Why Many Rock Players Can't Play Blues Guitar

Introduction

Are you a rock player who feels frustrated when attempting to play blues guitar? Do your major blues attempts sound awkward, with misplaced bends and wrong notes? Or maybe you simply want to expand your chord vocabulary and play those tasty licks like Stevie Ray Vaughan and BB King. If you answered yes to any of these questions, you've come to the right place. In this blog post, we'll explore why many rock players struggle with blues guitar and present three habits that can help overcome these challenges. Additionally, we'll provide a jam track and introduce different positions to enhance your major blues playing. So, let's dive in!

The Challenge for Rock Players in Playing Authentic Blues

Authentic blues incorporates elements of major and minor blues, major and minor pentatonic scales, and occasionally major and minor scales. Many rock players, including me, grew up playing minor blues, influenced by bands like Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne and other rock/hard rock artists. The minor blues scale became the go-to form, and rock players often centered their phrasing around it. However, this limited approach leaves much untapped potential. To truly excel at blues guitar, rock players need to embrace the blend of minor and major blues.

Mixing Major and Minor Blues: Unlocking the "Quan"

The major obstacle for rock guitarists lies in their exclusive focus on the minor blues form. By centering their playing around minor-sounding licks, they limit their musical expression and miss out on the essence of blues. To overcome this challenge, three key habits can be adopted:

1. Breaking Away from the Minor Blues Scale: To facilitate growth as a player, it is crucial to move beyond the comfort zone of the minor blues scale. This means temporarily avoiding its use. Although it may initially leave a void, this void can serve as an opportunity for growth and exploration.

2. Embracing Major Blues Licks: To add a major flavor to your blues playing, it's essential to learn and incorporate major blues licks. By doing so, you introduce new elements into your repertoire, expanding your musical vocabulary and adding maturity to your playing.

3. Understanding Chords: Knowledge of chord progressions is vital in blues guitar. While minor blues works over major chord progressions, understanding the chords' nature enhances your playing. Major blues licks are particularly effective over the one chord although they can be used over the four and five chords, while minor blues licks work well with all three chords usually represented in blues chord progressions.

Applying the Concepts: Practical Approaches to Major Blues

Now that we've discussed the habits necessary for major blues mastery, let's explore practical ways to incorporate these concepts into your playing. By using specific patterns, you can create major blues licks that infuse your playing with a fresh and vibrant sound.

One effective approach is to start with the major blues form and experiment with different positions. By exploring major blues bits and transitioning between them, you can develop a nuanced and dynamic playing style. Additionally, you can incorporate major notes into your minor blues licks, creating a unique blend of major and minor flavors.

Furthermore, learning the BB Box pattern can be instrumental in enhancing your major blues playing. By utilizing this pattern, you introduce new possibilities and variations into your improvisation. This technique involves hitting specific notes, such as the major third, to infuse major spices into your playing. The BB Box pattern offers a rich palette of notes that can be explored and bent to add depth and emotion to your major blues licks.

Conclusion

In summary, many rock players struggle to master blues guitar due to their exclusive focus on minor blues and a limited understanding of major blues elements. However, by breaking away from the minor blues scale, embracing major blues licks, and deepening their knowledge of chords, rock players can unlock a whole new level of blues guitar proficiency. Incorporating major and minor flavors into their playing will lead to a more mature and nuanced style. So, take these concepts, explore the suggested patterns, and remember that growth comes from stepping outside your comfort zone. With practice and dedication, you'll soon find yourself playing major blues like a pro.

Click here to learn the simplest way to "speak the blues"