EXAMPLE3 DELTA BLUES STYLE

This is an acoustic fingerstyle, Delta Blues idea. It’s written in 12/8 time and is in the key of E. This could be played solo with no backing at all, which would sound really authentic, but for the purposes of this article, I’ve played it with a drums and bass backing. One of the key approaches in the fingerpicking blues style is the monotone constant bass note played on each beat of the bar, with the thumb providing the low-end weight and rhythm, which keeps the sound nice and full when picking chords and single notes. Normally this is played palm muted, so make sure the heel of your picking hand rests on the saddle, as you don’t want the bass notes to ring out too loudly. This constant bass approach is mainly noticeable when this style is played solo, rather than with the band, and is essential in providing an authentic and full sound. However, it requires a lot of practice and needs to be learned properly as it can be very tricky. As you’ll see in the piece, the bass note doesn’t religiously stick to the beats, but sometimes plays the third triplet note in addition – this can be even trickier. Again, this is a piece that, on the page, repeats, but in practice, I played slight rhythmical differences between the first time round and the second, which makes it feel more ‘real’.

I played this piece on my Eastman E10OOS/V steel-string acoustic, mic’d up with a Rode NT1-A.

INTRO This introduces the tune and sees the first instance of the bass notes on each beat of the bar. Make sure the bass notes are played with the thumb and lock in to the beat. The chords are plucked with the fingers, and again need to sit in the right place, as some are on the beat and some are syncopated in feel.

[Bars 1-4] The thumb plays the shuffle rhythm on the sixth and fifth strings over the E. Make sure the fast hammer-on, pull-off, hammer-on lick from the Minor 3rd of the E (G note) to the Major 3rd (G# note) is played in time and still retains the thumb bass note.

[Bars 5-12] The shuffle rhythm over the A in bars 5 and 6 is also played with the thumb here. Fret the B7 in bar 8 and the A7 in bar 9 as full barre chords, and note the steady bass notes on each beat of the bar. The turnaround phrase in bars 11-12 incorporates lower string ‘6th’ shapes and involve some tricky thumb and finger syncopated picking, so take it slowly and make sure you learn it accurately.

EXAMPLE4 SLIDE SHUFFLE STYLE

Here’s another blues-rock style ‘quick change’ 12-bar played with a slide over a heavily overdriven sound. Again we’re in the key of E but the guitar is tuned to an open E chord (low to high: E-B-E-G#-B-E). The tune goes twice around, staying relatively tame the first time, but more tricky the second time with more intricate slide work and some typical slide fills interspersing the rhythm. As is the case with all slide stuff, you need to be in control by making sure the slide is in the right place to pitch the notes correctly, and don’t press it down too hard, especially if using your regular guitar with a low action (lots of slide players have dedicated guitars that they use for this purpose with a deliberately high action). Additionally, use your picking-hand fingers to mute unwanted strings that you may not want to hear ringing when you move the slide. If you’re not used to using one, experiment with which finger the slide feels most comfortable on (I prefer a three-quarter length on and placing it on my third finger). Touching your first fretting-hand finger on the strings as you move the slide, helps to prevent the ‘rattling’ sound that can sometimes be heard when using one.

I used my Gibson Les Paul on the bridge pickup with a heavy overdrive sound. [Bars 1-2] These bars contain the chunky shuffle rhythm over the E and A chords

b7th played on the sixth and fifth strings. Note how the shuffle incorporates the scale degree as well as the usual 5th and maj 6th.

[Bars 3-6] Bar 3 uses the slide for the first time. See if you can get some nice linear vibrato going with the slide at the 12th fret, but don’t waiver around the pitch too much. Note how the G chord at the 3rd fret is used as a link back into the E; this is using E Minor Pentatonic tonality to create musical interest and movement. Bars 5- 6 see the shuffle rhythm being played over the A chord.

[Bars 7-8] Note how the E chord is separated into different string pairs in bar 7, again to create musical interest.

[Bars 9-10] Sliding up to the B chord in bar 9 at the 7th fret and to the A chord at the 5th fret, we see some single-note separation. Make sure the fingers of your picking hand mute the higher strings on the descending triplet line on beat 4 of bar 10, to avoid hearing them.

[Bars 11-12] The turnaround phrase in bar 11 is pretty straightforward. I would suggest fretting the descending bass notes with a free finger of your fretting hand, rather than with the slide, but it’s up to you.

