Blues Guitar For Dummies [Paperback]

Jon Chappell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 2006

Do you wish you could play your favorite blues music on guitar? Even if you don’t read music, it’s not difficult with Blues Guitar for Dummies. With this hands-on guide, you’ll pick up the fundamentals instantly and start jamming like your favorite blues artists!

Blues Guitar for Dummies covers all aspects of blues guitar, showing you how to play scales, chords, progressions, riffs, solos, and more! It’s packed with musical examples, chords charts, and photos that let you explore the genre and play the songs of the great blues musicians. This accessible guide will give you the skills you need to:

• Choose the right guitar, equipment, and strings
• Hold, tune, and get situated with your guitar
• Play barre chords and strum to the rhythm
• Recognize the structure of a blues song
• Tackle musical riffs
• Master melodies and solos
• Make your guitar sing, cry, and wail
• Jam to any type of blues

In addition to this must-have book, a bonus CD is included so that you can listen to famous songs, practice your riffs and chords, and develop your style as a blues musician. It also features a quick guide to musical notation and suggestions on albums, artists, and guitars for further enjoyment. With Blues Guitar for Dummies, you can re-create the masterpieces of the blues legend without the expensive lessons!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Packed with musical examples, chord charts, and photos

Re-create the sounds of the blues masters—without reading music!

Want to play the blues? Can't read music? No problem! This fun, accessible guide shows you how to play blues scales, chords, progressions, riffs, and solos. From Delta blues and modern blues to blues rock, you'll see how to use today's guitars, amplifiers, and effects to play a wide variety of styles, with hands-on guidance on changing strings for when you really boogie down.

Discover how to

• Select the right guitar and accessories
• Develop correct hand position and posture
• Explore acoustic and electric styles
• Tune your axe
• Play like a pro and improvise leads

All this on the Bonus CD-ROM

• All songs and exercises from the book
• Audio and MP3 files as well as a PC interface with track numbers, name, and time included

See the "How to Use the CD" appendix for details and system requirements.

About the Author

Jon Chappell is a multistyle guitarist, arranger, and author. He grew up in Chicago, attended Carnegie-Mellon University, and earned his master’s degree in composition from DePaul University. He was Editor-in-Chief of Guitar magazine and played and recorded with artists such as Big Walter Horton, Billy Branch, Pat Benatar, Judy Collins, Graham Nash, and Gunther Schuller. Jon has also contributed numerous musical pieces to TV and film.
Jon served as Associate Music Director of Cherry Lane Music, where he transcribed, edited, and arranged the music of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Steve Morse, Bonnie Raitt, and Eddie Van Halen, among others. He has more than a dozen method books to his name and is the author of Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition, and Rock Guitar For Dummies (both published by Wiley), Blues Rock Riffs for Guitar (Cherry Lane), as well as the textbook The Recording Guitarist — A Guide for Home and Studio (Hal Leonard). Please visit Jon’s Web site at www.jonchappell.com for more info.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (December 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470049200
• ISBN-13: 978-0470049204
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jon Chappell is an author, editor, writer, and guitarist. He started professional life as multi-style guitarist, transcriber and arranger, attending Carnegie-Mellon University where he studied with guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and then earning his master's degree in composition from DePaul University.

Jon served as editor-in-chief of Guitar Magazine, and is founder and the first editor-in-chief of Home Recording Magazine. He has played guitar and recorded with Pat Benatar, Judy Collins, Graham Nash, and Robert Cray, and has contributed numerous musical pieces to film and TV. Some of these include "Northern Exposure," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Guiding Light," and the feature film "Bleeding Hearts," directed by actor-dancer Gregory Hines. He is the author of six highly successful books in the Dummies series, including "Blues Guitar for Dummies," "Guitar for Dummies," and "Rock Guitar for Dummies." He has written several books on recording, including "The Recording Guitarist: A Guide for Home and Studio," published by Hal Leonard; "Build Your Own PC Recording Studio" (McGraw-Hill); and "Digital Home Recording" (BackBeat Books). For more info visit www.jonchappell.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great method book, August 3, 2008

By 

RL (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blues Guitar For Dummies (Paperback)

Don't let the "Dummies" title fool you. This is an excellent book for learning to play blues guitar. At almost 400 pages of instruction and information, this book will give you a solid foundation for exploring blues guitar. It covers everything -- from rhythm and lead guitar, basic to advanced chords, scales, and has great information about blues artists and blues history. There's also information about equipment. The author really has taken the time to create a solid method course that's never dull. Lessons build on each other, staring from basic chords and rhythm patterns, to more advanced scales and lead and rhythm playing.

To get the most out of this book, don't skip around -- take your time. This book should give you months of instruction if you're a beginner or beginning intermediate player. The CD that comes with it is invaluable for hearing how stuff should sound.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All around great resource, June 27, 2007

By 

K. Fowler (WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blues Guitar For Dummies (Paperback)

This book is great even for guitarists who play well and want to expand into the blues style. Information is presented clearly for both guitarists who read music notation and those who do not. Well worth the price--enough material to learn to keep you busy for months.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blues for Dummies, July 7, 2011

By 

,Glo Holmes Peters - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blues Guitar For Dummies (Paperback)

Absolutely excellent and I am no dummy! I play all types of guitar but could not find a good thorough book for blues....
THis is it and I have tried them all.!!
You won't be disappointed because it is good for all levels. Buy it, and you will not be sorry!!