Looking for advice for playing blues guitar.?

Question

Been playing for 7 years, feel like I am stuck in the "rut". Would like to know how to break out of the same boring crap I dabble with and free flow stuff. Any advice or tricks and tips would be appreciated.

Answer 1

go down to the "crossroads". if your patient, you'll come in contact with a mysterious individual who'll solve your problem.

Answer 2

Hi spaceace,

I know how it feels like being in the "rut".

Some tricks you can use to give yourself the gift of a fresh sound.

* Change guitar tuning, move to an open tuning
* Change your guitar. If you are playing an acoustic predominantly, see if you can move to an electric, even if it is a friend's, for a few days.
* Indulge in some music theory.
* Modes: If you hear yourself playing too much of a major scale, say C major, try to force yourself to play a B Locrian mode (same notes as that of the C scale but starts with the B note - B C D E F G A B)
* Cover Practice focus: Depending on your skill, pick up a song that you like (.eg. Stairway to heaven), get the tabs (by ear), try to play pieces of the song EXACTLY, note for note. You will be surprised to find how much such a "copycat" technique can help you break out of the rut. The trick is not to give up until you have the piece under your fingers. Focus on just one song for a week.Choose the piece wisely. Something that you like, something that is just beyond your playing level now, but not completely out of reach.
* Exercises: Finger training is one reason why people get into the rut. Its not you, but your fingers getting into the rut actually. Depending on where you where, choose some finger training exercise that may help you.


Pentatonic Jail
Another issue is being in the "pentatonic jail", where all your licks and solos are on the pentatonic scale and they sound the same ! (of course).

* Try to introduce some notes with are not in the scale, for example major third or major fourth if you are playing the minor pentatonic.

* Learn the diminished arpeggio on the top four strings and play it a lot during chord changes and turn arounds. It really changes the sound of your blues and gives it a more jazzy feel.

Probably will be a bit easier to help you if you could tell me what level you are.

Happy playing,
Shourya
http://shouryalive.com

Answer 3

Well John Mayer uses a strat all the time and the majority of his last album was blues. The Strat is very versatile and was made that way it's simply a great guitar and can be used in many genres and is, for the most part, the guitar of choice to many guitarists in the rock world. John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers uses it, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Dick Dale, Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Pete Townshend and so many more guitarists have or currently do use it. It's a great guitar and if you do want to go into the genre of rock I'd def. get a strat but as for blues and jazz a semi-hollow might be the better way to go. Hope this answers your question! Good Luck!

Answer 4

Been there , Done that. Try not touching your guitar for a week. After a week of abstinence teach yourself some new chord progressions and then come up with some melodies to play over the top of them. A lot of times when your in a rut it's because you just keep rehashing the things you already know. Time to tap into your creative side. Forget about all the scales and modes and music theory in general and just experiment with your own original ideas. Ya never know , you may come up with some really good stuff. Even if you don't at least your not repeating yourself over and over. Good luck to ya!

Answer 5

When I discovered the blues.. I was hooked.. Started playing rock in the 60's. Jazz took over in the 70's as did funk..but I'm still rooted in the blues. Listen to more progressive players, Robben Ford, Garth Webber, Chris Cain, Volker Strifler.. Keep your ears open. We all get in ruts.. regardless of the amount of time we've played.. These days.. I use more altered chords.. Not a big fan of basic dominant chords.. Use a lot of 13ths, 9ths. diminished.. altered dominant chords.. make it fun.

Answer 6

When this happens to me I change the music I`m listening too.
Alot of blues is 12 bar which is cool but a lot of blues is not.
Keb Mo RL Burnside Missippi fred mcdowell All play
12 bar but can do other thing too. Robert Cray is a good
one to listen to his approach is unique. His chords are awesome. Try open tunings open d (DADF#AD). Try some
slide. Maybe take a break and just listen and don`t play for
a week I do that sometimes. Give Sonny Landreth a listen
Good luck

Answer 7

Blues guitar has to come from the heart. Technique? Well, everybody has their own as far as that goes. There was a line in the movie Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives that I like very much and it's true, "The way you play you're born with. It's like finger prints. You can change your name but you can't change the way you play." My technique/style is of course influenced by those guitarists I've listened too all of my life. From the movie Crossroads there was a line that is also true. "Blues ain't nothin' but a good man feelin' bad." So hang in there and you'll get it.

Answer 8

if your playing chords music mostly ,then change up a bit.
play some modal stuff, like "who knows" band of gypsies.
instead of thinking of chord changes and the notes that go with it,forget the exact notes to play and get into the beat .you can play on it ,off it and around it.take off into any note you want then come back into the modal base for a landing. there
is nothing boring when you spank the plank.......

Answer 9

I try to never miss the program "Austin City Limits"... I never come away from a program without seeing SOMETHING I want to try... usually while they are still playing it... (guitar is just an arm's reach from my easy chair). That program is very inspirational.

Answer 10

Look up the "CAGED" technique for guitar chords & learn to play your solos in different places on the neck.