Blues Guitar
Learn blues rhythm and lead guitar step by step
Blues Guitar is a complete online course on playing blues rhythm and blues solos, taught by GuitarZoom Master Instructor Steve Stine. It starts with tuning, gear, notes on the neck and essential chords. Then it covers the 12-bar blues, swing feel, turnarounds and classic blues riff styles, followed by pentatonic scales, bends, vibrato, phrasing and building blues licks. The course has 66 video lessons in nine modules, about seven hours in total, with a 108-page PDF book and jam tracks.
What Blues Guitar is about
Steve breaks every skill into simple steps you can follow. In these videos, he introduces the course, teaches the chromatic scale, and shows a blues idea called The Frankenstein.
Course intro: Introduction · 7:02
Free preview lesson: Chromatic Scale · 7:23
Free preview lesson: The Frankenstein · 7:03
Is Blues Guitar right for you?
- Beginners drawn to the blues. The first modules cover tuning, notes on the neck and essential chords.
- Rhythm players. You will learn the 12-bar blues, swing feel, turnarounds and riffs in several blues styles.
- Players who want to solo. Later modules teach pentatonic scales, bends, vibrato and phrasing.
- Anyone who wants to jam. Each module comes with jam tracks to practice over.
Skills you'll walk away with
- Find the notes on every string
- Play barre chords, power chords and 7th chords for blues
- Play a 12-bar blues with a swing feel
- Play blues turnarounds, minor blues and 8-bar blues
- Play boogie, Texas and Muddy Waters style riffs and the Bo Diddley beat
- Play minor pentatonic with hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, vibrato and bends
- Combine minor and major pentatonic into a hybrid scale
- Build blues licks and chase chord changes
The course, module by module
The full lesson list is below.
Getting started
Course introduction, tuning and gear.
Notes, scales and essential chords
The chromatic scale, notes on each string, the diatonic scale, 10 essential chords, and bouncing and lift-and-shift.
Barre chords, power chords and rhythm
6th- and 5th-string barre chords, the I-IV-V progression, other diatonic chords, power chords, and rhythm and strumming.
The 12-bar blues
How the 12-bar blues works, 7th chords, swing feel, barre chord and power chord versions, chromatic movement and open power chords.
Turnarounds, blues forms and riff styles
Three essential turnarounds, minor blues, 8-bar blues, the Bo Diddley beat, and Muddy Waters, Texas and boogie style riffs.
Minor pentatonic and lead techniques
The minor pentatonic scale, controlling the strings, practicing the minor pentatonic, hammer-ons, pull-offs, trills, slides, vibrato and bending.
Pentatonic positions and phrasing
Expanding the pentatonic scale, other positions, moving from meandering to phrasing, stopping notes, emphasizing root notes over I, IV and V, and meandering with rhythm.
Major pentatonic and the hybrid scale
The major pentatonic scale, combining minor and major pentatonic, and phrasing with the hybrid scale over minor and major blues jam tracks.
Blues notes and building licks
The blue note, other notes to emphasize, chord chasing, building blues licks, repetitive licks and bending licks.
Learn at your own pace
Clear video lessons
Every move is shown up close. Pause, rewind and repeat each lesson as often as you need.
Practice materials
Includes 108-page PDF book, Jam tracks. Use them to practice what you learn in each lesson.
Yours for life
Pay once and come back any time, on your computer, tablet or phone. No subscription.
Steve Stine
Steve has taught guitar for more than 30 years and has helped millions of players in over 100 countries. He has a Music Education degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead and taught guitar at North Dakota State University. He's known for breaking hard things into simple steps you can follow. Read Steve's full story
What students say about Steve's teaching
Excellent · 4.8 out of 5 on TrustpilotRead our reviews"I love the way that Steve explained things and shows how to become better."
Hans-Joachim G.Germany
"It made a difference, it was worth the money. Thank you."
Kevin W.United States
"This is absolutely one of the best classes I've ever taken."
Steve D.United States
"I'm just overjoyed to come across learning material that I've yearned for."
Andy M.Australia
"Thank you for breaking down music theory and making it so easy to learn."
Travis B.United States
"I have definitely improved and I enjoy it immensely."
Melina K.United States
Blues Guitar questions
Is this course good for beginners?
Will I learn rhythm or lead blues guitar?
Which scales will I learn?
Do I need to read music?
Acoustic or electric guitar?
How long does the course take?
How much does Blues Guitar cost?
Can I watch on my phone or tablet?
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Where to go after Blues Guitar
Blues Soloing
Learn blues rhythm, progressions, scales and bending techniques, then solo over ten jams in different blues styles.
Blues Licks
A library of 82 blues licks grouped by technique, plus a modern blues-rock section and tips on using licks in a solo.
Creative Blues Soloing
Add color to your blues solos with the major pentatonic, the blue note, chord chasing and six licks with variations.
Want a full path instead of single courses? See GuitarZoom Premium, or browse all courses.
Start Blues Guitar today
66 lessons, clear steps and lifetime access. $77 once.
30-day money-back guarantee. Questions? Email support@guitarzoom.com.
