Learning to play the blues can be a long and frustrating process, but it doesn’t have to be. The main problem is that most guitar players start out with a big minor pentatonic scale, and it’s just too much to learn how to use at first.
The solution to this is something called B.B.’s box. It’s a small fragment of the traditional minor pentatonic scale that can be used to play through all of the chord changes in the standard 12-bar blues progression. With a little music theory and some perseverance, you can use this idea all over the guitar to play the blues in any key.
The pdf for this lesson has the standard 12-bar blues chord progression written out for you, but it also has the B.B.’s box shape with the scale degrees written in for you. A jam track from the Blues Hound course is also available to download.
Give the video a watch to learn how the intervals in the B.B.’s box shape relate to the chords in the standard 12-bar blues progression. It takes some effort, but getting this down is the first step to intentionally choosing your notes instead of just playing through a scale shape and hoping for the best. The best part is that this concept is accessible enough for anyone to learn how to play great blues solos.
Give the lesson a watch, and let us know if you have any questions or insights you’d like to share.
Nate