If you’re looking to really start playing blues guitar like the masters, then you are going to have to learn the blues scale.  Simply put, the blues scale is the most popular scale for playing the blues.  It is just as popular as the minor pentatonic scale but with a far more sophisticated sound.

It really is that great!  By simply adding that one special note to the minor pentatonic, the b5th, we dramatically expand the  possibilities of creating a powerful blues guitar style just like Warren Haynes, Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, and SRV.

Here are my 5 reason YOU should learn this scale.

1. Your favorite blues guitar players use it.   Pretty  simple huh, but it’s the truth.  If you want to play like someone else, do what they’re doing.  By learning what patterns they use and how they use them, you will sound more like your favorite players.  Now take this knowledge and create a style of your own.  It’s what everyone has been doing for years.
2. You can use it in many different styles of music.  Just because it’s called the blues scale doesn’t mean you can only use it in the blues.  I’ve heard this scale used by the Allman Brothers, Pantera, Ozzy Osbourne, Freddie King, Wes Montgomery, Chet Atkins, Brad Paisley, SRV, Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, Robbie Krieger, Kirk Hammett, Eric Johnson, Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Joe Perry, BB King, Mark Tremonti, and you get the picture.  If not, reread reason 2!
3. It’s easy!   What! Am I joking?  The blues scale is easy?  Yes it is.  It only contains 6 notes and it’s only got 1 more note than the minor pentatonic scale.  It’s really a simple scale to play, but the applications are unlimited.  Just ask Danny Gatton.
4. It sounds good.  Once you get a feel for how to use the blues scale, it will simply sound good on everything you use it on. I am not kidding.  You wanna rock?  What do you think Angus Young uses on almost all of his guitar solos.  yes you guessed it, the Blues Scale.
5. Robert Johnson said so.  The Grandfather of all blues and rock used this scale on many of his legendary recordings, and if that is not reason to by itself, then I don’t know what is.  He has influenced more guitar players than anyone, and his legendary tale of selling his soul at the crossroads is probably one of the most famous tales of folklore in music history.  Influencing Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, and countless other blues and rock guitarists, Robert Johnson is the blues.  You want to be a true blues man right?

I’ve recently put together a blues guitar DVD on how to play blues guitar using the blues scale.  In this preview, I’m going to show you a little bit about creating a blues guitar lick that can be used over a slow blues in the key of G.

Check out all of my blues guitar DVDs, as well as my slide guitar DVDs.  You can find more info about learning guitar at my website Learning Guitar Now.

Technorati Tags: the blues scale, blues guitar dvd, playing blues guitar

If you want to start playing some tasty, southern fried Texas blues, then you must start learning the blues guitar licks of the late electric blues guitar master, Albert Collins.  In this blues guitar lesson, I’ll show you how to play the blues scale in the style of Albert Collins.

Albert had an intense blues guitar style that relied heavily on vibrato and phrasing.  He always used a capo and only played with his fingers.  To my ears, his sound is often imitated but never duplicated.  Johnny Lang is one guitarist that often copped the sound of the late blues man, as well as SRV.

Albert made expert use of the Blues Scale.  He often played licks found in this scale on many of his very poplular recordings.  If you haven’t listened to his albums, then you are truly missing out on some great blues music.

My favorite albums are “Ice Picking” and “Cold Snap“.   One listen to either of these albums and you’ll know why Albert is referred to as The Iceman, and The Master of the Telecaster.  Noteworthy tracks include “Master Charge“, “I Ain’t Drunk” , and “I’m Tired“.  All these tracks exhibit Albert’s expert use of the Blues Scale.

Here is how you can play the Blues Scale in the key of G.

And here’s one more version of it.

Here’s a blues lick in the style of Albert Collins using the Blues Scale in the Key of G.

Check Albert out right here and see the Master at his finest.

So what do you think of Albert Collins?I want to hear your comments, and let me know what your favorite Iceman songs are.By learning the blues licks of this blues guitar legend you will take your playing to a new level.  I’m currently working on a Blues Guitar DVD all about learning how to play blues guitar using this scale.  If you sign up for the FREE guitar lessons newsletter, I’ll notify you when it comes out and you’ll get FREE shipping.  Sign up Now!

