Justin Johnson Blues Guitar

I wrote this tune, “Smoke & Neon,” as part of my “Backporch Blues Bootcamp” guitar lesson series, which teaches this style of solo, unaccompanied acoustic Blues fingerpicking.

The arrangement teaches you how to play a moving bass line while simultaneously playing a Bluesy melody… creating the feel of several guitarists playing at once.

If you want to learn this style of laid-back, solo Blues guitar, you should definitely check out my guitar lesson platform at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com.

I also have in-depth lessons for every skill level, from total beginner, to advanced lead guitar, slide guitar, fingerstyle, and more.

Check it all out at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com

Let’s enter into spooky season on the right foot! 💀 This is my original dark blues tune, “Deep Down ‘neath the Soil.” I love the folky and sinister combo of the acoustic guitar and the baritone lapsteel.

If you want to learn this style on chord/melody finger picking, dark blues slide guitar, or lap steel… then check out my guitar lesson platform at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com.

I teach my style of guitar playing from the first notes on guitar, all the way through advanced fingerpicking, slide guitar, improv, and arranging. I also answer member questions, host lesson livestreams, and more.

Check it out at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com

This tune started out as a practice exercise, when I was working on juggling a moving bass line and winding melody. I started throwing in a backbeat accent and foot tambourine, and now it has a funky Backporch vibe.

If you want to learn how to play this style of solo fingerpicking, you should check out my guitar lesson platform at http://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com. I have lessons for all skill levels, from the very first notes on guitar, to this advanced fingerpicking, improv, and chord/melody playing.

Check it out at: https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com

One of the most timeless melodies in the blues. 🎸

You’ll hear variations of this progression and melody running through blues standards like “Sitting on Top of the World” and “It Hurts Me Too.” Here I’m playing it as a solo acoustic arrangement, combining fretted notes with slide to bring out that old-school Delta blues sound.

This style is exactly what my Signature Ring Slide was designed for… it lets me keep all four fingers available for fretting while still being able to grab one- and two-string slide phrases whenever I want.

👉 Check out the Signature Ring Slide at https://JustinJohnsonStore.com

And if you want to learn how to play this style, I break it all down step-by-step at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com. The lesson library covers everything from your very first notes on guitar through Delta blues, slide guitar, fingerpicking, and advanced solo “back porch” blues arrangements like this one.

If you’ve always wanted to play this kind of blues, I hope to see you there! 🎸

Playing a 12-bar blues improv in the key of A in standard tuning. I play the lowest 3 strings as droning bass notes (A, D, and E) and play lead with the high strings. One of the keys to playing this style is to practice keeping that thumb bass line nice and solid on the quarter notes, and using your index and middle fingers to play the lead lines.

If you want to master these techniques, you should check out my guitar lesson platform at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com. I teach these techniques and styles in detail.

My Backporch Blues Bootcamp series is a comprehensive deep dive into this solo unaccompanied Blues guitar style. It will systematically teach you how to play baselines rhythm parts and lead guitar parts simultaneously in standard tuning in a multitude of different classic blue styles… perfect for back porch Pickin’.

My Precision Fingerpicking System is designed to teach you step-by-step how to refine your intricate lead guitar finger picking technique. It will systematically dial in your accuracy, timing, and dexterity in your picking hand.

All of these lessons are available at https:// justinjohnsonguitar.com. I also have hundreds and hundreds of lessons in a multitude of different styles and perfect for all skill levels, even total beginners who have just started to play guitar.

🎸 Check it out at https://justinjohnsonguitar.com

They named 9/25 “Dolly Parton Day” in honor and remembrance of the Queen of Country, all of the magic and kindness she created and shared during her life, and the legacy she left behind.. on the first Dolly Day here in Nashville, every venue turned their stage lights and exterior lighting to pink, the crosswalks were all painted pink, and Dolly’s “9 to 5” was played at every venue in town at 5pm. Needless to say I felt compelled to come up with my own arrangement for solo guitar, to honor the legend. I hope you enjoy it 🦋💖🪩🎤🕊️

Minor jam on the steel-bodied baritone tri-cone resonator.

I love the bluesy simplicity of playing a simple bass line like this, and improvising over the top of it. The baritone guitar sounds particularly cool with this style because the thicker bass strings sound more like a bass guitar, and it really accentuates the difference between the two parts.

If you want to learn how to play this style of guitar, then you should check out my guitar lesson platform at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com. No matter what your experience level is in guitar, I have lessons that will take you from total beginner, all the way through this advanced, percussive, multi-part fingerstyle approach. The key is learning it one step-at-a-time.

Check out all of my guitar lessons at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com

There's nothing quite like kickin' back at the end f a long day, and pickin' a little backporch country blues on the resonator guitar. This tune is an original called "Delta Drive," because it feels like a chill road trip through the Mississippi Delta.

I originally wrote this song as a guitar lesson, teaching the core elements of Delta Blues, as a part of my "Backporch Blues Bootcamp" lesson series at http://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com.

If you want to learn how to play this song in detail, then check out the "Backporch Blues Bootcamp" lesson Series here: https://justinjohnsonguitar.com/programs/backporch-blues-bootcamp

All of the songs I teach in the BBB series are just like this, laid-back acoustic blues that you can fingerpick in standard tuning, no guitar slide necessary. I teach 10 different songs in this style, each one slightly more challenging than the last. Be the end of the series, you'll have a complete setlist of Backporch Blues tunes to pick.

Check out all of my tabs & guitar lessons at: https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com

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“16 Tons” Baritone Resonator Guitar Cover 🎸

A couple of nights ago I saw The Wellermen performing an amazing version of “16 Tons” live here in Nashville, and it’s been stuck in my head ever since. So, I thought the only way to get this song out of my head is to record it for you!

Since it highlights the bass voicing so much, I thought I would arrange it for the baritone guitar 🎸

If you want to learn how to play this style in solo fingerpicking, then you should definitely check out my guitar lesson platform at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com.

You can find all of my guitar lessons, teaching my style from total beginner (even if you haven’t played guitar before) all the way through advanced playing.

https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com

#guitarist #countrymusic #classic #bass #honkytonk

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Here’s an excerpt from my original “Smoke & Neon.” I teach this tune in my Backporch Blues Bootcamp lesson series at https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com.

If you want to learn how to play this solo, unaccompanied style of Blues Guitar, then you should definitely check out the rest of the Backporch Blues Bootcamp series. It’s a deep dive into all of the techniques involved in this guitar style.

Https://JustinJohnsonGuitar.com has a huge library of all of my lessons from total beginner all the way through advanced lead, fingerpicking, slide guitar and more. Hope to see you there! 🎸🎸🎸