If you've noticed that Delta Blues brings something pretty special to the world of music, you might be dreaming of developing your own skills and learning to play. The good news is that it's an accessible style for everyone, even if you've never played guitar before.
Start with the basics:
- Delta Blues has Slide Guitar at its core and this is all about listening and expressing emotion - so it's not essential to hit every note perfectly. This means there's plenty of room for interpretation and making mistakes is all part of the fun.
- Polish up your confidence and have a go! Delta Blues uses standard tuning and various open tunings - I've written other blogs with more information about these tunings if you're interested in finding out more.
- Learn the 12-bar blues progression, which is the foundation of most Delta Blues songs.
- Focus on getting a good feel for rhythm and timing, as Delta Blues has a distinctive swing and groove.
Learn the skills you need:
Most Delta Blues players use a bottleneck or slide. You can start with a glass, ceramic or metal slide on your ring or pinky finger and get started with my Slide Success: Foundations course to learn all the basics with none of the stress.
Take the time to really listen to players like Robert Johnson, Son House, Skip James, and Charley Patton. Classics like "Cross Road Blues," "Death Letter," or "Devil Got My Woman" are great starting points.
Practice makes improvement:
- Start slowly and focus on getting the feel right rather than speed
- Record yourself to hear how you're progressing
- Don't worry about perfection - Delta Blues is not about precision, it's about soul.
Hop over to my Learn Slide Guitar group on Facebook to find a supportive community of Slide Guitar learners and share tips and tricks.