Jeff McErlain's - Essentials: Solo Electric Blues

Jeff McErlain guides you through a diverse collection of 10 solo blues guitar Performance Studies designed specifically for electric guitar. Most of the studies are played with a pick making them very accessible for non-fingerstyle players. Jeff covers all of the solo blues guitar “essentials” in this highly engaging, hands-on curriculum.

“Playing solo blues instrumentals is a long-held tradition dating back to the Mississippi Delta with guys like Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Skip James along with pretty much all of the other forefathers of blues guitar. You’d be hard pressed to name any accomplished blues guitarist, throughout the decades, that hasn't kept that tradition very much alive and well.”

Each study equips you with a distinct set of techniques, rhythmic approaches and stylistic options that you can call on to craft your own solo blues improvisations. Jeff’s 10 Performance Studies range across a wide variety of keys, tempos and blues grooves: Slidin’ 6ths, Jimmy Reed Shuffle, Big Slide, G Man, My Heart is Kind, Man Of The World, Band of Jimi, Double-Stop, Jazzy Jeff and The Rev.

“Learning to play a solo blues helpful in many ways. First, it’s an excellent way to build up your repertoire. Second, it’s a fantastic way to improve your sense of time, feel and groove. Third, solo blues are excellent springboards for improvisation. And finally, it's a heck of a lot of fun!”

For each Performance Study, Jeff introduces you to the basic chord progression, describes its harmonic and rhythmic characteristics, and then performs the study. In the breakdown section of each study, Jeff steps you through all of the techniques and rhythmic approaches required to perform the study.

While the studies are designed to serve as springboards for you own solo blues improvisations, all of the Performance Studies are tabbed and notated so that you can first learn them as performed by Jeff.

Grab your electric, give the band a break, and take center stage with a full set’s worth of solo blues improvisations!