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Glam Journal

Is blues hard to play?

Author

Emily Wilson

Updated on March 15, 2026

Is blues hard to play?

Blues can be incredibly fun to play on guitar, but many beginners start out unsure whether blues is too hard to learn. Blues guitar is not hard to learn, but it is hard to master. A beginner can learn a simple blues shuffle within a few weeks while playing a blues song with soul and passion can take years to develop.

Should I memorize licks?

They are bite sized chunks of jazz vocabulary that we can learn, memorize and use in our playing. Learning licks has many benefits. Often it’s not what musicians do to learn licks; it’s what they don’t do. In general, it’s not hard for most musicians to learn some rhythmically organized notes on their instruments.

How many blues licks are there?

Before we dive in, let’s take a look at three blues scale patterns that form the basis of our 12 licks. A quick run through these shapes will help wake up our hands and minds.

What is the best blues guitar?

PRS Custom 22. The PRS Custom 22 is a newer model electric guitar, having become available in 1985, and it is highly acclaimed as one of the best blues guitars by Guitar World , Guitar Fella, and Reidy’s Home of Music.

How to play the Blues on guitar?

To play the A minor blues scale in 12th position, start with your index finger on the 12th fret of the A string. This scale does require you to shift your hand position up one fret once you reach the B string so that your index finger is on the 13th fret. Then, you must shift your hand back to your starting position for the high E string.

What is great blues guitarist played a Telecaster?

Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music. He played a blue Telecaster, with a white pickguard and two single-coil pickups, whilst a member of the renown British folk-rock band, Steeleye Span, from 1970-1972, 1977-1978 and 1999.