Blues | Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons

Five Reasons Why You Need to Know Some Fingerpicking

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

With obvious exceptions, there seems to be a distinct separation between those who pick and those who don’t. Classical guitarists use their fingers exclusively, whereas most rock/metal guitarists pretty much only use picks. Jazz, country, and blues players seem to be the most versatile in their use of both styles to achieve the sound they [...]

Is the Blues Dead?

Monday, September 13, 2010

19 Comments

I guess I’ll be honest right up front… I don’t really like the blues. There are a few players that I love (interestingly enough most of them are out of the Allman Brothers camp) but in general I’m not the biggest fan of the genre. So, it should probably not come as a huge surprise [...]

Jam Track Friday

Friday, July 2, 2010

0 Comments

In lieu of a traditional blog post where I wax philosophical on the musings of being a guitarist, I decided to spend my time today adding a bunch of jam tracks to the site that I’ve been meaning to do for a while. They are all on the Downloads page, and include ii-V-I progressions in [...]

Five Jazz Standards For Beginners

Monday, May 24, 2010

2 Comments

So, you finally decided to dip your toe in the water and start learning some jazz. You’ve finally felt the power of the dark side of the force. Good for you! The rewards of learning to play jazz go way beyond just being a good guitar player. I am convinced that if you can learn [...]

Spice Up Your Pentatonics

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

0 Comments

We all play them. We all play them all the time. We all play them all the time pretty much the same way as everyone else. Sure, you can bend the note longer, or change your vibrato somewhat, but for the most part we’re all pretty much riding the same animal. So what can we [...]

Pentatonic Scale Ideas

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

3 Comments

The ubiquitous pentatonic scale. Five notes that have forever shaped the way guitarists play rock, metal, blues, jazz, country, and polka (well, maybe not polka). Everybody knows the minor pentatonic scale, and everyone uses it. The question is, are you using it to its fullest potential? Are you only playing it over minor blues or [...]

50 Guitar Licks You Must Know DVD Series

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

0 Comments

Produced by Guitar Lab and distributed by eMedia, the 50 Guitar Licks You Must Know DVD series brings together a collection of well-known guitar teachers with diverse playing backgrounds, offering the viewer the chance to learn from the pros. Complete with backing tracks, tab, and notation, the 50 licks series is a great way for [...]

Artist Spotlight: Doug Wamble, A Conversation on Songwriting

Friday, February 19, 2010

0 Comments

Artist Spotlight: Doug Wamble, A Conversation on Songwriting

Doug Wamble is well-known in the jazz guitar community. Having cut his teeth playing with Madeline Peyroux, Cassandra Wilson, Wynton Marsalis, and being signed to Branford Marsalis’ record label, Wamble has established himself as a true spokesperson not only for jazz guitar, but guitar in general. His compositions span a wide range of styles and [...]