acousticguitarworkshop.com RICK PAYNE SP FINGERSTYLE BLUES More chapters in the story of how to play Fingerstyle Blues

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1 acousticguitarworkshop.com RICK PAYNE SP FINGERSTYLE BLUES More chapters in the story of how to play Fingerstyle Blues 2

2 Fingerstyle Blues 2 - Contents Welcome to Fingerstyle Blues 2! In the first course, we explored the beginnings of fingerstyle blues using simple techniques of thumb and finger independence, for a spot of authentic blues playing. We used several instrumentals to develop this style and from all the e mails I have received I am sure it has been a great success. Fingerstyle 2 picks up from where we left off, and we will be expanding these first exercises and instrumentals to great effect, plus loads more ways to put you in touch with the real flavour of fingerstyle blues. Fingerstyle blues has always been the true essence of guitar based blues. There is nothing more inspiring than listening to the solo, acoustic ramblings of John Lee Hooker or Big Bill Broonzy. Fingerstyle was where it all started, and still challenges and captures the imagination of millions of guitarists today. So, on with the course and enjoy! Chapter One THUMB AND FINGER WORKOUT Chapter Two FINGERSTYLE GALLERY Chapter Three TURNAROUNDS IN THE BLUES Chapter Four G TUNING AND FINGERSTYLE BLUES Chapter Five D TUNING AND FINGERSTYLE BLUES Chapter Six RAGTIME BLUES - THE GUITAR SHUFFLE EXPLOSION Chapter Seven CHORD PLAYING AND FINGERSTYLE Chapter Eight COMPENDIUM OF EFFECTS Chapter Nine CHORD REVIEW FINGERSTYLE RESOURCES RECOMMENDED LISTENING Listen and learn Written by Rick Payne Produced by acousticguitarworkshop.com

3 CHAPTER 1 - THUMB AND FINGER WORKOUT Remember, the art of good Fingerstyle Blues, evolves around the strong use of thumb and fingers. We need to establish the 'thumb beat' and work around with our fingers. The thumb beat can take on different patterns. All the ideas are in E, but please experiment with different chords and keys. 1. The one string constant bass, great for Broonzy, Lightening Hopkins and many more: 2. Or, alternating bass: 3. Changing the rhythm of the bass: 4. Adding melody: Continue CHAPTER ONE

4 CHAPTER 1 - THUMB AND FINGER WORKOUT CONTINUED 5. With syncopation: 6. Let it all roll: 7. With hammer on's and pull off's: 7. With hammer on's and pull off's: Continue TO CHAPTER TWO

5 CHAPTER 2 - FINGERSTYLE GALLERY Let's continue the workout now, in this gallery of some of the greats of Fingerstyle and Country Blues like Robert Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy and Doc Watson. Robert Johnson and various other Delta players used a style of pick, which featured a flamenco hit. Listen to the audio file, you'll hear the hits where the x's are on the tab: The next example uses a shuffle bass, followed by a triplet pick. This is a bit more interesting than the basic shuffle and similar to the pick Robert Johnson uses on Sweet Home Chicago: Here's a Broonzy style pick using a dampened chord hit: Continue CHAPTER TWO

6 CHAPTER 2 - FINGERSTYLE GALLERY CONTINUED Another Broonzy pick, using a sliding 7th chord. Try palm muting when picking the bass with the thumb. This isn't compulsory but it gives a really authentic flavour to your picking: Try these picks reminiscent of Muddy Waters, Lightening Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. Again you should try and damp the bass with the palm of your hand: Here's the above riff in A: Continue CHAPTER TWO

7 CHAPTER 2 - FINGERSTYLE GALLERY CONTINUED Here's a rolling Texas blues style of Blind Lemon Jefferson: There are many variations to Texas style blues, and later on in the course, we'll take a closer look at the picking style of Blind Blake. Meanwhile, try this honky tonk blues style of Doc Watson: Continue TO CHAPTER THREE

8 CHAPTER 3 - TURNAROUNDS IN THE BLUES Turnarounds, or the intro's and outro's that we associate with the blues, are an important part of fingerstyle. They set the tone of what's to come in the 12 bar. Quite often, the more complex the turnaround, the more complex the fingerstyle. They give ammunition to the picker and interest to the listener. The following turnarounds are just a few of hundreds you could create. Most of them are in the key of E, but whatever, feel free to experiment and change them in any way: KEY = E KEY = E KEY = E KEY = E KEY = E KEY = E Continue CHAPTER 3

