"I'm playing the same blues licks over and over."
Have you tried to up your soloing game before, and run into one of these snags?
- You memorize a bunch of modes, then feel like you're just playing scales, not music
- you get sidetracked learning jazz instead of learning how to sound jazzier on the blues
- You wind up defaulting to the same old licks when it's time to take a solo
In the Swinging The Blues workshop we'lll focus on just the scales and positions you need to play swinging, sophisticated jump blues and Charlie Christian-style licks on the twelve bar progression.
A Simple, Blues-Based Way To Play New Sounds Right Away
Just One New Scale
Learn the one scale you need to "play the changes" on each chord of the blues
Authentic Sounds
Learn the four kinds of licks swing musicians use to create solos with momentum
Build On What You Know
Drop new licks into your existing blues vocabulary as soon as you learn them
Playing Blues Shouldn't Feel Boring And Repetitive
When you hear swing, jump blues and even country guitarists hold forth on the blues, it can seem like they know every scale and lick you don't. But they're really just using a few simple tools to go beyond the familiar pentatonic shapes. When I realized Charlie Christian was the source for so many great guitarists, I spent months transcribing and absorbing as many of his classic solos as I could. Hosting workshops with Duke Robillard and writing up Duke's solos for Guitar Player magazine, I learned how that sound got filtered through players like T-Bone Walker and Tiny Grimes to inform the playing of everyone from B.B. King and Gatemouth Brown to modern guitarists like Rick Holmstrom. Now I've distilled those ideas down to the essentials, and in this workshop I'll show you the all-important Swing Scale, how to use it to transform the pentatonic box, how to take it up the neck with the "Charlie Christian position," and how to make all of that an integral and intuitive part of your blues vocabulary.
HOW IT WORKS
Sign Up
Use the secure form below to sign up for and attend the workshop this Saturday (or watch the replay later)
Take The Workshop
Learn the all-important Swing Scale, get up the neck with the Charlie Christian position, and get beyond the pentatonic box
Get That Jazz Blues Sound
Watch the replay for up to a year and transform your blues with authentic swing sounds
Get out of the pentatonic box and swing the blues
"How do I make my playing more interesting?" is probably the number one question most people have when it comes to single note blues soloing. Well, maybe number two, right after "is there room in this closet for one more guitar case?" As great as pentatonic scales sound, you can reach a place where it feels like you're playing the same things every time you solo. If you've heard the way people like Charlie Christian, Duke Robillard or Rick Holmstrom play the twelve-bar form, that mix of raw blues feeling and swing sophistication can seem like the next logical step.
But the way swing and jump blues musicians play can be a lot harder to learn off of records than Albert Collins or Freddie King licks. And if you start looking for lessons on swing or jazz soloing, you can quickly get overwhelmed by the number of scales and arpeggios you're told you need to learn, and "in all twelve keys," too. There's nothing more frustrating than getting bogged down in Lydian scales and "Exactly Like You" when you just want to add a little hip sophistication to your twelve-bar shuffles.
I don't think you should have to undertake years of study on a lot of things you don't care about just to make your blues more interesting. That's why Swinging The Blues isn't about playing standards or doing exercises in all twelve keys. It's about just one thing: understanding how swing and jump blues guitarists play the twelve bar blues.
Here's how it works: sign up to attend this weekend's live stream in real time (or watch the replay on your own schedule). I'll break down the all-important Swing Scale, explain the four kinds of licks swing musicians use to play solos with direction and momentum, and give you a clear, organized way to practice everything in the workshop. You'll walk away knowing exactly how to get that jump blues and swing sound on the twelve bar progression and what you need to practice to get there.
So sign up at the link below to get out of the pentatonic box and start swinging the blues. No demolished scales or zoot suits required.
