Playing the Blues

[GuitarGuillermo]

Yeah, i can play through the blues progressions and i know the scale, but i still can't really play the blues. What am i misisng?

[steve]

try out different things, experiment. I bought a steel slide (not a guitar, just a little 5 dollar bar of steel) because john frusciante uses on a song but it really does give out a nice blues feel. Also I know shawn contradictated this sentance but I ind for the blues scale if you play a 3 octave scale (that's the one that goes from the E string to the low E string, 3 octaves) backwards (hit the higher strings first) it sounds like a really nice outro for blues song. If you did all of that and you still have nothing then go and listen to more blues and look for some blues TAB after that I'm pretty sure you'll learn it.

[SteelSlider]

Anyone who plays the blues will tell you the same thing. Blues is feelings. How much of that is true depends on the indiviual, I guess.
I use a blues scale and what is called a hybrid blues scale. On electric lead bending is used a lot, as are hammers and pull offs. If you using a slide, get in the habit of using it on our pinkie finger. This will open up your middle and ring finger for what is called, 'fretting behind the bar' and your index finger can mute the unwanted sounds of the slide touching the strings, pulling off and during vibrato.
I don't know if you're electic or acoustic, so something about acoustic

A low action isn't the best. I've a guitar I use only for sliding and it's nearly impossible to fret any chord beyond the seventh fret. I built me a bone saddle and now my action is high enough I can almost slide a chittin' sandwich between the fretboard and strings.
When you slide in standard tuning, your missing a world of sounds. I play some in standard tuning especially if I'm with a band. With a band backing the slider up, standard is ok.
But for slide on an acoustic, a solo is much better.
One of the most popluar tunings for slide blues is Open G. I also use Open D, Vestapol, and Open E. Ry Cooder, one of my fav's uses an Open F a lot. This causes conciderable tension on the neck. Unless you have a National or Dobro, I don't recommend E or F tuning. I have a list of over fifty various tunings, most are worthless though.
Any of these open tunings means that when your guitar is laying in it's case, and you strum the strings without fretting, and your tuned to, say, Open G, you'll hear a G chord being played.

This is open G tuning.
D
B
G
D
G
D

This serves two functions. One is you can run a steady bass line with your thumb, and two, you can voice the slide with licks and leads.
I play mostly acoustic slide blues, so I can't comment on John Frusciante's style or music. I've heard him but can't remember anything about him at the moment.

If your interested in slide blues, GuitarGuillermo or Steve, lemme know and I'll add to this post.

[SteelSlider]

Here is something that may motivate you and give you some ideas on playing and singing the blues.
Even though this is humoris, there is a flavor of truth in it.

------------

HOW TO SING THE BLUES
by Lame Mango Washington
(attributed to Memphis Earlene Gray with help from Uncle Plunky revisions by Little Blind Pattie D and Dr steve Franklin)

1. Most blues begin "Woke up this mornin'"

2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to start a blues song 'less you stick something nasty in the next line, like "I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town"

3. The blues is simple, after you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes, something like
"Got a good woman,
with the meanest face in town.
Got a good woman,
with the meanest face in town.
Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher,
and she weigh five hundred pound"

4. The blues are not about choice, you stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch, ain't no way out.

5. Blues cars, Chevys and Cadillacs and broken down pickup trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs or sport utility vehicles. Most blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the blues lifestyle, so does fixin' to die.

6. Teenagers can't sing the blues, they ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the blues. In blues "adulthood " means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.

7. Blues can take place in New York City, but not in Hawaii or any place in Canada. Hard times in St Paul, Boston or Tucson is just depression. Chicago, St Louis and Kansas City are still the best places to have the blues. You cannot get the blues in anyplace that don't get rain.

8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breakimng your leg cuz you skiing ain't the blues. Breaking your leg cuz an alligator be chompin' on it is.

9. You can't have the blues in an office or shopping mall, the lighting's all wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.

10. Good places for the blues;
a. highway
b. jailhouse
c. empty bed
d. bottom of a whiskey glass

Bad places;
a. Ashrams
b. gallery openings
c. ivy league institutions
d. golf courses

11. No one will believe it's the blues if you wear a suit 'less you happen to be an old ethnic person and you slept in it.

12. Do you have the right to sing the blues? Yes if;
a. you're older than dirt
b. you're blind
c. you shot a man in Memphis
d. you can't be satisfied

No if;

a. you have all your teeth
b. you were once blind, but now can see
c. the man in Memphis lived
d. you have a retirement plan or trust fund

13. Blues is not a matter of color, it's a matter of bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the blues, Gary Coleman could. Ugly white folks also got a leg up on the blues.

