Chordplay - Blues Guitar Chords

Here's the next episode of Chordplay with Blues Guitar Chords. I've had a number of requests to feature more blues music, so I figured this primer lesson discussing blues music, chords, progressions, and more would be a great place to start!
This lesson begins with a brief overview of this important and highly influential musical style, as the influence from blues directly influenced rock, pop, jazz, funk, soul, R&B, country, folk, and a variety of other musical styles. It's an essential style of music.
After the intro/overview, we're hitting some important fundamentals covering blues-based chord progressions, chord voicings, and more - not to mention hitting a number of classic blues songs in this lesson as well.
The songs featured in this lesson include "Big Bill" Broonzy's 'Key To The Highway' (which became a staple and was covered by Eric Clapton several times over the years), a look at Freddie King's classic instrumental 'The Stumble,' Buddy Guy's 'Mary Had A Little Lamb' (famously covered by Stevie Ray Vaughan), Keb' Mo' with his modern classic 'Perpetual Blues Machine,' and MUCH more!
Needless to say, there's something beneficial and eye-opening that occurs when you tackle blues music, as the flash and heroics surrounding rock or jazz is stripped down to the essential basics, and all you're left with is emotion, feel, groove, tone, and phrasing.
Unlike shredding, when you play blues your technique isn't what's important, it's the emotion and feel/soul you put into it that matters - which is very challenging!
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[@kevinsibert3160]

This is fundamental stuff here. The foundation of modern American guitar. The fact that you throw in just a tiny bit of basic theory in there can be so magical for new players. Probably your best video that I will recommend to students of the instrument. Well done sir!

[@glaucosouza1971]

That's why I love Dave's lessons: one week you grab your high output pointy guitar, put on your leather jacket and metal bracelet to shred some licks from a japanese gunslinger and the other you put on your tuxedo and a es335 or strat to Jam some goo'old blues licks . Wonderfull.

[@tonygarcia179]

Anyone exceeding the other.

[@edwardcarrier4816]

You are like me you love all kinds of music. I don't even understand people who don't love all kinds of music. I appreciate your lessons I have already learned some Jango Reinhardt licks off you. Thanks for all you do.

[@edwardarata6995]

Just great and exhausting as you said more than a hundred years of lineage.Will watch it over and over.

[@njcranes]

Love to see more on Mary Had a Little Lamb

[@ThrashRoC]

My Favourite Guitar Channel , when it comes to relaxed lessons and often i hear some new stuff .. Always intresting and often Dave has really inspiring licks / tricks and theoretical explantations

[@dallasokelly2951]

I’m from California, on my way to find out about some west coast blues. Thanks David

[@troutriver58]

these lessons make me want to play my guitar!

[@kevinobrien2531]

So good!!! Thank you.

[@Blue_3rd]

Thanks very much for the lesson. To Paraphrase The Cars, this is just what I needed! Cheers, David 👍

[@Scottocaster6668]

Only the second time I played along with B🐓. I grabbed the Strat, standard tuning and away I went! Good stuff 👍 Thanks Dave!

[@jerryc3240]

Elwood and Jake in the corner

[@islander4986]

My guitar buddy started playing "Key To The Highway" one evening and I was in shock when I couldn't follow. Up until that time I'd only played 12-bar blues, and he'd learned the song by rote without understanding that it was an 8-bar blues or alerting me to the fact-same three chords, but in an entirely different sequence. I was totally flummoxed that evening and only realized why much later when I learned about the 8-bar format.

[@dp110]

You could turn this into an all blues channel, as far as I'm concerned, you can't get enough blues ! Love your stuff, thanks.

[@pablosiragusa9275]

Cheers from Argentina 🇦🇷👏👏👏👏👏

[@michaelanderson1288]

Love everything you do dude

[@STAMPER-DESIGN]

Feels like it could be it's own channel. Great job! Thank you!

[@Scottocaster6668]

And obviously more episodes. This was part 1. (Dave might read this) 😁

[@vinniejudilla3921]

Great lesson brother

[@PeterLeMusic]

Chords of Eric Gales would be next level

[@gokberkmusic6865]

The chords of Jobim. Would be perfect..

[@voronOsphere]

Antonio Carlos Jobim (aka Tom)? That would be fantastic!

[@bwilson4030]

Marcus king with the maj7 and 9’s also ripping blues. He may be a good lesson

[@jteichma]

Love your lessons David!

