Back in the sixties there were not too many really good acoustic blues guitar players around. US students of the original acoustic guitar music had found all the living blues men and copied their techniques, writing it down on paper as they went. Guitar players such as Stefan Grossman and others did a great service to future generations by inventing a simple notation system for other students to follow. It really cut corners - instead of listening to the old records and trying to figure out where to put your fingers, it was written out, and accelerated the learning process.
Very shortly, many guitarists were tackling the most complicated ragtime arrangements, and finger picking became more and more intricate, with guitarists using a thumb, 2, 3 and sometimes all fingers to pick with! How did this situation come about? Perhaps in an attempt to copy the techniques of the original guitarists such as Blind Blake and Reverend Gary Davis, more fingers were brought into play. It was a way around, and meant that one finger didn't have to move so fast, in the way that the old guys did it, its not as simple as that. Even though the picking is technically correct, there is frequently something lacking in present day performances - a delicate change in the tempo and that elusive feeling that talks to an audience. One finger moving quickly over the strings gives a certain emphasis to the beat, which can't be simulated with more fingers. Additionally, the bass strike differs in it's attack and force when more fingers are used.
The quest for technical complexity can be the Holy Grail for guitar players, but it's a mistake to look at it this way. Few guitarists can match the power of the classic blues men,just because the basic techniques are not solid enough. There are no easy paths to the strength of the blues. Listen to the bass lines of guitarists like Big Bill Broonzy, Gary Davis and Lightnin Hopkins. Lightnin' could strike just 1 bass note and make your spine tingle. It isn't the complicated proficiency that makes the blues, but the feeling and strength behind it.
Learning acoustic blues guitar is a two pronged battle. First off, we need to develop our motor skills to competently make the right sounds. When we have learned where our fingers should go, its basically a case of practicing for many hours a week. It is said that an expert guitarist has about ten thousand hours of practice time to his credit. Tommy Emmanuel once estimated that he had played around one hundred thousand hours in his life time, which comes in at about 5 hours each day, every single day! Guitar players will tell you that improvement arrives in levels - you seem to be stuck at one level for a lengthy period, and then it seems as though you jump up a notch. Naturally, the improvement is due to regular practice.
We have all watched excellent guitarists perform and been totally bored after 5 mins, just because there is no feeling - it just doesn't say anything. Every now and again, technical ability and feeling will come together in a certain guitarist, and then we hear magic. Naturally, everything is relative, and playing the guitar is the same. Even though Clapton is thought to be a genius, his acoustic blues picking style appears very basic when compared to Tommy Emmanuel, who can really play anything. Sometimes we feel completely blocked and need something to lift us over the 'wall'. Often, the blockage is strictly in our minds. An old playing partner of mine left the district for over a year, and we spoke on the telephone now and again. One time he told me he had learned how to play 'Police Dog Blues' by Blind Blake, which is a formidable song to play correctly. Up until that point, I couldn't play it. My old friend was always a slightly guitarist, and I was really competitive, and so within one week I learned how to play it. When he returned, I let him know that I could also play Blake's 'Police Dog Blues' as well. He let out a laugh and exclaimed, "I can't play it at all - too tough. I was only having fun with you." That's a great blues lesson right there.
Very shortly, many guitarists were tackling the most complicated ragtime arrangements, and finger picking became more and more intricate, with guitarists using a thumb, 2, 3 and sometimes all fingers to pick with! How did this situation come about? Perhaps in an attempt to copy the techniques of the original guitarists such as Blind Blake and Reverend Gary Davis, more fingers were brought into play. It was a way around, and meant that one finger didn't have to move so fast, in the way that the old guys did it, its not as simple as that. Even though the picking is technically correct, there is frequently something lacking in present day performances - a delicate change in the tempo and that elusive feeling that talks to an audience. One finger moving quickly over the strings gives a certain emphasis to the beat, which can't be simulated with more fingers. Additionally, the bass strike differs in it's attack and force when more fingers are used.
The quest for technical complexity can be the Holy Grail for guitar players, but it's a mistake to look at it this way. Few guitarists can match the power of the classic blues men,just because the basic techniques are not solid enough. There are no easy paths to the strength of the blues. Listen to the bass lines of guitarists like Big Bill Broonzy, Gary Davis and Lightnin Hopkins. Lightnin' could strike just 1 bass note and make your spine tingle. It isn't the complicated proficiency that makes the blues, but the feeling and strength behind it.
Learning acoustic blues guitar is a two pronged battle. First off, we need to develop our motor skills to competently make the right sounds. When we have learned where our fingers should go, its basically a case of practicing for many hours a week. It is said that an expert guitarist has about ten thousand hours of practice time to his credit. Tommy Emmanuel once estimated that he had played around one hundred thousand hours in his life time, which comes in at about 5 hours each day, every single day! Guitar players will tell you that improvement arrives in levels - you seem to be stuck at one level for a lengthy period, and then it seems as though you jump up a notch. Naturally, the improvement is due to regular practice.
We have all watched excellent guitarists perform and been totally bored after 5 mins, just because there is no feeling - it just doesn't say anything. Every now and again, technical ability and feeling will come together in a certain guitarist, and then we hear magic. Naturally, everything is relative, and playing the guitar is the same. Even though Clapton is thought to be a genius, his acoustic blues picking style appears very basic when compared to Tommy Emmanuel, who can really play anything. Sometimes we feel completely blocked and need something to lift us over the 'wall'. Often, the blockage is strictly in our minds. An old playing partner of mine left the district for over a year, and we spoke on the telephone now and again. One time he told me he had learned how to play 'Police Dog Blues' by Blind Blake, which is a formidable song to play correctly. Up until that point, I couldn't play it. My old friend was always a slightly guitarist, and I was really competitive, and so within one week I learned how to play it. When he returned, I let him know that I could also play Blake's 'Police Dog Blues' as well. He let out a laugh and exclaimed, "I can't play it at all - too tough. I was only having fun with you." That's a great blues lesson right there.
About the Author:
Learn more about acoustic blues guitar. Stop by Jim Bruce's site where you can find out all about acoustic blues guitar.
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