Topic: Improvising

[Rivers]

Bear with me here. My 2022 New Year's Resolution was to be able to play a lead break on electric, or acoustic guitar for the matter, without screwing up. I've been in love with country blues fingerpicking for so long I realized that in my case it's become a bit of a crutch.

So now I'm engaged in mastering the major- and minor pentatonic (and major- minor- and mixolydian) scales and their relationships, and learning BB King, Albert King, Freddy King etc classic licks. My major study is phrasing.

So we have amps all over the living room, and YouTube tutorials on the box.

Anyone else craving being able to take a good electric blues solo?

[Prof Scratchy]

No, not me….

[blueshome]

Me neither.
 
I do go to the occasional electric jam to meet friends and usually stick a slide on or fake it.

 Never practice with the electric as acoustic blues is what I love most and provides more than sufficient challenge.

 I've listened to country blues for 60 years and never get bored with it. There's always a surprise around the corner.

[Forgetful Jones]

Early pandemic had me buying pedals and such. I didn't dive too deep into different modes, but I definitely spent more time learning lead guitar than I ever had before. More hard rock/alternative style stuff that listened to in years past.
I goofed around with some Duane Allman style slide too. It was different and fun. It's also probably been a year since I plugged in.

[Blues Vintage]

I played that stuff for years (the 3 Kings, pentatonic scales). I play still play it occasionally but I prefer and always come back to the classic guitar and piano blues from the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

Check out "Blues You Can Use" by John Ganapes. It will have you rockin' the blues in no time.

https://www.amazon.com/Blues-You-Can-Use-Complete/dp/1495011828

[Rivers]

Interesting. I periodically get amnesia when someone suggests starting a band. I immediately forget a few things, 1) How much work it is, 2) interpersonal relationships, that 'conflicting musical directions' thing; and 3) How crap I am at playing lead breaks with any degree of confidence, accuracy and variety. I fired myself voluntarily from the last band I was in, couldn't stand the stress playing both lead and rhythm in a three piece.

Can't do much about items 1) and 2). Item 3) is fixable with some work. It also gives me a whole new musical challenge, which I need at the moment. It is extremely satisfying opening up the fretboard and nailing some new licks. It also feeds back into my acoustic playing, so good all round.

[MarkC]

I’ve been working on solo leads lately, but only on acoustic. I’ve always been terrible in jams when my turn comes around. For one thing, my thumb is so accustomed to keeping the beat, I had a hard time letting that go. (Rivers - is that along the lines of what you meant by CB fingerpicking being a bit of a crutch?)

I’ve tried pentatonic scales in the past, but now I focus on triads in chord shapes mostly on the top three or four strings. This works much better for me. I mostly look to Lonnie Johnson and guitarists playing with a piano player. I also figure out some Louis Armstrong solos (at least as close as I can get).

[Rivers]

or one thing, my thumb is so accustomed to keeping the beat, I had a hard time letting that go. (Rivers - is that along the lines of what you meant by CB fingerpicking being a bit of a crutch?)

That's definitely part of it but here's the whole story.
1) I never used to practice with a flatpick. I'm still drawn to playing licks finger style, but that's limited in the dynamics you can get out of an electric guitar & amp. So now I'm practicing with a flatpick, and working some hybrid picking into my "thing".
2) The other aspect of leaning too hard on fingerpicking, for me, was never having included scales and licks into my practice regime. I mean major pentatonic and minor pentatonic scales, where they occur and overlap, and how you can miraculously blend both scales when soloing over a major key. That was a major lightbulb moment for me. You just don't need to know that stuff if you're a practiced fingerpicker. Know enough chord inversions along the neck and have a good bag of tricks and you just don't need to go there, unless you want to. I want to!

I’ve tried pentatonic scales in the past, but now I focus on triads in chord shapes mostly on the top three or four strings. This works much better for me. I mostly look to Lonnie Johnson and guitarists playing with a piano player. I also figure out some Louis Armstrong solos (at least as close as I can get).

Yep, triads are real important to me also. I've been using them for a long time and so know where they are. They also work in harmony with knowing the pentatonic scales in all positions. When I'm playing a phrase it's sometimes a toss-up whether I landed on it via knowing the scale or the triad; sometimes it was both. One can never have too much knowledge, especially if, after playing a lick, you want to "get out of it" seamlessly to somewhere else for a few more bars. That right there is the value of practicing both triads and scales.

