We’re on day three and we’re getting deep into this now. I’ve got one question for you — did you put in the time I asked? I hope so, because it’ll make everything here click faster. If not, that’s alright. Go put in your time and come back. I’ll wait.

This is Part 3 of the Slow Blues Solo Challenge. If you missed the earlier lessons, start with Part 1 — The Scales.

Call and Answer

In blues, there’s always a call and answer thing happening. Riff one went high. Riff two went low. Now riff three comes back up — it’s actually a reference to riff one, using the same notes rearranged just a bit. That’s not lazy writing. That’s how blues works. You state an idea, answer it, then restate it with a twist.

This is one of the best ways to build a solo, especially if you’re just getting into this. Learn some note groupings, get familiar with them, then modify them slightly. A few small changes and it sounds like a whole new idea.

Riffs 3 and 4 — Building Tension

Riff three starts right on the beat — no rest this time. Same notes as riff one but with different timing. Let it ring out and add some vibrato at the end.

Riff four is similar but pushes one note higher in the register. We’re upping the ante each bar, building a little more excitement. You’ll roll your first finger from the third string over to the second string and then catch the first string at the 12th fret. From there, 15th fret second string, back to 12th fret first string, and up to the 15th again.

Both of these riffs start on beat one. That change from the rests in riffs one and two gives the solo forward momentum.

Finding Your Vibrato

You’ll see me vibrato throughout this solo and it adds real character, especially in a slow blues like this. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. Some guys shake their whole hand. I get more out of it just wiggling my fingers and wrist. You have to experiment.

Think about how a good singer holds a note — that little wobble in the voice. That’s what you want from the string. Don’t bend so far that it goes out of pitch. Just a gentle wiggle. And if the vibratos I’ve marked in the tab don’t come right away, don’t sweat it. They’ll develop with time.

Riffs 5 and 6 — Working the Middle

Riff five slides on the third string and works around the same area as riff two. It starts on beat two with a slide up from the 14th fret. Riff six is nearly identical except for the last note — it ends on the E tonic because we’re heading back to the E minor chord in the progression.

That’s a small detail, but it shows you how the solo follows the chords. Riff five emphasizes the A minor change. Riff six brings you back to E. Tiny modifications, big musical difference.

Halfway There

That’s six bars down. You’re halfway through your first 12-bar blues solo.

For practice, spend 10 minutes on your scales with the jam track, 15 minutes on the four new riffs individually, and 15 minutes putting all six bars together. If any riff gives you trouble, isolate it and play it through the whole 12-bar cycle. The notes all fit the key, so you can’t really hit a wrong note — just a wrong timing.

Ready for the hard part? Head to Part 4 — The Toughest Riffs.

Back to the full Blues Soloing section.