The Blues Guitar

  Here is something for the festive period. This is my fingerstyle guitar version of the classic song A Winter's Tale written by Mike Batt and Tim Rice, and performed originally by David Essex. It is a hauntingly poignant love song with touching and beautifully written lyrics which really capture the emotions of the listener. Although I have tried to make this fingerstyle version as accessible as possible, it is still a tricky piece to play. It requires a lot of barring and playing melody notes across those barres. It also has some wide stretches and going up and down the neck. There is a lot to do. . It is played on a guitar in Open D tuning, is in 4/4 time, and is in the key of D . Below are the lyrics as recorded, and the altered lyrics with a 3rd verse added. Below are also some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. A Winter's Tale Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Here are the lyrics to the song if you wish to sing along: ...

  This is my version of the blues tune Bring Me My Shotgun by Lightnin' Hopkins. This is quite a moody and slow blues tune. Regardless, some of the sections can be quite tricky to play. It has a loose 12 bar blues structure to it. This tab includes the intro section, the verse section, the 1st solo section and the outro section. The song repeats the verse section but has a different solo the 2nd time around. This is quite similar to the 1st solo so I haven't included. The song then has a third verse section and then the outro. It is played on a guitar in standard tuning, is in 4/4 time, and is in the key of E . Below are the lyrics, some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Bring Me My Shotgun Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Here are the lyrics to the song if you wish to sing along:   Lyrics    Woah, go bring me my shotgun Oh I'm gonna start shootin...

  This is an original fingerstyle blues piece I wrote which I call Down Low Blues. The reason I gave it this name is because much of the melody line is played on the lower strings of the guitar, strings 3 and 4. It also has a slightly sombre feel to it too and this is reflected with the predominant chord in the music being Em. The main section of the music is 16 bars long and is played twice. However, it still has the general structure of a 12 bar blues, just with an extra 4 bars added on. The music is in the Key of Em, is in 4/4 time, and it is a fingerstyle piece where you have to play the bass line of the music with the thumb on every beat of the bar. It is played on a guitar in standard tuning. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Down Low Blues Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Picking with the Right Fingers - To play this piece you have to play a lot of the melody notes on the lower strings of 3 and 4. This can pose some prob...

  This is my version of the blues tune Mississippi River Blues by Big Bill Broonzy. Not to be confused with a song of the same name by Jimmie Rodgers, as they are completely different songs. Like many of his songs, this one has been covered many times by different artists. I have tried to keep this as close to the original as possible. It is played on a guitar in standard tuning with a capo on Fret 3, is in 4/4 time, and is in the key of G . Below are the lyrics, some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Mississippi River Blues Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Here are the lyrics to the song if you wish to sing along:   Lyrics    Mississ-ippi river Is so long, deep and wide I can see my good girl Standin' on that other side   I cried an I called I could not make my baby hear Lord, I'm 'on get me a boat, woman Paddle on away from here   Ain't it hard to love someone When they are so far from you Lord, I'm on...

  This is my version of the blues tune Available Space by Ry Cooder. It is an instrumental piece and I have just tabbed out and played the main section which forms the first two playthroughs of the music. Later in the song the music goes on more rambling solo's but there are multiple instruments playing the lead melody line together. Therefore, I have just tabbed out the main section which can be repeated with variations as you see fit. This is a fingerstyle piece and requires the use of a slide throughout. It is played on a guitar in Open G tuning, is in 4/4 time . Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Available Space Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Timing the Gap - Within this piece there is gap where no music is played. Although this might seem ok, timing the length of this gap is quite tricky, especially as it is preceded by a slow slide. It occurs in bars 13-14. Its starts with a slow slide on the 2nd beat of this...

  This is my version of the classic blues tune Me and The Devil Blues by Robert Johnson. Like many of his songs, this one has been covered many times by different artists. I have tried to keep this as close to Johnson's original as possible. It is essentially a 12 bar blues tune, as many of Johnson's tunes are. It is played on a guitar in standard tuning, is in 4/4 time, and is in the key of A . Below are the lyrics, some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Me and The Devil Blues Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Here are the lyrics to the song if you wish to sing along:   Lyrics    Early this morning When you knocked upon my door Early this morning When you knocked upon my door And I say, "Hello, Satan" I believe, it's time to go   Me and the devil Walking side by side Me and the devil Walking side by side And I'm gonna see my woman 'Til I get satisfied   See see, you don't see why Like you'a dog me ...

