need just a little more blues

hey everyone -

I have a pretty specific question (which is kinda rare because everyone seems to go "how can I sound like Vai") anyway...

I love playing, listening to and trying feebily to solo over the blues. I know the major pentatonic pretty well and the blues/minor scales... My question is, are there other scales I should be messing with? Also, I was told that most of soloing is about following the scales up and down the fretboard and also making chords. I've seen a few licks that just don't seem to follow the rules or their not a scale I know...

can you combine them to make other riffs?

thanks all!!

[font=trebuchet ms]Blues is a lot like jazz in the sense that you gotta learn as much as you can, and then put it all away when it comes time to play. Forget all that stuff about scales n' modes and **** like that. Just set your mood, think about what you wanna say, and then play![/font] :)

as b.b. king says: dont worry about the notes you should play. worry about the notes you shouldn't play. ;)

With blues, you have to feel every note that you play. Don't think about what to play, just play whatever comes to you at that moment. Also, with blues speed is not alsways the best way to go, holding a note can do more for a song than multiple notes can.

Slightly off topic, but the blues also has a lot to do with the sound of the guitar itself. Gibson guitar, thick strings with lots of body, not too much treble on the pickups and a Fender Reverb amp or something similar.
For instance, the blues on my Roland guitar with extra light strings played through a Marshall amp just don't sound right no matter how ya play it.

Try "waking up in the mownin, gettin yerself a beeyah, losin yer baby..." Seriously though, I'm sure there is some merit to this, that having crap happen to you, or good things even, would inspire emotional playing beyond scales and notes.

It's in him and it's got to come out; let that boy boogie woogie!!
John Lee Hooker

Originally Posted by: spanky10940I've seen a few licks that just don't seem to follow the rules or their not a scale I know...

steve vai doesn't limit himself to the pentatonic scale :p. he'll pull out mid-eastern scales and all kinds of stuff you have to know theory to recognize (which i don't). From the little material i've come across in my short time playing, most licks are either pentatonic (blues/rock) or ionian major (sounding spanish).

should you worry about other scales? depends on what you want to play. if you want to dabble in some exotic stuff, i say go for it.

dude, for blues, there is a whole new rule book man.
THERE ARE NO RULES...except one. Its just whatever sounds good. Screw the scales, and tapping and sweep picking. That **** sounds stupid over the 12 bar blues so leave it by the waste side for another but blues man, its all about just blues man. What i do recommend is listening to some bands thou, they help. Steve Ray Vaughn, ZZ Top, Eric Clapton, Aerosmith, Buddy Guy, Skynard(beleive it or not), Eric Johson, Jimi Hendrix(Red House haha...thats a song name.) They are the heavy blues players but they got all sick different styles, you gotta go now and make your own dude
go and make your own style and you a blues master
good luck
hope that helped

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