Expanding Blues Guitar
Group guitar class taught by Jamey Arent
1 hour per week · intermediate
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Tired of the same cliche blues licks? Feeling stuck in that old pentatonic box? Need some fresh new chord voicings for your blues progressions? Want your solos to actually reflect the sound of the chord changes? In this 6-week course, we will explore ways to make the sound of the blues changes come out in your playing. We will look at voice-leading through blues progressions, methods for outlining chord changes in your single note lines, more organic soloing, enhancing your vocabulary with jazz-influenced sounds, chord substitutions, modes, and more! We will examine how blues players like B.B. King, Albert King, Robben Ford, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, approach making the changes when improvising over a blues progression. The course includes PDF handouts and opportunities for Q&A and live feedback!
What's included
4.75 · 31 students · 11 lessons
Voice Leading The Blues
Voice Leading The Blues
We will break down the most important notes in each chord of the blues, and use them to build great-sounding voicings closely connected to other chords in the progression all over the guitar neck. We will also look at some useful substitutions in the blues progression, and learn how altered chords work. This type of chord knowledge will enhance your single note blues improvising too!
Making The Changes
Making The Changes
A good soloist can make their improvised solos reflect the sound of the chord progression within their lines. We will examine different ways to bring out the sound of the chord changes in the blues by hitting different chord tones, utilizing different pentatonic scales, and analyzing some classic blues licks from T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Albert King, Robben Ford, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Organic Blues
Organic Blues
As guitarists, we have a tendency to get stuck in guitar cliches and overplay when we solo. Utilizing rhythmic phrasing, motivic development, and horn player-influenced breathing, we can make our solos more interesting for the listener and the band by actually saying something!
Modes, Advanced Scales, Jazz Blues, Minor Blues and more!
Modes, Advanced Scales, Jazz Blues, Minor Blues and more!
We will look at how to utilize modes of the major scale, melodic minor scale, diminished scale, and harmonic minor scale in a blues context. We will also look at common jazz blues and minor blues chord progressions and substitutions to enhance your knowledge of what is possible within a 12-bar blues form.
Expanding The Pentatonic Scale
Expanding The Pentatonic Scale
We will look at how to not only utilize all 5 boxes of the pentatonic scale, but also how to connect them across the neck, gain fretboard fluency, and not feel confined to geometric shapes.
Blues as a Language
Blues as a Language
We will approach the language of blues and the broader topic of improvisation as a language by studying its historical context and understanding how masters of the blues put their own unique spin on soloing. I'll show you some of my favorite lines from the players who have influenced me the most.
Jamey is a great musician and is sincere in his desire to thoroughly teach the subject at hand (in this case blues and beyond). He provided detailed handouts and playing examples, and really went above and beyond my expectations throughout the course. Highly recommended!
Just sign up. You will take a lot of tidbits away!
Jamey is a great teacher and is very personable. He manages to move at a pace that, at least to me, balances between those in the class familiar with basic concepts in music theory and those (like me) with a more modest understanding, which is to say, I need to pay attention and revisit the recorded classes, but Jamey challenges me just enough to keep me interested and engaged, never frustrated. I have learned a lot already and love the new material I have to work with.
Jamey does a great job in prep, reads the room well in these virtual settings to gauge what is resonating with the group, and teaches by example. I find the sessions to be an effective blend of fundamentals along with applied creativity. I'm really glad I signed up, and plan to continue.
Jeremy is amazingly knowledgeable about the guitar and always explains things very thoroughly.
He is the Guitar Master! Good info in the class with handouts and links. Great demonstrations and answers everyones questions. Quick email responses.
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