  And now for some thing completely different. This is my fingerstyle guitar version of the song Love Changes Everthing. The song featured in the West End and Broadway musical Aspects of Love by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is quite a catchy, yet beautiful and powerful love song with touching and emotive lyrics. The music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart. It was originally sung by Michael Ball in the musical, and although it has been covered many times by different artists, his version is still agruably the best, due in no small part to his breathtaking singing voice.  The song is a slight departure from what I usually do as it is isn't really a piece of blues music and this isn't a blues transcription of it. However, I got the song stuck in my head and decided to do a quick fingerstyle version of it, so I thought I would share it. I will still be doing blues music on my channel, but will occasionally do something differe...

    This is my version of the traditional song Amazing Grace. This must be one of the most played and well known songs there is. It is a Christian hymn dating back to the late 1700s and there are countless different versions of it which you can listen to. This is my acoustic fingerstyle guitar version of this song. I have also added a small rhythm section played on a distorted electric guitar. This version can be played as just the fingerstyle piece, or you can add the electric guitar part on top. Also, you could just play the underlying chords on an acoustic guitar if you want. There are tabs below for both the lead and rhythm sections. The underlying chords are also shown on the tabs too.  The song is in 3/4 time, which is a bit of a departure from my usual music. Both guitars are tuned to Open D and the music is in the Key of D. Below are the lyrics, some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Amazing Grace - Acoustic Fingerstyle Section Ta...

  This is my version of the traditional song Down By The Riverside. This is an upbeat song and has many different versions of it by many different artists. This version is played on a guitar tuned to Open D and is in 4/4 time. In this video, I play through the verse and chorus of the song. This just needs to be repeated for any more verses of the song you wish to add. Below are the lyrics, some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Down By The Riverside Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Here are the lyrics to the song if you wish to sing along. These follow the melody line I play on the guitar. Because there are so many versions of this song, the lyrics do vary, but they are roughly the same. These are from the Louis Armstrong version:   Lyrics    I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield Down by the riverside Down by the riverside Down by the riverside I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield Down by the riverside I'm gonna study, study, w...

    In this video, I will show you how to play the guitar part from R.L. Burnside's song Let My Baby Ride. The guitar part is played on a guitar in standard tuning and is in 4/4 time. The guitar part is very short and repetitive, with just a 1 bar chord riff played over and over, and a 4 bar lick played in between. It is played on an electric guitar with a good bit of distortion to get a nice, crunchy sound. Below are some tips to help you play this piece and links to download the tab. Let My Baby Ride Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT Muted Strings - When playing the guitar riff, some of the strings are played muted. These are represented by an X symbol on the tab. To play these, you rest your fretting hand lightly on the strings and play them so that they have a very muffled sound. Although this isn't a difficult technique, it can be hard to incorporate into this piece as the riff is played quite fast. By practising it slowly you should be able to incorporate these muted stri...

  In this video, I will show you how to play the guitar part from Mississippi John Hurt's song Spike Driver Blues. The guitar part is played on a guitar in standard tuning and is in 4/4 time. Like most of Mississippi John Hurt's songs, this is very repetitive. The guitar part is 10 bars long and is repeated through the entire song. The guitar part uses a travis picking pattern, so if you are used to playing like this, it shouldn't be too problematic.  Below are some tips to help you play this piece and links to download the tab. I have also provided the lyrics if you wish to sing the vocal parts too Spike Driver Blues Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT Spike Driver Blues - Mississippi John Hurt - Lyrics This is the hammer that killed John Henry But it won't kill me No it won't kill me No it won't kill me Take this hammer and head to a captain And tell him I'm gone Won't you tell him I'm gone Won't you tell him I'm gone John H...

  Little Red Rooster is one of the most well known blues songs. The original version is attributed to Willie Dixon but it has been covered by many different artists. In this video I want to have a look at two of the most famous versions by Howlin' Wolf and The Rolling Stones. I will have a look at how to set up your guitar, the structure of the song, and then playthough each of the two versions with the tab on screen, so you can play it yourself. The song is played on a guitar tuned to Open G. Here is the downloadable tab for the song below: Little Red Rooster - Howlin' Wolf Version Tab  -      Power Tab - PDF - TXT Little Red Rooster - Rolling Stones Version Tab  -   Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Playing Advice Using a Slide - To play either versions of this tune, you will need to use a slide to get that distinctive sound. What type of slide you use is up to you. But I think a full length metal slide works best. It gives a nice raspy sound...

