Back Porch Blues FINGER PICKING TUTORIALPorch... · BLUES GUITAR INSTITUTE Welcome to Back Porch...

Back Porch Blues

FINGER PICKINGTUTORIAL

By Blues Guitar Institute

BLUES GUITAR INSTITUTE

Welcome to Back Porch Blues! I want to personally thank you for trusting BGI to help you improve your guitar skills. I hope you enjoy the process of developing essential skills for finger picking some great acoustic blues.

Course Overview

In this course, you will learn a 12 Bar Blues tune in E I’ve written exclusively for this course. The tune, Back Porch Blues, will help you develop the essential skills of a great blues finger picker.

The course materials include this guide, TABs and video files available online at Blues Guitar Institute.

In learning the song, you will go through a few exercises designed to help you develop a great sense of timing and rhythm. Then, you'll progress through 3 levels Back Porch Blues.

Each level is designed to be increasingly challenging. But to help you work through the levels, I'll give you exercises, little bits of theory and helpful tips along the way.

When you successfully complete the course, you should be able to:

● Play E7, A7 and B7 Chords in a 12 Bar Blues Progression● Practice with a Metronome and Begin to Develop Solid Timing● Improve Finger Independence on Your Picking Hand● Improve Fret-Hand Dexterity● Play Several Staple Blues Licks and Turnarounds

Let’s get started!

© Flat Five, LLC 2015 - All Rights Reserved

BACK PORCH BLUES

How to Build Great Timing

Blues is the groove. Sure, there are fancy licks in our favorite songs that dress things

up, but at it's heart, blues is a driving rhythm.

Developing a great sense of timing is a fundamental skill for an acoustic finger

picker. Most of us pickers play without any accompaniment which means it is our

job - and our job alone - to drive the beat.

In this lesson, we'll begin to develop a great sense of timing and rhythm by isolating

the bass. First, let's start by brushing up on some of the basics of music theory as it

relates to rhythm.

Time Signatures and Rhythm

Time Signature: An indication of the rhythm of a piece of music expressed as a

fraction. The numerator indicates how many beats are in each bar and the

denominator indicates the note value (ie quarter notes).

Back Porch Blues will be based on a 4/4 time signature. This means there are 4

beats in a bar and each beat is a quarter note. You'll never have to count higher than

four in this course.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 , 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 etc

This basic concept of rhythm is incredibly important because it will help you

understand rhythm on a deeper level and in turn, improve your timing. Take some

time, read this again and let it really sink in.


BACK PORCH BLUES

How to Build Great Timing, cont.Before we leave this topic, let me say that there is much more to be said about this

and it is worth a study. But, for now, let's continue by putting this 4 count business

into practice.

Example 1: Steady Bass with Palm Mute

This example is simple, yet powerful. The goal is to sync your thumb with the four

count.

Your picking hand thumb is a critical digit when it comes to finger picking. You will

use your thumb to strike the bass strings making it responsible for holding down

that all-important groove.

Our first exercise in this course is designed to isolate the thumb's movement.

Exercise 1 is simply to strike the open 6th string while counting out your quarter

notes: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, etc.


BACK PORCH BLUES

How to Build Great Timing, cont.If you're brand new at finger picking, I encourage you to spend more time than you

think you should working on this very simple exercise. Don't think this is too basic

and pass.

When I first began exploring the world of finger picking, I would sit on the couch

and thump this one string repeatedly. My goal was solid contact that was in time

while counting aloud. Get your voice and thumb completely locked together and

practice this over and over until you are bored to tears. Sometimes success isn't all

that exciting.

It seems simple, but if you're new to finger picking, you'll be surprised at just how

much it takes to get your thumb to cooperate.

Palm Mute

If you simply strike the string with your thumb, the string will ring until you strike it

again. We will employ a guitar technique called a palm mute to dampen the note

and produce a much more bluesy thump or thud.