[@jasonmagyar1643]

Another great video David!!!

[@frankiedonofrio5438]

Have been waiting on this Lesson!!!!

[@sergebasque8460]

You did a good job playing those blues riffs , myself I plays blues has much has I can you have stay fresh with blues.

[@nickbrown8892]

Thanks for yet another brilliant session. Love your presentation style and of course your playing too. I am so glad I stumbled across your lessons. Hope you can keep them coming.

[@johnsanchez7676]

David thx for your hard work.this segment is very inspiring.

[@chogumchonsa]

This was a fantastic lesson, man. Well done. Blues is fantastic, and so much you can do and learn from blues players.

[@RemyTrahant]

Awesome lesson I will be coming back to, thanks David!

[@ct90twa]

Just getting to this one Dave. Blown away by this lesson. Lots of great stuff here. Thank you!!!

[@stesharr]

Fantastic lesson again Dave,thank you.

[@voronOsphere]

Another great Late Night Lesson!!! Thanks, David!!!! This is a college course worth of amazingness!

[@Hyster27]

Love these lessons so much I've joined the patron, its only four quid a month and hopefully it keeps this excellent content coming. Dave your you are a star Sir!

[@redram5150]

I’m thirty seven and just learned that “Mississippi delta blues” has nothing to do with the River delta that drains into the Gulf of Mexico

[@anthonyjames9711]

Brilliant lesson Dave

[@stephaniegeetar9569]

Really been digging your videos since I discovered you last week, great content! Thank you for the content :- )

[@cymro6537]

Love the nod to the genre with the picture of 'The Blues brothers' 😎🤘

[@MikeJones-jr5hb]

Great stuff! That Strat has awesome sound kind a reminds me of Rory's sound, beefy steel growl sound.

[@richjohn2497]

Love this! Thank you for making it easier for my brain

[@sixstringer3783]

Just a vital part of guitar playing I need to play the strat single coils and the fender reverb clean or slight dirt and wander off from time to time love the minor stuff 👍👏

[@robhead22]

Awesome!! What an ambitious undertaking. And you nailed it! Great choices. Great playing! Thank you!

[@lprb302]

Awesome job man! 👍🏻

[@overdriveguitarchannel3403]

SRV Mary Had a Little Lamb is one of the reasons I started playing

[@The1GIZZIE]

Great lesson!

[@colintierney4858]

Hey Dave, thanks for vid. You certainly covered some ground quickly. Very enjoyable. Best to you.

[@bobwferguson]

Nice real great stuff thanks

[@mookytc]

Very nice lesson. People start playing and progressing watching their favorite players thinking what are they playing there? Much of that is contained here.

[@teleacousticplayer9386]

As I keep studying the fretboard more and more, this all starts to make more sense. Just memorizing the fretboard I am finding is very important, but challenging :)

[@danielsuarez1431]

Nice strumming lick at 7:52🎸

[@markbaird2657]

Tasty! Now I must consume mass quantities of this! Can you do a variation on this Jump Blues/Rockabilly/Boogie? That would be awesome!

[@overdriveguitarchannel3403]

Awesome lesson, I don't remember your other vids being fisheye lens looking. Vids like that bother my eyes, but great lesson for people who are new to the blues...

[@brandonlinhart6925]

The chords of... blue murder! Or XYZ 😎

[@mutt8553]

I just found your channel, and man do I have some homework to do. Love how you take what I already know and explain what artists do with it and why it works. Not sure if you have, but some videos on the allman brothers would be awesome, specifically looking at songs like blue sky and Melissa etc would be amazing

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Not sure how much ABB stuff he's done, but he definitely has done some, and no doubt will do more.

[@stevengrinold3203]

@@aylbdrmadison1051 he did a vid of 3 Dickey Betts licks, if you haven't seen it. Peace

[@MaxKing222]

Great job!! Love your video...Do you think you can about chords and licks of Marcus King ?? His first and second album are amazing...

[@VALINOR24]

Very good lesson, Dave. Here's a challenge: A guitar reduction of a film score, which should make a rather interesting episode of Chordplay. If anyone can do it, you can. In the meantime I recommend Ukrainian guitarist Estas Tonne, he's otherworldly good.

