String Theory Chords Media Library

How to Play Lead Electric Blues Guitar

How to the lead blues guitarists do it, they make it look so easy!? -- Here's how.

This is an excellent video tutorial on soloing the blues in the style of BB King on the electric guitar. Blues soloing is comprised of various blues chords (which he demonstrates) and rhythms along with fills and solo licks made over those chords.

What I mean by "solo licks made over those chords" is positioning your hand as if you were to play a chord and then hitting notes which are a part of the pentatonic scale which makes up the chord. Put more simply, you just hit notes which sound appropriate to the chord (typically one or two frets up from the fret you are basing the bar of the chord on). This will take some practice to learn which notes sound right for the chord and which do not if you are unfamiliar with music theory.

Practice the different chord shapes and blues licks that he employs and then begin adding in some vibrato, hammer-ons, pull-offs and exaggerated bending. After you begin to feel more comfortable, start creating your own licks over chord patterns and see what you can come up with. This will help you to develop a more "improvisational" ear which is key to blues soloing.


Keep practicing and don't forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

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