Table of Contents - pdf.ebook777.compdf.ebook777.com/066/B06XWH32WT.pdf · Fingerstyle guitar is one of the most popular ... it is certainly one of my favourite ways of either arranging

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTIONEASY BLUES 1EASY BLUES 2WARM UP BLUESEM BLUESBIG BILL'S BLUESBLUES FOR MY OLD 45BLUES FOR TEDDYCONVENTION BLUESCRAWLING BLUESFISHING BLUESHOOKER BLUESINTERNET BLUESMISSISSIPPI FLOODMORNING BLUESROLLING BLUESSMOOTH BLUESSTROLLING BLUESABOUT THE AUTHORMORE FROM RICK PAYNECOPYRIGHT Rick Payne 2017

Simply Blues Fingerstyle GuitarBy

Rick Payne2017

INTRODUCTION

Fingerstyle guitar is one of the most popular and satisfying ways of playing.Use the thumb and fingers to open up the range of sounds that the guitar canproduce, and you're really flying. This is especially so when playing the blues.You can have a neat bass line while still picking away on a melody in the manydifferent blues styles out there. I've been playing this style for many years andit is certainly one of my favourite ways of either arranging or performing. Inthis collection, I've put together a few of the blues tunes that I've arranged orwritten. They're all open to improvisation and you should experiment with thestyles.All the 18 tunes are supported by audio and some video when available. So,put on your blues shoes and let's get picking. Enjoy!Audio Preview Video Preview

EASY BLUES 1

These two tunes, ‘Easy Blues 1 and 2', were originally compiled for an earlycourse of mine called, ‘Fingerstyle Blues’. They demonstrate the simple butessential technique of constant thumb bass and syncopated top line melody. Ifyou want to play like any of the great blues players, like Muddy Waters, BigBill Broonzy and many more, as you probably know already, this is the styleyou have to master. Invention is the key, and you could take these basic piecesto another level. But, as with all great blues, simplicity is often the clue tosounding authentic in the blues.Audio

EASY BLUES 2

Audio

WARM UP BLUES

'Warm Up Blues' is a simple twelve bar in E. Bar 1 kicks off with partialchord E and alternates briefly with the small A chord to create a shufflestyle.The partial chord element of this piece, makes fingerstyle blues moreeffective and authentic by avoiding the normal larger shapes that you mightplay. The opportunity to improvise with the partial chords of this tune is wideopen, so experiment by moving these shapes around the fretboard, and see ifyou can create a version of your own.Audio Video

EM BLUES

This tune is another early invention of mine, used to demonstrate the use ofconstant thumb in fingerstyle blues. Also, the piece shows how simple chordshapes, as in the opening bars, can be used, while a change of bass string cansuggest the change in the three chord blues sequence. It’s an interesting tune,and one open to lots of improvisation. You could move those small chords upand down the fretboard and create a fingerstyle blues marathon!Audio

BIG BILL'S BLUES

I'm a huge fan of Big Bill Broonzy. He was one of the undisputed kings ofragtime/blues and can be credited with developing the 'stomping' thumb andfingerstyle which made his playing so distinctive and irresistable. 'Big Bill'sBlues' is my tribute to his style, and is fairly easy to play. The three chordprogression in A uses the partial two note chords typical in Broonzy's playing,and works with the constant bass pattern. Bars 1 to 4 uses the two note A7with the thumb on the fifth string. The riff in bars 2 and 4 is typical Broonzyand has a strong Chicago blues feel with slides and bend on the third fret 6thstring. Bar 5 uses the classic inverted D7 which features throughout the pieceand is moved along by the pull off. After resolving the three chord trick to thebluesy E7, variations to the theme kick in from bar 17 with higher endinversions of A7 and D7, while the thumb maintains the constant bass. Thepiece is open to lots of movement, so experiment with the partial chords. Learnmore about the Big Bill Broonzy style in my course, 'Broonzy Blues'.Audio Video

BLUES FOR MY OLD 45

'Blues for my Old 45', is the first tune I wrote using a recently acquiredGibson J45. It has a really mellow tone and suits the blues style of thepiece.The theme uses a combination of E and Em with an easy going boogieline bass. It requires a firm fretting hand to cope with the changing bass lineand moving top line chords, especially as you move through Em/G andEbm/F#. In bar 17 I've introduced a shift in style with the A9 chord, with analternating bass pattern reminiscent of the country swing playing of ChetAtkins or Merle Travis. This tune was first published in my book, 'FingerstyleBlues Collection'.Audio Video

