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Blues Guitar from Scratch
 2006; ISBN 9780-9665029-9-2 
88 pages - $16.50 
 
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First things first: the venerable Twelve Bar Blues chord
progression, the backbone of the blues.  You'll learn how to
use the 1, 4 and 5 chords to do chordal accompaniment, the Blues
Shuffle and the Guitar Boogie in the most common blues keys, A and E.
Then comes blues lead playing and improvisation.  The Minor
Pentatonic Scale in the Key of Em will be our first concern, with
additional notes added as needed.  Then we move on to the
C-A-G-E-D box patterns that are found up the neck in the Key of Am and
learn how to shape-shift.  Finally come sections on slide
guitar playing in standard, open G and open D tunings. 
Table of Contents 
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 Comping for Twelve-Bar blues 
Blues Shuffle in the Key of A 
Swing Rhythm 
Variations 
Blues Shuffle in the Key of E 
Alternatives to the B riff 
Variations 
Syncopation 
Guitar Boogie in E - adding the 3rd 
The Major-Minor ambiguity 
Variations 
Harmonizing the Blues Shuffle 
Chordal comping for Blues in E 
Harmonizing and comping in A 
Blues lead playing – Pentatonic Scale 
Em pentatonic box pattern 
Letter names of the notes 
Exercises 
Simple licks 
Extra notes 
Adding the 3rd 
Adding the b5th and the 7th  
Noodling with nine 
Adding the 2nd and the 6th 
Expanded box pattern 
Blues turnaround 
Singing the blues 
Hybrid blues 
Partial chord forms 
Here we go up the neck 
Movable Em box pattern 
Em shape of the Am  
 
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 pentatonic scale 
Exercises 
Simple licks 
Extra notesAdding the 3rd 
Adding the b5th and 7th 
Bending the 4th 
Adding the 2nd and 6th 
Double-stops 
Exercises in blues soloing 
Other box patterns 
Gm box pattern 
Dm box pattern 
Shifting between box patterns 
Cm box pattern 
Am box pattern 
Back to the Key of E 
Em box pattern / Em pentatonic scale 
Shape-shifting 
Major Pentatonic Scale 
Key of G 
Examples 
Here we go up the neck 
Keys of A and C 
Keys of D and E 
Slide Guitar 
Standard Tuning 
Am pentatonic scale 
Right-hand muting 
Open G Tuning 
Chords and accompaniment 
Playing lead 
Twelve Bar example 
Open D Tuning 
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         Sample Pages
              Click on the images for full sized .pdfs 
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