Topic: Easy blues songs?
I'm looking to widen my styles a bit, since I mainly play, as the americans call it, "punk-rock".
Can someone recommend some blues songs that are easy to play? Ideally with some lead sections and/or slide guitar sections.
- gitaardocphil
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Re: Easy blues songs?
I don't know if this helps you, when I play blues, or at least try to play blues, I try playing own stuff.
Chords often used are starting with E (or E7) going to A (or E7), play this a few times, followed by B7, back to A and E, or just back to the E chord.
Do you have albums or CD's with blues songs? If so, the best way is trying to play along with the song.
A nice song is: "before you accuse me", performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Clapton..
Even more interesting is the fact that the song is not so difficult, and if you want: go to youtube, log in, search this title, and there it is, acoustic, electric, tutorial. I think TODAY, it is amazing what you can find AND learn there.
Hope this is helpful
[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color] AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]
- cytania
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Re: Easy blues songs?
The thing with blues is you have to distinguish between a blues progression and playing in a classic blues style. So in my Hal Leonard Rockabilly book I have the Elvis country style rocker 'Little Sister' which is an E A B7 progression with a few extras, the full blown rock'n'roll of 'Mystery Train' E A7 B7 and 'That'll be The Day' which appears a semitone out until you realise Buddy put a capo on first fret so it's A E7 B7 again. That blues progression gets everywhere...
On the other hand get Ralph Argesta's JamTrax: Blues book and you can improvise around a real blues feel, the charts show all the scales that fit the piece and you then let free expression rule (whilst trying to keep that bluesy vibe).
Great thing about blues is it's not all technical it's about percussive feeling. A simple chord worked just right can be more moving than a flurry of solo notes.
'The sound of the city seems to disappear'
- gitaardocphil
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Re: Easy blues songs?
Cytania, your answer is similar to my answer. I love to see that other chordians are writing, basicly the same. BUT you know so much about guitars, more the theoretical side. Thanks to some of your answers, I started to read more about blues and I try to do what you suggest.
I think that my answer was good, but all the scales?!! is it possible to get more information concerning "blues", it can help a lot of us. It is not relevant, me playing blues, and I can play "blues" but I never used scales, and I wrote approximately 10 songs.
The chords are often the same: 3 chords, and the 7th, like E7 A7 B7, is a CLASSIC example.
And if I feel sad, (they call it the blues for a reason) it comes from deep inside.
[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color] AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]
- James McCormick
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Re: Easy blues songs?
Hi Tibernius - The true beauty of Blues is the structural simplicity. Cytania is dead on in that the rhythmic element is so important - it doesn't need to be fast or flashy, it just needs to have the right pulse to go along with the flow of the chords.
Google up 'blues chords' or '12 bar blues' or '8 bar blues' and you will find tons of stuff on the sets of chords that are the foundation of Blues. Also, keep in mind that many of the 'legends' of rock&roll cut their teeth on basic Blues stuff (Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, etc.) so you are in very good company.
Wikipedia has lots of articles about Blues plus links to external sites that are useful. Have fun broadening your musical horizons . . .
Hope this helps, James
"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]
- gitaardocphil
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Re: Easy blues songs?
James, playing the blues is a skill, and you have to learn it. That's more difficult for me, and my question is again: "the importance of scales".
Everytime I look on the web, I never find a theory that fit's me well. I studied so long, and I confess: I am lazy, it has to come without an effort, but that is probably an utopia..
[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color] AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]
Re: Easy blues songs?
The trick with blues is, letting go. You start with a strum and end with a hum. The best blues comes from before the pop-culture period, 40's 50's, and then a little in the 60's. First try looking at what is known as oldies, Chuck Berry. Listen to the early not so famouse Beatles covers. "Rock and Roll Music", "Roll over Beethoven" and "Johnny B Good", are easy enough to find, and are good to get those fingers going. Rock and Roll (the original, and none crappy kind) is basicaly Blues on crack, its faster and crazier. Not to mention Blues Tabs make no sense, I genneraly keep away from tabs unles its a riff, intro or outro.
PS, if its prison blues than, Johnny Cash is lord of that domain.
Re: Easy blues songs?
I love that line, that rock is "blues on crack"!!
"Workin' at the Car Wash Blues"....fun song to play--great lyrics: "you know I should be sittin' in an air conditioned office in a swivel chair, talkin' some trash to my secritary, sayin 'here now mama come on over here'. Instead I'm stuck here rubbin these fenders with a rag, and walkin' in my soggy ol' shoes, well I got them steadily depressin' low down mind messin' workin' at the car wash blues."
Re: Easy blues songs?
Brownie Maghee and Sonny Terry sang "The Blues Had A Baby And They Called It Rock And Roll" at the Montreal Jazz
Fest in 1971. I also like that line"Blues on Crack". Love the sound of an acoustic guitar and a blues harp. Those three chords are Golden for a blues player.
...Badeye.
one caper after another
Re: Easy blues songs?
Give me one reason - Tracy Chapman
Re: Easy blues songs?
I have alot of easy blues tunes you can try if you check out my songbook,if yoy can try too find some jimmie reed songs on the net.I play lots of blues and the songs for the most part are not that hard. dino48
my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that Hot Rod Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman
Re: Easy blues songs?
On the Derek and the Dominos (Clapton) "Layla" album there are some great slow, three chord blues tunes to play along with. "Key to the Highway" and "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" come to mind. Both I think, have slide played by the late great Duane Allman who played slide almost too well. You sometimes couldn't tell if he was sliding or using his fingers he was that accurate! Both of those songs were/are pretty popular and you can easily find one or both on many different Clapton compilations, but I think you'd really appreciate the Layla album!
Hey! By the way, I'm a punker too, so your in good company!
Re: Easy blues songs?
Good blues one to play along to is Fleetwood Mac-I need your love so bad. Its a classic,. Good luck!
Re: Easy blues songs?
i like to jam along with my willie dixon box set. I also picked up a few licks from buddy guy's damn right i got the blues and some of hendrix's stuff. bB king's song Lucille is full of little licks that are easy to pick up and are apropriate in almost any blues setting.
"Nobody paints by ear so why would I play guitar by sight?" 