Down Low Blues - Tutorial + Tab

 

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 problems knowing the best finger to use to pick these strings, especially when you have to play the bass notes so close to them with the thumb. Firstly, don't be tempted to use the thumb to play any of the melody notes. Just keep the thumb for playing the bass notes as it will just cause confusion. Also, I would recomend picking any notes on the 4th string (D string) only with the index finger. It may be tempting use the middle finger in some circumstances but again, this could cause confusion. After that I would recommend playing notes on the 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings using a combination of your index middle and ring fingers, or index and middle fingers, depending on which you are comfortable using. If you watch the video you will see the fingers I use to pick the strings and hopefully this will act as helpful guide when playing this.
  

• Keeping the Bass Notes Regular - The music employs a fairly standard bass note picking pattern with the thumb. In most bars the bass notes will be be played on every beat of the bar and will be played played on the same string, which is common when playing this style of music in the Key of E. However, it is easy to lose the regular rhythm with these notes when having to play the melody notes on the lower strings. Just remember, bass notes will only be played on the 1st and 2nd strings of the guitar and these will always be played with the thumb. Just start learning the piece sowly so you get this correct and you should get the hang of it.
  

• Song Structure -The song structure is very basic. It comprises of one main section which is repeated. This section lasts 16 bars long. Although its 16 bars, this is effectively a 12 bar blues and shares a similar structure to one. The only real difference is that an additional 4 bars are added at the start of the main section which are played at Scale Degree I. After that, it is a 12 bar blues. It uses the standard 3 chords which again is standard for a 12 bar pattern. The only difference is that the E is played as an Em, so the 3 chords are Em, A and B7. Once you understand this structure, it will make it easier to play this piece as you will know when the changes are. 

Song Structure (chords)

Em Em Em Em Em Em Em Em A A E E B7 A Em E-B7 (1st playthrough) or E (2nd playthrough)

 
This is about all I need to say about this piece. If you are comfortable playing fingerstyle blues on guitar with a repeating bass note pattern, then this shouldn't be too tricky to learn.

Thanks for Reading,
Neil