New Blues – Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani’s “New Blues” is a perfect example of how Satch blends soulful expression with advanced technique, creating a track that feels both raw and refined. In this detailed LickLibrary lesson, Danny Gill shows you exactly how to capture the phrasing, articulation, and touch that make this piece such a standout in Satriani’s catalogue. With its blend of melodic blues vocabulary, modal ideas, dynamic bends, expressive vibrato, and tasteful legato passages, New Blues offers players an inspiring study in expressive lead guitar.
This in-depth tutorial guides you through every section of the track with step-by-step clarity, ensuring you not only learn the notes but also understand the feel and intention behind each phrase. Whether you’re looking to strengthen your blues-rock phrasing, improve your bending intonation, or bring more emotional depth to your lead playing, this lesson gives you the tools to elevate your musicianship.
Joe Satriani
New Blues showcases Joe Satriani’s ability to take the blues format and reinvent it through his unique melodic voice. While firmly rooted in blues phrasing, Satch’s playing incorporates modal colours, fluid legato, expressive micro-bends, vocal-like phrasing, and dynamic control—elements that have influenced countless guitarists across rock, fusion, and instrumental music. His approach blends the emotional depth of traditional blues players with the modern precision and creativity of instrumental rock, making “New Blues” both a tribute to the genre and a fresh re-imagining of it. This lesson highlights these stylistic traits, helping you bring the same depth and nuance to your own playing.
Lead Themes and Phrasing
The main themes in New Blues revolve around expressive bends, slides, and melodic fragments that reflect Satriani’s lyrical approach. Danny Gill breaks down each melodic idea, showing you how Satriani shapes lines using timing, sustain, and articulation. You’ll learn how subtle phrasing choices—timing a bend slightly behind the beat, adding controlled vibrato, or using a slide to bridge positions—create emotional depth and enhance musical storytelling.
Technique Focus and Player Benefits
String Bending
In New Blues, bending is used to mirror the vocal-like qualities of classic blues phrasing. You’ll study half-step, whole-step, and micro-bends, all of which require strong control and intonation.
Benefit: Improves pitch accuracy, expressive playing, and confidence in shaping melodic lines.
Vibrato
Satch’s vibrato is both wide and controlled, giving sustained notes a singing quality. This track highlights various vibrato styles—slow, fast, narrow, and wide.
Benefit: Develops expressive note control and adds personality to your sustained phrases.
Slides
Slides link different positions smoothly, creating seamless melodic movement. Danny demonstrates how Satriani uses slides to transition between pentatonic and modal colours.
Benefit: Builds fluidity across the fretboard and enhances your phrasing repertoire.
Legato
While not as extreme as some of Satch’s faster tracks, New Blues uses legato to add smoothness to passing notes and embellishments.
Benefit: Strengthens finger independence and creates a more connected melodic flow.
Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs
These techniques form part of Satch’s smooth embellishments around key melodic targets.
Benefit: Improves articulation speed and adds finesse to phrasing.
Double Stops
Double-stop fragments bring blues texture and weight to certain phrases.
Benefit: Enhances fretboard awareness and strengthens control over two-note harmony.
Bluesy Bends
Characteristic blues bends—including pre-bends, quarter-tone bends, and expressive releases—are central to New Blues.
Benefit: Helps you develop more authentic blues articulation and greater emotional control.
Slides into Notes / Chromatic Touches
Chromatic passing tones and approach slides add tension and personality to the melody.
Benefit: Expands your phrasing vocabulary and introduces you to tasteful chromaticism.
Sustain
Satriani’s mastery of sustain allows his phrases to breathe with emotion. Danny explains how tone, pick attack, and fretboard position all contribute to crafting long, expressive notes.
Benefit: Improves tone control, dynamics, and overall musicality.
Rhythm and Feel
Although New Blues is centred on expressive lead playing, the underlying rhythm provides essential context. Understanding the groove helps you place phrases more naturally, lock into the track’s laid-back feel, and build your sense of timing within a blues-inspired rock setting.
Developing Your Own Style Through the Lesson
Beyond replicating Satriani’s phrasing, this lesson encourages players to explore their own expressive voice. By breaking down why certain bends or vibrato choices work, Danny gives you the tools to internalise these ideas and apply them to your own improvisation and songwriting. You’ll walk away with improved articulation, fretboard awareness, and a deeper understanding of blues-based melodic construction.
Guitar Techniques Used in This Lesson
About The Tutor
Tutor Profile
Danny Gill
Danny Gill is, without a doubt, the most loved tutor by our community. With an incredible array of DVDs and web lessons for LickLibrary covering a wide variety of topics all of which he covers with incredible detail, it's no wonder he carries as much respect as he does. As...