Posts Tagged beginning blues guitar

Beginning Blues Guitar – What is the Ragtime Blues and Why Is It the Best Blues To Play

When beginning blues guitar you must learn that blues music is far more complex than it seems. This is why it is important to choose a specific blues style and pattern your music after it. One of the specific styles recommended by blues experts is the ragtime blues. To find out why it is the best blues style to play, you can find out more details below.

What is Ragtime Blues?

When it comes to producing blues music, even the smallest details that musicians include could go a long way. This is a lesson that many have learned from the so-called blues guitar master, Gary Davis. Several musicians who wanted to learn more about blues music included Gary Davis and ragtime blues in their study, which has led to a great deal of success.

 

One of his songs in particular, Candy Man, is recognized as one of the best examples of ragtime blues music. When he is playing this song with his guitar, Gary Davis uses only one finger and his thumb when picking the guitar. However, this is just a glimpse into the techniques that practitioners of ragtime blues use to produce their own song.

 

Gary Davis: Ragtime Blues Master

Gary Davis made a name for himself by mastering the ragtime blues style. Those with an ear for blues music will easily recognize his songs due to their complexity and diversity of musical elements. It is quite impressive how Davis managed to preserve his skills despite all these years. Unlike other blues musicians, he took a break from playing but he never fully let go of playing blues. Instead, he started again after re-discovering his blues skills and has managed to become really successful throughout his musical career. He showcased his style by making records and performing in live gigs. He also managed to pass on his techniques to other aspiring blues musicians including Stephan Grossman.

 

Learning Davis’ Techniques

Gary Davis uses only two fingers to pick on his blues guitar: his thumb and forefinger. And yet, these two are able to produce a wonderfully rich sound. This forefinger naturally moves quickly and is independent of his thumb’s movements. He also uses picks instead of his bare fingers because it is far more accurate in producing the desired sound. Another crucial component that makes Davis’ ragtime blues music stand out from others is the thumb beat timing. You must also be quick in moving your thumb such that you can easily switch treble strings to create the illusion that more than two fingers are used at the same time.

Allure of Ragtime Blues Music Until Today

The classic Candy Man song from Gary Davis is something that will forever be embedded into the history of blues music. It is one of the perfect examples of ragtime blues music, as far as structure goes. You can therefore follow the patterns of this song or some of Gary Davis’ musical patterns in general to replicate his own musical style. Another important tip to consider for beginning blues guitar students is to have fun. Learn to enjoy this process and take it easy. If you can begin by enjoying the music itself, then you will find it easier to learn and develop enthusiasm into the learning process.

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Beginning Blues Guitar – Greatest Blues Guitarists To Listen and Learn From

Guitars have always defined the sounds of the blues style of music. Blues music originated in the Mississippi Delta in U.S during the 1890′s. It continued to improve for the next 20 years and came to a mature stage in 1910.  Initially the blues had powerful vocals accompanied by the acoustic guitar and were sung by the slaves and the white people as a sorrow songs.

The style was given the name “blues” in 1925. Today with the style being so popular, many people are trying to learn and become a blues guitar player. Other than buying electric or acoustic guitars with strings, try to listen and learn from some of the greatest blues guitarists if you wish to become an excellent blues guitar player.

The blues has a deep history with different artists contributing their own style. There have been a number of great blues guitarists who heavily influenced the style and captured the public imagination. Listening to their songs and music will definitely help you learn the art of playing the blues in an easy way.

Born in 1911, Robert Johnson was an initial blues guitarist whose music still makes an impact today. Having a short period of performance, Johnson contributed a lot to Mississippi Delta blues tradition and was the first one to start the slide guitar technique in blues guitars. His songs like “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” and “Crossroad Blues” are very popular and can be used to learn the right way of playing blues guitar.

Second in the list of greatest blue guitarist is B.B. King. Being a legend guitarist B.B. King had a crisp guitar style, which is perfect for beginners to start with. He had developed his own style including various blues traditions like a slide guitar. His songs like “The Thrill is Gone” and “Everyday I Have the Blues” can help the new blues guitarists to learn from his crisp individual style.

Another popular artist in the blues genre is Eric Clapton. He came during the revolution in the British Blues in 1960′s. Clapton used heavy slide guitar techniques to develop his own individual style, which was close to Blues-rock. His songs like “Layla” inspire and influence most of the budding new blues guitarists.

Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan is also a famous name. His style had a combination of a number of blues guitar styles. His guitar style became popular for including some elements of jazz guitar and a heavy use of vibrato. Stevie’s songs like “Pride and Joy” or “Little Wing” are very popular.

For becoming an exceptional blues guitar player you must study the greats. Listen to their music and watch their vintage videos. You can search for the videos on YouTube or at your local libraries. Include simple and easy songs of other blues stars like Son House, Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Charley Patton to begin with. Examine and study the work of these blues guitar legends in an attempt to learn about specific styles of play. This will surely benefit every student in beginning blues guitar and becoming the next best blues guitar player.

