Intermediate Archives - Page 5 of 22

2 Heavenly Blues Turnarounds Guitar Lesson

If you’re a blues guitarist, you know that a good turnaround can give real flavor to your song, lift up the entire piece and make it stand out, so that’s what we’re going to do today!

A turnaround is a short musical phrase that leads back to the beginning of a song or progression and typically starts on the last two bars (or measures) of a 12-bar blues shuffle or 12-bar blues progression.

So if you’re playing a blues tune and you want to incorporate a turnaround, start by counting out the 12 bars of the progression, and then begin the turnaround on the 11th and 12th bars.

While turnarounds are often used to signal the end of a chorus or verse, and set up the next one, today’s heavenly blues turnarounds are only used at the end of a blues progression to finish the song with some raw and soulful blues elegance.

Add these two heavenly blues turnarounds to your repertoire and you’re good to go.

Remember, the key to mastering these turnarounds is practice, so be sure to spend plenty of time working on them. Grab your guitar, watch the video lesson and get started!

Happy playing!

TABLATURE

If you want more turnarounds you can also check out the Robert Johnson Style Turnarounds or 6 Cool Guitar Blues Turnarounds.

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Bluesy Blues Lick in the key of E

By Klaus Crow 2 Comments

Breaking Down the Blues Lick: Understanding the Key Elements

To fully appreciate the power of this blues lick, let’s take a deeper dive into some of its key elements. First, we’re working with the blues scale, which is a modified version of the minor pentatonic scale. It adds that all-important “blue note” (the b5) that gives blues its signature flavor. If you’re familiar with the minor pentatonic scale (1, b3, 4, 5, b7), the blues scale simply adds the b5, creating a more expressive, emotionally charged sound.

The hammer-ons and double stops we use in this lick are essential for capturing the gritty, soulful vibe of the blues. Hammer-ons allow you to create smooth, fluid transitions between notes, while double stops give the lick a richer, fuller sound, as you’re playing two notes simultaneously. Together, these techniques will add depth and character to your playing.

Tablature

Practice Tips: Start Slow, Stay Consistent

When learning this lick, don’t rush! Start slow and focus on getting the feel of the notes before trying to speed things up. One of the beauties of blues music is its expressive, laid-back nature, so playing at a slower tempo can often make your playing sound more soulful. As you become more comfortable with the lick, gradually increase your speed, but always make sure you’re hitting the right notes with precision.

If you’re struggling with the timing of the hammer-ons or double stops, don’t worry—these techniques can take a little time to master. Be patient, and keep practicing! One way to really get a feel for the phrasing is to listen to some of your favorite blues guitarists and try to mimic their phrasing and timing.

Adding Your Own Twist

Once you’ve got the lick down, don’t be afraid to make it your own! Try experimenting with slight variations in timing or phrasing, or even add in your own ornamentations like bends or slides. Blues is all about personal expression, so feel free to make this lick your own.

You can also try incorporating this lick into different sections of your own solos. It can work beautifully in both major and minor blues progressions, and you can adapt it to fit any key by simply moving it up or down the neck.

Final Thoughts

Remember, the more you practice and experiment with blues licks like this one, the more your musicality will grow. Blues guitar is about feel and expression, so don’t be afraid to play with emotion and put your personal touch on each note you play.

I hope you have as much fun learning and playing this lick as I did teaching it to you. Keep practicing, stay inspired, and most importantly—enjoy the journey!

Want more licks like this check out “Mastering a Gorgeous Blues Guitar Licks“

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How to Create Good Guitar Habits That Work

By Klaus Crow 5 Comments

You want to read this post.

So, what new guitar challenge(s) are you going to commit to in the year ahead? What fresh guitar routine are you going to follow and what are you going to do to make it really work and last?

Creating good solid guitar habits is a challenge in itself. First of all, you have to ask yourself the important questions and providing them with hard and truthful answers in writing:

Do you really want to become a better guitar player or is it just a nice idea?
WHY do you want to become a better guitar player? Two good reasons please!
Do you want to put in the work to become a better guitar player? or just really not?

Once you’ve answered these questions you want to ask the follow up questions:

What is it that you want to get good or better at?
What gives you the most satisfaction and reward?
What could you really do to become a better guitar player?
How could you create a habit that works and sticks?

With the last question I can help you with. Read on!

Best Uptempo Feel Good Guitar Songs

By Klaus Crow 8 Comments

Sometimes you want to play some fun, uptempo guitar songs that make you feel good inside, songs you can strum and sing along with in a good solid tempo that puts a smile on people faces.

The tempo of such a song will usually be somewhere between 100 and 140 bpm (beats per minute).

I selected some of the best upbeat songs with accompanying guitar lessons, chords and tabs.

Have a great time!

We Can Work it Out – The Beatles

This song has such an amazingly good vibe it will make you instantly happy listening to it. “We can work it out” is played in the key of D and consists of the following chords: D – Dsus4 – C – G – A – Bm – Bm/A – F#7sus4 – F# – Bm/G – Bm/F#. The song has not only a lot of chords in it, it also contains different rhythm / strumming patterns which makes the song really fun to play. It’s definitely worth the practice to nail this beautiful song.

Check out the chords and lyrics here: We can work it out chords

Mr. Jones – Counting Crows

Mr. Jones is a great strum and sing along tune with a good solid uptempo beat. The song consists of 5 chords: Am – F – Dm – C – G. The strum pattern is also pretty straight forward and follows the pattern: down-down-down-up-down-up, counting 1-2-3&-4&.

Check out the chords and lyrics here: Mr. Jones Chords

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