For more info on Slice guitar and Blues Guitar please visit Learning Guitar Now.

Technorati Tags: blues guitar lesson, electric blues guitar, blues scale, blues guitar DVD

In this weeks Video Guitar Lesson Podcast, I show you how to play some cool blues guitar licks in the key of D.  All these licks come directly from the minor pentatonic scale.  By learning how to play some of these licks in the podcast, you’ll start to feel more comfortable about creating your own blues guitar licks.

To get the tabs and backing track for this podcast, simply sign up for the newsletter and you’ll get them FREE!  You can also use the backing track to practice playing all of your blues guitar licks.

Recently the Learning Guitar Now Podcast got featured in the Podcast Spotlight in the iTunes newsletter.  I have gotten many new subscribers from this and now have the #2 Video Podcast in the US as of August 31st 2008.  I was #1 but got beat out by the Democratic convention.  This may change, but I want to thank all those who have subscribed and watched the podcast.  I can’t do this by myself, I have to have you, the viewer involved.  I thank you for giving me the chance to share some of my knowledge of the guitar to you, and hopefully everyone that watches the podcast will learn something in the process.

Be sure and check out the latest podcast in iTunes, and subscribe to the newsletter to receive the Free tabs and backing tracks.

For more information on slide guitar and blues guitar please visit Learning Guitar Now.

Technorati Tags: blues guitar lessons, blues guitar licks, guitar lessons podcast

I recently discovered an audio interview with the legendary guitarist of the Allman Brothers, Duane Allman. In this interview, you can hear Duane speak candidly in an informal setting on Dickey Betts, creating the Allman Brothers Band, and about life in general. The young guitarist seemed to have a very determined attitude, and to me comes off as a real true fan of music. He was so young back then, but you can tell that all he really wanted to do was play some good music.

In the interview he talks about adding a 7th member to the Allman Brothers ,but I don’t think that ever happened. I had never heard about that, and if you know more about it please comment about it.

He also talks candidly about playing with Otis Redding, which is really cool. Anyway, it’s very inspiring to hear a true legend speak about the things he was passionate about. Duane Allman is an incredible guitarist, and knew the sound he was looking for when he put together the Allman Brothers Band. He will always be remembered for his slide guitar, but his regular guitar playing was fantastic as well!  Just listen to Stormy Monday.

In the interview he mentions that he only hired players that were better than him, and said “Well I’m the famous guitar player, but Dickey is the good one.”

Humility is a common trait among the most legendary guitarists, and I believe it is this attitude which truly rises them above the top.  Jimi Hendrix, SRV, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks, and Eric Clapton are all verry humble guitar players.  In every interview I’ve read or seen, they all talk as is they have so much to learn, which is what makes them so great.

Listen to the interview and give me your opinion of Duane, and what he has done for your guitar playing. I know without listening to Duane Allman, I would not be playing slide guitar. It was him that gave me the fire to practice and keep improving.

I’ve put out some Slide Guitar Lessons on Duane Allman, as well as 3 Slide Guitar DVDs on how to play slide guitar in Open E Tuning.For more information on Slide Guitar and Blues Guitar please visit Learning Guitar Now.

Technorati Tags: duane allman, playing blues guitar, dickey betts

Does playing the guitar like Slowhand himself sound appealing to you?  Or maybe you’ve been trying to recreate those Cream-era Clapton solos and just can’t seem to pull them off.  Well In today’s blues guitar lesson,  I’m going to show you how to play blues guitar like Eric Clapton by utilizing the minor pentatonic scale.

Anyone that truly desires to play like this blues guitar legend, will no doubt have to learn the Minor Pentatonic scale.  This scale is the backbone to Slowhand’s  legendary electric blues guitar style.

Below is the first pattern of the minor pentatonic scale in the key of A.

Clapton uses this scale extensively to play many of his blues guitar solos,  and by adding a few elements of his style to your playing, you will be on your way to playing guitar just like Slowhand.

So what does he do to make this scale sound so good?  Well there are 3 things you can add to your playing that will help you to sound more like Clapton.

