Beginning to build a repertoire of songs that you can play comfortably is the first important step in getting started in the Country Blues. But once you've got that repertoire-building process started, it can be enormously helpful to become acquainted with the Blues in a more general, less song-specific way, learning the various stylistic pathways that enable experienced blues players who have never met or played together before to sit down and make music together. When you see that happen, it seems like magic, but it's really just a matter of their knowing and understanding the language of the blues.
In this 2-DVD lesson, master musician and teacher John Miller provides you with a thorough background in the musical language of the Blues, providing you with the tools that, with work and practice, will enable you to be a more complete musician - one who is able to:
- recognize the form and know the progression after playing through it once or twice;
- join in at jam sessions; provide chordal accompaniment and "play time"
- and know where to play fills without clashing with the vocal
On
Disc 1, John starts out explaining the I, IV and V chords and shows how
they provide the chordal basis for the blues. Then he goes on to
explain and demonstrate the various blues forms most commonly
encountered in the Country Blues, 12-bar blues, 8-bar blues, 16-bar
blues, and 18-bar ragtime blues. As he works through these different
forms, John demonstrates how the phrasing in each of these blues types
is directed by the vocal, and how the accompanying instrument
responds to it. This information is delivered in clear detail, not
skimmed over, so that you'll recognize the different blues forms when
you hear them in the future. Disc 1 finishes up with performance
footage of Blues greats Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, John Jackson, Pink
Anderson, Dave Van Ronk and Libba Cotten playing songs in the
various blues forms.
On Disc 2, John addresses other issues
involved in being a more confident and complete musician: Rhythm and
timing, playing rhythm guitar, using a capo to create musical space
when playing with other guitarists, turn-arounds and how they work, how
to move ideas from one key to another on the guitar, and how to
create an arrangement of your own.
The PDF files which can be
found on each of the discs of Country Blues Musicianship expand on
John's instruction on the video and include tips that will help you
understand and master the concepts that are being discussed in the
lesson. Let Country Blues Musicianship help you get to the place where
you can join in at jams, know where a song is going next and
recognize and understand new songs with calmness.
226 minutes • Level 2 • Detailed tab/music PDF booklet on the DVD
DVD is region 0, playable worldwide