Video Lesson 2-29-08 8 Bar Blues - 2 Variations

[mark wein]

This week I am back to the blues with two common variations on the 8 Bar Blues form...check it out at

http://blog.markwein.com/2008/02/28/...ogression.aspx


The rest of my lessons can be found at http://www.markweinguitarlessons.com!

[street music]

Mark that is a nice lesson you posted, that is the first time I have ever been to your site, thanks for the posting of this.

[mark wein]

Thank you... I hope you enjoy the site!

[jpfeifer]

Great site Mark.
I have haven't been visiting the board very frequently over the past month or so. It's the first time I've seen your site. Great lesson ideas.


I'm also a big Brad Paisley fan, as you mentioned on your site.

-- Jim

[mark wein]

Great site Mark.
I have haven't been visiting the board very frequently over the past month or so. It's the first time I've seen your site. Great lesson ideas.


I'm also a big Brad Paisley fan, as you mentioned on your site.

-- Jim

Thanks! Brad is a big inspiration to me although I don't really play an country music...He is the one country artist who's albums I will buy as soon as they come out.

[jpfeifer]

Hi Mark,

I'm on a quest to get better at country playing myself.
My main style of playing has been blues/jazz up till now, but lately I've had a lot of country gigs so I've had to come up the learning curve pretty fast. I've always had alot of admiration for the guys who really do this style well like Albert Lee, Brent Mason, etc. But I've never tried to get my country chops together until now. (it's kind of been forced on me :-)

I also recently got a Variax 700 that I've been using a lot for recording, and it really does some great Tele sounds. I'm enjoying the process. I find that there are a lot of similarities between the whole country approach to soloing and Jazz. In both styles they tend to play over the changes and utilize some of the same concepts, so it's been kind of fun to try to get some of these things under my fingers.

That Shur Tele you have looks like a great guitar. I've always admired their Strats too.

-- Jim

[mark wein]

Hi Mark,

I'm on a quest to get better at country playing myself.
My main style of playing has been blues/jazz up till now, but lately I've had a lot of country gigs so I've had to come up the learning curve pretty fast. I've always had alot of admiration for the guys who really do this style well like Albert Lee, Brent Mason, etc. But I've never tried to get my country chops together until now. (it's kind of been forced on me :-)

I also recently got a Variax 700 that I've been using a lot for recording, and it really does some great Tele sounds. I'm enjoying the process. I find that there are a lot of similarities between the whole country approach to soloing and Jazz. In both styles they tend to play over the changes and utilize some of the same concepts, so it's been kind of fun to try to get some of these things under my fingers.

That Shur Tele you have looks like a great guitar. I've always admired their Strats too.

-- Jim

I think I would dig it if I was asked to do a country gig...I think that would be the only way I could make time to really learn the style at this point. For now I pick up a lick or two here and there and have fun adding that flavor into what I normally do.

The parallels you draw between the two styles are good comparisons. Like you said they are both styles where you need to be able to play changes...the longer streams of consistent eighth notes common to both styles are also another idea common to both styles. The thing with country guitar is that there are so many "technique dependent" ideas that can make it a little difficult to get started...

[jpfeifer]

Hi Mark,

Yeah, the technique part is kicking my butt. Some of the things come more natural than others. Doing the eighth-note fast picking runs is similar to Jazz or blues licks. They tend to mix together the blues scale and major scale alot and alternate between them.

The other thing that the tend to do is utilize a lot of open string pulloffs and soloing in the lower register of the guitar.

The part that I find the hardest are all the wild string bends in so many of the licks along with banjo-style rolls. These sound really great, but I'm finding that they are definitely something that takes some woodshedding. The bends have to be super-accurate and really quick to imitate the sound of a pedal steel, plus you have to get the hybrid picking approach down to a science where you can use your nails to pull off notes very quickly and alternate between them and your pick. This seems to be the secret for getting the chicken-pick'n phrasing. (still a work in progress for me)

-- Jim

[mark wein]

Hi Mark,

Yeah, the technique part is kicking my butt. Some of the things come more natural than others. Doing the eighth-note fast picking runs is similar to Jazz or blues licks. They tend to mix together the blues scale and major scale alot and alternate between them.

The other thing that the tend to do is utilize a lot of open string pulloffs and soloing in the lower register of the guitar.

The part that I find the hardest are all the wild string bends in so many of the licks along with banjo-style rolls. These sound really great, but I'm finding that they are definitely something that takes some woodshedding. The bends have to be super-accurate and really quick to imitate the sound of a pedal steel, plus you have to get the hybrid picking approach down to a science where you can use your nails to pull off notes very quickly and alternate between them and your pick. This seems to be the secret for getting the chicken-pick'n phrasing. (still a work in progress for me)

-- Jim

The banjo rolls kill me...I'm just not there on them yet. I hybrid pick alot already, but sometimes my intonation on the oblique bends isn't as good as it needs to be....