The Blues Guitar

In this video I want to share with you my version of the 'Stuck in the Middle With You' by Stealers Wheel. The song was first released in 1972 and became popular again when it was featured in the Quentin Tarantino hit movie Reservoir Dogs in the infamous 'ear' scene. The original is quite a jaunty but soulful piece of music. In my version I have given it a more bluesy laid back feel whilst still trying to retain the character of the original. The music is played on a guitar in Open D Tuning and is in the Key of D. It is in 4/4 time and it is a fingerstyle piece incorporating a bass picking pattern throughout. I have played through the main section of the music and this just gets repeated through the whole song. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Stuck in the Middle With You Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Missing Melody -  As you may have noticed, I have left out some of the melody notes which form the lyrics...

  In this video I want to share with you my version of Tampa Red's 'Boogie Woogie Dance'. This is a fast, catchy piece of early blues music dating from the 1920's. The music is played on a guitar in Open D Tuning and is in the Key of D. It is in 4/4 time and it is a fingerstyle piece incorporating a bass picking pattern throughout. Tampa Red was famous for playing with a slide but I have chosen not to use a slide in this version. I will discuss this below.  In this video, I will play through the music at normal tempo first, and then I will play through it again more slowly and put the tab onscreen. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Boggie Woogie Dance Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Using a Slide -  Tampa Red was famous for playing with a slide and I believe he used it in the original recording of this piece. However, in the version I have given you there are only the fill sections where a slide would be u...

  n this video I want to share with you my version of John Fahey's of 'Poor Boy Long Ways From Home'. This is a nice piece of folk blues music in the American Primitivism style which Fahey is famous for. The music is played on a guitar in Open D Tuning and is in the Key of D. It is in 4/4 time and it is a fingerstyle piece incorporating a standard Travis Picking pattern throughout. In this video, I will play through the music at normal tempo first, and then I will play through it again more slowly and put the tab onscreen. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Poor Boy Long Ways from Home Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Bends -  There are a number of bends throughout the music and these take place on the 8th fret of the second string. Throughout the music I have written these as half note bends just for ease, but they don't all have to be played as half note bends. You will notice that I play these bends dif...

  In this video, I want to share with you my fingerstyle guitar version of the classic Xmas carol Silent Night. The music was written in 1818 by Franz Gruber to lyrics written by Joseph Mohr. Since then it has been popular every Xmas and you will undoubtably hear it played many times this festive season. The version I have given you in this video is in the key of D and is played on a guitar in Open D tuning. The music is in 3/4 time and it utilises an offset Travis picking pattern to compensate for the 3/4 time signature. I will discuss this below. I have tried to add a more laid back blues feel to the music. The song basically is just one main section repeated throughout. In my version I have a 4 bar intro section, then the main section which runs for 23 bars. In my verison, the last few bars serve as an outro but you can just loop back to bar 5 and repeat as necessary. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Silent Night Downloadable Ta...

  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...

  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...

  In this video I want to share with you a short bluesy version of the famous song Ode to Joy. Ode to Joy was originally written as a poem in 1785 by Friedrich Schiller. In 1824 the poem (or at least the majority of it) was put to music to create a song when it was married up to Beethoven's 4th Movement from his 9th Symphony. This created the song we know today. However, it is probably the music, rather than the lyrics, that people now recognise as it is one of the most famous and well known pieces of music there is. And the music (not the lyrics) has been adopted as the anthem of the European Union.  I have heard people derisively call some of Beethoven's music classical pop tunes, and although such criticism is largely unfounded, this piece could certainly fall within that category. It is a simple and striaghtforward piece using a chord sequence which is now commonly found in modern pop music. But this gives it is a light, joyous tone and makes it a catchy, acce...

  In this video I want to play through a John Fahey instrumental piece called Calvert Street Blues. The only place I can find this piece of music is on the John Fahey album ' Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You' and it sounds more like a demo track. It is titled 'Dorothy / Calvert Street Blues [Brenda's Blues]' and there are two recordings of it on the album. I have just decided to title it Calvert Street Blues to make it easier. I can't find any similar piece of music with a similar title anywhere, so these two short demo recordings are all there is. Anyway, it is a nice short, catchy piece of music so I thought I would tab out a version of it and upload it.  The music is in the Key of C and is played on a guitar in Open C tuning. It is in 4/4 time and is a standard fingerstyle piece with a travis picking bass pattern. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. I Saw The Light Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   The ...

