Robert Johnson Style Guitar Lesson
Robert Johnson Style
Hawkeye Herman teaches more components of Robert Johnson's signature sound. This lesson includes biographical information and a Robert Johnson solo.
Taught by Hawkeye Herman in Blues Guitar with Hawkeye seriesLength: 27:38Difficulty: 2.0 of 5
Developing Your Own Style
Johnson was a master of bringing various elements from different blues styles into a unique style of his own. Eventually, as you progress as a blues musician, this is the goal that you should ultimately strive to accomplish. In the beginning of your blues training, you must learn basic blues vocabulary and begin to replicate the styles of the great blues musicians. However, there comes a time when you must begin applying these general ideas and concepts to your own style of blues playing.
"When You Got a Good Friend" Guitar Solo
Out of the 29 songs that Robert Johnson recorded, he only recorded one guitar solo. This solo, from the song "When You Got a Good Friend" provides the listener with an opportunity to isolate Robert's guitar style from his voice. Although he only recorded 29 songs, Johnson performed live constantly. This solo gives a good general idea of how me might have approached other 12 bar blues solos within the context of a live performance.
A. Varying the Turnaround
The solo begins with the turnaround that utilizes the "Texas" A chord shape. If you have not memorized this turnaround, review the previous lesson. Then, return to the current lesson once you have it memorized. This turnaround is played as an introduction to the 12 bar form. Johnson frequently used this turnaround in a number of different ways. He was a master of varying the turnaround. He accomplished this by varying the turnaround in the ways that Hawkeye has demonstrated throughout this series.
B. Less Is More
This solo is a testament to the fact that you do not have to play a million notes in order to play a powerful blues solo. An experienced guitarist knows that the number of notes played is of no importance. What's important is how you play each note. For example, guitarist Buddy Guy has been known to hold a single sustained bend for an entire 12 bars of a solo. Typically, Buddy takes this minimalist approach when following a soloist that has just played a shredding solo with tons of fast licks. The contrast between these two styles of improvisation is striking to say the least.
C. Articulation
When watching Hawkeye's performance of this guitar solo, make a careful note of where all slides, hammer-ons, and palm-muted bass notes occur. These are key components of Johnson's style that you should try to incorporate into your own blues playing.
Chapter 2: (03:55) The IV Chord and More The IV chord in the key of A is D or D7. Frequently, dominant seventh chords are substituted for major triads within a 12 bar blues. The voicing that Robert Johnson used for the D7 chord is a staple of his style. By now, you are already familiar with the "open" D7 chord shape. Essentially, the F# on the high E string (the third of the chord) is moved to the low E string. The third of the chord is now played as the lowest bass note instead of the root. When the third is played as the lowest note in a chord, the chord is played in "first inversion." Inverting the chord requires that you completely adjust the left-hand fingering. A chord chart for this D7 voicing can be found in the "Supplemental Content" section.
Chapter 3: (03:18) Review and More of the Song Practicing the Solo
When first practicing through the solo, break it up into manageable phrases. Also, make sure that you practice at a very slow tempo. Set your metronome at around 65 or 70 beats per minute and work up from there. Begin by practicing the intro turnaround. Then, work on the next four bars. Next, work on the D7 arpeggio. Isolate and drill any problem spots that are especially difficult for you.
New A7 chord
Instead of returning to the "Texas" A or a turnaround based on an A major chord, Robert Johnson opts to play a new voicing for A7 in bar 7. This voicing is based on the shape of the basic E7 chord. The E7 shape is simply transposed five frets up the fretboard to form an A7 chord.
Chapter 4: (03:33) Another New Chord Hawkeye demonstrates a chord in this scene that you may not be familiar with. This new chord, Ao7 is used to embellish the A7 chord that precedes it. Diminished seventh chords can either be used as dominant chords or embellishing chords. When a diminished seventh chord shares a common tone with the chord that precedes it, it functions as an embellishment of the previous chord. Diminished chords function as dominant chords when the tritone interval within the chord structure resolves inward. Typically, a diminished seventh chord will resolve to the tonic triad whose root note is one half step above. In the context of this blues solo, Ao7 functions as an embellishing diminished chord since the chord that precedes it, A7, shares the same root note.
Note: For more information pertaining to diminished chords, check out lessons 45 and 47 from Brad Henecke's Phase 2 Classic Rock Series.
Making the Solo Your Own
When playing through the solo, you don't have to arpeggiate the chords exactly the same way that Hawkeye does. Experiment with different arpeggio rhythms. Also, change up the order in which the strings are plucked in order to add your own personal touch to the solo.
Chapter 5: (06:21) Finishing up and Putting it Together The Last Four Bars
Bar 9 of the form features a basic arpeggiation of an open E7 chord. Then, material from the beginning of the solo is repeated to give the solo a sense of symmetric unity.
Practicing Tips
Follow these guidelines when practicing through the solo:
1. Practice with a metronome to ensure that you are playing perfectly in time. The tempo of this solo is about 95 beats per minute. Start at a much slower tempo and gradually work your way up.
2. Make sure that you experiment with your own arpeggiations of chords.
3. When you feel like you have mastered the solo on your own, play it along with Hawkeye at 02:40.
4. For extra practice, play the basic shuffle pattern over this solo to accompany Hawkeye. You will need to switch to the V7 chord (E7) in bar 12. Remember that the V7 chord is often substituted for tonic in the 12th bar of the blues form to create a stronger resolution back to the top of the form.
5. Insert your own licks and turnaround ideas into the solo in order to make it your own. You may have noticed that Hawkeye plays the solo differently each time. Notice how he adds in some subtle variations the second time he plays through the solo. He plays a lick based on the A major blues scale over the A chord in bars 7-8. Also, notice how he uses the Tampa Red rhythm figure for the D7 chord in bar 10.
Supplemental Learning Material
Blues Guitar with Hawkeye
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsThe blues is a distinctly American style of music. Many popular genres such as jazz, rock, and country music draw upon basic blues concepts. Consequently, it is advantageous for any guitarist to study the blues.
Lesson 1
Introduction to Blues
Hawkeye Herman introduces the blues. He explains the 12 bar blues chords and the poetic format that blues lyrics typically follow.
Length: 19:25 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Understanding Blues Chords
Hawkeye explains how the I, IV, and V chords are used in a 12 bar blues progression.
Length: 12:12 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Blues Rhythm
Hawkeye demonstrates common strumming patterns used in blues music. He also explains how country music evolved from the blues.
Length: 19:42 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Intro to the Blues Shuffle
The shuffle is one of the most common rhythms used in blues music. Hawkeye introduces the most basic shuffle rhythm pattern.
Length: 18:12 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
More Blues Shuffle
Hawkeye covers the blues shuffle in greater depth.
Length: 13:13 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
The Blues Turnaround
Hawkeye introduces and explains a common blues turnaround.
Length: 7:45 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Interesting Blues Turnaround
Hawkeye demonstrates various ways of arpeggiating the blues turnaround from the previous lesson.
Length: 8:08 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Moving the Turnaround
Hawkeye explains how the turnaround from the previous lesson can be transposed to all 12 keys.
Length: 5:57 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Turnaround in the Bass
Hawkeye explains how the blues turnaround can be played on the bass strings.
Length: 11:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Turnaround Practice
Hawkeye provides some tips regarding how to integrate turnarounds into the context of the 12 bar blues form.
Length: 3:58 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Turnarounds as Lead
In this lesson Hawkeye will explain how you can use turnarounds as a way to play basic lead.
Length: 0:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Subtle Changes
Hawkeye demonstrates how subtle changes made to the blues shuffle can have a profound impact on the overall sound of the 12 bar form.
Length: 7:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Blues Shuffle Variations
Hawkeye demonstrates more blues shuffle variations. He discusses playing individual notes and palm muting.
Length: 7:23 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Bass Blues Shuffle
In this lesson, Hawkeye teaches a bass version of the blues shuffle that mimics a common left-hand piano pattern.
Length: 10:49 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Turnaround Exercise
Hawkeye presents an exercise that will enable you to play a turnaround over the blues form in all twelve keys.
Length: 10:44 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Delta Blues Turnaround
Hawkeye teaches a Delta blues turnaround in the key of A. This turnaround is played in the style of Robert Johnson.
Length: 10:45 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Delta Blues Turnaround #2
Hawkeye Herman teaches a new Delta blues turnaround. This lick was inspired by Robert Johnson.
Length: 7:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Robert Johnson Style
Hawkeye Herman teaches more components of Robert Johnson's signature sound.
Length: 27:38 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Movable Chords
Hawkeye introduces some common, movable chord shapes.
Length: 17:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Movable Chord Review
Hawkeye reviews movable chords in this lesson. He explains how these chord voicings can be used in a practical blues context.
Length: 5:41 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Basic Blues Scale
Hawkeye Herman introduces the minor pentatonic scale in this lesson, the most commonly used scale in blues lead guitar.
Length: 23:54 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Passing Notes
Hawkeye builds on the pentatonic scale. He introduces "blue" notes, which transform the pentatonic scale into the minor blues scale.
Length: 12:50 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Scales and Keys
Hawkeye explains how to transpose the minor pentatonic and minor blues scales to different keys.
Length: 21:18 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Finding the Key
Hawkeye Herman explains how to determine the key of a blues song. This information is essential if you wish to play lead over a song.
Length: 15:31 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Lightnin' Hopkins Style
In this lesson, Hawkeye will bring together much of what he has taught in this lesson series and apply it to the style of Lightnin' Hopkins.
Length: 16:36 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Treble Shuffle
Hawkeye explains how to play the blues shuffle on the treble strings.
Length: 9:22 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
The Great River Road
Hawkeye Herman teaches you how to play his original song, "The Great River Road," in this phenomenal lesson.
Length: 16:39 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Mississippi John Hurt Style
Hawkeye covers the guitar style of Mississippi John Hurt. This style makes heavy use of alternating bass lines.
Length: 14:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Piano Blues
Hawkeye teaches an original piece called "Piano Blues." He teaches this song to further demonstrate the alternating bass line.
Length: 13:20 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Blues Accompaniment
Hawkeye Herman teaches a beautiful blues accompaniment pattern.
Length: 10:11 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Stop-Time Blues
Hawkeye introduces the stop-time blues rhythm.
Length: 17:21 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Sweet Home Chicago
Hawkeye Herman explains how to play Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago."
Length: 16:17 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Eight Bar Blues
Hawkeye introduces the eight bar blues progression.
Length: 22:28 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
8 Bar Blues Key Transposition
Hawkeye takes the 8 bar blues material from the last lesson and explains how to transpose it to different keys.
Length: 6:39 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Classic 8 Bar Blues
Hawkeye teaches a classic 8 bar blues tune in the style of Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy.
Length: 25:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Playing Multiple Notes
In this lesson Hawkeye revisits the blues/pentatonic scale and talks about playing multiple notes at the same time.
Length: 9:42 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Classic End Tag
Hawkeye Herman teaches a classic blues song ending. He also explains how it can be played in different keys.
Length: 9:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Basic Blues Slide
Hawkeye Herman covers the basics of slide technique and provides exercises to demonstrate them.
Length: 25:49 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Slide Guitar and Open D Tuning
Hawkeye Herman introduces open D tuning. He explains how to play a 12 bar blues progression with a slide in this tuning.
Length: 14:56 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Ramblin' On My Mind
Hawkeye Herman demonstrates the classic Robert Johnson song, "Ramblin' On My Mind" in open D tuning.
Length: 8:41 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Blues Shuffle in Open D
Hawkeye explains how to play the blues shuffle in open D tuning.
Length: 0:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Open D Harmony Shuffle
Hawkeye teaches the "harmony" version of the shuffle in open D tuning.
Length: 5:15 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Open D Turnaround
Hawkeye teaches a simple blues turnaround in open D tuning.
Length: 9:00 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Open D Slide Licks
Hawkeye Herman teaches some open D slide guitar licks. These licks are inspired by the song "Ramblin' On My Mind" by Robert Johnson.
