Playing blues guitar is a very easy way to improve your musical skills. Blues is such a simple genre of music, but it has all of the elements necessary to increase your general awareness of music and also to improve your playing style.
Step 1: Finding the perfect Blues Guitar
First, let’s examine the requirements to play the blues guitar. You first need an instrument that may be adequate to playing the style: that is, the guitar needs to be able to produce long notes that are distinctly heard and with distinct rhythmic effects.
Basic on that Many electric guitars can be used to play blues. Among the popular styles, the Gibson guitars are the most praised by blues guitar players. They produce a mellow sound that is very cherished and used in a lot of blues songs.
Despite this, any electric guitar can be used to play the style. Many blues players use Fender guitars, which are more associated with the Rock style. However, Blues and Rock have several common elements, so it is no surprise that many blues players feel comfortable with Fender guitars as well.
[ a complete guitar package for beginners ]
Step 2: Play the Right Chords
The most striking difference between playing Rock and Blues is that blues uses a standard sequence of chords that is a trademark sound. It is not difficult to get how these chords are used in the song, but despite their simplicity, these chords can be played with great variety.
Another difference in playing blues styles is that the blues songs have a distinct way to incorporate solos. A solo is used more frequently to give a complement to the main song. The solo completes the ideas promoted in the main part of the song, as well.
Step 3: Play the Right Rhythm
Guitar players have great advantage when playing blues songs. The reason is that most songs in this style have been written specifically for the instrument. An electric guitar can be used to sustain the whole song, providing a rhythmic structure, as well as chords and melody.
To learn to play blues rhythm, the best strategy is start from classic records. These are the best sources, because they play the style as it was designed. Modern blues renditions are frequently mixed with other styles, so they may be confusing for the beginner.
After all, learning blues is a great adventure for any guitar player. It is a great style to play with other musicians. You can find a lot of people interested in blues and with the desire to form a band or a small group. You should use these opportunities to improve your skills and play the music that you enjoy with other friends.
Resources for Leaners
As mentioned, records available freely on the internet are great sources for learning the main techniques for blues guitar.
However, the web has even better resources for people interested in learning blues. One of the main source of information to learn to play blues is this online set of guitar videos that has been recently being developed. I have used this resource to learn not only Blues, but also Rock and other popular guitar music.