HTJBA How To Jam the Blues Alone

davepB3

Blues Newbie
Hello,
What is a good method for navigating HTJBA course?
I seem to be jumping around too much with no clear path. I am trying to determine when to go from one section to another.
Advice appreciated.
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
The course is set up so every 2 sections go together. In each 2 section “group” the process is essentially the same using different licks and "grooves".

For example:

Section 1 introduces 49 one bar licks. In Section 2 Griff presents a "Blues in E "Groove and gives suggestions and a 5 chorus demonstration on how to incorporate these licks with turnarounds, chords or riffs.

He doesn't expect you to learn all 49 licks or the "demonstration" note for note. (It's not a course in memorizing solos.)

Take a couple of licks and work up your own one bar lick “solo” using that groove.

The idea is to get a feel for how you can come up with something on your own using the licks and groove presented.


Then Section 3 & 4 introduce 2 bar licks in E (10 new licks per groove from now on:whistle:) and a demo using a "Blues in E" groove.

Section 5 & 6: 2 bar licks in G with a Slow Blues groove.

Sections 7 & 8: 2 bar shuffle licks in A

Sections 9 & 10: 2 bar slow shuffle licks in G


I would select a few licks in whichever of the 5 "grooves" you feel like working in and get the feel for that groove. Then continue to work with other licks in that section or go on to another groove.

This should be an ongoing process using licks Griff has provided and/or ones you discover on your own.

It’s the process and the "groove" that is most important, not memorizing any particular licks or "solo".
 
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Zzzen Dog

Blues Junior
Man this course is a blast!

Really dug into it this weekend, picked up several licks from the first section and the second section material to just before the first of the turnarounds. A couple of licks really resounded with me, Example 2, from Section 1 and Example 5 from Section 2.

I'm gonna try and pick up a few more licks from the first section and work the exercises in Section 2 through the end of week. Hopefully I'll be able to start working on the full "tune" in the final example in Section 2 by weeks end.
 

DenisBoudreau

Blues Newbie
I see that Griff has this on sale and wanted to know your thoughts on how this would work for electric. He mentions acoustic specifically.

Thanks,
Denis
 

Zzzen Dog

Blues Junior
I see that Griff has this on sale and wanted to know your thoughts on how this would work for electric. He mentions acoustic specifically.

Thanks,
Denis
The premise is to be able to accompany yourself. So what you are doing in various forms, is outlining the I IV V changes by either playing the chord or a partial chord and then filling in with a riff/lick over a bar or two. This would work well alone (hence the title), but it also works well in a trio format, where you might drop the chord on beat one, letting the bass player carry that, or reinforce it with something. The more instruments you're playing with you just kinda remove pieces that overlap.

I'm finding that many of the licks I've picked up in the course are leaking into my playing without much work to integrate them. And it's adding a more ranged approach, as I'm skipping strings more and bringing in some lower strings into my "lead" playing.

Long way of saying, yeah this will help you playing the blues on electric.

Heck, I usually play this on an unplugged electric most of the time, as I'm doing it late night when my girlfriend is sleeping.

Might also add that playing the thicker strings of an acoustic does wonders for your finger strength relative to the electric.
 

RobertRoberts

Lifelong Learner
Just started on this course. Thanks for answering some of the questions had before I asked them.. Looks and sounds like a lot of fun. I think I'm going to enjoy it..
 

JackRunnels

Blues Newbie
Ok posting that I am working on How to jam blues alone course. I can Use the videos really well working on the counting parts and such. Just playing the parts to cds and mp3 plays are faster and a little hard to play along parts but works well. Don't have any problems yet but if I do I will post here again.
 

alanwmcc

Blues Newbie
Hi all. Really enjoying this course. Have a question. Is this meant only to be played with a pick or would fingers be a possibility throughout? Haven’t noticed Griff make a mention of this yet.
 

Zzzen Dog

Blues Junior
Hey Alan, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to use fingerstyle throughout. However if he really talks about it at all, it's picking/hybrid picking with pick, index and ring fingers. He does teach finger picking in the Acoustic Blues Guitar Unleashed.

The course is really more about interweaving rhythm with single-line fills and solos, than right hand methods.
 

B.J.Thomas

Blues Newbie
Denis. I see this was a while back. Hope Griff has another sale soon. It was a big sale when I got almost all of his Acoustic courses. This one wasn't in existence then. I got POTP.
 

JackRunnels

Blues Newbie
I play both Acoustic and electric guitar. Acoustic guitars are settled on acoustic pieces but now your can play an acoustic through a acoustic amplifier. I dont have one just use an electric guitar and amp.. That said Jam alone you can play both ways or just with an Acoustic guitar no amp. outside on the porch. One thing an acoustic guitar takes more strength in your playing than what it takes with a good electric guitar. I bought my first guitar 1977 an Acoustic guitar nice guitar working around by myself learning guitar. I was using Mel Bay 1 book and it was working slowly. My hero was Jimi Hendrix on guitar listened to him a lot. I went into a pawn shop one day mid 80's saw electric guitar on the wall and bought it. Then I had to find a teacher lol. all that said I still like to work on the blues. Griff Hamlin has good courses. All are good for learning to play what you would like to play.
 
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