Advice on a nice solo for a gentle shuffle in E pls

[MarkO]

Hi all
So I have just finished purring together a solo which is in A from a collection of licks I really liked in the Blues Solo Construction Kit (shuffle). And as if by magic it really works. Griff is a genius!

So now I want to learn a solo for a nice gentle 12 bar we are doing in E. The song is Jimmy Reed’s “Take out some Insurance “. Great song.

Thing is, most of the licks in BSCK are based around box 1 and some box 2. There are other positions but, understandably, mostly 1 & 2. Now it may be just me but I find E in box 1 a tough call. The open strings are all fine of course but any bending so close to the nut is a real challenge. Ideally, solos in E fall in box 3 & 4. And that’s the rub. Not much about down there.

Now I realise I could spend hours moving licks into another box. But often the fingering isn’t as intuitive. And my lick vocabulary is so tiny, I would rather spend time learning licks/solos that work at this stage. Practice time is precious.

Also, I am hoping to capture a more major pent sound with a bit of minor, rather than the more usual other way around.

So guitar gurus, do you have any ideas where I might look for inspiration? I have BGU all access pass so anything goes. Or even stuff off-piste if it works.

Thanks for reading.
Cheers
Mark

 

[PapaBear]

It'll take a little effort but you can move box 1 and 2 licks to box 3 and 4, and once you get your head around it it gets easier and is something I would encourage you to learn to do, just use the roots as your anchor or reference, they are all the same five notes, just a matter of finding the same ones in different positions.

 

[BoogieMan]

You could also play your box 1 licks up at the high E position at the 12th fret but they may not sound as good. Personally I like working the low E box 1 but you're right about the bends in that region of the fretboard.

 

[david moon]

In E you can anchor to the root on 5th string 7th fret. Em will be an Am shape anchored at that fret.The fingering will be almost the same as box 1 shifted up one string except for the "break" at the B string

 

[MarkO]

Thanks to all for the suggestions.
Re changing the key, the main reason is that it fits the singers vocal range well. Also, there is a certain sound that a Blues in E has that no other key can produce. That warm low bass note sound just rolls along, especially with gentler more country style blues like this song.

I dont want to go all the way up to the 12th fret for the same reason.

I guess the answer is to spend the time and translate the licks from a solo into the box 3 & 4 position. Be a good exercise to do anyway, just that I am up against a bit for time to get this done.

Also, I was hoping to find something a bit more Major sounding throughout, rather than just Major on the 1 etc. Griff does some great stuff on mixing the two but a course on Major Pentatonic (only) Blues would be great. Especially for the more gentle, country blues stuff. At least it seems to me it would be good. Maybe it wouldn't work? What do you think?

Anyway, great feedback all, many thanks
Mark

 

[Jack]

To help move those licks around, here's a scale diagram so you can see where the box 1 notes occur at other places on the fretboard. https://guitarmadillo.com/guitar-scales/E-minor-pentatonic-scale

Personally I'd spend the time working with box 1 in E pentatonic minor, it comes up occasionally and although bending down there is difficult, it's worth the effort when you hear what some people can do with it.

 

[tommytubetone]

You could also forget about bending down there and just slide into the note you want.

 

[Griff]

Another option, Solo 6 from BGU is in E and has a lot of licks out in different positions that might be useful for you. I know the feel is pretty different, but shuffles usually go to slower feels easily.

 

[MikeS]

If you want to play the same licks you already know I'd try thinking of box 3 as box 1 just moved up a string (the three note pattern that you usually play on the A string, you now play on the low E). You probably aren't playing any notes on the 6th string so that shouldn't be a problem. your box 2 licks will be the same in Box 4 if you move them down 1 string ( the two note pattern that you usually play on the 6th string, you now play on the 5th string).
Of course all the mental gymnastics might be harder than just learning the two new boxes or as Griff suggests, learning BGU solo 6.

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

Playing any kind of lead way low on the neck in E has always tripped me up and still does. I just get everything all wrapped around the crankshaft down there so to speak, and end up frustrated with my panties all in a bunch. This is one thing very high on my list of priorities to work on once retired and spending most of my time working on guitar.