To properly execute the palm mute technique, lay the heel of your picking hand

gently over the 6th and 5th strings. Don't apply too much pressure, the goal is to

dampen the note, not completely choke it out. You'll know that you have it down,

when you can clearly make out the note, but it doesn't ring out like crazy.

A good palm mute takes time to develop, but it's best to get started early.


BACK PORCH BLUES

How to Build Great Timing, cont.

Developing Good Timing

The goal of this lesson is to get your thumb to sync up with the beat. Counting out

loud is certainly a good start, but what if you're counting isn't evenly spaced? In that

case, even syncing your voice and your thumb would not help you develop great

timing. Instead, it would reinforce bad timing.

This is where playing and counting along with a metronome comes in handy.

Using a Metronome

A metronome is a device that produces clicks at set intervals in time. You can set the

tempo to how fast or slow you would like to hear the clicks and play along. The

magic is that the metronome produces perfect timing.

I strongly suggest practicing with a metronome. No other tactic will help you

achieve better results than practicing to a metronome. There's just one problem…

You will hate it.

If you're anything like I was, practicing to that incessant click will be torturous. The

reason for the frustration hints to this little device's magic.

When you play against a solid, perfect beat, you'll notice immediately where your

problem spots are. You'll hear that what you thought was great timing, was really

not-so-great. This little devil points out all of your timing mistakes. My best

suggestion is to start slow by setting a slower beat per minute (bpm for short) and

work your way up to a faster tempo.


BACK PORCH BLUES


Using a Metronome, cont.

You'll find that some things you're able to play at 100 bpm with no problem and

others you'll struggle to pull off at 60 bpm. Use the metronome wisely to help you

break through any of these rough spots.

The trick is to always improve.

Get Your Body Moving

When you listen to a good tune, do you tap your foot to the beat?

I do.

However, I've had students in the past that refused to tap their foot when they play

guitar. Tapping your foot or nodding your head along to the beat can be a powerful

way to condition your entire body to lock into the beat.

With the metronome clicking along, tap your foot to the beat. This one simple tip

can do wonders for your sense of timing.

The goal is to be able to play without a metronome, right?

This tactic trains your body to rhythmically connect to the beat and over time, your

internal clock will be able to guide to through a song with no metronome.

In short, tap your foot and connect to the beat.


BACK PORCH BLUES


Importance of Fundamentals

This lesson is all about building core rhythm fundamentals necessary to become a

successful finger picker. I wasted several of my formative years thinking I was too

cool to learn the basics. I found out later just how far behind I was, this is one of my

biggest regrets about my early days with the instrument.

The good news is that it's never too late to catch up. So, if you've never heard any of

this before, spend some time on it. This is rooted in the core concepts that will help

you build a solid foundation in blues.

If you've ignored this stuff for years like I did, then today would be a great day to

dive in and give care and attention to these basics.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand)After getting the basic counting and syncing up with a basic four count with your

thumb, it's time to take things one step further. In this lesson, we'll work on picking

a chord while keeping the steady bass going on the downbeats.

The goal for this lesson is to build independence between your thumb and fingers on

your picking hand.

Exercise 2: Steady Bass Over E7 Chord

In this exercise we will add picking the three higher strings of an E7 chord and the

bass note simultaneously.

Learn the E7 Chord and How to Read a Chord Grid

Fret an E7 in this manner:


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand), cont.This little image is called a chord grid and we can learn a great deal about a chord by

getting familiar with the grid. We'll use them heavily throughout this course and

others.

The grid looks like a fretboard held vertically. The 6th string (the fattest string) is on

the left and the 1st string (the thinnest one) is on the right. The horizontal bars are

the frets starting with the thick black line that is the nut.

If a string has an "O" over it that means play the open string. If a string has an "X"

above the nut, then you won't play that string at all.

The black circles indicate where your fingers go on the fretboard and the numbers

under the grid tell you which finger to use (index = 1, middle = 2, ring = 3 and little

finger = 4, thumb = T).

