WahKeen Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Someone said, "The Blues is easy to play, but hard to master." This rings true.... Or does it? Your thoughts? Guitar wise, as in lead guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Yes............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recsec Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 The Blues Scales and Pentatonic Scales are relativley easy, but to learn the "Blues" takes a Lifetime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbabig Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 It's a club exclusively for the lonely, the heartbroken, and the outcast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 One problem is how to define "blues." Even 12-bar stuff has been done acoustic, country, rock, "delta," Bluegrass, jazz... W.C. Handy already was well trained in music when he first heard some primitive stuff. Wrote "St. Louis Blues" that ain't a 12-bar "thing." How about "Mood Indigo?" "San Francisco Bay Blues" as done by Jesse Fuller? Basin Street Blues? Stuff we call "blues" today is an electrified and changed creature compared to some of the stuff I first listened to. Was John Lee Hooker playing blues when he used acoustic to acompany himself, or only with an electric and a band? Etc., etc. All kidding aside, I played "blues" for years but not electrified and not with a band. Ditto many of the "old" guys in years gone by. So... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayer_shabetay Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Someone said, "The Blues is easy to play, but hard to master." This rings true.... Or does it? Your thoughts? Guitar wise, as in lead guitar. Hey King, Its funny you write this. I just came from the studio recording a blues tune (I was doing all the instruments guitars, bass, drums and lead vocals). Everything went perfect except for the lead guitar. Just couldn´t get it right :( My producer said I wasný making the guitar talk the blues,so I ended up leaving without it. Hopefully I can come up with the right feel and finish the song soon. What I´m trying to say......its not easy, at least for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I don't consider myself to be a blues player, but it seems to me it's all in the subtleties. Anyone can learn the basics of the genre easily. But when the subtleties are mastered, the blues guitar becomes very expressive and vocal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WahKeen Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 One problem is how to define "blues." Even 12-bar stuff has been done acoustic, country, rock, "delta," Bluegrass, jazz... W.C. Handy already was well trained in music when he first heard some primitive stuff. Wrote "St. Louis Blues" that ain't a 12-bar "thing." How about "Mood Indigo?" "San Francisco Bay Blues" as done by Jesse Fuller? Basin Street Blues? Stuff we call "blues" today is an electrified and changed creature compared to some of the stuff I first listened to. Was John Lee Hooker playing blues when he used acoustic to acompany himself, or only with an electric and a band? Etc., etc. All kidding aside, I played "blues" for years but not electrified and not with a band. Ditto many of the "old" guys in years gone by. So... m Yes, the blues can be pretty broad, but keeping it in the realm of muddy waters, john lee hooker, bb king and those guys, let's say it's a point of reference. Definitely, styles have changed but today's blues players still use the same scales for the most part... Like Paul Stanley's son. he knows the blues scales and yet at a young age seems to have it down pretty well. One can say he's very close to mastering the blues compared to another kid who knows the scales, but has not mastered the blues yet. So does it boil down to talent, practice, skill? I'm not sure I making any sense, it's just that when people say that playing the blues is easier than another genre, it seems rather uneducated. Yay, nay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WahKeen Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hey King, Its funny you write this. I just came from the studio recording a blues tune (I was doing all the instruments guitars, bass, drums and lead vocals). Everything went perfect except for the lead guitar. Just couldn´t get it right :( My producer said I wasný making the guitar talk the blues,so I ended up leaving without it. Hopefully I can come up with the right feel and finish the song soon. What I´m trying to say......its not easy, at least for me. yeah I hear you. the scales are pretty easy, but there seems to be something that makes it come together. I read eric clapton's latest book, and he said sometimes he has felt like throwing his guitar down because he wasn't happy with what he was doing. wild huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Anybody's who's always happy with what he/she is playing... I don't understand. Heck, I never am. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayer_shabetay Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 yeah I hear you. the scales are pretty easy, but there seems to be something that makes it come together. I read eric clapton's latest book, and he said sometimes he has felt like throwing his guitar down because he wasn't happy with what he was doing. wild huh? Exactly!!!!! I guess I gotta keep trying. I´m supposed to get the rough recording tomorrow (without the l gtr), I will post it on this thread so you or anybody else reading this can give me ideas of what I should do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Well I think this sums it up best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWLw7nozO_U The notes are pretty easy to play but trying to capture his essence is a whole other ball game... