Blues Chords?

I had a little stumble with my guitar last couple of weeks. The good ole "self doubt" creept in and I was actually thinking of selling my gear. Well I am lucky enough to have a in depth conversation with a great bass player here local. He is like the "Yoda" of the local music comunity. Well he gave me a good pep talk and kick in the butt I needed to get me over my little hump. I asked him if he felt regular lessons would do me any good. Long and short his answer was no. He felt that where I am with my guitar the best place for me to be is the open jams we have here in town (we have one every night all over town). He personaly ..... well his band host a blues jam on monday nights. He told me so ling as I can hold a 3 to 4 blues chord set I will have it made. He says that will be the best way to get more confidence and get around other guys who "know there stuff" and help me out. My main problem is all I really know is cowboy chords and a few power chords. Needing a little direction on what is conciderd "Blues Chords". Any direction on this would be much apriciated. Thanks!

Here are a few that seem to pop up a bit in the blues that I noodle around with:

e7, a7, b7, g7, d7...

you get the idea.

I'm sure the gurus here can give you a far better and more in-depth answer than that.

Oh yeah, one other thing; I've found that your right hand will help you sell the blues as much as your left. Get a good grasp of a shuffle and triplet feel and it'll come together nicely for you.

Good luck.

So is the e7, a7, b7, etc... like a standard e chord on the 7th fret? Also the shuffle and tripple feel is different strum patterns? Sorry im a retard... :)

Originally Posted by: MAVERIC777So is the e7, a7, b7, etc... like a standard e chord on the 7th fret? Also the shuffle and tripple feel is different strum patterns? Sorry im a retard... :)

No, it's they are standard chords with a 7th added. Find yourself a chord dictionary on line, that'll show it to you. As far as shuffle and triplet, it's strum pattern with a different accent. Sorry, I'm not very good at articulating this. If you have full access, GT has some really solid lessons on blues (all levels) that'll help. If not, you can cruise the internet and come up with some good examples.

You know what else really helps? Listen to a lot of blues. You'll hear what I mean.

:) ... Hunter its not your teaching brother... I tend to get a little dence at times. I'll be sure to do some hunting through the site to find me some examples. I do try to squeeze in some blues but havent quite got the touch to dumlicate the strum pattern yet.

nice..i myself am in need of some blues direction

Right now I am checking out a blues lesson on DVD...it goes over Albert King(I won't even attempt his style)SRV and Clapton ...as well as others...I have a whole new appreciation for these guys. Cripes it is harder than I thought. :eek: ..but I refuse to give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool:

I have looked all over the lessons and cant seem to find anything about blues chords.... hummmm.....

Ya, 7th chords and their variations, major, minor, and dominant, can be used in blues, but they are good for a lot of styles as well. Also, 9th and 13th chords are great for blues and funk stuff as well.

Basic 7th chords
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=181

Blues Tutorials
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=218
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=189
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=170
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=251
http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=8079&s_id=70
http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=9301&s_id=158


Blues Orchestration
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=151
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=222
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=274
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=263

And for some blues licks and solos, hit Doug Fearman's instructor section.

This should give you enough material for a couple of months ;)

hey mav, glad to hear you giving the blues a try! R&B and Funk is where I want to ultimately head once I get better at the opens, timing, etc. LOL

good luck!

read up on the 12 bar blues. Alot of blues songs have only three chords, the I IV and V.

A7 A7 A7 A7
D7 D7 A7 A7
E7 D7 A7 E7

check this site for more information:
http://www.bluesforpeace.com/blueschords.htm

Yeah, good tip regarding 12 bar blues.
When I started out I remember being shown this and just realizing I inherently knew it already flow-wise, as it's such a frequent backbone of many songs. It will help you anticipate changes and see the chords as part of the whole progression. And once you know it, you'll recognize it when you hear it in many musical genres.

As far as the strumming, I suggest trying out the intro (and general progression) to "Pride & Joy" by SRV. You don't have to hit every masterful nuance of his of course...just "wing" it where you can, but just to get the idea of that walking bass with rhythmic upstrokes.

I’ve been thinking a lot about your question all day long. First, let me say that I am not qualified to teach anyone anything. Especially when it comes to how to play the blues. Heck man, I’m learning too. But I can tell you a little something about the blues. I have been an avid blues fan for a lot longer than I care to admit but that long-term love of the music has taught me a few things.

A lot of folks think that the blues is about feeling bad. Not true. The blues is about feeling good. It’s about turning that pain, those things that weigh you down, and releasing them through song. The blues is all about redemption.

There are literally dozens of differing styles of blues. From the early Delta blues of the Mississippi – Arkansas delta to the Piedmont blues of the Carolinas and south east to the Texas stomp blues and the Chicago Post-War electrified blues that essentially gave birth to rock and roll. The blues rears its head in gospel and country and even in some of the early ragtime jazz recordings. There are blues played on the piano, blues played on the harmonica and the blues we all know, picked out on the guitar.