[Bars 13-24] This half of the tune has quite a bit more going on, starting with the triplet figures in bar 13. The triplet figures on beats 2, 3 and 4 of bar 16 imply an E7 chord; take care here and make sure to only sound the third and second strings. Once your tuning is good, you can be as accurate or random as you like with pieces like this - sometimes random even sounds better!

EXAMPLE5 SLOW BLUES STYLE

This slow blues in the key of offers quite a few different approaches. It incorporates features such as shuffle rhythms, arpeggiated chords, full chords, triads, chord substitution and single-note lines. All of which can add so much interest to a slow blues rhythm guitar part, so experiment and eventually you should be able to improvise these rhythmic approaches freely. The piece has a two-bar intro and goes round the 12-bar sequence twice. The chords aren’t the regular I-IV-V found in a lot of blues, but incorporates a more jazzy progression which in itself is a little less predictable and more harmonically interesting. The approaches used are still blues sounding, however, and not intended to sound like actual jazz. I played this tune on my ES-335’s neck pickup with a clean tone.

Bb Bb-Db-Eb- Ab) Bb INTRO This phrase uses notes from the Minor Pentatonic ( F- and Major Pentatonic (Bb-C-D-F-G), but starts with a soul style sliding double-stop 4th on the top two strings, and after a typical descending Minor Pentatonic line, Bbb the phrase finishes with a Major double-stop on the fifth and fourth strings Bb) - the Major 3rd (D) and root ( respectively. The intro finishes with a chromatic line up to an F Augmented chord (F-A-C#). This chord is often used as chord V in a slow blues; it has a very tense sound when resolving to the tonic chord. Playing this with a ‘spread’ rather than in a block is a nice musical touch, too.

[Bars 1-6] The main piece starts with a gentle palm-muted shuffle as seen before Bb Eb on the and chords; don’t play this hard. Bar 3 sees the first of the ‘jazzy chord’ m7b5 approaches, but these also involve some chord substitutions, creating the Dm7b5 Dominant 9th sound. Bar 4 is pretty much a chord shape being played Bb9 over an implied chord, which hopefully you’ll recognise, but this actually has Bb Bb9, Dm7b5! the root on the first string, so officially that makes it a rather than a This is a common chord voicing, but can be quite tricky, as the fourth finger of the fretting hand has to flatten itself at the first joint in order to barre across the second and first strings. Make sure all the notes sound clearly here.

[Bars 7-12] In bars 7-8 we have a chromatic descending chord movement from Bb7 Ab7

down to which is strummed gently, then arpeggiated. Fret the full barre chords here and only strum up to the third string. The following arpeggiated part starts on the second string, so this combination of approaches can sound

Bb nice and musical. The Minor Pentatonic double-stop lick at the end of bar 10 leads into chords punctuated with a soul style ‘chip’ double stop on beats 2 and 4. Make sure you fret the full chords again, but separate the ‘chip’ from the

Eb9, Bb7 ringing chord for the best musical effect. Note how the and F Augmented chords in bars 11 and 12 are all approached chromatically from a tone below.

[Bars 13-16] Bar 13 marks the start of the next time through the progression. Bars 13 and 14 contain a great slow blues rhythm guitar approach; substituting Minor triads to create the sound of a Major 6th chord followed by a Dominant 9th. These triads which often slide up and down, as they do here, are sometimes referred to as ‘gospel slides’, and work great over blues chords like Dominant 7ths and 9ths. Some more jazzy chords follow, and I decided to throw in an earbending Altered Dominant chord in bar 15, the F7#5#9. The sliding 6th shape

Bb13 figure in bar 16 over the chord almost sounds the same as the gospel slide, but slightly ‘emptier’.

[Bars 17-24] The returning shuffle rhythm in bars 17 and 18 are slightly embellished from the first time round by the bluesy three-string chord hammeron figure, and the following descending chords are almost played in the same

EXAMPLE5 SLOW BLUES STYLE.. CONTINUED

way as before, but with a fast hammer-on and pull-off ‘trill type’ figure on the first string of each chord. Make sure you maintain the fretted chords here, as the chord strum, trill and arpeggio all need to ring. This phrase is followed by G7b9. Bb two more Altered Dominant chords, the G7#9 and After the Minor m7b5

Pentatonic based lick in bars 22-23, we see again the chord substituting for a Dominant 9th in descending chromatic pattern.