Blues...Hoping I can learn

[Dirty Bill]

Hey all. I hoping to learn some Blues. What do you think about using a flatpick to play Blues? Yae or Nay ??

[Kerbie]

I vote yea AND nay. Use whatever you like. I usually play fingerstyle, but nothing wrong with using a flatpick or a thumbpick.

[TBman]

This guy has a book on it. First thing that popped up on a youtube search for
Flat picking blues...

[rokdog49]

Either way works, depends on what styles you like.
If you know the Pentatonic scales, playing basic blues patterns shouldn't be too difficult. Being creative is an acquired skill and if you spend some time listening to various blues performers you should be able to put some of their licks together. There are also a plethora of licks available on You Tube you can incorporate into your basic patterns for variety and creativity. There are also a number of backing tracks in various keys to use. I started with the slower ones like around 80 BPM.
In the beginning use the K.I.S.S. Principle. Blues isn't necessarily about playing a lot of notes. It can be but it's more about emotion. That's what makes your blues playing good.

[roylor4]

I play both finger style Blues and Blues rhythm with a pick.

IMO, the best starting point is to learn how to use a Blues shuffle in 1st position in both the key of E and A. You can play 50-60% of all Blues songs with this simple but effective rhythm technique. It will also give you a helpful knowledge base to begin playing finger style.

Although the Blues shuffle seems simple and monotonous to some, it can easily be embellished. I employ 6 or 7 different shuffle variations and change them up enough to make every song different and interesting.

Want lot's o' fun? Tune to open G and put on a slide.

[Theleman]

I am also trying to learn blues, and I feel first thing I must do is to learn the songs before trying to play them.

I feel that one can use anything to play the blues - flat pick, thumb pick or just bare fingers.

I am more comfortable with my fingers than using picks.

Some people seem prefer using nylon stringed guitars for playing blues too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VlNYEAiALQ

[Dirty Bill]

Originally Posted by TBman

This guy has a book on it. First thing that popped up on a youtube search for
Flat picking blues...

That's cool.I can try either way.I'm not a great finger picker,I do some though...kind of my own way,probably incorrectly for the most part.

[Ozzy the dog]

Playing the Blues is a bit of an oxymoron.

If you can't play the Blues, you'll have the Blues.

The strings don't care what you use to make them sing but once you've learned the Blues you won't have them anymore.

[Tony Done]

Yes you can, and I regret not learning to flatpick in addititon to fingerpicking. As an example, listen to Tony Rice playing "Church Street Blues", and there are plenty of others if you look up "flatpicked blues" on Youtube.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Dirty Bill

That's cool.I can try either way.I'm not a great finger picker,I do some though...kind of my own way,probably incorrectly for the most part.

Go for it Bill. There's a ton of stuff out there on the subject. Maybe along the way you can learn to play a little hybrid style too. Good luck.

[brancher]

Originally Posted by roylor4

I play both finger style Blues and Blues rhythm with a pick.

IMO, the best starting point is to learn how to use a Blues shuffle in 1st position in both the key of E and A. You can play 50-60% of all Blues songs with this simple but effective rhythm technique. It will also give you a helpful knowledge base to begin playing finger style.

Although the Blues shuffle seems simple and monotonous to some, it can easily be embellished. I employ 6 or 7 different shuffle variations and change them up enough to make every song different and interesting.

Want lot's o' fun? Tune to open G and put on a slide.

What He says! When you decide to surrender to scales, barres, and shuffles, you fretboard understanding will take off and you can easily apply this stuff to everything you play (pretty much).

12 bars is THE starting point.

[murrmac123]

Originally Posted by Tony Done

As an example, listen to Tony Rice playing "Church Street Blues", and there are plenty of others if you look up "flatpicked blues" on Youtube.

"Church Street Blues" is a great song, but has nothing in common with "the blues".

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, I see no problem in using a pick to play blues - as blues isn't so much a distinct playing style as playing and singing with an emotional expression.

Here are some examples :

Ironically with this one someone has told me to "learn" to finger pick ...bless!



and



and

[devellis]

"Blues" encompasses a wide swathe of music. There are lots of subtypes and even sub-subtypes. So, it's kind of hard to talk about in general terms. I personally think there are styles of blues that lend themselves better to fingerpicking but other types probably lend themselves better to flatpicking. And if you can take a tune that's usually fingerpicked and work up a nice arrangement of it played with a flatpick, that's great. It's a fluid musical form. Play what sounds good to you. When the Doors recorded "Light My Fire," the most prominent music riff was on the organ. The guitars were electrics. But Jose Feliciano recorded it on a fingerpicked nylon-strung guitar and it sounded great. Did it sound like the Doors' version? No. Was it supposed to? No. Was it still rock? Who knows. Probably not, but it was good music.

If different styles of blues have anything in common, its their informality, spontaneity, and lack of a rigid structure. Sometimes, tempos are strictly followed, other times not. Sometimes, the instruments are tuned perfectly, other times not. Most blues musicians in the 20s and 30s played a variety of musical styles and I doubt that they made much differentiation between one piece of music and the next, as to what the genre was. They just played what people enjoyed hearing. So, the notion of strictly defining what is and isn't allowable within the broad category of blues seems a bit out of place and contrary to the nature and history of the music. Of course, there's the further possible safeguard of simply not labeling what you play. Just enjoy it and share it and don't sweat the labels.

[Matt.S]

While we’re on the topic of using your fingers vs a flat pick. How does one make a clean sound with the 12 bar? Its either way too muted or ringing like crazy. Can’t get a good position to Strum with my index or pluck downward with my thumb. I feel like I have to use a pick to get that sound...