History of blues guitar book recommendation

Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than regular acoustic guitars, which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion instruments in dance orchestras. Francis daviss the history of the blues is a groundbreaking rethinking of the blues that fearlessly examines how race relations have altered perceptions of the music. Playing and improvising acoustic blues doug young acoustic blues workshop notes q 96 our goal is to be able to play a simple, but effective solo blues guitar piece, hopefully with some improvisation. Beginning fingerstyle blues guitar by arnie berle and mark galbo this book does a good job introducing a few different styles of blues picking and covers how to use walking bass lines, brush strokes, and the. Memphis minnie is the only one that comes to my mind, and i do not know any material devoted to her playing. Im looking to buy a few more guitar books, but most of the lists i find are of books i already own, chord chemistry by ted greene and the advancing guitarist by mick goodrick to name a couple so im open suggestions. What are some good books to learn and master the blues on guitar. Jun, 20 as stated previously, the blues is less about the guitar than the player, and there are other models that could easily make a list of best guitars for blues. Check now top 5 best beginner blues guitar books if youre going to delve into.

Feb 24, 20 the first book on the blues that id recommend is the penguin guide to blues recordings by tony russell and chris smith. Then you can get familiar with common open and moveable chord forms and create your own blues guitar style. Guitar fretboard workbook this, on the other hand, is a wildly popular book. As baraka is a poet and black militant, this book is pursued by collectors of several categories. Blues is a fantastic style of music to play and listen to but its also a fascinating story. Many thanks mike for allowing the bibliography to be published here. The list starts with general books of the blues essential reading, followed by blues artists in alphabetical order, interjected with blues books on particular themes. Though this handbook has impressive intermediate exercises toward the end, it begins at the beginning and walks students through blues history, tabulature, basic sightreading, rhythmguitar exercises always a good place to leap off the diving board and riffs. The negro experience in white america and the music that developed from it.

Here is a quote from the prologue of the blues book deep blues by robert palmer 1981 where he talks about the delta blues. Whats more, it highlights a quick guide to musical notation and recommendations on guitars. Can you recommend a great blues fingerpicking songbook. Blues guitar history in the 1920s and 1930s, blues guitar history begins with blind lemon jefferson, son house, robert johnson, and lonnie johnson were the influential performers of the day, and today, a new generation of musicians are making blues guitar history. As more blacks were moving to urban areas like chicago, the urban blues genre was born. The blues guitar handbook with cd audio by adam st james. The big book of blues guitar is intended for anyone who loves the blues and the guitar and is. Blues is a music genre and musical form which was originated in the deep south of the united states around the 1870s by africanamericans from roots in african musical traditions, africanamerican work songs, and spirituals. One of the most collectible of these is amiri barakas blues people 1963, written under the name leroi jones, the first modern blues book by an african american. Stefan grossman has been the world authority on fingerstyle blues guitar for decades now, and this book is the biggest compendium of his work as an educator. The blues became a dialogue between a human being and his guitar. Dec 18, 2012 son house was one of the innovators of acoustic blues guitar. The 97 best electric guitar books, such as play it loud, guitar genius, the birth of loud and etudes for electric guitar. Joseph has written twelve books for guitar students, and has sold over 40,000 books worldwide fundamental changes in jazz guitar i.

A history of the blues as explained in the preface, this book was originally published in connection with a documentary film series made for bbc television in 1976. In 1920, mamie smith was the first african american to record blues music. Learn more about the history of blues, soul and rock and roll with music books and publications from bluescentric. Another popular category of blues book is the history or survey. Top 50 jazz guitar books jazz guitar online free jazz.

This alone makes it one of the more historically significant guitars in claptons early history. Early blues musicians would sing a line and their guitar would answer. A musical and cultural history of the mississippi delta by robert palmer, escaping the delta. History of alvarez guitars 10 out of 10 based on 469 ratings. I wanna learn everything about the blues, i do not want to g. The book lists on this page are the result of a poll on our forum, in which i asked everyone to list their favorite guitar books.

As stated above the list below comprises my personal recommendations of blues books in various categories. The men who made the music from the pages of guitar player magazine. However, with the list above you can recreate some of the most iconic blues tones ever played and have enough to go on to create some of your own. If youve ever played an instrument in a jazz band or learned how to play the electric guitar, youve more than likely. Learn blues guitar book about the history of the styles of blues.

That was because i looked through the book thoroughly and already had 9095% of the records they recommend and didnt need to know more about them. Make sure that your copy comes with the cd if you buy it. Rollin and tumblin edited by jas obrecht covers a pretty good history of all the key postwar blues guitarists. It explained the use of the pentatonic scales and chords and how to mix them up. Instead of addressing an audience in a church or plantation, and interacting with it, the black songster was interacting with his guitar.