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Rocker Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 The Blues are a genre for those with a lot of feeling. But in saying that so are the other genre's. When I was an angry young guitar god (in my own mind), I was a heavy metal shred master. It was my passion at the time, which since has shifted over to the blues. I find that they both require skill, and passion. I'm now trying to learn some twang and chicken pickin', and Rockabilly. These also have a lot of feeling and will take some time to get a good handle on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shnate McDuanus Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Blues gets me in a special place, but I don't quite have the mastery over the subtle touches that really make blues "gods" just yet. Hence, I've been moving into shred territory lately. Troy Stetina's books have definitely gone towards solidifying my technique, but...not for the blues, really. I guess I just haven't got the touch or mind for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 xdemonite. <grin> Seriously, certain kinds of "blues" came fairly naturally for me when I was around your age... others were virtually impossible. That's one reason that, frankly after too close to 50 years of pickin and 60 years of "playing" music, I keep wanting a closer definition of "blues." A comparison you may like: I always liked Shakespeare, but I thought King Lear was quintessentially boring. When I was around 45 or so, I ran into a lady Shakespeare prof and we were discussing some comparisons between Greek and "Shakespearian" tragedy and commedy and Aristotle's "Poetics" and stuff. I griped so much about having to read Lear in high school that the lady prof said right out, "Ahah, that's way too young to understand Lear. You shouldn't have to read or watch it until you're over 40, and then you'll definitely get it." I think certain types of blues are the same way, although they may be somewhat different for you and for me and for whomever. It's not a matter of not understanding, or having technical ability, it's ... something more innate that either clicks or doesn't. Probably some 18-year-olds "get" Lear. I certainly could not. Do now, though. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Someone said, "The Blues is easy to play, but hard to master." This rings true.... Or does it? Your thoughts? Guitar wise, as in lead guitar. The blues is easy to overplay. To me SRV is a great example. Bathos out the wazoo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky4 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I don't consider myself to be a blues player, but it seems to me it's all in the subtleties. Anyone can learn the basics of the genre easily. But when the subtleties are mastered, the blues guitar becomes very expressive and vocal. +1 If you look at the greats like the Kings, Otis Rush, etc. They play few notes, but make the most of them. There's also a timing aspect some players have that just blows my mind. The blues from the fifties is great to listen to. You know they didn't have the studio tricks, but got a sound that is almost impossible to reproduce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 What is so important is; It is NOT what a real blues guitarist knows how to play; it is what a blues guitarist does NOT know how to play..................THIS is what gives any blues guitarist his and / or hers signiture tone. Think about it.........................Why does a fully schooled guitar cat sound non authentic sometimes ??? It is because they know too much from a technical point of view................. When one knows it all, it is no longer genuine blues, it is ' performing the blues ', which is fine and dandy, sounds great, but it ain't genuine blues.............. Beetoven was the blues player of his generation because although he knew it all, he built mistakes and non-conforming notes into his music......... To this day, people insist in ' correcting his mistakes '........Math is music, and music is math........neither is supposed to be perfect.......ever....... There are many many exceptions...in math, and in music.....................blues is supposed to be imperfect......good blues is good blues...... And crappy blues is crappy blues....and regardless of what one likes in the blues, only good blues is good blues, and isn't perfect.