By Doug Cognito: Guest Writer
Co-writer: Mark Grove
03/22/04
Doug Cognito:
I have used the blues as a step to teach rock/metal students how leads and chord progressions are structured, and the huge influence the blues has had and continues to have in modern music, and in classic rock and roll.
Some musicians are even unaware that "Pride and Joy" and a myriad of other songs (Dizzy Miss Lizzie and Ice Cream Man) are classic textbook examples of 12 bar blues, and that Black Sabbath, Judas Priest,Iron Maiden and other classic acts use blues based approaches to lead structuring. In fact, I have read (and can believe) that 70% of rock lead work is in the classic "root" box position of the blues and relative scale.
My love is of the blues,and blues jams, but it has also led me to play in rock or heavy rock-blues bands and/or recordings. Lucky this time, as my student is a blues player/singer. They want to learn the blues only. Even though they have played live, recorded, and have even been praised, they had no idea about the blues scale, blues chord progressions, or any of it (not even that the 12th fret is an octave, WOW).
I am not one heavy on theory or getting too far away from the music, I just find that the blues can be very simple to understand, but very powerful and moving. To be a good player and to learn quickly and allow your ideas to flow, and to be able to communicate with other players, I firmly believe you must first master these simple roots forms (to create more complex music).
When I showed them what I wanted to teach them, they were thrilled, and wondered why no one had shown them this before (even a paid teacher they could not afford to keep seeing). Chances are, that person did not know either.
I find that a solid blues jam is similar to the exercise where you fall back with your eyes closed and trust your spouse/friend/co-worker to catch you. You can go off on a tangent, and know that certain changes or resolutions will happen, you can feel them behind you, and you can phrase your "wailing" to work with them.
Once a groove is set up, the player taking the lead, playing behind the beat, or all over it, can fall back to be caught at the perfect moment. Even "loose" playing is based around a steady beat. You cannot play around the beat, or chord changes, unless you know exactly where they are. You have to know the rules before you know how to bend them.
Mark Grove:
Blues Boxes are part of most guitar phrases and chords, along with that you should not just learn theory but get out on-stage and stretch your playing know how. Play if you can, from those who are at your level or just above. I find not many high level guitarists enjoy playing with ones just starting out. Mind you a journeyman guitarist can learn a riff or two from someone who's been playing for 6 months. I find that even Novice players who learn first from the slower tempo blues numbers tend to play with intensity and vibrato most don't.
Quite a high percentage of Blues, rock and metal players like to just "Shred" and this takes away from the pure players who love to play blues and feel every note. The better players see the ones who have the ability to straddle the lower and higher tempo blues numbers and bring their tempo down a notch.
You have to play both loud and soft I say with intuitiveness and feeling when it's right. So don't just learn to play difficult chord and song structures that doesn't impress the better players or me.
Take what Doug and I have taught you here and go out there and play at your local jam and practice at home as well. Be willing to make mistakes, and if you make one try to play through it and don't stop just because you made that mistake.
Doug Cognito: Contributing Writer
Mark Grove: CGP
Co-writer: Mark Grove
03/22/04
Doug Cognito:
I have used the blues as a step to teach rock/metal students how leads and chord progressions are structured, and the huge influence the blues has had and continues to have in modern music, and in classic rock and roll.
Some musicians are even unaware that "Pride and Joy" and a myriad of other songs (Dizzy Miss Lizzie and Ice Cream Man) are classic textbook examples of 12 bar blues, and that Black Sabbath, Judas Priest,Iron Maiden and other classic acts use blues based approaches to lead structuring. In fact, I have read (and can believe) that 70% of rock lead work is in the classic "root" box position of the blues and relative scale.
My love is of the blues,and blues jams, but it has also led me to play in rock or heavy rock-blues bands and/or recordings. Lucky this time, as my student is a blues player/singer. They want to learn the blues only. Even though they have played live, recorded, and have even been praised, they had no idea about the blues scale, blues chord progressions, or any of it (not even that the 12th fret is an octave, WOW).
I am not one heavy on theory or getting too far away from the music, I just find that the blues can be very simple to understand, but very powerful and moving. To be a good player and to learn quickly and allow your ideas to flow, and to be able to communicate with other players, I firmly believe you must first master these simple roots forms (to create more complex music).
When I showed them what I wanted to teach them, they were thrilled, and wondered why no one had shown them this before (even a paid teacher they could not afford to keep seeing). Chances are, that person did not know either.
I find that a solid blues jam is similar to the exercise where you fall back with your eyes closed and trust your spouse/friend/co-worker to catch you. You can go off on a tangent, and know that certain changes or resolutions will happen, you can feel them behind you, and you can phrase your "wailing" to work with them.
Once a groove is set up, the player taking the lead, playing behind the beat, or all over it, can fall back to be caught at the perfect moment. Even "loose" playing is based around a steady beat. You cannot play around the beat, or chord changes, unless you know exactly where they are. You have to know the rules before you know how to bend them.
Mark Grove:
Blues Boxes are part of most guitar phrases and chords, along with that you should not just learn theory but get out on-stage and stretch your playing know how. Play if you can, from those who are at your level or just above. I find not many high level guitarists enjoy playing with ones just starting out. Mind you a journeyman guitarist can learn a riff or two from someone who's been playing for 6 months. I find that even Novice players who learn first from the slower tempo blues numbers tend to play with intensity and vibrato most don't.
Quite a high percentage of Blues, rock and metal players like to just "Shred" and this takes away from the pure players who love to play blues and feel every note. The better players see the ones who have the ability to straddle the lower and higher tempo blues numbers and bring their tempo down a notch.
You have to play both loud and soft I say with intuitiveness and feeling when it's right. So don't just learn to play difficult chord and song structures that doesn't impress the better players or me.
Take what Doug and I have taught you here and go out there and play at your local jam and practice at home as well. Be willing to make mistakes, and if you make one try to play through it and don't stop just because you made that mistake.
Doug Cognito: Contributing Writer
Mark Grove: CGP
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