Blues guitar turnaround lesson 1, part 1 olav torvunds guitar pages guitar lessons book of the month january 2005 happy traum. Tribute to elmore james, king of slide guitar duration. Once i absorbed that fundemental knowledge by memorising all the positions and play them fluidly,i would jam along to all. Lovatos system of blues guitar instruction, built on his lifetime of teaching, can bring musicians of any level to a rewarding and creative lifelong. Blues history the origin of the blues blues guitar. Question can anyone recommend a good blues guitar book. Most writing on the blues has concentrated on the lyrics, or on the more colorful eccentricities of the perfromers. I took it home to look through and its really great. John lee hookers boom boom demonstrates this beautifullyat the beginning of the song, the guitar. The idea is the guitar plays a theme or some sort of lick, then the band responds. It was a good book for a total novice because it really explained the basic struture of what blues is on guitar. Though figures like benjamin franklin played a guitar like instrument, and genteel ladies like. Take a solo from good to great with these 10 blues moves. A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar that produces sound by conducting string vibrations through the bridge to one or more spun metal cones, instead of to the guitars sounding board top.

The examples well look at are there to spark your creativity in your rhythm guitar playing. Dec 15, 20 joseph has written twelve books for guitar students, and has sold over 40,000 books worldwide fundamental changes in jazz guitar i. An awesome bibliography and a fantastic achievement by the compiler, mike bullock. During prohibition, musicians played the urban blues in honky tonks, bars that illegally served alcohol. Tracing its origins from the mississippi delta to its amplification in chicago right after world war ii, davis argues for an examination of the blues in its own right, not just as a precursor to jazz and rock n roll. My 100 very best blues songs of all time our great music debate.

All i can say is that if the series was as entertaining and educational as oakleys book and i am sure it must have been, i deeply regret not having been able. Oct 19, 2017 learn blues guitar book of history for insights to the blues blues is one of the most soulful forms of music and you should learn blues guitar book of history of which there are many. Lesson support for house of blues beginner blues guitar. There are a lot of blues elements that can be found in different types of music, like pop, jazz, rock, and even heavy metal. The complete guide to playing blues guitar book one rhythm guitar. As you can probably tell im guitar oriented which has heavily influenced which books i have read. Which is the best beginner blues guitar book to master your skill.

A good nights sleep is essential for keeping our minds and bodies strong. The good news though is that theres been an enormous amount of. The simple but expressive forms of the blues became by the 1960s one of the most important influences on the development of popular music. In 1963, leroi jones, later known as amiri baraka, was the first to write a book on the social history of the blues in blues people. As youll learn in this ebook, there are countless ways to form blues riffs and be creative with them. Welcome to the support section for house of blues beginner blues guitar level 1 sign in or register now to take advantage of the rock house lesson support section. Jun 22, 2019 jazz guitar complete edition provides a complete jazz guitar course, starting from the basics and progressing to complex concepts.

Blues is a music genre that never really goes away. The author must have made this his lifes work it is hard to imagine the amount of time he must have spent on it. Once i absorbed that fundemental knowledge by memorising all the positions and play them fluidly,i would jam along to all my. Learn blues guitar book of history for insights to the blues blues is one of the most soulful forms of music and you should learn blues guitar book of history of which there are many.

Blues is very heartfelt and does not involve the rigidities of classical music or the showiness of the metal, rock and pop genres of music. Mar 29, 2018 it was also on this guitar that eric was first trying to figure out robert johnsons playing style, after being given king of the delta blues singers by clive blewchamp. Winner of the 2016 living blues award for blues book of the year since the early 1900s, blues and the guitar have traveled side by side. As with any book, signed by the author is a bonus and increases the books value. I simply searched learn blues guitar a found scores of free sites. Jan 01, 1995 francis daviss the history of the blues is a groundbreaking rethinking of the blues that fearlessly examines how race relations have altered perceptions of the music. All influenced by the blues, but the songs are not all able to be pigeonholed in the blues genre. Great books like deep blues by robert palmer, and the history of the blues by.

Fiction and nonfiction books about blues music and blues musicians score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Acoustic guitars are better suited to fingerstyle playing than electric guitars. Its called the dallas blues and was a popular blues, sung by the africanamerican population. Eventually, the guitar came to be the second voice of the bluesman. Its a nice trip through rock and roll history with recognizable licks in the style of many famous guitarists. Im looking for newer guitar books but please post whatever books you feel are must own for everyone else who is interested. This makes complete sense, considering that blues has been around for more than 100 years. They are also widely used in traditional music groups. An unprecedented history of the electric guitar, its explosive impact on music and. Its origins and evolution a handbook for the guitar literature course. Electric rock guitar electric blues guitar acoustic flatpick guitar. A history traces the genre through its pivotal developments during the era of bill monroe and his blue grass boys in the forties.

In 1908, antonio maggio published the first blues sheet music titled i got the blues. One kind favor, someday baby, wake up mama, god moves on the water. The three books that make up this volume are also available individually, but we recommend that you buy the complete edition as it is the closest to a teach yourself jazz guitar course we have found. Apr 04, 2020 if the complete technique book is good for quick starts, this would be the bullet train. My student came in with this book as he is a big blues fan. Learn more about blues, including notable musicians.

