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In Oz Noy’s Twisted Guitar: Blues Rhythm, he makes it fun and exciting to practice rhythm guitar with 10 fast and funky blues rhythm etudes. He’ll show you how to pick exactly what to play, while staying in the pocket and locked in with the rhythm section.

Here we have three etudes taken from the course which showcase Oz’s “twisted” blues style, taking elements of funk, jazz, and blues and mixing them together. Let’s check it out:

Blue Ball Shuffle – Overview

On this study, I’m going to teach you a song called “Blue Ball Shuffle”, a 12-bar Texas shuffle blues in A. 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.

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. Let’s check it out.

Blue Ball Shuffle – Performance

Download the tab, notation, and jam track for this blues rhythm lesson on TrueFire.

Blue Ball Shuffle – Breakdown

Download the tab, notation, and jam track for this blues rhythm lesson on TrueFire.

Middle Rhythm – Overview

“Middle Rhythm” is a 12-bar blues in C, but what’s different about it is the chords, which are all sus chords. This gives it a kind of 70’s-era Miles Davis sound. It’s got a mid-tempo groove, so it’s very open harmonically. Let’s check it out.

Middle Rhythm – Performance

Download the tab, notation, and jam track for this blues rhythm lesson on TrueFire.

Blues on the Juice – Overview

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

Blues on the Juice – Performance

Download the tab, notation, and jam track for this blues rhythm lesson on TrueFire.

There are 7 more etudes waiting in the full course on TrueFire that will help you really become an in-demand rhythm player. As always, each performance study is tabbed and notated, and includes the jam track to practice with on your own. What are you waiting on? Get twisted!