  This is my version of the classic blues song Sweet Home Chicago by Robert Johnson. The song has been covered many times by various artists such as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and even the Blues Brothers when it featured in their iconic movie. This version is based on Robert Johnson's original. The song is in the Key of E, is in 4/4 time, and is played on a guitar in standard tuning. In the video, I play through the Intro, then the verse and the turnaround twice, and then the outro. But you can just keep looping around playing the verse and turnaround for as many times as you want, for each of the verses. Here is the downloadable tab for the song below: Sweet Home Chicago Tab  -   Power Tab - PDF - TXT Playing Advice Anchoring the Pinky - For the intro section and the outro section, Johnson repeatedly plays the note of E on the 12th fret of the highest string of the guitar. This then has a descending bass line played over it. To make this easier to play, I woud recom...

  This is a blues turnaround lick in the Key of A. It is taken from the blues tune Me and The Devil Blues by Robert Johnson. The turnaround is played on a guitar in standard tuning.    This lick is relatively easy to play and can be incorporated into a standard blues piece in the Key of A. To make it easier to play, in the 1st bar, if you anchor pinky of your fretting hand on fret 5 of the highest string and then use the other fingers to fret the other notes, it will be a lot easier to play.   In the 2nd bar, if you just form an E7 chord with all four fingers, you can easily play the last few notes of this lick.   The video above me playing it at normal speed, and then shows me playing it slower with the tab on the screen. To download the free tabs, click the links below. Blues Turnaround Lick in A Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT Thanks for Reading, Neil

  In this video, I will show you my blues version of the classic song Somewhere Over The Rainbow. The original version of this song was written By Harold Arlen and featured in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. This fingerstyle arrangement is in the Key of G, is in 4/4 time, 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. Somewhere Over The Rainbow Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT Getting the Right Note Duration - This piece features quite a variety of different note durations. It has 1/2 notes, 1/4 notes, 1/8 notes with a triplet feel applied, and also 1/8 note triplets. It switches between these different note durations quite frequently and it can sometimes be hard to get the timing right. Just listen through the piece on the video, keep an eye on the written music, and learn to play it slowly and you should be able to learn all these variations. Making The Chords - The chords primarily used in...

  Thumb Independence is a useful skill when playing fingerstyle guitar, and it is used a lot when playing many styles of guitar music such as country blues and folk music. In this post, and the accompanying videos, I want to help you to learn this valuable skill though a series of exercises. The exercises will start relatively easy and get progressively harder, until at the end you should hopefully be competent in this skill. There will be 4 videos, with corresponding posts on this website. Each will have 5 exercises giving 20 exercises in total. All the tab for the exercises will be free to download from this website in Power Tab, PDF and TXT format. Below is the tab for the first 5 exercises which are featured in this video: Power Tab - PDF - TXT All of these 5 exercises are played on a guitar tuned to Open D.   What is Thumb Independence? Thumb Independence is a fingerstyle guitar technique where basically the thumb plays independently of the other picking fingers. The th...

  In this video, I will show you how to play the guitar part from Mississippi John Hurt's song Louis Collins. The guitar part is played on a guitar in standard tuning, is in the Key of C, and is in 4/4 time. Like most of Mississippi John Hurt's songs, this is very repetitive. The guitar part is 11 bars long and is repeated through the entire song. The guitar part uses a travis picking pattern, so if you are used to playing like this, it shouldn't be too problematic.  Below are some tips to help you play this piece and links to download the tab. I have also provided the lyrics if you wish to sing the vocal parts too Nobody's Dirty Business Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT Louis Collins - Mississippi John Hurt - Lyrics Mrs. Collins weeped, Mrs. Collins moaned, To see her son Louis leavin' home The angels laid him away The angels laid him away, They laid him six feet under the clay The angels laid him away   Mrs. Collins weeped, Mrs. Collins moaned, To see her...

  Travis Picking is a popular playing technique in Fingerstyle guitar. It is attributed to country and wester singer and guitarist Merle Travis who was active during the mid 1900s. It is a widely used technique and is seen in many genre's of music, especially blues and folk music. The playing technique, in simplest terms, involves playing alternating bass notes on the lower strings of the guitar whilst simultaneously playing the melody notes on the higher strings of the instrument. In this post and accompanying video I want to give you an overview of the Travis Picking playing style. Bass Notes On the guitar, playing the bass notes with the thumb and the melody line with the other fingers is not a new technique. It has been done since standard 6 string guitars have existed. Where Travis Picking differs is that it plays alternating bass notes on alternating strings, as opposed to playing the bass notes over and over on a single string. This gives the bass line of the music more vari...