The Blues Guitar

  In this video, I want to share with you my fingerstyle guitar version of the classic song Then He Kissed Me / Then I Kissed Her. The song has two names depending on which version you listen to, but it's basically the same song just with different lyrics. The song was originally titled 'Then He Kissed Me' and it was released by The Crystals in 1963. The Beach Boys then released a version in 1965 which was musically almost identical but the lyrics were changed, as was the title to 'Then I Kissed Her'. The Beach Boys version is in the key of C# whereas The Crystals original version is in the key of E tuned down slightly between Eb and E. The version I have given you in this video is in the same key as The Beach Boys version in C#. It is played on a guitar in Open D tuning that's tuned down half step to make it Open C#. The music is in 4/4 time and it utilises a Travis picking pattern throughout. The song basically just comprises of a main section which is 16 bars...

  In this video I want to share with you a piece of blues music I have written called 'Mixed Up Blues'. This is a fingerstyle guitar piece and uses a slapping technique throughout the music. I got the name 'Mixed Up Blues' because when I was writing it I had a jumble of mixed up sections of music that I tried to piece together into one coherent tune. I still think it sounds a bit mixed up but I like the finished version. The music is in the key of E, it is played on a guitar in Standard Tuning, and is mostly in 4/4 time. The music is very similar to a 12 bar blues in terms of its chord progression, the main difference is that this is 20 bars long. In a standard 12 bar blues, the root chord is played for the first 4 bars of the music. In this piece, the root chord is played for the first 12 bars of the music. After that, the chord changes are the same as a standard 12 bar. Thus, the main section is 20 bars long. In the video I play through the intro which is 4 bars long,...

  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...