New to the blues, Advice please?

[trigger happy]

Through a my work I happened upon an opportunity to start playing with a local gigging blues and classic rock band. Long story short I have been learning to play for about a year using Scott's bass lessons as my only source of online instruction. This has created a need to start playing with people to obviously further my education and give me more experience. To keep it short and simple without going to deep into where I am at in proficiency I have just a few short questions. I am ready and not intimidated to start this journey, but no real knowledge of the blues other than what I have heard mentioned, and researched online. SBL does have a blues deep dive course that I am studying to be more prepared and it is helping, but so far "the shuffle", that's all that I have gotten past. My current focus is getting an understanding of Pentatonics so that I am familiar with them before jumping directly into the 'blues scale." Should take a couple weeks for that.

So... for a newbie, other than watching "Crossroads" again, what would be some things for me to focus on learning form the masters?
What references would you recommend? What artists to seek out to transcribe?

Thanks in advance for the advice. The guitarist has seen me play and is excited to play with me and says that I will do just fine, but of course I would like to be as prepared as possible for the audition.

 

[MonetBass]

Learn both major and minor pentatonic scales. Boom! You're ready.

No, seriously, that's pretty much it. Oh, and the "blues turnaround".

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Not all blues songs use the blues scale. Many use the mixalydian scale. Just get the 12-bar part down pat.

 

[MrLenny1]

1 4 5 chord progression in all keys.
Learn The Thrill is Gone.

 

[mikew31]

Found these videos on YouTube a while back and posted them last week for a different thread, but they are perfect for your situation. I'm not a fan of busy playing for blues. Set the groove and let the guitarists wank. Blues bass is about feel, not technical wizardry.

 

[Green1]

True Fire has some good courses. David Santos and Andrew Ford are blues based courses. Ed Freidland has a good book on blues playing......just a few suggestions

 

[fearceol]

My first suggestion would be to listen closely to as much as possible from artists/bands as...John Mayall's Bluesbreakers...early Fleetwood Mac (with Peter Greene)...Freddy/Albert/and BB King...Buddy Guy...Johnny Winter...Taj Mahall... Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray...for starters. Youtube is your friend here.

Blues is all about "feel"...which can't be taught. So listening closely to the masters is a must.

My second suggestion would be to buy a copy of Hal Leonard's "Blues Bass". Lots of practical information here.

Amazon.com: Blues Bass - A Guide to the Essential Styles and Techniques: Hal Leonard Bass Method Stylistic Supplement (Book & Online Audio) (0073999715866): Ed Friedland: Books

 

[Lobster11]

A few years ago I saw an old friend, whom I hadn't seen in many years, playing with a blues band. Awesome player; I used to take lessons with him. As I sat there listening to him play, I was struggling to figure out what it was that made him sound so damn good. He was playing mostly simple lines, as is typical in most blues bands, but he just grooved like all get-out. Near the end of the set it finally dawned on me: It was his control of note length. Every note was held for precisely its full value, not a millisecond less. After the show I told him about my epiphany, and he just grinned and said, "Yeah, I think you're right."

As @fearceol said, blues is all about "feel," and that's one important aspect of feel. Put the notes in the right places, of course, but then be sure to hold them for their full value and avoid choking them off too soon.

 

[Nickweissmusic]

Here's some basic theory that you should know to communicate with other working blues musicians, it's pretty basic so apologies if it's nothing new Blues Theory - YouTube

 

[Aquilador]

My first suggestion would be to listen closely to as much as possible from artists/bands as...John Mayall's Bluesbreakers...early Fleetwood Mac (with Peter Greene)...Freddy/Albert/and BB King...Buddy Guy...Johnny Winter...Taj Mahall... Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray...for starters. Youtube is your friend here.

Blues is all about "feel"...which can't be taught. So listening closely to the masters is a must.

Just what I was going to suggest too. Anything by early Fleetwood Mac and Bluesbreakers with John McVie on bass is a great start.

 

[bherman]

Listen to the BB King Blues station on Pandora; play along with it for a few hours. Focus on your tone and time, keep it simple. No bass wankery.

 

[Phalex]

For my money Johnny B Gayden is blues bass. I stole tons of stuff from him, and would suggest the same for anyone playing blues.

 

[jeffbassguy]

blues is easy for the most part..this is why almost every open mic night around where I live is a "blues jam". to answer your question, id put on a blues station and play along with it for a few days.

 

[AztecViking]

Listen to tons of blues. Then play along with it.

At some point try soloing over it. It's a music that lends itself to improvisation so don't get too caught up in reproducing it note for note.

 

[Bassman Spliff]

Some solid advice here so far. I'm playing in a blues band now and I can't agree enough with the folks saying keep it simple and pay attention to feel. Your job in a blues band is to lay down a solid foundation for the guitar, harmonica, or keys player to go ham over. Lock with the drummer. Keep it simple. Use dynamics effectively.

You will start to notice many of the songs have bass lines that are very very similar. This is where listening and feel will come in. Really listen to the recording and note all the little nuances the bass player uses to make one song different from the next. Playing blues is to music, what limiting your pallet is to painting. At first you're going to feel constrained by the limited format, but the real satisfaction comes when you find out how to be creative within that limitation.

 

[HolmeBass]

Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Otis Rush, Jr. Wells, and Elmore James are all great electric blues men. Many of SRV's good recordings were of Elmore James tunes, like "The Sky Is Crying". You can't go wrong with the three Kings as someone else posted, either.

Just listen and soak in the vibe and energy. Maybe drink too much every now and then.

 

[obimark]

Just what I was going to suggest too. Anything by early Fleetwood Mac and Bluesbreakers with John McVie on bass is a great start.

Really?? Dont see too many amateur hour blues bands playing anything as difficult as Oh Well by early Fleetwood Mac...

 

[Badwater]

If your getting into blues, check out some online blues bass tutorials. Variety of resources are always better than one. Also, to play great blues, you gotta really like the music. Technique can get you there, but to enjoy playing it is the holy grail of playing blues. Also, learn the history, and read up on the musicians that came before us. Guitar players, drummers, keyboard players, harmonica players, and bass players all have a significant part on why and how the blues is the way it is today. If you understand the blues, you'll understand that the blues has DNA in every form of popular music, as well as jazz, hip hop and reggae. And with this understanding of the blues, you'll be able to get into any style of music.

 

[hrodbert696]

Pay careful attention to whatever happens when you wake up this mornin'.

 

[sedan_dad]

Keep it simple. The drums tell you what to play. The guitar tells you what key. Don't be afraid to use holes. Try NOT to be noticed.