A little while ago I learned a new word: 

“Blatherskite.”

It essentially means nonsense talk. Gibberish.

Kind of like when a guitarist cranks up their amp, launches into a solo, and just spews out a bunch of blatherskite.

Or maybe in a band, suddenly the lead singer cuts the solo short. When they realize it’s just spiraling into blatherskite with no feeling. 

There’s really only one reason for this.

You see, often players have learned their scales, they’ve maybe even tried them in different keys all across the fretboard.

But when they solo there’s still something missing. They don’t know where to go from there. Using the tools they have keeps resulting in solos lacking melody and feeling. I was stuck here too for a while until blues master Kenny Burrell showed me how to break free.

If this describes your solos, and you would like to change them to captivating solos dripping with emotion and feeling.

Go to:

...

I was listening to an interview with the great Tommy Emmanuel the other day and heard something really fascinating…

The interviewer asked him about what his practice sessions are like.

Let’s be honest, as guitarists we want to know these things. We want to peek inside the minds of these legends. Learn their hacks and get their secrets. There’s got to be some mystery or magic behind the curtain that we’re missing, right?

Many times there is. That’s why it’s super important to be careful who you listen to. But anyway, despite what many people might think Tommy would say like: 

Well, it’s 20 minutes of ear training, then it’s 15 minutes of major scales… blah blah blah

No…

What Tommy actually said was, he puts his guitar strap on, stands up, pretends there’s an audience in front of him, and just plays songs relentlessly without stopping.

His practice is like a show.

You see, there is this awesome feeling that you...

There’s this mind-blowing video one of my students sent me of Stevie Ray Vaughan breaking a string onstage.

It’s from his concert film Live in Austin. Which I would consider required viewing for every aspiring blues guitar player.

He’s in the middle of wailing a solo on the song “Look At Little Sister”. The band is digging in. Stevie’s at the helm playing breathtaking licks. He's commanding the stage with a thunderous presence.

But then suddenly... something happens…

SNAP

You see, a tiny flashing glare from a steel string going haywire in the air. 

If you’ve ever broken a string…you know…it just SUCKS. There’s no other way to put it.

So what does Stevie do?

He switches to the other strings and keeps on shredding! Pushing and pulling on the notes to bend them and compensate for any tuning issues that often arise when you break a string.

Then his brilliant guitar tech, René Martinez, deserves a massive...

Ever wanted to be able to play screamin’ blues solos anywhere on the neck?

Well, one of the keys to becoming a blues guitar master is learning how to solo and tap into specific sounds on the guitar neck. 

Now I often use the words sounds and scales interchangeably. This is because I think of each scale as a sound. For example, the major scale has a specific sound to it. While the blues scale has a very different sound.  

If I used a painting analogy these scales are like colors I can paint with. Sometimes I want green. Sometimes I want bright blue. If I have these sounds worked out on my instrument. I can dial them up and express whatever I want. 

And so that’s what I’m going to share with you today in this lesson, where I walk through the 5 blues scales every guitarist should know. Including one at the very end that I’m sure you’ve never heard of. 

I’m going to show you the scales, talk about the theory behind them, and...

Today I want to share with you a soulful and heart-wrenching song from the king of the blues B.B. King.

It’s a minor blues progression and only uses 3 chords.

You’ll discover how to play those chords, a fun fingerstyle groove, and even how to solo over the progression like B.B. King.

So grab your guitar and let’s get started!

Who wrote Chains And Things?

"Chains And Things" was written by B.B. King and Dave Clark and appeared on the 1970 album Indianola Mississippi Seeds. The song was produced by Bill Szymczyk and featured notable contributions by Carole King on piano, Bryan Garofalo on bass guitar, and Russ Kunkel on drums. 

It peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the R&B chart, earning praise for its haunting piano riff and dramatic string arrangement. 

The lyrics have a bluesy melancholy vibe to them. Singing of despair, longing, and hope, with B.B. King's emotional vocals and guitar solo capturing the essence of the song. 

Ever wanted to just sit out on the back porch or on your sofa and play some Delta blues?

