Guitar Casebook Series: The Blues Licks Casebook: Guitar Book

This book respects the intelligence of blues learners by giving them exactly what they need to decode and absorb the language of the style. The casebook format pairs perfectly with transcription and ear training work; students can reference a specific lick while listening to recordings, then internalize the connection between sound and fretboard location.

The blues tradition speaks through bent strings, sustained notes, and carefully placed silence. These licks capture that voice in its purest form—the particular way a legendary player bends into a note, the rhythmic pocket they find, the emotional weight they carry.

Guitar students who want to learn blues vocabulary systematically and carry it with them for practice anywhere. Teachers looking for a compact reference to support blues improvisation instruction alongside their own demonstrations.

• Study one box position thoroughly before adding another. Lock it into muscle memory by playing through it at different tempos and in different keys, not just in the position shown.
• Listen to recordings of the licks in context before isolating them on your instrument. Hearing how B.B. King or Albert King bend, sustain, and phrase their material shows you the intention behind each note.
• Practice bending accurately to pitch, especially on licks that rely on quarter-step and half-step bends. Intonation separates authentic blues phrasing from mechanical execution.
• Use the theory section to understand why these licks work over blues chord progressions. Knowing the relationship between the box and the underlying harmony deepens your ability to improvise beyond transcription.

Pair this with recordings of classic blues performances so students can hear each lick in its original context. Use it as a supplement to blues improvisation units, where learning standard positions and licks builds the foundation for authentic soloing.

• Blues box positions and their applications across the fretboard
• Bending technique with precise intonation
• Transcription and ear training for blues phrasing
• Blues theory and harmonic function
• Improvisation using standard lick vocabulary