Learning the Exercise

On the first beat of the measure, you'll pick the top three strings under the E7 Chord

along with the open 6th string. Repeat a total of 4 measures. Then move to playing

the chord tones only on beat 2 of the measure, repeat 4 times. You'll cycle through

moving the chord to each of the 4 beats.

Use your index finger on your picking hand to pluck the third string, middle finger

for the second string and ring finger for the first string. This will allow you to

dedicate a finger to a string and you'll be able to pick these three at the same time.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand), cont.This approach to picking isn't 100% necessary, it's akin to classical finger picking.

This is my general framework for fingerpicking and the real benefit of dedicating a

particular finger to the top three strings is that you can play pieces like this where

the notes need to sound simultaneously.

Give this a try but don't get too hung up on using my approach. If you play this

differently than me but you ultimately arrive at the same sound, then it's a win! Go

with what works for you.

Exercise 2.

Guitar Techniques Used

The main guitar technique used in this exercise is the palm mute on the 6th string.

We covered this in the last lesson, but a quick recap of a how to play a palm mute is

to place the heel of your hand over the bridge of the guitar deadening the sound

from the string. You will hear a thump or thud sound versus a ringing note.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand), cont.Exercise 3: Playing in Between the Beat (8th Notes)

This exercise will help you begin to separate the thumb's bass picking from the

chord.

For this exercise hold down the same E7 chord shape that was used in the previous

exercise. The rhythm of the piece is where the exercise gets interesting.

Remember how we divided a measure into four equal parts in the previous lesson,

the 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 count? In this exercise we'll take the same idea of moving the E7

chord through different beats of the measure, but we'll play in-between the beat each

time. Effectively, we're now dividing the measure into 8 equal beats.

A bar of eighth notes in 4/4 time is counted like this:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 & 7 & 8 &

The "&'s" are "in-between" the beat.

For this exercise, we'll keep the bass going on the down beats and we'll cycle through

the &'s with the chord similar to Exercise 2.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand), cont.Exercise 3: Playing in Between the Beat (8th Notes)

Exercise 3.

If you're a brand new finger picker, this may be your first real challenge. Make sure

that you nail this. It's very important to have the ability to pluck the higher strings

with your fingers while your thumb is keeping a separate beat. I can't stress this

enough.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand), cont.Exercise 4: Playing in Between the Beats (Triplets)

Ok, now we're cooking! Time to make this stuff sound a bit more bluesy though.

Wouldn't you say?

In Exercise 4, we'll use the same basic chord as before. We will make things a little

bit more interesting by picking up your little finger on the 2nd string to cycle back

and forth between an E7 and an E Major. This exercise changes the rhythm up yet

again.

Triplet Rhythm

The triplet rhythm continues the subdivision of a beat concept. This time, we'll

divide a quarter note by 3 rather than 2 as in Exercise 3. Each quarter note will have

3 sub-beats.

A bar of triplets in 4/4 time are counted like this:

1 - trip - let - 2 - trip - let - 3 - trip - let - 4 - trip - let

You may have heard others count triplets like this (1 - 2 - 3 | 2 - 2 - 3 | 3 - 2 - 3 |

4 - 2 - 3) That just seems confusing to me. I recommend getting used to counting

them as "1 - trip - let" etc. as I do in the video.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand), cont.Exercise 4: Playing in Between the Beats (Triplets)

For this exercise, continue picking the bass on the downbeat along with the top three

strings of the E7 chord. Then we'll pluck the top three strings for the "trip" and the

"let" of each beat. This can get a little crowded, so slow your metronome down when

you run through this as I did in the video.

Exercise 4.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand), cont.Exercise 5: Triplet Rhythm with Alternate E7 Shape

In this exercise we'll change the chord that we're picking to something even more

bluesy.

The chord shape in this exercise is technically an E7 shape, just in a different spot on

the fretboard.

Note that for some of the beats in this exercise, we'll flatten the entire chord by

moving each note back one fret. This chromatic movement keeps things interesting.

I think when you hear this exercise, your ears will instantly recognize it as blues.