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluzhammer Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 All blues is good blues to me, it's what the listener interprets from the player. I have found in my blues/rock journey that what you don't play speaks as loudly as what you do play. Almost like your guitar is breathing , that momentary silence of a deep inhale before you pour out everything you have into that space in time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidl Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I think a lot of people can technically play the blues, but not everyone can feel it. My guitar instructor and I were talking about just that last night. I am one of his more advanced students but he has at least one other much more technically advanced. He plays all the notes...mechanically. But my teacher can't really jam out with him. It just isn't there. He loves to end our sessions with a good little jam. He says I make my guitar sing and cry and you just can't teach that. Blowing my own horn a little there but I am in my zone, eyes usually closed when playing blues. Still tons to learn and discover. I certainly lack in other aspects of guitar playing. The theory and technical side is why I started lessons and am pleased that I did. I don't think I'll ever be completely satisfied in my abilities though, no matter how many lessons I take or how many hours I put in. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Owl Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I totally agree with the comments above about east scales, hard to master the style and sound. I do have one thing to add about "feeling" and playing the blues though I live a pretty good life, As far as I know I have my health, a beautiful future wife, a good car, good place to live and a good job, not exactly "blues" material. Here's the thing though, I suffer from anxiety, it runs on my mom's side of the family. I didn't realize it, but many of the Blues songs I've heard actually mean a form of anxiety when they say "blues". It's the same symptoms of nervousness, tight chest, down, scared, not knowing why and such that really resonated with me, and when I figured out that my anxiety was "the blues" I completely clicked into it. I'm not saying I can play it an better, but I sure as hell understand it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayer_shabetay Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 What is so important is; It is NOT what a real blues guitarist knows how to play; it is what a blues guitarist does NOT know how to play..................THIS is what gives any blues guitarist his and / or hers signiture tone. Think about it.........................Why does a fully schooled guitar cat sound non authentic sometimes ??? It is because they know too much from a technical point of view................. When one knows it all, it is no longer genuine blues, it is ' performing the blues ', which is fine and dandy, sounds great, but it ain't genuine blues.............. Beetoven was the blues player of his generation because although he knew it all, he built mistakes and non-conforming notes into his music......... To this day, people insist in ' correcting his mistakes '........Math is music, and music is math........neither is supposed to be perfect.......ever....... There are many many exceptions...in math, and in music.....................blues is supposed to be imperfect......good blues is good blues...... And crappy blues is crappy blues....and regardless of what one likes in the blues, only good blues is good blues, and isn't perfect.... It make a lot of sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Pardon me for not reading all the posts - early gig today. The blues are easy to play - so to speak - because the chords are common. That means a lot of people can master the technical aspects of the blues, so that includes people who are not very good. Therefore the percentage of blues players that aren't any good is larger than say Classical Guitar because Classical takes a lot more skill and the not so good players give up. As far as mastering the blues, it depends on whether or not you have the talent for it. Some people can make easy or difficult songs "sing", others cannot. If you have that talent, and you are into the blues, I see no reason why it should be any more difficult than any other kind of music to master, and easier to master than something like modal playing. Just my opinion. Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 It's all about the emotion to me. That, and NOT playing at the right times. I heard it here, someone said that they relate guitar to Steve McQueen. He didn't have all the lines, but all of his lines had impact. Don't wank on the fretboard, make every note MEAN something. I'm moving more into psychedlia and nuance playing But again, there is no such thing as wrong music, its whatever sounds good to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Several 0.02's herewith..... For me the Blues came about as a folk expression of suffering in the negro community of the late 19th century Exploitation, insecurity, grinding poverty, slavery etc. Anxiety is the key, as mentioned above... In theoretical terms the 'devil's interval: b5th or tritone' is an expression of anxiety...and is present unresolved in most Blues in the predominant use of dom7th chords....ie the anxiety is ever present and unresolved The broad appeal to both black and white audiences IMO took a big step forward in the 20's with the melding of 'white' musical sensibilities and 'black' blues via the many talented Russian immigrant composers escaping their own ethnic pogroms...George Gershwin being the prime example. Together with the likes of Billie Holliday and her 'lighter' compatriot Ella Fitzgerald, it became acceptable in still prejudiced America for white audiences to 'dig the blues' Not forgetting the hugely influencial Duke Ellington and Count Basie... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.