Walter Trout is an experienced bluesman who has played with many famous names, including John Lee Hooker and John Mayall. He spends his time now touring with his band, Walter Trout and the Radicals
We started by asking Walter to demonstrate a 12-bar pattern, and he obliged with a slow blues in E. While the chords are in simple open positions, there are other challenges that are might prove a bit of a handful, especially if you are new to the guitar.
First, note how Walter switches between lead and rhythm. Next, he's using hybrid picking (using the pick, middle and annular fingers of the picking hand to strike the strings). Finally, there are those tricky string bend combos.
You can learn Walter's licks by following our free tab.
On you want to see more interpretations of a 12-bar blues then check out Albert Lee's lesson on 12-bar variations.
“I can’t play jigs or reels or any of that traditional Irish stuff, but I have got a good ear for blues, the tonality of it”: 3 ways to supercharge your lead guitar playing like Rory Gallagher
“A well-crafted sequence is successful wherever you may wish to use it”: Use these tried and tested chord progressions to build an engaging song
