Ive got the blues

[rudarb]

Ive been playing electric for about a year now and I love playing the blues, its amazing how well I just connected to it all. However there are times where I got really down about my playing ability. I know very little BASIC music theory (aka nothing), and I dont understand any of that stuff either, so its a mutual relationship. I know a good deal of pentatonic scale positions, im catching up with more chords, and I love playing along to Eric Clapton, SRV, and Albert King, just whenever I read a book about playing blues and I see all this talk about 7ths and 9ths, and 5ths, I just get really confused and depressed about my playing ability. I think its really important to develop my own style of playing and buying stupid self-help books wont help me with my own style. I just think of how people like Clapton and SRV did it, they didnt have fancy books or websites, they just listend to old records and played along, that is what im doing as well, I just get angry when I cant get stuff to sound right. Has anyone been in my position? Does anyone have any advice??

[st.bede]

I grew up in Los Angles during the early shred days...technique was the rage and theory was worshiped....

I fought back: "one good note can be worth a million bad notes" "feel is more important then knowledge"....slowly, over the years I learned that I was wrong to balme technique and theory.

It is all about using all the tools out there to find what is deep inside of you: your voice. This is not easy but theory and technique can help you. If you stay true to yourself and be fearless, then nothing will get in the way.

[rambler]

It really isn't that hard to learn music theory, just do it so you aren't some illiterate fool when you play with other people

[One Vision]

Well, first of all, not to discourage you, but SRV, Clapton, Hendrix, and the like all had extremely good ears. Second of all, experience.

Now, a good ear is something that can be trained. You train it every time you play, or try to identify something in the music you hear. A better way would be to get a teacher to show you the beginning steps of theory. If you're still in high school, take a music course. You have nothing to lose.

I may get flamed for this, and maybe even hypocritical since I teach theory, but theory is not essential to your playing. Does it help? Of course. You'll be able to recognize what you're playing and hearing in a whole new way. You'll be able to group your ideas more clearly and be able to come up with stuff that doesn't come easily without theory.

Just keep in mind that theory is in no way a set of rules, it's just a way to communicate your musical ideas.

[rudarb]

Nice advice, I do understand that ear training is CRUCIAL, and I am working on it. I have found some nice blues backing tracks that I am going to try playing to, I find it a lot easier to play when I hear a rythum section. Thanks for the advice everyone, ill get there. I need to keep reminding my self that im still young, and have been barley playing for a year.

[River]

I don't really understand a whole lot in terms of theory when it comes to 9ths, 11th, augmenteds, and the like either. But I did learn how to play the chords (barred, mostly), paid attention to what fingering change made them what they are, and then looked for that change in my soloing patterns. Adds a lot of spice without having to understand the mathematics.

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by One Vision

I may get flamed for this

FLAME

well, I do not agree but, then again I will admit that a good ear is essential...I honest believe that all three work together: Ear, Theory, Technique.

[One Vision]

Of course I endorse the learning of theory, but yeah, you're right. All 3 are essential.

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by One Vision

Of course I endorse the learning of theory, but yeah, you're right. All 3 are essential.

there tends not to be much flaming here and, differences of outlook really help people to get a broader picture...I really appreciate when people honestly express themselves so thank you

"to criticize without vision is to be complicitious with dominance" Carolyn Casey, (you most assuredly have an understanding and a vision.)

[One Vision]

Thanks. Individual educated opinions are what it's all about.



Also, I only gave that little disclaimer because I'm pretty new to these forums and didn't wanna get on anyone's bad side.

I have like 14,000 posts on Ultimate-Guitar.

[TeleDog]

Guitar playing is about passion, and if you're soloing it's also about telling your story.

The singer has lyrics to work with, his voice to add touches of color to the words. You have the guitar, and that's about it. You need to tell the story with music instead of lyrics when you solo.

You need to know words, but you also need grammar and some rules of punctuation and that stuff to write properly. Theory gives you that, it allows you to find the right "words" for what you want to express but your choice of "words" among those you can use, or notes in this case, remains personal and it's tinted by your own style, your passion and emotions.

Hope this makes some sense.

[rambler]

My #1 tip for aspiring blues players: Listen to as much blues as you can. It'll work its way into your bones, you'll start hearing what you want to play as your next phrase before you even play it

[rudarb]

Thanks everyone, good tips. I love listening to blues, but im having a hard time getting out of pentatonic shapes, any advice?

[River]

Originally Posted by rudarb

Thanks everyone, good tips. I love listening to blues, but im having a hard time getting out of pentatonic shapes, any advice?

A very tasteful lesson for budding blues players from the man himself.

[hipofutura]

I suck, but am getting better. I have 35 years lost time to make up for. So, I'm really not one to be giving advice. However!

There's an interesting tip that is so obvious many people don't think if it. A lot of lead guitar (especially the blues) is just playing the notes of the lyrics and filling in gaps with notes from the scale. Listen to lead solos and then listen to the lyric. You'll be astonished at the similarity.

[River]

Originally Posted by hipofutura

I suck, but am getting better. I have 35 years lost time to make up for. So, I'm really not one to be giving advice. However!

There's an interesting tip that is so obvious many people don't think if it. A lot of lead guitar (especially the blues) is just playing the notes of the lyrics and filling in gaps with notes from the scale. Listen to lead solos and then listen to the lyric. You'll be astonished at the similarity.

+1. "You Shook Me" and "I Can't Quit You Babe" leap immediately to mind.

[Gryphon]

Some knowledge of theory really helps if, like me, you love playing guitar but dont have a good ear. That gives you a chance of hanging in there with those who have much more talent.

Conversely, its surprising how often those that are really talented dont bother with the theory.

[WhippingPost]

Originally Posted by hipofutura

There's an interesting tip that is so obvious many people don't think if it. A lot of lead guitar (especially the blues) is just playing the notes of the lyrics and filling in gaps with notes from the scale. Listen to lead solos and then listen to the lyric. You'll be astonished at the similarity.

Originally Posted by River

+1. "You Shook Me" and "I Can't Quit You Babe" leap immediately to mind.

+2 It works great, is fairly simple to do, and easy to remember most of the time. Not super creative, but it's definitely a start. Also, along the same lines, you can work a melody into a solo. Think of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" where Clapton plays "Blue Moon" as the opening to his solo. I've worked a drawn out and ad-libbed "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" into a solo once. It went over quite well, actually.

Originally Posted by Gryphon

Some knowledge of theory really helps if, like me, you love playing guitar but dont have a good ear. That gives you a chance of hanging in there with those who have much more talent.

Conversely, its surprising how often those that are really talented dont bother with the theory.

Theory knowledge can help you find the key you're in, as well as remember where on the neck you played that riff/lick in this song. Which brings up another point I didn't see anyone make: It's okay to play the same lick in different songs, just change it's phrasing. Also, you can build a solo off of a repeating lick (a call and answer type of thing), by starting a lick, and ending it differently every time. This only works for a short period of time, however, as it gets super repetitive very quick.