Have you ever noticed how you can take the same blues song and do it a bunch of different ways?
Or that you can take a riff from one song, and use the lyrics from another song, and it will still work out just fine?
Don’t believe me? Check out this version of “Crossroads”
Not exactly what Robert Johnson originally played…
It’s one of my favorite things about the blues. It’s as if the blues is made of all these different puzzle pieces. But you get to choose what picture you make from the different pieces.
And as you may have noticed, no other style of music does it quite the same way blues music does. Which you might say is why we love this music so much.
So do you think that you should learn to play the blues in the same manner that you learn to play classical music?
Most people would say no, they are clearly different.
But what about learning country music in the same way that you learn blues? Or jazz in the same way you learn blues? Or heavy metal in the same way you learn blues?
The reality is that every style of music has its own unique characteristics that need to be presented in a slightly different way.
I’m fortunate that I’ve played in country, jazz, classical, flamenco, heavy metal, pop, classic rock, disco, funk, and blues bands in my career.
And I’ve also had the good fortune to teach students in every one of those styles. And I can assure you that they are all unique.
Sure, the basic technique is fundamentally the same. How you hold your guitar and the proper finger placement generally doesn’t change too much (although for classical it changes more than many others.)
But you probably learned your basic techniques years ago if you are currently online looking for ways to improve your blues playing.
So why would you try to learn blues from a heavy metal player, or from a funk player?
And if your goal is to someday play in a band, or at least play with a buddy or your family members, wouldn’t you want to make sure you were learning from someone who actually has some experience (preferably a LOT of experience) with group playing situations?
I hear more and more these days from my students and newsletter subscribers about the problems they are having trying to learn from all the “free” material out there. Yes, YouTube is great for some things, but probably 90% of the guitar lessons students point me to are so out of context that they make little to no sense by themselves and an alarming number of them teach techniques and ideas that can do far more harm than good.
Always keep this in mind as you are cruising YouTube looking for something to spend 15 minutes playing with… instead take the 15 minutes and practice something that you sort of know, but haven’t yet mastered.
In the long run you’ll become a better guitar player continuing to improve on things that you have trouble with than looking for something easy that you can play with little effort.
And have a goal in mind. If your goal is to improve your repertoire and learn more songs – spend the money on a professional transcription of the song. User generated TABs are almost always wrong and it will just end up frustrating you when you can’t figure out why what you are playing sounds nothing like the recording (I know this from years of experience!)
I’ve made it my mission over the past 25+ years to teach guitar in a logical and enjoyable way. I, like many guitar teachers, give out free videos and content. Some of it is really very good, but there’s no denying the fact that if you really want to learn and improve by leaps and bounds, you are going to have to commit to a program that is known to work.
For beginners I have Beginning Blues Guitar, or if you’re more of a strummer try Strumming And Rhythm Mastery. For most people, the original Blues Guitar Unleashed course is still their best option… unless you play acoustic and then you might prefer Acoustic Blues Guitar Unleashed.
65 replies to "Painting Your Picture With The Blues"
This is great . The rythm Eric Clapton is playing is almost identical to WILLY AND THE HAND JIVE . I play blues harp and slide and you are so right a little tweek hear and there and it is still the same tune. Ok back to my guitar, at 72 still love learning oh yes 1 and ah 2 and ah
I just couldn’t help it. I had to post this link of Rush playing Crossroads live. Never cared for Rush, but this version of Crossroads kills it. https://youtu.be/cmzgNTGwh3M
Fantastic Find Jeff. I grew up loving Rush, and know they’ve done quite a few great blues covers along the way.
Thanks for sharing….
Thanks Jeff. I didn’t know Rush had done any blues covers. I don’t remember any from the show I saw in the 70’s anyways.
Hey Griff, I’ve been tryin’ for over an hour to break down that interesting “reggae-like” Clapton rhythm on Crossroads into the “One e and a” count that you teach. I even slowed it down, but I just can’t do it. Would you be kind enough to post it or answer here?
