you mention, I wouldn’t imagine it’s essential that you be able, say, to improvise with blues licks over a 12 bar. The exception, perhaps (?) is jazz, that can be quite closely connected to the blues. If, as you say, you feel you’re progressing fine, then that’s a big result!
@megamantto if your not into the blues you don’t have to learn it. It will help you if you study it though. If metal is more your style then jump in with both feet but you will find most metal and metal genre are harder than they look with out having the basic under your fingers.