NEVER Play Blues Licks Like This!
Playing blues licks is probably one of the most commonly performed things that guitarists will do when they practice. Blues licks are fun and they sound great! The problem is that they are all too often performed with very little of the true feel and emotion that they deserve...
In this video, I’m going to show you how to never play blues licks without feel or emotion again and I'll give you the fixes for the 4 most common mistakes players make when they're practicing blues licks.
BETTER BLUES LICKS:
Whether you can do a hundred blues licks right now, or you struggle to do just one, you’ll find this lesson incredibly helpful. And, I guarantee that you will be doing blues licks better by the time the video is over.
Whether you can do a hundred blues licks right now, or you struggle to do just one, you’ll find this lesson incredibly helpful. And, I guarantee that you will be doing blues licks better by the time the video is over.
Today we’re talking about Blues licks and my main directive for you to develop from them further in your playing is to make sure that you’ll start playing Blues licks (from here on out) with more; style and feel and dynamics.
I’m not worried (at this point), how advanced you are with playing Blues licks, I don’t even care if the Blues licks I’m going to show you in this video are the first ones that you’re ever even learning! The main thing is that you stop playing your Blues licks with a dead feel to them.
I want that "lifeless" approach to end, because playing with no feeling is not introducing the dynamics that lead you to a richer sound in your musical ability and in your personal feel.
I would like to have you play your Blues licks from a new perspective, one that is way more focused on HOW the Blues licks sound!
ADDING MORE EMOTION:
This lesson will be all about discovering ways in your guitar playing that will help you to avoid musical sound that lacks both emotion and feel. We don’t want to play Blues ideas without any emotion. That's what we're trying to avoid.
So, instead of only being fixated on the notes of a lick and where and how the lick looks on the guitar, (as well as, what fingers you are using to play notes), we’re going to instead fixate on the use of phrasing devices and musical arranging ideas to help expand on the sound of the licks.
Let’s get things started by learning an example Blues lick that has no phrasing at all. And then, we’ll use that example to start moving forward with phrasing concepts and with arranging ideas to help increase the sense of emotion and promote a greater sense of feel from the example Blues lick.
Example 1). The Foundation Lick:
played very straight and without any feel – no emotion.
Example 2). (GHOSTING NOTES)
The inclusion of slides simple bending and hammer-on.
I wanted to take a minute to let you know, that if you want to learn even more about scales and theory I have a great offer for you.
With any donation over $5, or any merchandise purchase from my Tee-Spring store, I’ll send you free copies of THREE of my most popular digital handouts.
One is called, “Harmonized Arpeggio Drills” (it’ll train you on developing your diatonic arpeggios).
Another one is my “Barre Chord” Handout which includes a page showing all the key signatures along with a chord progression that applies barre chords.
Plus, you’ll get my Notation Pack! It has 8 pages of important guitar worksheets for notating anything related to; music charts, guitar chord diagrams, and TAB.
As a BONUS, (from my "Over 40 and Still Can't Play a Scale" video), I'll also throw in a breakdown of all of the chords that are diatonic to the "F Major" scale.
As an EXTRA BONUS for my Phrygian Dominant video, I'll also throw in a breakdown featuring all of the chords that are diatonic to the Phrygian Dominant scale.
Just send me an email off of the contact page of CreativeGuitarStudio.com to let me know about either your donation or your Merchandise purchase and I’ll email you those digital handouts within 24 hrs.
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Example 3). (BENDING)
The focus is on bend release and full bends
Example 4). (2-NOTE CHORD IDEAS)
The creation of “2-note style chord ideas” for more punch and attack.
Example 5). (OPEN STRING PHRASING)
Introducing open string phrasing that match the notes of the scale /key
CONCLUSION:
The main thing to walk away from this lesson with is to NEVER leave Blues licks sounding flat without any feel or devoid of emotion.
Blues is the style of emotion! So, try something different with your Blues licks and make that different idea, (whatever it may be: Bends, Slides, Ghost Notes, Hammer-on's, or Pull-off's, or Vibrato, open string concepts).
Whatever it is, make sure to include different phrasing and dynamic ideas through your Blues licks and have this philosophy as a priority to accomplish going forward.
Every great guitarist has a certain sense of style to their phrasing that they’ve devoted a lot of time to perfecting.
And, when you focus on building your style - that work ULTIMATELY will be what separates you (and your licks - whatever style they might be in), it’ll separate YOU and what you play - from every other guitarist out there!
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