Hey Griff,
Good lesson. Here is my version on Johnny B. Goode played by me and my partner Jim. As you can hear it sounds nothing like Chuck Berry’s. Just like Clapton’s version of Crossroads sounds nothing like Robert Johnson’s. Don’t view this in full screen just listen to the music. Hope everyone likes it….
https://youtu.be/2PR7F1IJdXU
Been playing since I was 16 , now 77! Clapton playing to Bo Diddly rhythm, who would have thought? It was Bo Diddly that got me interested in guitar . Saw Bo’s show 1955 at the Brooklyn Paramount. Followed his shows when ever I could. Thanks for posting this . Your just one fine person willing to help students with your superior knowledge thank you.
ERIC EVEN DID CROSROADS DIFFERANT FROM THE ALBUM
LED ZEPLIN ALSO DID SOME ROBERT JOHNSON SONGS. ONLY THING MISING IS THAT TRANKY GUITAR.
Thank you sir. I tell all the guys I jam with, “That it doesn’t have to sound like the record”. And use Clapton as an example. And yes this is the song I usually use.
My background has a great deal of guitar teachers, books, youtube lessons and I was getting lost.
While, I am not fully committed to the blues styles, I jumped into a couple of these courses.
For the couple of months that I have been working with the Spent Money Blues, the Four Note Solo, and the BGU2, I can easily admit the my playing has improved tremendously.
Seriously, Thanks Griff. I wish I had an instructor like you many years ago.
Clapton is always great, but I loved the harmonica too.
Loved it best cross road ever
not kept up with Clapton much since Cream days. Impressed by how much his singing has improved since then.Top class singing on this. always historically considered him far inferior to Jack Bruce in this department. Just goes to show if you keep practicing….!
Clapton was reluctant to sing until he joined Delaney and Bonnie. Delaney Bramlett took him aside and told him his voice was part of his gift from God and he needed to use it. When he left Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, he recorded All Things Must Pass with Harrison and then set out to write and interpret songs he could sing himself. The result was Layla and Other Love Songs.
Very cool. Totally agree need to work to improve, use tabs, do the lessons, etc. But also play along with EC on Youtube for the pure enjoyment!
This has been my favorite version of Cross Roads for years.I like the way he has incorporated the Willie and the Handjive beat. A very interesting twist on the song.
Griff, how about a source for Pro transcriptions~?
Nobody teaches the Blues as good as you do.
It would be nice to have a reliable source for good, accurate transcriptions.
I agree with you that the long way around is the shortest, but having some fun with songs we already know – priceless…
Thanks, JimJ
4/2/2015
This is the part of Griff’s email that I picked up on too…. I love that I can count on quality transcriptions and TAB’s from Griff for his original songs, but what about other quality sources for songs by other artists?
I’d love to hear from Griff about the sources he trusts?
Thanks Teach!! It is easy to get lost in all the free licks and such on You tube and the internet in general. Your course lessons have a straight purpose in mind, and that is what I always end up going back to after my 15 minutes of frustration with the “net trap” Thanks again Griff !!
Just absolutely “Awesome”. One day, hopefully not to distant”, I’ll learn to play a little of these great songs. Thanks for the show.
How Clapton turned the music for hand jive, and lay down sally into crossroads is part of his genius. You could hear about 20 different blues songs coming during the intro. That it became crossroads was an eye opener.
