Learning Acoustic Blues Guitar

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by: karlvcohen
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Word Count: 883
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2011 Time: 12:32 PM
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Would You Like To Play Authentic Blues Guitar - What's The Difference ?

Son House once stated that a great many people " ... make up some sort of boogie in A and call it the blues - well it ain't !" When somebody inquired " What are the blues?", Big Bill Broonzy replied "If you have to ask you'll never know " How did the old blues guitarists create their fantastic music ? How can we learn 'real' acoustic blues guitar - 'the real deal' ? In this piece I investigate several classic blues musicians styles and how we can learn these finger picking techniques.
Blues And Ragtime - Back To The Roots - Blind Blake

I always considered it a bit unusual that there exists only one picture of Arthur Blake, the King of Ragtime Blues Guitar. He cut more than 100 tracks for Paramount in his short lifetime and was reportedly very popular. You would think that other snaps must be around somewhere ? Even the great Robert Johnson had 2 photographs taken and , in his time, he seemed less successful and celebrated than Blake.

In reality, I'm rather annoyed about it all. Wouldn't it be be fascinating if some old film were found showing Johnson or Blake playing in a club or somewhere else . Then we could actually see how these legends made those wonderful sounds.

Ry cooder said that he thinks Blake played guitar with a light feel , while some others maintain that he developed a hole in his right thumb, leading us to think that he plucked the strings heavily . On at least one song he says 'boot that thing' - this also pointed to the fact that he might have had a heavy touch. I've experimented playing Blake every way possible, applying a gentle and heavy feel on different gauge strings, changing the guitar bridge height accordngly. It's really tricky to recreate the playfulness of some of his songs in G, like That'll Never Happen No More or Too Tight Blues.
You Can't Have Enough Of Big Bill !

Listen to Big Bill Broonzy's music, for example - it's quite simple to work out where our left and right fingers should position themselves, but that very infectious swinging tempo is something else entirely! It's very nearly magical. This is a a quote from Big Bill discussing timing - " you can either ride on the front of the horse, or the back of it and that's what happens when I play the blues ". His picking thumb tempo lags a bit behind the beat and produces a 'swing' feel. Easily said, but try and do it! At the same time, he's using only one finger on the treble strings to produce some syncopation.
How Can We Begin To Play The Blues ?

The response is inevitably 'from someone who can play it'. There is a massive amount of blues guitar lessons advertised on the web , with various styles and price tags. Many are even no cost ! ( Take care - mostly in life, you get what you pay for.) All too frequently , the courses presented don't match up to expectations. Some times, for example, the playing doesn't quite match the tabs ! Many lessons offer riffs or tricks to give your playing a 'bluesy feeling ', but is it the blues?

Look for someone who can pick like the old guys . Look locally, or search the web . When you've found your man, ask him for some tuition. If he doesn't normally teach then listen to his music and follow him around, if you need to . Like anything else in life, if you want it, you have to chase it. Most real blues men are not interested in asking a fortune for their tuition .

Try not to listen to lots of modern guitarists . The old styles can become weakened and changed too much, particularly the timing and accents on the beat. Hear to as many old blues guitar recordings as you can, particularly if there is film of the person playing . For example, you get an awful lot from just watching Big Bill Broonzy play Hey Hey again and again and again.

Obviously, practice as much as you can - specially the basic picking patterns . Control the movements of that right hand thumb! One hour in the morning and an hour in the evening is minimum. You don't suppose Johnson sold his spirit to the Devil do you? Of course not, just like Clapton, he hid himself away for a couple of years until he could pick with the skill we can evidently hear on his classic tracks.

For me this is vital - when you play blues , BE that song or that blues man. The lives of these men were hard and completely unlike ours. That said, we all get the blues from time to time and that's how we can relate with those artists . The real blues is any of these things - an old love, having no job, wayward kids, the weather, death and many other things. Make it live it with your fingers.

Learn the techniques first, don't take it too fast with the basic building blocks and finally, put your soul into the music.

About the Author

Know more about blues music and acoustic blues guitar.