  In this video I want to have a look at the classic country gospel song I Saw The Light. This is a catchy, upbeat song and I have done my own fingerstyle guitar version of it. The song is quite basic with a repeating 8 bar structure throughout it. In the video I will play through the verse and the chorus sections, then have a look at the music structure and give some tips on playing it. Lastly, I will play through it again slower and put the tab on screen. The music is mostly in standard 4/4 time and is in the Key of D. It is played on a guitar in Open D Tuning and employs a travis picking pattern when playing. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. I Saw The Light Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   The 2/4 Bar - At the end of each of the eight bar sequences, whether that be the chorus or the verse, I have added a 2/4 bar in to bridge into the next section. Now, when I listen through the music, I could hear this 2/4...

  In this video I want to have a look at the blues song Queen Bee by Taj Mahal. This is a nice, mellow fingerstyle blues piece and comprises a 24 bar guitar section which is repeated through the song. In the video I will play through this 24 bar section, then have a look at the music structure and give some tips on playing it. Lastly, I will play through it again slower and put the tab on screen. The music is in standard 4/4 time and is in the Key of Bb. However, it is played in the G position but is taken up to Bb with a capo on fret 3 of the guitar. It employs a travis picking pattern when playing. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Queen Bee Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Nailing the Slides - In the first eight bars of the music, there is a small slide played from fret 3 to 4 on the third string of the guitar. Although this may not seem too tricky, it can be problematic because you have to maintain the unde...

  In this video I want to look at the classic Robert Johnson song Stop Breakin' Down Blues. This is one of Johnson's best known songs and it has been covered by many famous artists such as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and The White Stripes. It is a catchy 12 bar blues in the Key of G. It is played on a guitar in Open G Tuning and is in 4/4 time. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Stop Breakin' Down Blues Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Palm Muting - In Johnson's original recording he makes extensive use of palm muting on the bass strings. In the version I have done, I use palm muting when playing lower based strings, but when the chords change so that the bass strings are higher up, on the 3rd or 4th string of the guitar, I stop using palm muting. The reason I don't use it is because very little sound is coming out of the guitar when I do this. in Johnson's original recording, it still sounds li...

  This is my fingerstyle blues version of the classic Xmas song Blue Christmas. The song was made famous by Elvis Presley and eventhough it's title might suggest otherwise, it is not a piece of blues music but a piece of country music. In the video, I will play through the music, then have a look at the structure of the music. I will also give some playing tips on some of the trickier sections of music which might trip you up when playing. Lastly, I will play through the music slower and put the tab on screen. The music is in 4/4 time, it is in the Key of D and is played on a guitar in Dropped D tuning. Below are some tips to help you play this piece, and links to download the tab. Blue Christmas Downloadable Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT   Early Chord Changes - To make this piece of music have more of a blues feel, I have taken some of the melody notes off the beat of the bar and played them early. Because of this, it is beneficial if you make the chord changes at the...

In this video I will show you a new piece of blues music that I have written called Coast Road Blues. I got the name Coast Road Blues because when I was out driving along a coastal road, the idea for the music came to me. It is a fingerstyle guitar piece where you play the bass notes on the lower strings with your thumb and the melody notes on the higher strings with your other fingers. It is played on a guitar in standard tuning, is mostly in 4/4 time (but there is a 2/4 bar which also repeats), and is in the key of E. At its core, it has an eight bar structure that repeats with variations, but this 8 bar structure is very similar to a 12 bar structure just shorter, so it should sound quite familiar. Although it is a relatively straightforward piece of music, it does have quite a fast tempo, and there is also quite a lot of variation in the bass picking pattern, which can make it a bit trickier to play. The structure of the music is: Intro - 8 Bar (Section 1) - 8 Bar (Section 2) -...