Lessons: Blues
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Poindexter at the Crossroads: The 5 Tonalities of the Blues
August 17, 2019
There’s way more to blues harmony than just major and minor.
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Beyond Blues: What Would Jimmy Raney Do?
August 10, 2019
A deep look into how a master combined hard bop with soulful swing.
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Did Robben Ford Invent a Scale?
May 18, 2019
Of course not. But he sure makes it sound good.
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Joe Gore’s The Subversive Guitarist: The Bruise Scale
March 23, 2019
If you whip out these licks at the ol’ Tuesday night blues jam, they’ll probably move it to Wednesday and not tell you.
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Beyond Blues: Nail Those Changes!
May 19, 2018
Fishing around for some new ideas to enhance your blues licks? Check out this step-by-step approach that covers everything from guide tones to scales.
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Dr. Molly’s Guitar Lab: The Badass Riffs of Sister Rosetta Tharpe
May 12, 2018
One of rock guitar’s pioneers could tear through double-stops, chromatic riffs, and fiery triplets with grace and attitude.
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Workin’ Man Blues: Moving into the Country
April 14, 2018
The path from ripping electric blues to snappy twang is shorter than you might think. An in-demand Nashville player dishes out a few hands-on tips for getting your country chops together.
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What Bohlinger Plays: The Best Turnaround Ever
March 20, 2018
How to play a deceptively simple—and impressive—turnaround that uses hybrid picking.
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The Tao of Jeff Beck
March 17, 2018
Here's a crash course in how one of the most eclectic and influential guitarists of all time developed a unique vocabulary through speedy rockabilly licks, fuzzed-out melodies, and an otherworldly use of the vibrato bar.
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Rhythm Rules: 8 Ways to Navigate a 12-Bar Blues
February 17, 2018
These inventive riffs might make your next blues jam a bit more exciting.
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10 Sneaky Slide Licks
December 23, 2017
Coax extra mileage from a familiar lick by slipping in some sly slide moves.
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Gary Clark Jr.’s Modern Mojo
December 16, 2017
Get inside the techniques of a modern blues master and add some fire to your solos.
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What Bohlinger Plays: Behind-the-Slide Blues
December 5, 2017
The Review Demo maestro walks you through a descending lick that's a cinch to transpose to any key.
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Blue Horizons: The Lyric Form
October 28, 2017
Phrasing feeling stale? Learn how to break down the more vocal side of melody and rhythm.
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Blue Horizons: Hit It and Quit It!
August 12, 2017
Understand how masters of beatnik-blues such as Grant Green and Kenny Burrell effortlessly weaved chord hits within their solos.
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Blue Horizons: How to Mix Major and Minor Pentatonics
July 8, 2017
B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Freddie King all had an innate ability to move between major and minor sounds within a 12-bar blues. Here’s how they did it.
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Beyond Blues: How to Play “Bird” Blues
June 17, 2017
Saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker’s challenging version of a 12-bar blues is one of his most enduring contributions. Learn how to navigate these tricky changes by combining bebop and blues.
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Deep Blues: Double-Stoppin’ Jive
April 22, 2017
Learn how to turn your riffs and solos from blasé to burning with a few well-placed double-stop licks.
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Beyond Blues: The Allman Brothers Band
March 4, 2017
One of the most revered Southern rock bands of all time combined grit and soul with blazing blues guitar. Learn how Duane Allman and Dickey Betts forged an unforgettable sound.
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