Guitar Blues Learn Simple Songs

Playing the guitar, learn the blues to learn simple songs and how to essentially take control of the instruments fundamentals. Blues is a style of music that came from down South duing the mid 1800's. There was much suffering in the South during that time and blues evolved out of these dire circumstances.

In order to really understand how to play the blues you have to also understand how the blues works. Not many people will go so far as to really look at the structure behind the music. Blues is known to take on many different flavors too such as funk for instance. Funk music is blues with complex beats and jazzy chords.

Its funny too because all of the jazzy chords all follow the same inherent pattern that is laid down by the basic blues. Jazz chords are just more sophisticated versions of more doltish chords like E for instance. It has 3 notes because it is referred to as a "triad". Therefore its harmony is more straightforward sounding compared to more sophisticated voicings.

So really in essence, most music follows the same precepts insofar as structure is concerned. Its the blues. If you listen to the radio there it is. 90% of all #1 hits were written using the 1, 4, and 5. Thats it.

It seems all too simple to even the seasoned musical mind, but there are hidden complexities that can be discovered by looking a little closer inside this interesting and byzantine system called do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti.

FACT: People who understand the blues write better songs and also have an easier time figuring stuff out quickly too!

FACT: By understanding the backbone structure of pop, you will be able to see deep inside songs you have wondered about and learn to extract their essence and create your own.

FACT: Practice is effective but even 10x more effective if you really understand what you are practicing.

You could write a sentence that says: guitar blues learn simple songs, or you could write one that makes more sense like: learn simple songs for blues guitar.

The Blues Solo And How To Approach It

You want to get off to a good start as a blues guitar player, you will need five notes. Well, five notes in any key. The five notes you will need is a scale called the minor pentatonic. If you are playing in the key of E the notes you are going to be using are E G A B D.
The minor pentatonic scale and the changing relationships between those five notes will enable you to give your guitar playing the distinctive blues flavor. Get to know this scale by experimenting with simple tunes. You can make them up for yourself and play them up and down the guitar neck.

As you spend some time playing your own tunes you can listen to CDs of the great blues guitarists. Get familiar with how you are using the five notes of the minor pentatonic scale and see how the guitarists of the twenties, thirties, forties, fifties and sixties used them. See how those old bues guitar players played inside the scale and how they ventured outside it to add some spice to the blues. Listen to how they used slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs as well as up and down picking.

If you like the licks you are hearing in the work of the great blues guitarists, teach them to yourself. You need to be careful here. Your aim is not to duplicate note-for-note the licks of the greats, but you need to tap into the mood of their playing and see how it connects with your mood. Don't be afraid to leave some empty spaces. You don't have to fill your blues solos with notes.

Next, you can start getting into mixing the major pentatonic scale with the minor pentatonic. You will find that blues guitar players of the past did that to great effect. So, still playing in the key of E, but now mixing the minor and major pentatonic, you get the notes E F# G G# A B C# D. An important element of blues music is the flattened fifth note. It can be overused, so just look at it as another tool to help you learn to speak blues. So with the flattened fifth added, your notes are E F# G G# A Bb B C# D.

Now you have a bunch of notes that, played one after the other, will sound pretty ordinary. Go back and start experimenting with those notes. Make up some more tunes. Listen again to the big-time blues guitar players. Learn which notes are your bread and butter and which of these notes are to be used a little more sparingly.

If you want a little help to start you off, try using licks in the major pentatonic scale over the I and V chords. You might notice your minor notes go well with your IV chord.

Creativity And Playing The Guitar

It is not enough to just play guitar chords, pluck notes, and learn songs. When playing the guitar, it is also important to make way for your own musical creativity. Many guitarists know how to play their instrument when sheet music is present, but when asked to plunge into a moment of improvisation, they get stuck and do not know what to do. On the other hand, some great guitar performers may not be entirely skilled in reading sheet music, but they know their guitar by heart. This familiarity and emotional closeness with their guitar helps them to create instant guitar solos, riffs, and sometimes even new songs. Creativity in playing the guitar only arises from constant exposure and mastery of the basics. The truth is, you cannot pick up your guitar to improvise if you don't have existing musical ideas in your head. There's only one way to expand your arsenal of musical ideas, and that is through music appreciation. Ask yourself: What sort of music have I been listening to? What influences my likes and dislikes in music? By listening and listening to great music, you develop a blueprint in your head and you'll have the potential to play better than before. The way to Learning to Play the Guitar Aside from constant exposure and listening to great guitar music, it is also helpful to practice guitar lessons scales. A scale is a series of notes played on the guitar which have a certain harmonic sequence and theoretical structure. There are different types of scales that you can learn and practice. Familiarity with the blues scale, for example, will allow you to improvise well when you're out with your band and playing blues music. In some beginner guitar lessons, the process of practicing basic scales may seem boring and tedious. However, mastering those guitar scales will give you a certain sense of confidence and allow to play guitar music more creatively.

The way to Learning to Play the Guitar Some may say that they do not have a creative bone in their body. We believe that everyone has creativity, they just don’t know it. A good way to open yourself up to creativity is to close your eyes and meditate and allow the creative thoughts to flow over you. Pick up your instrument and play. It may be difficult at first, but it will come, just as creative words come for writers. Close your eyes, imagine, and do!