[@voronOsphere]

I would love for David to adapt any Film Score Techniques for guitar (half-step move between 2 Major Chords for example), as well as some of that Scooby-Doo/Ted Nichols/Hanna-Barbera, spooky style, old-fashioned diminished Jazz-Horror mix!

[@voronOsphere]

A spooky October 2021 Scooby-Doo Incidental Music Score Late Night Analysis Lesson would be wonderful for this 2021 Halloween Season, David!

[@VALINOR24]

@@voronOsphere Half-step movements between two major chords happen in Phrygian Dominant and Double Harmonic Major and maybe a few other scales. But I don't hear those modalities much in film music.

[@voronOsphere]

@@VALINOR24 Thanks. I think it's meant to be a key change rather than modal, but I'm "iffy" on it. I'm kind of thinking of "God Chords," where you play two major chords that are definitely not in the same key, for some startling results. I heard it's common in film scoring.

[@voronOsphere]

I often hear Whole-Tone Scales used in Film Scores, too.

[@fivedoors4631]

"sounds something like that" for any noobs means he knows he nailed it! top job , cheers

[@lynnhathaway1247]

Would love to hear more Keb Mo style

[@kevmet84]

Good show, no doubt! Do have one query regarding your electric tone: Do you do a mix of your guitar signal and the amp tone? I'd almost swear and that's even over this net crap. that I detect a very notable sound of that strat along with the FX atop; it kinda vibe as sounds go, sounds nice. I'm very curious and intrigued as to whatcha' might say. I like it and is one thing I've long attempted to do is provide a dry sound of just the guitar even if but a hint in my own tunage endeavors. Keep up the good work!

[@rebellemoermin6128]

Nice... What I'm looking for is a slow slow (55 - 65 beats per minute) blues with 9 and 7, ( 6 maybe on the chorus) with chromatic transitions in the rhythm of a 'Bonam' type drum, sudden triples and stuff, guitar distortion, passionate solo of course , intro and all ... Where can I look for blues like this? or better yet, any song like LZ 'Since I'm Been Lovin You', for example, an arrangement like that, just not minor, but 9 and 7 blues ..? Suggestions? I'm making a collection...?! Thanks!

[@mikehernandez888]

So whats the name of the delay/echo/reverb type box you use to get that constant eight note feel while you play rhythm? Its a little distracting but it fills the space between changes.

[@straightshooter8662]

What year model strat is that?

[@garyvainer6972]

What is that amp you are plugged into with the little doll on top?

[@davidmacleod9313]

The coloured script is so hard for me to see because of colourblindness. Lol Once when I joined a show band and had to go on immediately, the bass player wrote out chord charts so I would know where I was in the song. Okay, sounds good! As soon as the lights came on (coloured gels) all the writing disappeared!!!! Lol At the break I re-did the charts in black magic marker. Live and learn. Lol

[@redram5150]

2:13 Purple Haze intro... And again at 2:36

[@mutt8553]

An E7#9?

[@redram5150]

@@mutt8553 did you actually watch the time stamps?

[@jamesalessio171]

Great explanation of chord inversions a La the Hendrix chord in open string position.

[@vinfreeman1602]

😎

[@greg77hot]

Like Keef would say .... if you don't know the blues ... what's the point?

[@Jacksonkellyfreak]

Hey David, do you know what you get if you play a country music record backwards? Your wife back, your dog back and your truck back.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

The sun comes back out too.

[@Jacksonkellyfreak]

@@aylbdrmadison1051 😂

[@SoCalDrone4u]

Hi Dave, could you do a video with a playthrough of Dorian Pentatonic patterns? I believe they exist, correct? I know all of the pentatonic patterns but I'm looking into needing a 3rd note in pentatonic to help develop legato techniques rather just using the given "2 notes per string" in the standard pentatonic patterns. Anything would help tremendously. Thanks, Dave! Love your channel👍

[@seanhayes2998]

yay first!

[@CarrigansGuitarClub]

Rory Gallagher, the whitest man to play the Blues!!!!

[@markrobinson8410]

Chordplay rory Gallagher would be sweet!

[@straightshooter8662]

Is it the video or you have huge hands? Playing that nylon your mitts look humongous lol

[@hazor777]

Outside of Euro origin, it ALL comes from Africa ,and African stringed/tuned instruments - thus,.......the Blues.

[@HarlanHarvey76]

Love your videos but the adds felt out of control today...😖