Have you ever considered the fact that rehearsing your blues guitar skills calls for playing with a real professional band? Especially before you can progress to the next level of your playing.

Seriously speaking, not every player has professional band lying around that they can visit up and say, "OK, I'm ready to practice now." Does anybody? Even professional jam sessions must be planned and coordinated and normally is only once a week. So, how on earth are you suppose to get prepped forthe real world?

Any better-known guitar player will tell you that the best way to learn, is to practice, practice, practice! That's why you should try looking into purchasing blues jam tracks. Often times you will find that the blues jam tracks you'll run into are made of cheap midi instruments that isn't authentic and it sounds like a miserable video game from the seventies! Make sure you do your preparation and select the right CD to rehearse along with. It should have real instruments along with a real professional band.

You also want it to have a extended variety of tempos and styles. You will want it to have a shuffle, a fast blues, a slow blues, etc. and it is important that the participants on the CD are in tune and stay in time (tempo). I know that seems pretty basic but you'd be amazed how many people will put up with shoddy midi blues jam tracks that they try to download...and it comes out terrible! Spare yourself the worry and get professional blues backing tracks from 50Blues

All I know is that ever since I set out playing along with blues jam tracks I have improved my guitar playing significantly. Having the power to control a professional blues band with the click of a mouse and a play button was unbelievable. It makes it much easier to improvise and create new licks and riff. I would recommend this method of learning to every blues guitarist or musician out there.

The blues is a kind of music that can be vocal, instrumental (blues guitar) or both. It employs the 'blue' notes which are established on a 'minor pentatonic' scale most of the time, otherwise known as the blues scale.

Blues music was generalised from the African-American communities in the U.S. out of job songs, spiritual songs, field hollers, chants, shouts and elementary ballads that rhymed. A lot of aspects of the blues comes from African culture

The call-and-response aspect of the music came straight from African origins and there were a lot of lines that would get duplicated thrice or more. This later developed into a line repeating twice and then on the third time around there would be an 'answer line'. You will be able to still discover these aspects of early blues in modern day music, especially hip-hop.

The term 'The Blues' refers to the 'blue devils' which signifies down spirits or sorrow.

The blues guitar brings a fundamental role in blues music as well as up-to-date music. It has shaped Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Bluegrass and even heavy rock genres The original blues of the early 1900's, differently known as "poor man's blues" was normally associated with hard times, subjugation from white folk, cruelness of the police, gambling, economic depression, floods, magic, farming and dry periods. This music was fueled by a lot of grief and sorrow. Typically a lost loved one or an generic harsh surrounding prompted the lyrics and the tone of the blues guitar.

After the world war, you start to see blues songs that were about relationships and sexuality. Also, wit was broadened to the mix. Here is a funny example:

"That must be your woman, cause mine don't look like that... I said That must be your woman, cause mine don't look like that... Have you seen my baby? She's so big and fat..."

The blues guitar style came forth from the American South's instruments of the time which were the banjo and the Diddley Bow. This was a home made one stringed instrument that was favourite in the early 20th century. Figures such as Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Son House and Blind Willie McTell were a part of the delta blues style which used a lot of finger picking techniques and slide guitar innovations.

Eventually, after WWII 'electric blues' became progressively popular where the blues guitar was played on electric guitars as were the bass guitars. This was most prevalent in the Chicago area.

The history of blues guitar and poor man's blues is rich with culture and stories of good times and bad. I could go on for days about the history of the blues guitar but let's make this part 1 so you don't fall asleep on me!