Statesboro Blues (Guitar Lesson)
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Statesboro Blues
Hawkeye goes over the fantastic song "Statesboro Blues" by Blind Willie McTell in Drop D tuning.
Taught by Hawkeye Herman in Blues Guitar with Hawkeye seriesLength: 27:12Difficulty: 2.5 of 5
In this lesson, Hawkeye teaches some new drop D ideas that can be applied to "Statesboro Blues" or other blues songs in drop D tuning.
Blind Willie McTell
Biography
The blues musician known as Blind Willie McTell was most likely born on May 5, 1898. The year of his birth is often disputed. His birth year has also been reported as 1901 and 1903. McTell was born as William Samuel McTier in Thomson, Georgia. He was blind in one eye at birth and lost his eyesight completely as an older child. McTell seemed to have a natural gift for the guitar as a young child. After the death of his mother, he decided to take his gift on the road. McTell traveled and made a living busking. It didn't take long for McTell to be discovered. He began a recording career with Victor Records in 1927.
During his early career, McTell recorded under eight different names. He didn't settle on Blind Willie McTell until after WWII. A list of his pseudonyms is listed below along with the corresponding record label.
Blind Willie McTell -Victor and Decca
Blind Sammie - Columbia
Georgia Bill - Okeh
Hot Shot Willie - Victor
Blind Willie - Vocalion
Red Hot Willie Glaze - Bluebird
Barrelhouse Sammie - Atlantic
Pig & Whistle Red - Regal
After the war McTell made recordings with Atlantic Records and Regal Records in 1949. These recordings unfortunately lack the vitality of his earlier works. In 1956, Edward Rhodes noticed McTell playing in the streets of Atlanta. McTell's final recordings were made in Rhodes' record store. It is speculated that McTell was only willing to do the recording in exchange for a large bottle of corn liquor. McTell died of a stroke in Milledgeville, Georgia in 1959.
Style
Unlike Tommy Johnson and Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell was from the Piedmont area of North Carolina. His guitar style combines elements of country blues as well as the more intricate Piedmont blues or "East Coast Style." McTell preferred to play a 12 string guitar for most performances due to its bigger sound.
"Statesboro Blues"
A. Listening
Hawkeye plays an abridged, simpler arrangement of the song. Blind Willie's arrangement of the song is fairly elaborate and challenging to play. Check out the original recording of the song here.
In addition, check out the Allman Brothers' famous rendition of the song. They recorded the song with a slide in an open tuning.
B. Playing the Song
Signature Lick
This chromatic lick features B, Bb, A, F, D Hawkeye demonstrates it at 02:54. It can be used as an effective ending to other songs in drop D. Notice how it is doubled by the vocalist and the guitar at the end of the 12 bar form.
Note: Hawkeye demonstrates "Statesboro Blues" at 04:29.
Accompaniment
The accompaniment that Hawkeye demonstrates features an alternating bass line. Alternate between the low D note on the sixth string and the D note on the fourth string when performing the accompaniment with a D major chord. A strum of the top three strings is placed in between each bass note. You can also alternate between D and A (the root and fifth of the chord). Most guitarists refer to this accompaniment as the "boom chick" or "boom tick." rhythm.
"Folsom Prison Blues" (07:08)
Hawkeye also demonstrates the accompaniment with "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash to illustrate how it can be used within a country song. Chapter 2: (08:00) Statesboro Blues "Statesboro Blues" follows the standard 12 bar blues form in D major. A breakdown of what is played throughout the form is list below.
Bars 1-4: Play the "boom chick" accompaniment with a tonic D major chord.
Bars 5-6: Play the IV chord G using the basic F shape at the 3rd fret. To embellish this chord, lift the index finger from the first string. The inclusion of the open E note forms a G6 chord. Hawkeye alternates back and forth between this G6 voicing and an alternate G6 voicing. Once again, the "boom chick" accompaniment is applied to these voicings. Refer to the tablature listed under "Supplemental Content" for details. Hawkeye demonstrates these measures at 01:31.
Bars 7-8: The "boom chick" is played with a tonic D chord.
Bar 9: Move the material played over the IV chord up two frets when playing over the V chord, A.
Bar 10: The signature bass lick discussed in the previous scene is played here.
Bars 11-12: These bars are the same as bars 7-8.
Practice Suggestions
Work through one segment of the 12 bar form at a time. For example, isolate and practice bars 1-4 at first. Then, begin to work on bars 5-6. Remember to practice with a metronome! Begin at a slow tempo such as 70 bpm and gradually work your way towards the tempo indicated in "Supplemental Content."
