The Blues Guitar

  In this video I want to share with you my version of Robert Johnson's song 'Honeymoon Blues'. This is a nice piece of delta blues music typical of Johnson's style and very similar to his other song 'Me and the Devil Blues'.  The music is in the key of A and played on a guitar in Standard Tuning. It is in 4/4 time and it is a fingerstyle piece. Johnson's original was in the Key of Bb, so if you want to play it in this key, you can stick a capo on fret 1 or tune all the strings up a 1/2 step. I like it just in the Key of A. The music is 12 bar blues and the 12 bar sequence is repeated through the entire song with different variations.  In my version I give you the intro, the first 2 playthroughs of the 12 bar section, and the outro  Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Mr Conductor Man Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   2/4 Bar -  TIn bar 12 of the music there is a 2/4 bar added which can easily t...

  In this video I want to share with you my version of John Denver's classic song 'Country Roads'. This is a very famous piece of country music and I have done a fingerstyle guitar version of it with a slightly bluesy feel. The music is a fairly standard fingerstyle guitar piece incorporating a travis picking bass pattern. In my version, I have put in a short single bar Intro played in the open position, then I play through the verse and then the chorus. Finally, I have put in a 4 bar outro section. The original song also has a bridge setion in it but I have not included this is my version. The reason for this is because, although the song isnt extremely difficult to play, it can be quite fidgety and tricky and keeping it to just the verse and chorus makes it more manageable to play. The music is in the Key of D, it is in 4/4 time and is played on a guitar in Open D Tuning. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Country Roads Do...

  In this video I want to share with you my version of Big Bill Broonzy's song 'Mr Conductor Man'. It is very typical of Broonzy's music and it is a fingerstyle guitar piece using a travis picking pattern. As is common with Broonzy's music, it has a quick tempo and is quite tricky to play at the correct speed.  What i have given you in this tab is the intro section for the first 11 bars, the main section of the song which is 12 bars, then the outro section. In Broonzy's recorded version, he repaets the main section throughout the song but does vary it each time, sometimes quite a lot, but I would imagine he did most of them ad lib when he played through it. If you want, you can listen to the recorded version and maybe pull out a few of these variations, but the version I have given you here has all the components required and can just be repeated. The music is in the Key of A, it is in 4/4 time and is played on a guitar in Standard Tuning. Below are some...

  In this video I want to share with you my version of Mississippi John Hurt's famous song 'Coffee Blues'. It is very typical of John Hurt's music and it is a fingerstyle guitar piece using a travis picking pattern. As is common with John Hurt's music, it has a quick tempo and is very repetitive, with one main section being repeated through the entire song.  What i have given you in this tab is a very short intro section for the first 2 bars, the main section of the song which is 8 bars, then another playthrough of this 8 bar main section with a slight variration, then a short 2 bar outro. During John Hurt's recorded version he puts in more variations in this 8 bar repeated section, but I would imagine he did most of them ad lib when he played through it. If you want, you can listen to the recorded version and maybe pull out a few of these variations, but the version I have given you here has all the components required and can just be repeated. The music is...

  In this video I want to share with you my fingerstyle blues version of the traditional Xmas song 'Little Town of Bethlehem'. This is a nice, straightforward fingerstyle version of the song and shouldn't be too difficult to learn. The structure of the music is very straightforward with there being only two sections, the 'Main' section and the 'Bridge' section. In this video, I play through it Main x 2 - Bridge x1 - Main x1. You can just keep repeating this over and over if required. The music is in the Key of D and is played on a guitar in Open D Tuning. It is in 4/4 time and it is a fingerstyle piece incorporating a travis picking bass pattern. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Little Town of Bethlehem Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   The Bass Picking Pattern - The travis picking bass pattern is played on strings 6 and 4, and strings 5 and 4. However, the changes between these picking patter...

  In this video I want to share with you my version of the blues song 'Avalon Blues' by Mississippi John Hurt. It is very typical of John Hurt's music and it is a fingerstyle guitar piece using a travis picking pattern. As is common with John Hurt's music, it has a quick tempo and is very repetitive, with one main section being repeated through the entire song. What i have given you in this tab is that main section. There are numerous different versions of this by John Hurt with many variations. What i have done is written a version that contains of the main elements of the music, which can be repeated as many times as needed with variations of your choosing, if required. The music is in the Key of E and is played on a guitar in Standard Tuning. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Avalon Blues Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   To Hammer or Not - In the first bar of the main section at around the 4th beat I play fr...

  In this video I want to share with you my version of the classic blues song 'It Hurts Me Too' by Elmore James. It sounds very similar to his most famous song 'Dust My Broom' and uses an 8 bar blues sequence which is repeated throughout the song. This 8 bar sequence is very similar to a standard 12 bar blues sequence but just condensed down.  The music is in the Key of D and the lead section is played on a guitar in Open D Tuning. It is in 4/4 time and although you could play it with a pick, I find it easier to play with my fingers. The lead section is played using a slide. In the video, I will give a brief run through of the structure of the song and then play through it with the tab on screen. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. It Hurts Me Too Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Pick or Fingers - You can play this piece of music using either a pick or your fingers, depending on what your preference is. H...