If you want to dramatically improve your blues guitar playing, then one surefire way to do that, is to practice with a band. You say you have no band? Well, you’re in luck, because if you have some blues backing tracks to practice with, you can get a similar effect.
So why should you practice to these tracks?
By practicing to these backing tracks, you will develop better rhythmic and improvisational skills. This is a must when playing blues guitar. If you just practice by yourself, you will not be playing in time to a beat . This is why practicing to backing tracks is so important. Simply put, you never want to sit around and play out of time. It does you no good. Even if you can play the fastest blues licks around, if you can’t play them to a beat, they are useless. You need to practice to a beat, and practicing to backing tracks is the best way to do that, if you don’t have a band. 
I’ve recently developed a slew of backing tracks that are fun to play with, and are in many different keys. Playing in as many different keys is an important thing to remember. Different keys sound different, and the licks you know on the guitar also feel different, because of the position of the licks on the guitar neck. You must learn many different keys! If you’re at a jam session, there is a possibility that any key can come up. If you want to impress, you better know your licks in every key. Start practicing to backing tracks, and you’ll master all the keys on the guitar.
I find myself practicing all the time with backing tracks, and my private students are required to improvise over them during lessons. You will see your playing dramatically improve if you practice your scales and licks to backing tracks. That’s the bottom line. If you don’t do it then don’t expect your timing or improvisational skills to improve that much. It really is that important. So start today and watch your playing improve!
For more info about Blues Guitar, or please visit Learning Guitar Now.
