Blues Guitar Lessons & Blues Licks

OK folks, this lick is a bit more difficult than anything I have shown y’all yet, but it’ll be a great addition to your bag of blues tricks.

Lets start off with the video:

And the tab:

|-5-7-5-7-5------------------3-5-3-5-3-----------------|
|-----------7-5-7---5------------------5-3-5---3-------|
|-----------------7---7-5--------------------5---5-3-4-|
|-------------------------7----------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|

|-------------------------|
|--------------------3----|
|--------------------5----|
|-5-5-3-3-2-2-1-1-0--4----|
|--------------------5----|
|-------------------------|

One of the great things about playing the blues is that you can apply pretty much anything and everything you learn, and yes that means you don’t always have to take a pentatonic or blues scale approach. Using other sounds and different approaches will make your playing more interesting. The truth is that if all you play is the blues scale it gets pretty boring pretty fast, both for the player and the listener!

So with this lick, rather than over-analyze it, I see it in terms of the 5th string root barre chord shape. In other word the shape of an open A7 chord, but moved up on the neck to be a D7 chord, and a C7 chord.

The hardest part is probably the hammer-on, pull-off at the the start of the main lick. If you have trouble with that just go slow and steady. Work it with a metronome (you always use your metronome, don’t you?) and slowly increase speed.

In the video I mention that I really don’t know where this lick came from but now I do! I got the idea from something that the Master of the Telecaster, or the Iceman, blues great Albert Collins used to do.

It does seem that if you want to be a great blues guitar player it helps if you your first name is Albert or your last name is King, doesn’t it?

Anyhow, this lick isn’t really what the great Mr. Collins did, but it was inspired by a little trill he sometimes did on the first couple of strings that followed the chord shapes just like this lick does.

It just goes to show you that you can take a little something and change it, build on it, and make it your own to define your own blues sound, One thing that bugs the crap out of me these days is all those digital modeling amps and effects that have presets designed to make you sound like famous players or bands.

Don’t you want to find your own sound? I mean we already have one Eddie Van Halen…god knows we don’t need another!

It’s the same with the blues…copy anyone and everyone, but find your own way of doing things, find your own sound, make it your own.

Steal my licks. Change them. Make them your own. Make them better!

What stories do you have to tell? If you play the blues right you can’t hide…you will reveal your true self to anyone who is listening. If you are passionate it will show. If you are angry it will show, if you are sweet and kind it will show. If you’re a jerk it will show. So let it all hang out…don’t hold back!

Now, go forth and play the blues.