 

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Beginning Blues Guitar ? Becoming a Legendary Blues Guitarist

The blue style of music has been popular since the early decades of the twentieth century. The blues was born in the Mississippi Delta during the 20th century. Initially, songs were played by slaves and the poor white folks as sorrow songs. Today with blues being the most popular style of music many people aspire to become blues guitar players and are keen on learning. Here are a few suggestions if you desire to know “How can I learn to play Blue Guitars?”

 

If you want to learn to play the Blue Guitar try and get an electric or acoustic guitar having strings other than nylon having a standard tuning. Pick up a small chord book from any guitar shop. You should also know how to read tablature and have some basic knowledge on how to play a few chords on the guitars.

 

Pick up some popular of Blue classics albums of your favorite singers like B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy or Charley Patton. Now search for a good guitar teacher or check out Blues Guitar Online Video Lessons. The Blues Guitar Online Video Lessons are the most popular and easy way to go to the next level of playing blues guitar. The guitar teachers have a clear, concise and focused teaching style, which helps them to turn the most complicated musical lessons to an easy to learn lessons.

 

To make the lessons easier to understand you can find slow paced instructions and demonstrations. These videos also teach the split second technique, and focus upon the left and right hand close ups and on-screen tablature for making it easier to learn and apply. Check out these online video lessons to discover the real blues music. Other than teaching how to improve your finger picking techniques, these lessons also cover many standard keys, Texas blues, ragtime blues and open G bottleneck style. The lessons cover a truly effective material in an easy-to grasp manner making it easy for you to become an excellent blues guitar player.

Learn the authentic tricks used by the classic bluesmen through these online video lessons. Instructional videos are full of valuable tips for playing the Blue music in an efficient way. Many people have found an easy access to acoustic blues styles through these classes. Easy to understand, these videos add a new dimension to old blues and rag songs.

 

Many blues guitar teachers have a talent of playing genuine old time guitar and a gift of sharing that knowledge with others in an easy way. Everybody learns differently, some just need to pick up a guitar and start plucking away when beginning blues guitar . Others need to understand sheet music in order to move forward and become proficient.

 

 

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Beginning Blues Guitar – Love Blues Music? Check Out These Blues Music Festivals This Year!

For beginning blues guitar students, one of the best ways to learn is to expose yourself to the very same genre that you are trying to learn. It is therefore recommended that you check out some blues music festivals held throughout the year. Some of the most popular music festivals are listed below.

 

Chicago Blues Weekend

 

This festival is typically held between January 14th to 16th in Chicago, Illinois. The festival is intended to gather some of the best blues and jazz artists in Chicago wherein fans of the genre are invited to attend such that they can get a glimpse of the history and evolution of blues music in the city.

 

For this year, there are three west side venues chosen for the January 14 event wherein fans can listen to sounds of funk, soul, and blues. On January 15, you can join the Chicago Blues History Tour with guides walking participants around famous spots in the city that helped the genre flourish and grow. On the 16th, fans of Buddy Guy can witness him perform live in a show called ‘Voices of Chicago Blues’ and is one of the most anticipated part of the festival.

 

Juke Joint Festival

 

This festival is scheduled for April 14 to 17, 2011 wherein this year’s event is aimed to commemorate the life of the late Foster Wiley. He is recognized as the music maker of Clarksdale and has been a part of previous Juke Joint Festivals until he died last year. This event is open for all interested individuals but is recommended for tourists, musicians, and fans of blues music. There are a series of performances scheduled for the event, as well as exhibits and various kind of presentations related to the genre.

 

Calgary Mid-Winter Blues Festival

 

This year’s event scheduled for February 21 to 26, 2011 is the fifth edition of this annual event. It is held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada wherein the following artists are expected to attend the event: Debbie Davis Band, Donald Ray Johnson Band, Robbie Laws Band, Mark Hummel & the Blues Survivors with Rusty Zinn, and Earl MacAuley. There is also a bigger event scheduled for this year, which is related to this organization. It is the Calgary International Blues Festival due to take place August 1 to 7, 2011 with more artists expected to be part of the event.

Phuket International Blues Rock Festival

 

This festival set to happen on February 25-26, 2011 in Phuket, Thailand is one of the biggest in Asia and will feature some of the biggest names in the blues industry. Some of the main artists featured in the event include John Belushi and Mr. Curtis Salgado, who was recognized by the Blues Foundation Awards in Memphis as the highly coveted male artist in 2010.

 

Mississippi Blues Fest

 

On March 5, 2011, some of the biggest names in the blues music scene in Mississippi is set to take the stage during the Mississippi Blues Fest in what is the most anticipated events in the state. The event will be held in the Leflore Country Civic Center in Greenwood, Mississippi featuring T.K. Soul, J. Blackfoot Narvel, Terry Wright, Spanky E, Chitchy, and Tre Williams.

 

If you are a beginning blues guitar artist, then make sure to drop by any of these major blues festivals scheduled for this year. It will be a fun learning process!

 

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