Blue Melody

I was once in a prog band where the bandleader decreed that no blues licks were to be played. Everything was to be strictly ‘modal’, he declared, solemnly. While I respected the sincere effort to move away from the everyday language of rock, which could fairly be said to be blues (mixed with country and a little jazz), it’s only when you fence off the whole of blues from use that you realise just how fundamental it is to guitar. But the very ubiquity of blues also makes it all too easy to lapse into cliché when we do play pure blues or use blues licks. That’s why we joined some of the world’s great practitioners of the blues to ask them how they keep their licks powerful, fresh, authentic and in touch with the emotional mains supply that drives great blues guitar. From masterclass technique lessons to insights into blues history, we hope you’ll find our cover feature inspiring, whether you play rock, jazz, metal or (most forms of ) prog – because blues touches them all.

On a tragic note, Guitarist was saddened to learn of the passing of veteran contributor Julian Piper, who died in September. A deeply knowledgeable authority on blues music and a fine blues guitarist in his own right, Julian enriched readers’ lives with his features on the masters of the genre from Muddy Waters to BB King. He will be sadly missed and the whole team extends their deepest sympathies to his friends and family. We hope you enjoy this issue, which is dedicated to his memory, and see you next month.