Length: 8:14 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Pentatonic Scale in Open D
Hawkeye Herman explains how to play the D minor pentatonic scale in Open D tuning.
Length: 4:00 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Ramblin' On My Mind
Hawkeye challenges you to play "Ramblin' On My Mind" using the techniques from the past couple of lessons.
Length: 4:03 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Rock and Slide Guitar
Hawkeye shows that open D tuning and slide guitar are not exclusive to the blues. He provides an exercise that demonstrates how this tuning can be used in rock music.
Length: 15:55 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
D Tuning Chords
Hawkeye returns to the world of open D tuning. He introduces various chord voicings and explains how they can be used in the blues.
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
You Got to Move
In this lesson, Hawkeye teaches a classic blues song by Mississippi Fred McDowell - "You Got to Move."
Length: 9:03 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
You Got to Move Melody
Hawkeye Herman demonstrates how to play the melody of "You Got to Move" with a slide.
Length: 6:51 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Slide Guitar and Blues Licks
Hawkeye Herman talks about playing and creating blues licks with the slide.
Length: 9:53 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Elmore James Style
Hawkeye Herman breaks down important aspects of Elmore James' style.
Length: 23:11 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Blues Licks and Riffs
Hawkeye teaches some versatile blues licks and riffs that can be used in open D tuning.
Length: 11:15 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Open G Tuning
Hawkeye Herman teaches the basics of open G tuning.
Length: 7:28 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
G Tuning Chords
Hawkeye gives a brief overview of chords and how they are played in open G tuning.
Length: 6:11 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Blues Scale in Open G Tuning
Hawkeye gives a brief rundown of how the blues / minor pentatonic scale can be played in open G tuning.
Length: 4:48 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
G Tuning Accompaniment
Hawkeye talks about playing accompaniment using open G tuning.
Length: 7:44 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Improvising in G Tuning
Improvisation using the minor pentatonic / blues scale is discussed in open G tuning. Hawkeye also touches on Robert Johnson's song, "Walkin' Blues."
Length: 7:26 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Open G Shuffle Rhythm
In this lesson, Hawkeye Herman talks about playing the blues shuffle in open G tuning. He also shows some basic turnarounds.
Length: 10:37 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Open G Shuffle Variations
Hawkeye reviews the blues shuffle in open G tuning. He demonstrates shuffle variations as well as a few licks, turnarounds, and other tidbits.
Length: 15:45 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 61
Robert Johnson Licks
Hawkeye teaches several Robert Johnson licks in this lesson. These licks are played with a slide in open G tuning.
Length: 14:40 Difficulty: 2.5 FREE
G Tuning and the Capo
Hawkeye introduces the capo and explains how it can be used. This lesson is still in the context of G tuning.
Length: 10:28 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Come On In My Kitchen
Hawkeye Herman showcases the power of slide guitar by demonstrating the classic Robert Johnson song, "Come On In My Kitchen."
Length: 6:33 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Skip James Style
Hawkeye Herman gives a brief rundown of Skip James' blues guitar style. This lesson also focuses on playing in open tunings without a slide.
Length: 19:15 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Open D to Open G
Hawkeye demonstrates how to take a song from open D tuning and play it in open G. He uses the song "No Expectations" by the Rolling Stones as an example.
Length: 10:26 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Drop D Tuning
Hawkeye shows you the wonders of drop D tuning and teaches his rendition of "Big Road Blues."
Length: 30:30 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Statesboro Blues
Hawkeye goes over the fantastic song "Statesboro Blues" by Blind Willie McTell in Drop D tuning.
Length: 27:12 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Hawkeye discusses some history behind the great blues guitarist Blind Lemon Jefferson. He covers the song "Matchbox Blues" to provide an example of his style.
Length: 19:40 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Minor Blues
Hawkeye explains the chord changes used in a minor blues progression.
Length: 12:53 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
The Capo
Hawkeye talks about the capo and its many uses.
Length: 22:32 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Song Endings
By user request, Hawkeye shares ideas on how to end songs in this lesson.
Length: 21:26 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Stop Time Blues
In this lesson, Hawkeye Herman returns to the wonderful world of stop-time blues. He teaches a few more ways to play in this glorious style.
Length: 17:53 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Eight Bar Blues
Hawkeye talks about the eight bar blues and uses some classic blues songs as examples.
Length: 26:19 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Blues Mambo
Hawkeye talks all about the blues mambo in this lesson.
Length: 16:09 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Movable Endings
Hawkeye explains how all the endings you've learned up to this point can be transposed to any key.
Length: 31:53 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Movable Blues Scale
Hawkeye talks about transposing the minor pentatonic scale to various keys.
Length: 16:58 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Blues Scale Lead
Hawkeye explains how the blues scale can be used to play lead in any song.
Length: 30:57 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Spanning the Neck
Hawkeye explains how the blues scale can span the neck in any key.
Length: 22:09 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
The Blues Had a Baby
Hawkeye talks about the background of rock 'n roll and how it is connected to blues.
Length: 21:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Fun Licks
This lesson is filled with fun licks and lick techniques.
Length: 17:32 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Spanning the Neck Continued
Hawkeye brings more blues wisdom to you in this lesson about spanning the neck.
Length: 18:18 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Barre Chords Refresher
Hawkeye provides a few useful tips on playing barre chords.
Length: 13:18 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Chord Relationships
Hawkeye discusses how the visual shapes of chords relate to one another on the fretboard.
Length: 15:06 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Chord Relationships Continued
Hawkeye explains how to find the I, IV, and V chords in all 12 major keys.
Length: 8:43 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Shuffle Rhythm Review
Hawkeye answers member questions on the shuffle rhythm.
Length: 16:19 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Key of A Idea
Hawkeye shares an idea in the key of A that you can apply to your blues playing.
Length: 18:15 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Thumbpick Vs. Flatpick
Thumbpick Vs. Flatpick: A most common question asked among guitarists is discussed in this lesson.
Length: 15:13 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Capo Ideas
Hawkeye shares his ideas on the capo and explains why he thinks it is important for every guitarist to own one.
Length: 18:34 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Everything is Movable
Hawkeye reiterates that everything is movable on the guitar and provides some fresh new ideas.
Length: 12:27 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Bass Notes in Treble
Hawkeye explains how to add variety to the shuffle pattern by transferring the bass notes to the treble register and by adding palm muting. He also explains how you can create your own shuffle variations.
Length: 21:21 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Treble Shuffle
Hawkeye provides more amazing tips and tricks on moving your shuffle rhythm to the treble for a unique sound.
Length: 16:50 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Creating Solos
Hawkeye revisits the techniques learned in the last few lessons and explains how to tie tie them together to create solos.
Length: 9:46 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Transposing Songs
Hawkeye provides some great tips for transposing any song you want to learn to a different key.
Length: 17:31 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
History of Blues
This exciting lesson dives into some of the earliest history of blues music and how it has shaped popular music today.
Length: 13:52 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Blues is the Roots
Hawkeye Herman explains why "blues is the roots, and everything else is the fruits."
Length: 8:41 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
The Style of Hank Williams
Hawkeye discusses the history and style of Hank Williams.
Length: 17:07 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
The Style of Jimmie Rodgers
Hawkeye demonstrates some key aspects of Jimmie Rodgers' style.
Length: 12:30 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Boom-Chicka Strum
Hawkeye demonstrates the "boom-chicka" strum and explains various ways you can incorporate it into your playing.
Length: 22:44 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Fun Runs
Hawkeye Herman explains how to spice up your rhythm playing by incorporating bass runs between chord changes.
Length: 16:20 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Review & Practice
Hawkeye Herman celebrates lesson 100 with a short but sweet review of what you've learned in the past couple of lessons.
Length: 6:51 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Song Medley
Hawkeye Herman demonstrates rhythmic concepts from earlier lessons by playing a fun medley.
Length: 13:08 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Hawkeye's Favorite Licks
Hawkeye shares some of his favorite licks in this lesson.
Length: 22:35 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
More Fun Licks
Hawkeye teaches more fun licks to add to your blues bag of tricks.
Length: 31:20 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
More Licks Up the Neck
Hawkeye Herman is back with some more classic blues licks that span the length of the fretboard.
Length: 26:20 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Bass Licks
Hawkeye explains the importance of playing licks over the entire neck of the guitar.
Length: 21:33 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Rock Me Lick
Hawkeye Herman shares a lick that is commonly known as the "Rock Me Baby" Lick. He explains how this lick can be incorporated into a performance of this classic B.B. King song.
Length: 19:09 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Turnaround Positions
Hawkeye discusses how ideas derived from turnarounds can be incorporated into blues solos.
Length: 8:19 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Instrumental Themes
Hawkeye Herman talks about instrumental themes and how you can add lead fills to them.
Length: 18:03 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Instrumental Themes Continued
Hawkeye continues his discussion on instrumental themes and blues.
Length: 23:42 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Ninth Chords
Hawkeye Herman explains how dominant 9th chords are formed and how they can be used in blues music.
Length: 15:16 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Ninth Chords Continued
Hawkeye Herman continues his discussion on 9th chords.
Length: 26:52 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
More Eight Bar Blues
Hawkeye Herman shares more eight bar blues knowledge in this fun and information-packed lesson.
Length: 23:57 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Using a Tuner
Hawkeye shares his thoughts on tuners in this lesson.
Length: 6:38 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Introducing the Capo
In the 114th installment of his Blues Series, Hawkeye introduces the capo. He demonstrates how this valuable tool allows you to transpose chord voicings to various keys.
Length: 23:21 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Forming Barre Chords
Having trouble getting those fingers to form barre chords? In lesson #115 of his Blues Series, Hawkeye covers some tips and techniques to help with these problematic chord shapes. Any beginner can master...
Length: 10:03 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
4 Up, 5 Down Applied Concept
Hawkeye explains why the adjacent strings on the guitar are tuned in perfect fourths and how this relates to left hand fingering.
Length: 18:44 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Relative Chord Shapes
Hawkeye continues where he left off in lesson 116 and explains how the tuning of the guitar relates to commonly used chord shapes.
Length: 16:43 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Transposing Notes / Changing the Key
Hawkeye Herman reviews important transposition concepts. Here he demonstrates how to change the key of a song so that it is appropriate for your vocal range.
Length: 20:31 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
All About Finger Picking
Hawkeye takes a look at this important right hand technique.
Length: 20:54 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Bo Diddley Beat
Hawkeye provides a history lesson on Bo Diddley. He also demonstrates how to play the classic "Bo Diddley Beat." This rhythmic pattern appears in countless blues and rock songs.
Length: 20:15 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Thematic Bass Lines
Hawkeye teaches some blues bass lines that can be applied to the twelve bar blues form.
Length: 19:04 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Bass Lines Continued
Hawkeye continues on from his 121st lesson with more examples of blues bass lines for guitar.
Length: 7:14 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Lead Bass Ideas
Hawkeye dives into some lead bass ideas. He demonstrates how a classic Eric Clapton riff can be used over the twelve bar blues form in any key.
Length: 12:57 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Willie's Bounce
Hawkeye teaches the bass line riff to his song "Willie's Bounce."
Length: 16:31 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Finger Picking Part 2
Hawkeye continues his discussion on finger picking.
Length: 12:27 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Texas A
Hawkeye Herman teaches a version of the A chord that he calls "The Texas A."
Length: 13:59 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Blues Scale: Adding the Major 3rd
Hawkeye breaks down the blues scale and demonstrates how to appropriately add the major 3rd.
Length: 26:16 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Double Stops
As demonstrated in previous lessons, Hawkeye opens up the world of double stops. Hawkeye teaches some classic Chuck Berry licks to demonstrate how double stops can be used effectively.
Length: 11:53 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Scrapper Blackwell
Hawkeye introduces the guitar stye of Scrapper Blackwell. He uses the song Scrapper called "E Blues" as a starting point.
