# any help for a 55 beginner in blues only



## alex1212 (Nov 9, 2011)

hi ill get to the point fast!as the title reads have plenty of time since put on perm disability,i just want to learn the blues ,qall my life i just listened to blues !soooo i dont expect to fly or show off to anybody as i live alone and angry alot! i guess that helps.i have the figer all loosened up so alternate picking i can do,now i just please would like some kind of regimate or road i can follow please.like scales,i have a book on them so i see there is pentatonic major and minor BUTthere is also a seperate blues scale so in eg E there is 3 scales can i skip the 2 and just learn the blues scale?as you can see iam trying to cut corners but i do have a reason for this as arthrities is my friend in foe here so iam trying to balance my practice with some results as age to is creeping in, i hope someone kind of understands were iam trying to go here,i find myself getting lost on you tube with all the guitarists sites and stlyes and riffs,i just would like a kinda straight line i could follow and while learning i have a smile in somewhat of a real crap life i have now as iam also at 55 in a old folks home so my squire tele and peavy vyper are usally on headphones !!! have lots of backing tracks to practice .but again iam relly realy will be thankfull for anyone s help!!!!!!!
cheers to everyone
alex


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Hello alex1212 and welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy posting here.

I don't feel very qualified to suggest the easiest ways for you to learn the blues, as I am not a teacher.
However, I enjoy playing the blues and if i ask you a few questions, it might help others to make suggestions:

Do you have a favourite blues artist (or artists) and would you like to learn more about their specific "style"?

Do you know how to play a basic blues rhythm pattern in the keys of E, A, and whatever other key(s) you enjoy?

Do you know the keys that your backing tracks are in?

Are you most interested in learning how to play leads/riff to the backing tracks?

Have you developed the ability to bend notes on the guitar?

That should be at least a starting point.

Cheers

Dave


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Tons of usefull vids on youtube. The basics are to learn a basic shuffle pattern, and the minor pentatonic scale...you can do 90%+ of your soloing and fills in just a couple of the 5 positions, but as you learn to link the positions it gets more interesting.


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## alex1212 (Nov 9, 2011)

cool!replies thanx! yes i know the scales of E,A,and starting to learn C,G,.iamnot sure on this memorizing scales which i guess i should do.man,, i think i really screwed up because jumping around so much has thrown me off track so far iam not sure how to get back!confused i guess,,maybee i should learn the scales first, then chords or mix them up?aghhhhh.... hahahahahah !thats an insane laugh so you know!as fpr guitarists no favorities maybee roy buchanan, or old alvin lee, or peter green,too many black artists even too mention,!!!old mcenna mendelson mainline was terrific!! the STINK album to me is a classic! last but not least is that iam the type that if its learning scales then thats what it is 4 ,5 6 hours a day if thats what it takes,memorizing is something i know i have to do so i try to slam it out and move on as quickly as possiable! i was like that in work and in generqal very intense which could be my downfall


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Do a google search for 'beginner blues'. Then just do one on Youtube. Lots of free stuff.


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## BIGDC (Aug 16, 2011)

This assumes a working knowledge of guitar but it's pretty informative

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/BL-000-Blues.php


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## jeremy_green (Nov 10, 2010)

Firstly, you need to enjoy it. Playing scales etc is part of the process but not THE process if you dig.

Secondly, which ties to my Firstly : ) you need to learn songs - mostly. Find a Blues artist who solos are nice and slow - like BB King, Robert Cray, Earl Hooker, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson etc. Learn their songs *as many as you can*.

To do this you will need to know:
Pentatonic minor scale
Dominant chords - followed by minor and Major forms.
This will cover 90% of it.

At first use whatever means necessary to learn the songs, TABs, Videos, Internet, but before too long try to use your ears and figure them out on your own. Make sure you are in tune (get a tuner) and find the lowest note of each chord. Then change each of those notes you found into Dominant chords - if that sounds wrong try minor or major. The software Transcribe! helps massively to slow stuff down. Your ears are your ticket to freedom so develop them.

Thirdly, it is VERY beneficial to find a good teacher. Someone you enjoy and can share influences with. This can be the single biggest motivator for adults.

Keep it fun. Most important. Drilling scales and crud can grow drab pretty fast. Don't get caught up in that. Find a song that requires you to learn a certain chord or scale - then use that song as a reason to learn it - not the other way around. If you keep plugging holes AS YOU NEED TO, you will eventually run the gamut. Makes it more fun to acquire the knowledge this way.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

> the STINK album to me is a classic!


Amen brother 

Your first assignment.... figure this out..... 

[video=youtube;V16Yi-RJ5Rc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V16Yi-RJ5Rc&amp;feature=related[/video]


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

if you're in a hurry to be able to play simple stuff, i would make a suggestion. don't worry so much about what note is what so much, and think in terms of pattern. below is the blues minor scale. it goes with almost anything. the red dots are the root notes. so if you want to play in the key of "a" the red dot on the low E is the first note in the scale. 
if you want G, then move back 2 frets, if you want C then start on the 8th fret. it's about the pattern. move the pattern up or down the neck to suit the song. the pattern remains the same. the place you put it, is what changes.
the minor pentatonic, and the blues scale are the same exact scale. the blues scale just has an extra note in it, that's all. the 4th note in the above scale. every time you see a red note, that's the beginning of the scale. take out the 4th note and what is left is the pentatonic minor scale. either one works for blues, but the pent min works over _almost_ everything. for easy stuff to play, how about some buddy guy? 
1)everything gonna be alright
2)how can one woman treat a man so mean?
3)checkin on my baby

there's 3 in a row you can play from "drinkin tnt and smokin dynamite" with jr wells on the harp, and singin.
this guy is a member here and has a website with a ton of cool backing tracks to play along too, all blues:
http://www.dolphinstreet.com/backing_tracks/ if you do a search on this forum there was a post which listed about every free backing track on the entire internet. over 5,000 of them.