This little move, in some variation, is done in countless blues songs.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand), cont.Exercise 5: Triplet Rhythm with Alternate E7 Shape

We're keeping the triplet rhythm going for this exercise. Pick the bass on the

downbeats along with the top three strings. Then the top three strings are plucked

together on the "trip" and the "let" of each beat.

Exercise 5.

Lesson SummaryMastering these exercises will get you far down the road to great fingerpicking. Use

the practice guide for this lesson and know that the more time you devote in this

particular lesson, the better things will be later. It will benefit you every step down

the road.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Developing Finger Independence (Picking Hand), cont.

Lesson Summary, cont.

Use a metronome and go slowly. The goal is to play perfectly in time, not faster.

That will come later with practice. You can increase your tempo on your metronome

over time but only as you perfect the current tempo.

Final Tip:

Don't skip this stuff!

It may seem a little too basic, possibly even boring, but this is where great pickers

are made. Devote some time to these rhythm fundamentals as we build your ability

to separate your thumb from your fingers on your picking hand.

Good luck!


Back Porch BluesExercises 2 - 5

Blues Guitar Institute

1/2Copyright 2015 Flat Five, LLCAll Rights Reserved - International Copyright Secured

= 80

Standard tuning

4x1

Exercise 24x

2

4x

0

130

0 0 0

4x

0 0

130

0 0

E-G

t

34x

4

0 0 0

130

0

4x

0 0 0 0

130

4x5

Exercise 34x

6

4x

0

130

0 0 0

4x

0 0

130

0 0

4x7

4x8

4x

0 0 0

130

0

4x

0 0 0 0

130

2/2

9

Exercise 4= 60

3

3 3 3 3

10

3 3 3 3

0

1

00

1

00

1

00

0

1

03

1

03

1

03

0

1

00

1

00

1

00

0

1

03

1

03

1

03

0

1

00

1

00

1

00

0

1

03

1

03

1

03

0

1

03

1

03

1

03

0

1

00

1

00

1

00

4x11

Exercise 5

3 3 3

3

12

4x

0

4

43

4

43

4

43

0

4

43

4

43

4

43

0

4

43

4

43

4

43

0

3

32

3

32

3

32

0

BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 1 InstructionThe first 12 bars of Back Porch Blues is all about getting your thumb to stay locked

in with the beat while getting the fingers on your picking hand to work together as a

unit.

Lesson Notes

Here are a few helpful tips as you work your way through this 12 bar progression.

First, make sure you keep your palm mute down. We covered how to properly

execute a palm mute in an earlier segment of this course. We are going to be very

consistent with the palm mute to help make that a very comfortable guitar technique

for you to execute.

This 12 bar portion of Back Porch Blues leverages the exercises that we covered

earlier. The goal of those exercises and the major goal of this section of Back Porch

Blues is to work your ability to use your picking hand fingers to play at your

command. You will deepen the skills you learned in the exercises such as playing on

beat, in between the beat and playing triplets.

The A7 and B7 Chords

In order to round out the progression, you will need to be very familiar with 2

additional chord shapes.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 1 InstructionHow to Play an A7 Chord

The all-important A7 chord is used in a few bars of a typical E Blues progression

such as this. There are many ways to play the A7, just as we've already covered a

couple of ways to play the E7. Let's take a look at the chord grid for the version of A7

that we will be using in this lesson:

The real key to playing the A7 sucessfully is to make sure you have a solid barre

across the 2nd fret with your index finger. Barring across the top four strings with

your first finger (index finger). If this chord is new to you, spend a great deal of time

working on nailing the barre chord.

You'll know that you're mastering the chord when you get a good clean note out of

each string under the barre. You can test your barre as I demonstrate in the video by

holding down the chord and picking each individual string.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 1 Instruction

How to Play a B7 Chord

This is probably my favorite chord. I've called it the bluesiest chord on the planet

and I stand by that statement! Every time I hear this chord, my brain immediately

thinks Blues. The B7 chord we cover in this section is definitely a staple in the Blues

and is critical that you get this one down.