Length: 20:46 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Influence of Blind Lemon Jefferson
History flows deep in blues music. Hawkeye discusses the influence of Blind Lemon Jefferson. This lesson is one for the history books.
Length: 22:43 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Humming and Strumming
Hawkeye opens up some ideas on how to "plan ahead" in your playing. Similar to riding a bike, you need to look forward to see where your going. Humming what you want to play allows you to anticipate the...
Length: 18:49 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Katrina, Oh Katrina
Inspired by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, Hawkeye was commissioned by the BBC to write a song about Katrina. Hawkeye demonstrates this song and recalls his thought process in writing this song.
Length: 29:53 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
All About the Hammer-on
Hawkeye demonstrates how a hammer-on can be used to open up doors in your playing. Hawkeye shows you how to achieve this technique and use it successfully in your playing.
Length: 24:07 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Pull-off
Hawkeye covers the pull-off, best friend of the hammer on. This technique is used to achieve the same goal as the hammer-on, yet with a completely different finger movement.
Length: 15:02 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Using Hammer-ons and Pull-offs Together
Hawkeye combines lessons 133 and 134 and demonstrates some examples of how to utilize the hammer-on and pull-off techniques together to enhance your overall blues guitar skills.
Length: 10:27 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
The Quick Change
The 12 bar form is a staple in the world of blues music. However, there are plenty of different ways to arrange it. This lesson covers what is commonly called "The Quick Change."
Length: 15:15 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Starting on the IV Chord
Hawkeye demonstrates how to change up a traditional 12 bar blues progression by starting on the IV chord.
Length: 16:51 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
The Talking Blues
Hawkeye demonstrates yet another form of blues known as the "Talking Blues." This style is indicative of its name. It features a talking vocal style played over a I, IV, V chord progression.
Length: 24:43 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Utilizing 9th Chords
Need a slightly different voicing to spice up your playing? 9th chords will give your blues playing a colorful, urban sound.
Length: 24:53 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Minor Tuning, Major Sound
Hawkeye breaks out his slide and demonstrates how chord progressions in major keys can be played in open minor tunings.
Length: 4:43 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Style of Elmore James
Hawkeye offers up some tricks and techniques that Elmore James utilized in his style of playing.
Length: 25:52 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Style of Son House
In lesson 142, Hawkeye dives into the style of Son House. House pioneered an innovative style featuring strong, repetitive rhythms often played with a slide.
Length: 14:32 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
About Hawkeye Herman
View Full Biography
""One of America's finest acoustic guitarists and blues educators."
Cascade Blues Association
"Herman plays with a sensitive, reflective touch that continually draws
attention to his vocals, which are effectively understated and free of
affectation... Herman can rock with the best of them. A solid choice for fans of
traditional acoustic blues."
Living Blues Magazine
" ...plays haunting music on a mournful guitar."
Los Angeles Times
"The only thing better than hearing this live album is seeing Hawkeye Herman
in the flesh. Whether adding his own spin to blues classics or offering his
own songs, Herman is a one-man history of blues, noteworthy guitar player and
inimitable communicator. Miss him at your peril."
Blues Access
With over 40 years of performing experience, Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
personifies the range of possibilities in blues and folk music. His dynamic blues
guitar playing and vocal abilities have won him a faithful following and he leads
a very active touring schedule of performances at festivals, concerts, school
programs and educational workshops throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
His original music has been included in video dramas and documentaries and in
four hit theatrical productions.
In 2000, Hawkeye was awarded Philadelphia's
Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre for best original music in a
theatrical production. "Everyday Living," Hawkeye's first nationally released album
from 1987, now reissued on CD, features the late blues giants Charles Brown and
"Cool Papa" Sadler, and established the demand for his now long-standing
festival and concert touring. His latest CDs and DVD, "Blues Alive!" (CD), "It's
All Blues To Me" (CD), and "Hawkeye Live In Concert" (DVD) have been greeted
with rave reviews. Hawkeye's journalistic efforts have been published in numerous
national and regional blues and music-related periodicals.
In 1998 he was the
recipient of the Blues Foundation's "Keeping The Blues Alive" award for
achievement in education. He served on the Board of Directors of the Blues
Foundation for six years. Hawkeye was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of fame in
2004. In September of 2005, Hawkeye composed, at the request of the British
Broadcasting Company (BBC), "Katrina, Oh Katrina (Hurricane Blues)," detailing the
hurricane disaster on the Gulf Coast. The song was aired to over 7 million
listeners on the popular "BBC Today" program. He is the cofounder of the Rogue
Valley Blues Festival, Ashland, OR.
This musician has definitely carved out a
spot for himself in the contemporary acoustic blues/folk field, and has earned a
reputation as one of the most accomplished artists in the genre, and
audiences throughout the US/Canada/Europe have come to know and appreciate Hawkeye's
talent, dedication, and captivating performances.
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Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Jessica Baron
Jessica kindly introduces herself, her background, and her approach to this series.
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Nick explains how to play some of the most commonly used chords in the bluegrass genre.
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Mitch teaches his interpretation of the classic "Cannonball Rag." This song provides beginning and intermediate guitarists...
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Miche introduces several new chord concepts that add color and excitement to any progression.
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Orville Johnson introduces turnarounds and provides great ideas and techniques.
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Michael "Nomad" Ripoll dives deep into the rhythm & blues, funk, and soul genres that were made popular by artists like Earth...
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Emil Werstler
Emil takes you through some techniques that he uses frequently in his style of playing. Topics include neck bending, percussive...
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Lauren Passarelli offers up her wisdom on purchasing a guitar. She also includes information regarding proper setup and care....
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Chris Liepe
Chris brings his ingenuity to this lesson on the American folk song called "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" Also known as...
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DJ Phillips
Learn a handful of new blues techniques while learning to play Stevie Ray Vaughn's "The House Is Rockin'".
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Nick Greathouse
Nick starts his series with Alternate Picking part 1. Improve your timing, speed, and execution with this important lesson.
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Eric Madis
In this lesson Eric talks about playing basic lead in the Memphis Blues style.
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Dennis Hodges
Learn a variety of essential techniques commonly used in the metal genre, including palm muting, string slides, and chord...
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Steve Stevens shows some of his go-to licks and ideas while improvising over a backing track he made.
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Brad Henecke
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Hawkeye, Thanks! This lesson as well as all of the lessons are like a toolbox of chords, little riffs and turnarounds that lead me into hundreds if not thousands of different directions. Sort of mix and match everything I learn and go off in my own direction. wonderful!
You're most welcome, Ken. Blues is a 'language' ... and all of these licks/riffs/ideas/turnarounds, etc. are part of the 'blues vocabulary' that are meant to be learned and then creatively mixed/matched to increase your ability to communicate/express oneself as an INDIVIDUAL ... always broadening one's ability to express oneself in a creative manner. ;-) Robert Johnson learned much of his 'blues vocabulary' from others, both from recordings and from live performers ... and he became expert at adapting what he learned from others in order to express himself in his own unique manner. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
Hawkeye. This is fantastic. The way your lessons lead up to this makes playing this easy becauee now I know what the different parts are based on. In the past I'd try to learn a solo like this but after a week of not playing it I'd forget it because I was just memorizing notes. I still can't play this solo exact but I can get through it by improvising with what you've taught to date. You've made learning fun not a task. The other thing that makes me want to play is that I can see that you're having fun teaching this stuff. It's contagious. THank you
Bill, you're most welcome. I've been playing and teaching the guitar for well over 50 years ... the blues has been very good to me. I learned from the best of the old iconic blues players directly, sitting at their feet ... I love playing and teaching the guitar, and I love practicing, as well ... I'm so glad that you're getting the concepts and skills 'down' for yourself and that you recognize that I'm doing what I LOVE ... and that this is not 'classical' music that you must memorize ... it's about learning blues 'language' skills and being able to create and improvise music on your own, expressing yourself ... blues is more about CREATION ... than it is about 're-creation' ;-). I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
hi. i am from turkey taking your blues lessons as a blues fan and enjoying it so much. i have a 33 years of guitar playing experience and could'n learn blues because of lack of interest and document in my country. you are a very very excellent teacher. i wanted to conragulate you as a musician and i am very proud to be your student. i wish you a long good life cause i believe you deserve it. thank god i found you... and thanks to you that i fell in love with my guitar again...
Thanks so much for your message and kind words about my lessons, and for your good wishes., Salih. Very much appreciated. I was in Turkey two years ago, to Kusadasi, and I enjoyed my time in Turkey very much. Turkey is a very beautiful country, the people are friendly, and your nation is very rich in agricultural products ... and with excellent food. I have students here at JamPlay.com from all over the world, from Beijing to Beirut, Brussels, Brisbane, Boston ... all over the globe ... I'm so glad to know that I have students in Turkey, as well. ;-) Please be sure to watch some of my videos at youtube.com, here: http://www.youtube.com/user/HawkeyeH ... so that you can see how I use the blues guitar techniques that I teach here at JamPlay.com when I perform in concerts and at festivals ... try to play along with me, and try to 'steal' my ideas/licks/riffs on the guitar. You can also sample my music here: http://hawkeyeherman.com/blues_shop.htm ... and here: http://hawkeyeherman.com/mp3.htm ... Thanks again for your kind message. I hope you continue to enjoy my lessons ... and perhaps/I hope I'll see you someday in Turkey ;-)
thanks for everything. I will be very pleased if you and your wife be my guest in my country and meet my family. if you come again I'll be waiting for your call:)))
You are most welcome, Salih. I hope my wife and I am fortunate to visit Turkey again in the future, and that we have the opportunity to meet you and your family. Your kind offer is very much appreciated. ;-)
Hawkeye, I am so happy I found your lessons. This is the reason I wanted to learn to play the guitar. You are a fantastic teacher, and the lessons are perfect for a guy like me (36 yrs old, and playing the guitar for a whole 2 months now). THANK YOU!
Thanks so much for the kind comments and for enjoying my lessons, Kevin. I've given a lot of thought and planning as tot he order and content of these lessons. Please follow the lessons in the order they are presented, please do not move on to the next lesson until you can do what is in the current lessons ... don't 'cherry pick'/skip around, or you'll pay the price of having a lot of information that you don't really understand how to use ... be patient with yourself ... this is not a 'race to a finish line' ... there is no 'race and there is no 'finish line' ... follow my lessons in the order they are presented, patiently progressing from one lesson to the next and you'll gain a strong understanding and foundation in blues music that will allow you to play and improvise freely for the rest of your life. 'Cherry pick' the lessons and you'll have a very limited blues vocabulary. Please be sure to watch some of my many blues songs on video, here: http://www.youtube.com/user/HawkeyeH ... so you can see how I use the techniques I teach at JamPlay when I'm performing in concerts and at festivals ... try to play along with me ... and 'steal' my licks/riffs/ideas. Thanks again for the the message. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
oooo, forgot about this one. see, going through your series twice is a must. fantastic hawk.
Rob, Thanks for continuing to 'mine' the depths of my lessons for 'gems' you may have missed the first time around. ;-)
Hi Hawkeye Wow you made my day thank you and i will do your steps,I can play your robert johnson and i ended it with a D7 slide to the 5 fret sounds good.
I'm happy to know that you're making progress, Roy. Be patient with yourself ... don't rush ... there is no 'end' to the learning process and the satisfaction of learning the guitar ... the joy is in the journey. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
Fantastic teacher because of hawkeye i will be part of jamplay for a long time awesome hawkeye and good morning blues.