1. Use triplets   If you listen to him enough,  you will know that Clapton uses triplets extensive in his playing.  Triplets are where you play 3 notes per beat.  From his early days with Cream, to the his modern day solo style, Clapton will often throw in a barrage of notes that are grouped as triplets.
2. Accent Notes  To truly mimic his style another thing you can add to your playing, is accenting notes with the pick.  This requires you to hold the pick a little tighter than normal and really “dig in” to the note.  Combine this with triplets and you will definitely start sounding like the master.
3. Heavy Vibrato  There’s no doubting that his vibrato is truly awesome!  This is a big aspect of his style and what makes his solos take on a more vocal type quality.  You will need to start practicing your blues vibrato every day to get it to sound like his.  He also moves his whole hand up and down which results in a different sound than moving your wrist back and forth.  I use this type of vibrato extensively in my playing as well.

Here is a lick similar to what Clapton might play in one of his songs “Old Love”.

In this video you’ll see Eric Clapton playing “Old Love” from his 32 night stand at the Royal Albert hall in London. This album is special to me, because I used to listen to it over and over again as a kid trying to learn his solos. Evey song off of this live album is truly spectacular! Take a listen to his soloing over “Old Love” and you’ll understand why Clapton is a Legend of the blues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIt6prDbgdc

What is your favorite album from Eric Clapton? 24 Nights is definitely one of my favorites, and I think it ranks up there as one of the best live albums ever recorded. What do you think?

I’ve recently released a DVD entitled Blues Guitar Method 1: Minor Pentatonic Scale that teaches you how to use the minor pentatonic scale to play like Eric Clapton.

For more info on slide guitar and blues guitar please visit Learning Guitar Now  If you have any questions about Athens Ga guitar lessons, or any question in general please contact me.

Technorati Tags: blues guitar lesson, how to play blues guitar, minor pentatonic scale

If you’re looking to play blues guitar like a master, then you will have to start learning the incredible blues guitar licks of Johnny Winter.  This blues guitarist is not as well known as SRV, or Eric Clapton, but he is just as good.  Let me tell you this guy smokes!  In this blues guitar lesson, I’m going to show you how to play in the style of Johnny Winter.

So how do you learn to play guitar like Johnny Winter?

Well, first you will need to learn the minor pentatonic scale.  This is the scale he uses the most, along with the blues scale, and the major pentatonic scale.

You will then need to develop some speed.  Johnny Winter played some very fast, very precise blues licks.  He used fingerpicks as well, but you don’t have to use them to imitate him.  His style is very similar to SRV, and requires a lot of chops to execute his amazing blues guitar licks.  His finger vibrato is also amazing!

On the album “3rd Degree“,  the title track gives you some killer licks to learn.  Also check out “See See Baby”, a shuffle that would make Freddie King proud.  If you haven’t heard this album or song, then you are truly missing out on some of the best blues guitar you have ever heard.  It really is that good.  Johnny makes excellent use of the minor pentatonic scale in this song.  All the licks are fiery, bluesy, and outright dirty!  This is the blues at it’s finest.

Here’s a common phrase used during that solo in “3rd Degree”.

This style of blues guitar is really exciting, and will launch your blues guitar playing to a new level.  I’m putting together a blues guitar DVD on the minor pentatonic scale, that will help you to play this style of blues guitar.  Sign up for my FREE video guitar lessons newsletter and I’ll notify you when it comes out and you’ll receive FREE shipping.

In the next blues guitar lesson, I’ll  show you how you can use the pentatonic scale to play some Eric Clapton licks.  So what do you think of Johnny Winter?  I’d love to hear your comments.

For more information of slide guitar and blues guitar please visit Learning Guitar Now.

Technorati Tags: learn to play blues guitar, blues guitar licks, blues guitar lesson

In this weeks video podcast, I show you how to play some blues guitar licks using the minor pentatonic scale.  I also discuss this while I improvise over a backing track.  Practicing over a backing track like this is extremely important when learning blues guitar.

Sign up for my FREE video guitar lessons newsletter and receive the 5 must-know minor pentatonic scale for soloing.  I will also notify you when my new blues guitar DVD comes out and you’ll receive FREE shipping.

