Best Blues Festivals

The first thing you will hear when you learn blues guitar is about the 12 bar blues, 8 bar blues and 16 bar blues, though 12 bar blues is the most popular. All of them use three primary dominant seventh chords. 12-bar blues has 12 measures composed as follows: 1st measure = I chord; 2nd measure = I or IV chord; 3rd and 4th measure = I chord; 5th and 6th measure = IV chord; 7th and 8th measure = I chord; 9th measure = V chord; 10th measure = IV or V chord; 11th measure = I chord and the 12th measure is the V chord which takes you to the beginning of the next chorus.

When you learn blues guitar, the same tune can be played over and over in a variety of styles and sound great. Much of your creativity in doing this will depend on your ‘comping’ pattern and it is a good idea to stick to the one you feel comfortable with.

What Techniques Do You Need When You Learn Blues Guitar?

There are certain blues techniques that will help tremendously when you learn blues guitar. Some of these are vibrato, string bending, slides, hammer-on, pull-offs, slapping, etc. If you play the blues on an electric guitar, the techniques are very different from the classical method of playing. Unlike the blues, the classical method uses only one type of vibrato and plenty of barre chords without much string bending. Let us take a look at the important techniques you need to master when you learn blues guitar:

Vibrato

Of all the blues techniques, the vibrato is the most intense. You can actually play a short solo with a single note. Vibrato is a technique where you change the pitch of a note from lower to higher and back again controlling string tension.

String bending

This is also an essential for blues guitar. As the name implies, string bending involves bending the string up or down to get a different tone pitch. You can get quartertone, half tone, and full tone string bending. Getting the right one as you play is crucial.

Slides

A slide involves changing tone by pressing down the string, picking a tone and moving the finger upward or downward between two frets without picking the string.

Slapping

If you play acoustic blues guitar, this technique sounds great. You lift the string with your thumb and index finger or a pick and allow it to slap the fretboard for a drum-like sound.

Pull offs

A pull off is when you pick a string at the first fret and move your finger up or down fast for the tone of the open string. This is especially useful when you learn blues guitar to play rhythm or solo. You have to be cautious when you play electric guitar and use this technique since your strings can ring even when you don’t pick them because of your amp.

Blues Guitar Scales

Blues guitar scales are easy to learn but very difficult to become an expert at. The minor blues guitar scale is like the minor pentatonic scale but with a flat fifth, which has a unique tone. This is also called the blue note and is used in all kinds of music. Blues guitar scales work very well when you use the bending or slide technique when you play. Combined with blues chords, and the techniques described above, you can learn blues guitar, experimenting with various melodies as you go.

Ah, the blues. One of the most well known forms of music. There’s no other music style quite like it, that has carried such an influence on other music styles and that has such a rich heritage. Surprisingly, though, the Blues isn’t that difficult to play.

The Blues as an oral tradition can be traced back to the mid 1800s, and finds its roots from Europe and Africa. However, the Blues as we know it today is purely an American style of music. It first began to be popularized in the early 1900s, with guys like WC Handy writing songs such as "Memphis Blues" & "St. Louis Blues."

In the 1920s and 1930s, guitarists used slides from broken bottle necks to create the slide sound (which is something any guitarist should learn when wanting to play the Blues) and in the 1940s Big Band began to take over. This meant that guitars moved primarily into the rhythm section. Then, the 1950s arrived, where piano blues and guitar blues began to develop into rock and roll and other forms of music. This is also when amplifiers and electrified guitar music became more and more common.

The Blues is primarily guitar and piano focused, but it can be played on other instruments too. To play the Blues, there are a few tips and tricks that can get you started quickly. Firstly, the Blues must be played with FEELING. It’s a very less technical style, which you will especially find once you get used to a few progressions, chords and scales. Secondly, get comfy with a Blues rhythm when practicing (most blues is in 4/4 time signature.) Then, learn to play the Blues Scale and a Blues Progression, and you’ll find yourself soon able to play the Blues with feeling and ease.

Let’s look at the Blues Scale. It’s actually quite easy to play and works off the major scale. All it is, really, is the major scale with an added flattened 3rd, 5th and 7th. So, if you were playing in the key of C, the Blue Scale would look like this : C D Eb E F Gb G A Bb C. That’s it. The scale is ideal for improvising over a blues progression, which you should also practice and learn to play.

