One of the toughest things I found about learning guitar was trying to get my head around fingerstyle blues.
Many years ago, I would watch various YouTube videos while trying to learn how to play this style.
After an hour of scratching around on there, I was none the wiser, and it was like banging my head against a brick wall.
Every few months I would try it again and struggle again.
There were a few good resources I come across but even those didn’t put it all together for a solid 12-bar blues.
It was more bits and pieces, which was pretty annoying.
You may have gone through this at some point yourself.
The thing is, fingerstyle blues doesn’t have to be that complex and to get it right you need two things. That is, to know:
1 – The 12-bar blues structure
2 – A good fingerstyle blues pattern
That’s it.
The cool stuff you hear the likes of Eric Clapton, Robert Johnson, and Blind Blake play, all builds on top of these two factors.
Of course, they played great turnarounds, used variations and embellishments, etc., but they built it all on top of a solid core.
The structure is not too bad to learn.
Like anything, remembering the structure takes a little while, but once you do, it can be used time and again.
The fingerstyle pattern can be the elusive missing ingredient though, and one of my favourites is a special one that is five notes long and sounds great for blues.
Once you have both the structure and pattern down, you put it all together and voila, you get a 12-bar blues piece.
I have created one based on the above principles.
It is called “Lightning Blues” (you have to name your blues pieces with the word “blues” in there, after all!).
The piece is good fun and if you join my membership programme by the end of the month…
You will get this lesson as the November bonus.
Not only do I teach you the core 12-bar blues (which includes the structure, the pattern, and even ways to simplify the chords), but…
You will also learn how to develop this piece further at a later stage.
Unlike the other bonuses I have released for the membership so far, and especially the lessons in the structured “In Focus” course (also part of the membership),…
This lesson is NOT something beginners will learn overnight…
It is not something you can expect to be good at right away, and it is definitely not for the impatient out there.
It is what I would call an “early intermediate” piece, and it goes even further than that. This is a video lesson that is designed to be downloaded along with the tab and digested over time.
If this has put you off, that might be a good thing as I dislike anyone being told things on guitar are easy or can be learnt overnight.
If it does appeal to you though, and you have patience, are willing to practise in a steady, step-by-step way (i.e. day 1 – learn the pattern, day 2 – practise it, day 3 – apply it to a chord, etc.), and…
Are willing to keep coming back to this video, then you can have loads of fun with it – and it is loads of fun.
If you want to join the membership and get the blues bonus video, the link is below.
Please be aware you will need to join by the end of the day tonight to get the bonus.
Have a great Saturday!
Dan Thorpe
P.S. Here is what else is inside the membership:
Master the basics and learn the exact same lessons as my one-to-one students in the In Focus Essentials Course – featuring the “3Ps of Guitar Playing”, fundamentals of rhythm, how to get faster chord changes, the fingerpicking essentials, blues basics, ear training, and much more…
Learn 75 stunning songs with the “Playlists”, which includes 25 fingerpicking songs, 25 strumming songs, and 25 classic riffs.
Unlimited access to me directly. My time is limited these days, so I prioritise it for members in a variety of ways, including direct, fast email support.
Take the “Two-minute challenge” where you will be tasked with improving a crucial aspect of your playing each month.
Win prizes, have fun, and track progress with the “Leaderboard” (this is NOT about skill level so do not worry if you are not a confident player yet).
Get started with “The 30-day plan” – so you have an exact and solid plan for the next month and beyond.
Plus, get access to the “Members” areas for exclusive content, “Supercharger” lessons, the mini forum, an “Orientation” guide to get you started, and more…
P.P.S. I should say, I am renaming the membership the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy, as I think it is a better name. More on this soon.
P.P.P.S. This post was originally taken from Dan Thorpe’s private email list. To get blog posts like this sent to you which are full of great tips to make fingerpicking, strumming, and learning guitar more enjoyable (especially if you are over 40) join Dan’s list. It’s 100% free, HERE.
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