per week per student
Personalized Lessons on Electric Blues Guitar
Personalized, private 1-on-1 lessons in how to play electric blues guitar for all levels, beginners to professional musicians: Students can begin at any level and build on their skills for as long as they would like to continue. The minimum commitment is four consecutive weeks. Our ultimate goal is to develop the talents needed to play in a blues band, attend a blues jam session, or simply play the blues with friends or by yourself.
Mercer Island, WA
United States
Educator Profile

Course Details
Blues is a style that is at the heart of all American music. Jazz, country music, and rock 'n roll all have their roots in the blues. Blues played on the electric guitar became popularized in the 1940s by the likes of T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker, each of whom forged a completely unique style from the same musical foundation. That's the way it is with the blues, once you become somewhat proficient, you play them as you please! Students in this course will learn to play by following in the footsteps of the great players of electric blues.
Students will learn to play authentic blues by learning songs, techniques, riffs, and phrases used by the great electric blues masters such as B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Freddy King, and Buddy Guy. We will also find out how the next generation of guitarists like Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, as well as contemporary artists such as Gary Clark Junior or Joe Bonamassa, have adapted these techniques to move the blues into the modern era.
Topics include learning:
- Chords progressions commonly used to play blues and how to play them with a variety of rhythms.
- Chords, scales and arpeggios needed to create blues sounds.
- Riffs and common phrases used by the blues masters.
- Playing complete solos from recordings by great blues artists.
- How to improvise a blues solo by using the scales and riffs in your own way.
- Overall techniques needed to perform blues such as string bending, sliding notes, hammering, pulling off and vibrato.
- How to play with a slide.
- To develop a repertoire of classic, important and commonly played blues songs.
- How to incorporate elements of other styles, like jazz or rock, into the blues.
About Chris Stevens: Chris Stevens is a blues guitarist who lives in Seattle, Washington USA. Chris graduated from the University of Washington with a deer in advertising, yet chose to pursue a career as a performing musician and private guitar instructor in the early 1980's.
As a developing guitarist, Chris had many lessons from prominent Seattle area instructors and began learning to improvise by listening to and studying recordings by blues legends Mike Bloomfield and B.B. King. In high school and college he performed in the school jazz ensembles. A two year stint in the Army found him performing guitar and percussion in the 8th US Army Band stationed in Seoul, Korea. Upon his return to the States, he played in a variety of cover and original rock groups. In the mid 80's, inspired by the emergence of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chris refocused his attention on the blues and immersed himself in the vibrant Seattle blues scene. Chis has been leading his own blues bands ever since and is regarded as one of the finest blues guitarists in the region. Chris's album "Bankshot" is available on CD and digital downloads.
Students enrolling for this course on ipassio can be sure that they receive individual attention from the teacher, as the class strength is limited to 1 student. It also gives teachers the opportunity, to gauge the student's progress in-depth and make changes whenever and wherever required, to ensure the student gets the maximum out of this course. Since this course is detailed, students get the advantage of learning intricate details about this art form. The limited strength of the class also ensures that there is a strong bond between the students and their teacher clearing out any inhibitions that the student might have. The sustained guidance available from the teacher ensures that the student does not deviate from set goals or targets. Learning from a revered, experienced exponent of this art form, through the long duration of this course, keeps the student inspired and motivated to achieve more.
- You can become an accomplished blues musician! Also, since blues is at the heart of all popular music, the musician who knows their blues will be a better rock, country, or jazz player.
- The 12 Bar Blues song form, which will be learned at the outset of lessons, is commonly known by many musicians and can be used to spontaneously create music without having to learn the specifics of songs. This can produce hours of musical fun!
- Players can develop their own unique style of the blues by mixing and matching the phrases they learn from recordings with their own musical ideas that come from experimenting with the scales.
- Prospective students should have a basic understanding of what blues is, and be able to name a few blues artists.
- A guitar outfitted with light gauge strings suitable for bending.
- The ability to play some basic, open position chords and perhaps some experience with barre chords.
- The desire to listen to and play the blues!
Weekly Schedule
These sections are for individual students.
If none of the above timings work for you, just sign up for a free session and we'll work out the timings. | Sign up for a Free Session |
SECTION | DAY & TIME | Available | |
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Section
Section A
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Mon 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM America/New_York
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1 Seat |
SECTION | DAY & TIME | Available | |
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Section
Section B
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Tue 07:00 PM - 07:45 PM America/New_York
|
1 Seat |
SECTION | DAY & TIME | Available | |
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Section
Section C
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Wed 01:00 PM - 01:45 PM America/New_York
|
1 Seat |
SECTION | DAY & TIME | Available | |
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Section
Section D
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Thu 08:00 PM - 08:45 PM America/New_York
|
1 Seat |
SECTION | DAY & TIME | Available | |
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Section
Section E
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Sat 06:45 PM - 07:30 PM America/New_York
|
1 Seat |