9 CHAPTER 3 - TURNAROUNDS IN THE BLUES CONTINUED KEY = E KEY = E KEY = A KEY = A KEY = A KEY = C KEY = C Continue TO CHAPTER FOUR

10 CHAPTER 4 - G TUNING AND FINGERSTYLE The same techniques apply to open tuning fingerstyle as they do to ordinary tuning. A strong thumb pick and care to right and left hand finger management are all important ingredients. Open tunings however, can give even the most modest of picks a texture unique to the rootsy sounds of the blues. G tuning, or capoed alternatives like A or B, was the norm among the early Delta Blues pickers like Charlie Patton, Son House and Robert Johnson. G TUNING: Low to high would be - D G D G B D : Playing these small chord shapes can sound pretty authentic for blues: Continue CHAPTER FOUR

11 CHAPTER 4 - G TUNING ANDF FINGERSTYLE CONTINUED Let's try some simple fingerstyle reminiscent of the Delta. In the following example, the thumb leads the pick and the finger follows through with a brushing up action, as indicated by the arrows on the tab. Continue CHAPTER 4

12 CHAPTER 4 - G TUNING ANDF FINGERSTYLE CONTINUED G tuning offers a great deal in the way of turnarounds too, as these four patterns demonstrate: Continue TO CHAPTER 5

13 CHAPTER 5 - D TUNING AND FINGERSTYLE Dtuning and it's close relative E are both great for fingerstyle blues. The two tunings are as follows: D low to high D A D F# A D E Low to high E B E G# B E Because the harmonic structure of the two tunings are the same, whatever we do in one tuning we can do in the other. These kind of tunings are particularly good because the thumb can maintain a steady alternating pattern on the two D strings: Or an upbeat pattern: The top strings can offer up some great bluesy melodies: Continue CHAPTER 5

14 CHAPTER 5 - D TUNING AND FINGERSTYLE CONTINUED This picking style is reminiscent of the great Texas blues players like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson and Blind Blake. Blind Willie Johnson used the top strings to great effect and often played bottleneck to accentuate the melody. This next example, in the style of Blind Willie Johnson could be played with slide (Check out acoustic guitar workshop slide course ). Texas blues leaned more towards the jollier, ragtime styles of the blues and less intense than Delta styles. It was a style suited to the dancing and entertainment of the 'Roaring Twenties', and gave rise to many classics. Blind Blake is probably the most famous for this style, giving us Diddie Wa Diddie and Police Dog Blues to name just two. Here's the intro to Police Dog Blues: Continue CHAPTER 5

15 CHAPTER 5 - D TUNING AND FINGERSTYLE CONTINUED In the second bar in the preceding pattern a G chord is played. Again, the chord shapes used in open tuning give a unique sound to fingerstyle. The most popular shapes for the three chord trick in D tuning are: Continue CHAPTER 5

16 CHAPTER 5 - D TUNING AND FINGERSTYLE CONTINUED In Police Dog Blues, Blind Blake uses some great effects, like the chime bells on the open strings: Play all 12th fretted notes as harmonics: And the octave runs: And the train bends: Continue to CHAPTER 6

17 CHAPTER 6 - RAGTIME BLUES In the first fingerstyle blues course we explored a bit of Ragtime Blues. One of the pieces we chose was based on the guitar shuffle style of Big Bill Broonzy. By the way we re back in standard tuning! This used the typical syncopated pick as follows. Don t worry about fretting (!) just get used to playing the pattern on open strings: Continue CHAPTER 6

18 CHAPTER 6 - RAGTIME BLUES CONTINUED The Guitar Shuffle Continue CHAPTER 6

19 CHAPTER 6 - RAGTIME BLUES CONTINUED Listening to the master pickers like Broonzy, or The Rev Gary Davis, it soon becomes obvious that they weren't content to stick to a simple fingerstyle tune. Pieces like the Guitar Shuffle would explode into fingerstyle improvisation. As we discovered in the first course, improvisation in the Guitar Shuffle occurred in place of the C bars. Play G bar, then cut to anyone of the following three patterns: To be inventive with this kind of improvisation it is worth reminding ourselves where these riff patterns originate. Check out the C blues scale in the open position: Continue CHAPTER 6

