Blues Fingerpicking Guitar
The next few lessons in this book cover the Blues fingerpicking style. You will learn all the techniques, patterns, scales and chords that are commonly used in the Blues style.
The Constant Bass Line
A common technique that features in Blues guitar is the constant bass line style. This technique involves the right hand thumb playing the root bass note of the chord repeatedly for the duration of the song.
The easiest key to apply this style is the key of A because the root bass note of each chord in the key of A (A, D and E) can be played as an open string.
The constant bass line is used in conjunction with notes from the following A scales.
A Minor Pentatonic Scale (Open Position)
A Blues Scale (Open Position)
The next example combines the constant bass line while ascending and descending the A scales shown in the previous diagrams. This lick is played with alternating "m" and "i" fingers. Feel free to vary this rule if you feel more comfortable breaking the alternating pattern on certain licks.
Note: Music readers will notice that the previous exercise is notated in two separate parts or voices. Guitar music is correctly notated in this form. The bass notes, or notes played with the thumb have their stems down. Treble or melody notes, played with the fingers have their stems up.
The next example combines a basic lick with the constant bass line. Note that the suggested right hand fingering does not alternate the "i" and "m" fingers. The fingering in this following example is based upon strictly allocating the "i" and "m" fingers to either the 1st and 2nd strings or the 2nd and 3rd strings.
Now a 12 Bar Blues using basic licks from the A minor pentatonic scale.
The next examples involve playing notes on the off beat, in between the bass notes.