14. If you ask for water, and your baby give you gasoline, that's the blues. Other accceptable blues beverages are;
a. wine
b. whiskey or bourbon
c. muddy water
d. black coffee

The following are not blues beverages;
a. mixed drinks
b. kosher wine
c. Snapple
d. sparkling water

15. If it occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another accceptable blues death. So is the elctric chair, substance abuse, and dying lonely on a broken down cot. You can't have a blues death if you die during a tennis match or getting liposuction.

16. Some blues names for women;
a. Sadie
b. Big Mama
c. Bessie
d. Fat River Dumpling

17. Some blues names for men;
a. Joe
b. Willie
c. Big Willie
d. Little Willie

18.Persons with names like Sierra, Sequoia, Auburn and Rainbow can't sing the blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.

19. Make your own blues name (starter kit)
a. name of physical infirmity (blind, cripple, lame etc..)
b. first name (see above) plus name of fruit (lemon, lime kiwi etc... )
c. last name of president (Jefferson, Johnson, Filmore etc... )
For example, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Stumpy Paw-Paw Clinton or Cripple Kiwi Filmore (well maybe not KIwi)

20. I don't care how tragic your life was, if you own a computer, you can't sing the blues. You best destroy it, use fire, a spilled bottle of Mad Dog or get a shotguin. Maybe git your big woman to just sit on it, I don't care.



submitted by Deaf Banana Clinton

[GuitarGuillermo]

Could you explain "Fretting behind the Bar" further? if its anything like what i am visualizing, it wouldent change the sound any. (I am assuming that it's nothing like what i am visualizing.)

[GuitarGuillermo]

Also, what is "vestapol" tuning?

[GuitarHitman]

It helps if you have a good amp too.

I should think a tube amp would give you a nice sound and a decent Les Paul.

[Slash]

Hi .. if youre into rock/metal/alt styles chances are that you are aldready exposed to a solid amt of blues.
I think some body said this in the thread and i couldnt agree more - the blues is more of a feeling than anything else. making people feel (even if you dont) blue is the idea. Most of contemproray rock solos are formed on the blues scale (min Pent) . An ideal example to study is the solo from the song Alive (pearl Jam, Ten) At first there is not much of a feel to it but learn it and play it slow ( in the blues style-if you know what i mean). Based completly on the min pent scales of E,G,D it provides an insight into blues from a rock angle.Thats the kind of shift you are attempting.

From a technique pt of view i feel that slides and bends are the basis of that blues feel along with fifth harmony etc.

Any comments shawn?

Nikhil

[AnUprightMan]

steel slider

that post rocks
that is one of the best pieces of humor I have read in a long time

[cyberfret]

HOW TO SING THE BLUES .....Yes, I would have to say I soiled myself reading that one :)

If you want to play the blues, you can't just learn the blues scale and the chords.....that will not teach you the language of the blues. The chords and scales are your alphabet, but you can not speak the language just because you know your ABCs. Listen to a lot of blues. That is how you are going to pick up on the elements that go into the style. Learn some licks and turnaround and fills from the source....the recordings of the greats.

As far as improvising in a blues style, learning some licks is essential. That is what you are going to using in your improvisations. If you listen to Stevie Ray Vaughn, or Eric Clapton, or BB King.....Albert King, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy.... they share a common language. They share the knowledge of a lot of the same licks. They used them, rearrange and molded them into their own voice within the style.

Here is a book that I think is a good text for learning the blues. A book will never replace the listening, and learning from the source, but it is a good addition.

Blues You Can Use - By John Ganapes
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0793542057/cyberfcomonlinec


--Shawn

[Sandman_96707]

Steelslider -
1)Could you explain Vestapol, Ry Cooder, why & when to use them?
2) guess you can't sing the blues on account of the computer thing:eek:

[BluesPulp]

Even though I'm going by Blues_pulp, I am Steelslider.
I was without internet connection for a few months and lost my email account and my password.

New name, same guy. So, I'll answer the questions tageted at Steelslider.

GuitarGuillermo:
You asked what 'Fretting behind the Bar' ment.
Playing, or fretting behind the bar is a technique of adding a 7th along with the chord the slide is making. Since the slide is straight, it's really hard to gain some of the extra notes like 7th, 6th, ect.
To take full advantage of playing behind the fret, one needs to use the slide on the pinkie finger.
Imagine your pinkie finger enclosed in a glass bottleneck slide and it is sitting over the fifth fret. It takes a small amount of pressure to make the slide hold the strings with out viberation.
Now, your pinkie is busy. You still have your index, middle and ring fingers just dangling from the palm of your hand.
With practice, you can place one of those fingers on a string behind the slide or bar. Lets say your middle finger holds down the third sting on the third fret. Beause the slide or bar, is laying across the strings with a small amount of pressure, the slide isn't pushing the stings down very far. When you finger the third fret on the third string, the sting drops below the level of the other strings, dropping down under the bottom of the slide. In this manor you can add a minor, 7th or what ever note you need to use. Remember, the slide is on the fifth fret and your fretting with your finger on the third fret.
I hope you understand this explaination. If not, let me know and I'll try it again. I do it all the time, but it's so much more difficult to put into words.

