The Comping Pattern
Playing blues rhythm is sometimes called “comping,” especially when we talk about playing chords behind another soloist or a singer. It’s not really a “strum pattern,” because you don’t strum, but this is really the best way to approach rhythm behind a blues shuffle. It’s nice and simple, using your trusty 2 note chords. And…
Another Sweet Home Chicago Intro – “Chord Soloing”
There are a lot of cool ways to play the first 12 of Sweet Home Chicago, but this one I heard from Luther Tucker struck me as a great use of ‘chord soloing,’ for lack of a better term. In this case, the soloing is done from regular, simple chord shapes, and only at the…
On Beat 1 Vs. Off Beat 1
If you’ve heard me say it once, you’ve probably heard me say it 1000 times – you don’t want to start your licks on beat 1 of a bar. Why? It goes back to the old call-and-response thing… let the band establish the chord on the “call,” and you play as the “response.” Me saying…
Working Around Hard Chords
A lot of times when you are a beginning guitarist, you have that ‘one chord’ that gives you trouble. It’s often different for each different person, but it’s easy to let it trip you up when you are trying to play a song. Instead, let’s look at some ways that you can work around the…
Reverse Engineering A Blues Lick
A lot of people seem to think that classic blues licks just sort of fly out of great players, and no one really talks about the fact that those same blues players had to, at some point, take time to work this stuff out. So this is my process, and it works every time, no…
The “Hendrix” Chord
Most folks know the 7#9 chord from Hendrix’s famous song, Purple Haze, but if you don’t already know it, here it is… Likewise, if you do already know this chord, maybe I can hip you to a couple of other ways to use it in other blues songs and chord progressions. Enjoy and remember to…
3 Blues Moves To Know
There are certain finger movements that you tend to see come up over and over again in blues soloing… So in today’s video we’ll talk about 3 licks that showcase some of those movements (even though LOTS of licks would demonstrate them because they come up all the time.) If you find that finger speed…
Voice Leading With 6th, 7th, and 9th Chords
Today’s video is just a fun move where you use a 6 chord (in this case, A6) as the I chord, then D7 and E9 for the IV and V chord. By doing that, you maintain the same top note the whole time (the F#) which just gives a fun sound and makes the chords…
Soloing With The Band Using Call And Response
Today’s video is a little bit different, and you’ll probably have to just watch it through once first, and then try it for yourself. It came from (as many things do) a question that came up on one of the monthly All Access Pass live sessions (we do a few of them each month.) It…
What’s A Blues Scale And How Do You Play It
I know that some folks are going to see this video and roll their eyes a little because it seems basic… But if you’ve not played a blues scale on your guitar before, and you don’t know where to start where that is concerned, it’s a SUPER important concept that needs to be addressed. So…
