Open String Sounds

Lesson 3/65 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Blues Guitar

Open String Sounds

Apart from using the movable scale forms, many Blues licks make use of the extended open position Blues scale in the key of E (see diagram), and the use of open strings as harmony notes against moving lines on other strings.

The following solo uses lots of open strings and harmony notes. It is based on ideas from the playing of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf. In the first full bar you will see the symbol tr which indicates a trill. This means a series of continuous hammer-ons and pull-offs for the duration of the note.

Open Position E Blues Scale Extension

A full length version of this track featuring the voice of Howlin’ Wolf can be found on the author’s album Bluestime, which is available on the Bent Notes label: www.petergelling.com

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Class Sessions

1- Bending Notes 2- The Blues Scale 3- The Minor Pentatonic Scale 4- The Mixolydian Scale 5- INTRODUCTION 6- The Triplet 7- Identifying Eighth Note Rhythms 8- Boogie Rhythms 9- Eighth Note Rhythms 10- Slurs 11- The Slide 12- Understanding Chords 13- Rhythm Notation 14- The Release Bend 15- Vibrato 16- Moving to Different Keys 17- Twelve Eight Time (<span class="symbolA">+</span> ) 18- Tuning Up 19- Five Forms Of The Pentatonic Scale 20- Moving Between Forms 21- More About The Blues Scale 22- Electronic Tuner 23- Vibrato With Bent Notes 24- Open Position A Blues Scale 25- Open Position Minor Pentatonic Scale 26- Open String Sounds 27- Open String Mixolydian Riffs 28- Strumming Triplets 29- Ties 30- Enharmonic Notes 31- Alternate Strumming 32- The 12 Bar Blues Progression 33- The G Major Chord 34- Blues Chords 35- Identifying Scale Patterns 36- Slight Bends 37- Five Forms of the Blues Scale 38- Experimenting With Sounds 39- Swing Rhythms 40- Jam Along Progressions 41- Open Position E Blues Scale 42- Blues Licks 43- Chord Diagrams 44- Syncopation 45- Strumming 46- Chords I IV and V in all Keys 47- Keys 48- Listening 49- E Minor Pentatonic Scale 50- Rhythm Notation 51- The Seventh Chord 52- I IV and V as 7th Chords 53- The Shuffle 54- Slide Finger 55- Scale Diagrams 56- Power Chords 57- Chord Progressions 58- Tablature 59- Right Hand Damping 60- The C Major Chord 61- Tablature Symbols 62- The Pivot 63- How To Hold The Guitar 64- Technique 65- Music Notation

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Open String Sounds