Fretting it for the first time can seem challenging since it uses all four fingers and

they are really crowded around the 2nd fret.

As with the A7, make sure that you get a good clean tone from each note in the chord

before trying to put it into the context of this song.

For further practice, take some time and work on changing to and from each chord

in this chord group (E7, A7 and B7). Changing fluidly will help you tremendously as

you progress with acoustic blues.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 1 Instruction

Tiny Licks

Back Porch Blues sneaks in a couple of tiny licks or bass runs to keep things

interesting. The licks themselves are not complicated, generally just being 2, 3 or 4

notes. But, the key is to develop the ability to move out of a chord sequence into a

bass run and then back into a chord all while keeping your thumb rocking along to

that metronome click.

You are using a metronome, right?

Go slowly with the entire piece until you nail the timing of each of these tiny licks.

This is a fundamental skill of a finger picker and I can't stress enough the

importance of being able to move in and out of these little licks. Take all the time

you need to get this down.

These runs are fairly basic but they require work.

Work hard here and the rewards are sweet.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 1 Instruction

The Turnaround

Arguably the most exciting part of a blues song is the turnaround. A turnaround is a

section at the end of a progression that leads back into the first part of the

progression. In our 12 bar blues example, the turnaround occurs in the last two

bars.

This particular turnaround is instant blues!

I call this one the Classic Turnaround and I highly recommend this as your first

turnaround. The tricky part about this turnaround is that for the first time in this

course, you'll use each finger on your picking hand independently.

The good news is the picking pattern rolls from the 3rd string to the 2nd then the 1st.

I find that my fingers are generally more inclined to pick in that order. But, make

sure to keep the even triplet rhythm while you're getting this turnaround down.

Remember to use the techniques we covered earlier regarding good timing. Count

the full triplet out loud (1 - trip - let and so on). You are aiming for clean notes with

even spacing in time to make this a successful turnaround for you.

This particular turnaround is very versatile and can be used in just about any E

Blues situation. So, if you're ever at a loss for an E Blues turnaround, throw this one

in there. It always works.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 1 Instruction

Wrapping Up

This 12 bar section is designed to get you playing some finger picking blues in E as

fast as possible.

We cover some fundamentals like picking chords on and in-between the beat while

keeping the thumb bass pumping. Be sure to give some time to the tricky spots like

those quick bass runs and the turnaround. If you have the entire 12 bar section of

Level 1 down, take a second and celebrate that. That's no small accomplishment in

my view.

Good job!

When you're ready, it's time to level up and start building a lick vocabulary in Back

Porch Blues (Level 2). But before we move on to the second 12 bar secti0n, let's

spend some time looking at the scale that the licks are based on.


Back Porch BluesLevel 1



= 80

Standard tuning

1

Level 1

3

2

0 0

130

130

0

130

130

0 0

434 4

34

0

323 3

23

0

434 4

43

0 3

E-G

t

3 4

3

3

0 0

130

130

0

130

130

0 0

434 4

34

0

323 3

23

323

0

434 4

34

434

0 3

5 6

0 0

322 2

23

0

3 3

0 0 0

322 2

23

0

3 3

0

3 0

2/2

7

3 3 3

3

8

3

3

3

0

434 4

34

434

0

434 4

34

434

0

434 4

34

434

0

323 3

23

323

0

434 4

34

434

0

323 3

23

323

0

434 4

43

30 1

9 10

3

2 21202

2

202

2

202

2 1 0 02223

0

223

0

322

03

0

11

3 3 3

123

0

43

0

32

0

21

0

100

30 1 2 2

1202

21202

3

13

0

BACK PORCH BLUES

E Blues Scale IntroductionIn order to successfully tackle Level 2 of Back Porch Blues, let's pause and talk about

the scale the licks come from. That scale is...you guessed it, the E Blues Scale!

Why Scales are Important

I played guitar for more than a decade before I really learned my first scale. I

thought I was too-cool-for-school when it came to learning all that nerdy music

theory stuff.

