How to improve your blues guitar skills?
I consider myself as a more or less moderate guitar player who loves the blues.
Unfortunately, I do not belong amongst those naturally gifted talents who can just pick up an instrument and play the mess out of it within a short time period.
Learning and improving my guitar skills is pretty hard work for me and sometimes I get kinda discouraged but then give it shot again after I managed to overcome that "I can't play that guitar-blues".
Recently, while searching for some guitar tabs, I've been running into some websites promising they ultimate "cure" to turn anybody into a killer guitarist.
Well, I'm realistic enough to understand there ain't nothing coming from nothing; meaning you still gotta practice in order to get better.
However, I'm wondering if there are any methods that could help you making your practicing way more efficient.
So I wonder what the professional guitar players amongst you as well as the ones struggling like me think about programs like on this website: Become a Ripping Blues Guitar Player!
Would be nice to get some feedback...
Unfortunately, I do not belong amongst those naturally gifted talents who can just pick up an instrument and play the mess out of it within a short time period.
Learning and improving my guitar skills is pretty hard work for me and sometimes I get kinda discouraged but then give it shot again after I managed to overcome that "I can't play that guitar-blues".
Recently, while searching for some guitar tabs, I've been running into some websites promising they ultimate "cure" to turn anybody into a killer guitarist.
Well, I'm realistic enough to understand there ain't nothing coming from nothing; meaning you still gotta practice in order to get better.
However, I'm wondering if there are any methods that could help you making your practicing way more efficient.
So I wonder what the professional guitar players amongst you as well as the ones struggling like me think about programs like on this website: Become a Ripping Blues Guitar Player!
Would be nice to get some feedback...
Tags: blues, blues guitar, guitar, guitar player
Views: 219
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Chad Nordhoff on -
As far as those sites go, I would think youtube has all the free lessons you need. If you're going to spend money on anything it would be better spent on lessons from a real live person.
I hate practicing. I rarely do practice unless it's something specific that needs work. The most productive thing for me is to abandon the notion that guitar playing or any particular song has to sound a certain way. Understand that you're the boss and the guitar does what you say. Don't be afraid to sound bad and play a bunch of crap really fast if that's what you feel like doing. If it's more fun, you'll want to play more and that can be more productive than doing boring drills. In a surprisingly short time you may accidentally discover that you can do new things.
My dad started playing the banjo at age 60. His musical growth comes in spurts. He'll get stale for a while and put it down. Then he'll start up again and make a lot of progress in no time.
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Permalink Reply by Jake Green on -
My approach is a bit like Chad's. I tend to go around and work things out in my head alot - then grab the guitar to figure out how the idea I have in my head would translate to the fretboard.
Once in awhile I'll hear a great riff that someone does in a song or on Youtube, play the same clip 10-50 times, then go to my guitar and work it out there. I'm too lazy to start looking up tabs or try to copy anything precisely, so most of the time I end up with a lick that is quite similar to what I heard, but its my own interpretation of it - not a carbon copy.
This is a big part of the reason why noone at the local bluesbar sounds like me.
BUT! This is my approach after having played the guitar for 20 years mind you... When starting off you should go get yourself a flesh and blood guitarteacher. Someone who can figure our your level and your needs and work with you and inspire you.
There are tons of starving musicians out there who'll give you lessons relatively cheap, and they'll hook you up with some technical background knowledge, scales, some correct teqniques, and more importantly will correct some of the odd quirks you've almost certainly got after sitting with it alone for a while.
I still grab a lesson from a guitarteacher once in awhile to get new inspiration and get my quirks corrected. Comments like "If you try to relax your wrist more and get your elbow away from your body, you'll lessen the risk of getting athritis" or "Try to do the vibrato after the initial bend slower and more deliberate and you'll get a better tone" are worth every single cent you pay. And you cannot get that sort of customized correction from a DVD or a website.
Over the years I've had over 12 guitar teachers. Different people, different backgrounds, different styles and different opinions. Some I had for years, some I only had one lesson with, but all helped me progress.
Like with everything else you take what you think you can use, and keep the rest in the back of your head in case you need it sometime. Don't accept anything as definite truth, but learn from it and you'll be alright.
So if you're stuck, get an hour or two with a guitar teacher and see if you don't get inspired.
Websites are cool for inspiration and expanding ones bag'o'tricks though, especially Youtube and the like, and that was also where I found this guy:
http://www.steviesnacks.com/free-lessons
His free lessons are very good - and if you want to get more details on the lessons you can buy the premium versions afterwards for a couple of bucks.
Now be warned, this is Stevie Ray Vaughn nerd heaven, so let it inspire you and pick out the bits and pieces you can use - but for your own sake try not to fall into the "SRV copycat" trap that so many have. =)
But I like this guy, he's good and thorough - and has some very interesting views on soloing in his "Playing with soul" series of lessons. His "boxes" theory is a good way to get started using more of the fretboard and expand on your blues pentatonic scale.
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