Improving one's blues skills

[Quencho092]

I guess I've been getting bored from trying to pull new licks out of my pentatonic modes and such. I've begun to implement different rhythm patterns to revive my old tricks and licks, but it's only successful with my band or a good backing.

How does one improve in the blues department? I just want to learn how to dig deeper into my licks and perhaps focus harder on turn arounds in progressions and such. I've nailed down note targeting, i tend to focus a run around maintaining the rhythm of the progression and arriving at the target notes when the next chord it hit.

What's a good method to improve blues skills? Is it just something that improves with time and jamming, or can i take a new approach and work something out?

[clint_41]

Re: Improving one's blues skills

I have soloed the hell out of the pentatonic and blues scale for a long time now. I am no master at it, but i know what you mean..... endless pentatonic soloing can get old. The only suggestion i have is to use other modes. I have started using mixolydian and dorian a lot lately in blues (mainly over 7 chords and 9 chords) and even some natural minor. I dont know if you use these already, but these modes given me something else to master and a new sound to work with. Just some more variety to keep me (and my listeners) from getting bored.

[tone4days]

Re: Improving one's blues skills

don mock had an incredibly cool video out (more than 10 yrs ago) called 'the blues from rock to jazz' ... alot of tasty ideas on how to improve your blues playing and expand your note choice options ... i think it is still available on the web (google it)

one cool idea was to learn how to use four different major pentatonic scales over a dominant 7 chord ... so for a C7 chord as the I in a I - IV - V , think of it all as in the key of F (C mixolydian vibe) .... vamp a C7 rhythm then play F major pentatonic, Bb major pentatonic, and C maj pentatonic scales over it ... throw in Eb major pentatonic (aka C blues scale) and you can get 4 different scales to use over the C7 chord ... then apply the same ideas to the IV and V chords so that your playing isnt static on one note center, but rather changes as the chords change ...

check it out
good luck
t4d

[hacker]

Re: Improving one's blues skills

Don't give up on the pentatonics just yet. Most blues players play them exclusively. My suggestion is to start listening to as many different blues players as possible. Personally, although I understand and can play modes, I don't think of using them when playing blues. I also can't believe that many blues players think of modes when they are playing either. I have read and heard interviews with many blues players, and I never heard the terms Mixolydian or Dorian come from their mouths.

For example, the guitar mags always like to say things like, "here B.B. is drawing notes from the mixolydian mode." But I have seen B.B. talk about his music, and he simply doesn't think in terms of modes. He does say things like "here I am playing the root, here is the 6th" etc...

I think the great blues players like BB King, Buddy Guy, SRV, etc. know the pentatonics inside and out, and then add other notes in where they see fit. Major 3rd, 6ths, 9ths, b5 (the "blues note") all add spice to a regular minor pentatonic scale.

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Improving one's blues skills

I mix it all up, and simply go by ear now, sometimes I use a regular major scale, most of the time it is just chromatic hell
It is about training the ear to hear the other notes as perfectly normal ones, in a manner of speaking, taking it out of the box.
I keep the blue stuff as a foundation along with the rest, I also switch around between minor and major stuff in the same chord, gives a nice tension and release effect, but the best thing is just to listen to all kind of music and play along, just let go.
I challenge myself with all kinds of weird stuff, I am focusing very hard on making my guitar play like a voice, do everything in periods, sometimes I just focus on rhythms and funny intervals, as it all is about patterns at the end of the day.

[Quencho092]

Re: Improving one's blues skills

don mock had an incredibly cool video out (more than 10 yrs ago) called 'the blues from rock to jazz' ... alot of tasty ideas on how to improve your blues playing and expand your note choice options ... i think it is still available on the web (google it)

one cool idea was to learn how to use four different major pentatonic scales over a dominant 7 chord ... so for a C7 chord as the I in a I - IV - V , think of it all as in the key of F (C mixolydian vibe) .... vamp a C7 rhythm then play F major pentatonic, Bb major pentatonic, and C maj pentatonic scales over it ... throw in Eb major pentatonic (aka C blues scale) and you can get 4 different scales to use over the C7 chord ... then apply the same ideas to the IV and V chords so that your playing isnt static on one note center, but rather changes as the chords change ...

check it out
good luck
t4d

I got your idea, but can you elaborate a bit more?