Basic Blues Guitar Method, Book 2: Guitar Book & Enhanced CD

Book 2 assumes nothing and builds everything. Rather than jumping into blues licks, Hamburger sequences the fundamentals in a way that makes sense for the instrument itself, hand position, tuning accuracy, chord voicings, before introducing the stylistic techniques that make blues distinctive. The dual notation (TAB and standard) removes a barrier for many students, while the CD demonstrations ground the written material in actual sound.

The blues emerges gradually here, starting from the raw mechanics and flowering into authentic phrasing. You move from playing single notes and basic chords into slides, bends, and the harmonic tension of tritone patterns, all while the groove underneath stays grounded and accessible.

Guitarists with basic instrument familiarity who are ready to build real blues vocabulary. This book works well for self-taught players who want structure, or for classroom and lesson settings where blues study is part of a larger music program.

• Play along with the recorded accompaniment at a slower tempo first; let your ear lock onto the blues groove before worrying about note-perfect execution.
• When slides first appear in the material, isolate the motion separately from the pitch. Practice the hand gesture without fretting to build muscle memory before combining them.
• Use the TAB as a reference tool, not a crutch. As each exercise solidifies, shift your eyes primarily to standard notation to strengthen reading fluency.
• Spend extra time on double stops. The fingering shapes are unfamiliar to many beginners, so working them slowly and deliberately prevents frustration later.

Position this as the bridge between foundational guitar skills and stylistic fluency. It pairs well in a semester-long guitar unit where students learn multiple genres; the blues-specific techniques in Book 2 complement the reading and hand-position work from Book 1. Teachers can also use individual exercises from the method to support improvisation units or to deepen students' understanding of how fretboard geography connects to musical choices.

• Blues chord voicings on guitar
• Reading standard notation and tablature in parallel
• Executing slides and double stops with accuracy
• Identifying and applying tritone patterns
• Playing in a blues groove with rhythmic independence
• Connecting fretboard positions to musical phrases