[BluesPulp]

GuitarGuillermo
You asked about Vestapol tuning.

Vestapol became 'vogue' in the 1840s' through the 1890s. The first song I know it was used on was a sort of classical music piece named Vestapol. The tuning was what is now known as Open D tuning. But since open D wasn't used in the mid 1800s, the name Vestapol was used to describ the tuning.
Over time, the name Vestapol has come to mean, in open tuning slang, any open tuning. Usually used to call a group of open tuning keys. Not just one anymore. But a group or all open tuning. I used it as a slang and I'm sorry to mislead you on that.

I knew what I was talking about. :D ;) :D Guess I thought everyone did too.

[BluesPulp]

Sandman_96707

As I said in one of the above posts, I'm steelslider.
Also, I tried to explain what Vestapol is. If you don't understand, lemme know and I'll repost with an attempt to confuse you more. :D :eek: :eek:

About Ry Cooder, offically known as Ryland Cooder.
Ry is one of the most inovated slide guitarists I've ever had the oppertunety to know.
Do you remember the move, Crossroads? That guy who played in Karate Kid played in it.
Ry wrote all the scores in that song. During the guitar duel in the end, it's Ry who is actually playing the part of the young kid and Steve Vai played the music of devils guitarist.
Ry came on the scene in the early 60s. No one paided him much mind at first. By the mid sixties, when drugs were plentiful and trips on acid were best used with music, Ry's popularity rose.
Note::: I'm in no way making a connection here between Ry and any drugs. Just wanna make that clear.

Ry also wrote the music for about a dozen other movies, The Long Riders is another. He's made albums with John Lee Hooker, Taj Mahal, Eric Clapton, and scores of other great artists.
I remember an interview with him when asked why he used open tuning. His reply was, "Why would you use anything else". Fitting for Ry as he plays at least twenty variations of vestapol, or open tunings that I know of.

I highly recommend checking his sounds out if your interested in slide/classical/ethnic/blues. You'll never hear him on the radio though.

[Sandman_96707]

1) new name, got it.
2) Vestapol is open tuning, got it
3) Ry Cooder is some dude, got it
4) Whatcha mean by "ethnic"?

[BluesPulp]

Sandman_96707
You asked when to use Vestapol.

Slide guitar is rather confining, in a sense. Much more that standard. The slide is straight.

Slide players tune the stings up or down depending on the sound and feel they want.
Play slide guitar with standard tuning leaves a lot to be desired. The barre chord is based on the E chord. Ok? If you barre a fret in standard tuning with a slide, you'll only change the key from the nut position. So, to get the slide to match the strings, alternate tuning is used.
Open A,
Open G,
Open F,
Open E,
Open D are among the most popular.
This group could be called a vestapol. (read one of the above posts with the same date as this one)

What most open tunings does is make the same sound when the strings are strummed without fretting, as they would as if playing an E chord, or a G chord, or a D chord.
With this tuning, you can take a open stumming in D, and playa G chord by barring the slide on the fifth fret.
This is a very basic expample. There are tunings for Major 7th, Minors, 7ths, 9ths, and every other configuration you can think of. If you want a list of all the tuning I have, lemme know and I'll post it.


Hope I cleared up some of the mystery. Every kind of work, business, trade and styles of music has it's own kind of internal language. Slide guitar is no different. Once the parlance is understood, the gate is open for learning and playing slide.


When a guitar is tuned to, lets use open

[BluesPulp]

For you guys/gals who are interested in a bit more about slide guitar, check out this site.

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/280/brian_robertson.html

Scroll down untill you find the titles of the MP3s called,
Lesson In Slide Guitar #1
all the way to
Lesson In Slide guitar #10.

There are ten free lessons you can download, or listen to right there on that page.

I must add, Brian is not a recording engineer and some of the MP3s are,,,, well you'll hear what I mean. :rolleyes:
But he give some good tips on tuning, sliding postions, fills, voicing, and some down right excellent slide theory along with some nice slide tunes. He goes slow and if you know some basic guitar, you'll be able to play some of his stuff.
I recommend downloading the lessons and practicing them if you're inerested in slide guitar.

I tried to correct most of my mistakes, but I'm sure a bunch hid from me as I passed over the text. It's late, been a long day. My apologizes for poor spelling.

[Coffee]

Man I love to play Jazz, but Blues is the breath of life. Nothing matches it. When I play blues lead, life disappears and I simply dissolve into the sound. The crowd doesn't exist, the sidemen don't exist and the universe collapses into the experience of depression and sadness mixed with ecstasy and joy of the all consuming bliss. Life ceases and eternity begins.