Learn to Play Blues Guitar

So, you want to learn how to play the blues? Feeling down and out, and just want to make your guitar wail? Learning the basics of the blues is easy! You just need to understand the most common key signatures, chord progressions and riffs used in the genre.

Let's start with key signatures. You can, of course, play blues music in any key you choose. However, the most common keys used in blues are the key of E and the key of A, both in the 'open' position.

Why?

Think about the stereotypical blues sound for a moment: duh-da-duh-da-duh-da-duh-da. You've no doubt heard it before. It's often referred to as the 'walking' blues because the rhythm is similar to someone walking at a steady stride. Some historians say it's supposed to mimic the sound of a horse trotting along.

That 'walking blues' rhythm is created by playing a two note progression. In the key of E, for example, you play the low, 'open E' note simultaneously with B and then with C# (Db) on the fifth string:

When you move through the progression to play a measure on A, you just move your index finger over one string, so that you play the 'open A; simultaneously with E and then F# (Gb) on the fourth string.

It's a lot like a bass line, and the open position of the root notes for two of the dominant chords in the key make it dead simple to play.

Speaking of chords and progressions, let's talk about the common progressions used in the blues. Most blues progressions rely on 3 chords: the 'tonic', fourth and fifth - otherwise known as I-IV-V. In the key of E, a I-IV-V progression would use the chords E, A and B.

You'll also hear these progressions described in terms of the number of measures, or 'bars', involved. You can have 8, 12, 16 and even 24 'bar' blues progressions! The 12-bar blues progression has been the basis for thousands of songs.

The number of 'bars' refers to the number of measures within the progression when playing in regular 4/4 time. If you played a 12-bar progression in E, the chord changes would follow this pattern:

4 measures of E
2 measures of A
2 measures of E
1 measure of B
1 measure of A
1 measure of E
1 measure of B

When you reach those last measures of E and B, you usually have a special riff known as a “turn around”. Instead of playing the chords, you can play a quick scales or slide riffs which emphasize that the progression is about to cycle back to its beginning.

A lot of times, you'll hear the 'interval slide' on E, which leads the listener to expect the V/Dominant or 'B' chord to come next and resolve the progression. The scale 'runs', on the other hand, are often done on the V to lead the listener from the resolution back to the root note..

Let's look at both types of turn-around.

The scale-based turn-around is something you'll hear guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan use frequently. One of his favorites is a 4 note run like this one: G-A-Bb-B. You can emphasize the resolution to the fifth (B) by doing vibrato on the note to hold it out to the end of the measure.

The 'interval slide' is a turn-around that can be played, for lack of a better description, both forwards and backwards. You can create an 'ascending' sound or a 'descending' sound that leads he ear towards the V-chord.

Starting from the fourth fret: place your middle finger on the third string at the fourth fret (¾) and your ring finger on the first string at the fourth fret (¼). The notes involved here are B (middle finger) and G# (ring finger).

Now, what you do next is slide down the neck while holding your fingers in the same pattern, until you get to the bottom (first fret). Once you reach the first fret, you'll want to lift your ring finger so you can play that open E string. You're simply moving the 'shape' down the fretboard so that you play the following intervals:

B/G# to Bb/G to A/F# to G#/E

You can sound these notes simultaneously by plucking them with your thumb and index finger, or you can pick them in succession.

If you pick them, you'll want to play around with your picking pattern to find out what sounds best to you. Many blues players pick the notes in the following pattern:

B-G#-B to Bb-G-Bb to A-F#-A to G#-E

In order to play this run in ascending fashion, just reverse the process. Start from G#-E, then slide back up the fretboard the same way..

Keep in mind there's an almost infinite variety of ways to mix these elements. Heck, we haven't even covered 'blue notes' or pentatonic scales or how to bend your strings for that bluesy sound!

The blues may appear simple on the surface, but there's real artistry involved when it comes to combining these common motifs into new and interesting forms. Hopefully, the basics we've covered here will get you on the way to playing the blues like a lonesome soul on a stormy Monday!