How to play blues on an electric guitar like BB King

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If you've ever wanted to play blues like the greats, MusicRadar shows you their style. Just pick up your electric blues guitar and think of what blues guitarist you want to play like.

This video tutorial will teach you to play blues on an electric guitar like BB King. For as long as anyone can remember, BB King has always been a blues master and has been acknowledged as a guitar hero by his contemporaries.

There are some key points to look for when emulating BB King's style. He often uses a fast, shallow vibrato on sustained notes.

Wherever the 'third' note of the chord appears (in the case of the video examples, the third is C) it is bent slightly sharp by about a quarter-tone (half a semi-tone). The effect of this is to bypass either major or minor sounds, giving a feel unique to the blues - later emulated by rock players.

Even though most of the phrasing is derived from the blues scale, B.B. is aware of the composition of the chords behind him. A fan of guitar players as diverse as T-Bone Walker and Django Reinhardt, he chooses his simple melodic lines to fit the accompanying chords.

These examples are based around a 12-bar style progression and the phrases are all based around the A blues scale in different positions. Avoid the temptation to play these with a rock sound, or it becomes graceless! Use the middle pickup selection with a smattering of overdrive and reverb, but plenty of treble.

Find tabs here:

http://www.musicradar.com/gallery/tuition/play-blues-guitar-like-bb-king-34630