Rick Payne - Blues In A Day: Easy guide to playing the guitar and blues

BLUES IN A DAY

EASY GUIDE TO BLUES PLAYING

By

Rick Payne
2014
www.rickpayne.co.uk

Welcome to my Blues In a Day course for guitar. This course was inspired by one of the all time great teachers of guitar Bert Weedon. His approach to the popular guitar was very simple and straightforward, and many great players from George Harrison to Eric Clapton confess to using his book to get them started. I thought it was time to create a similar easy step to blues guitar. So many people approach me at gigs and say Ive been playing for years and I still dont get it! Blues guitar is a great way of playing and entertaining without having to know a shed load of tunes - you just get stuck into a 12 bar and youre away! Blues In a Day is simply that. You can choose to play electric or acoustic guitar. Even if youve never played before you can still play blues in a day, in a week, or take as long as you want. Theres video to help you on your way and Ill be personally playing and guiding you through the course.
So, lets take time out now to learn Blues In a Day! Video Preview 1 Video Preview 2
Rick Payne

Tuning is one of the hardest parts of learning the guitar. No matter what you play, if your guitar is badly tuned everything begins to sound bad. It prevents you from progressing and eventually puts you off. We dont want that so lets look at the possibilities.
Get a friend who can play to tune it for you thats easy.
Use an electronic tuner cheap from all good music stores. Take a little time to watch the dial or lights flashing till you can make the strings in tune. Follow the instructions
Cheaper still, you can use pitch pipes. Blow the pipe and tune the string to the note. If all fails at least youve learned how to play the pipes!
Relative tuning. Follow the step-by-step guide below and watch the video to help you.

RELATIVE TUNING
Press the low E string in the 5th fret box. Play the string and listen to the sound.
Match this sound to the next string - the A string by tightening or loosening the key to this string. When the two strings match they are in tune.
Do the same procedure to the A string, again in the 5th fret box and match it to the string below the D string.
And the same to the next string pair good you get the idea!
Now when you reach the 3rd string, thats the G, move down to the 4th fret box and match the 2nd string to the sound of that note.
Finally move back to the 5th box to match the last pair. And Bingo you should be in tune oh well, if not watch the video and start again!!
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When you play Blues in a day you can choose between plectrum and fingers. If you decide on a plectrum hold it like so:

If you use your fingers to strum hold them together with your thumb as if you were brushing something from your knee. Then you can practise brushing the strings of your guitar and create the strum.

You may be asking, do I need to read music? The answer is no. All you need to do is follow some simple diagrams and tablature and if youre stuck you can always follow the easy step by step video. Ill talk about tablature later in the course. The first kind of diagram well be using is called a chord window. If you already play you may be familiar with it. The dots show you where to place your fingers and the numbers on the top of the window indicate which fingers to use.

Try this example. The E chord:

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Using your plectrum or fingers strum right across the strings.

Lets have a go at all the chords well be using in the course. Be careful to place your fingers on the correct strings and avoid striking the string marked X. Watch the video and Ill play and talk through each chord.

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Weve all heard the phrase Rhythm and Blues, well its an important part in playing Blues in a day. First we need some simple rhythm patterns, which you can use in all the chord blues pieces that are coming up soon. Ill be indicating the strum rhythm using down arrows for down strums and up arrows for up strums. Sounds simple and it is. Theres the video too so you can watch every move! Heres the first pattern and Im using an E chord.

Try this one for a more rhythmic feel. This time Im using an A chord:

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This one has a real bluesy flavour try the G chord this time.