Advanced Blues In 6 Weeks - Week 6

"Advanced Blues In 6 Weeks - Week 6" is the culmination of a comprehensive guitar course designed for the intermediate to advanced player looking to deepen their understanding and mastery of blues guitar. This final week focuses on refining and advancing your technique with a series of intricate and expressive guitar methods. From G dominant 7th arpeggiated licks to hybrid picking, each technique is explored in depth, providing the student with a rich palette of blues expressions. Coupled with a performance by the tutor and practice with a backing track, this lesson is crafted to elevate your musicality and technical prowess to new heights. This course is taught by Stuart Bull.

Guitar Lesson Overview

G Dominant 7th Arpeggiated Licks

G dominant 7th arpeggiated licks introduce the guitarist to the dynamic world of dominant 7th chords, articulated through arpeggios. This technique enriches the blues sound with a mix of tension and resolution, essential for creating emotive and compelling solos. Learning these licks enhances the guitarist's ability to navigate chord changes fluidly, adding depth and sophistication to their playing.

CAGED Dominant 7th Arpeggiated Licks

The CAGED system is a cornerstone of guitar theory, offering a method to visualize and connect chord shapes across the fretboard. By focusing on dominant 7th arpeggiated licks within this system, guitarists unlock the ability to integrate these powerful sounds across various positions and keys. This knowledge not only expands the creative options but also improves the understanding of fretboard navigation and chordal relationships.

Major and Minor 7 Arpeggiated Licks

Delving into major and minor 7 arpeggiated licks, guitarists explore the nuanced differences between these emotional chord qualities. Mastering these licks provides a richer vocabulary for expression, allowing for more detailed storytelling through music. These techniques serve to enhance musical expression, offering a broader emotional range for the blues guitarist.

Chromaticism Within Scales

Chromaticism introduces notes outside the standard scale or key, adding surprise, tension, and complexity to melodies and solos. Integrating chromatic notes within blues scales offers a fresh perspective and revitalizes classic blues licks. This technique challenges the guitarist's creativity and technical skill, encouraging a more adventurous approach to improvisation and composition.

Hybrid Picking

Hybrid picking combines the use of a pick with fingers, allowing for more complex and varied textures. This technique is invaluable for executing intricate licks that require jumping across strings or playing non-adjacent strings simultaneously. Learning hybrid picking opens up new possibilities for articulation and dynamics, significantly enhancing the guitarist's expressive capabilities.

Performance by the Tutor

Seeing these techniques demonstrated in a performance context by the tutor is invaluable. It provides a practical application of the skills learned, showcasing how they can be woven together to create a compelling musical narrative. This real-world application inspires students, offering a tangible goal to strive for and a clear demonstration of how technical skills serve musical expression.

Practice with a Backing Track

Practicing with a backing track is crucial for developing timing, rhythm, and musicality. It simulates a live playing environment, allowing the guitarist to apply techniques in context and refine their ability to interact with other musicians. This practice solidifies the learner's skills, ensuring they are not just technically proficient but also musically communicative and responsive.

Conclusion

"Advanced Blues In 6 Weeks - Week 6" is a comprehensive lesson that pushes the boundaries of blues guitar. It offers a deep dive into sophisticated techniques that will enrich any guitarist's playing with new textures, emotions, and expressions. Through dedicated practice and exploration of these techniques, guitarists will find themselves well-equipped to express their musical voice with greater depth and nuance.

Guitar Techniques Used in This Lesson

• Hybrid Picking
• Chromaticism
• Arpeggios

This lesson leverages these advanced techniques to guide you through mastering the art of blues guitar, setting a strong foundation for continued growth and exploration on your musical journey.