3 Ways To Play Fingerstyle Blues Rhythm Guitar

3 Ways To Play Fingerstyle Blues Rhythm Guitar

by Simon Candy

 

Fingerstyle Blues Guitar Article ImageIn this video lesson, you learn 3 ways to play a fingerstyle blues on guitar.

Each of these approaches will be in the context of blues fingerstyle rhythm guitar playing.

Many guitar players have no problem soloing over a blues, but struggle with playing interesting and varied rhythm parts.

It’s not so much because it’s more difficult to play blues rhythm guitar verses solo guitar, but more because the soloing gets favoured over the rhythm, leaving these parts sounding plain, unimaginative, and boring.

In this video, you learn 3 ways to spice up your blues rhythm guitar playing in a fingerstyle context:

• Blues Rhythm Approach 1: Shuffle Blues

You learn how to add interest in your blues rhythm fingerstyle playing with chord extensions and embellishments in the style of a shuffle

• Blues Rhythm Approach 2: Travis Picking

You learn how to apply travis picking to a blues to create a great sounding rhythm part with momentum, and groove. You also learn how to add melody parts to the travis picking making your rhythm blues playing sound even better

• Blues Rhythm Approach 3: Block Chords

You learn how about the block chord and how to integrate it into your blues rhythm playing. This will massively increase the pool from which you can draw from to create interesting, unique, and varied fingerstyle blues rhythm guitar parts in your songs

Watch the video below to learn more:

 

 

Blues Fingerstyle Rhythm Approach 1: Chord Embellishment

This first approach creates movement within the otherwise static chords of the progression using embellishments:

 

Fingerstyle Blues Rhythm Guitar Progression 1 

Blues Fingerstyle Rhythm Approach 2: Travis Picking

This second approach uses travis picking to provide a cool groove to our blues:

 

Fingerstyle Blues Rhythm Guitar Progression 2-2

 

This example adds a melodic component to our travis picking:

 

Fingerstyle Blues Rhythm Guitar Progression 2-1 

Blues Fingerstyle Rhythm Approach 3: Block Chords

The third approach uses block chords that create movement across the 12 bar blues and are a great alternative to open and bar chords:

 

Fingerstyle Blues Rhythm Guitar Progression 3

 

Learn how to create your own fingerstyle blues guitar arrangements