Regular Folks Playing Guitar: Blues Guitar

Blues guitar is great fun and pretty simple once you understand the scale numbers! The video above is an example of following a backing track and playing blues scale notes over the top as a melody line. You can hear how the chord tones and blues notes work with passing notes to create a cool bluesy-sounding melody. Once you understand the numbers and the target chords, it’s almost impossible to make a mistake! Click the chart to download a printable PDF instruction sheet For E major, minor pentatonic and blues in the first position. And there’s a Zeppelin lick for you there too.

Lovers have come and gone, but only my mistress stays. She is beautiful and gentle. She is a swinger. She has grace. To hear her speak, you can’t believe your ears. She is ten thousand years old. She is as modern as tomorrow, a brand new woman every day. Music is my mistress, and she plays second fiddle to no one.   –  Duke Ellington

Next: