Electric Blues In 6 Weeks - Week 1
Lessons Included in this Course
Course Content Overview
This initial week is dedicated to building a rock-solid foundation in electric blues guitar. You will move beyond simply learning scales and licks to understanding how to apply them in a musical context, developing the core skills that every great blues guitarist possesses. The lessons are structured for a steady, manageable learning curve, ensuring you grasp each concept before moving on to the next. Our high-quality video lessons, complete with close-ups and detailed explanations from Stuart Bull, will guide you every step of the way.
Here’s a breakdown of the lesson contents:
- Pentatonic Scale in the First Position: Master the cornerstone of blues soloing, the minor pentatonic scale. You’ll learn the most common and versatile position on the fretboard, enabling you to start improvising your own bluesy melodies right away.
- Blues Scale in the First Position: We’ll introduce the “blue note” to the pentatonic scale, unlocking the signature sound of the blues. This essential scale will add a new layer of expression and authenticity to your playing.
- Blues Bends: Learn the art of expressive string bending, a crucial technique for making your guitar sing. We’ll cover how to bend in pitch and with control, a hallmark of the blues sound.
- String Bending: Develop your bending technique further, exploring different types of bends and how to apply them effectively in your solos.
- Vibrato: Discover how to add vibrato to your notes, giving them a professional and polished quality. This technique will bring your playing to life and add emotional depth to your melodies.
- Combining String Bending and Vibrato: Learn to combine these two essential techniques to create the soulful, vocal-like phrases that are synonymous with blues guitar.
- Blues Scale Licks: You’ll learn a variety of licks using the blues scale, providing you with a vocabulary of ideas to use in your own improvisations.
- Three Licks in the Style of David Gilmour: To cap off the week, you’ll learn three licks inspired by the legendary David Gilmour. This will give you a practical application of the techniques you’ve learned and a glimpse into the style of one of rock’s most iconic guitarists.
This Course is Ideal for Players Who...
This course is perfect for a wide range of guitarists, from aspiring blues players to those who want to inject more soul into their playing. It is particularly beneficial for those who aim to:
- Start their journey with electric blues guitar on the right foot.
- Build a strong foundation in essential blues techniques.
- Learn to improvise with confidence over blues chord progressions.
- Understand the theory behind the blues sound in a practical, hands-on way.
- Develop a more expressive and melodic playing style.
- Are fans of David Gilmour and want to learn some of his signature techniques.
What will I achieve from completing this course?
“Electric Blues In 6 Weeks - Week 1” is more than just a collection of lessons; it’s a structured, goal-oriented program that guarantees results. Stuart Bull’s decades of experience as a player and educator shine through in his clear, concise instruction. The course is designed to focus your practice on what really matters, eliminating the frustration of not knowing what to work on next. With a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical application, you’ll not only learn what to play but also understand why it works. The inclusion of licks in the style of a featured artist each week provides a real-world context for your learning, helping you to develop your ear and musicality. By the end of this first week, you will have a solid grasp of the fundamentals of electric blues guitar and be well on your way to becoming the player you’ve always wanted to be.
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Electric Blues In 6 Weeks - Week 1
Begin your blues guitar odyssey with "Electric Blues In 6 Weeks - Week 1," offered by LickLibrary. This course is carefully designed for those keen to explore the depths of blues music, providing foundational techniques that are pivotal to the genre. Each session is crafted to introduce you to key techniques while improving both your musical expression and technical skills on the guitar. This course is taught by Stuart Bull.
Course Overview
Pentatonic Scale in the First Position
Mastering the Pentatonic scale in the first position is crucial for blues improvisation. This scale is the backbone of your soloing arsenal, allowing you to weave solos that seamlessly integrate into a variety of blues settings. Knowing this scale enables you to craft solos that resonate with the emotive core of the blues.
Blues Scale in the First Position
The Blues scale adds a distinctive dissonant note to the Pentatonic scale, introducing a sound that is fundamental to blues music. This scale broadens your blues tonality knowledge and enhances your improvisation skills, enabling you to perform solos that are both expressive and deeply emotional.
Blues Bends
Blues bends are an expressive technique that adds depth to your playing, allowing your guitar to emulate the nuances of the human voice. This technique is essential for producing the soulful bends that define the blues genre.
String Bending
String bending is essential for injecting nuances into your playing, reaching those microtones that give the blues its characteristic sound. Mastering this technique elevates your solos, transforming simple melodies into powerful expressions of emotion.
Vibrato
Vibrato brings your notes to life, making them more pronounced and emotionally charged. Learning this technique allows you to sustain a note with interest, giving your performance a polished and professional quality.
Combining String Bending and Vibrato
Merging string bending with vibrato adds a layer of depth and emotion, refining your sound to produce a more soulful and expressive tone that resonates with the essence of blues.
Blues Scale Licks
Understanding and utilizing blues scale licks is vital for crafting captivating solos that embody the spirit of blues. These licks serve as the building blocks for improvisation, allowing you to personalize each performance.
Three Licks in the Style of David Gilmour
Exploring three distinctive licks inspired by David Gilmour, renowned for his emotional playing and expressive techniques, this section teaches you how to infuse your playing with the same depth and emotion that Gilmour brings to his performances.
The Advantage of Practicing with a Backing Track
Using a backing track during practice offers immense benefits. It creates a realistic band setting, helping you refine your timing, rhythm, and ability to play in sync with other instruments. It also bolsters your improvisational skills, encouraging you to adapt and respond to the musical backing, readying you for live performances.
Conclusion
The first week of the "Electric Blues In 6 Weeks" series lays the groundwork for becoming proficient in the electric blues guitar. It introduces essential techniques that every aspiring blues guitarist should know, enriching your musical lexicon and forming a robust foundation for further exploration. Completing this course not only gives you a thorough understanding of the basics but also starts you on the path to discovering your individual voice on the guitar.
List of Techniques in This Course
About The Tutor
Tutor Profile
Stuart Bull
As co-founder of LickLibrary and Total Accuracy, Stuart plays a tremendous part of all the goings on in LickLibrary today. Looking at our entire catalogue, the entire contribution from Stuart is phenomenal and has had an impact on tens of thousands of aspiring guitar players the world over. Stuart's professional...