Guitarists spend the majority of their stage time playing rhythm guitar, which is one good reason why it’s critical to develop solid blues rhythm guitar skills. Not only does it lay the foundation for the music, but it also showcases your timing and feel. A solid rhythmic groove can make even the most basic chord progression sound interesting, and it gives the lead guitarist the room they need to shine.
Jack Ruch is widely acknowledged as having top-notch rhythm chops, which is why we’re thrilled to announce his new course, Jack’s Manual for Tasty Blues Rhythm.
“In this ‘manual’ for tasty blues rhythm, I’ll show you flavorful approaches for playing rhythm guitar over four must-know blues feels – Shuffles, Slow Blues, Minor Blues and a Rockin’ Blues.
I’ll demonstrate eight of my go-to approaches, we’ll apply them over jam tracks for context, and then I’ll break each down for you in juicy detail.
Everything I show you I’ve learned myself over decades of playing guitar so I’m really happy to put it all together in this manual.”
In his new course, Jack will demonstrate and show you how to play two rhythm guitar variations for a blues shuffle in A, two variations for a slow blues in G, two more for a straight minor blues feel, and then wrap things up with two rhythm approaches for classic rockin’ blues.
Free Blues Guitar Lesson #1: The Essential Shuffle Feel – Demonstration
When it comes to playing the blues, the shuffle is definitely the most popular type of groove you’ll encounter. And, there are tons of different interpretations of this groove, with various types of shuffles. As you explore the blues music over different regions and decades, you’ll come across numerous variations on this groove.
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Free Blues Guitar Lesson #2: Slow Blues in G: Rhythm 2 – Performance
Alright, so this time we go through this 12 bar blues, we’re gonna add some more chords and build more tension. I like to incorporate some elements from jazz into my playing style, so we’ll throw in some altered dominant chords. This will give the progression different flavors and make it more interesting for soloing. It’s a great way to add some variety and spice things up.
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Free Blues Guitar Lesson #3: Rockin’ Blues in A: Rhythm 1 – Performance
All right, so the track we’re playing over is in A and has a 12 bar form. The turnaround section is a two chord to the five chord instead of the usual five chord to the four chord. For this rhythm part, I’m focusing on repetitive patterns with a driving classic rock and roll feel similar to Chuck Berry or Little Richard. This type of groove is common in blues music.
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