Typically, Blues progressions are done over 12 measures (bars) - which is why it is known as 12 bar blues. If you were playing in the key of C, for instance, you would play the first 4 bars in the root chord (C), the 5th and 6th bars in the 4th interval (F), the 7th and 8th bars back to the root note (C), the 9th and 10th bars in the 5th interval (G) and end off the last two bars in the root note again (C.) If you wanted to play chords over this progression, you would stick to dominant 7th chords- and to improvise you would just play the Blues Scale as above. Guitarists can add a few tricks - using a slide, or "wriggling" notes for some extra feeling.

Blues has this marvelous ability of getting you addicted to it very quickly. It really is a unique style for jamming and improvising, and one song can carry on for (literally) hours. Not only that, but since other forms of music find their roots in the blues, learning to play the blues will increase your ability in those styles as well.

In the 1920’s and 1930’s, blues guitar players like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Son House, Robert Johnson, and Lonnie Johnson were the influential performers of the day.

They used a slide which was often made out of a knife blade or the broken or sawed off neck from a bottle. Most of the music was improvised, and unaccompanied.

The form of the songs were loose, and were rarely, if ever, played the same way twice.

As the 1940’s came, the jump blues style characterized by big band music sequestered the guitar to the rhythm section primarily. The primary influence of this era on blues guitar is that it heavily influenced the development of what would later be known as rock and roll, or rhythm and blues.

After World War II in the 1950’s, blues guitar became electrified and amplified. Starting in Chicago, this new electric blues was characterized by the sounds of Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Jimmy Reed. All of these players grew up in Mississippi, but migrated to Chicago. The bands typically had, in addition to the electric guitar, harmonica and a rhythm section of bass and drums. Sometimes there would also be a saxophone, though it would be relegated to a rhythmic support role.

B.B. King and Freddie King were also making names for themselves at this time. They were somewhat unique at the time because they did not make use of the slide to play the guitar. B.B. King has long been considered one of the greatest blues guitar players of all time. Freddie King has often been called the King of the Boogie Woogie guitar.

While Chicago had it’s own sound in the 1950’s, some other artists such as T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker were creating what some call the California Blues style. T-Bone Walker was born in Dallas, while Hooker was born in Mississippi. The California Blues Style that they helped to forge was smoother than the Chicago Blues and is somewhat of a melting pot for Chicago Blues, jump blues, and some jazz swing.

Starting in the 1960’s, Caucasian audiences gained more interest in blues guitar thanks in part to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and what was later to be called the British Blues Movement. Bands such as Fleetwood Mac, Cream, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, the Rolling Stone, and the Yardbirds were performing classic blues tunes in addition to their original tunes. Many of these artists inspired American blues-rock artists like Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, and Johnny Winter.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Albert King, Buddy Guy, and Luther Allison where creating what is called the West Side style of Chicago Blues. Their bands were dominated by the amplified electric blues guitar and heavily influenced later artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Lang, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Since the early 1980’s, the blues has enjoyed quite a resurgence in America. The Texas Rock-Blues Style of Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Fabulous Thunderbirds brought the blues to American rock radio stations. Eric Clapton, who originally gained his fame with Cream and John Mayall, continues to make great blues guitar albums and even recently recorded a set of old Robert Johnson classics. Many famous, legendary blues guitar players such as Buddy Guy and B.B. King continue to share the stage with the new generation of blues guitar players like Robert Cray, Joe Bonamassa, and Walter Trout.

About the Author:

Griff Hamlin is a professional guitar player. He has just released Playing Through The Blues, a book on learning to play blues guitar. Visit http://www.playingthroughtheblues.com for more information.
Article Tags: blues, guitar, king

Read more articles by: Griff Hamlin
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Article published on June 19, 2007 at iSnare.com

If you want to learn how to play blues guitar like B.B King you must first understand and learn to recognize by ear the evolution of the blues chord progressions.

Although B.B King’s style is almost exclusively single note lead lines and riffs, one of the key secrets’ to his sound is the chord progressions played in the background, this gives B.B’s notes their different musical color.

I recommend beginning to learn how to play blues guitar like B.B King by recording the following blues chord progressions and practice playing your lead parts over the recorded progressions.

Each of the blues progressions are presented in the key of C. B.B’s solo’s are derived from the minor pentatonic and blues scales.

Try playing the C minor pentatonic scale and the C blues scale over these progressions, listening carefully to the musical weight and density of each note as you play them against different harmonic backgrounds of each blues progression.