BLUES FOR TEDDY

This is a regular blues, but played in the classical style with a certain'Britishness' about it. As a trained classical player, I find it inevitable that thisaspect of my playing will show through in all the different styles I enjoyplaying. Using a classical picking hand position, it is easy to let all the partsring out and sound quite different from a standard blues style of'Clawhammer' or dampening. However, you can try it anyway you chose.There's plenty of movement between the top and bottom line, and some of thebars should be fretted carefully with logical fingering to make it flowsmoothly. The opening bars using the bass strings should be played with yourthumb, and fret positions could be changed to suit yourself. This tune appearsas a study tune in my collection, 'Great British Fingerstyle'Audio Video

CONVENTION BLUES

'Convention Blues' uses a blend of folk and blues, borrowing from the style ofRichard Thompson. The traditional sound comes from the free style openstrums on the 5 chords, punctuated by fast, 'reel' like runs. Using sus chordsalso adds to the folk flavour. The blues element is created by the threechord,12 bar arrangement using, basically E, A and B. I prefer to strum ratherthan pluck the chords, but please try both as the choice is yours. Look out forthe pull offs in the reels, as these help maintain the speed.The patterns staymostly the same throughout. Bending the low string, like at the end of bar 6,help you kick back into the E5 bar and strengthen the blues style. If you enjoythis kind of style, check out players like Richard Thompson, Martin Carthyand Martin Simpson, to name but a few.Audio Video

CRAWLING BLUES

Here we have a fingerstyle in the classic fashion of the unique blue splayer,John Lee Hooker. I penned this one for my course, ‘Hooker Blues’. It uses hissignature rhythmic triplets and random bass notes, and is typical of the way heplayed in regular tuning. The blues sequence of E, A and B7 was often mixedup and turned upside down, but this arrangement is fairly standard. Take alisten to his tune,‘Tupelo’, and you’ll get a good idea of this style from themaster himself.Audio Video

FISHING BLUES

This old tune has been handed down through the years, and was also madefamous by Taj Mahal's folk/blues version. I heard a fingerstyle rendition manyyears ago, and this is the bones of what I can remember. As always, I aminterested in the moving bass line style, and often use the tune to demonstratethumb and finger independence in my workshops. Try and maintain the basicchord positions to help guide you through the piece, and let your fretboardfingering fall naturally into place.Audio Video

HOOKER BLUES

This is a simple introduction to a John Lee Hooker type tune using the rootsysounds of open A tuning. It sounds just as effective in open G with a capo onsecond fret if you don't want tune your strings that high.The shuffle style of theopen sequence should be played fairly tight, and the off beat chords clipped,with fret hand muting to create the Hooker flavour. Bar 5 uses his classic IVchord device the D7 played as if you using a C chord shape in regular tuning.This should be played with a mix of open and muted sound. To break up therhythm I've used a typical Hooker pattern in bar 9, sliding triplets and riff.Also, there is another classic triplet riff in bar 13. This kind of accompanimentcan quite easily ramble on with no urgency to change chords, and is a greatway to emulate the Hooker sound. This tune featured as an exercise in mycourse, 'Hooker Blues'.Audio Video

INTERNET BLUES

'Internet Blues', was written as another exercise for my book, 'FingerstyleBlues'. It has a kind of 'Fats Domino' feel to the bass line, and demonstratesthumb and finger independance. The partial chords form the normal 12 barblues pattern of E7, A7 and B7, while the moving bass provides the melodyand drives along the chords. It's fairly easy to play once you sort out yourfretboard fingering.Audio Video

MISSISSIPPI FLOOD

Here's another tune I wrote for my course 'Hooker Blues', dedicated to thegreat John Lee Hooker. It's a take on the kind of accompaniment he would usein tunes like 'Tupelo' or 'I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive'. Simplephrases, as in bar 1, would set the piece rolling slowly along. These phrasesmight often be repeated throughout as a kind of hook. In this fairly straightdown the line blues, he broke his own rules, and would complete a normal 12bar sequence, as in this piece.Audio Video

