Free Tab: The Five Eight-Bar Blues You Should Know
"David does an amazing job...it feels like personal lessons, even though you're with a lot of people as you learn."
Bob S., member since 2023
"The best part is that I'm learning the instrument, not just songs. My only regret is not finding this sooner!"
John P., member since 2023
What if, on any song, you could trust your hands not to stumble, stay relaxed, and remember what comes next?
What if you understood why you were playing the things you play, and could retain more of what you practice and learn?
The Fingerstyle Five method can help you learn complete songs, understand music better, and play better solo blues guitar.
Fingerstyle guitar can seem complicated. But it's ultimately just about playing a melody over a bass line.
The best way to get better is to separate the bass line and the melody, work on each one separately, then put them back together again.
When you can:
- Play the chord progression consistently with your thumb
- Make each lick sound more expressive and confident, andΒ
- Coordinate your thumb and fingers without dropping any beats
...you'll feel and hear the difference in your playing.
Play Solo Blues Guitar With Confidence
Build Your Repertoire
Play complete versions of traditional blues tunes, whatever your level
Learn To Groove
Get your thumb and fingers working together
Make It Your Own
Use intros, endings and solos to create your own version of every song
Start To Improvise
Build a vocabulary of licks and learn a step-by-step method for playing blues solos
Find Community
Study with like-minded guitarists who share your passion for unlocking this style
Make Real Progress
Know what to work on, how to work on it, and when to move on
"I've discovered a very welcoming community in the forum. People were so friendly, I even started to post practice videos, something I never thought I would do.Β And my blues vocabulary (which was almost zero when I joined) has increased exponentially."
Delphine E., member since 2023
Groove Matters
I've been teaching my Fingerstyle Five method for the past five years, and have seen it work for every level of player. It addresses the whole picture β groove, repertoire, technique, improvisation. And it can help you learn complete songs, understand music better, and play better guitar.
A lot of what I teach, I learned the hard way: banging my head against a wall β or a metronome β trying to figure out how to improve my time, play more "in the pocket" and make sure my thumb and fingers were doing all the right things. Nothing is more frustrating than encountering problems in your own playing, and having no path for how to fix them. Especially something as vague as "groove," "good time" or "the pocket."
It was only when I figured out how to isolate my problems β to identify and then work on one aspect of my playing at a time β that I was finally able to sharpen my sense of time and gain control over my groove.
If you're willing to work in a thoughtful, incremental way, grooving and improvising are no less attainable than learning scales and chord shapes or memorizing a song from tab. The skills you work on in the membership can help you play better guitar, understand music better, and ultimately, channel your feelings through your instrument.
The Songs β’ The Lessons β’ The Tools
When you join the Fingerstyle Five, you get immediate access to all the past lessons: every song, live stream, PDF and more.
The membership runs on a quarterly schedule, introducing a new song every three months. Starting in January 2025, you'll learn how to play and arrangeΒ "Zoozoo Bingo," revisit the classic "St. James Infirmary," and work on Travis picking from the ground up with "Freight Train."
Weekly Lessons
ThereΒ are three hour-long live streams in a month. I'll walk you through each week's material and answer your questions along the way, so you can take each idea, exercise or lick, make it part of your practice routine, and ultimately add it to your vocabulary.
Every live stream is also archived and available for on-demand viewing.
Essential Keys, Essential Grooves
The Fingerstyle Five covers both steady bass and alternating-thumb styles, in all the essential keys: E, A, D, C, E minor and A minor.
Start focusing on tunes, timing, technique and understanding, so you can play the kind of music you love better than ever before.
Blues Classics
In addition to the current quarterly song, you can work on over two dozen other hand-picked steady bass and alternating-thumb classics, including:
Key To The Highway β’ Nobody's Dirty Business β’ How Long Blues β’ Matchbox Blues β’Β Trouble In Mind β’ Jack O' Diamonds β’ Catfish Blues β’ I Shall Not Be Moved β’Β Rollin' and Tumblin' β’ House of the Rising Sun β’Β You Got To Move β’ In the Pines β’Β Crow Black Chicken β’Β See See Rider β’ Nine Pound Hammer β’ Nobody's Fault But Mine β’ Wayfaring Stranger β’ Midnight Special β’ Motherless Child β’ Stagolee β’Β St. James Infirmary β’ Sitting On Top Of The World β’Β Baby Please Don't Go β’ Careless Love β’Β Crow Jane
Contemporary Blues
Add some jazzier sophistication to your instrumental blues with over a dozen original tunes designed to help you learn new chord voicings, bass lines, turnaround licks and other variations on the basic blues forms.Β
All The Tools You Need
- The Horizontal 3-Step: Isolate the bass line, the melody, then put them back together
- Rudiments: Isolate right-hand rhythms to hone your groove
- Fundamental and Embellished: Start with a basic version of the tune, then start dressing it up with syncopation, chord voicings, bass lines and more
- The Seven-Step Arc: Combine the Fundamental and Embellished tune with a vamp, shout chorus and solo to create your own complete arrangement of the song
Complete Access
You'll have complete access to everything in the membership for as long as you're a member. In addition to the archives of traditional and contemporary blues songs, you'll also get:
- The Guitarist's Intro To Theory
- Fundamentals of Improvisation
- Vamps, Embellishments and Shout Choruses
- Special membership-only workshops
- Ongoing technique tips
"It's aΒ wonderful, accessible range of music info. Notes, tabs, theory, improv, exercises β all the whys, hows, and ways of fingerstyle blues."
Valerie S., member since 2021
Three Reasons To Join Now
"Statesboro Blues" β’ "Crow Jane"
From April through June 2025, we're working on "Statesboro Blues," the all-time classic 12-bar blues in drop D tuning. Join now to access every lesson, plus a review of my earlier lessons on "Crow Jane."
Fix Your Travis Picking β’ Steady Bass Blues
The membership versions of "Fix Your Travis Picking In Six Steps" and "Six Steps To Playing Steady Bass Blues in E" include short, accessible video lessons, plus accurate, detailed tab of every example, so you'll know exactly what to work on first to improve your right-hand coordination!
New Member Orientations
Join my monthly introductory live stream for a guided tour of the membership and answers to your questions on where to begin and what to work on first.
HOW IT WORKS
Sign Up
Use the secure form below to sign up now using Paypal or Stripe.
Join The Membership
Get immediate access to the entire song archive, and start learning "Statesboro Blues."
Transform Your Blues
Get your groove together, play more complete songs, and become a better musician.
When are the live streams? Can I watch them later, on demand?
I just started playing fingerstyle guitar. Will the Fingerstyle Five work for me?
I'm a long-time player and already know plenty of tunes. What will I learn from the Fingerstyle Five?
How long are the live streams?
Where do I go to watch the lessons?
How much is the membership? Is it easy to cancel?
The Fingerstyle Five
There is no long-term commitment when you join The Fingerstyle Five. Sign up now for $29/month, pay monthly, and cancel at any time.
