For some reason Slow Blues trips up many a guitar player on jam night. Maybe its the openness and space inherit in the relaxed groove that makes most guitar players want to play 90 miles an hour. Slow blues, though, is definitely an area where less can be more. Tasty phrasing and feeling are key to pulling off a great slow blues jam.
I’m not saying a flashy lick here and there isn’t awesome – it is – but you have to know how to control yourself. Starting slow and melodic perhaps and building to a faster lick really adds some dynamics to a solo.
Recently, TrueFire.com teamed up with Anthony Stauffer of StevieSnacks.com fame and have put together an awesome TrueFire guitar course called 50 Slow Blues Licks You Must Know, to help us blues nuts out with the slow blues jams.
I’m really excited to see this since I’m a fan of Anthony’s (great teacher) and TrueFire always delivers. What an awesome pairing, like pizza and beer – it just works!
The course has both slow and tasty and fast and flashy licks. But I think the coolest thing about the lessons are that Anthony stresses when you should play the lick. Lining up the right note at the right time is 90% of guitar playing and I think he does a great job of emphasizing when these licks should be played.
Check out this tasty lick which is a sample lesson from the course:
NOTE: I do not have any affiliation with StevieSnacks.com, other than being a fan. I have no affiliation with TrueFire, other than being a student. I simply think this is an awesome course and every blues guitarist should take a look at it.
I’ve been playing and teaching for a while now and I still got a ton out of this course.