Many times over the years I’ve heard the question, “How do you start your blues solos?”
And for the longest time, I didn’t really know how to answer that. After all I, like many blues players throughout history, just sort of gathered how to start my solo after learning a bunch of solos from other guitar players that came before me.
But if you don’t have enough experience under your belt to tell you what to do (and let’s be honest, experience is a far better teacher than any person can be) then the next best thing are rules you can use that will guarantee things sound good.
And as I’ve said before, a guaranteed approach doesn’t mean it’s the only approach, it means it’s guaranteed to work every time and sound good. A different approach might also work, but it might not. If there’s any chance of error, it’s not a guarantee now, is it?
So instead of trying to think of a good set of rules for starting a blues solo, I decided to go to the source. I have several lists of common tunes found at jam sessions… and I’ve played a few hundred of them over the years myself 🙂
Which led me to think I should just go to the source(s) and see how guys like BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and others, start their solos.
And what I found was pretty interesting and pretty close to what I expected (except that Duane Allman guy messing things up…)
Need to download the video? – MP4
And you’ll want the TAB for each of the licks – PDF
So how should you practice this?
I would start with some jam tracks and choose just 1 option. It doesn’t matter which one you start with, just run through a dozen or so jam tracks and use that 1 option with all of them.
They should be in different keys, but probably they’ll have to all be in either straight feel (if you choose a straight feel start option,) or they will all be in a swing/slow blues feel if you choose one of those varieties to work with.
It’s pretty hard to cross a lick over from straight to swing feel and vice versa, so don’t make it hard on yourself.
39 replies to "How To Start Any Blues Solo"
Hello
I tried to download the mp4 video and MS Edge said that it could not be downloaded safely. I would like to download it , so if you could check into it I would appreciate it. maybe you could email me the vedio file.
Thank
AFTER THE E 7TH AT 7:47 fast blues example-what are the next two chords-i assume they are some form of D and A since he is in key of A right?
It looks at first glance like he starts with E7, then goes to an A7 (a piece of the A7 barre chord), to a D, and back to E7. Just a typical I-IV-V blues progression in A.
Great stuff Griff. Had to grab my guitar to and play along. Thank ypu.
Good stuff. Any chance you could give us a few lessons on acoustic blues for those of us who are electric guitar deprived?
Just read your email about forgetting the first few words in starting to sing and it brought back some memories. Many years ago (1956) I was a guest on a local TV show and just seconds before we went live, the leader (who was to open the show) turned to us and said “What’s my name?”
What beat is the DOWN BEAT?
1, 2, 3, 4, etc.. are downbeats. In theory, your picking or strumming hand would be on the downstroke on those beats.
Great essential lesson Griff. Thx!
Spot on Mr Griff
Hope i soak all this great knowledge up thanks again .
On YouTube there is a concert version of LAYLA. The way Clapton started it was he played real soft, walked toward the bass player, then CRANKED HIS GUITAR way up and made the bass player jump several feet!😂
AWAYS KEPT A LIST OF SONGS WITH THE LYEICS ON MY AMP. BEOFRE ASONG I WAS NOT SURE OF, I WOULD READ THE LYRICS BEFORE THE SONG. I GET WAHT YOUSAYING. STILL NEED TO RMBER THE NOYES ON THE KEY BOARD. HOW DOES JEFF HEALY DO IT? THE GUY IS BLIND!
Hi Griff
Love your videos. Just curious to know what strings you have on your Suhr Stratocaster.
Keep on rocking
thanks Griff your the man i have learn so much from your teaching love the way that you take your time to explain things keep bring in the tunes peace brother
hi
Thanks, you are perfect specially for this lesson
thanks Griff learn abit on that!!
Thank You again!
Great lesson Griff as always. On the thrill is gone how do you know to start on box 2?
Yet another great tip on the blues trip. Thanks.
That’s why I haven’t ordered your blues corse,I’m just learning everything about plays blues an I get stumped real easy. JUST LEARN TO PLAY,MESSED WITH THE GITUAR FOR YEARS BUT GOT EXCITED ABOUT NOW,I’M 61 YEARS OLD,AN AGAIN THANKS FOR WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM YOU,BUT STILL SOME WHAT CONFUSED
I learned a lot here but trying to watch fingers an plcking,didn’t match there sounds coming out but you erer not playing.just got confusing what was going on
Hey Griff! You got new Suhr! Awesome axe indeed!
(And the lesson is cool too).
I really enjoyed this one Griff. I have been doing most of this and not knowing why. Just sounds right. I know the root notes in all the keys and try to land on them to finish a run but didn’t always start on a root. Thanks
Wow! This is great info! I noticed even when you start on beat 4, you start on the root note on the 4th string and walk up to the root on the first string.
thanks so much Griff.
Excellent vid man got a tremondous amount of info from this . That root note is so important and knowing where all the notes are also is important . playing the octive note over the last note is a cool thang also . thank you have a good day .
Yes, I did get a lot out of this lesson and yes, I did enjoy it. It is a great one amongst the many I appreciate! Thanks Griff
Thanks Griff. I got a lot out of this video.
Thanks for sharing Griff. I got a lot out of this video. Definitely will try this out.
Excellent ideas . Evidently, one needs the jam tracks. I need to familiarize myself with by listening more often. Thank you.
This is very good, one of the best. Very generous, Griff, of you to give this level of tuition away for free. Thanks.
Thanks for another great lesson! One question I had was about the root note. I’ve heard you say before that the 3rd and 7th are the most important notes, but here, you say that most of the solos start on the ROOT. I’m still not sure how to use those 3rds and 7ths.
Yep, that Duane guy was always messing things up. Every time I listen to him let loose on “You Don’t Love Me,”
my jaw drops. And I was at the concert so my jaw hangs pretty low now.
The comment about Duane Allman made me go back and listen to the Fillmore record. I noticed that Dickey Betts also started his solo on the B/3rd except he is hammering from the Bb to B on the G string. Don’t know which one came up with starting the solo on the 3rd but they sure show you there’s more than 1 way to skin a cat. Thanks for the pointers, there’s always more to learn and blanks to be filled in.
OMG Griff I just had a light bulb moment!
Learn alot from the video
Real nice Griff it’s pretty clear box 1 & 2 / house root notes based around E and B strings to get started my ear has picked up on the house as a high starting point then resolving through the scale to a lower root that hammers it on home thanks for a great lesson !
just excellent and perfect
angelo
Great Lesson! Love it!
Excellent stuff, Griff! Way to keep us thinking and being creative with the stuff we already know. Please keep these videos coming. I know this is especially helpful to guys like me who don’t always get to play in a band situation that much. Thank you again!