Blues Guitar For Dummies - Jon Chappell

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electric guitars could be built differently from their acoustic counterparts. And they were played differently, though that took some time to evolve.

      Going easy on your pluckers (or strummers)

       The neck is shallower.

       The fingerboard width is thinner.

       The strings are lighter than those found on an acoustic.

       The action, or distance from the strings to the frets, is lower, so it frets almost effortlessly.

      But the lighter strings have another advantage crucial to blues playing, other than being easier to play: They’re easier to bend.

Photograph depicting a close-up of what it looks like to bend a string on an electric guitar. The string is physically pushed sideways on the fretboard by the left hand, stretching it.

      FIGURE 2-6: A left-hand string bend stretches the string, causing it to rise in pitch.

      Getting your sounds to be loud and lingering

      In the process of electrifying a guitar, blues players noticed something else that was different, too: Electric guitars sustained longer. The notes just seemed to hang on longer instead of dying away quickly, as they did on acoustic guitars and banjos before that. As a result of this increased sustain, electric guitars were able to produce more substantial vibrated notes, bent notes, and long notes that held their sound. Along with jazz players, blues players found they could now more closely emulate vocal and horn stylings. This change encouraged a more versatile approach to single-note, or lead, playing. Before the electric version, the guitar was largely a rhythm instrument, with some notable exceptions, such as the jazz playing of gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt.

      To be a well-appointed blues guitar player, you need to have not only your acoustic or electric guitar, but also you need other stuff that allows you to play. Check out this list:

       Picks: Being able to play with a pick is an important skill, and you should learn to play with one before deciding to be a rebel and go without. (Some traditional players of both acoustic and electric blues don’t use a pick. They use the unadorned fingers of the right hand to produce all their blues sounds, from full strummed chords to riffs to leads.)

       Strap and pins: If you plan to stand when you play, you need a strap, and your guitar must have strap pins to go through the strap holes.

       Spare strings: As far as “string breakage,” it’s not a question of if, but when. Strings break all on their own, even if you don’t play hard or bend them. Carry spares, so that a sudden “string mishap” doesn’t shut down your jam for the night.

       Tuners: Most guitar teachers (yours truly included) will tell you that it should be illegal to allow beginning guitarists to roam the earth without a tuner. These days, the word “tuner” should mean “electronic tuner,” the battery-operated kind that you can plug into (or use the onboard mic, if you’re playing an acoustic).An electronic tuner is designed for quick and easy guitar tuning, and you can tune silently to boot. You can use other tuning methods (such as employing a pitch pipe, tuning fork, or the relative method), but the recommended way is to use a tuner, which allows you to use your eyes (by watching a meter or digital display). Don’t worry, your ears will catch up in time. A tuner is an essential tool — and courtesy — for all who appreciate in-tune music.

       Tools: Undoubtedly, you’ll need to adjust or fix your guitar from time to time, so you need to gather a toolbox. Chapter 18 tells you just what to put in it.

       Amplifier: If you decide to pursue electric blues guitar, you need to have an amplifier and a cord to connect the guitar to it. To help you navigate the amp section of your nearest instrument dealer, I include a whole chapter on choosing amps — flip ahead to Chapter 15 for that information.

       Cords: If you play an electric guitar (or even a plugged-in acoustic-electric model), you need a cable or cord to connect your guitar to your amp. You can buy cables of varying lengths, from about 6 to 20 feet. Cords have a variety of purposes, though, so here’s a quick rundown:Guitar cord, cable, or patch cord: This cord connects your guitar and your amp.Effects cords: If you buy a tuner or additional effects and pedals (see the next bullet), you can connect them to each other with shorter cables — so you need one short cord (just a few inches long) for every effect in your arsenal, plus one to connect your guitar to the first effect. Because you want your effect to be controllable by your foot — and you want to be out front by the audience and not necessarily back by your amp — you also need a long cord to stretch from your effect back to the amp.

       Effects pedals: Many blues players get along with just an amp, but in today’s world, most blues guitarists augment their sound with outboard effects — each about the size of a packet of index cards — to get even more sonic possibilities. Effects can make it sound like your guitar was recorded in a recording studio, or produce other-worldly sounds that might have more of a theatrical application than a musical one. But perhaps the biggest use of effects is to get a distorted sound — the sonic result that occurs when a guitar is pumped through an amp at top volume and maximum power. An outboard effect gives you this quality at low amp volumes. There are more distortion effects available than any other kind, and they’ll keep coming. So try out different effects pedals and start amassing an arsenal of them (check out Chapter 16 before you do, so you shop with a working knowledge of what you’re buying).

       Slide: To play slide, you need a slide apparatus, in the form of a metal or glass tube, filed-down bottle neck, or medicine bottle. They’re not expensive, so buy a couple of different types and decide which is the best for you.

       Other cool gear: Besides having the basic hardware essential to creating music, you can find tons of other accessories, doodads, and whatnots to make blues guitar life just a little easier. As you play more and more, you’ll find your own life-savers to add to your collection. Here are a few ideas of items people find helpful:Peg winder: Although not essential to making music, a peg winder is a godsend when you break a string and have to put one back on in a jiffy because you’re on stage and in the middle of a song. This handy fellow allows you to bring a string up to tune in about one tenth the time it does by using just your fingers.Metronome: This valuable practice tool helps you play in time.Miniature tools: Aside from the fact that they’re cute, these tools are fantastic to take with you on a gig in case you’re in a pinch and don’t have access to the giant toolbox.Polishing cloths: These babies keep your axe gleaming and looking spiffy.Battery testers: Effects use battery

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