While we often talk about how blues is based around 7th chords, those are just suggested chords. In reality you can substitute the 7th chords for 9th chords… and you want to.Here’s a blues in C based around 7th and 9th chords. This one is straight out of lesson 3 from Blues Guitar Unleashed. You probably won’t be able to get the chords just by looking (even a lesson 3 feet away from me can’t see them) so you’ll need to download the PDF of the whole lesson.
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.
In the course I have a slow speed and a full speed play along. I don’t have room for both here so this is full speed. The slow speed audio is below this if you want to download it.
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.
Downloads:
- IPOD of the intro video
- IPOD of the play along
- WMV of the intro video
- WMV of the play along
- AUDIO of slow speed play along
- AUDIO of full speed play along
- PDF of the tune and the chord diagrams.
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Griff, I am 52 years old, I use to rock guitar when I was 22. I haven’t played guitar in 30 years. Recently I had urges to play again, why I don’t know but I am glad I found your website. Now I have really sore fingers and having tons of fun learning the blues. You put allot of effort in reaching out to people and teaching the best and easiest ways to learn playing the blues. I greatly appreciate your efforts. Now I need to invent a playing glove for sore fingers because I want to keep it going lol.
Morgantown WV
i love this sound although is it not bordering on jazz? cheers, chris
great stuff………………. I here a lot of lead sounds in those chords
Hi Griff,
I love the sound of 9th chords. I use them most of the time instead of Dom 7th, especially on a ‘quick IV’ change in the second bar of a 12-bar pattern. I love the way T-Bone Walker used them. Also pretty much indispensable in playing funk.
Thanks and regards
Karl
Hi Griff, Thanks Mate I am having a great time with all these videos on the blues and the info you send me once, again thanks Griff . Mal (Australia)
Hey Griff, Thanks for sharing the 9th cords they sound great and you were right
you don’t have to play all the time and to me the 9th cords sound a little stronger
on my blues patterns.
Thanks
Danny D.
Griff,
Thanks for the great lesson! I love 9th chords. I have been playing for just over a year using the mel bay method. I love it. It really works for me. I know your course will take me where i need to go with the blues. I just want to say “thanks” for all you do for us beginners, you really know your stuff. Thanks again ~~~ Johnny
Griff,
Thanks for the great lesson on 9th chords. I\’ve played acoustic blues, by ear, for 40 years and have been learning electric guitar for about a year now. I\’ve resisted music theory all this time thinking of myself as a blues purist. But with your laid back instructional style, I\’m actually learning skills while the theory is working its way past my stubborness. It\’s helping me think diferently about what I\’m playing. Your instruction is really good.
Doug
This is why I`ll Never Buy and Pay for online Video Lessons—-
Half the time they don`t work— Ya hit the Play button and that
Wheel in the Middle Spins and Spins ane No Video Plays– That
little Wheel just keeps on Spinning and Spinnin`………………..
`GotaGoNow` Wal of the `RAPIDS` `CEDAR` that is………..
LATERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Griff,
This is another great lesson. I have bought your previous blues course (Playing Through The Blues) and LOVE IT!
On this occasion, I think that the mp4 download version of the intro is not playing correctly. But the lesson content as always is awesome value.
There’s just one more thing I’d like to request from you… I’d like to see you post some more videos of you and your band performing. It’s such a cool blues band, and I’d like to hear you play live, but I’m not in the USA. Anyway, if you have in the time, I’d love to see some more of the band performing. There’s nothing like the real thing of putting music on the stage to put all these lessons into context.
Many thanks,
StonePiano
Hey – I just saw the clip on your other post from the live event. That’s what I’m talking about! Excellent jam. That’s why I play guitar. Stuff like that.
Hi, Griff,
Not to play all the time is VERY important advice – thanks for saying that! Ol´masters know that the “not-played-notes” are sometimes the most important – if the rest are the right ones 
MANY THANKS for all you are doing for us!!
MANY of your lessons are pretty useful not only for beginners (sort of am I because I didn´t play for over 20 years, but I am back now
vit
Hey there,
like the lessons. great sounding chords. love the sounds of those 9th chords.
keep up great (work) sounds and clips for us to follow.
again many thxxxxxx
canada
That’s why there are links under ever video player to download the lesson. If you can’t watch the video in the player window, just scroll down a little bit and right click on one of the downloadable videos to save it to your computer.
Griff
Griff,
I’m 70, or will be at the end of the month. I’ve been playing for about 4 years. Mostly just rythymn, but am trying my hand a the blues, which I love. The hands don’t work as well as they used to, so improvising is going to be important to me. This video clip put me back into the lessons.
Thanks,
Vinnie
Griff,
I\’m 70, or will be at the end of the month. I\’ve been playing for about 4 years. Mostly just rythymn, but am trying my hand a the blues, which I love. The hands don\’t work as well as they used to, so improvising is going to be important to me. This video clip put me back into the lessons.
