Top products from r/bluesguitarist

• 1. Don't practice your scales like that anymore. Practice them as melodic patterns. https://www.justinguitar.com/en/IM-136-BuildingMelodicPatterns.php (3' - 4' - 5's?)
     
     
• 2. Practice your scales by skipping skipping a string and returning to it. String skipping exercises online.
     
     
• 3. Less is more. You can solo with three notes. only choose three and improvise for 5 minutes to a backing track. So break the scale down onto little chunks and spend lots of time with 2 to 4 notes and see how much you can get out of them using -> techniques ex. notes on string 1,2,3 of the second minor pentatonic shape. You can spend hours here and be creative.
     
     
• 4. Learn all techniques
     Bends | Slides | Hammer-On | Pull-Off | Vibrato | Rake | Trill | Arpeggios | Volume/tone Knobs | Sweep Picking | Harmonics | Pinch Harmonics | Legato | Double Stops | Alternate Picking | Palm Mute | Chicken Picking | Tapping | Scratching - > Choose one technique a week. Spend 5 minutes a day playing a backtrack and using this technique 70% of the time. I did this for two weeks with Verbrato and it made a major improvement.
     
     
• 5. Transcribe. Choose a solo (or part of solo) you like and listen and figure out what they are doing. Lose the tabs. Use your ears. Take your time here and start with easy stuff. Transcribing gets easier.
     
     
• 6. This book is great for breaking out of your rut. https://www.amazon.com/Blues-Licks-You-Can-Use/dp/0634008293
     The whole series is awesome.
     
     
• 7. Don't play stuff you know, work on new stuff. Even if you learn one lick for a whole week. The in one year's time you'll have 52 licks. If you can play these in all keys and apply to different songs and rhythms you will be a better blues guitarist than most.
     
     
• 8. Know where your root note is in each pentatonic shape. Resolve licks to this note.
     
     
• LICK LEARNING TIP: OK your listening to Albert King and you hear a lick you like. Open the song in REAPER (free download/unlimited evaluation) and find that lick. Then loop that section with REAPER. You can also slow it down without changing pitch. Now the lick is slow and looping. Learn it. Take your time. Now speed up till you get it up to tempo. Then put on a backing track on and improvise and throw in that lick as often as possible. Play it in different keys. Play the lick again the next day and the next. Once you play it without even thinking about it try a new lick a few days later. Write these in a lick book... build your vocabulary. At end of every two weeks improvise using the licks your learned in the two weeks. Also start writing your own licks based on ideas you heard from other artists. Don't go fast. Really ingrain a new lick into your playing. Much better to know 30 licks really well than learning so many you forget them and don't incorporate them in your playing.
  
  FUNDAMENTAL LICKS:
  
  
• Albert Collins
  
• Albert King
  
• Allman Brothers Band
  
• B.B. King
  
• Big Walter Hornton
  
• Blind Lemon Jefferson
  
• Bo Diddley
  
• Buddy Guy
  
• Bukka White
  
• Charlie Patton
  
• Chuck Berry
  
• Derek Trucks
  
• Duke Robillard
  
• Elmore James
  
• Eric Clapton
  
• Etta James
  
• Fleetwood Mac
  
• Fred Mcdowell
  
• Freddie King
  
• Gary Clark Jr
  
• Gary Moore
  
• Hound Dog Taylor
  
• Howlin’ Wolf
  
• James Cotton
  
• Jimi Hendrix
  
• Jimmy Reed
  
• Joe Bonamassa
  
• John Hurt
  
• John Lee Hooker
  
• John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
  
• John Mayer Trio
  
• Johnny Lang
  
• Johnny Winter
  
• Junior Kimbrough
  
• Junior Wells
  
• Keb Mo
  
• Kenny Wayne Shepherd
  
• Koko Taylor
  
• Leadbelly
  
• Led Zeppelin
  
• Lightnin' Hopkins
  
• Little Walter
  
• Luther Allison
  
• Marcus King
  
• Mike Bloomfield
  
• Muddy Waters
  
• Otis Rush
  
• Paul Butterfield Band
  
• Peter Green
  
• R.L. Burnside
  
• Ralph Macchio
  
• Rev Gary Davis
  
• Ritchie Kotzen
  
• Robben Ford
  
• Robert Cray
  
• Robert Johnson
  
• Robin Trower
  
• Rory Gallagher
  
• Sean Costello
  
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe
  
• Skip James
  
• Slim Harpo
  
• Son House
  
• Sonny Boy Williamson
  
• Sonny Boy Williamson II
  
• Sonny Landreth
  
• Sonny Terry
  
• Stevie Ray Vaughan
  
• Tab Benoit
  
• Taj Mahal
  
• Tampa Red
  
• T-Bone Walker
  
• Tedeschi Trucks Band
  
• The Doors
  
• Tommy Castro
  
• Walter Trout
  
• Willie Dixon
  
• Willie Johnson
  
• Willie Mctell
  
• ZZ Top
  
  
  
  edit: Spelling and Added Lick Learning TIP
  
  
  

