Delta Blues Guitar Lessons from Bob Wolfman http://www.wolfmansguitarlessons.com Delta Blues Guitar Lessons are quite unique when learning to play the blues... here is a quick lesson for you... When you are considering delta blues guitar lessons, some history of the Delta Blues might help... Delta blues refers to a style of music which originated in the Mississippi Delta region that doesn't refer to a river delta, but rather from the region formed from Memphis, Tennessee going down southward to Mississippi and the east-west boundaries to be considered the Mississippi River on the west Yazoo River on the east. Initially, the music originated on the slave plantations who sang while they were forced to work. One man would sing, and then the others would respond to the call. This became known as "call and response", and is still used quite a bit even in today's Blues music, and other contemporary styles as well. What was originally "work songs" or "hollers" later evolved into dance or party music when accompanied by instruments. Delta blues was originally recorded in the 1920s, and was predominantly performed or recorded by an individual playing slide guitar and harmonica. In the thirties and forties, the blues style spread northward as many slaves moved from the South. The blues also became electrified with the introduction of the amplified guitar. In some northern cities like Chicago and Detroit, during the later forties and early fifties, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James and many others, played what was still basically Mississippi Delta blues, but they added other instruments such as piano, drums, bass and sometimes a second guitar as well. Several blues songs became national hits. Right about that time, T-Bone Walker in Texas and B.B. King in Memphis, Tennessee were creating a style of guitar playing that utilized more sophisticated techniques. During the sixties bands like The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix started to create their own versions of classic blues tunes. Their music formed a base for hundreds of other popular blues and rock bands into the next few decades, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others. The blues will always continue to grow and evolve. To enhance your delta blues guitar lessons, a suggested listening discography would start with Robert Johnson, and then Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James. Then comes T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Eric Clapton, Peter Greene, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Johnie Winter, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Delta Blues Guitar Lessons Delta Blues Guitar is a very basic and simple style, generally played with a repetitive shuffle rhythm, which has a very drone like quality. However, you can add and layer so many lush and colorful embellishments on top; licks, fills, double stops for example. Although the basic foundation of Delta Blues guitar is pretty simple, it may be and often is developed into a richly layered tapestry of sounds and techniques that have become the mainstay roots for Rock and other styles as well.