Thanks for the kind words about these lessons, Roy. Very much appreciated. I've given a lot of thought and planning/consideration as to the content and order of these lessons. If you follow these lessons in the order they are presented, patiently progressing from one lesson to the next, not rushing through nor moving on until you can accomplish what is in the current lesson, you will gain a strong understanding and foundation in blues music and blues guitar playing that will allow you to play/create/improvise freely on the guitar and serve you for the rest of your life. If you can 'force yourself' to not sip around... cherry pick' through these lessons, you will be far, far better off. Blues is a 'language' ... one would not study a language by skipping around in the lessons and only learning what appeals to them at the time ... the result would be the ability to speak some words in that language, but not really be able to speak and understand the language fluently in all situations... so it is with blues music/language. I'm only telling you this because you're 'new' here at JamPlay.com ... and I know that there is a strong tendency for folks to 'cherry pick' through these lessons. ;-) Try not to do that ... all of these lessons 'dovetail' into the next lesson, so skipping lessons is not a good idea. This in not an accusation toward you ... just a warning to a 'new' member that it is wise to resist the tendency to skip around within this lesson series. Again, thanks so much for the kind message. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons ... (in the order they are presented). ;-)
Thank you Hawkeye, this was another great lesson! You are a great teacher and your enthusiasm amazing! I believe I will crawl a little while on that lesson, before I will walk into Lesson 19! Have a great day!
I alsos get more and more impressed how much small modifications do to the whole sound and I feel thats what makes the great musicians that they do this small modifications that we amateurs don`t get...so it is great that someone teaches us.
JUst as the smallest alteration of a brush stroke can change a picture/painting ... or the addition of one drop of another color paint to a current color paint can change the main color and the entire painting ... so it follows that the slightest variation/alteration on the strings can change the music. ;-) I hope you continue to explore and enjoy these lessons and the possibilities on the guitar.
Dear Hawkeye, as so many others I love this session and I have worked with it several times properly, I also listen to Your Katrina on youtube. I wonder, is it possible to do some homework, record it and send it to you in order to get feedback? I guess You are a busy man, so I understand if you don`t have the time. the fees we pay are very small as well. Actually I have played this spcial D cord before, but I have never used it or listened to it that way..so i think it is great. Best wishes, Peter
Peter, thanks for the comments and question(s) and for enjoying these lessons. Uhhhhh, there are 9,000 + students here at JamPlay.com ... you cannot expect me/us instructors to be 'grading' your homework that you might send to us in our 'spare' time ... what you can do is videp yourself using your home camera ... any camera does video these days ... even cell phones ... and you can place the video on youtube.com, or some other online video location ... and then get back to me and send me the URL, and I'll watch the video and tell you what you're doing right or wrong ... even with this suggestion ... there are limitations to my/our ability to do this ... imagine having to view thousands, or even hundreds of videos that students post asking for help advice ... that is/would be above and beyond the call of 'duty' for the minimal fee that subscribers pay each month. Still, you can give it a try. Cheers, Hawkeye
thank You Hawkeye for Your reply. Of course I understand that You have very much to do and I am very happy for Your reply and the contact You give. So if You can comment on a video, that would be great. I`ll try that, when I feel I have a song that is ready to show. Many regards from a rainy fjord, Peter
Crawling up here boss. On lesson 160. That 's right. Lesson 18 a 2nd time after the 1st 142. I'm feeling Robert J better and better. Michael I'm entering 2012 with great confidence. You have a gift. I have a feel for RJ and LH each time I practice. Oh what a chord indeed! I'm late starting but if I can play at my nursing home or my hospice for a little while, I will remember Michael Hawkeye Herman made me do it.
Hi, Gary, and thanks for the comments, kind words, and update on you progress. I'll gladly take the 'blame' for 'making you' play the blues. ;-) Don't forget to watch some of my blues videos so that you can see how I use the techniques that I teach here at JamPlay.com, including Robert Johnson's style of playing, when I'm performing in concert and at festivals. Try to play along with me ... and 'steal' my lick/riffs/ideas. I hope you continue to enjoy freely/creating playing blues guitar far beyond 2012 ;-) Thanks again for 'traveling' with me on the 'blues highway.'
This lesson is sooooooooooooooooooooooo fun!!!! Thanks Hawkeye
You're most welcome. ;-) Sounds good and is fun to play on your Epi Les Paul, eh? I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
At the 'Death Has No Mercy' lesson, you suggested I go back and do your blues series. Excellent advice and now I'm getting through this wonderful tune. I'm stoked. I feel like I've reached a higher level. Thank You Hawkeye.
Hi, MIchael. I'm glad you took my advice. Phase Three is for advanced players ... you need a strong background and basic foundation in blues music in order to take those lessons ;-). I'm so glad you're enjoying my lessons and that you're progressing more and more. That's what I'm here for ... and I hope you enjoy learning/practicing/playing blues guitar ... forever. Thanks again for your kind message.
You must be an awesome grandpa.
;-) Thanks so much, Anthony. I do love kids, but my wife and I have no children. We've been married for 42 years, and we have many nieces and nephews. Also, since I've been going into schools and presenting my Blues In The Schools programs for over 31 years in over 500 schools (all levels, from elementary to college levels) in 29 states and 8 foreign countries to over 1/2 million students ... I guess you could say I spend more time with young people than most grandparents. You can learn more about this at web site: www.HawkeyeHerman.com ... just 'click' on the "Blues In The Schools" navigation bar ... or check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QACNBlPYKEw ... I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
A positive experience just watching, then having a go! You really come over as sincere, you mean what you say, you inspire. Thanks for all the vids.
Thanks so much, Nick. If you watch some of my videos you'll see how I use the techniques I teach here at JamPlay.com when I'm performing in concert and at festivals, try to play along with me, and 'steal' some of my licks/riffs: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH&view=videos ... I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
Hi Hawkeye, I have a question. In the first part of the lesson at about 5:40min you start with the song. First the texas A turnround, then you go into the E7, plucking (it appears to me) the high e then the b and the low it at the same time, then... but I am wonding why we have to finger the E7 chord at all, since all the strings here are open anyway. right?
oops i meant: (the high e then the b and the low E at the same time)
Thanks for the question. Have you looked at the music and tablature transcription of this solo/lesson under 'supplemental content'? I hold onto the E7 chord to make sure that if the other strings/not being picked/played do ring sympathetically they will be in tune. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
Oh, that makes sense.
Wow, This lesson is the Purest Form of the Truth and now I know why I pick up my guitar everyday and play. Thanks Hawkeye!!
Frank, please be sure to watch some of the many videos I have posted at youtube.com ... you'll see how I use the techniques I teach here at JamPlay.com when I'm performing ... try to play along with me ... and even 'steal' some of my licks/riffs: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH&view=videos
You're most welcome, Frank. Thanks so much for 'traveling' with me on the 'blues highway' here at JamPlay.com. I hope you continue to enjoy my lessons ... and play the guitar everyday ;-)
Not that you aren't live....sorry
Noooo problem. ;-) I understand what you meant. Again, thanks so much.
I've learned more from this lesson than than I've gotten from other live instructors. In three days of work I'm playing the blues.
Thanks so much for the kind comments, Bill. Very much appreciated. Please follow my lessons in the order they are presented ... take your time ... there's no rush ... progress at your own speed ... and you'll gain a strong understanding and foundation in blues music. Be sure to view my many videos at youtube to see how I use the techniques I teach here at JamPlay.com when I'm performing in concert and at festivals ... just go to my web site ... HawkeyeHerman.com, and click on "Videos" ... and try to play along with me ... and even 'steal' some of my licks/riffs/ideas. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons and traveling with me on the 'blues highway' here at JamPlay.com.
Quick question about the first e7 chord played after the opening Texas a. I thought the first 4 measures would be played in the key of A so How come an e chord is thrown in there? It sounds good but I thought all 4 measures would be in A.
Thanks for the question about the E7 chord ... but you're going to have to give me the precise location in the video of where this happens, in which of the five scenes that make up this lesson, and at what point in minutes and seconds. Thanks again.
Thanks for the response. At scene 1 at 5:07 you go from the Texas A intro to the e7 chord, then proceed into the key of A turnaround. I'm just slightly confused as I thought the chord progression would have to be A D A E.D according to I Iv V we learned earlier and it seems this e7 chord is a bit early.
Yes, you are certainly confused. I have isolated the turnaround and I'm showing just how to play the turnaround at that point in the song ... the turnaround makes up the last two measure of a 12-bar blues ... the chords for the entire 12-bar blues song are A/D/A/E/D/A ... there's usually a V chord (E), in this case) at the end of the 12th bar of the song ... at the end of the turnaround. If you don't understand this ... you need to look more closely at the lessons on how 12-bar blues are constructed. How about this ... forget your question and just follow my instructions as I've given them ... ;-) ... you'll eventually see, after playing the entire 12-bars solo that I'm speaking about. Thanks so much for enjoying these lessons.
Mr Hawkeye! Just today subscribed this site, returning playing blues after 5-6 years, first things first nailed down this lovely solo. Great teaching, cheers from Turkey.
Weclome, FAHRETTIN. Thanks so much for your message and for enjoying these lessons. Very much appreciated. I hope you'll follow the lessons in the order they are presented, as I've given a lot of thought and planning as to the content of each lesson and the order they are presented ... if you follow these lessons in the order they are presented you'll gain a strong understanding and foundation in blues music that will, I hope, serve you for the rest of your life. Thanks again for the kind message and for traveling with me on the 'blues highway' here at JamPlay.com. By the way, I was in Kusadasi/Turkey last November. Turkey is a lovely country and the people are very friendly. ;-)
This is a great lesson, and very fun to play. I even find myself changing things up from the way it is being taught. Hawkeye - do you ever get to the Maryland area to play live.
Thanks so much for your comments, Steve. Much appreciated. One of the primary tenants of my teaching is to encourage my students to experiment and 'change' things as they learn and play. That's what the blues is about ... learning the musical 'language' of the blues so that you can freely express yourself at will. I get to tour and go many places all over the North/South America and Europe, but I have not been to Maryland to perform. I'd love to come to your area ... if there is a blues festival/festivals in your town or area, feel free to contact the producers via email and refer them to me ... for both performance and workshops. One of the best ways for event producers to figure out whom to book for their event(s) is by referrals from 'fans' who know what they want to see/hear. Again, thanks so much for enjoying these lessons and for 'expanding' on what I teach. ;-)
Thanks for opening up an entire world for me. I purchased Robert Johnson's cd and wow, that was great. A piece if history.
You're most welcome, Tonya. Welcome to 'my world' and 'your world' of blues music. ;-) I hope you continue to enjoy blues music and these lessons. ;-)
Hawkeye, I continously go back to your lessons andit's simply more enjoyable each time I do so . At Scene 4 00.10m ; what a fantastic chord ( rhythm and bluesy style) for the D7 and E7 chords. Can you guide me in which lesson you taught a similar style in A7 and B7(other than the turnaround). Else may be you can give me a hint on how to apply this concept on those chords. In the meantime, I will keep practising as it's lifetime experience . Thanking you Regards Rama
Thanks for the kind comments, Rama. Much appreciated. I'm sorry, but I'm unsure about precisely where you are talking about the chords in this lesson .... scene 4 ... at .10 seconds in??? Sorry, I'm not with you ... please give me the scene number and the range of the time, from ___, to ___ ... In general, to answer your question and give you direction ... that everything on the guitar, chords and scales, is moveable up and down the neck ... there's a lesson in this series somewhere about that ... take it to heart ... and start moving things up and down the neck ... and see what happens. Again, thanks for taking the time to let me know that you're enjoying these lessons ... over and over again. ;-)
Hawkeye, it is in a couple of scene and at Scene 5 bet. 1.30 m to 2.24 m is where you explained the E to D. Guess what ? I also know saw where you teach it in more details for all the chords in "Lesson 30 Blues accompaniment " starting at Scene 1 0.25m. I will practice those too. Hawkeye, this shows how much we are passionate about your invaluable lessons. Thanking you Rama
Rama, I'm so glad you found the answer to your question within my lessons series, in this case, #30. I apologize for my not being able to tell you in which of my other lessons I refer to/explain this particular chord/finger/sequence you asked about ... I've been teaching and presenting workshops for so many years that when I videotape lessons for JamPlay.com I use very limited notes. I have just one piece of paper that has a list of ideas I want to cover in my lessons over the usually three days of taping/filming of my lessons. Under any lesson title or heading, I make up the actual content of each lesson spontaneously, all based on my experience having taught blues guitar, and it just flows out of me when we're filming these lessons ... I have no notes ... and I don't have time to watch all of my lessons that are posted here ... as a matter of fact, I've watched very few of my lessons here at JamPlay.com ... so when you refer to/ask me about a specific example/technique I might be using in a given lesson ... I'd have to watch the specific part of that lesson to know what you're referring to. I hope you understand ;-) ... I'm most gratified to know that you're passionate enough about these lessons ... to search and find the answer to your question elsewhere within the many hours of lessons of mine posted here at JamPlay.com. Again, thanks so much for enjoying these lessons.
