Blues Guitar Arrangements For the Intermediate Player – Mary Flower

Learn five classic blues songs, especially arranged for intermediate-level guitarists who want to explore exciting new styles and repertoire. Mary Flower’s clear, step-by-step instruction will make these pieces fun to play for anyone with some prior knowledge of blues fingerpicking techniques.

Mary starts off with Leroy Carr’s Papa’s in the Housetop, first strumming the basic chords to get you quickly into the tune. She teaches you how to play the melody on the high strings, then adds harmony notes and finally finishes the arrangement with a hot New Orleans bass line.

She then launches into equally detailed instruction for Bessie Smith’s Backwater Blues, with moving basses and unusual harmonies; Memphis Minnie’s Black Rat Swing, played in both standard and open D tunings; Jimmy Oden’s Going Down Slow, a 12-bar shuffle/groove blues, using “a combination of Charlie Patton and Jimi Hendrix licks;” and New Orleans Hop Scop Blues, another great Bessie Smith ragtime blues.

Mary Flower’s arrangements are challenging, fun to play and filled with musical ideas that will inspire you and add great songs to your blues repertoire.