MORNING BLUES

I wrote this tune early in the morning, hence the title, but it could have beencalled 'Bert's Blues' after the late great Bert Jansch as he often played the BigBill Broonzy style alongside his own blend of folk guitar. 'Morning Blues' ismy take on this mix of styles - a thumping four beat pattern on the bass, withbluesy two note chords and folky sus chords thrown in the bag. It's essentiallya three chord trick using Em, Am and Bsus4. From the very beginning maintainthe four beat bass pattern with your thumb while your fingers play the melodyaround the partial Em at the 7th fret. Bar 2 has an interesting mix betweenA/C# and A7 that being the Jansch influence. Variations in the tune areprovided by the two note minor chords against the constant bass. Use a logicalfingering it's fairly easy as the same shapes occur with just a change of bassnote. Once you get into the swing of the piece, you can improvise by movingthe two notechords around the fretboard.This tune was first published in mybook, 'Fingerstyle Blues Collection'.Audio Video

ROLLING BLUES

'Rolling Blues', first featured in my course, 'Great BritishFingerstyle'. It wasused to demonstrate the influence of American piano and guitar blues onBritish guitarists. The tune is loosely based on the style of 'Jelly Roll Morton'who as a boogie woogie player, definitely influenced the likes of Bert Jansch,Davey Graham and many more.Audio Video

SMOOTH BLUES

'Smooth Blues' uses a 'shuffle' rhythm, primarily between the E7, A6 andB6 chords. It is a popular Chicago blues style and, in this arrangement, givesan overall smooth flavour, similar to the style of T Bone Walker. It can bepicked or strummed,with the low E string adding depth to the moving chordsabove. It is simply the changing chord inversions in this piece that create themelody, and demonstrate the great effects you can make if you to move awayfrom the basic open chord positions.This tune appears in my book,'Fingerstyle Blues Collection.Audio Video

STROLLING BLUES

'Strolling Blues' was inspired by the great John Lee Hooker. It captures oneofthe many ways he used a constant bass with simple rolling chords. Thesequence is based around a twelve bar in E, using E7, A7 and B7, mostlyaround the open position. The Hooker type motif is played at the end of eachbar, as a little bass riff. This is a great way of introducing each bar and issimple to play. Bar 1 sets the style, with a hammer on from open to third string.You can try bending 3rd fret second string for a more bluesy effect. Bar 13introduces a little single note improvisation to break away from the rollingpattern of the first twelve bars. To maintain the flavour of this early blues style,try dampening the bass with the palm of the picking hand, just before thebridge. This technique is especially effective in the solo passages. This tuneappears in my course, 'Blues And Rags Collection'Audio Video

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rick Payne is an established acoustic Blues guitarist with many nationaland international tours to his credit. He has become especially well knownfor his authentic acoustic blues finger picking, in the many traditional stylesof the blues including Delta blues, Piedmont, Ragtime and slide andhas recorded several albums of this kind.Often compared with Ry Cooder, guitar maestro Rick Payne’s performanceshave taken him to prime time TV, to festivals and theatres throughout the UKand on tour to Europe, India, USA, Scandinavia and the Greek Islands. Hehas provided music to a number of major TV productions, for programmeson Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. He has also featured on The PaulJones and Mike Harding's show on BBC Radio 2.Rick has recorded a number of CDs, including the noted Blue River BluesReviewers have described his sound as: heart wrenching and passionate,delicate and scorching, seriously brilliant, totally absorbing andspellbindingly evocative with raw and fiery vocals to match.Rick's latest CD Radio City is now available as CD or download.

As a teacher he has written and facilitated many Courses and guitar workshopstyle sessions, teaching the art of Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Johnson, BlindBlake, Rev Garry Davis, Django, Ry Cooder and many more.

MORE FROM RICK PAYNE

Rick Payne coursese books available include:

Hooker Blues - available in the Kindle StoreBlues And Rag Tags - available in the Kindle StoreGreat British Finger Style - available in the Kindle StoreBroonzy Blues - available in the Kindle StoreLet's Django - available in the Kindle StoreRy Cooder Slide Guitar - rickpayne.co.ukRy Cooder Finger Style - rickpayne.co.ukBlues Chord Buster - available in the Kindle StoreChord Creative - available in the Kindle StoreBlues And Rags Collection - available in the Kindle StoreBlues In A Day - available in the Kindle StoreBottleneck Blues Volume 1 - available in the Kindle StoreBottleneck Blues Volume 2 - available in the Kindle StoreSpirit Of The Blues - available in the Kindle Store Simply Ragtime Fingerstyle - available in the Kindle Store

COPYRIGHTRick Payne

2017

www.rickpayne.co.uk