BL-011 • Blues Lead Guitar #1 - Basics

[Phalanx]

That's just normal Arjan. Everyone who starts out playing scales (or individual strings for that matter) will fail at first. They key is to to it very, very, very slow. What I did when I was learning the first Min. Pent. position was: first practise without a metronome dead slow so you get every note clear. Then put the metronome on 40bpm and just start playing along. In time you will notice you get better and then it might be a good time to move the speed up. If you practise this every day for five minutes you will be playing this scale at full speed before you know it.

Oh, and use your pick for scale practise.

[Arjan]

Thanx a lot Phalanx. Playing along on 40bpm is no problem. Tomorrow I will be moving the tempo up a little.

[Nan0guy]

Hi

I'm having a problem, basically the same problem with a lot of blues licks; Justin's and others.

Basically, when playing blues licks I'm getting too much noise when I let go of one string to play the string underneath .

For example if I do a 'flick-off' on the second string with my third finger, use that finger to play a note on the third string and then go back to the second string (this move appear in Position 1 Lick 5 and Position 2 lick 4 among others, its very common) I often hear a noise, a quiet pull off to the open third string beneath the second string note I play.

It's not a big deal on acoustic, but through an amp with a bit of gain it becomes very intrusive. I'm not sure its a problem I've always had or one that's just started to annoy me now .

I've tried a couple of things to fix this. Like (for the above example) using my index finger on the second string to just touch and mute the third string. However this usually requires my hand to be much squarer with the fret board than feels natural for blues, and messes up the rest of my playing and flow, particularly with bends. I've tried trying to mute with my picking hand but can't find a method that doesn't dampen the strings I want to ring out or that can be moved to other strings.

I hope that's clear . Anyone have similar problems could give me a tip on sorting this out, or do I hope that these 'invading' notes aren't noticable under my actually played notes.

[tomdegraaf]

Hi Justin,

started playing a few months ago, on a steel-string acoustic (Seagull Maritime).
After learning rhythm stuff and some songs, I recently fell in love with the blues. I'm trying to go through your blues course, but the bending and such is really quite hard.

My question is: is it reasonable to want to play blues like in your course - licks and all - on an acoustic, or do I really need an electric for all these bends.

Ill get an electric in six months, but I'd like to know if I should rather wait with your course until i have those easier-to-bend electric strings. (btw - epiphone dot 335, epi les paul, or regular beginner's electric by squier or so?))

Summary: can I play the same blues on my acoustic or am I making life too difficult for myself?

thanks for your site - I will certainly purchase your blues box sets when I get my electric guitar!

Tom

[Phalanx]

Bending is hard on a acoustic, no doubt about it. I also want to start the blues lead guitar course, but first I'm going to buy an electric. I'm sure the licks are possible on a acoustic, but why make it extra difficult for yourself?

If you are planning to buy an electric, like me, I would just wait until you got one.

[Night Guitarist]

Hey guys i know ive said i was gonna buy this dvd but 2mmorow i'm finally gonna buy some stuff of justin site and i was wondering. first ill like tell u my progress on the site.
i'm on stage 8 of justin's site week 3 start 2mmorow for me.

ok, so i'm for sure gonna buy the major scales dvd or dl.
but i'm stuck between the solo blues guitar 1 or the blues lead guitar.
i mean which would be best to learn first even though i'm itching to buy the blues lead.
and also does the blues lead on justin page are those sample video os of the bending actually all the content on the dvd or are they just samples and the dvd offers way more?
Also what will i learn with each dvd?

Thanks, Any help is great.

[.Neil]

Sorry, kind of on topic, but I have a Yamaha Pacifica and a small Vox Pathfinder, so of course my sound is nothing like on the videos. Is there a pedal I can use to get that sound?

[Night Guitarist]

Are all these samples part of the dvd or does the dvd offer more?

[Bootstrap]

The DVD has the same 20 lessons as on the site with PDFs of scales and licks - you also get the Jam Blues CD to play along with.

[mouser9169]

My question is: is it reasonable to want to play blues like in your course - licks and all - on an acoustic, or do I really need an electric for all these bends.

People were playing blues guitar before there even were such a thing as amps. Yes, it's very possible and worthwhile. If you can play blues lead on an acoustic, you'll carry all that over to an electric plus some. It doesn't always work the other way around.

I make sure I practice with my semi-hollow unplugged now and then for just that reason. I can't get away with being sloppy with my hammer on's or pull offs and really have to work the timing of the bends (when to strike the string, when to move my wrist/fingers, when to mute the strings) more than I do when playing plugged in.

[misterg]

My question is: is it reasonable to want to play blues like in your course - licks and all - on an acoustic, or do I really need an electric for all these bends.

...

Summary: can I play the same blues on my acoustic or am I making life too difficult for myself?

Have a look at the 'Solo Blues' series which are more biased to acoustic (I think there's a free lesson at the bottom of that page).

I'm not saying you can't do the Blues Lead Guitar with an acoustic (anything is possible), but I do think you would be making life very difficult for yourself as a novice guitarist.

0.02p

Andy

[shreypai44]

Can i learn all these lessons in 'Blues Lead Guitar Series' on an acoustic guitar ?

[misterg]

Can i learn all these lessons in 'Blues Lead Guitar Series' on an acoustic guitar ?

See above.

[perfopt]

I think I understand

at the end of showing a scale or lick Justin often slides his finger down the neck away from the position he was in

this is not part of learning the scale so is not necessary in that sense

it does sound cool ... sepecially with a bit of reverb / echo etc

it does finish a solo off in a cool way

it can be really useful in a solo when you want to pause for a moment - giving your playing some space

it can be a great way to link different positions of the scale when soloing

if it sounds good it is good

 

I am replying to this after several years. Sorry I did not start to learn guitar earlier :-)

To get that slide effect is reverb/echo necessary? Is it possible to get that with just clean tone?

[misterg]

I am replying to this after several years. Sorry I did not start to learn guitar earlier :-)

To get that slide effect is reverb/echo necessary? Is it possible to get that with just clean tone?

Reverb isn't necessary, but some distortion/"gain" helps.

Andy