Lessons: Blues
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Peter Green's Magic Scale
November 21, 2020
Put some Green into your blues with the minor pentatonic major 6 scale.
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Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s Stinging Blues
October 24, 2020
Watson was a pivotal influence on Frank Zappa, Etta James, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others.
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Rethinking the Blues Scale
September 19, 2020
There’s way more than blues-rock fodder buried in the crevices of the most overused scale in music.
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Blues Arpeggio Tricks
September 12, 2020
A simple half-step slide is all it takes to spice up those vanilla arpeggios.
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The Building Blocks of the Blues
August 1, 2020
A back-to-basics approach to crafting a 12-bar solo.
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Slippery Half-Step Blues Bends
May 16, 2020
What makes some of your favorite blues players sound so tasteful and different? Here’s one concept to expand your vocabulary into their territory.
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Beef Up Your Bends
May 2, 2020
Fiery blues-rocker Chris Buck shares his top five ways to make your bends more meaningful.
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How to Play Bentonia Blues
September 14, 2019
Toss aside the rules and tune down your guitar.
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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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