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When practicing, guitar players tend to spend a majority of their time working on lead riffs and licks. But, at any given gig, they most likely to spend most of their time performing rhythm parts. So, every now and then, it’s important for guitarists to remember to hone their rhythm playing in preparation for these performances!

In his course, Twisted Guitar: Blues Rhythm, Oz Noy walks you through a curriculum that will jump start your blues rhythm playing and prepare you to shine at your next gig.

Here are 7 free rhythm blues guitar lessons from the course. For the full course, check out Oz Noy’s Twisted Guitar: Blues Rhythm on TrueFire!

Blue Ball Shuffle: Overview


Download the tab & notation for this rhythm blues guitar lesson.

In this study, I’m going to teach you a song called “Blue Ball Shuffle”, a 12-bar Texas shuffle blues in A. Let’s check it out.

Blue Ball Shuffle: Performance


Download the tab & notation for this rhythm blues guitar lesson.

Now let’s check out “Blue Ball Shuffle”. What’s unique about it is that you’re playing the upbeats of the rhythm, and you double part of the bass line. It’s fast, and you have to really nail the upbeats and the bass line together.

Blue Ball Shuffle: Breakdown


Download the tab & notation for this rhythm blues guitar lesson.

Let’s break down some of the things I did on this track. Mixing the rhythm guitar part with the bass line is something that Stevie Ray Vaughn did all the time. The progression goes I-IV-V, with leading chords taking you back to the I.

Middle Rhythm: Overview


Download the tab & notation for this rhythm blues guitar lesson.

“Middle Rhythm” is a 12-bar blues in C, but what’s different about it is the chords, which are all sus chords. Let’s check it out.

Middle Rhythm: Performance


Download the tab & notation for this rhythm blues guitar lesson.

Now let’s take a look at “Middle Rhythm”. It’s got a mid-tempo groove, so it’s very open harmonically.

Blues on the Juice: Overview


Download the tab & notation for this rhythm blues guitar lesson.

“Blues on the Juice” is a 12-bar blues in D, with a fast, funky James Brown type groove. Let’s give it a listen.

Blues on the Juice: Performance


Download the tab & notation for this rhythm blues guitar lesson.

Now let’s check out “Blues on the Juice”. It’s tricky when playing rhythm guitar to not play too much. It’s important to play the right thing at the right time. If you play too much, it’s not funky anymore; playing great rhythm guitar “between the cracks” is an art form.

Digging these free rhythm blues guitar lessons from Oz Noy? Check out Twisted Guitar: Blues Rhythm.