Play Along
When you feel ready, play through form along with Hawkeye at 05:55. Chapter 3: (07:53) Extra Lick The lick demonstrated in this scene can be substituted into measures 3 and 7 of the form in place of "boom chick." A melody consisting of notes from the D major blues scale is played in conjunction with D bass notes (open fourth string). The melody notes are plucked with the index finger of the right hand. As expected, the bass notes are played by the thumb. Hawkeye demonstrates the lick within the context of the form at 04:10 in the lesson video.
Tag Ending
To create a "tag" ending, simply repeat the final four bars of the form as many times as desired. For example, you may want to tag these measures two or three times. Try performing the final tagged ending without vocals in the last two measures. Essentially, the guitar will perform the melody in these bars where the vocals leave off. Watch and listen at 05:15 as Hawkeye demonstrates one possible way to tag the ending. Tag endings are extremely common in almost every style of music. Consequently, learning how to tag an ending is an essential skill for guitarists of all styles.
Video Subtitles / Captions
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.
Acoustic Guitar Lessons
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David Isaacs
JamPlay welcomes David Isaacs to our teacher roster. With his first lesson Dave explains his approach to playing guitar with...
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Mark Kroos
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Orville Johnson
Orville Johnson introduces turnarounds and provides great ideas and techniques.
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Hawkeye Herman
Hawkeye teaches several Robert Johnson licks in this lesson. These licks are played with a slide in open G tuning.
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In lesson 6, Kaki discusses how the left and right hands can work together or independently of each other to create different...
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Pamela brings a cap to her first 13 JamPlay lessons with another original etude inspired by the great Leo Brouwer. This is...
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Lesson 40 takes a deeper look at slash chords. Mark discusses why they're called slash chords, and how they are formed.
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Lesson 7 is all about arpeggios. Danny provides discussion and exercises designed to build your right hand skills.
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Jane Miller talks about chord solos in part one of this fascinating mini-series.
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Allen Van Wert
Allen shows you the 24 rudiments crucial to developing finger dexterity. This is a short lesson but the exercises here can...
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Tom Appleman takes a look at a blues in E with a focus on the Chicago blues style. The bass line for Chicago blues is very...
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Prashant Aswani
Do you want to play more musical sounding solos? Do you want to play solos with more emotion behind them? Maybe you're the...
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In this lesson Eric talks about playing basic lead in the Memphis Blues style.
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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.thanks Hawkeye for being such an enthusiastic teacher ! I did not play for 30 yrs. & recently re started & i enjoy it immensely.
You're most welcome, Michael. I love the blues and I love sharing what I know with others, as you can tell. Please be sure to go to my web site: http://www.HawkeyeHerman.com .... and you'll find free guitar lessons, click on 'videos', too, watch my videos and try to play along with me use the techniques I teach when performing and try to play along with me ... and read some articles on blues history and the many iconic blues musicians I learned from directly at the 'original articles' link ... all this and more at my web site. I hope you continue to enjoy my lessons. Thanks again for the kind words.
What a great song, this is one my favourites of your album "Blues Alive" after years of what I can only describe as occasional guitar playing I now find it hard to put the guitar down. Thanks for sharing your hard earned knowledge with us all.
Thanks so much, Jamie. I'm most gratified that you're enjoying these lessons and progressing on the guitar. "Statesboro Blues" is a classic by Blind Willie McTell and has been recorded by many blues musicians. I'm glad you like my version. I do hope you take the time to listen to McTell's original version of the song. ;-) Again, thanks so much for 'traveling' with me on the 'blues highway' here at JamPlay.com. ....
I always search out original recordings for the songs you use in your lessons which leads to real treasure trove of material. One of the things that makes Blues so interesting is the history that surrounds it and the incredible diversity of popular music that sprang from it. The background history you give is much appreciated, the fact that you knew some of these characters directly or indirectly is something special and creates a connection that the rest of us can share in keeping the whole thing alive for future generations to enjoy.