ERIC CLAPTON IS ONE OF THE BEST MUSICIANS AROUND STILL FROM THE 60’S. I MET HIM SEVERAL TIMES AT MAMA CASS’S HOUSE PARTY’S IN LAUREL CANYON. THAT WAS MY MUSIC HANG OUT BACK THEN. IN SO CAL , WE HAVE A RADIO STATION , KJAZZ 88.1. THEY PLAY BLUES ON THE WEEKENDS. I CAN SAY THAT MOST BLUES SONGS ALL FOLLOW THE SAME SOUND. MANY SONGS SOUND INSTRUMENTALLY THE SAME. IN MY WRITTING’S I WILL COPY A CHORUS AND TWIST IT JUST A BIT FROM ANOTHER SONG.. I HAVE PLAYED FLAMINCO TO HEAVY METAL . I WROTE ONE SONG THAT WAS SO CLOSE TO THE EAGLES HOTEL CALIFORNIA, THAT I HAD TO CHANGE PART OF THE CHORDS. THE VOCALS DD THE TRICK. TOOK THAT EAGLES SOUND AWAY. MY OPION GRIFF, IS PLAYING THE BLUES IS A WHOLE DIFFERANT WORLD. YOU CAN EVEN HAVE JAZZ BLUES. NOW THATS A FREAKY SOUND.
Great stuff Griff this is why we love this music one has to keep in mind the type of music that was popular in Robert Johnsons time a pioneer in his own right as for Clapton it seems as if he could have rolled though 5 more songs without skipping a beat what a great example thanks again for all you do for us !!!!
Robert Johnson was one of the Great Blues Guitar player masters of his time and had a great influence on the Rolling
Stones,Eric Clapton and Cream and Jimmy Reed’s Dust in my Broom and many professional musician’s have the option he unknowingly almost invented Rock ‘n Roll.I would
interested if any of the instructors at Blues Guitar Unleashed are teaching any more of his music.
Thank You!
Once again you I find myself in complete agreement with what you are saying Griff! I was inspired by your free “4 note solo” and am happy to say that what your BGU course has given me are the tools I needed to proceed to playing better. I think both versions of “Crossroads” represent 2 different eras of music and should be embraced, after all it is “all about the music” Thank you!
I am not that crazy about this song as one that I would put a lot of time into learning. I like this rendition by Eric Clapton, and I have no idea whether Robert Johnson was great or not, except to say that if people are playing something that was written and played back in Robert Johnson’s time it has to be pretty good. What it does remind me of though, a number of years ago when I was married, we would go see my wife’s parents, and every few evenings her father, Charles, would bring out his ole acoustic guitar and start playing stuff that was a bit country, blues, hillbilly, and folk all in one, and I was always so intrigued watching him play. He had big fingers and I was always amazed that he could get such a clean sound, along with his little chord triads that he used so there was a lot of hand movement in his playing, and listening to this video of Robert Johnson reminds me a lot of those moments sitting on a patio listening to Charles play.
Griff – yeah I’ve noticed this with most blues – one can mix and match most anywhere but this is great for putting a fresh approach to the song and putting in your own licks – even the licks we learn eventually turn into our own by a natural progression of ourselves. -check out Crossroads by Derek and the dominoes – another brilliant clapton slow blues. Thanks for everything Griff – Mike
“I hear more and more these days from my students and newsletter subscribers about the problems they are having trying to learn from all the “free” material out there. Yes, YouTube is great for some things, but probably 90% of the guitar lessons students point me to are so out of context that they make little to no sense by themselves and an alarming number of them teach techniques and ideas that can do far more harm than good. Always keep this in mind as you are cruising YouTube looking for something to spend 15 minutes playing with… instead take the 15 minutes and practice something that you sort of know, but haven’t yet mastered.”
To quote the words in one of the latter paragraphs; I read what you’re saying Griff, even some well know play along guitar book companies I’ve seen have what I feel are mistakes in their interpretations, but I can also look at this as perhaps the interpreter’s version of what they hear and if I don’t agree with it I move on, just like I would in someone’s opinion; agree and capture the advise or disagree and move on.
