Blues Rock, as a genre, is difficult to define, since the term can be attributed to countless bands and artists from the 1950s to modern day. Since blues artists paved the way for rock music, the name generally refers to guitar-driven music with a strong blues influence that isn’t necessarily based around a 12 bar format.
Blues Rock bands and artists from the 1960s and 70s include Cream, Free, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, while more modern examples of the genre include The Black Crowes, Gov’t Mule, Joe Bonamassa and Gary Moore. However, the list is almost endless, as what qualifies as Blues Rock it is largely open to interpretation.
Over the next few lessons, we will be soloing over two blues influenced rock backing tracks. Our first has a late 1960s vibe and our second is an uptempo driving rock track.
While strongly rooted in the blues, our solos allow for some slightly flashier playing. Both feature musically busier, faster licks, while retaining the tonality of the blues scale and its various colour tones.
We begin by learning the 60s-inspired rhythm guitar part of our first backing track.