Looking to learn to play the best licks on guitar? Well, there’s nothing better than the blues. First of all, why play blues guitar when I can play jazz? B.B. King himself said that all of them back then, the blues musicians, they were all in high school –and when a fellow starts playing jazz, then he’s in college. He said jazz was the big brother of blues. While it may be true that jazz is arguably a higher form of music than blues, it’s a historical fact that all the musical genres of the 20th century worth giving a damn about: rock, R&B, hip hop, soul, funk, metal, and yes even jazz have deep roots in the blues. The blues gave birth to all that great music, and jazz is a credit to the greatness of old blues licks and kicks.

That being said, here are 5 tips to start on the long bumpy road to playing great blues: If you don’t already have one, buy a guitar. Some licks sound better in acoustic, some in electric, so both kinds can be used to play. Consider that you can’t plug in an acoustic guitar (unless it has a pick up), and that an electric guitar will always require an amplifier to play. If you’ve picked what you want, consider now the price. Don’t be too stingy. A great guitar, if treated right, will outlast you, so go ahead and splurge if you have the cash.

Sure it would be real awesome if you could just teach yourself how to play. But not everyone’s cut out for that. Even the best professionals in the business are not all self-taught.

There’s no shame in getting help if you want to be good. Besides, blues guitar lessons are not just educational, they’re a lot of fun -and that’s what guitar playing is all about. As much as the blues are about misery, there’s no greater satisfaction than perfectly nailing a great blues song.

Technique. As with any skill, you need to know how to play the guitar. You’ll need musicality -an appreciation and fairly good execution of good music. Not just anyone can play the blues. Practice makes perfect. Licks. If technique is your ticket to playing, then a bottomless bag of tricky licks is your game plan. Blues licks are actually a sticky combination of technique and confidence. Playing the blues is a whole lot of improvisation, and a good player needs to be ready to spit out and good licks. Don’t be afraid to have some fun. Blues is about expression.

Soul. Perhaps the most important part of the process. It’s the reason the blues exist, heck, it’s why music exists. You need soul to bring out some soul in your playing. But don’t force this -it should come out naturally. Obviously, any aspiring musician needs a guitar. Acoustic will do, and so will electric -as long as you can play the blues, so can both guitar types. Listening to good blues music and trying to imitate good licks will help. But if it’s too difficult to follow the greats, blues backing tracks can be downloaded online and are great instructional tools, useful to both amateurs and pros. Finally, like any other skill, practice makes perfect. Dexterous fingers don’t happen overnight. Play until you’re tired of playing, and then to relax, play some more -that’s the blues guitar, you either love it or leave it.

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