While I still favor the practical over the theoretical, learning scales is one of the

major keys to unlocking the fretboard.

Avoiding scales was not smart on my part and I hope this lesson makes it easy and

enjoyable for you to get the E Blues Scale under your fingers.

In this lesson, we'll talk about how the Blues Scale is constructed, where it lives on

the neck and I'll set you up with a practice guide (at the end of this section) to really

help you learn where and how to play this scale when you practice. This guide is just

that, a guide. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive scales course, but rather a entry

point for you to practice the E Blues Scale in many (not all) positions on the neck.

Constructing the Blues Scale

All scales are made up of a pattern of intervals. Interval is a common music theory

term for the distance between two notes.

If you've studied scales, you may have noticed the Major Scale has a different sound

than the Minor Pentatonic Scale. If you play the E Major Scale and then the D Major

Scale you can hear that they sound similar. However, the Major Scale has a different

vibe altogether when compared to the Minor Pentatonic Scale.


BACK PORCH BLUES

E Blues Scale Introduction

Constructing the Blues Scale, cont.

The reason D Major and E Major scales sound similar is the pattern for all major

scales is the same. The notes change, but not the pattern. However, if you move to a

Minor Pentatonic Scale, the pattern changes giving you different sound entirely.

Pattern of the Blues Scale

The pattern of a scale is expressed in steps. How many steps up from the current

note do we move to play the next note. Keep in mind that a whole step is up 2 frets

on the guitar and a half step, just one fret. The Blues Scale pattern can be written in

a scale formula like this:

R - W+H - W - H - H - W+H - W

Starting from the root, in our case E, you'll move up 1 1/2 steps, then 1 step, then

1/2, another 1/2, then another 1 1/2, then finally a whole step. Typically, you play

the scale from root to root so you'll land on the octave E.

Remember that the pattern doesn't change. You can change the starting point from

E to A and you'll have an A Blues Scale, but it will still be a Blues Scale. It will still

have the sound that is characteristic of the Blues Scale.


BACK PORCH BLUES



Applying the Pattern to the Guitar

Now that we know where we're headed, let's put this formula to work for us on the

fretboard and build the Blues Scale. Starting with the Open 6th string E note, we'll

end up with this for our E Blues Scale:

The notes are E - G - A - Bb - B - D - E

If you are brand new to the E Blues Scale, I strongly recommend learning the scale

on the low E string like I demonstrated in the video. I have found that learning the

scale this way helps connect the intervals you're playing and hearing with what you

are seeing. If you start playing across the fretboard in all the box patterns, etc you'll

lose the visual aspect of the scale.

That said, when you've learned the scale on one string and you're very comfortable

with the notes of the E Blues Scale, then it's time to start playing the scale all over

the neck.


BACK PORCH BLUES



Applying the Pattern to the Guitar

Here's an example of the exact same notes being played across the strings..

.

Here's an example of the E Blues Scale being played in one octave higher than the

previous two examples:

In this practice guide, you'll be taken through several different spots on the neck to

play the scale. I recommend running through the entire practice guide in one of

your practice sessions.

This will get your fingers comfortable playing in E around the neck.


BACK PORCH BLUES


Next Steps

Once you've practiced the scale and are comfortable with where the notes are on the

fretboard and the sound is stuck in your ear, then it's time to put the scale to work

and learn a few licks straight out of the E Blues Scale.

That's exactly what's waiting for you in the next lesson: Level 2 Back Porch Blues.