I'm still practicing finger style country blues but in parallel with electric blues styles. When they overlap, which is often, that is good for both styles. All I know is I'm having a lot of fun expanding my playing in areas I was just not exploring.

I'm quite picky about my influences. At present those tend to be Jimmy Reed, B.B. King, T-Bone Walker and Freddy King for straight pick material, and Hubert Sumlin for finger style. Thanks for mentioning Lonnie Johnson, a fine player I will be exploring his style at some point. I've given myself a year to work on getting some way up the learning curve on this project. This seems realistic, after being at it for a month.

[Johnm]

Hi Rivers,
A couple of other players worth looking at for fingerstyle electric playing--Magic Sam and John Lee Hooker, especially along the lines of his playing like https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=8387.msg105507#msg105507. Oh, and Freddie King played with his fingers.
All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

Interesting. I periodically get amnesia when someone suggests starting a band. I immediately forget a few things, 1) How much work it is, 2) interpersonal relationships, that 'conflicting musical directions' thing

I played piano, organ and guitar in a blues (rock) band. I introduced a Sleepy John Estes song (it was Easin' Back To Tennesse).
The band members were like, what? who?

[Rivers]

A couple of other players worth looking at for fingerstyle electric playing--Magic Sam and John Lee Hooker, especially along the lines of his playing like https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=8387.msg105507#msg105507. Oh, and Freddie King played with his fingers.

Thanks for those John. Yes you're right re Freddy King. Wikipedia says a plastic thumb pick and metal fingerpick on index finger. I can do that!

It's more the canonical nature of his licks that interests me; you hear his influence in a lot of good players, with a pick or otherwise. Stings like a bee. I've come to realize it's all about the lick and the way you phrase it.

Harry, ya, I hear you. I tried to drag my rockabilly band into Memphis Minnie; we had a girl singer who is very good. She was hip to it, can't say the same for the drummer and bassist though. Bands can be such a big drama sometimes. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink.

[Pan]

Hi all,

A few years ago I had the pleasure to help to set up concert and a workshop here in Berlin, with the great Chicago blues guitarist Johnny Burgin.
Johnny has since started a free "2 minute lessons" thing on his YouTube channel, briefly going through some of the things he has picked up during his touring and recording years with some of the Chicago blues greats.
If you are into electric Chicago style blues, you might want to check out his YouTube site.

https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnnyBurginBlues/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0

Cheers,

Pan

[Rivers]

Thanks Pan, he's very cool, subscribed.

[Blues Vintage]

Rockin' Johnny Burgin, such a great player. He really teaches the work of the more obscure blues cats on that channel.

[Blues Vintage]

Hi Rivers,
A couple of other players worth looking at for fingerstyle electric playing--Magic Sam and John Lee Hooker, especially along the lines of his playing like https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=8387.msg105507#msg105507. Oh, and Freddie King played with his fingers.
All best,
Johnm

Don't forget the baddest white bluesman in town, Johnny Winter.

[Forgetful Jones]

Hi Rivers,
A couple of other players worth looking at for fingerstyle electric playing--Magic Sam and John Lee Hooker, especially along the lines of his playing like https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=8387.msg105507#msg105507. Oh, and Freddie King played with his fingers.
All best,
Johnm

I don't want to hijack this thread or clog up the John Lee Hooker Lyrics thread either, but I just wanted to send some appreciation for this JLH link. It's got me on a bit of a Hooker kick lately. Back in the lyrics post JohnM mentions Hooker's guitar tone which completely sucked me in. I know only a small fraction of Hooker's catalog. It can be a little intimidating diving into such a massive ocean of music. These 1953 Miami recordings were a perfect starting point for me. "Play it loud" - I sure did.

[Forgetful Jones]

Johnny has since started a free "2 minute lessons" thing on his YouTube channel, briefly going through some of the things he has picked up during his touring and recording years with some of the Chicago blues greats.
If you are into electric Chicago style blues, you might want to check out his YouTube site.

https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnnyBurginBlues/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0

Cheers,

Pan

Cool channel! Thanks for this. A TON of great lessons. I may just have to plug in again some time soon. I hope I can remember how to hold a pick.
Cheers!