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Blues Guitar For Dummies
Performing and Looking Like a Blues Player..............................................19
Expanding and filling your brain with know-how.............................19
Looking the part ...................................................................................20
Blues Trivia For Dummies.............................................................................21
The questions .......................................................................................21
The answers..........................................................................................22
Chapter 2: Blues Meets Guitar: A Match Made
in Musical Heaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Beyond the Delta: Defining the Blues Guitar Sound ..................................24
The method to the music: Chord progressions................................24
The guitarist’s language of melody ....................................................25
The expression that invokes your senses.........................................26
The groove that sets the pace ............................................................27
Dissecting an Acoustic and an Electric .......................................................27
Getting Down with the Blues: A Quick How-To ..........................................31
The foundation for all guitar playing: Acoustic guitars...................31
Shifting acoustic to overdrive: Electric guitars ................................32
What You Need to Get Your Groove On.......................................................35
Chapter 3: Grab Hold, Tune Up, Play On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Holding Your Axe (That Is, Your Guitar) .....................................................39
Grabbing your guitar’s neck................................................................40
Pushing down on the strings ..............................................................41
Getting sound to come out..................................................................42
Holding the Pick, Attacking the Problem ....................................................44
Getting Situated..............................................................................................45
Sitting down . . . ....................................................................................45
. . . or standing up.................................................................................46
Tuning Up........................................................................................................47
Helping your guitar get in tune with itself.........................................48
Holding your guitar to an electronic standard .................................48
Playing a Chord ..............................................................................................50
Music Notation: Not Just for Geeks .............................................................51
Guidance for your aimless fingers: A chord diagram ......................51
Mapping out your short-term path: Rhythm notation.....................53
Guiding you all the way through a song: Tablature .........................54
Part II: Setting Up to Play the Blues ............................55
Chapter 4: Getting a Grip on Left-Hand Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Starting Out Simple: Blues Chords Even Your Mom Could Play ..............58
Going to the Next Level: Barre Chords........................................................59
Forming a barre chord.........................................................................61
Naming barre chords ...........................................................................62
TEAM LinG