The best way, in my humble and probably completely uninformed opinion, to learn the blues is to take a history lesson. Listen to all the styles. Listen to the great players. Listen to how Robert Johnson works those weirdly long fingers and alternate tunings and combines that with that haunting voice to create the best example of the Delta blues. Listen to the other greats; Son House, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Leadbelly. Listen close. You’ll hear some things in there that show up later in Zepplin and Cream solos. I swear sometimes when I listen to Robert Johnsons recordings, I can practically see ol’ Scratch leaning over Roberts shoulder, breathing on his neck, while Robert is signing over his soul for his ability to play that night at the crossroads when the clock struck twelve.

Listen to Lightning Hopkins and Elmore James. Heck man, you can practically taste that Texas clay when they hit it.

Check out the Chess and Checker catalogues. Listen to the wail that Howlin’ Wolf put on a record. You’ll know where he got his name when you hear ‘Killin’ Floor’ and ‘Smokestack Lightning’.

You can almost hear the labor pains of the blues birthing rock and roll when you hear Muddy plug in on the South side Chicago and ripping it through ‘Can’t be satisfied’ and ‘Catfish Blues’. There’s Buddy Guy putting a little more rock and roll into the blues. And he still puts on one helluva a show. Albert Collins, Albert and Freddie King,

Follow that with the first blues revival in the late 50’s and early 60’s. John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, Ray Charles (yeah, I know. Ray was a keyboard player but listen to how he plays it. Listen to the timing. Feel the soul of the music).

These people inspired some of the greatest rock and rollers that we’ve ever had. If there were no blues, there would have been no Beatles, no Rolling Stones, no Mike Bloomfield, no Kinks, no The Who, no Allman Brothers…. It’s like an old testament family tree. This one begat this one who begat that one…from there, the list goes on and on. Stevie Ray Vaughn. The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Johnny Winter. Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Joe Bonnamassa (that may not be spelled right but you know who I mean).

In other words, listen. When you get a chance, go see the old timer blues players when they pass through your town. Read up on the blues history. Watch the videos.

And of course, practice, practice, practice…

Like a signature on someone’s post says (I think it’s Leedog) “The blues are easy to play, hard to feel’. :cool:

Wow thanks for all the info everyone. Im really getting excited about attempting this. I get asked at least once a week to come out to a jam ... with the "make sure you bring your axe this time" always finishing the sentance...lol. Im lucky to have found a great group of musicions localy who I feel truly want me to succeed. I beleve im going to hit the acoustic jam next thursday and hop on stage for the first time. WOW... I just got nervous thinking about it..... :) Just wanted to try and get my electric blues down to hit the blues jam with the band who has been behind me all along. Thanks agin everyone.

Thanks Hunter for direction my friend. I'll be sure to check these great artist out. I have had a chance to sit back and listen to some Muddy Waters..... man that is some good stuff. Guess nothing more to do now than shut my mouth and get the fingers a moving. Thanks agin Hunter.

Originally Posted by: MAVERIC777Thanks Hunter for direction my friend. I'll be sure to check these great artist out. I have had a chance to sit back and listen to some Muddy Waters..... man that is some good stuff. Guess nothing more to do now than shut my mouth and get the fingers a moving. Thanks agin Hunter.

My pleasure. I tend to get a little verbose when it comes to the blues. Sorry for the long-winded reply. :o

Hi,
Don't know if this will help or not but here's a short tutorial consisting of 3 "blues" chords/ rhythms in the key of G.
http://guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=157

Originally Posted by: drf46Hi,
Don't know if this will help or not but here's a short tutorial consisting of 3 "blues" chords/ rhythms in the key of G.
http://guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=157

Thanks man... that is some cool stuff. I will definatly try some of that tomorow. I got to work on the e7, b7, d7, and c7 this evening... not hard at all... well.... just having to get use to the slight canges is all. Thanks agin to everyone for the help.

Blues like most types of american music came from a mash of other types of music. A little country, a little celtic folk, some jazz for flavor, and so on. You can and should listen to blues artist, you will learn alot. What you will not learn and no one can teach, is simple. If you dont feel it you cant play it. I dont care what type music it is. I read alot of good advice from others, and all of it is solid. Now for my advice. Buy as many DVDs as you can. If you learn one thing from each, its still cheaper than a lesson. Blue notes. Theyre all over the fret board, you have to find them. Most chords are three fingers, use the fourth finger and put it on any note you can reach while on a chord. Country music, there is a great conection between the two forms of music. Alot of very famous bluesmen play country music, And Brother Ray was very famous for that, but by no means the only one. Develope your own style, every great player has his own style. Most of the famous Bluesmen couldnt play a guitar no where near Clapton. John Lee Hooker could play only in two keys. So dont be hard on yourself, keep your playing fun. And take this Lesson from B.B.King " I have been and I will always be a student of the guitar" So come back and let everyone know how it goes.