Customer Reviews

Blues Rhythms You Can Use: A Complete Guide to Learning Blues Rhythm Guitar Styles

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

 

 

This book has given me a lot of good creative ideas for playing blues, and it has filled in some of the gaps I had about playing blues rhythm. I like the clear tables of contents in Ganapes' books, which let me skip around to a particular topic easily when I need to. It won't teach you to play "soulfully", as another reviewer complains, but no book can teach you that. It can give you a solid technical education about playing blues rhythm. I have all the other books by John Ganapes, and they are all pretty good. I recommend going through this book between Blues You Can Use, and More Blues You Can Use. An added bonus is the Blues You Can Use website, where you can ask the author questions concerning his books and playing the guitar in general. John Ganapes is an excellent resource for guitarists.

This is good for the beginner level guitar student who has a lot of time alone and doesn't play in a band. The book illustrates some very simple blues rhythms in various different styles, mostly slow blues but a couple of faster upbeat blues rhythm riffs. There is some introductory level music theory included in the lessons.

That's about it.

I enjoyed it. It was fun. I don't think I learned a whole lot though.

I bought this book along with the other Blues You Can Use books and this is a good companion to the other books. I've gleaned a lot of ideas from this book for playing blues rhythm. I am more interested in being a solid rythym player than I am a soloist. When I pared this book up with the BYCU Chord book and the BYCU Jazz up your blues book, I have a ton of ideas and I'm doing things as a rythym player that causes heads to turn. I did discover that with these Ganapes books, you should spend about a week on each chapter, work on the exercises first and then work on the practice songs. This book presents just about every blues rythym imaginable and provides solid technical education about playings those rythyms. I have all the other books by John Ganapes, and they are all pretty damned good. I highly recommend going through this book. In a matter of a year, I've gone through the Blues You Can Use and the More Blues You Can use and the Jazz up Your Blues and this series of lessons has given me the technical knowledge to play blues, I just had to add a little of my own soul. Best educational material I've found on the blues.

I bought this book in the old days, when it came with a cassette tape. I learned a lot from this set. It was pretty easy to follow, and had plenty of different blues riffs. I would recommend to all musicians who would like to get blusey.

I have purchased all of the John Ganapes books. Just learning how to play a few years ago, I bought "Blues You Can Use". Wow what a great book! I studied the lessons everyday. The book is wriiten in such a way, that the beginner can grasp what is being taught without becoming confused. The solos are a challenge at first (if you are a beginner like I was) but learning anything worthwhile is a challenge! I went through each lesson until I learned it. I then purchased all the additional books. Blues Rhythym You Can Use is a great book. I have learned a lot from this book. Like all of Ganapes books, it is well written, and presented in an intelligent easy to understand manner.
If you spend time everyday and practice out of any and hopefully all of the Ganapes books, you WILL get a lot better, and be able to jam with other people.
After having practiced with the Ganape books I can say with out a doubt that they are one of the best instructional tools you can use!!!

Great book, I love playing the Blues, and this is a great tutorial in that genre. Satisfaction Guaranteed (not by me, but in general) But you DO have to open the book, and study the lessons to get anything out of it. Easy to understand. Fun to play rhythms.

Highly recommended! It is a great book and worth money. I look forward "more rhythms you can use"!

The gentleman at Hal Leonard have allowed another worthless piece of blues garbage slip out the backdoor of their publishing house. If you are determined to play the blues with a total lack of feeling and complete lack of soul then this book is for you. Otherwise, avoid at all costs.