The delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. Enjoying the guitar mutch more since i discovered your site. Beginning with guitarists in the american south and hawaii in early 20th century, 2 slide guitar styles have developed in a variety of musical settings. This usually dredges up the image of open tunings and slide guitar techniques for me but for example mississippi john hurt was from the delta. Here are our takes on the 15 best delta blues songs. Looking for recommendations for delta blues method books. This groundbreaking book teaches flawless delta slide technique. Jan 21, 2017 demo of the electric blues box guitar kit i bought from hinkler publishing via amazon. This book offers an introduction to the nuances of playing slide guitar and bases it in the flavor of delta blues, making it informative and useful for beginner and. Blues and the soul of man an autobiography of nehemiah skip james. Facebook, and on the delta lou youtube channel to meet other blues fanatics. Delta g takes inspiration from delta blues legends such as robert johnson, bukka white, and son hou. Guitarist, slide guitarist and singer, considered by many to be the father of the delta blues is credited with creating an enduring body of american music and personally inspiring just about every delta bluesman.
Slide guitar is a particular technique for playing the guitar that is often used in bluesstyle music. Fat possum records and amazon music recently teamed up for a 10lp set of blues deep cuts called worried blues. The book and dvds are arranged so that you can start right from lesson 1. The videos for these tabs are on the page free guitar tabvideos. Blues style course level 1 and level 2 blues mini courses. Check out the book delta support me on patreon comleviclay buy my music on bandcamp. Aug 07, 2008 monday morning blues is a twelve bar blues piece in the key of a using the alternating bassline which is common to john hurts songs.
Each of these techniques are displayed in the video above in listening examples 3. Players such as robert johnson and son house shaped the style to come and paved the way for a musical tradition that changed the entire world. As more blacks were moving to urban areas like chicago, the urban blues genre was born. In this lesson were gonna explore a really cool regional blues style, that was played in the mississippi delta by guys like robert johnson and son house, and is a lot of fun to play. The complete guide to playing blues guitar book two. This means that usually the guitar served as accompaniment to. Best book for slide guitar discussion in playing and technique started by loki, feb 1, 2012.
A complete guide to authentic acoustic blues slide. Much of his music is deceptively difficult to learn. And the reason is that it is a valuable collection of solos by players like charley patton, son house, willie brown, robert johnson, and others. One of the coolest things about this style, is that you can play it completely by yourself. Slide guitarists are musicians who are wellknown for playing guitar with a slide, a smooth, hard object, held in the fretting hand and placed against the strings to control the pitch. Blues guitar minor blues lesson 1, part 1 olav torvunds guitar pages guitar lessons book of the month january 2005 happy traum. Jul 23, 2018 capture the authentic sound of delta blues slide guitar. After the fundamentals, you have the chance to learn the intricacies of blues, country and rock.
Ratcliffe born in avalon, mississippi, john hurt would come to personify the regions sound with his rustic fingerstyle playing after being rediscovered in. It originated in the mississippi delta, a region of the united states that stretches from north to south between memphis, tennessee, and vicksburg, mississippi, and from east to west between the yazoo river and the mississippi river. Its where blues guitar was first heard over 60 years before led zeppelin, eric clapton and others brought it to the masses. How to play 2 delta slide licks that will make you better. Monday morning blues is a twelve bar blues piece in the key of a using the alternating bassline which is common to john hurts songs. Description capture the authentic sound of delta blues slide guitar. Buy a slide when you buy this book as its a must, clues in the name of the. The song is in 12bar blues form, so try and identify the different sections. Delta blues slide guitar fundamental changes music book. Blues fingerpicking lesson this lesson is included in the book a guide to acoustic blues guitar. Stefan grossman, noted roots blues guitarist and musicologist, has compiled this fascinating collection of 14 songs from seven pivotal early blues guitarists from the mississippi delta.
The technique involves placing an object against the strings while playing to create glissando effects and deep vibratos. Hurt could be viewed as a bach of the delta blues due to his flowing syncopation. Delta blues guitar is a book that has been around for quite awhile, that is, it has stood the test of time. Blues delta blues delta blues the delta blues style comes from a region in the southern part of mississippi, a place romantically referred to as the land where the blues were born. Demo of the electric blues box guitar kit i bought from hinkler publishing via amazon. The roots and origin of the blues language are firmly planted in the players of the mississippi delta area. A unique acoustic slide guitar player who performs both original delta style blues and novel interpretations of classic standards. The early masters of american blues series provides the unique opportunity to study the true roots of modern blues. In 1920, mamie smith was the first african american to record blues music. Guitar books fundamental changes music book publishing. Delta g takes inspiration from delta blues legends such as robert johnson, bukka white, and son house, forging a signature sound that is bluesy, soulful, intricate and fun. Delta blues slide guitar is a complete guide to the techniques and music of bottleneck acoustic blues a genre that can be traced back over 100 years to the mississippi delta.
