Understanding the V Chord in Blues

One of the interesting things with the V chord is that, rather than playing a B (which can be a bit of a stretch), Jimmy Reed used to play it with the open A.

• So you have the open A over the V chord, which creates a slightly weird and atonal sound.
• This technique is something every blues player likely adopted because Jimmy Reed did it.

If you listen to Eric Clapton, Freddie King, or Stevie Ray Vaughan, whenever they hit that V chord, especially in a Texas blues style, they often incorporate the open A string.

Dynamic Playing

The other aspect to consider is being dynamic within the riff itself. Instead of everything being uniform, you can introduce:

• Accents
• Dynamics

Adding Nuance

For example, you can incorporate:

• A simple hammer-on on the first fret of the G string.
• You can also catch the top E string there.
• On the turnaround, try a straightforward slide up.
• When sliding back down, remember to catch the notes again and give a little scrape upwards.

The great thing about this approach is focusing on making it groove.

• It's about not trying to play too much, but being strong, dynamic, and truly feeling the pulse of the beat.
• The essence of much of this style is that if you can play it on your own without a band, and still make it groove, you're on the right track.

Practice Techniques

When playing with a band and engaging in a shuffle, all those elements are crucial.

• It's a simple concept, yet it can be quite challenging to master.
• I often find myself practicing this and contemplating how to make it genuinely groove and sound authentic.

Old blues musicians had this quality built into their DNA. For example, in Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Pride and Joy," he essentially plays that same V chord but adds more rhythm in between each note.

To me, it sounds like someone walking, a somewhat lazy walk, on acoustic guitar, which is where this style initially emerged.

Conclusion

This is a solid starting point before we transition to the electric guitar, so focus on getting this down first.