I would offer this; be sure that the “instructor” has a good solid foundation of knowledge and knows how to teach. I believe this is why you have developed such a strong following; you know your stuff, and best of all know how to teach what you know which has developed successful students who can then go out and put what they learn from you into playing along with others or join in on a jam or gig.
hand jive and crossroads lets see ,what else is in there? not hearing anything else but i will say i heard a doebro w/ a slide in a key im not familiar with. Eric was doing his usual a minor penatonic scale yes it is sooo widely used . much music there. Ytube is ok best not to scramble up lessons . yes learn one style till you cant stand it then record it go back after learning another style play the first see how much you missed . bet its at least 90 % good . PAINTED PICTURE OF THE PERSON WHO STOLE YER STUFF BUSTED.
Correction Bo Diddley by everyone.?????
Possible different versions of Crossroads and or Lucille by Ronny Hawkins???? Great music. Get your meaning.
Thank you so much for this…
Never heard that version of crossroads, I like it, thanks for posting!
Sorry to hear about your gear.
Love that Clapton version of Crossroads. I’ve not heard it before. Thanks Griff.
Griff,
That was the coolest comparison I’ve heard. What a treat. Thanks , Bob
Awesome Griff!! Thanks for everything!!
Aweso
E! Really like your teaching style!
The link did`nt work. look it up on youtube.
here is the cyndi lauper/ johny lang version which takes us back near to the original
where is the Cyndi Lauper version, would LOVE hear her sing it.
hi teacher Griff how’ re to day thank you so much for the lesson you had send it’s to me I appreciate thanks
Talk about mix and match! Hand Jive turned into Crossroads!
Giff I couldn’t agree more regarding the really poor tabs out there. It drive me crazy when a guitar player tells me “It goes like this” and I can hear that it’s wrong. When I point out that it’s not really how it goes, they puff up and say, sure it is I have the tab!
I spend a lot of time figuring (and tabbing out) songs/licks that I want to play (this week it is Ramblin Man) and I’ll be the first to admit that they are not exactly right, but MAN they are miles ahead of most of the junk I see out there.
I really think that’s because of the time I’ve devoted to Blues Guitar Unleashed and sever of you other courses. Thanks Griff for a great musical learning experience.
HOW DID R JOHNSON (WHO WAS THE BEST BLUES MAN EVER) TUNE HIS GUITAR ALSO THOSE LICKS IN A AND BMINOR WERE OUT OF SIGHT. MORE UP TEMPO BLUES LICKS IS WHAT I NEED, THANKS FOR ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS NEED MORE WOULD LIKE TO BUY SOME GET IN TOUCH
Hey Griff, you are right. When I’m jamming with the local boys we just let it flow and it always sounds great, be it if I’m playing the guitar or the blues harp let it flow, let it flow. Make up the lyrics to oh yeah like Muddy Waters said
Griff, this is a great lesson in how you can mix riffs with lyrics.They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Robert Johnson would’ve been proud of Eric’s rendition.
Thank you!
Thanks for this lesson griff , As I become more and more sunk into my guitar lessons these tidbits i get from you really help me to understand why some things like these videos add more flavor to my fingers. and lets face it although my guitar teacher is outstanding like you he cannot possibly teach me everything. so I do really appreciate your time and effort put into these free lessons that you pass on to us what you have learned over the years.
Thank you
I have played country,folk,and mostly bluegrass for more than forty years, have been in and out of bands,even recorded an album back in the eighties. I have little formal training and have always enjoyed the blues, when you released blues for the acoustic guitar I became one of your students.All I play is acoustic, I plan to do this by the book and incorporate my blues skills with my other styles. Will get back to you in a few months with the results.
Thanks for the Clapton vid, Griff. I hadn’t heard this particular version before, but really like it.
I presume it’s from a dvd. Anyone know which one?