Well, today I’m going to share with you exactly how anyone can start with this Delta blues guitar lesson in the style of the great Robert Johnson.

For this lesson, I won’t be using a pick. I’ll be playing fingerstyle (no pick).

So grab your guitar and let’s get started!

Delta Blues Chords

The first thing we’ll cover is these classic blues chords you’ll need to know. This blues is in the key of A major. Now a blues in the key of A would typically revolve around just 3 chords A7, D7, and E7. This would be the I, IV, and V, in the key of A. 

We’ll use all 3 of those chords. Plus we’ll make a few classic Robert Johnson style adjustments to them to tap into that iconic Delta blues sound.

Let’s take a look at a few of those moves. The first chord is an A7 played in 7th position like this:

This chord looks like a common open position D7 chord...

A little while ago I learned a new word:

“Floccinaucinihilipilification.”

It’s basically, the act or habit of estimating something as worthless. 

I’ve noticed a lot of intermediate guitar players often view simple blues progressions as being this.

They scoff, “ah huh huh, 3 chords?...simple shuffle?…” 

Then dismiss it.

Well, don’t fall for this floccinaucinihilipilification trap.

Mastering the blues is essential to becoming a REAL player.

I’ve learned this from being around legends like Kenny Burrell and some of the greatest LA studio guitar players.

That’s why I don’t stop practicing simple blues progressions

In the quest to become a blues guitar master, there are many tunes we have to learn.  

Today I’d like to share with you a fun song that is a must-know blues guitar classic. 

It’s perfect for jamming with friends or with a looper pedal at home.  

It was originally...

Fingerpicking the blues is a ton of fun!

Now, I love Chet Atkins and the boom-chick style that he played.

And this style has been carried on by players like Tommy Emmanuel and many others…

But what a lot of people don’t know about, is how the blues players played differently than this classic Chet style.

Sure, they didn’t use a flatpick and had alternating bass movements etc. 

But there is much more to getting the sound. 

And it’s quite different from any other style of fingerpicking. 

Today I want to share with you some of these differences. 

And also break down how to play like Mississippi John Hurt using my 2-step method.

So put away those picks for today and let’s get started with this fingerstyle blues guitar lesson!

Fingerstyle Blues Guitar Lesson Step 1:

Let’s begin with learning the chord progression and alternating bass line. There are only 3 chords we’ll use in this song D, G, and A. We’ll play them in...

What if you had a chord named after YOU?

Picture this…

It’s 50 years from now…

And a bunch of guitarists are all sitting around talking about music.

Suddenly one of them says, “Oh that chord. Yeah, that’s the [YOUR LAST NAME] chord.”

That would be pretty cool.

I mean, how many guitarists have accomplished this?

To be honest, I can only think of one.

Jimi Hendrix!

In fact, here’s a crazy story about the first time I ever learned about the “Hendrix chord." 

Decades ago when my parents got our first computer, I discovered this thing called TAB sites.

Now I’d already been playing guitar for a bit, but this was an amazing thing. 

You see, I figured out (from a TAB at the time) the opening riff to “Purple Haze”.

I was about 12 years old, but I never connected it to the “Jimi Hendrix chord.” 

But I couldn’t stop playing the riff…

I LOVED it!

I remember playing it and thinking, ...

If you want to become great at playing popular music on guitar from the past 120 years, you’ve got to be familiar with the blues.

Now oftentimes players don’t realize a song they love is based on the blues.

They may even know how to play it but still do not realize they are playing the blues.  

Today is a great example of this.

In this “Change the World” guitar lesson you’ll see how the blues can be brought straight into popular music.

So grab your guitar, tune-up, and let’s get started!

Who wrote Change the World?

"Change the World" is a song co-written by Tommy Sims, Gordon Kennedy, and Wayne Kirkpatrick. It was recorded by Eric Clapton for the soundtrack of the 1996 film "Phenomenon." 

The song was produced by Babyface and the recording took place at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California. It features Clapton on vocals and guitar, along with a notable lineup of musicians, including Nathan East on bass, Steve Gadd on drums,...