The notes of the C minor pentatonic scale: C Eb F G Bb

The notes of the C Blues scale: C Eb F Gb G Bb

How To Play Blues Guitar Like B.B King - chord progression 1:

C | C | C | C |
F | F | C | C |
G7 | G7 | C | C |

How To Play Blues Guitar Like B.B King - chord progression 2:

C | C | C | C |
F | F | C | C |
G7 | F | C | C |

How To Play Blues Guitar Like B.B King - chord progression 3:

C | C | C | C7 |
F | F | C | C |
G7 | F | C | C |

How To Play Blues Guitar Like B.B King - chord progression 4:

C | C | C | C7 |
F | Fm | C | C |
G7 | F | C | C |

How To Play Blues Guitar Like B.B King - chord progression 5:

Cm | Cm | Cm | Cm |
Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
G#7 | G7 | Cm | Cm |

These five 12 bar blues chord progressions are important if you really want to learn how to play blues guitar like B.B King play them over and over until you can recognize each progression, remember B.B performs almost every night of the year, so he gets to listen to these chords on a daily basis, he knows these progressions in every little detail that’s why he doesn’t get lost when he’s soloing.

For lovers of Blues music there has been a couple of real good decades. Since the mid 1980’s when a resurgence and revival of Blues music began there have been many more venues where folks can get to hear good blues music. The growth of new Blues societies and Blues festivals has lead clubs and bars to feature Blues as part of their entertainment.

A problem that has developed with the growth of bar/band and rock oriented blues having so many places to be showcased, is that acoustic and traditional blues have become less prominent. Those Blues societies in the 1980’s started with such good intentions. They gathered blues acts from all the different styles available and gave everyone a taste of Blues in all it’s forms. As festivals and societies grew more people became involved who were not lifelong Blues lovers. Electric blues was more to these folks taste and that is what became predominate on the festival stages. Acoustic and traditional blues became featured less and less and has become almost nonexistent at major Blues festivals around the United States.

There are exceptions to this trend of course. Some Blues festivals still have smaller acoustic stages or limited times during the day when more traditional and acoustic music is featured. There are even a few mostly acoustic festivals scattered around the country. But, unless you have unlimited funds and all kinds of time to travel you are going to have to look elsewhere for the music you love. Fortunately there is a solution to your problem.

In recent years there has been a huge growth in popularity of what is often referred to as Roots or Americana music. This is mainly a variation of what was once called Folk music. They just changed the name to protect the innocent. It is still all about honest music with a strong foundation in traditional old time American music. The greatest thing about this is that young people have actually looked for the next cool thing and found it in the past.

Folk festivals never really stopped happening. Major Folk festivals such as the Newport and Philadelphia Folks fests have long histories. There are many long running Folks festivals going on in all parts of the United States. Add to this the many new Roots and Americana festivals that seem to be adding to their numbers yearly, you have lots of possible alternate chances to see music performed live.

How does this help the Blues lover? Well the key word is “Roots”. When you go back to the roots of American music you always find the Blues. And, at all these Folk and Roots festivals you always find a certain amount of Blues. It may be featured all on it’s own or part of the repertoire of performers who maintain traditional music styles as part of their act’s. But, it is definitely there.

If you are doubtful of this, try scanning festival web sites and see who is performing there. You might be surprised.

Just as an example, check out Merlefest. It is a great Americana festival held in North Carolina that goes on for days and has 15 stages of mostly acoustic music. There is always a major showing of a great variety of traditional and acoustic Blues acts throughout the fest. On Saturday they have one stage dedicated to nothing but Blues and one of the only places you will get to see the Doc Watson Blues band perform. Roy Book Binder, who acts as stage manager and MC on the Blues stage, often says: “Merlefest features more hours of acoustic Blues than any Blues festival in the country”. That says a lot for something that many people consider a Bluegrass festival.

There are many other examples to be found. Use the web. Check the web sites of your favorite acts and see where they are playing. Then, when you find a festival they are playing at, check out that festival’s site. You will usually find there is more Blues offered at these festivals than you thought. It may take a little extra work, but acoustic and traditional Blues is still alive. You may be surprised where you find it.

Blues is probably the purest American music ever produced – and along with its jazz counterpart – is the only true American music form. Its roots lie in the work songs of West African slaves in the South. When they toiled hard in the fields of South plantation owners, these slaves built a ‘call and response’ method of singing, thus lending rhythm to the drudgery of their lives. These came to be called ‘field hollers’ and became the basis of all blues music to follow. After the Civil War ended, the blacks could either work as field labor or become traveling minstrels. So quite a few ended up being the latter – performing at all-nighters, fish-frys and juke joints, relying on their stamina and mental repertoire of many blues songs.

