Scott A. Smith teaches you all the essential blues phrasing techniques and tricks. Learn simple concepts like solo construction, phrasing over a 12-bar blues, the blues scale, pentatonic box patterns, and playing multiple scales over a single chord. Also, learn practical, effective techniques like trills, slides, and rakes. In-depth lessons on bending teach you how to use target notes, initial and destination notes, pre-bends, and how to combine bends with box patterns. The included DVD is hosted by Smith and features live demonstrations of the examples in the book.
About the Author
For the past three decades, Scott A. Smith has remained a dedicated guitarist, musician, and educator. This native Texan started playing guitar in the late '70s and has worked in a variety of genres, including blues, rock, country, and jazz. Scott is a GIT graduate and was featured in the Mike Varney Spotlight column in Guitar Player magazine. No stranger to the road and stage, this veteran guitarist has traveled near and abroad, performing live, teaching, giving clinics, and spreading his love for the instrument.
Contents:
Licks with Rakes
Simple Slide Exercises
Basic Phrasing
The 2nd A Minor Pentatonic Box
Learning How to Phrase
Phrasing Over a 12-Bar Blues
Introducing Slides
Trills and Licks
Return Bend to Pull-Off
Return Bends Discussed
Playing Bends and Adding the Pull-Off
Review
Overlapping Major and Minor Pentatonic
Overlapping Boxes
Adding the Blues Scale to the Mix
Creative Sliding
Adding Smoothness to Our Technique
Major Pentatonic Versus Minor Pentatonic
The Task at Hand
Comparing A Major and A Minor Box Patterns
How to Bend
Forward Rake
Muted Forward Rake Explained
The Articulated Forward Rake
Phrasing
Major and Minor Pentatonic Theory
Accompanying Yourself with Chords
Multiple Scales Over One Chord
Introduction to Overlapping Boxes
The Whole-Step Bend
Initial and Destination Notes
Combining Bends with Box Pattern
Half-Step Bends
Another Half-Step Bend
Box-Jumping Lick with Bends
Bending Licks That Rule
Introduction
Bending and the A Minor Pentatonic Scale
A Blues Scale Targeting I, IV, and V
Pattern for Identifying the Minor Pentatonic
Trills
Trills Explained
Trilling the Minor Pentatonic Box
Targeting the Roots of the Chords
Solo Construction
Target Notes: Definition and Application
Target Notes in A Minor Pentatonic
The 12-Bar Blues
Creating Licks
The Half-Step Bend
12-Bar Blues in A Combining Major and Minor: Full Solo and Measures 1-4
Measures 5-8
Measures 9-12
Conclusion
