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Duke Robillard Beginning Electric Rhythm Blues Guitar Method I

This is my third entry from Duke Robillard the other two guitar lessons of his you need to get being Freddie King and T-Bone Walker. This particular lesson is an informal lesson celebrating the Chicago Blues.

This guitar lessons' focus is different. Because you aren't learning other peoples songs. So much as learning about what feels good to you.

Beginners you'll easily play these delta inspired shuffle root rock/blues segments a few times in the different styles that he presents them to you and in several guitar friendly keys like E, A, D,and G.

Duke has a great sense of time and lays down several grooves that you'll want assimilate.

There is some no nonsense Jimmy Reed style which brings early Johnny Winter to mind. There is a up beat Chicago thing going on as well as T-Bone Walker, Chuck Berry, Billy Butler's Honky Tonk and a lot more.

Duke starts talking about chords built with fewer notes - orchestral chords with the third on the bottom. The bottom is where your walking bass line lives. Its called the bottom because its the thickest strings which are the lowest sounding. There is ascending and descending and vertical and horizontal usually counter intuitive in guitar jargon.

Because Duke brings up musical concepts quite a bit and it will add to your understanding of how chord voicings differ and how they are fingered. In the Key of G and also A he shows us some very hip interchangeable patterns up and down and back and forth in different 9th chords and D7th's and is a departure from T-Bone and Freddie King.

Buddy Johnson's tune All right OK You Win similar to the high guitar part in many Jimmy Reed tunes has some basic things going on that guarantee immortality.

Duke also uses dyads and double stops too all in the slide-able box position. This is the key area or one of the key areas of the fret board - that box shape barred at the fifth fret - A - or slide it back and play in G. T-Bone played a lot in G. The patterns are interchangeable and that's why you need to get them down cold or hot. Masters can take that tired old box and squeeze unique beauty out  of it.

Also in the Key of G is the inside 9th chord T-Bone Walker was so fond of that he said dressed up the blues. This 9th chord doesn't have the root in the voicing so the root is implied and hopefully you have a bass player to give it some structure as you develop the chops to do it on your lonesome with drum machine beat 107 bpm. There is quite a bit on here to be gleaned. A pamphlet would have been a thoughtful touch but there is not even a .PDF.

A lot of Dukes style is the feeling. This is basic and he shows you where the emphasis usually goes and its form. This could be your Intro to blues guitar.

Plenty to sink your teeth into to. You apply your feeling to the patterns and get down to the Bayou even.

But if you know absolutely no chords and buy this you may have wished other wise so go learn the 7 chords of the C scale. Then play in different positions with the roots on E and A. Newbies get this: Rhythm Guitar the Complete Guide. Thank me Later.

Menu Duke Robillard Chicago Blues Guitar Method I

  • Ch 1: Intro
  • Ch 2: Down Home Blues
  • Ch 3: Chicago Turnaround
  • Ch 4: Open A
  • Ch 5: Chuck Berry
  • Ch 6: Billy Butler
  • Ch 7: Key of G
  • Ch 8: T-Bone Walker
  • Ch 9: Back Picking
  • Ch 10: More Chicago Blues
  • Ch 11: BB, Albert, etc
  • Ch 12: Credits

Role Models

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