Hi Hawkeye and thanks for this lesson. You did comment on, and corrected the fact that the only RJ solo is in the song "Kindhearted woman" (and not "When you got a good friend") around chrismas 2008, but wouldn't it be a good idea to correct that in the lesson info too?!? Apart from that a very good and inspirational lesson about a solo in the style of Robert Johnson. Thank you for your good and very positive lessons, which are probably the best there is for acoustic blues guitar.
Thanks so much for your comments and for enjoying these lessons, Bjorn. Very much appreciated. I appreciate your request taht we 'correct' the mistake I made regarding the only recorded Robert Johnson guitar solo being in his song, "Kindhearted Woman Blues." Yes, I did correct this mistake later on ... but really, it's ot very easy or possible for me to correct the lessons itself ... I live on the West Coast ... the lessons are videotaped at the JamPlay.com tech. HQ in Colorado ... I fly to Colorado to film lessons two or three times per year ... sometimes we have to 'live with' our mistakes ... as in this case ... it would not be very easy for us to amend/edit the lesson(s) that are already posted. I understand your concern ... and I do appreciate your suggestion ... but amending/adding/editing material to a lesson is not so easy ... so, I'm sorry to say, my mistake will have to stand as it is ... and I hope that my students understand this, and find my 'correction' in later lessons. Again, thanks so much for your kind words and enthusiasm for my lessons. I hope you continue to enjoy 'traveling' with me on the 'blues highway' here at JamPlay.com. ;-)
I can't thank you enough for your great lessons hawkeye! I'm an 18 year old kid fresh out of high school and ever since I picked up the old six string and started playing the blues I haven't been able to put it down
Thanks so much for your kind comments and for enjoying these lessons, Thomas. Very much appreciated. Be patient, follow my lessons in the order they are presented, use the video controls to stop/replay anything you don't quite understand as many times as necessary until you 'get it' ... and I believe and hope you'll gain a strong foundation in understanding and playing blues guitar that will serve you for a lifetime. I have performed very near where you live ... three times at the blues festival in Grafton, WI ... please read the article I wrote about Grafton here: http://www.hawkeyeherman.com/pdf/14_EmbracingTheLegacy_Pt.2.pdf .... and look at photos #10 through #16 here: http://www.hawkeyeherman.com/gallery7.htm ... perhaps I'll be in Grafton to perform at their blues festival again ... you can send them a message and request that I retturn to perfomr and give guitar workshops ... here: http://www.graftonblues.org/paramountbluesfestival ... thanks again for enjoying these lessons.
A look at the comments and it looks like it's all been said. I simply can't tell you how valuable these lessons are. You have truly found your second calling as an instructor. I am learning everything I can and progressing surprisingly fast if I do say so myself. I'm "pickin up what yer puttin down".... Hats off to you Hawkeye!! Thank You !
Thanks so much for your kind comments and for enjoying these lessons. "Second calling" ... :-) ... well, I've been playing blues guitar of almost 50 years, performing for over 40 years, and teaching all the while ... I can't imagine playing blues sguitar and NOTsharing what I know about it with others who are interested in learning ... I've taught blues history and music in over 500 schools in 28 states and in 8 foreign countries over the last 35 years ... to over 1/2 million students ... I'm now on tour in Colorado, where I just completed doing two concerts, teaching a guitar workshop at music school in Denver, and I gave blues hsitory and msuic instruction in 17 (!!!) schools in five days (!!!) this past week. I am now spenmding two and a ahlf days videotaping more JamPlay.com lessons here in COlorado. I get home on Thursday night, and on Sunday I fly to France where I'll teach in three schools, perform four conerts in the PAris area, and present my annual two-day master class/semainr for French teachers and musicians on how to create effective in-school blues programs ... follwed by my touring to Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Turkey ... I'll be doing this performance and teaching/instructional work in Europe for over three weeks ... I get home on Nov. 23rd ... so if there's a lag' in my answering of questions/comments here at JamPlay.com, you'll know why ... I'm not going to be spending time online while I'm overseas. Yes, from the time I began playing blues guitar, and was taught directly by many icons of the blues: Son House (Robert Johnson's mentor), BUkka WHite (BB King's cousin and mentor), LIghtnin' HOpkins, Brownie McGhee, Furry Lewis, Mance Lipscomb, John Jackson, Charles Brown, and many other at whose feet I sat at and learned from ... just as they 'passed the blues torch' to me ... so it is natural for me to 'pass the blues torch' on to you ... and I hope you do the same. That's how traditional music is kept alive and vibrant ... by freely passing on whast you know to others, and letting them learn the tradition, and add their own personal touches. I'm so glad you're enjoying these lessons. I hope your continue to enjoy them ... and perhaps you read some of the articles that I've written about blues history and the blues mentors I've learned from over the years in the 'articles' area here at JamPlay.com ... and at my website on the 'original articles' page: http://www.HawkeyeHerman.com ... again, thanks so much for your kind comments and for enjoying these lessons. :-)
In addition to finally learning and more importantly appreciating the blues, I find myself looking forward to every lesson. In this crazy world, music keeps us sane. My thanks to Hawkeye and jamplay for making my love for guitar really come to life. At 57, that is truly a wondrous thing, and my kids are impressed with my steady improvement..that in itself is a miracle!
Daniel, thanks so much for your kind comments and for 'coming home' to the blues. I'm so glad to know that you're interest in the guitar has been rekindled and that you're getting great 'mileage' out of your guitar ... for a change :-). I hope you travel the 'blues highway' forever more. Thanks again for enjoying these lessons.
your enthusiasm is contagious, I'm hooked
Thanks so much for your kind comment, David. I really appreciate it. I heard a lot of great blues and boogie music that came over the late night radio airwaves from Shreveport to my little two transistor radio far up the Mississippi River to my home area in Iowa/Illinois back in the 1950s ... and great country music from the Louisiana Hayride, too ... ;-) ... so glad your been bitten by the 'blues bug.' I'm enthusiastic ... because I love playing the blues and I really enjoy spreading/sharing the 'word'/information about the music. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons. Thanks again for taking the time to let me know that you're 'with me' on the 'blues highway' here at JamPlay.com. ;-)
Hawkeye, I just sold my soul to the devil... and you are the manager of this transaction! Thank you so much...
May you enjoy learning and playing the 'devil's music' ... forever. ;-)
I love how you can get really creative playing Blues. Thanks for this great lesson, I've never seen another person who's so enthusiastic :)
Thanks so much for your kind comments and for enjoying these lessons. Blues music is a release ... not a sad music ... it's a creative release through the lyrics and music (guitar) of telling your present circumstances in life, good or bad. Life changes from minute to minute ... playing blues music allows you to freely 'keep up' with those life changes by expressing your past, present, and future, hopes and fears ... and releasing it all into the Universe in a healing, good time, artistic, creative, spontaneous process. How could anyone not be enthusiastic about that? :-) Thanks again for your message and for ... getting it. :-)
Hi Hawkey, you together with Jim Deaming got me restarted after a long period of lazyness. I'am a similar case same as Gilles from Paris, played even rhythm in a few bands. this helps a lot now - no need of counting bars. Now with 66 it seems I got a final breakthrough! Thanks a lot, your manner of teaching really is inspiring! Got to stop now because of my summer absence but certainly will be back in October. Please check your website, it doesn'open.
Thanks for the message and kind words about my lessons, Ruedi. Much appreciated. My web site is working fine ... http://www.HawkeyeHerman.com .... no problems ... you should check again. There are free guitar lessons on my web site, and much more. You can watch me use the techniques I tech here at jamplay by going here: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH&view=videos .... thanks again. See ya in Oct., I hope.
Thanks - both URL's work perfectly now. I'll certainly be back, but during summer I got bad internet acces, working as yacht skipper in Corsica and trekking guide in the Swiss alps. check here: www.sailandtrail.ch Pity you are not on tour in Switzerland later in the year. France is just a bit too far...
Thanks for the comments. I'm glad the links are working for you 'now' ... I have not experienced any problems with my web site or the links, nor have I been informed by anyone else that there is/was a 'problem.' I may be performing at the Sierre Blues Festival in the future ... and perhaps the Lucerne Blues Festival. If you'd klike to see me at either/both of these events ... it would be wise for you to contact them and request that I perform and give guitar workshops there. You can find both events online. I do hope to be in Switzerland in the future. Thanks again for enjoying these lessons.
Hello Hawkeye. I usually never post comments but I'll do it this time because I want to thank you for the heart you put in your lessons - and jamplay for making so much available. I am a 51 years old French writer living in Paris and I was offered a good guitar for my 5Oth birthday a year ago. had been fooling around with a guitar since my teens, even written and recorded a few original songs - with very good musicians, but I never got to do it seriously. At 5O I decided it was high time and so I have been practicing a lot for a year and making real progress. I have learned a lot from Jamplay, and your lessons which I recently took are really useful and soulful. I take them in order, just finished lesson 18, still have to practice the solo but it is definitely coming. I'll go on studying methodically with you through Jamplay, thank you, just thought you'd enjoy knowing you have a student in Paris !
Hello Hawkeye, thank you so much for your reply. Great to learn you'll be in Paris. I am definitely going to check the websites this week end and if I have no professionnal commitment on that date, which I hope not, I'll definitely go to Mantes to see you in Concert. I hope to have made a lot of progress with your lessons by november. Your teaching just prompted me to buy the complete recordings of Robert Johnson, whom, I realized, I only knew indirectly ,through Eric Clapton in particular. Man, what a moving and powerful experience those recordings give ! I live downtown Paris, I suppose you have many friends over here, but please feel free to let me know when you spend time in the city and I'll certainly be pleased to buy you a drink or show you around if you wish, apart from going to the gig. One of my two daughters actually lives near Mantes, she may come along. So, I'll check the sites you mention, meanwhile take care and keep communicating the soulful and deep message of blues guitar in your heartfelt way.
I usually stay in Paris for a couple of days before and after my work in Mantes. Sometimes I rent an apartment in the Bastille area, and sometimes I stay in the Latin Qtr. at Hotel Le Grand Ecoles. How long I stay in Paris depends on what other gigs/performances I have elsewhere in Europe. I won't know my schedule for my being in Pairs in November until late July ... you can always check the 'tour schedule' page at my web site ... www.HawkeyeHerman.com ... I hope to see you in Mantes or Paris, or both :-)
gilles, Thanks so much for your kind comments and for taking the time to write. Very much appreciated. I will be in Paris in November, on my way to perform and teach, for the 4th year, at the Festival Blues sur Seine in Mantes la Jolie (www.blues-sur-seine.com). Besides performing in concert and in schools in the Mantes area, I will be presenting a 2-day seminar workshop for musicians and teachers on how to teach blues history and music and how to create their own in-school blues educational curriculum. The seminar is held at Castel La Roche Guyon, on the Seine River, please look at these photos I iusually spend a couple of days in Paris, maybe I'll see you there ... or you can check out the Blues sir Seine website after Aug. 1st to see the scheduling of performers and the seminar. The Blues sur Seine Festival is two weeks long, presenting many blues performers from all over the world over that two week period. Perhaps you might be able to take the 40 minute ride out to Mantes la Jolie from Paris to see me in concert. Again, thanks so much for taking the time to let me know that you're enjoying these lessons and that you appreciate my passion for the music and sharing that passion with others.
