Customer Reviews

101 Must-Know Blues Licks (Tab Book & CD)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought "101 Must-Know Blues Licks" based on strenth of couple
other books of Wolf Marshal that I own: "Best of Jazz Guitar" and "Guitar Jamming - Classic Blues". I have seen "licks collection" type of guitar books before but this book is by far the best.
Licks included are real life - easily recognizable lines that you can attribute to guitarist mentioned in text. Both standard notation and tablature are included. Licks are organized in collections of major blues styles: Pre-War Electric, Post-War Electric, Country and Early Chicago, Memphis, Texas, Modern Chicago and Texas, British, Postmodern.
Notation is VERY well annotated: leading tones, chords arpeggiated, question/answer, turnaround etc are all clearly marked. Smaller "licks within licks" are named. All that greatly enhances ease to learn and reusability of those lines.
Each lick is recorded twice on CD - normal and slowdown speed (usually slow enough to pick the notes easily by ear). Each section of licks is recorded using guitar tone (both axe and amp) reflecting typical guitar tone of the style and the guitar and amp used are described in detail in text.
I HIGHLY recommend this compendium to any intermediate guitarist in need of solid blues vocabulary.

I agree with several reviewers that the licks here are often brief, and many of them repeat certain shapes, but hey, that's the blues. And as Marshall says in his introduction, once you know the basic chord progression implied by the lick (and they are stated), one can write a context for the riff,
or can join one lick to others in the book with some transposition. My highest marks go to the playing and sound of the guitars used by Marshall. This is a very interesting historical review of blues styles, as well as being a pretty good teaching tool, too.

This book covers the many styles of blues very well. The TAB transcriptions are perfect. Some of the licks are a little difficult, but if it were easy, we'd all be blues masters. The CD helps a lot in getting the feel of each of the licks. This book may not be for beginners, but intermediate guitarists will learn things right away.

After a 30-year hiatus from playing guitar, 101 Must-Know Blues Licks was a great way to kickstart my interest in playing. While it is a bit difficult for someone at my level, already I am seeing improvement after a couple of weeks of practice. The CD is very helpful, especially since all licks are played at slow speed in addition to full speed. The licks cover a broad spectrum of techniques. Having everything expressed in tablature in addition to real music notation breaks another barrier to entry.

On the negative side, the techniques are not explained very well. There is one page at the end which very briefly summarizes them. What would have been more helpful is an instructional DVD. But don't let that prevent you from buying this book. Once you start playing these catchy licks, the hours will pass by quickly - and that's the sign of something of worth.

This is a real fine collection of licks. What I like most about the book is the discussion of the styles represented and his description the gear he uses to get an authentic sound for the style or period. Great tones! My only suggestion for improvement would be to have fewer tempo and key changes, at least within the same chapter. I think it would help in the learning process. Not a big deal though. A dedicated student should transpose and otherwise figure out how to incorporate the licks that sing to him or her into a personal style. Well worth the money.

I'm not sure why this book received so many great reviews. Most of the licks are very short (just a few measures), many sound very similar, and most you won't bother to memorize. The book's got a few really good sounding licks. Not bad considering the cost, but I think that I'd prefer a book with fewer, more interesting, better sounding and longer running licks. I gave the book three stars just in case I'm missing something. I bought the book based on the many glowing reviews, but I don't agree them.

Bought this book due to others reviews. I was not disappointed. There were quite a few licks that didn't interest me, due to the era of the music. But the rest are great. I'm one of those players that start to learn a song then move on before I've completed it. So this was perfect for me because each lick is short, and simple enough that I can learn without becoming distracted. I would recommend this book to all beginners and intermediate players alike.

This book is pretty mediocre. Has a few decent licks, but the vast majority isn't going to do much for any level of guitarist. The presentation of the material is also very poor.

This book really should be titled "Encyclopedia of Blues Licks." I was expecting a book that would provide some simple to intermediate level blues runs along with some blues tunes. This book is filled with professional level blues runs and explains how to reproduce them. It explains the tuning to be used, what kind of equipment is needed, and optimal amplifier settings. The author describes the different types of blues - such as the Texas blues, or the King "brothers" blues. When I received this book, I was both impressed and disappointed. Wolf Marshall definitely can play the blues, as the CD demonstrates, but you could spend the rest of your life trying to master all 101 of these licks.

I'm amazed at this collection. Almost ALL 101 liks are relevant licks that you will recognized inmediately. This will be a great supplement to any Guitar Method book you might be studying. Special notice have to go about the great quality of the CD recording.