Born In Chicago Groove
If you’re not familiar with Mike Bloomfield of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band you might want to make yourself familiar real fast.
Mike was a brilliant guitar player who inspired many great guitar players since.
In today’s video I’ll cover the riff used in Butterfield’s tune, “Born In Chicago.” You’ll also notice it sounds a lot like the old surf tune, “Wipeout” 
Downloads
This Video (MP4)Mac users should use the MP4 version to download the video
- This Video (WMV)
Windows users should use the WMV version to download this video.
The TAB for the example.This is the TAB for the example in the middle of the video
always a great tune….wipeout was a favorite in my neck of the woods..
also happy birthday……
Beginning of Black Dog
I was born in Chicago. Not exactly what it’s cracked up to be..(.lol! ) thanks tho Griff – I enjoy your stuff!
Griff Check this person out, he is one the best Spanish, Flamingo Guitar players you might ever listen too. I started out in classical guitar. still have my 50 year old classic guitar. Still looks like new. There is nothing easy about what he does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nux5LzzxT3o
Luca is great! But this a blues site, trying to make us all enjoy playing blues on our guitars!
Chill
Flamenco…
yEAH. Flamingos are hard to play and even harder to catch !!
Hate to date both myself and Paco, but I was listening to Paco de Lucia and Al di Meola in high school in the mid 70‘s. They were classified as Jazz-Fusion at the time and their techniques can cross all genres.
Dont criticize, enjoy!
Key of A? Is it not E with the note progression R-b3-3-4?
I think it’s 5, b7, 7, R
to use your notation.
cheers!
yes Griff explains it that way. After the walkup the note on beat 1 is the root of the chord, A for the first four bars
Im interested in buy basic blues guitar course but i live in uk and dont know how to transfer funds to a safe acct?
Please advise
I’m pretty sure you can pay using PayPal
Dave, I’m in UK too and have several of Griff’s courses. No problem paying on line with whichever card you want to use.
Mike
Hi Dave, I have most of Griff’s courses and have either used a credit card over his site or PayPal. Never any problems (and I used to be an IT Security guy before I retired and am picky on which sites I choose!).
The best part of course is once you have his courses – they are the best without doubt!
To David Elliot—I live in Texas and am always buying things from the UK, Ulster-Scot T-shirts from Northern Ireland, kilts from Scotland, antique replica buttons from London for my Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket. For each of those transactions, PayPal has automatically converted my payments made in U.S. dollars to U.K. pounds. Those transactions do add a few cents, maybe 20 or30 cents U.S. or less, I can’trecall exactly, as a service fee, but it is negligible. Currency conversion has ever been an issue for me in 20+ years on eBay or buying direct from overseas merchants through their Web sites in all world currencies. Just open a PayPal account (which is free) and do what they say to do about getting verified, and your money conversion problems are over. You’ll be good to go for worldwide buying and selling. Best of luck to you.
Should be, “Currency conversion has never been an issue,” replacing ever with never.
Hello there there are lots of different methods of bank transferring it’s really down to choice and the safest encryption they use I use a sit call Revolut and it’s a virtual MasterCard so you can’t get hoodwinked but there are lots open 24/7 PayPal, whatever card you have linked to site would be your safest bet good luck.Aja59
Griff
I heard a local band play “feels like rain” last night, and this morning I was on a mission to learn it. But the solo isn’t coming. It occurred to me that this would be a great BGU song for you to teach, due to its slow chord progressions. I hope you will consider it. Thanks
Same as “I’m a Man’ played by the rock band Chicago famous in the 1960’s and 70’s, check it out.
Not even close to the beauty of feels like rain. Sheesh.
John Hiatt song. Also beautifully done by Buddy Guy and others. Beautiful song to learn.
Say Griff it sound like thing I check out on my Garica
I live in the UK and have several of Griff’s courses. I pay via a prepaid US dollar Mastercard obtained from the Post Office. Beware if you order the actual DVDs – they will be intercepted and you will have to pay VAT on them before they are delivered. I now just order for download, which works fine.
Happy Birthday Riff, I hope you got spoilt today by your wife and family and friends have a great day you deserve it..
This lesson is a great refresher and just love it..
Cheers
Michael-Sydney-Australia 10 Oct 2016.
Happy birthday Griff. I am sure you had great day and lots enjoyment – As we say on such occasion “LOng liveGriff.”.
Good pieCe given to try thank you.
Happy birthday Griff
I listened to Paul Butterfield daily when I was in high school. What a great blues band. Mike Bloomfield was an inspiration.