The photos I refer you to are here: www.hawkeyeherman.com/gallery8.htm www.hawkeyeherman.com/gallery6.htm
Hawkeye, Your lessons are incredibly helpful and inspiring. I'm a beginner, taking private lessons and watching your online lessons whenever I can. I just wish I had more time to take advantage of what's available in your set and others on Jamplay!
Thanks for your kind message and for enjoying my lessons. The great thing about online lessons is you don't need an appointment, you can watch/learn for as long/short a time as you wish with no time limitations, the price (!), you can make me and every other instructor say the same thing and repeat the same thing a million times if necessary until you get it ... you can be in bed at 2 AM and not be able to fall asleep, and get up and take guitar lessons until you're 'ready' for bed ... there's no substitute the benefits of a 'live' guitar instructor ... but there is also no substitutes for the price and convenience of online lessons ... especially for a very busy person with little 'free time.' I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons ... at your convenience ... we're always 'here' waiting for you to take advantage of our lessons. Thanks again for enjoying these lessons as your time allows.
Here's my attempt after a day's practice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf5CADGJ8dU As Hawkeye would say "Walk before you run" I just cant seem to help run though! I'll keep practicing.
Jason, Thanks for the message. It's good to see and hear that you've been practicing. Keep up the good work. At this point, I have only one suggestion; you need to work on your sense of rhythm. There is no blues without solid rhythm. Watch your video, without holding your guitar at all, and see if you can tap your foot along with what you're watching. Your rhythm is not yet solid. All the single notes, fancy licks, and turnarounds don't become music unless the rhythm is solid and steady. I cannot tap my foot with what you're doing, there are dropped beats and missed beats, and also in your shuffle rhythm, you're not playing 12 bars, for example, in the very first part of your first verse on the shuffle rhythm you played only three measures on the A chord (instead of 4 measures), and then you changed to the D chord. You're doing this irregular non-12-bars most of the time. There are hesitations in between your licks/riff where you drop the time. This is a definite 'no-no' in any kind of music, not just blues. Without a solid rhythm as a basis, there is no music, it just becomes notes that are irregularly strung together. I hope you understand that you must tap your foot and keep time while you play, and everyone who listens to you should be able to tap their foot, or clap their hands, or snap their fingers in time with what you are along on the guitar. You definitely need to slow down and play the music on the beats ... you're playing too fast and you're not able, at this time, to play the notes and make the changes in tempo. The only way to accomplish this is by playing slower, at a speed where your foot tapping and the notes on the guitar are together, and very solid and there is absolutely no hesitation between the beats. Also, since the format of your shuffle rhythm is irregular, I suggest you go back to the shuffle rhythm lessons and practice and play along with me. Why not go to my videos, find the Robert Johnson songs, and try to play along with me, just playing the shuffle rhythm for practice. Here: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH&view=videos You've come a long way on the guitar in a very short time, and I'm proud of what you've been able to accomplish. Keep it up ;-) but you must keep in mind that music is built on a background of solid tempo/rhythm, first and foremost, and not on playing single notes and pretty chord positions. Hang in there and keep practicing, but SLOW DOWN and pay attention to keeping solid tempo, with no hesitations at all in between the beats, and make sure you're playing 12-bar blues, not 11-bar blues, or 13 bar blues. Thanks so much for posting the video. I hope you take my comments in the positive manner that they are intended. You've done very well in a short period of time, and I think you can do even better. :-)
Thanks Hawkeye, I know exactly what your saying. This is why i called myself Tunelessblues. I am rhythmless and i hope it will come one day. i will practice with your early rhythm lessons until i get it down. i walk my dog counting 1234, 2234 etc. i try and tap my foot while playing and then i come to a difficult bit and i loose time cause i'm trying to play something more difficult. If i practice hard enough do you think the rhythm will come to me? Or is it time to call it a day?
Jason. I'm glad you took my critique in the positive manner it was offered. All you need to do is practice. It will come, you just need to be patient with yourself. When I was beginning on the guitar it took me almost 3 months before I could play a shuffle rhythm solidly and sing at the same time. What you don't see when you hear/see accomplished/experienced players like Eric Clapton, Robert Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, or anyone, including me, is the many hours/days/weeks/monts/years we spend practicing ... you assume that we just picked up the guitar and could magically do whatever we want immediately. This is not the case. How many times do you think an athlete, like a figure skater or high jumper does the same 'routine' over and over and over again, in practice ... then they go out in front of the public and astound them with their ability to do a triple jump or high jump over 7 ft. ... the same is true for all things you wish to learn ... do you reallay care how long it takes to get it right? Most golfers slice and hook the ball for their entire lives, they'll never be Tiger Woods, but they keep 'playing' golf because they enjoy it. If you love the guitar and blues music it's NEVER "time to call it a day." This is a life's work ... I'm miles and miles ahead of you on the guitar ... and you'll never 'catch up' with me because I'm not done learning, and I never will be ... do you know and understand that a "Master," in reality, is a great student. If you think you've mastered something, you've shut down to new information and have stopped learning. It's a long and winding road that has no end ... Call it a day? Hardly, call it a life's work. Calling it a day simply means that you have lost patience with yourself and/or you are simply no longer interested in learning. The great world recognized cello 'master' Pablo Casals lived to be 97, and he stated late in life that he kept his cello on a stand in his bedroom so that when he woke up in the morning the first thing he saw was his cello, and that made him get his ancient, tired, and feeble body out of bed each morning because he knew he had so much more to learn. Every time you pick up your instrument you improve, you may not think so, but whether you make huge leaps on your instrument, or the smallest of increments ... you're improving each time you hold and practice/play the instrument. You can never practice enough and you can never learn enough ... if you put boundaries on either of those two concepts ... you are standing in the way of your own progress. People enjoy painting pictures even though they'll never achieve to the level of respect and visibility of Picasso or DaVinci ... but they still paint their own pictures, don't they? Do this because it brings you joy and peace of mind ... if golfers quit because they can't play golf like Tiger Woods ... hardly anyone would be playing golf ... and there would be no huge golf industry reaping millions of dollars selling clubs, balls, and golf gear to the public. The same is true of the music/guitar industry ... 99% of the people who buy/own guitars will never ever play like Clapton or Segovia ... does that mean they should 'call it a day" and give up on the guitar? Please learn to enjoy the process of learning without putting time constraints on your progress ... and you'll be able to 'exhale'/relax and achieve much more than you ever imagined ... and your life will be filled with the wonder of blues music rather than frustration due to self imposed limitations and time constraints ;-)
Thanks Hawkeye! No i dont ever want to call it a day, one reason i like the guitar is because it is an instrument that will never be mastered in one's lifetime, always new possibilties and stuff to learn. However my technical progress is coming faster than my rhythmic ability and it would be better the other way round really. I read somewhere that they say your left hand is what you learn and your right hand is who you are! I am rhythmless at the moment. but if it will come in time with practice i will play forever! Thanks Jase
Jase, you may not believe it, but everyone has a sense rhythm. Some folks have a better sense of rhythm than others, but everyone has a sense of rhythm, otherwise you could not walk down the street. When we walk, we unconsciously use our sense of rhythm to get us walking at a particular sustained pace, be it slow, medium, or fast. You don't see most folks walking down the street in a irregular rhythm pattern, taking a few steps fast, then slow, then fast, we walk in rhythm. Yes, we can increase or slow our pace at will, but we're usually aware that we're doing so. Pay attention to the rhythm(s) at which you walk ... and then try to 'translate' that same sense of rhythm to your music/guitar paying. Tap you foot steadily while you play, as if you're walking. If you can't play a particular aspect of what you're' trying to learn in time with your foot-tapping, then you're 'walking too fast,' and you need to slow down to a tempo at which the rhythm and the notes come together to create music. Music is organized sound, and the first step to creating organized sound is to keep a solid rhythm. Playing a million notes without rhythm is not music, but playing just a few notes with a solid tempo is music. Practice. If you can walk, you have rhythm ... so start being aware of it and place the rhythm/tempo ahead of your other interests on the guitar ... we all need to work/practice more on our weaknesses, than our strengths. ;-)
Absolutely amazing Hawkeye!! I've got the mechanics of this song now and just need to fiddle with a few bits and pieces, you truly are a master musician and instructor!! One thing i saw you do that's not on the tableture is on the 6th bar, just before you go to the D7 chord, you play the 1st and second string on the 5th fret and 6th fret third string to play the A chord, then you move it down, keeping the same shape, to the 3rd fret position and a sneaky G chord arpeggio to go nicely to the D7, caught you Hawkeye!! Great stuff, fantastic new chords you are a star!
Thanks for enjoying the lesson. The move I make with an abbreviated A chord on the first three strings that then goes down to the third fret to become a G chord may not be in the tablature/supplemental material, but it's a nice little 'twist' that is, like the rest of this lessen, taken directly from the playing of Robert Johnson. It's good to learn how to understand and use these same techniques in any key. You caught me using another great Robert Johnson 'idea' ... which you must understand, he did not necessarily 'invent' ... he may have 'lifted' it from somebody else and adapted it for his own purposes. That's the beauty of the blues ... you can quickly learn to be creative ... and personal creativity is encouraged in blues guitar playing.
It really does add the little extra to the piece, i'm practising it in other keys also, i'm gonna keep a close eye on the iittle bits and bobs you add into your playing, sometimes i cant always see them, but i can hear the notes. Incidently, i did listen to the Robert Johnson recording of him playing "When you've got a good friend", and it's amazing. Thanks again Hawkeye.
PLease be sure to watch the many Hawkeye videos that are on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH&view=videos these videos will allow you to see how I use the techniques I teach here at JamPlay when I'm performing in concert and at festivals.
I'm a little confused as to how the metronome works, what do the numbers from 1-24 represent (on the jamplay metronome) and what settings would be best to first practise playing this solo and to finally play it at full tempo. Many thanks in advance.
I don't know. I only videotape guitar lessons for jamplay.com. I don't know how the supplemental stuff/software works or is maintained. Perhaps, you should ask the admin. folks to explain it to you. Why not try hitting the buttons and seeing what happens? As far as speed goes for this lesson ... don't go slower than 10 m.p.h. and don't go faster than 110m.p.h. :-) Just start slow, at a tempo that you can accomplish it at, and then build up your speed as you improve. If you can't do the exercise, obviously you're playing too fast. That's the rule/case with learning any/all guitar techniques. Try not to think about things too much, just relax and play/practice.
I must contact the admin crew. Cheers
What a phenominally good lesson!! This really is a crowd stopper. I just wanted to ask you Hawkeye, i heard quite some years back that when robert johnson first came on the scene that he wasn't all that good and he disappeared for a good while and when he did return, people were spellbound. Yeah, there was the rumour that he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads, of course the latter isn't true, but is what i've said about his first appearances true?