For a beginner, the best choices are

1. B. B. King - The Ultimate Collection
   http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Collection-B-B-King/dp/B0007QJ1PM/
   It's a recent release, notes are VERY easy to pick out, aren't frustratingly hard, but just challenging enough (especially his vibrato) to keep you coming back
   
   
2. Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign
   http://www.amazon.com/Born-Under-Sign-Albert-King/dp/B00BCMT4RA/
   Everything I said about BB, I can say about Albert. The difference is that he "worries" every note in a way that will teach you how to "feel" a solo.
   
   
3. Howlin Wolf - The definitive Collection
   http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Collection-Howlin-Wolf/dp/B000O5905M
   Jimi Hendrix said that Hubert Sumlin was his favourite guitar player. Indeed, I'd say his rhythm guitar playing is unmatched especially in how he works in fills.
   
   These should give you an excellent foundation in blues licks. After that, move on to
   
   
4. Freddie King - Ultimate Collection
   http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Collection-Freddie-King/dp/B00005B2XZ
   
   
5. Magic Sam - West Side Soul and Black Magic
   http://www.amazon.com/West-Side-Soul-Special-Magic/dp/B004B3PBEC
   http://www.amazon.com/Black-Magic-Sam/dp/B000004BIP
   
   
   When you can play all of that, note for note, you will likely be my favorite guitarist :)

Just ordered a couple of Dave Rubin books: 8-bar Blues and Power Trio Blues Guitar.

I already have two of his books, The Art of the Shuffle and Twelve-Bar Blues, both of which are excellent, so I'm looking forward to getting more. He does a great job of providing interesting historical context and musical samples.

To be honest, I like Mark Levine's Jazz Theory better https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Theory-Book-Mark-Levine/dp/1883217040
But I only ever saw the first edition of the Beato book

This set of cards - Heroes of the Blues by Robert Crumb (Fritz the Cat, Mr. Natural etc) is something quirky and cool:

https://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Blues-Boxed-Trading-Crumb/dp/0971008027

The pic of Robert Johnson you see on self posts in this sub is from that set.

Couldn't afford a POD, but I ordered one of these; I hope it works out okay.

all 7 of the modes are based out of the major scale, and the major scale itself is the Ionian mode. The major scale & each mode consist of 7 notes, while the pentatonic (which consists of 5 notes) is the same scale, minus two notes (and these are the 2 notes that give the modes their characteristic flavor).


I think what he is saying is it's good to be able to play the pentatonic shapes fluently, while being able to add in the modal notes when it's appropriate. I was recommended this book by someone on here and it completely changed my understanding of the modes and how to incorporate them into my pentatonic scales. I can't recommend it enough. It's written in a very readable way - not using extremely technical/theoretical stuff while still accomplishing the same thing

Most people doing this are using looper pedals and vocal harmonizers like https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B076JSGJ4Z/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looper and generates harmonies based on the chords you play.

Sucks that it has come to this but there you are.

Maybe a blu ray with B.B. King: Live at Montreux 1993 [Blu-ray].
Here is a link from amazon :
https://www.amazon.com/B-B-King-Live-Montreux-Blu-ray/dp/B00265SCJI


Here you can see one of the songs from that concert :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1upbgyd9lo

https://www.amazon.com/Fender-American-Stratocaster-Tremolo-Tension/dp/B0002KZIKU

Here it is on Amazon.

B.B. King Blues Session

This book starts at zero and takes you through learning finger style blues:
http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Fingerstyle-Blues-Guitar-Books/dp/0825625564

Here is a PDF of that book, but of course without the CD:
http://tommyemmanuel.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/beginning-fingerstyle-blues-guitar.pdf

Edit: In fact, that same site has a whack of PDF books on the topic here:
http://tommyemmanuel.wordpress.com/fingerstyle/

I am really digging https://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-You-Can-Use/dp/1684016290/ for guitar based theory built from the ground up. All these years I was practicing box shapes but not caring about what I should: where the 1,b3, 4, 5.. etc are within those shapes.
Avoid evil amazon by buying direct https://theoryforguitar.com/