Slammer - Blues SI Lesson

Current revision

Slammer

Introduction

Hello everyone- I am Slammer.

Making a Asping Instructor Lesson is something I have always wanted to do, sorry I don't have a Video Camera. But this is probably the only chance I'll get to make one, so it's for Fun!!

I live in Miami, Florida and I am 18 years old.

My favorite guitarists are Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Johnson.

When I am not practicing I like to watch Baseball and Record Demos and Songs for fun!

I hope to be able to show you in this lesson some of the Blues Licks I use alot in my playing, and maybe you'll get some ideas to apply in Your playing!
Since this was a pretty long song I will put a few of the licks.

First off I'd like to talk a little bit about the Blues.
In my opinion the most important thing about playing the blues -besides bending- is Vibrato! It doesn't matter if you are the slowest guitar player around, If you have good vibrato, you can be a good blues player!

Scales

This song is in the key of G minor.

I use the G Minor Pentatonic and Blues scale alot in these licks.

G Minor Pentatonic

E---------------------------3-6-3---------------------------
B-----------------------3-6-------6-3----------------------
G-------------------3-5----------------5-3-----------------
D---------------3-5-------------------------5-3------------
A-----------3-5----------------------------------5-3--------
E-------3-6-------------------------------------------6-3---

G Minor Blues Scale

E--------------------------------3-6-3----------------------------------
B--------------------------3-6---------6-3----------------------------
G-------------------3-5-6------------------6-5-3---------------------
D-----------------3-5------------------------------5-3----------------
A-----------3-4-5---------------------------------------5-4-3---------
E-------3-6------------------------------------------------------6-3---

Licks

Lick 1

This is the intro lick to the song.

Now for the first bend, you have to bend the 2nd string on the 6th fret up one step, and hold it there untill you release it.

E --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B ----6b8br6Fran-----3--------------------------------------------------------
G ------------------------------5b------3---------3---5b--3--------------------
D ---------------------------------------------5-------------------5~~---------
A --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lick 1: Lick 1

Lick 2

|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------------6---6---6---6---6---6--6--6----
|-----------------3~~---------------------------3--5--3--5/7----7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--
|-------5-3-5----------5p3------3h5~~---5-------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------5---------------------------------------------------------------------
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|-------------------------------6--8--8b10br8--6--8--6h8p6------------------------------------
|-----8-8-8~~--8p6h8---8--------------------------------------8--8~~-------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------6--------------------
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------7/5--3----------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5-3h5~-
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lick 2: lick_2.mp3 ( 183.72K )

So when you put them together here is what you get: licks_1_2.mp3 ( 273.51K )

Lick 3

For this these next licks we are going to move down an octave higher, to play the G minor Pentatonic/Blues scale Licks on the 15-18 frets.

For this Next Lick we need to use a lot of vibrato for that "bluesy feel"

E---------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------
G------------15-17br-15----------------------15~~--------
D-----/17------------------17~~--17-17--------------------
A----------------------------------------------------------------
E----------------------------------------------------------------

Lick 3: lick_3.mp3 ( 53.47K )

Lick 4

E-------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------18~-18~-18~-18~-18--------
G--------------------------15-17-15---19~-19~-19~-19~--19--19--
D------15-17-17~~--17------------------------------------------------
A---17-------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------

E-----------------------------18b---------------------------------------
B-----18-20-20-20-20-20--------20-20-------------------------------
G------------------------------------------------------------------------
D------------------------------------------------------------------------
A------------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lick 4: lick_4.mp3 ( 141.22K )

Lick 5

E------------------18-20br-18-20-18-----------------------------------------------------
B----------18-20-----------------------20~---15-18-15h18p15-------------------------
G-----19---------------------~-------------------------------------17-17b-17-15--------
D--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17--
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G----------15-17-15h17p15-----------------~-----------------------------------------
D----17-------------------------17-15--------------------------------------------------
A----------------------------------------17-16-15/13~~-------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------16~~-------------------

Lick 5: Lick_5.mp3 ( 129.84K)

Backing Track

Backing Track (50 secs.): Backing_Track.mp3 ( 776.86K )

Final words

Ok, one final thing I'd like to say is.

Blues music is all about feeling, and I think that is something alot of guitarist forget.
Blues isn't about who can play the fastest or which arpeggios sounds good over which progression. etc.

To me Blues is about closing your eyes reaching down into your soul, and letting what is in your heart come through your fingers, and expressing yourself in that way.

I don't care if all you know is the Pentatonic Scale, if you reach down and play it with feeling. Then you ARE a Blues player!

And don't ever let anyone tell you that because you don't know all the modes or you can't Sweep or Tap or play every scale that there is, that you are not a good player.

Always believe in Your playing abilities, even if you are not the best.
And if that is all you take out of this lesson, I think it will have been worth it.