Maybe the hypnotic feel of the primordial blues guitar chords were intended to be drum like, possibly explaining why the single string thumb strike style of plucking was among the first to be used. Also, for a lengthy time in southern America, traditional drums were outlawed, as were other cultural things that enhanced the inner strength of the black people and instilled principles of self determination or freedom from slavery. It wasn't practically feasible to produce musical sounds of a very intricate form, and possibly made a short lived 'damped sound', with small difference in tune quality. It's known that early 'guitars' were basic instruments with a single string, cobbled together from a large wooden cigar box, or similar box. The first beat quite obviously was handed down from the people's roots in Africa, but modern African music is much more rich in rhythmic differences and more complex, so how did this happen? Learning blues guitar in today's world is a curious thing to go for.Įven the least well off in Western countries are so much richer than the early blues legends who first invented the wonderful music that was the corner stone of all the various musical styles of our times.Įven making use of the best blues guitar tabs, it's difficult for students to identify with the authentic spirit. The Roots Of The Blues - Beginning Blues Guitar Both men adapted the feeling and music of Africa into a driving experience that spoke directly to the emotions, an aspect tat is difficult to express adequately in most blues acoustic guitar lessons.īroonzy's music was particularly suited to the thriving juke joints outside most rural towns. Some of his pieces tended towards ragtime and he could also incorporate pop songs from the 'tin pan alley' of his day. He was also very fast and accurate, and very few modern day players can copy his technique effectively. Gary Davis could play in any key and in any style, with any kind of chord progressions but favored Gospel guitar in his later years.īroonzy came from the South, but ended up as a celebrity 'rock star' in Chicago, where he developed a particular style of swinging guitar blues characterised by his monotonic thumb action on the bass strings. The Reverend was taught in part by Willie Walker, another blind guitar player, and an incredibly fast and accurate ragtime guitarist from Carolina. Floyd council Pink Anderson Blind Boy Fuller Lightnin' Hopkins It isn't the complex technique that makes the blues, but the feeling and power behind it. Hopkins could play just one bass note and send a shiver up your spine. Listen to the walking bass lines of guitarists like Gary Davis, Big Bill Broonzy and the blue notes in any shuffle from Lightnin Hopkins. There are no short cuts to the power of the blues. The search for technical complexity can become the Holy Grail for guitarists, but it's a mistake.įew guitarists can match the power of the old blues masters, simply because their basic techniques are not solid enough to develop a solid authentic groove, which is the basis of all jazz, rhythm and blues, not to mention rock and roll. One famous delta blues artist was anything but delicate in his technique, but the power and emotion of Son House ensures him a place at the head of the blues table when listing the masters we need to study when wanting to learn how to play blues, even though his thrashing style was a far cry from the later twelve bar blues and more complex chord progressions. It may also be that a a tuned down guitar was easier to keep in tune in the humid swelter of the Mississippi in the deep South, where this blues music was born in a typical call and response pattern. For sure, it produces a plaintive sound when done properly, and some exponents such as Johnny Shines, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson used this way of playing to great effect. Often, the guitars were tuned down - to drop G, drop D and sometimes drop C. In fact, when many people refer to 'the blues', the Mississippi Delta style is what they really mean. Maybe this style developed first, as it reduced the need to use many chords. Just one step up from the field holler & work songs, basic bottleneck delta blues style is like a tortuous cry from the soul. Delta Style Blues - The Holy Grail For The Blues Feeling We need to explore all styles when we decide to learn how to play blues guitar. Of course, there are other important styles between these two examples.
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