Just Teasin': Guitar Tab

Buddy Guy's compositions deliver exactly what working guitarists need: authentic blues phrasing wrapped in accessible tab format. This piece gives students a direct line into the vocabulary of a master, teaching them how to bend, slide, and phrase the blues without oversimplifying the language.

Just Teasin' captures the playful swagger of Chicago blues, where the guitar dances around the beat with confidence and attitude. The tune bristles with bent notes and bluesy licks that tease the listener, never quite settling into predictability.

Intermediate to advanced guitarists with a genuine interest in blues vocabulary and technique will find this tab indispensable. Students exploring how to translate listening experience into actual playing will benefit from following a master's exact moves.

• Study the bent notes carefully; Buddy's signature sound lives in the precise angle and duration of each bend rather than simply hitting the target pitch.
• Listen to the original recording multiple times before diving into the tab so your ear knows where the phrasing breathes.
• Work the rhythm section tight first, then layer in the lead guitar parts once the groove is locked.
• Pay attention to dynamics and vibrato intensity; this piece sits between aggressive and controlled, and that balance matters more than raw speed.

Feature this in a blues unit or guitar ensemble focused on American roots music. It works equally well as a solo feature or as part of a programming block that highlights different approaches to the blues idiom.

• Blues bending technique and intonation control
• Phrasing and rhythmic displacement within a 12-bar blues form
• Reading and interpreting guitar-specific notation for slides and vibrato
• Listening transcription skills by comparing tab to recorded performance
• Understanding call and response and space in blues soloing