Where to Start
A guide to the main courses for learning lead blues guitar and rhythm
Learning Blues Lead Guitar
I recommend you start with the courses below for learning how to improvise blues lead guitar. They are listed below in the order you should work through them in.
Beginner Slow Blues Lead
In this course we’ll learn the concepts and techniques used for playing soulful slow blues lead guitar at the beginner level. How to find notes all over the fretboard, playing the 12 bar blues, minor pentatonic scales, bending, vibrato, slides, and more are covered.
Blues Guitar Method 1
This Course will train you to hear and see where scales and patterns are at all over the fretboard. Say goodbye to only using this first position Minor Pentatonic scale. While it’s a great scale to use, you can’t solely depend on this one pattern. Although you may know this pattern, do you know how to use it by applying intervals? Ear training and learning how to incorporate cohesive and melodic lines when improvising the blues is heavily taught.
Blues Guitar Method 2
This course picks up where the Blues Guitar Method left off. You will learn exactly which notes that will sound great when improvising over each chord in a dominant 7th and minor 12 bar blues. After completing this course you will have the knowledge that will give you many unique options of what you can play when presented with a 12 bar blues progression. You will see the fretboard in a totally new way which will allow you limitless improvisational ideas if you work through and do the training.
Learning Blues Rhythm Guitar
I recommend you start with the courses below for learning how to play blues rhythm guitar. They are listed below in the order you should work through them in.
Blues Rhythm Guitar
In this course you will learn how to play the essential elements of improvising blues rhythm guitar. One of the number one things that most people have a problem with is Rhythm. Let’s face it rhythm is hard, but achieving a fluid rhythm blues guitar sound is achievable by learning the correct foundation. In my new Blues Rhythm Guitar course I want to provide you with the foundation that will help you become a rhythm player that knows his/her place in a blues setting.
Blues Rhythm Guitar Pt 2
In this course you will continue learning about the key aspects of playing blues rhythm guitar including that Texas blues sound often heard played by SRV, ZZ Top, Johnny Winter, and more.
Chord Embellishments
In my Chord Embellishments course you’ll learn the techniques and concepts that are needed to play the style of rhythm guitar that you’ll hear in tunes such as, “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix, “Life Without You” by SRV, and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer just to name a few. By completing this course you’ll understand not only how to play this style but where it comes from and how to create your own parts using this style.
Texas Walking Blues
Learn the concepts and techniques to walk bass lines when playing rhythm guitar ala Pride and Joy and beyond. You’ll also learn the muting techniques that will stop all those pesky open strings from ringing out when trying to play this highly percussive style.
Next Steps
Once you have worked through all of the above courses, you will then be ready to learn any of the Supplement, Play Like Courses, or Video Podcast Solos that are on the site. The next step in playing great blues guitar is learning different styles of blues rhythm, licks, and solos.
You are not required to complete all of the above courses before you start working on any of the solos on the site but I would start with the Courses above as they cover the main concepts and techniques you need to know to be able to understand blues lead and rhythm improvising. While you are working through the Courses above it’s a good idea to add a few solos that interest you from the Supplements or Video Podcast lessons.