Great tune, Love the lesson, Happy Birthday Enjoy your special day!
Happy Birthday,Griff!
You are doing what you love and loving what you do.
It does not get any better.
Love it. Simple can be so powerful.
Hi Griff,
One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums. As an added bonus, on the LP, there was a little box in the lower left corner of the back cover that said, “We suggest that you play this record at the highest possible volume to fully appreciate the sound of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band”.
Great for convincing my parents that the volume I played my music at was necessary. Of course, fifty years later I’m paying the price. 🙂
Thanks for all that you do!
Started listening to Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 65-66 (Bloomfield & Bishop). Followed Bluemfield long after he died. Another premature death by Heroin, what a waste. Saw Butterfield around mid 90’s at a small bar. Got to have a drink with him and talk about Michael. Paul died a few years later. About three weeks saw Alvin Bishop the 4th member of the band (excluding the drummer). Was 20 feet away. Recorded “Fooled Around and Fell in Love “on my iPhone. Asked him what it was like in the old days with Butterfield and Bloomfield. He appeared old and burned out. Did’ Get a real coherent answer. Maybe all the alcohol over the years. Then he left. He’s still alive though and did a hell of a concert. Worth the price. Oh that’s right it was free. Me? I’m Heroin free 40+ years. No other substance including alcohol. Maybe that’s why i’m Still alive and playing.
This is key of E in the video, but so what. The pattern moves all over the neck, so you can be in any key you want to be in.
If you want to start on the seventh fret of the fourth string, you are in A, so when you get to the V chord, you either slide up a fret or change to second and fourth fingers.
Lots of fun to play and great counting practice.
Cool stuff Griff! Thanks!
6/17/19
Great video as usual Griff . Had a band in early 60’s in high school and we were a blues band being from northern California we had to play wipeout fun tune we weren’t surfers 😎🎸🎙🎶🔊 the people liked it
Hi Giff,
I was wondering if you had some Southern Gospel in you some where. Would like to get some kind of blues/jazz sound there’s a gentleman named Don Potter (leads worship) a song called “Our God is Holy” “Morning Star” is the name. I then no it’s key of Em
If you listened to classic Yardbirds riffs like Rock My Plimsoul and Going Down among others you can find their version of most of the Chicago blues standards…Beck and Page were two of the greatest riff masters of blues and rock
love it
I prefer the Ventures version.
what a nice short lesson. thank you…
av shalom Mike Bloomfield, my fave who played this with Butterfield
Question? . .Your TAB/Notation has a half beamed note symbol that I can’t seem to remember from when I didn’t pay attention 50 years ago back when I accidentally didn’t properly not learn how to not read music . . . so I went down the wormhole for a decades old review of how little I still don’t know and I still can’t find it on my own . . I think I know what it means . . I just can’t find the symbol amongst all the hundreds of other unlearnable encryption symbols available online
I think you are referring to the “beams” pointing leftwards throughout most of the tab. I think that is an artifact of the software that made the tab. The intent is 3 8th notes, just like in the very first (pickup) measure
Perfect timing for me, thanks!
I’m unable to download the tabs
Hi Griff,
Nice little riff
Hope you and the family are safe from the storm.
Happy Birthday, Griff.
Being a slow learner, I have been on Blues Unleashed for around 8 years now and every now and then you present a lesson that penetrates and resonates, and I see and understand so much more about music. This was one such occasion.
That ultra-simple riff, and the chord you threw in, showed me how I can build around the riff, like wrapping steering and accessories around a motor.
I launched right into a song on the spot, melody and rythm and lyrics.
You are great, and many thanks once again.
By the way, it was Butterfield’s East-West, 13 minutes of blues paradise, that sucked me into blues in the first place, fifty years ago.
This riff sounds great on my bass! Thanks.
I’m having so much trouble counting this one. I can play it just fine but when I try to count it I’m just lost. Any ideas or clues?
Thanks Griff…even old Sandie can play this one.
Great groove. Thanks Griff!
Thank you
Hi Griff,
Thank you for all the great stuff you regularly send our way…The Born in Chicago groove is fun.
Thanks Griff…….Mike Bloomfield is by far one of my favs…. .I first heard him on super sessions album….amazing…….also thank you for all the great stuff you’ve shown me…I appreciate your dedication
Super nice, Griff, as always. I had someone stop over and play the chords as I walked thru the ‘riffs’ Simple and cool and so many other applications Thanks, yer ‘gold’ man.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBZvuv5phYW/?igsh=ejB6a25rYm84czdj
The singing needs some work