Relearning Blues You Can Use

I started to record the first 4 songs from Blues You Can Use. For some, I play over a backing tracking and others a lead over the original material.

For the first two lessons which I use as the original material as rhythm tracks, so I pretty know where I am in the 12 bar progression when I play each part. The thing to work on there is listening and adding meaningful fills based on the underlining chord and which chord is coming up next.

For the second two songs, I play a 12 bar progression and then add the original material over it. I'm able to do just focusing on the drum beat, because I've internalize the songs. But I want to listen to the rhythm guitar too. So I'll break the original material into sections or phases. I'll listen to the chord changes and add sections as appropriate. I believe this will allow me to integrate the stuff I learn into my own playing.

Blues on My Own

I stop taking lessons for about a month now. I been working through Blues You Can Use(BYCU) and transcriping some old Blues songs. The songs and scales in BYCU are very simple, but I'm taking my time and making sure I'm getting all the lessons. I transcribed the first 4 songs, then went back and learn the actually songs from tab and make sure I got the timing down. I can play them with the CD, but I want to record with the drum machine and make is sound good, too.

I'm also writing my own songs based on these lessons to get some more mileage out of the lessons and just cause it seems like the thing to do.

My two new amps are a '73 Champ and a new Songworks 3350LT. The first one is clean until you crank it and pick hard. The latter starts on dirty and goes into all types of great power tube distortion zones at room volumes.

I also build up a pedal board, but haven't used it much since getting the 3350.

Even my wife said my playing is better, and my kids don't seem to mind it much either.