FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Intermediate Blues Guitar

Question:
I am a complete beginner in guitar. I know a few basic chords with strumming but that's it. I am interested in learning blues guitar. My questions are: is it hard to start out with blues guitar without any advanced prior knowledge (chords, finger style picking) etc and what learning book(s)

Answer:
One of the most talked-about series of books for learning blues guitar are the books by John Ganapes. There are three in the series: Blues You Can Use, More Blues You Can Use, and Blues Licks You Can Use. The series is published by Hal Leonard and you can find them on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/102-7037103-2693707 The first book starts out right at the beginning and takes you pretty far. They all come with a CD so you can hear what he's writing about. I think you'll find them to be just what you're looking for. The only trouble with the ganapes series is it gets into barre chords relatively quickly in the 1st book which is why I never think it when suggesting beginner material. Starts off with some relatively simple stuff but within a couple tunes you'd better be able to barre or you'll be dead ended. Seems more intermediate material IMHO. Naturally everyone's mileage may vary