Learn to Play the Blues Guitar
Learn to Play the Blues Guitar
Want to Learn to Play the Blues Guitar? Blues is a musical form and genre that was created in the late 19th century aimed primarily at the African-American community. It peaked during the 1920s when the whites started listening to it. Blues music is characterized by work songs, shouts, chants, and field hollers that usually rhyme to form a ballad. If you want to learn to play blues guitar, you should first learn to play the 12 bar blues chord sequence, as this is the most essential thing to learn before you can play blues music. The most basic of this sequence is based on the I-IV-V chords key. This type of chord sequence is also essential to anyone who plans to form a jazz band.
Learn to Play the Blues Guitar – A Simple Approach
If you already know the basics of playing the guitar, you should have no trouble learning to play the blues. Below are some tips to further help you learn how to play blues guitar:
- Once you have learned the 12 bar blues chord sequence, you should try to learn the blues scale. This is basically the minor pentatonic scale, except that the fourth note is sharpened. The fourth note is called the blue note. This is essential especially if you want to be able to play blues guitar solos.
- Learn the three types of bends techniques that are often used in playing blues music. Start by learning the standard bend—this is done by raising the notes’ pitch by bending the strings or by pulling them sideways; next, learn the pre-bend, which is done after the pitch of the notes have already been raised to put them back to their regular pitch.
- If you really want to learn to play blues guitar and be good at it, you also have to learn the hammer-on; this is done by playing two or more notes using the same string.
- Another common technique is called the pull-offs, which is the opposite of hammer-ons. In this technique, you have to make a note while positioning your finger on the second note to achieve a smooth transition.
The Basics of Blues Guitar
When you learn to play blues guitar, it is essential that you already know all the basic techniques of guitar playing or you might have a hard time learning the different techniques. You can also look for a guitar teacher so that you can learn properly. Listening to late blues music and some jazz music will also significantly help you learn.
