About
Welcome to learnblueslicks.com. The licks appearing on this site are my own licks or interpretations of popular licks in the style of the blues greats. I hope you find the lessons enjoyable and when it’s all said in done, you’ll be able to sit in with the band and jam.
Website Mission:
Many of you are familiar with my videos on YouTube. The purpose of this website is two-fold:
1. Put all the videos in one place so it makes it easier to find the videos.
2. Provide unique video lessons not found on YouTube. Here’s an example:
My Motto is “No theory, just licks”. If you’re like me, you just want to have some fun playing the guitar and pick up some licks and ideas that improve you’re playing. Or, maybe you want to get to the level that you can comfortably sit in with a band. To that end, I try to keep the lessons short (no more than 10 minutes), and I try to keep it at a level where most players can perform the licks with minimal practice time. You’re not going to find Vai-like acrobatics here.
Influences:
I’ve been influenced by the usual suspects: Hendrix, Clapton, SRV, Gibbons, Trower, et.al. I also love some of the younger axe-slingers, like Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Joe Bonamassa. Right now, Joe Bonamassa has been dominating the play time on my iPod. I love his creativity and “out-of-the-box” style.
Robben Ford and Larry Carlton are also big influences. Their smooth-as-silk technique is awe-inspiring.
And let’s not forget the masters. B.B. King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Albert King, and all that came before them. They are all must listening for the aspiring blues guitarist.
Hopefully, this website will help inspire you and help you improve you’re playing.
Enjoy your stay.
Haywyre
You can also find me on YouTube. Just search for haywyre62.
Ciao
I just found this site last night and stayed up till 2:30 am learning the stuff ive been trying to figure out for months. Thanks for all the great lessons and helpin’ keep the blues alive!
new here, looks great am looking foward to some new licks thanx man!
I love your lessons, and wish I had found this site a long time ago. This is great stuff and I will be telling all my friends about it. I love your tone and feel for the notes. Thanks for putting it up here for us. Great job….
admin Reply:
November 21st, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Your welcome. It’s all about having fun. Glad you’re enjoying the site.
Thanks so much. I’m a guitar teacher myself though I’ve tended to lean more in the rock & jazz direction & was never really into the subtle intracacies of blues lead though I did play some. It really is about making every note count & putting it over in an interesting way which doesn’t always mean speed. It doesn’t seem to matter how many years one has been playing there is always more to learn & I’ve enjoyed the bits I’ve managed to glean from you. It’s quite encouraging to see you make a few mistakes. So I’m not alone then! So thanks again I’m really enjoying your site. Gary.
admin Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Glad you like the site…and my mistakes. There’ll be plenty more of those.
Love the stuff Haywyre, thanks for posting all of this..I’m glad I found the site.. I recently just picked up my guitar after years of rest and have forgotten a lot of stuff, love the blues…cheers
admin Reply:
September 28th, 2009 at 7:59 am
You’re welcome.
I just wanted to say thank you and please keep it up. I find the way you break down each lick very easy to follow. I hope you find time to keep adding more lessons.
admin Reply:
September 28th, 2009 at 8:00 am
You’re welcome. I just teach the way I would want it taught to me. Glad you like the format.
Haywyre , just wanted to thank you for your time and effort to help folks like me that you don’t even know learn to play.I’m sure that most people would be amazed at the amount of time it takes for you to provide this for us.Thank you for caring.If it weren’t for people like you and Justin from Justinguitar.com , I wouldn’t know half of what I do about playing guitar. Thanks so much
Vette3
I love what you are doing here. Please keep it up. You’ve helped improve my playing (and enjoyment)so much. Greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Pere
Great site Haywyre! I have been playing for awhile but you showed me easier and better ways to play. “Tore Down” and the Billy Gibbons shuffle are all that I have watched so far but they are exact. Theory is fine if you want it but having fun is the best and that’s what you do here! Tabs,demos and jams, just great! Thank you and I hope you can keep helping us for a long time.
admin Reply:
August 8th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Riff Raff – Nemesis of Underdog. But not as evil as Simon Bar Sinister.
admin Reply:
August 7th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Thanks riffraff. Do you remember the character Riff Raff from the Underdog cartoon?
Hi everyone ! Just joined and I am curious as to the exact year, model guitar Haywyre plays when he gives the lesson on Tore Down ?
thanks !
bob
admin Reply:
July 27th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
It’s a Gibson ES330. I got it in 1971 when I was 10 years old, so it’s at least 38 years old. My older brother commandeered it and removed the original pickups and replaced them DiMarzios, which are way too hot. The original pickups have disappeared into the ether. I got the guitar back and took it to Stanford University. I let one of my football teammates use it and didn’t see it again until 20 years later in 2004. The guitar was sitting in his parents garage for 10 years. It’s not in the best shape and really needs to re-set up; I just don’t have the time. Are there any guitar techs in the Newport Beach, CA, area that would volunteer?
One of my favorite new licks I love this one
admin Reply:
February 19th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
dirtbag71,
Which one?
dirtbag71 Reply:
February 19th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
@admin, The one above in teh About section
Great licks with lots of goodies to play and build on. Had a blast jamming the other night with friends and found myself using your licks, my own and combining them both without thinking about it. The thing I really noticed is how fluid my lead playing is becoming thanks to all your great lessons.My fingers are getting stronger each day and working better in spite of my bike accident. One of the things you have helped me with is the ability to string licks together in a more fluid style so there is no hesitation between them. Thanks so much Allan, I’m having a blast
admin Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Rick,
That’s great to hear. I’m working on more stuff, so keep checking back often.
(al)most swelladocious!
You say ‘no theory’; that’s too bad; I generally can better remember the stuff I learn if I fit it into what I know about theory.
For instance, those Joe Walsh licks: I was trying to figure it out: maybe based sort of in the major pentatonic? II, bend to III; meanwhile, V, step to VI, then VII, and back down; release bend, coming down (III down to II), and then to the I ??
I guess if one were to translate that to another key, it pretty much would need to still involve the same strings. So, it’s, admittedly, not just scale-pattern-related but also neck-position-related.
anyway, I like it even so
admin Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 8:08 am
lefever,
Actually, there is some theory. Sometimes it’s unavoidable. For example, the Basic Chord Embellishment goes into the Major Pentatonic in relation to the chords. There’s some other examples that you’ll find as you watch the vids.
Love the site, thank you so much for a site like this!!! Keep the blues going!!!!
Ja. Ich arbeite an Eric Clapton’ s-Version von ” I’ m Tore Down” vom ” From the Cradle” CD.
hi again,
schade dass du nicht mehr in deutschland bist.
ich schaue mir immer wieder deine videos an und es funktioniert!!
yeah man you`ve got the blues!
ich hoffe trotz meinen 43 jahren auch irgendwann so spielen zu können.
gibt es vielleicht irgendwann einen ganzen song mit mehreren licks?
danke vielmals und viele liebe grüsse, tom
This is great stuff. Thank you Haywyre. You do a great job in breaking these licks down, nice and easy like. Keep up the good work. My playing has improved a lot in a few weeks, since I have found your site. At this rate, I’m sure I will be able to sit in with a band and hold my own soon. You rock!