Class Central is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Udemy

Blues Chords & Lessons: The Blues Guitar Of Broonzy & McGhee

via Udemy

Overview

Blues Chords: Guitar Lessons: Acoustic Blues Lessons: Blues Chords and Structure of Broonzy & Brownie McGhee songs.

What you'll learn:
  • Play the acoustic blues chords and play the guitar picking styles of Big Bill Broonzy and Brownie McGhee.
  • You will learn to play Glory Of Love by Big Bill Broonzy
  • You will learn to play Hey Hey by Big Bill Broonzy
  • You will learn to play Key To The Highway by Big Bill Broonzy
  • You will learn how to play Living With The Blues by Brownie McGhee
  • You will learn to play Worryin You Off My Mind by Big Bill Broonzy

How Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy Used SwingBlues GuitarChords

Guitar lessons cover many genres inside this musical form of the blues. Blues guitardeveloped from the African-American community &can be sad in the Delta style from the deep South, or happy in the Piedmont ragtime guitar style of playing which is evident in all forms of modern jazz, rhythm & blues. Between the two there are a group of acoustic blues guitar players who used many standard chord progressions to play with a definite swing, sill using blues notes, but a step up from the standard twelve bar blues.

Learn AcousticBlues Guitar In The Old Style

Big Bill Broonzy and Brownie McGhee are two great examples of blues men who excelled at adapting traditional blues verses, using shuffles, walking basses and all the usual tricks but giving it that certain 'groove'; almost like rock and roll. The five lessons in this course take a look at just one of McGhee's songs - Livin With The Blues, and four of Broonzy's.

Guitar Lessons - Learning BluesThe Right Way

If you can play one of Brownie's acoustic bluessongs, you can just about play them all! Both men were country blues singers originally, further developing what was basically the music of Africa evolving through field hollers and spirituals, particularly after the ending of slavery. Their swinging style of blues became a firm favorite in juke joints, together with Delta blues and the appealing Piedmont (ragtime blues.)

What You Will Learn in these acousticguitar lessons:

  1. How to finger pick acoustic blues guitar in the distinctive swing style.
  2. Palm damping techniques to ensure that the sound is 'tight'!
  3. The chord structure of swing blues in the keys of E, A and C
  4. How to reproduce that elusive 'old blues guitar' feeling.

Broonzy's style was much broader and we take a look at several of his songs in some detail.

Both men use a fingerpicking style called 'monotonic bass', which means that the thumb strikes just one bass guitar string every beat, instead of alternating between two or three strings.

It's less complicated thanalternating bass fingerstyle blues, but that's not to say the guitar sound produced isn't as rich or musical. Both men were very inventive in their treatment of the blues, and the bass action helped drive the music forward in a very definite and unique way.

Each lesson is between 20 mins and 30 mins long and provides everything you need to play the songs presented, including slow close up demos of both hands, tips on singing and printable guitar tab files. Acoustic blueslessons in the swing style just got easy - learn blues guitar now!

#guitarlessons #blueschords

Taught by

Jim Bruce

Reviews

4.5 rating at Udemy based on 59 ratings

Start your review of Blues Chords & Lessons: The Blues Guitar Of Broonzy & McGhee

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

Someone learning on their laptop while sitting on the floor.