Long before Freddie King, Albert Collins, Billy Gibbons and Stevie Ray Vaughan made the lone star state a hot spot for Blues, Aaron Thibeaux “T-Bone” Walker held the distinction of being the king of the electric Blues guitar in Texas. In addition to influencing all of these musicians, his music is said to have inspired B.B. King to learn the guitar as a youngster. Talk about influence!
Monthly Archive for April, 2008
During the 50’s and 60’s, few Blues artists enjoyed as much success as Jimmy Reed. His laid back shuffle and simple arrangements made for a style that was both accessible and distinctive. These very traits also make Reed an excellent source of material for up and coming Blues players! His songs are widely known enough that you can call them out at jam sessions and have others willing to play along. They’re also easy enough to play that, even when someone hasn’t heard the tune before, they can usually figure it out quickly enough. Just tell everyone “it’s a twelve-bar Blues shuffle in E,” then count it off, and play!
Tried and true? Yes. Boring? Maybe, but the trusty old “E shape” movable major triad is an indispensable tool in any guitarist’s toolbox; one that can save you when you’d otherwise be lost in the woods. This grip will serve you well for Blues, Folk, Rock, and Country music.
The thing that makes movable chord shapes your über secret weapon is that, once you learn one finger pattern, you can use it up and down the neck of the guitar and play that chord variation in any key you want. Learn this one fingering and the note names on the sixth string of the guitar, and suddenly you know all of the major triad chords. Somebody say woot?
While this isn’t necessarily the most desirable or convenient way to play songs on the guitar, you can see how — when in a bind — knowing these shapes can at least get you something to work with. This particular shape will also serve as the starting-point for many of the other grips we’ll discuss in the future. Learn it well…
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