In short, here's your history lesson; Robert Johnson, as a young man in his late teens and early 20s aspired to play like musicians Son House and Charley Patton, Willie Brown, etc. who were famous bluesmen in the Miss. Delta area where Robert was born and raised. He played the harmonica okay, passably, but not great, and wanted to play the guitar. When the older musicians would take a break during gigs at local juke joints/bars/clubs Johnson would pick up one of their guitars and try to play. The older guys chastised and teased him and told him he couldn't make any good sounds on the guitar and to stick to the harmonica. "Besides, we don't want you breakin' any of our guitar stings!" Robert went to Arkansas for almost a year, he 'disappeared' from the local Clarksdale, MS area scene for awhile. He lived with his girlfriend in Arkansas and listened to all of the popular acoustic (all acoustic in those days) blues guitar players' 78rpm recordings, like Lonnie Johnson, Skip James, Son House, Charley Patton, Bllnd Blake, Kokomo Arnold, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and others. He practiced and played along with these records. Many of Johnson's later 'original' songs are directly taken from the songs of the guys he listened to and 'lifted' from. Johnson was an excellent musician, and you could say he was the first 'rock and roller' because he was pretty much the first to do what guitar players have been able to do every since ... lock themselves away in a room and listen to and copy riffs/songs from recordings. In Johnson's case, he learned music on records, which he adapted for his own use, from regions that were outside of his native Miss. Delta; from the Eastern Seaboard, and Texas, Louisiana, etc. So his ability/technique on the guitar was, as a result, much broader than the somewhat more limited techniques and styles being played exclusively in the Delta by older musicians like House, Patton, etc. After all, those older guys weren't buying and listening to records, they were MAKING the records. So they didn't listen to music, blues music, from outside their own regional area. When Johnson returned to the Delta from Arkansas a year later he astounded all of the old blues guys with his ability on the guitar and his techniques that transcended the local styles of playing. One of the old guys may have said, not so much serious, but in jest and wonder, "The only way he could have learned to play the guitar like that in such a short period of time is to have sold his soul to the Devil." A myth was born. White blues/folk journalists sometimes took this story literally ... and this fed the myth even more. In truth, Robert Johnson was an extraordinary musician who was the first blues guy to greatly transform the music by using the media (recordings and the radio) to learn how to play in styles beyond his own region, and then amalgamate those many styles into one compelling style that is forever Robert Johnson. To say that he gained his abilities on the guitar by selling his soul to the devil is an insult to his genius and to the hard work that he put into listening and learning to play. Even a genius has to practice. That's the story from the research I have done and from where I stand as a lover of his music. ;-)
Wow, that was a pretty comprehensive history into robert johnson. Just to think we now have video to watch a learn from Hawkeye on how to play, it must have taken some talent and practise of RJ to listen to old records and try to work out what the muscians were doing! Thanks for that, do you know where are can get access to RJ and some of the other greats from that period?
All of the artists' (music/CDs) I mentioned are easily available online. Simply google their name with the word 'music after the name. There are many outlets online for blues music of all kinds, including amazon.com. Your problem is going to be where/what to start buying. :-)
Thanks Hawkeye
Brilliant! If I can get this down, this is a party stopper! Give me a couple of days...Thanks Hawkeye.
Thanks for the kind comments, Jayson. You can do it! ... take your time, don't rush, play it slow ... and enjoy the process ... and the music. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
You are absolutely amazing. I can't get enough of this, blues is so fun to play, so exciting. Thank you, you've completely turned me on to blues, and I'm discovering wonderful new ways to improve my own music.
Thanks so much for your kind comments. I'm so glad you're now a 'blues person.' I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons. Please be sure to watch my videos at: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH&view=videos You'll see how I use the techniques I teach here at JamPlay.com when I'm performing at festivals and in concert. Thanks again!
Hey Hawkeye, thanks for this incredible lesson. I have a question, and I know you went over this before, but I can't seem to find it at the moment. What kind of thumb pick do you recommend using? I have never used one before and want to get one soon. Thanks, Bob.
Go here and I think this will answer your question: http://www.jamplay.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4476 Thanks!
Hawkeye, As everyone else I have been really enjoying your lessons - however I have one issue - I have never felt comfortable using a thumb pick and have been using a flat pick - sometime it makes me skip by some turn around variations that require 2 different strings to be hit at the same time - my question is can Robert Johnson be played while using a flat pick or am I fooling myself to even try ???? I hate to go back and re-learn everything with a thumb pick.
Thanks so much for the message and for enjoying my blues guitar lessons. I have been asked this question many times by my students here at jamplay.com ... I just filmed many hours of new lessons for jamplay.com, and included is a lesson on thumbpick vs. flatpick ... until that lesson is posted, you'll find the answer here in the Hawkeye forum posts: http://www.jamplay.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4476 You can play with a flatpick ... but it's going to hinder you a bit in terms of being able to fingerpick some of the material in my lessons. If you're already able to use a flatpick along with your fingers ... great. If not, I suggest you read the 'thread'/link listed above and decide for yourself. Please be sure to check out the free guitar lessons at my web site: http://hawkeyeherman.com/guitar-lessons.htm ... and to see how I use the material I teach here when I'm performing, watch some of the videos posted here:__http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH&view=videos If there are any other issues/questions/problems you need help with don't hesitate to ask. Thanks again. Cheers and Happy Blues Picking, Hawkeye
Thank you Hawkeye for your incredible lessons that truely serve as a great introduction and tasteful guide to blues music. And to show you how far reaching your influence is, im going to introduce myself ;].My name is Soud AL-Rashed and i am a 14 year old Kuwaiti citizen how is in a state of deep gratitude and pride for being introduced to the blues under the tutelage of Michael HAWKEYE Herman!! :>
Soud, Hi Salahm Alekem. Thanks you so much for introducing yourself and for your kind comments. I truly appreciate your taking the time to do so. You can watch how I use the blues guitar techniques I teach here at jamplay.com when I'm performing by watching the many videos of me posted here: www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH&view=videos and you can get even more information and free guitar lessons from me here: http://hawkeyeherman.com/guitar-lessons.htm Again, thanks so much for your kind message nd for enjoying these lessons. You'll be playing the blues and having fun in a very short time if you stick with it and take these lessons in the order they are presented, and don't move on until you understand and can accomplish what is in each lesson.
Sorry- it came out twice. It just emphasizes my tribute!
Thanks so much, Ernie. It's good to know that I'm doing my job. "Blues is the roots, everything is the fruits." Blue music gave us/influenced country/western, jazz, rock, R&B, and bluegrass music ... I hope you'll consider learning how to play blues ... as you'll find blues form songs in almost all other genres of popular music ... from Bob Dylan to the Stones, the Beatles, Bill Munroe, U2, the Police, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and on and and and on ... almost all genres of music in the USA were influenced by blues music ... learn to play the blues and you'll have a handle on much of what guitarists are doing in other styles of music. Again, thanks so much for your kind comments.
Hawkeye- this was quite a lesson! I have no intension of being a blues guitarist - I just want to know how it`s being done and you fully have showed it to me. You`re a teacher!
Hawkeye- this was quite a lesson! I have not the intension of being a blues guatrist, I just want to know how it`s being done and you show it to me in a brilliant way. You`re a teacher! Ernie from Norway
"Why do I never get tired of this... Yes, because I'm easily amused." - Hawkeye. Classic line! Great lesson. :)
dash, Yes, I've always been easily amused by music, but blues hits us 'where we live' ... the rhythms and the songs are contagious and tell about real life ... and blues music is the watershed of all other popular musics ... I can play many styles on the guitar ... but blues is closest to my heart ... and I never tire of playing a shuffle rhythm ... so, yeas "I'm easily amused." Thanks for the comment and for 'getting it.' ;-)
mic, you are teaching me music, i cant believe it. thank you!
kasra, :-) I believe it! Thanks for discovering your previously unknown abilities. I hope you continue to learn and enjoy these lessons.
why the second part is not working ? :((((
oh, now i does, sorry sorry :P
me too andylipscomb! Blues is great I have come from a very heavy back ground in Metal and I just can't get enough of the blues there's nothin like it! I've got the blues.
Welcome to the 'blues highway' ... it's a journey of a lifetime ... that has no end. ;-)
Hawkeye, I feel like you kind of pulled a rabbit out of the hat with this lesson. A bunch of simple techniques come together in a sophisticated sound. I went through the first 17 lessons fairly quickly because I had some familiarity with the material, but I've never done anything that sounded to me like the "real thing." This lesson slowed me down quite a bit, but I'm getting it, and it's definitely the "real thing." Thanks.
andylipscomb, Thanks so much for the message. I play/perform/record 'real' blues ... and that's what I teach. I met and learned from Son House (one of Robert Johnson's 'idols'), BUkka White, Futty Lewis, Mance Lispcomb, Lightnin' Hopkins, and many other old blues guys ... they taught me well ... I hope I do the same for you. And you can read lots of articles I've writtein about those experiences and the advice I gained here: http://hawkeyeherman.com/articles.htm and you can take some free guitar lessons from me here: http://hawkeyeherman.com/guitar-lessons.htm and don't forget to watch me use many of the techniques (including what's in this lesson) that I teach here when I'm performing: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH Thanks again for your kind message and for enjoying these lessons. This is only lessons 18 ... there are about 50 more lessons for you to get under your belt ... don't skip around ... follow the plan, please ... and you'll be be amazing yourself at what you can accomplish in playing blues guitar by using these lessons as a guide. I play and teach real blues ... and how to express YOURSELF within the idiom. Enjoy!
My key board skills are noton par with my fret board skills ... BUkka White, Futty Lewis, ...should read Bukka White and Furry Lewis.
I've only recently joined jamplay and just love it so far. Hawkeye, you're a genious teacher. Learned heaps in the few days I've been at it. Thanks mate. One thing though! 15 Minutes or maybe a bit more????? Yeah right. Pipe dream for me. But I just love it so I'll plod on.
renieh, Thanks for the message and kind words about these lessons. So glad you're enjoying learning ;-) ... the 'blues highway' is a long and winding one and has no end ... take it one step at a time ... there's no rush ... we all learn at our own speed ... if you can enjoy doing the repetitions ... you'll see progress ... be patient with yourself ... keep practicing ... I'm glad you're having a good time playing the guitar ... don't ruin things by placing too much 'time element' related pressure on yourself. It took Robert Johnson his whole short life to get himself to play like this, and you want to do it in ... much less time. This is a life path ... not a race ... so enjoy the process. Thanks again for your message. Very much appreciated.
this is a real challenge! Please can you clarify Hawkeye: The opening turnaround intro. Is it necessary to play as a barre chord? As the third finger of the left hand is moving down the 4th string why is is necessary to hold down the chord as a barre chord at the second fret? Thanks Jackie
jackie134, Good question, very observant ... I do it 'cause I have long fingers and it's easy for me ... for you, not so easy, so it's not necessary ... you need to keep your pinky on the fifth fret of the high E string (1st string) ... as you make the descending run on the 4th string with your third and second fingers ... you don't 'need' to hold down the notes at the second fret, but if you can you can allow them to ring 'sympathetically' to the notes you are playing ... for a fuller sound ... if you only play the notes on the 1st and 4th string ... it will work fine and still sound great. Have fun!
