Playing the Blues

While I'm not a technically accomplished guitarist (technically I can't even play guitar!) I took my first steps by playiing along with Creedence (most of the songs are two to three chords) and Eric Clapton; get the Crossroads collection, you might still be able to get the three tablature books that covered every song in the set!  Clapton I found played slower and it would give me time to figure things out.  The tablature books (three books for the three CD set) were excellent.  I would not try to play the entire song just learn some of the licks until I built up a repitoire and then string them together.  I play by ear so taking the technical approach would have been aggravating to me, I can't read.  Some of Clapton's songs like "Have you ever loved a Woman" and "Key to the Highway" were nice and slow and gave me a chance to "feel" the rhythm while I strummed along.  The books were excellent and gave me a chance to learn a small section of a lead or best of all the cool fills that Clapton would use.  I would memorize small sections until I could recall (fingers willing!) an entire lead.  Of course I could never play the lead EXACTLY like Clapton, you shouldn't worry about that either, but I could get my hands around the whole "Blues" thing using my own style.

I've been playing music now for the last 30 years, released three records of which I wrote 50% of the songs, and I'm having a blast!  Mind you, if someone asked me to play the pentatonic scale in the key of G I'd say "I'm not into that witchcraft, pentagram, ouija board thing man!"  I have absolutely NO idea what I just played, I just know I like the way it sounds!

seems that your interest is in electric blues. thats fine but be aware that theres lots of rural blues, jazz blues all good too but very different so choose licks relevant for songs which you like

in other word beg borrow and steal from BB king, Muddy waters and John Lee Hooker if that what you want to sound like

BB king is a good place to start because he has the BB Zone. he played his songs using part of the majo pentatonic

look on the web for turnarounds and intros he used then add them to your pentatonic

or start with a song. I always come back to "Sweet Home Chicago", "Born under a bad sign", "smokestack lightning"... after playing a bit - you can always depart from the progression and introduce some new licks - the more songs you know the easier you can incorporate riffs and whatnot into your improvised bit

don't always go up and down the pentatonic - you'll die of boredom - do some patterns  5 7 5 then back to 7 and then 7 5 7 etc.

and always start and finish on the root note of the scale. don't be tempted to start on the 6th string and go to the 1st string and back   (if you play the C scale start on the C go up to the top string, down to the bottom string and then back to the C)

actually zz top did some good blues numbers ...La Grange... and for that matter skynard did plenty of bluesy numbers ...Tuesdays gone.... I'm probably just kidding you here.

John,

Not necessary all in electric blues.  The comments were to open up another place where one can use the same Am Pentatonic scale.  In addition to playing it at the A root, 5th fret.  I am also a big fan of BB King, Eric Clapton, and Muddy Waters.  These legends also play up the neck as well.  For example, the BB box scale uses the 10th fret.  But, I do agree with you on the point that to play the "down home" blues is where one can start his/her experience.  Nonetheless, a player should be familiar with all the arsenals available to him/her.

maybe so, what kind of car?
    Ive always wanted a black 69' SS camaro, white racin' stripes, leather interior, with some johnny cash crankin' out of it, one of those home made poor people stereo systems where you wire a bunch of speakers up and pile em behind the seat.

All You Need is Love

A Black Dodge Charger from '69 with a beefed up stereo playing an evening with the Allman Brothers Band very loudly down route 66!

1959 Caddy two door with with Matt Minglewoods
"Black Cadillac" crankin. A good bluesy tune for a sunday
afternoon spin.

...Badeye.

...1971 T/A 340 Hemi "Cuda" is the car for me...