E Blues Scale Practice GuideBlues Guitar Institute


= 100

4x1

Blues Scale (One String)

4x

0 3 5 6 7 10 12

4x2

Blues Scale (Across Strings)

4x

0 30 1 2

0 2

4x3

Blues Scale (Higher Octave)

4x

20 2 3

0 30

4Pattern 1

0 30 1 2

0 20 2 3

0 30

4x5

4x0

3 03 2 0

2 02 1 0

3 0

2/3

6Pattern 2

0 3 5 62 5

2 52 3 4

3 5

4x7

4x

5 34 3 2

5 25 2

6 5 3 0

8Pattern 3

0 3 5 6 75 7

5 7 84 7

5

4x9

4x

57 4

8 7 57 5

7 6 5 3 0

10Pattern 4

0 3 5 6 7 107 10

7 8 97 9

4x11

4x

9 79 8 7

10 710 7 6 5 3 0

3/3

12Pattern 5

0 3 5 6 7 10 1210 12 13

9 129

4x13

4x

912 9

13 12 1012 10 7 6 5 3 0

BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 2 InstructionIn Back Porch Blues (Level 2) we will work on your ability to play basic licks from

the E Blues Scale while keeping the bass note pumping.

Further Developing Finger Picking Independence

Perhaps the biggest challenge for beginning finger pickers is gaining independence

of each finger on your picking hand. While we worked previously in this course to

separate the thumb from the fingers, we now need to focus heavily on making each

finger on your picking hand independent.

This section of Back Porch Blues is focused on playing melodically, meaning single

notes versus chords. Because of this, you'll be calling on different fingers to pluck

the strings.

Go slowly with each bar and focus on keeping the bass going while nailing the lick.

Exploring Guitar Techniques

Now that we've moved into playing licks, we'll naturally throw in a few guitar

techniques to really make the licks more expressive. For example, there's a slide

right out of the gate in Bar 1 of this section. Later in the progression, you will

encounter pull offs and hammer ons. Pay close attention to the sound of these

techniques in the video and mimic what you hear and see.

A word about using these techniques:

It's crucial that you make sure your pull offs, hammer ons and slides are in time.

When I was beginning on the guitar, I had a tendency to rush the beat on a slide or

hammer on/pull off. Keep in mind that clean playing is always in time.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 2 InstructionCall and Response

There are many roots that run deep in the blues. For example, the concept of call

and response runs rampant in the blues.

Call and response is the idea that one lick asks a question and the second answers it.

Musically, that means the two ideas (or licks) work together to complete one

thought. We'll put this idea to work throughout this Level.

For instance, the lick in bar 2 can be viewed as an answer or response to the lick in

bar one. Really listen to this two bar part to hear how they compliment each other.

The more you have this ingrained in your ear, you will learn songs faster. Over time

you will learn to anticipate the second lick after hearing the first.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 2 InstructionTweaking the Classic Turnaround

In this lesson, the turnaround is very similar to the turnaround covered in Level 1,

but with two minor tweaks. First, the bass continues.

In Level 1, we ignored the bass during most of the turnaround to focus on the more

intricate picking required on the top three strings. In this lesson, it's time to turn up

the skill level and keep that bass going. Make sure that the thumb strikes the bass

string on each downbeat as shown in the video and the TAB.

The second tweak to the classic turnaround is that we're departing from the strict

triplet picking. Specifically, we're omitting the second sub-beat of the triplet, the

'trip' if you count it as I do. It's important to highlight that the rhythm is still there,

we're just not picking the note. Leaving out that middle note gives the turnaround a

slightly different vibe.

It's subtle, but it should give you an idea of where you can go with the basic and that

small tweaks here and there can really add some variety to your finger picking.


BACK PORCH BLUES

Level 2 InstructionNext Steps

Once you can play these 12 bars fluidly while nailing each lick in time, take a second

and reflect on your accomplishment. You're now able to play some sweet blues licks

in a 12 bar blues while keeping the bass going. This is a tremendous

accomplishment for the new fingerpicker and one you should be proud of.

But of course, with guitar there's always more to learn, right?

Now it's time to turn up the intensity a bit and get started mastering Back Porch

Blues Level 3.





