Kicking The Old School With Blues Guitar Licks

By Tom Simpson

Looking to learn to play the best licks on guitar? Well, there's nothing better than the blues. First of all, why play blues guitar when I can play jazz? B.B. King himself said that all of them back then, the blues musicians, they were all in high school --and when a fellow starts playing jazz, then he's in college. He said jazz was the big brother of blues. While it may be true that jazz is arguably a higher form of music than blues, it's a historical fact that all the musical genres of the 20th century worth giving a damn about: rock, R&B, hip hop, soul, funk, metal, and yes even jazz have deep roots in the blues. The blues gave birth to all that great music, and jazz is a credit to the greatness of old blues licks and kicks.

That being said, here are 5 tips to start on the long bumpy road to playing great blues: If you don't already have one, buy a guitar. Some licks sound better in acoustic, some in electric, so both kinds can be used to play. Consider that you can't plug in an acoustic guitar (unless it has a pick up), and that an electric guitar will always require an amplifier to play. If you've picked what you want, consider now the price. Don't be too stingy. A great guitar, if treated right, will outlast you, so go ahead and splurge if you have the cash.

Blues has been around since the turn of the 20th century. It's the accidental great granddaddy to a myriad of the greatest genres: rock & roll, soul, funk, tidbits of folk, even hip hop, and yes, jazz. And like jazz it is unique. It's a sound absolutely slave to emotion -celebrating pure emotive depression.

Blues is today considered the music of intellectuals. Unknown to most, blues takes roots in recounting worker's tales. It's a perpetually raised fist against slavery. An echo of protest in another lost era of the last century. It is almost too awesome. The aspiring blues poet !Blues guitar licks are not easily mastered. All the greats: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Richie Havens, not one of them perfected the blues overnight. Ask any professional and they all say the same thing. To give justice to playing the blues you need to keep in mind 3 things:

Technique. As with any skill, you need to know how to play the guitar. You'll need musicality -an appreciation and fairly good execution of good music. Not just anyone can play the blues. Practice makes perfect. Licks. If technique is your ticket to playing, then a bottomless bag of tricky licks is your game plan. Blues licks are actually a sticky combination of technique and confidence. Playing the blues is a whole lot of improvisation, and a good player needs to be ready to spit out and good licks. Don't be afraid to have some fun. Blues is about expression.

Also, the blues backing tracks that are available online are great and you can listen to and learn from. A good way to learn guitar is to listen to good guitar playing. Prepared learning tracks are paced for amateur to professional playing, so there's something for everyone. Get ready for some improvisation! Don't be afraid or embarrassed if you don't sound too good. Everyone needs to start somewhere. Lashing out licks is about confidence. Lastly, remember that the blues is about feeling and emotion. Playing the blues is summoning that sound. Nearly any good player will tell you that to be a successful blues musician, you'll need 3 things: a bit of skill, a lot of licks and whole lot of soul! - 23806

About the Author:

UltimateBluesBackingTracks.com is dedicated to improve your blues playing. With an accompanying blues backing tracksto follow, students can now practice at home, at their own pace without being embarrassed by their mistakes. So unveil the musician in you!!!