Slow blues with feeling

You picked a difficult genre, my friend. Playing a slow blues is a real challenge. You cannot hide behind fast licks. The things I should work on first - if I were you - are: (1) timing (2) bending (3) listening to the chord changes and follow those (that is what you need to do if you want to add color). After that ask yourself: what do I want to tell my audience?

 

All good advice... but I heard some mighty cool bending ideas in there

Nice job, Steven

HJ

 

Yea, some good stuff in there and a few bends that either didn't end up in key or started out at the wrong spot. Restraint is hard to come by for most of us especially when the goal is to solo...it usually becomes a case of 'so much to say with so little time to squeeze it in'....ends up sounding like the girlfriend who talks too much after a while. You did a pretty good job of not playing too much though.
I think it was a quote I read of Miles Davis who said something like: 'It's the holes you play not just the holes you fill with notes that make it special.'

One thing you could have included was trying different voices of the guitar, after eight or sixteen bars switch to a different pickup position or roll the volume back and find a way to say something with the 'new voice' that is a departure from whatever motifs you were using previously.
You can find rhythmic changes too that mix things up.

When in doubt play a hole. When you hit a bad note repeat it like you meant it and bend it or slide to resolve it into the flow (some people call that Jazz).

Anyway, that's some of the stuff I try to tell myself to do.

 

nicely done.play what makes you feel good.that's what it's all about.

 

You know, there were a few notes out of place here and there, but man!! , you had some great bends and stuff in there!! I really enjoyed it. Keep recording yourself,and you can critique yourself. Overall you had some great and unique ideas! Keep up the good work!!

 

First of all, there is some nice stuff in there. Keep it up.

If you truly want to get into this genre of music read on.

Your tone on this recording is not good. You have way too much screechy distortion and compression. I can hear your pick a lot, which tells me you were playing at very low volumes. Use a tube amp if possible. You need volume to play the blues properly. Turn up the volume on your amp and turn down the volume knob on your guitar. You will get a much fatter screaming tone instead of thinner screechy tone.

Most of the time, your feeling and speed were good. There are a few times when they feel a little rushed. Less is more. Remember, you are trying to create tension, then are releasing it. Sorta like an orgasm. Build it up then release it. Build it up again, then release it. Build it slow and methodically. Light dark. Hard picking soft picking. Slow then fast. Slides and bend.

Learn to vary your tone with picking and as others suggested, the toggle switch on your guitar. You will be amazed at how much you can vary your tone by picking right up against the bridge. You may also want to try a few lines in the solo with your fingers instead of a pick.

Most of the stuff your playing was clean on. Some of it your weren't. You have to be clean on everything in the blues because it is played fairly clean and the lead guitar is way out in front. This just takes practice and recording it. Listening and refining. Keep it up.

Hope this helps a little. Keep it rolling.