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Blues Soloing

Major & Minor Blues ~ Re-Thinking  I  IV  V

"I have been playing guitar for years. I knew the basics, but I had taken things as far as I could on my own. Rik immediately took my knowledge and playing ability to a whole new level by teaching me the theory behind what I had already learned ~ Kevin

Taking a standard 12 bar Blues and accentuating the very thing that defines it as Blues - the b3 note, as played against a major chord,

in this case the I chord in a major key Blues. This may in

theory seem like a contradiction but the b3 not only works, it's

a hallmark of the Blues.

 

Yes there are ways to look at the 'b3' note which address

this contradiction, and we discuss this at length upon initial entry

to the topic.

However, the flat 3rd does not work so well over the IV chord,

and you're not hearing it in the above clip because I purposely avoid it. You are hearing the natural 3rd, along with the b7, which

as we know is the core of the dominant category of chords.

Sounds great right? (despite some sloppy playing).

 

It all comes down to note selection. Speaking of which, you only get one bar of V chord so accentuate the difference and make it shine!

 

This approach to Chord Shadowing in the Blues (what I distinguish as Category 2 Blues) becomes more accessible once you can comfortably get around a standard 12 bar using minor pentatonic, in all five positions (Category 1 Blues). That's a

ton of work right there, but that's where we start.

 

Very little of this can be fast-tracked, at least not in my experience. It's one carefully placed step at a time, to build your skill-set & knowledge-base logically, in an organized way. The journey might be long, but it's ultimately rewarding!

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