Blues Guitar Lessons - Ragtime Blues Guitar
What you'll learn
- You will learn how to perform a solid alternating bass thumb pattern and learn to play ragtime guitar songs in the keys of G, C and dropped D.
- You will learn to play Satisfied and Ticked Too by Mississippi John Hurt
- You will learn to play Pallet On the Floor by Mississippi John Hurt
- You will learn to play CC&O Blues by Pink Anderson
- You will learn to play Dupree Blues by Willie Walker
- You will learn to play South Carolina Rag by Willie Walker
- You will learn to play Truckin' Little Baby by Blind Boy Fuller
- You will learn to play Statesboro' Blues by Blind Willie McTell
Requirements
- Acoustic guitar, love of the blues. Should be quite a good finger picker to begin with!
Description
Alternating Bass And Ragtime Blues Guitar
Ragtime piano became popular in the early 1900s and some blues guitar players realized that the characteristic bass signature could be played in a simplified way on the guitar. To accomplish this, it was necessary to strike two or three bass strings with the picking thumb, alternating between the strings, producing a bum-chick sound. When this technique was combined with the picking sounds of the fingers, a very complex sound is produced which sounds like two guitars!
Many guitarists, such as Mississippi John Hurt, used this technique exclusively and recorded some fine work - he is one of the artists we take a look at in this course.The dexterity needed to play this style is far above that required to play monotonic, delta style blues. Blind Blake was probably the foremost ragtime blues guitar player between 1920 and 1930. He achieved this by taking the thumb control to a new, extraordinary level.
In many of his songs, Blake doubled up on the alternating thumb beats, making two notes instead of one. Blake's work is covered in another of my courses.
I've presented 6 video lessons demonstrating the techniques of some great guitar players who were experts at playing ragtime style syncopated guitar songs - John Hurt, Pink Anderson, Willie Walker, Blind Boy Fuller and Blind Willie McTell. These guys laid the foundations of the style and provided the foundation for later master guitar pickers such as Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel. Modern players took hold of this early ragtime sound and quickly extended the chords and techniques, exploring new areas. Many of the original Scott Joplin rags have been faithfully transcribed, and other ways of playing appeared constantly. In the U.S., many notable musicians extended these picking styles and gave the music a country flavor.
Jim Bruce was voted N°2 Internet Guitar Instructor by Truefire.com in 2013.
Who this course is for:
- Proficiency in any finger style guitar work is necessary, and a firm understanding of chord progressions in the keys of C, G and D.
Instructor
![Jim Bruce](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 4.4 Instructor Rating
- 494 Reviews
- 24,547 Students
- 13 Courses
Fingerstyle Acoustic Blues Guitar Lessons In The Old Style
Acoustic blues guitar teacher Jim Bruce was voted Number 2 top guitar instructor on Truefire in 2013 (Number 1 for acoustic blues lessons). Jim still plays blues guitar on the street in Europe and also gives concerts - plus teaching old style finger picking wherever he goes!
Now online students can benefit from over 40 years of real experience playing blues guitar in the authentic way. If you want to play real blues guitar just like the old blues men, then is where you come to find out how. Keep it real with Jim Bruce and play blues guitar like it was originally played using these state-of-the-art acoustic guitar lessons.
A word from Jim - " My playing career goes way back, to the folk clubs on the UK in the sixties, clubs pubs and bars in six countries, and on the city streets of Europe. This is how I learned my trade.
One day someone asked me to slow down a lick to show them exactly what I was doing with my hands. As I tried to do this, I found that I was doing much, much more than I realized. It was these tiny hand movements that make acoustic blues so exciting when it's performed properly. This is the main focus of my lessons - to show students exactly how to play blues guitar in great detail. "
Peace, Jim Bruce
Jim's blues guitar lessons online on Udemy follow a well proven and award-winning formula guaranteed to have you playing the blues in the shortest time possible. Learn blues guitar with a pro and sign up now!