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Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on April 5, 2016 at 12:37am

Absolutely awesome. On the junior kimbrough video you talked about a box though? What or where is the box on the fretboard? Loved what you gave us so far man. Properly inspirational stuff.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 6, 2016 at 3:20am

Dani & Bear,

A "blues box" is a pattern of notes in a particular scale that forms a "box" pattern on the fretboard. Here's some free blues boxes to try:

http://guitar4free.com/main/blues_articles/5_essential_boxes_for_bl...

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Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on April 6, 2016 at 3:28am

Thanks Ron. I appreciate the explanation. Do you recommend any similar links for three string GDg tuning or four string AC#Ea? Thanks again Ron. :)

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 6, 2016 at 8:28am

Here's where a little music theory can be helpful. You need to learn the major and minor pentatonic scales, in the key of G for your GDG tuning. Then, you can map that pattern to the fretboard, once you have mapped all the notes on your GDG tuning to the fretboard (this is where a sketch of the actual fretboard with strings also comes in handy, or you can do the same thing with 3-string tab). It's not as difficult as it sounds. Here's a link to get you started ( same concepts would apply for your A tuned 4-stringer):

http://www.guitarhabits.com/combining-minor-and-major-pentatonic-sc...

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Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on April 6, 2016 at 9:53am

Thanks again Ron. I'm on the job of the minor pentatonic blues scale already and am cheating with sticky dots. Next will be the major scale I guess. I was more intrigued with what and where the box or boxes are I think as I've not heard it referred to that way before. Huge thanks again, as always, for the help. Much appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 8, 2016 at 5:22pm

Have a look at the still pic at the beginning of turtlhead's recent 12-bar blues jam track video. He has a 3-string fretboard showing several "boxes."

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Permalink Reply by David Kaftal on April 8, 2016 at 9:02am

What's the tuning for "Mississippi Boll Weevil"?  Is that one GDG too?

Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 8, 2016 at 5:24pm

Yep. He's using the same git in the same tuning in all,three vids.

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Permalink Reply by Ted on September 7, 2017 at 10:11am

enjoyed the lesson Dan i was wondering about the pick you use i also have a aputated thumb its hard for me to pinch the pick any help it would be great  Ted 

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on September 8, 2017 at 3:12pm

Have you looked into finger tip picks like the Banjo players use?

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