Fingerpicking Blues Lesson - Lonnie Johnson's signature licks video free download

A major figure in guitar history, Lonnie Johnson bridged blues and jazz styles, playing with blues shouters like Bessie Smith and Texas Alexander on the one hand, and Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington on the other.

The list of guitarists who have cited him as a major influence reads like a genealogy of blues/rock : Robert Johnson (listen to his 'Malted Milk'), T-bone Walker, B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix. Though he fingerpicked the guitar, Johnson's single string playing, with its singing vibrato, was unique and startling and helped further the guitar as a serious soloing instrument in blues and jazz.

Lonnie was definitevely the first in blues history to record single string solo's.

I made up a verse in the key of D with some typical Lonnie Johnson licks and explain them in detail afterwards.

IMPORTANT : I had to cut the lesson short to remain under the 100mgb so I did not explain the tuning.

It's from low to high : DGDGBE

Most of Lonnie's playing between 1926 and 1932 is in the key of D and this tuning (aka G6 or drop G tuning)

Stefan Grossman made a Lonnie Johnson tabbook with transcriptions of some of his greatest intrumentals

http://guitarvideos.com/books/F3346.htm

On the same site you'll also find a lesson package on Lonnie by Woody Mann.

There's also a tabbook by Lennie Carlson called 'Away Down In The Alley' published by Mel Bay (out of print though).

Check my playlists for more Lonnie Johnson songs and instrumentals.

http://www.youtube.com/user/daddystovepipe?feature=mhw4#g/c/D58A1E169D9A031E

Also my cd 'Blues and Gospel from the 78rpm Era' has a nice Lonnie Johnson inspired track called 'Boogie Dance'

http://www.youtunerecords.com/daddystovepipe.html

FREE TABLATURE AT MY WEBSITE

http://www.daddystovepipe.com

direct link to the tab http://www.daddystovepipe.com/resources/TAB%20Lesson%20Lonnie%20Johnson%20signat%20lick.pdf

I added another lesson on this tune

You can hear me play it slower and exactly as the TAB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PJPaMkpo28&feature=related

I uploaded another lesson in this style (with free TAB)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpLu9ZL72zg

Tab also available at my website

Here's the link to another great Lonnie Johnson instrumental "Blues In My Fingers"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vJw-B41tXA

TABLATURE AVAILABLE (see the description of the vid for more info)