In this video
Monday night and we’re going long for this one. It’s a Joe Bonamassa special, and I wanted to prove that his music is a lot more accessible than people think. Yes, he’s fast, yes he’s tasteful, but there are some genuinely great songs in his catalogue that any intermediate player can get under their fingers tonight.
We kick things off with a bit of background on Joe, including how two songs from my own album were directly inspired by his playing, before diving into five of his key tracks:
Drive - 12 bar blues with minor chords rather than power chords, E minor to A minor to B minor, with Joe’s official backing tracks and all five pentatonic positions to practice over
Ballad of John Henry - originally in drop B tuning but played in E live, focusing on the Hendrix-style G to A movement with thumb on root, and the key technique of bending out from the ninth to escape that pure pentatonic sound
Sloe Gin (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) - D minor, and the lick that directly inspired Final Words from my 2013 album; we look at bending to the ninth, phrasing with syncopation, and how to stay melodic rather than getting lost in the scale
Blues Deluxe - blues in C, with the chromatic chord movement straight out of Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin, tremolo picking on a single note, and how to mix major and minor pentatonic over a 12 bar
I’ll Play the Blues for You - blues in G, BB King style, and the importance of playing melody, targeting octaves, and finding your own voice rather than trying to outrun faster players
The big takeaway from tonight: you don’t have to be the fastest player in the room. Focus on melody, vibrato, bends and rhythm, and you will always have something worth listening to. If you want to go deeper, the Lead Guitar course and Intermediate Electric are both on the website, and next week we’re back with a guitar S.O.S. session where I’ll be tackling your biggest playing problems live.