Complete Acoustic Blues Guitar Method Complete Edition
By Lou Manzi
Item: 00-PB-0002355
$34.99
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Description
Anyone interested in learning to play acoustic blues guitar can pick up this book and get started right away. This well-paced, comprehensive method covers everything, from basic to advanced techniques and styles. Beginning concepts include basic blues theory, left-hand technique, call-and-response phrasing, intros, turnarounds, and improvisation. For the intermediate player, the book takes a quick look at 12-bar, 16-bar, and 9-bar blues progressions before exploring scale- and arpeggio-based blues soloing, jazz blues, and open tunings. The book concludes with advanced techniques including an in-depth look at fingerstyle blues (with lots of pieces in standard, open and alternate tunings), slide guitar technique, pentatonic and blues scale theory and application, modal theory, jazz blues, walking bass lines, popping, and advanced muting techniques. Whether you are starting to learn blues guitar or are an advanced player looking to give your playing more nuance, Acoustic Blues Guitar Method Complete is all you'll ever need. An audio recording demonstrating examples in the book is included.
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Sample Audio
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Listen to 12 Bar Blues in C
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Listen to Boppin the Bass
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Listen to Solo with 3rds
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Listen to 12 Bar Blues in C
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Sample Video
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Additional Details
Series:
Complete Method
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
248
SKU:
00-PB-0002355
More about this title
Why we love this
This method refuses to treat blues guitar as a single genre frozen in time. Manzi structures the progression so students encounter traditional 12-bar blues alongside 9-bar and 16-bar forms, then moves them into jazz blues and modal territory; this mirrors how working blues musicians actually develop their craft rather than retreating into one sound. The balance between comprehensive theory and immediately playable material means students grasp *why* a technique matters before they wrestle with it.
What to expect
The early chapters ground you in straightforward, soulful phrasing where less is more. As you progress, the harmonic world expands into jazz territory, alternate tunings introduce new tonal landscapes, and fingerstyle work demands precision and sensitivity simultaneously. By the end, the book reflects the depth and nuance of blues as a living tradition.
Who it's for
Solo guitarists aiming to build serious blues chops will find a structured path from foundational techniques through advanced applications like slide and modal theory. This also serves teachers who want a self-contained resource they can reference when a student asks how open tunings work or what the connection is between pentatonic scales and actual blues soloing.
How to get the most out of it
- Work through the progressions with a metronome at a tempo where you can execute the left-hand shape changes cleanly, then gradually increase speed. The transfer from theory to muscle memory happens slowly.
- Record yourself playing the call-and-response phrases, then listen back before moving ahead. Your ear will catch phrasing problems that your hands didn't register.
- When you reach open tunings, spend extra time on the basics of that tuning before layering in the fingerstyle patterns. Each new tuning rewires your spatial sense on the neck.
- Use the included audio examples as touchstones for tone and phrasing, but don't aim to copy them exactly. Hear what Manzi does, then find your own voice within the same framework.
How to use it
Assign this as a summer study guide for guitarists preparing for a fall ensemble season where blues repertoire will appear. You might also use chapters on specific tunings or techniques as focused skill-builders when you're programming repertoire that requires them.
Skills your students will build
- 12-bar, 16-bar, and 9-bar blues progressions and their harmonic movement
- Left-hand technique specific to blues phrasing and chord navigation
- Call-and-response phrasing and structure
- Pentatonic and blues scale application in soloing
- Open tunings (standard, open, and alternate) and fingerstyle technique across each
- Slide guitar technique and tone control
- Jazz blues harmony and modal theory
- Intros, turnarounds, and walking bass lines
- Advanced muting techniques and popping