Thanks Hawkeye! I now have got the hang of this and really am enjoying it, playing it in my own way, based on your and Robert Johnson solo structure. It is really fun and I feel and I am pulling it together and with some more practice it will be really smooth and coherent and just right for me! I'll keep practicing. Thanks again Jackie134. like many of the others below, I never thought i would be able to do it!!! Well there we go .........
jackie134, That's great news! Heartiest congratulations on the strides forward you've. Excellent! Be sure to watch me play in this style, including the solo(s) ... for some playing hints/ideas here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Sfd-aDzag and here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5yHCsZ4zaA Did you know that my "Katrina, Oh Katrina (Hurricane Blues)", which is done in this RObert Johnson/Delta blues style was featured on your very own Sat. evening BBC-Today news radio Ch.4 shortly after Hurricane Katrina? I'm told that the song was aired to over 7 million listeners. Check this out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/misc/blues_20050916.shtml Again, great job with your progression with these lessons. I hope you continue to enjoy the process and the music. ;-)
Hawkeye, this 12 bar by Robert Johnson has been a blast to learn! Every lesson that you had previously taught has kind of culminated into this lesson. I am having a great time w/ these lessons. Thanks again!
cbw2003, Thanks so much for your kind message. I have given a great deal of thought and planning as to the content, length, and order of these lessons ... I'm glad you realize the importance of sticking with 'the program' ... and not skipping around amongst these lessons. It is my goal to give everyone a strong foundation in the blues ... so that eventually you can just sit around and play blues at will, as you feel it, jam with others, and understand and keep expanding your blues guitar 'vocabulary' by listening to the greats that preceded us, and being able to learn from them by ear. By following the lesson plan I have presented, and not jumping around amongst the lessons, you will possess a strong blues foundation that wil serve you for the rest of your life. If you skip around and only sample lessons here and their ,,, you can still lear4n a lot ... but there will be 'holes' in your blues foundation. I'm so glad you ... 'get it' ... and see how everything I gave you previously in my lessons leads us to this point ... and will continue to do so ... beyond this lesson. Again, thanks so much for traveling the 'blues highway' with me here at jamplay.com ;-)
you know, this doesnt seem all that much after a while the 1st time i heard it i freaked and said OMG I M NEVER GOING TO GET IT. but after 3 datys of sticking at it, i m nearly there, just slight off on timing and it ll be nice.. really cool.. and a great confidence booster for any one else having trouble with this.. if you visualise and keep at it, you ll get there eventually.
curranni, Glad you're catching on to this ... and I appreciate your reminding others to visualize ahead ... don't think about where you are/what you are playing ... always be thinking about the next chord/move/riff you're supposed to play ... thinking ahead at all times. If you want the sound to be smooth and in tempo from one beat to the next ... use visualization. ;-)
exactly.. haha.. i find aswell after repeating it for hours straight last night start to finish without getting bored, i found some things i like to do aswell... i m now looking forward to a redfaced arguement with my classical piano player friend about the blues when he hears this lick, but it sounds cool as the breeze, and onto the next lesson many thanks hawkeye
:-) Glad you're enjoying the blues sounds your guitar is making. There's much more to come.
when i manage to learn this i m going putting up the video.. i m at this 2 months and i m already learning robert johnson, what a pleasure
Pretty good for only two month into the lessons. But remember, you have the rest of your life to keep improving. There is no end to this journey. ;-)
absolutely no reason for me to rush.. my friend is playing six years & says he hasnt seen someone progress so fast, but i fell like i ve been playing all my life... haha i m really pleased how well i m doing, and i make sure to let myself know, but i konw i have ALOT of work to do.. i got the 1st 8 bars slowly done.. and now i ve been listening to johnson & woody guthrie all night.. thanks for putting me in the mood haha
It's good to listen to as much blues as possible, all kinds. You will recognize techniques/sounds that I teach you hear at jamplay.com, and see how these are adapted by individuals to make their own personal musical/blues expressions. THere are many such greats on youtube.com ... watch Woody Guthrie on youtube.com ... and Lightnin' Hokins, and Brownie McGhee, and Big Bill Broonzy, Son House, Bukka White, Mance Lipscomb, Mississippi John Hurt, Mississippi Fred McDowell, BB King, Freddy King, Albert King, Albert Collins, etc. ... (even ... Hawkeye :-) ... never stop listening and learning from others. Have fun in the process.
haha i m so used to learning from seeing and hearing, by ear and sight since the age of 12 i cant figure it out on the tab but when i see you doing it, it al comes quickly.. i think i d get on well with the ol blues guys in the ol southern states haha who needs sheet music when ya got the blues :P
So glad it all comes quickly to you ... even without tab. You can always find more of my tab/music/blues lessons here: http://www.hawkeyeherman.com/guitar-lessons.htm including how to read/use tablature. Have fun.
Wow, Hawkeye, i just watched the clip of " When you've got a good friend" on Youtube. Awesome!! Great so see what you can do with that RJ solo phrase that you are teaching us. How about the solo chords that YOU play in YOUR solo? What are they??
dancrawford, Well, thanks so much. I do appreciate your kind words about my rendition of Robert Johnson's "When You've GOt A Good Friend" on youtube.com. If you study this lesson, #18, carefully, you should be able to find the variations that I'm using in my video/live version ... it's much the same as in this lesson, including all the chords ... learn to play as I am playing in this lesson, then watch the youtube.com video again and try to play along. There a minor variations in my choice of notes, but the chords are pretty much the same. The trick in blues is to learn how to play a chord/riff, and then create a variation in the notes by playing the same chord/rifr choosing to pick out different notes in the chord each time around. Check it out! Have fun! And thanks again.
is it just me? or the second measure sounds different from the way he plays in the lesson? i am confused.
ya its definitely different or i can't figure out the rhythm. ahh so frustrated.
cylonguitar, Please let me know what are you confused about. Be specific, please ... look at the time notation in the left-hand corner so I can view the 'problem' areas and clarify it for you ... if there are two locations that seem different, let me know where each of those begin, on the clock, and I'll see if I can clear this up for you. (Do you know that musicians like Robert Johnson ... and myself ... rarely play the same thing twice ... truly ... if you listened to Robert Johnson's music you will see that his versions of the same song, from take #1 to take #2 are similar, but not exactly the same ... we use variations freely to express the way we feel from moment to moment ... even if a song was recorded three times on the same day, within minutes of each other ... there will be differences in the way we may execute or slightly change little things ... according to how we feel at that moment. Blues songs are not 'carved in stone' and played the exactly the same each time ... however, the overall concepts might remain the same ... the intricacies of licks and turnarounds and rhythm figures vary ... every time we play. This is not classical music ... this is living/breathing live blues ... and life would be really boring for a blues musician if he/she had to play every song exactly the same every time. ;-) Please note what I say in this lesson beginning at 9:35 ... about this aspect of duplication/replication of notes/rhythms/licks/turnarounds. Cheers, Hawkeye
ahhh i understand. Thank you Hawkeye!!! You are a great instructor. ya i learned to get into blues mood and started imrpovising and then it sounded good!
cylonguitar, And thanks to you for your comments and for enjoying these lessons.
Hey Hawkeye, I just listened to some of the samples on your site. The RJ solo that we are working on is the same melody that you play in " When you got a good friend ".
dancrawford, Thanks for the message. Yes, you're correct, it's the same melody/solo ... much of Robert Johnson's music that is played in standard tuning uses the same 'bag' of rhythms/licks/turnarounds ... all with slight variations from song to song. You should watch me perform the song "Kindhearted Woman Blues" here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Sfd-aDzag&feature=channel_page and it should help you with the solo/melody and other aspects of Johnson's style of playing the guitar. That's what 'style' is about ... creating a broad 'vocabulary' of blues rhythms/licks/turnarounds that one calls upon frequently as a foundation for ones style, and then building on that foundation by making variations in the notes to express yourself ... and to create 'new' ideas. Have fun learning 'style' ... and eventually create your own style from the many aspects of blues that I share with you here. In blues music, and any art form, replication of the work of a master is not the end goal ... it's part of the learning process .. understanding how/why a 'master' uses certain techniques ... and then building on those ideas toward the main goal in blues music ... self expression. Please read this when you get a chance http://www.hawkeyeherman.com/pdf/11_Play-It-Like-You-Feel-It.pdf Thanks again for being observant and for continuing to enjoy the blues process.
Yes, great lessons, I never had this much fun learning a new genre. I've even started to listen to Robert Johnson and other blues artists, like yourself. You're a great teacher Hawkeye, and I will keep "riding the blues highway" with you for sure. Thank you! Jonathan
soxxs/Jonathan, Thanks for your kind comments. It's most gratifying for me to know that you're having fun ... while learning ... the blues ... enjoying the process. I encourage you to listen to as much varied blues music as you can ... to appreciate and understand that a wide range of great music can be based on/in the 12 bar blues concept. You will take these blues with you to other genres of music ... that's the point ... "Blues is the roots and everything else is the fruits." (Willie Dixon) You might check out my videos at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH ... and pick up a few bluesy riffs/licks. My goal as a teacher is to show/illustrate traditional blues techniques and to encourage every one of my students to learn those building blocks of the blues so that they can go beyond replicating the music of others, but actually freely express themselves as a unique being through music. It's a long and winding road that has no end ... and happiness is in the journey, not is a far off destination. Again, thanks so much your comments and for 'picking up the torch' of the blues ... I hope it helps to light your journey through Life.
Hi Hawkeye - Your lesson set is fantastic! I really feel like I am getting somewhere and cannot wait to work my way through the rest. Is this solo from "Kind hearted woman Blues"?
dancrawford, Thanks for the kind comments. Please be sure to follow the lessons in order ... I took a lot of time in planning out the order and depth of each lesson, building a strong foundation/background as we go, each lesson is a foundation blues 'building block' lesson, so please try not to skip around. Out of the 29 recorded songs by Robert Johnson, he only included a guitar solo on one song, and you're right, it's "Kindhearted Woman Blues." You can find/samples of my versions of Johnson's music here http://hawkeyeherman.com/blues_shop.htm ... and be sure to watch some of the related song/videos here at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HawkeyeH ... watch closely and you should pick up some of the techniques. Again, thanks so much your comments and for traveling the 'blues highway' with me here at jamplay.com Take your time and enjoy the process.
Hawkeye, Thankyou so much. your way of teaching has brought back some of the enjoyment of playing the guitar. I tend to get really technical and tense when trying to play. I forgot that this is supposed to be fun (thats why I want to play) duh:). after going through a brief scan of your lessons I found myself having fun and actually playing better not mention playing stuff I didnt know that I could play. thanks again and I'm off to subscribe to jam play.
al w, Thanks so much for your comments. Relax and enjoy the process of learning the blues. Yes, it should be fun! Please don't put a lot of pressure on yourself to learn 'quickly' ... enjoy each and every 'new' sound/technique that I teach you. Repetition is where it's at. After all, the advantage of jamplay.com is that I'm here whenever you want/need to repeat a previous lesson or expand into new material and lessons. I try not to get too technical with music theory ... after all, Lightnin', Bukka, Mance, Furry, Son House, Brownie McGhee, etc., all the guys who taught me, didn't use much 'theory' ... they just said to me, "Watch me. Put your fingers here, and do this." Music theory sis good to know for understanding how music works and how to communicate more completely with other musicians ... but learning music theory and technical aspects of music ... should not stand in the way of your playing the blues. Enjoy the journey! Thanks again for hangin' with me here at jamplay.com.
Hawkeye, you are such a great teacher!! I have been crawling and walking through my lessons, and now I’m on my feet again, a little shaken, with Robert Johnson himself. It is almost unbelievable. It is fantastic for me living in Norway, learning music from a great blues musician as you. I do really appreciate your enthusiasm and the way you teach us people to play this fantastic music. Thank you so very much. Vidar
viskno, Thanks so much for your kind message. I'm so glad you're enjoying these lessons and the music in general. There's much more to come. I hope you'll stay with me. Again, thanks so much.
aaah....found it...in the comments!!!! oops
hi Hawkeye, just wondered what is the song that this solo is from....thanks
aquiguillermo, Thanks so much. That's what I want to hear. Keep your guitar handy and have fun practicing. You improve every time you play the guitar ... it might not seem like it ... but it's true. Please hang in there with me 'cause there's much more to come.
All right. Thanks.
Gee! I´m really enjoying this stuff Hawkeye !!
Thanks to you all. There are many more lessons yet to come ... on slide guitar in standard tuning, and open D and open G tunings, as well as blues lead guitar. There will also be more lessons like this one, teaching the basic concepts in the playing styles of many famous blues icons. Hang in there with me.
Great lesson from a great teacher. I really hope this is going to be a long series.
Oh, it certainly will be! We have many lessons still waiting to be edited, and Mr. Hawkeye is coming back out to film lots more very soon! We won't be running out of wonderful Blues material for you guys for many days to come. :)
i learned about robert johnson from the movie crossroads.
artl, Thanks so much for the kind comment. I love sharing the mechanics and the soul of the blues with folks. I never tire of hearing, playing, or teaching the aspects of the music that are brought together by a master like Robert Johnson. Listen to him, and other masters of the music and you'll see how similar derivative rhythms and musical phrases can be learned and manipulated a million different interesting ways to make a personal statement. There will be more such lessons, where we'll look at/decipher/apply the works/styles of blues masters in order to broaden our abilities to express ourselves through the music in a spontaneous way. That's the blues tradition. That's why my enthusiasm is ... boundless. Thanks again for the kind words.
Hawkey! You are fantastic! I love this lesson and your enthusiasm, it is infectious. Got me loving the blues. Thanks so much for sharing with us! Art.