I'm pleased to know that you do take the time to search out the original songs/artists of the material I teach. Yes, I was fortunate to have met and learned from many of the iconic old blues masters. You'll find articles I've written on blues history and my memoirs regarding some of those famous blues artists I learned from here: http://hawkeyeherman.com/articles.htm ... as well as a few of those articles that are posted in the 'articles' area here at JamPlay.com. Sharing the music AND the history of the blues are both important to me. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
Hawkeye, Could I make a suggestion? I am very interested in what I call driving blues (kind of like a steady boom - chicka sound over and over) and how they influenced rock songs that really don't have much of a chord change. I hope this is making sense. I guess I'm talking about something like "Jumper on the Line" by R.L. Burnside. I maybe getting ahead of myself, but could you possibly create a lesson on this style? Or is this style later on in the lesson set? Thanks for the incredible instruction you provide! Ray
Hi Ray. Thnks for the comments and suggestion. Much appreciated. The type of blues music you refer to is frequently more commonly referred to as "Mississippi hill country" blues ... and most recently a newer name referring to this type of blues is 'trance blues' ... the reason being that the songs have a repeated strong driving rhythm and no chord changes. R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Jessie Mae Hemphill are fine older examples of this style of blues music. The best example of this music being adapted in rock is via Bo Diddle and the 'Bo Diddley beat' ... which can be played repeatedly with only one chord ... and influenced other rock songs that came after it. There's a lesson in my lesson series on the 'Bo Diddley beat, which should be helpful to you. If/when I'm asked to film/tape more lessons for JamPlay.com I'll try to include some lessons on Miss. hill country blues/trance blues. Thanks again for the suggestion. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
Great song and lesson Hawkeye. Since Blind Willie played on a 12-string I have a couple of 12-string questions. The shop where I bought mine had no 12-string sets (impossible to find anywhere in Beijing), so they cannibalized some six-string sets to put on the guitar. Is that OK? It just didn't seem right and I now have some strings on order from the States. Also, I plan to play in standard tuning for the time being and wonder if the string tension puts too much pressure on the neck and that maybe I should drop down? Finally, any tips for playing 12-string blues versus six string? Thanks!
The 12 string guitar demands specific strings ... not 'made up' sets using guess work. I suggest you buy LIGHT gauge 12 strings: 010/010 014/014 023w/010 029w/012 038w/018 049w/027w. ... You'll find various brands here: http://www.elderly.com/accessories/cats/STGT.html You tune the 12-string guitar down one full step ... from low to high strings; D/G/C/F/A/D. Now songs that you previously played in the key of E are in the key of D. If you want to play in 'normal' turing with others you would use a capo on the second fret. Playing the 12-string guitar takes 'peace of mind' and patience ... it's harder to get clear sounds from the strings because of the difficulty fretting two strings at once. I have no advice other than practice slowly to achieve the accuracy needed to get clear tones from the strings. Enjoy your new guitar ... and listen to Blind Willie McTell, Leadbelly, Richie Havens, Roger McGuinn, Pete Seeger, and Robert Lockwood Jr ... and to Hawkeye playing 12-string here: http://www.hawkeyeherman.com/media/Track15.MP3 ... and here: http://www.hawkeyeherman.com/media/Track02.MP3
Hey Hawkeye I love Statesboro Blues, and your version and teaching style was real easy. Thank you. I was hoping to pick it up a notch and play Fred Sokolows version in Open D tuning. Can you teach it? Or whene can I find the tabluture for this version? Thanks for being a great instructor.
emma34 Here are the links, that for some reason did not appear in my post response to you ... learn from Sokolow here www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QgJQLSXzsI and more here www.fredsokolow.com Cheers, Hawkeye
emma34, Thanks so much for your kind message. So glad you're enjoying these lessons. I appreciate your enthusiasm and your question ... I just taught MY version of Statesboror Blues in this lesson ... I like MY arrangement of the song ... and I'm sorry, but I have no interest in teaching Fred Sokolow's version of "Statesboro Blues" ... it's HIS version and I have no interest in teaching or playing it HIS way ... if you do, then you should learn it from him easy enough ;-) Please go here or here to learn from Fred. Here at jamplay.com ... you're learning it from me as I have arranged it to my own liking and for ease of ability for the phase 2 students at jamplay.com. I'm not offended by your request ... but I'm free to teach in my own style ... not Fred Sokolow's style ... I could, but Fred has already made that information easy for you to find online ... I don't need to repeat it here ... does that make sense? Hope so. Again, thanks for your kind comment. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
Great stuff. Question about the chords in this tuning -- is that D chord still a D chord? It looks like the same chord fingering as in standard tuning. Does it just turn out to work this way in Drop D as well because the 1st string has to match the 3rd being tuned to D? So it doesn't have the range of the normal chord? Have any recommendations about how to navigate different scales in alt tunings? Seems it would be useful to know if one is to do the blues thing and deviate from the lessons and play personal variations.
gone workin, Thanks for the comment. Glad you're hangin' in there with me. It's first position D chord. The blues scale in any key is simple enough to figure out ... the five notes of the pentatonic blues scale are I/bIII/IV/V/bVII ... as revealed back in lessons #21, #22, and #23 ... so, in the key of D (standard tuning, dropped D tuning, or open D tuning), the notes are D/F/G/A/C ... now, find 'em ... and play as you wish. Thanks again.