Kicking The Old School With Blues Guitar Licks

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.

But even something as great as jazz has its roots, it has to come from something as great if not greater, and that is the awesome blues licks that gave birth to countless other genres.

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.

If you’re having a tough time following the pros, you can go online and download instructional blues backing tracks you can follow step by step. What’s great about these tracks is you can pick the tempo of your downloads, thereby pacing yourself for what you’re ready to play. Play every chance you get. When you have nothing to do, pick up the guitar and play. When you’re taking a break from work, practice. Constantly playing the guitar will get you better in no time.

Here are some great ways you can start that long lone journey to the blues: Get a guitar. The blues can be played on both acoustic and electric. Some blues styles sound better on the former, some the latter. A great consideration here is your budget. But don’t be afraid to splurge either. A good guitar is an investment, and can even be an heirloom if treated properly. Go online for a blues guitar lesson. The internet’s a cheap if not free way to get lessons and start on the road to shredding great licks.

They say to play the blues; you’ll just need 3 really important things besides a guitar: First, you got to have a bit of technique. Second, you need a lot of soul, soul, soul. Lastly, practice endless blues guitar licks to last you two lifetimes. It’s all about improvisation and confidence. Keep these simple steps in mind and you’ll be shredding with the best of them in no time.