Thanks,
Vinnie
Hello Griff, Just received the kit today. So far the packaging for the discs and the manual have already given me a feeling of confidence that I have purchased a quality product. I have been fooling around with guitars most of my life since my parents thought they were doing me a good thing when they bought me a Hawaiian guitar that I never really took to. I know most of the chords and can play a few simple licks . I guess I would be considered a strummer. I’m 67 and not real stupid, but I have my moments. I have been following your emails for quite a while and have been impressed with your teaching methods and you as a person. One of my goals is to be able to accompany myself while singing old time blues songs around the campfire or on the back porch. Yes, and I know how to get to Carnegie Hall. Practice, practice, practice. Now that I am semi retired I intend to devote at least 20 + minutes per day to this end. Thanks for being there. Bud
OOPS. Sorry about the off topic post. Bud
I like what you’re doing here. These chords and your intepretation of them are quite useful.
Griff
I’ve been a professional musician for 48 years. You are a Guitar God! who said you can’t teach a old dog new tricks. I’m always looking for new ways new cord patterns and anything that will give me a better edge in the music industry. Your lessons are fantastic thank you so much your ease of playing is inspirational……………….Greywolf
Griff,
Like some of the other ‘posts’ I’m over 60 and wanted to learn some guitar, particularly blues. I have not touched a guitar since my teen years (playing folk tunes), but remembering most of the chords has cut down the learning curve somewaht. I bought a used Squire (by Fender but still obviously not a real Strat) and have been using your free stuff for about a month and it is fantastic. I will definitely be buying the lessons within the week. Why? Because your teaching is simply the best of the dozens (if not hundreds) of teaching websites I visited and I’m not going to take advantage of your generosity and your great talent for playing and teaching. I love seeing you and the band on YouTube also!
I’m still having a tough time with muffled sounds when my fat fingers get in the way on certain chords. Can I blame the guitar and tell my wife I need to upgrade to the real deal right away?
Looking forward to getting your lessons.
Gordie
Griff,
Like some of the other \’posts\’ I\’m over 60 and wanted to learn some guitar, particularly blues. I have not touched a guitar since my teen years (playing folk tunes), but remembering most of the chords has cut down the learning curve somewaht. I bought a used Squire (by Fender but still obviously not a real Strat) and have been using your free stuff for about a month and it is fantastic. I will definitely be buying the lessons within the week. Why? Because your teaching is simply the best of the dozens (if not hundreds) of teaching websites I visited and I\’m not going to take advantage of your generosity and your great talent for playing and teaching. I love seeing you and the band on YouTube also!
I\’m still having a tough time with muffled sounds when my fat fingers get in the way on certain chords. Can I blame the guitar and tell my wife I need to upgrade to the real deal right away?
Looking forward to getting your lessons.
Gordie
Griff,
I just got my BGU package in the mail, and am very happy with it. I, too, looked around online at many ‘blues guitar’ courses, got on your mailing list, and knew early on that your teaching style is the best I’ve come across, and I felt like your teaching would finally get me over the hump, make a good player out of me. I’m another one of those over-60 blues fanatics. I’ve fooled with blues on guitar (mostly fingerpicked country blues), mandolin, and piano over the years, and have had a lot of fun playing with other folks, but I want finally to put it all together on electric guitar. After just a couple of lessons, I already have a clearer grasp, and a better sound, than I’ve ever had. Nothing like knowing a bit about what you’re doing…a couple of months of practising what you’re teaching me, and I’ll be ready for my local blues jam! Thanks.
681308
This is a test.
Will this work?
722237
Will this work?
Sorry guitar pickers, but I am not called Fumble Fingers without reason. I can’t seem to figure out how to operate this security code thingie on this web sight. I just found this sight and ordered the Blues Unleashed DVD set. I am looking forward to learing from it. I have three other sets from other teachers, some of them big names, but none of them seem to teach the way Giff does. They all teach how to play a song, but then I don’t know what I did, or why I did it, even though I know how to do it.
Giff teaches HOW and WHY to play and THAT allows me to use the music principle he taught to play OTHER STUFF. The other DVD sets I have from various teachers just give me enough information to play one song and I cannot use what they did to do anything else because they don’t make the kinds of musical theory relationships that Giff does in his lessons. At least, that is what I’ve been able to get out of watching all of the clips from lessons he has so generously provided for free on this web sight. If the Blues Unleashed DVD’s are anywhere as good as these free clips. I am going to learn a LOT and I look forward to discussing it here with all of you. Most of you are waaay ahead of me, but that’s good because you have already crossed the bridges that I have yet to cross , so you can guide me around things that I would stumble on if you didn’t stear me straight. All the best to all of you pickers.
Just wanting to let you know that I have finally got my ring finger to bend into shape for the 7th and 9th chords, as in lesson 3, and am moving on to the next set. It seems much easier now…hope that continues
Hi Griff,
Well, I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt, there were a few by the way.
I ordered your course online, I’m barely into it, just got it yesterday. I’m fighting the Flu right now, don’t feel like playing anything but sick. There might be a good blues song in that experience.
I ordered because you give a year to return if I don’t like it and you have impressive videos and a great sales pitch.
I’m a born skeptic, we’ll see how it works out.
Hi Griff,
Well, I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt, there were a few by the way.
I ordered your course online, I\’m barely into it, just got it yesterday. I\’m fighting the Flu right now, don\’t feel like playing anything but sick. There might be a good blues song in that experience.
I ordered because you give a year to return if I don\’t like it and you have impressive videos and a great sales pitch.
I\’m a born skeptic, we\’ll see how it works out.