Open String Blues

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Blues

Excerpt: Holiday Greetings guitar slingers! In this final tutorial of 2008, I will leave you with a blues tune that focuses on combining open strings and hybrid-picking. Pay close attention to the synchronization between the left and right hands, and also on getting the triplet-shuffle groove steady in the right hand. Once you've listened through this first part, g...

Media Length: 2:08

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Blues

Excerpt: Okay then, time for the first breakdown. This part covers the first 6 bars of the 12-bar blues. Once you've got the first 2 bars down, the rest should be a breeze. Also, pay attention to my choice of picking in the end of bar 2. I find that starting on an up-stroke makes everything run smoother, but experiment and see what works best for you.

Media Length: 2:31

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Blues

Excerpt: The second breakdown covers bars 7-12. Here we have a slightly different outro-line that is a bit faster, and uses less hybrid-picking but more hammer-ons and pull-offs. Try it out, and make sure to start on the upbeat or you'll run into problems getting things right. Also, the quintuplet 32nd idea might be worth a closer look. Once you've gone through thes...

Media Length: 2:08

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Blues

Excerpt: Here's the backing track, in the original tempo, 100bpm. Get right to it, or start with the slower, 60 bpm version.

Media Length: 1:05

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Blues

Excerpt: And here's the slightly slower version, at 60 bpm. I decided not to go any lower than that, since even though it might be technically more comfortable, too slow a tempo will make it very difficult to keep a good shuffle-groove going.

Media Length: 1:47