To watch the video podcast, subscribe here in itunes.

To learn more about Slide Guitar and Blues Guitar please visit Learningguitarnow.com

Do you want to learn how to play like Eric Clapton, SRV, and Johnny Winter?  In this blues guitar lesson I will show you how to play the Minor Pentatonic Scale, the key ingredient used by these blues guitar legends.

So what is the pentatonic scale?

Simply put, the minor pentatonic scale is made up of 5 notes.

These 5 notes are derived directly from the major scale.  Scale degrees contained in the minor pentatonic scale are as follows.

1 b3 4 5 b7

These 5 notes sound great when you play them over any standard blues rock chord progression.  One of the best aspects of using this scale, is that every note usually sounds good when you use it.  When playing blues guitar it is usually good to also understand where the notes of the I IV V chord progression are in the scale.

For instance, if you play a blues in A, then the I IV V notes are A, D, and E.  Now you will want to find where these notes are at in the 5 positions of the minor pentatonic scale.  This will make your playing sound more melodic and it will also help your solos to flow more.

Anyone wanting to understand anything about the blues, must first start by learning the minor pentatonic scale.  It is simple the most used scale and by learning it, you will be able to understand where all those great blues guitar solos come from.

Here is the 1st pattern of the A minor pentatonic scale.

Here is a lick taken directly from that scale.  This lick has been used be countless blues guitarists including SRV, and Eric Clapton.

I am currently working on a Blues Guitar DVD all about the minor pentatonic scale.  Sign up for my video guitar lessons newsletter and I’ll notify you when the DVD comes out, and you’ll receive FREE shipping.  Also by signing up for the newsletter you will receive the 5 must-know minor pentatonic patterns.  Sign up now!

For more info on Blues guitar please visit Learningguitarnow.com

Technorati Tags: blues guitar lesson, minor pentatonic scale, playing blues guitar, blues guitar

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.

Here is a sample blues track I created.

A Funky

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 Slide Guitar, Blues Guitar, or Beginner Guitar, please visit Learning Guitar Now.

Technorati Tags: blues backing tracks, playing blues guitar, practicing guitar

Does your blues guitar playing suffer from a lack or soul or feeling? In today’s blues guitar lesson, I’m going to tell you how to develop a good blues guitar vibrato by practicing a few different techniques.

So why should you learn how to vibrato? Put simply, vibrato is a way to create your signature sound. Developing a good vibrato will allow you to play less notes with more feeling. Listen to some of the great blues guitar players, and you will notice that their finger vibrato is a key element of their sound. SRV, Albert Collins, Jimi Hendrix, Duane Allman, Buddy Guy, BB King and a number of other blues guitar players have trademark finger vibrato that gives them a unique sound.

So how do you develop your own vibrato style? You must practice vibrato everyday, in different ways, to learn this technique. This is how I practiced my vibrato when I was learning the guitar.

1. Vibrato with your index finger on the 5th fret on every string. Now do the same with your middle, ring, and pinky if you want to use it. A lot of blues guitar players never use their pinky, but for some things it may be good to use it for. Concentrate on feeling the note and vibrato it up and down moving your wrist in an even motion. Ideally, you want to practice on as many different frets as possible, because they are all going to feel different. The frets get smaller as you go up the neck, so how far your wrist moves will change.
2. Practice your finger vibrato to some blues music at different tempos. Your vibrato will change due to the tempo of a song. When you vibrato make sure your shaking motion is in time with the song. A slower song will need a a slower vibrato, as a fast song will need a faster vibrato. Practice different tempos everyday and your vibrato will see much improvement.

Vibrato is just as important as learning scales. You will separate yourself from everyone else by developing your own unique vibrato style. It will take time, so don’t get frustrated. It will get there. There is no magical potion to drink to develop your vibrato overnight. You will have to practice. OH NO!

In the next blues guitar lesson, I will take about bend vibrato, which is a whole other animal in itself. Until then keep practicing!

For more Information on learning blues guitar please visit www.learningguitarnow.com

Technorati Tags: blues guitar lesson, blues guitar, blues guitar vibrato