20 CHAPTER 6 - RAGTIME BLUES CONTINUED It is impossible to play these patterns successfully with one finger, so try thumb, index and middle finger to achieve a good roll: T = Thumb I = Index finger m = Middle finger Anyway, whatever fingers you use keep it logical and don't get tied in a knot. So far we have only thought about changing the C bars. Other bars can be altered to give the Shuffle more flavour. In the example on the following page, Rick has improvised around the Shuffle using some arpeggios and 7th runs. Feel free to interpret as you wish. ( check out acoustic guitar workshop course - Pentatonic To The Blues ) Continue CHAPTER 6

21 CHAPTER 6 - RAGTIME BLUES CONTINUED The Guitar Shuffle - Version 2 Continue TO CHAPTER 7

22 CHAPTER 7 - FINGERSTYLE AND CHORD PLAYING IN THE BLUES Fingerstyle playing, usually breaks down chords into one or two note repetitive phrases, accompanied by constant or alternating bass lines. However, fingerstyle can benefit from a fuller use of chords. It can add a rich texture to your playing and give the blues a new dimension. In it's simplified version the thumb might lead the chord as follows: Or, vary the rhythm of the bass: And use other chords in the sequence: We can expand this idea further by expanding our use of chord inversions. This means using different shapes and sounds for our existing chords (see next page for shapes). Let's look at this with a progression of E7 chords: And again with rhythmic variety: Continue CHAPTER 7

23 CHAPTER 7 - FINGERSTYLE AND CHORD PLAYING IN THE BLUES CONT D Here are the inversions of E7 on the fretboard. These are applied in the last two patters on the previous page. The same system of E7th's can be played on lower strings, for a more bassy version: Continue CHAPTER 7

24 CHAPTER 7 - FINGERSTYLE AND CHORD PLAYING IN THE BLUES CONT D I've put the whole idea together in an instrumental blues called 'Inversion Blues'. Watch out for the new chords - diminished 7th's. (o7th) These make great connecting chords and help the piece flow together. The bass pick works well as it stands, but as an exercise you could try varying the movement of the bass and rhythm. All the chords, and more, can be checked out in the chord review section of the course. Continue TO CHAPTER 8

25 CHAPTER 8 - COMPENDIUM OF EFFECTS Throughout this course I've used various effects which enhance playing the blues and in fact all forms of fingerstyle (with the exception of palm muting) from Country to Classical. I thought it would be a good idea to take a closer look at them. Right hand dampening or the palm mute It is quite rare for the thumb to produce clear open notes in the blues. The right hand is normally held back against the bridge in a claw-like position to enable the palm to dampen the bass string: String Bends Bends help to emphasise the blues notes. In this example the G note is stressed against the open E bass string: Hammer on s and Pull Off s These give playing more attack and accent to phrases: Slides Sliding in and out of notes add to the laid back style of the blues and again helps to accent certain notes: Continue CHAPTER 8

26 CHAPTER 8 - COMPENDIUM OF EFFECTS CONTINUED To demonstrate how important effects are, let's try a simple blues, first without effects (this page) and then with (next page). Continue CHAPTER 8

27 CHAPTER 8 - COMPENDIUM OF EFFECTS CONTINUED Continue TO CHAPTER 9

28 CHAPTER 9 - CHORD REVIEW No mp3 All fingerstyle playing involves the use of chords and in this course we've covered quite a few. The following shapes have been used and are displayed here for reference and revision. Remember, the boxed numbers help you identify the chord that has been played in the previous tab exercises and instrumentals: b exercises and instrumentals. Continue CHAPTER 9

29 CHAPTER 9 - CHORD REVIEW CONTINUED No mp3 Continue CHAPTER 9

30 CHAPTER 9 - CHORD REVIEW CONTINUED No mp3 Main Index

31 Fingerstyle Resources ACOUSTIC GUITAR REVIEW Subscribe free to Acoustic Guitar Review, the ezine for acoustic guitar players. Every month enjoy interviews, reviews, news, free tab and more. To subscribe free click here and send a blank and you re done. FREE MP3 s Remember successful learning also requires listening to the type of music you are trying to master. You can listen to the Acoustic Guitar Workshop s acoustic blues mp3 s at our download page. Click here. GUITAR TIPS Click here for our tips page. Useful info on tuning, buying an acoustic guitar, fingernail care, maintenance and more. ACOUSTIC BLUES RADIO Click here to play ACOUSTIC BLUES RADIO - Very cool! If you like Acoustic Blues, you ll love this web radio station. LISTEN & LEARN Main Index