Robert johnson lonnie johnson big bill broonzy blind blake rev gary davis b. Tracing its origins from the mississippi delta to its amplification in chicago right after world war ii, davis argues for an examination of the blues in its own right, not just as a precursor to jazz and rock n. Another hal leonard selection, this is a trim 48 pages for teaching you how to hold a guitar for the first. But delta blues, the purest and most deeply rooted of all blues strains, is also significant as music. This is just a small sample of material from my new guitar course. You can learn about the first guitars that were often bought from a sears roebucks catalog. Books can give you a guide as to what the properties of blues are, the theory, history, and some moves.

History of acoustic blues guitar blues guitar unleashed blog. For a blues purist such as yourself, this is not your list. But the improvising blues guitar book is by far my most cherished and used book. King eric clapton books and videos on blues guitar. Callandresponse is one of the tenets of the blues and an essential component of blues guitar. Most documentation of guitarists may be found in jazz magazines such as down beat and guitar player, or in scattered references. Francis davis is a contributing editor of the atlantic monthly and writes regularly for the new york times and the new yorker. Although i found this book called the art of shuffle that is really cheap to strengthen your rhythms chops. I have yet find any book that is really could teaching the blues. How to play blues rhythm guitar like the blues masters.

Book beginning with the musical cultures of the american south in the 1920s and 1930s, bluegrass. How you use the words will define how compelling your story is. Im assuming a little bit of basic knowledge and ability on the guitar. The fretboard shapes and navigation which are the guitar s greatest hurdle and greatest advantage are explained clearly in 80 quick pages. After five years, i am on a project reworking the list. Lovatos own analysis of the situation, santa fe hispanic culture offers a good introduction to the. This book is not for the beginner you need to have at least a year under your belt or else you will be frustrated. To play blues guitar, first you have to know the basics of guitar in general, which means identifying the parts of a guitar and being able to translate a chord diagram. Though not suitable for absolute beginners, if you are a rock pop blues guitarist wishing to learn jazz guitar, then this book should be top of your list. A short guide to the lesserknown guitars of eric clapton. Big bill actually signed a few copies and this adds an easy. He is the author of the acclaimed books outcats and history of the blues and a biography of john coltrane knopf.

What are the best books about the history of blues music. The major ii v i for bebop guitar minor ii v mastery for jazz guitar the caged system and 100 licks for blues guitar complete technique for modern guitar the practical guide to modern music theory for guitarists rock guitar uncaged. The book covers the history of the guitar and of the blues, including a personal appreciation of the great musicians who have shaped the genre and created such an aweinspiring legacy. Its one of the most popular guitar books on amazon, and for good reason. This book tells the story of their pairing from the first reported sightings of blues musicians, to the rise of nationally known stars, to the onset of the great depression, when blues recording virtually came to a halt. Blues guitar history a brief blues guitar history by griff hamlin in the 1920s and 1930s, blues guitar players like blind lemon jefferson, son house, robert johnson, and lonnie johnson were the influential performers of the day. If the complete technique book is good for quick starts, this would be the bullet train. Another book edited by jas obrecht is blues guitar. Robert johnson and the invention of the blues paperback by.

Cohn, a grammy awardwinning blues producer, brings together eleven essays on the development of the blues from its beginnings, marshalling some of the best writers on the subject. Near the beginning of the twentieth century, blues musicians in the mississippi delta popularized the bottleneck slide guitar style, and the first recording of slide guitar was by sylvester weaver in 1923. There are many fine books on the blues, so i thought i would share with you my recommendations. Here komara and johnson answer the question of not only what is a blues book, but which ones are worth owning. One of the best jazz guitar method books currently available is jody fishers excellent jazz guitar complete edition. List of books and articles about blues music online. Alvarez has been one of the leading acoustic guitar brands in the u. Inititally i was worried, a lot of books like this can be full of information but lack a decent learning progression and be more useful as a reference book or not useful at all. This musical and cultural history traces the blues from its roots in west africa to the mississippi delta to urban. Tracing its origins from the mississippi delta to its amplification in chicago right after world war ii, davis argues for an examination of the blues in its own right, not just as a precursor to jazz and. Learn blues guitar book about the history of the styles of.

Blues, secular folk music created by african americans in the early 20th century, originally in the south. The one book i bought to get me started was by blues guitar by richard daniels. There are a lot of reasons why i decided to create my course entitled, acoustic blues guitar unleashed, but one of the main reasons was to celebrate the history of acoustic blues guitar. Early blues songs were sung by slaves, exslaves, and their descendants. Blues guitar history, research blues guitar history. If american vernacular music has an archetypal instrument it is certainly the guitar. The blues form is characterized by a callandresponse pattern. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. One suggestion would be to start with a book like leroi jones. I have been playing for about 4 years and i am ready to take my playing to the next step. The mississippi delta style of blues or, simply, delta blues emphasized solo performances by singers accompanying themselves on guitar and relying on a host of distinctive techniques, such as the sliding of a bottleneck or metal object such as a knife along the fingerboard to bend notes, the use of melodic phrases on the guitar to respond to the voice in an. Play along with the record, and learn to listen to whats being played. Best guitar books for beginners to advanced players. Go here for books and videos on blues guitar go here for links to other.