But below are a couple of things for you to look at to get you going in the right direction. The advantage of slide guitar is that you can play it on old guitars with wornout fretboards or even cheap guitars with bad adjusted frets. Standard tuning slide guitar book with online video lessons series. Otis rush go here for books and videos on blues guitar go here for. Jul 16, 2016 pete madsen is a san francisco bay areabased guitarist who specializes in acoustic blues, ragtime, and slide guitar. During prohibition, musicians played the urban blues in honky tonks, bars that illegally served alcohol. Listening to the lyrics may be the easiest way to identify the form remember, 12bar blues form uses an aab lyrical scheme where a is the same line of text, and b is a contrasting line of text. Most players of blues slide guitar were from the southern us particularly the mississippi delta, and their music was likely from an african origin handed down to africanamerican sharecroppers who sang as they toiled in the fields. Then we will add melody notes on the beat and between the beat. The roots of almost every style of modern music can be traced back to the delta, and our lessons today will give you an introduction to this all. At delta lou music, we preserve the american blues and the lost art of slide guitar through our freedownloadable lessons and our community commentary of the american delta blues circa 19201939. Oct 30, 2017 robert johnson is the most wellknown musician from the mississippi deltayou know, the fella who sold his soul to the devil.
At the time of his death in 1938, however, johnson was only one of numerous excellent blues guitar players making a name for themselves down in the mississippi delta. It gives you the right notes to get that raw delta blue feel. How to play blues rhythm guitar like the blues masters. It comes with the guitar itself that requires a bit of simple assembly a glass slide, cd and beginners. Ratcliffe born in avalon, mississippi, john hurt would come to personify the regions sound with his rustic fingerstyle playing after being rediscovered in time for the 1960s folk and blues revival.
Walkin blues starts out with a very familiar slide. In its earliest form, the style became the first black guitardominated music to make it onto phonograph records back in the late 20s. The mississippi delta is historically famous for its fertile soil and the poverty of farm workers. Delta blues the delta blues style comes from a region in the southern part of mississippi, a place romantically referred to as the land where the blues were born. Fingerstyle blues songbook acoustic guitar private lessons by steve james paperback. A complete guide to authentic acoustic blues slide guitar by mr levi clay paperback. A musical and cultural history of the mississippi delta by robert palmer, escaping the delta. You dont need a resonator guitar like the one im using a regular acoustic will do just fine. The videos for these tabs are on the page free guitar tabvideos if you like the free tabs on this page, please consider donating via paypal using the button below. The earliest delta blues musicians were largely solo singerguitarists.
His books, including a guide to bottleneck slide guitar and improvising and variations for fingerstyle blues, are available at. Delta blues is available at these online retailers. In this introduction to finger style blues we will cover an alternating bass pattern over a 12 bar blues progression in e. In addition to stefans expert transcriptions, the book includes a cd containing the original. These chords, riffs and scales can be expanded in a. Using an acoustic guitar, open tunings, and a slide. Free guitar lesons w pdf tab masters of delta blues guitar. Capture the authentic sound of delta blues slide guitar. You could say that of the two delta slide licks that we cover in this lesson. Master 100 slide guitar licks in the style of the worlds 20 greatest blues players learn slide guitar book 3 levi clay 3. In its earliest form, the style became the first black guitardominated music to. Goto tunings for blues slide guitar roots music school. List of books and articles about blues music online.
Delta blues slide guitar lick lesson sylvester weaver style. Learn to play the guitar with these fingerstyle blues songs. As youll learn in this ebook, there are countless ways to form blues riffs and be creative with them. Discover how fun and easy it is to play delta blues on slide guitar, even if you. A complete guide to authentic acoustic blues slide guitar learn slide guitar levi clay. It would be great to see something in a country blues style ala furry lewis, mississippi john hurt, etc. A complete guide to authentic acoustic blues slide guitar free books downlod. Robert johnson is the most wellknown musician from the mississippi deltayou know, the fella who sold his soul to the devil. Delta blues slide guitar by levi clay, joseph alexander. Dec 12, 2017 robert johnson had a way of making difficult music sound easy and natural but with a great deal of grit. Beginning with guitarists in the american south and hawaii in early 20th century, slide guitar styles have developed in a variety of musical settings, including blues, country, and rock.