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## alex1212 (Nov 9, 2011)

holy crap id like to say tthanks very much ! SHORETYUS your not right !!!!!hahahah wow been awhile for those cuts !! thanx !jermey thats about the straight line i needed,just the facts like dragnet !same to cheese man i got it ! i do play alot off the wall and use my ears but i was starting to play that way only and was losing discipline very fast! that is when i knew i was in trouble sort ve speak! these days its aliitle hard to hold discilpine as my attitude does sway but as long as i have a guide now i know were to follow ! this was one damn good idea ! to all thanx and ill stay in touch!shoretyus ,,,, your not right ! hahahaha very cool ! miss those days !


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## alex1212 (Nov 9, 2011)

like to know whats everyone playing gibsons fenders ?????


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

alex1212 said:


> like to know whats everyone playing gibsons fenders ?????


Yes. 

I find that the guitars I play the most are: 1. The guitar that is closest; and 2. The guitar that is most comfortable to play. It helps that they all sound good, so I don't have to choose based on that. But for me, I play a lot more if I have a guitar right around where I live, rather than in a case under the bed in the room in the basement, if you know what I mean. Secondly, if you're after a new guitar, it's best to play a few, if possible. You can buy guitars online, but it's easier to find one that "speaks" to you in-person.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

mike mckenna is the man! (and a very cool guy also) i play along to parts of that record all the time. whoever he had playing rthym was the perfect compliment to mike's slide work. the guy had a tinkling style on some tracks that was just as perfect as anyone could ask for. he'll be playing at the swan this month, so for you guys who dig his stuff you need to get out there and see him do his thing. he could squeeze sweet tone from a lemon, i betcha.




alex1212 said:


> like to know whats everyone playing gibsons fenders ?????


not me. just copies. one is a love child between a prs and a les paul. the other, a 335


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

alex1212 said:


> like to know whats everyone playing gibsons fenders ?????


You should be able to squeeze some blues out of a Squire Tele...... Tele's are made to work....in any genre.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

alex1212 said:


> like to know whats everyone playing gibsons fenders ?????


 60% of the time it's a les paul. 20% of the time a 335 and 20% of the time a tele


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## jeremy_green (Nov 10, 2010)

Almost always a Strat. SOMETIMES my Les Paul... SOMETIMES my SG.... almost all the time one of my Strats. They just play so damn nice and have such a versatile palette.


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## alex1212 (Nov 9, 2011)

*tele\*

i really enjoy the tele!cany believe all the differant sounds she can do! now if the idiot playin her could just get a few more things down we will have a long relationship
cheers
man i gotta get out more often!


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Alex: Here's a thread here at GC on teaching videos starting from beginner and up to more advanced techniques. I hope is a help to you.

www.guitarscanada.com/theory-technique/39968-guitar-lessons-video-only-no-shredding-clips.html

If you can spend even 15 minutes a day, you'll quickly improve. You said you were only interested in playing for yourself, but may I suggest something? Once you get a few songs down, why don't you play for one of your associates where you are living. It will help you and them, both with your playing, confidence and likely you'll both enjoy it. Let us know how you're making out with the new hobby.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Did you say blues on a tele....

[video=youtube;DDOIL5OqvYs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDOIL5OqvYs&amp;feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;ihvvf1R_vWo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihvvf1R_vWo[/video]

And you can do anything up to and including this...

[video=youtube;T9bdYVZXBug]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9bdYVZXBug[/video]


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

Robert1950 said:


> And you can do anything up to and including this...
> 
> [video=youtube;T9bdYVZXBug]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9bdYVZXBug[/video]


I'm not sure if you're allowed to play blues in a polo shirt.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Mark P said:


> I'm not sure if you're allowed to play blues in a polo shirt.


No way .. polo shirts are a no go.... ..except for Muddy Waters 

http://www.soundcheckmusicblog.com/...11/09/Muddy-Waters-Sound-Check-Music-Blog.jpg


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## alex1212 (Nov 9, 2011)

thanx steadfast! and all,,, gonna check the course out!iam just finishing off those 20 chords everyone has to know eg .A.Am.to.to G7,YOU KNOW THOSE I DONT HAVE TO REALLY get into them but i have to really get those down as just lead is for pros .i lke the mix if that can happen when i have a few beers and start whailing the blues to all my senior friends who think iam some kind of axe murderer and at 55 why in the hell is he in here!! hahahahahaah !!!!! now i know how it feels to be looked upon prejudice is not cool! thoughts these old timers had class?lets fly


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## wingsfan (Aug 26, 2010)

Hey Alex
When you find your way around the fret board and are comfortable with it, its time to move to some open tunings E and G for sure.
Maybe pick up a slide and your away to the races.
The true beauty of blues is when you f#@k up people think your playing jazz.

enjoy


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## alex1212 (Nov 9, 2011)

*step down too early*

iam not too sure about those steps! long way to go ,i thought you have to basically get a intonation done if do this?i was told that if i wanted to play srv style,again i watched this guy stevie snacks on you tube were he has a ton of srv lessons and NOOOOOOOO whew! take a look talk about makin ya feel like a novice!! well i am but hmmm have a look on you tube or his site enjoy


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