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Index
Title
Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
What You’re Not to Read
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I : You Got a Right to Play the Blues
Chapter 1: Every Day I Have the Blues . . . Hallelujah!
Capturing the Blues Train from Its Departure Then to Its Arrival Now
It’s Not All Pain and Suffering — The Lighter Side of Blues
Surveying the Means to Make the Music: The Guitar in All Its Glory
The Collision of Two Worlds: Acoustic versus Electric
Getting a Grip on How Guitars Work
Performing and Looking Like a Blues Player
Blues Trivia For Dummies
Chapter 2: Blues Meets Guitar: A Match Made in Musical Heaven
Beyond the Delta: Defining the Blues Guitar Sound
Dissecting an Acoustic and an Electric
Getting Down with the Blues: A Quick How-To
What You Need to Get Your Groove On
Chapter 3: Grab Hold, Tune Up, Play On!
Holding Your Axe (That Is, Your Guitar)
Holding the Pick, Attacking the Problem
Getting Situated
Tuning Up
Playing a Chord
Music Notation: Not Just for Geeks
Part II : Setting Up to Play the Blues
Chapter 4: Getting a Grip on Left-Hand Chords
Starting Out Simple: Blues Chords Even Your Mom Could Play
Going to the Next Level: Barre Chords
Taking Advantage of Versatile Power Chords
Chapter 5: Positioning the Right Hand for Rhythm and Lead
Strumming Along
Mixing Single Notes and Strumming
Shuffling the Beats with Syncopated Strumming
Stopping the String Ringing (Just for a Sec)
Copying the Classics: Plucking Fingerstyle Blues
The Right Hand’s Bliss: Different Rhythm Styles to Play
Chapter 6: Blues Progressions, Song Forms, and Moves
Blues by the Numbers
Recognizing the Big Dogs: Primary Key Families and Their Chords
The Structure of a Blues Song, Baby
Applying Structures to Keys
Accessorizing the 12-Bar Blues: Intros, Turnarounds, and Endings
High Moves
Chapter 7: Musical Riffs: Bedrock of the Blues
Basic Single-Note Riffs
Double the Strings, Double the Fun: Two-Note Riffs (or Double-Stops)
High-Note Riffs, the Bridge to Lead Guitar
Mastering the Rhythm Figure
Part III : Beyond the Basics: Playing Like a Pro
Chapter 8: Playing Lead: Soaring Melodies and Searing Solos
Mastering Your Picking Technique
The Universal Lead Language: The Pentatonic Scale
Pentatonic Plus One: The Six-Note Blues Scale
Adding Some Extra Flava to the Blues Scale
Chapter 9: Playing Up the Neck
For Inquiring Minds: Why Up the Neck You Should Go
Positioning Your Digits for an Easy Key Change
Easing Into Position: Moving the Pentatonic Up and Down
Changing Your Position
The Technical Side of Moving
Five Positions You Should Know: Meanderings of the Pentatonic Scale
Understanding the Logic behind the Corresponding Shift of Position and Key
Chapter 10: Express Yourself: Making the Guitar Sing, Cry, and Wail
Appreciating the Art of Articulation
Going In for the Attack
Breaking Down the Music: Phrasing
Giving Your Sound a Bit of Flair
Playing a Song with Various Articulations
Part IV : Sounding Like the Masters: Blues Styles through the Ages
Chapter 11: Acoustic Roots: Delta Blues and Its Country Cousins
Delta Blues: Where It All Began
Country Ragtime: The Piedmont Blues
Everything In-Between: Country and Folk Blues
Country and Folk Blues Had a Baby; Its Name was Rockabilly
Quintessential Blues: Slide Guitar
Chapter 12: The Birth and Growth of Classic Electric Blues
The Rise of the Electric Guitar in Blues
Giving Props to the Earliest Electric Pioneer
Sweet Home Chicago, Seat of the Electric Blues
Modern-Day Blues Styles: The Sounds of Texas
Four Blues Giants: Three Kings and a Collins
Children of the Post-War Blues Revival
Chapter 13: Blues Rock: The Infusion of Ol’ Rock ’n’ Roll
The Blues Had a Baby, and They Called It Rock ’n’ Roll
The Brits Invade the Blues
Trippin’ the Blues
Heavy “Blooze”: The Infusion of Hard Rock
Southern Comfort
Hot Barbecue Blues, Texas Style
Blues on Steroids
21st-Century Soul
Part V : Gearing Up: Outfitting Your Arsenal
Chapter 14: Shop Till You Drop: Buying the Right Guitar for You
Before You Begin Shopping
Deciding On a Make and Model
Evaluating a Guitar
Welcome to the Jungle: Shopping
Protecting Your Guitar
Chapter 15: Choosing Your Amp and Effects
Getting Started with a Practice Amp
Powering Up to a Larger Amp
Dissecting the Amplifier
What’s That Sound? Checking Out Your Amp Choices
Remembering the Good Old Days
Dialing in an Amp Sound
Chronicling Classic Amps for Blues
Messing Around with Your Sound: Effects
Juicing Up Your Sound
Toying with Tone Quality
Modulation Effects, from Swooshy to Swirly
Pretending (and Sounding Like) You’re Somewhere You’re Not
Choosing an Effects Format
Chapter 16: Changing Strings
Change Is Good, But When?
Choosing the Right Strings
Outfitting Your String-Changing Toolkit
Removing Old Strings
Stringing a Steel-String Acoustic
Stringing an Electric Guitar
Part VI : The Part of Tens
Chapter 17: Ten Blues Guitar Giants
Robert Johnson (1911–38)
Elmore James (1918–63)
T-Bone Walker (1910–75)
Muddy Waters (1915–83)
Albert King (1923–92)
B.B. King (b. 1925)
Albert Collins (1932–93)
Otis Rush (b. 1934)
Eric Clapton (b. 1945)
Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954–90)
Chapter 18: Ten Great Blues Guitars
Gibson L-1 Flattop
Gibson ES-175 Archtop
National Steel
Gibson J-200
Fender Telecaster
Gibson Les Paul
Fender Stratocaster
Gibson ES-335
Gibson ES-355
Gibson SG
Chapter 19: Ten (Plus One) Must-Have Blues Guitar Albums
Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings
Blues Masters: The Very Best of Lightnin’ Hopkins
T-Bone Walker: Complete Capitol Black & White Recordings
T-Bone Walker: Complete Imperial Recordings
The Best of Muddy Waters
B.B. King: Live at the Regal
The Very Best of Buddy Guy
Robert Cray: Bad Influence
Masters of the Delta Blues: Friends of Charlie Patton
Mean Old World: The Blues from 1940 to 1994
Chicago: The Blues Today
Part VII : Appendixes
Appendix A: How to Read Music
The Elements of Music Notation
Appendix B: How to Use the CD
Relating the Text to the CD
System Requirements
Using the CD with Microsoft Windows
Using the CD with Mac OS
What You’ll Find on the CD
Troubleshooting
: Wiley Publishing, Inc. End-User License Agreement
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