= 80

Standard tuning

1

Level 2

3

23

0 0

43

0 0 0 0

2 02

0 0

E-G

t

3 43 3

0 0

43

0 0 0 0

2 02

0 0

2 02

5 6

3

0 0

322 2

23

0

3 3

0 0 0

3 3

0

3 3

0

03

0

73

83

33

0 0

43

0 0

2 02

0 0

2 02 2

0

02

30 1

2/2

9 10

3

2 21202

2

202

2

202

2 1 0 02223

0

223

0

322

03

0

11 123

0

4

0

0

3

0

0

2

0

0

1

0

0

30 1 2 2

1202

21202

3

13

0

Level 3 InstructionLevel 3 of Back Porch Blues is the culmination of the concepts and skills that you've

developed so far.

Not only will be bring everything together into one cohesive little tune, we'll really

focus on building out the licks covered in Level 2. Each lick will be more

complicated than the corresponding lick in the previous Level.

Also, the licks are occurring more rapidly in time. So the call and response idea for

instance happens in 1 bar rather than being stretched out over two full bars. This will

challenge both hands.

By now your thumb should be used to playing the driving beat and hopefully, you're

thumb is getting closer to "auto-pilot."

Next StepsThe concepts we've explored here apply to many blues songs. This course, while

being a cool little ditty in its own right, will serve as a jumping off point for tackling

other tunes.

Level 3 takes you beyond the basics and arms you with some cool licks. If you nailed

every note of this little ditty then it's safe to say you're playing at a solid intermediate

level. Great work!

If you haven't gotten every note perfect, I encourage you to keep at it. With

deliberate practice, you'll get it.

BACK PORCH BLUES


Final ThoughtsCongratulations on making it through the entire 36 Bar course taking you through

Back Porch Blues. Let's recap what we've covered.

Course Summary

Early on, we covered three chords that are an absolute must for any blues picker, the

E7, A7 and B7. We even took the E7 chord one step further by learning an alternate

shape.

We also covered quite a few guitar techniques that you'll find yourself using daily as

an acoustic blues finger picker. Techniques like the palm mute, chromatic chord

movements, hammer ons and pull offs were all utilized in this 36 bar tune.

In Level 2 and 3, we started to build your lick vocabulary by introducing several call

and response licks taken from the E Blues Scale. Picking out these licks helped build

finger independence while focusing on developing a melody. By level 3, we were

really cookin' with some more challenging licks.

Playing licks is great and certainly is a lot of fun, but let's not lose sight of keeping

the driving beat going with your thumb. The ability to pump out a stead bass with

the thumb is a constant in many types of finger picking blues.

BACK PORCH BLUES





= 80

Standard tuning

1

Level 3

3

32

33

0 0

43

0

3

0

4 2 02

0

0

0

4 2 02

0

7

¼

0

80

0

E-G

t

33

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3

0 0

43

0

3

0

4 2 02

0

0

0

4 2 02

0

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0

30

0

5 6

3

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3 3

0

3 3

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0

73

83

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2

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11 12

3

3

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4

5

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4

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3

11

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00

30 1 2 2

1202

21202

3

13

0

Final Thoughts

Next Steps

Playing guitar is a long-term pursuit and the only way to fail is to quit. Keep

working and you'll improve, I sure of it.

If any part of this course is giving you trouble, be sure to go back to that particular

lesson and spend as much time as you need to get it down. How fast or slow you

learn a part doesn't matter. What matters is progress. What matters is growth.

What matters is that you keep playing.

Work Hard. Play On.

BACK PORCH BLUES


BLUES GUITAR INSTITUTE

Thank You!I wanted to let the final word in

this course be a heartfelt thank you

from me to you. It’s no small thing

to me that you took the time out

of your life to connect with me

through Blues Guitar Institute.

I truly hope that this course has

helped you smooth out some trouble

spots you may have had in your playing. Even more than that, I

hope you thoroughly enjoyed learning this material.

This course was a joy to put together and I want to encourage

you to use it as a resource to better your playing but beyond

that, use me personally as a resource. Your guitar coach.

This site and these lessons are my passion and I’m 100%

committed to helping you achieve your goals on the guitar.

I invite you to connect with me through the BGI Community

Forums where we can continue the journey.

To your success,

John Hatcher


//Work Hard. Play On.

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