These 7 free guitar lessons are from Robben Ford’s Blues Revolution, an interactive masterclass from the master of blues guitar. Embraced by listeners and players alike, Robben’s innovative and soulful musicality triggered a revolution in electric blues guitar styling. In this 6-hour, interactive video Blues Revolution course, Robben steps you through his Chicago blues influences, chord and scale vocabulary, rhythm guitar techniques, improvisational approaches and harmonic insight for crafting the fresh, contemporary lines that comprise his signature sound.
Robben organized Blues Revolution into a series of six sections, each covering essential disciplines and technique including fundamentals, chicago blues, chords & comping, and more.
Blues Revolution Lesson: Country Blues Performance
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Robben performs a country-blues-inspired Chicago blues and then breaks it down, demonstrating some of the techniques that he employs to achieve an authentic Chicago sound. He finishes the video lesson with a few of his own moves that helped forge his personal style and signature sound.
Blues Revolution Lesson: Misdirected Blues Performance
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In the rhythm section of the course, Robben walked you through the changes. In this lesson, Robben solos over the track using many of the principles presented in previous lessons.
Blues Revolution Lesson: Crafting A Solo
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Robben discusses how to approach crafting a guitar solo and finding your own voice on the instrument. The recommendations and examples are particularly insightful for players who tend to build solos primarily by stringing licks together.
Blues Revolution Lesson: Jazzed Blues Chords
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Robben continues his presentation of “jazz” chords and voicings that he uses when playing the blues. Demonstrating various voicings and alternate fingerings. Robben presents applications for the 13th, b13 add 9, b13 #9, and #9 chords. Robben also illustrates how changing the root note under complex chords can create a chord with an entirely different quality and function.
Blues Revolution Lesson: Comping the Shuffle Performance
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While playing the same chord and rhythm pattern is a recipe for boredom, playing too much is just as bad. In this playing example, Robben demonstrates how to balance variation with consistency by varying the rhythm guitar figure for each 12-bar section. Once the new figure is established he stays consistent within the section.
Make the soloist sound good and you can bet on keeping the gig.
Blues Revolution Lesson: Comping the Shuffle Breakdown
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Robben breaks down his previous rhythm guitar performance. He demonstrates voicings as well as how to craft fills to keep the rhythm part interesting without becoming intrusive.
Blues Revolution Lesson: Tag Jam Solo – Shuffle in E
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Working now with a bass and drum rhythm track, Robben demonstrates a rhythm guitar approach for a Chicago blues shuffle in E spiced with a few tasty fills.
Dig these Blues Revolution guitar lessons? Download Robben Ford’s Blues Revolution for much more including tab, notation, and jam tracks!