Hi Stan. I’ve got a DVD of the same band (Jerry Portnoy on harmonica, Andy Fairweather-Low Guitar, Chris Stainton piano etc.) doing the same version live with an audience. I presume that the one in Griff’s link is a sound check of the same concert (there’s no audience,just the empty hall). The DVD is called “Eric Clapton Nothing But the Blues” and it’s a film by Martin Scorsese and the concert was at The Fillmore in San Francisco in 1994. It’s an excellent film and a fabulous concert. I’ve got nearly every recording and DVD of Clapton back to the Yardbirds and I think this is the only version of Crossroads with that Bo Diddley beat.
cheers from Australia, ChrisG.
Hi Griff Ive taken alot of what you taught me and have gotten a whole lot faster just today I learned to play The Core by Eric Clapton that showed me that I was gettin faster to all of you that dont have the time to practice this what i do I take my guitar to the living room without the amp and just play you dont have to look at what your playin just play it works very well when you get to hook up to the amp thanks Griff
great choice can you play like jonhson give us a freeby on licks same as them ,,dems good licks brudda ya more more
There is a lot of truth in what you say, I have wasted time trying to learn something new, when I should have been practicing on song I had been working on, Thanks Griff I am sure you have helped a lot of Guitar players out there.
your package was the first for me, grif. i bought several others since. seems like i always go back to yours and pick up more stuff after being away for awhile. its like a good flick- you watch it, and then, you watch it again at some later date, and you realize you understand the concept a bit better by doing so. you’re pretty damn good, to say the least. when ya run the scales, it scares the hell out of me. being a finger style blues dude, i doubt i could ever do that. at times, i think i can play blues. it has always been with me. in 1960, i bought a lightnin hopkins record. every ball player that heard it, thought i was nuts. i used to bring the record player on the road and into the hotels where we stayed. is there any advise for a FINGER STYLED BLUESMAN?
I’ve been playin of & on since the 60’s-only just pickrd up a guitar again after many years. stuff is comin’ back to me & I’m begining to understand why some things I play work. I’m now learning the names for the chords & scales I figured out by ear.Music theory is now now opening a new way of connectimg the things I play & it’s like the scales (no pun intended) falling from my eyes! All the strugling I’ve done to play stuff was time wasted as a sound base in theory would have made my musical trip easer & more rewarding. you’ve made a believer of me! thanx,JJ
Great playalong for me and my crossharp, or straightharp.
Bob E. (ps. Eric’s great.)
Young man, you make the most common sense. I only wish that I’d heard of you many many years ago. Now in my late 70’s and hardly know a note of music – scales nor theory, but happy. Happy strumming and singing, happy reading your advice to those that have time on their side. May you ever have power to your elbow young man.
Laurence (Walmer, DEAL, Kent, England, U/K)
Here’s something to think about. Today we think of Robert Johnson as one of the blues greats. He’s thought of as a great guitar player today but back in his days he wasn’t even thought of as a good player. I love Robert and have researched him alot and this one simple fact still amazes me. I mean, the man used to get laughed at back then but today he is a legend. Why was it so hard for people back then to see what we see today? I have a RJ t-shirt that I love to wear and you should hear the comments I get. Always a good conversation starter.
Sweet!……l
I love the historical diaposition… Of a newer EC version right next to a classical RJ version
I kind of like the way Robert Johnson did it more
Thank you, Griff! These examples are wonderful! I love both, although each is totally different from the other!
And Clapton does an entirely different take on Crossroads back in the late 60s with Cream. But the Robert Johnson version, wow. Robert Johnson was the first CD box set I ever bought. Try an imagine the inferior guitars he had to play on and the crude recording technique… and yet the magic is still there. The man could moan and wail. He was the blues.
Thanks Griff, Eric Clapton “Cross Roads” Awesome!!
So true your comments, it takes time to weed thru any garden, but you gotta do it, tks Griff for all your help!!!!!
I have been playing guitar since the sixties, mostly rhythm, and have always wanted to get into lead blues. Your on line leasons have given me great insite into the technics required. This latest set of video’s shows exactly what you mean by needing to commit to a programme and set time aside to practice the baisc each day. Thanks Griff.