Powerful Blues Music Is Officially Born

While the lyrics of blues songs seem soulful and sad, the music itself is quite powerful and emotive – filled with rhythm and celebrating the life of black Americans. What makes this kind of music appealing is its reflection of their daily lives, talking about sex, drinking, poverty, love lost, hard labor – anything they experienced.

Among the first documented blues is W C Handy’s “Memphis Blues” in 1909. The music grew in popularity and when the 78-RPM phonograph came in the late 1920’s Paramount, Aristocrat and other record labels recorded some of the famous country blues artists. Around 1941-1943, field recordings of blues men were made in their surroundings by famous blues folklorist Alan Lomax. This is significant because that’s how the white folks got introduced to the blues. Budding artists got exposure to some national record labels.

Blues Travels North

The blacks migrated North during the Great Depression along the route of the Illinois Central Railroad toward Chicago, bringing with them blues music. With huge crowds gathering to enjoy this, performers like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf switched to electric guitars and also included drum sets to their bands. This became even more powerful than the original blues. There was a lull until the late 1950’s when The Kingston Trio recorded the chart topper, Tom Dooley, and gave birth to the folk revival in 1958. The Newport Folk Festival then brought back folk and blues music to the white American people till 1966.

What followed later was a merging of blues with rock – forming the rock blues bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Some artists faithful to the form were The Rolling Stones, John Mayall, Led Zeppelin.

Types of Blues Music

There are four types of blues music. The Deltas blues is said to be the original – being played by the black men from the Mississippi delta region, using the piano or harmonica. The style was a call and response lyrical framing. Then we have the Chicago Blues, which used electric amplification of voice using mics, drum sets and electric guitars. The Texas Blues are similar to the Chicago blues. In the early 1960s originated the Blues-rock, which was directly influenced by the Delta and Chicago blues.

People from all over the Southeast swarmed the Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach this weekend for the 16th annual George’s Music Springing the Blues Festival. The three day yearly event just keeps getting bigger and better with such internationally acclaimed blues artists as the Kelly Bell Band from Baltimore, Joe Bonamassa, Yo Mamma’s Big Fat Booty Band, and Jacksonville’s own boy wonder, Eric Steckel.

An estimated crowd of 40,000 descended on this beachfront community for a weekend of fun in the sun, and the weather couldn’t have been better. With temperatures in the low 80’s, beachgoers arrived early to frolic in the sand and surf while watching the kids and the pros tear up our small but proud 2-3 footers in the Aqua East Surfing the Blues Contest.

Kicking off the festivities at 5 pm on Friday was Regi Blue, followed by Sean Costello and Shane Dwight, delighting the audience with their mix of traditional blues and jazz favorites. Friday’s headliner was The Howl, a wailing blues band from Boston Ma.

After hour’s jam sessions across the street at the Seawalk Hotel, and the Atlantic Theatres all the way in Atlantic Beach kept Blues lovers loving it till the wee hours. At Freebird Live, artists performed in an intimate concert setting each evening, topping it off with one of Jacksonville’s favorite bands, Mofro on Sunday night.

At the western edge of the festival grounds, surrounded by kids jumping around on inflatables, bungi jumping and rock climbing, artists that had just or were going to perform on the main stage, used the west stage to get up close and personal. Eric Steckel delighted fans on Saturday with an “unplugged” version of his latest and greatest. Roger Hurricane Wilson roamed the crowd, and on Sunday Dr. Hector performed a Blues Tribute to former band member Dru Lombar.

Getting the crowd going Saturday afternoon, The Kelly Bell Band showed why they were named the best Mid Atlantic Regional Blues Band for 9 straight years.

Headliner Joe Bonamassa, voted BluesWax 2005 artist of the year, put on a riveting concert to a full crowd dancing to the music under a crescent moon in the dark.

Sunday saw the advent of daylight savings time and more sun! Returning from last year, the ever popular Yo Mamma’s Big Fat Booty Band got things moving with their colorful clothing choices and unique musical style and showmanship. The Eric Steckel Band, featuring fifteen year old “Blues Boy Wonder” Eric Steckel, took the stage at 5:30 showcasing this guy’s amazing talent and presence on stage. Closing out this years Springing the Blues Festival, was Blues great Lee Roy Parnell, laying it back with the tradition of what the Blues is all about.

As one of Jacksonville Beaches’ top events, George’s Music Springing the Blues Festival brings the people in from all over, filling hotels and crowding the streets each and every year. Congratulations and thanks to the producers of this years show for bringing in some quality talent – the best Blues you can get!