Playing the Blues

"The blues is a tonic for whatever ails you," B.B. King famously said. While you can't learn it in an afternoon, that's enough time to get started. This half-day class will introduce you to the basics of blues guitar, taught by Job Striles—a 40-year veteran of the L.A. blues scene.

What You Will Learn

• The primary blues scales (major and minor)
• Common chord progressions used in blues music
• Using barre chords
• Improvising blues licks

What You Will Take Home

• Study materials covering the afternoon's lessons
• The experience of learning from and playing with an experienced bluesman

Intended for beginning and intermediate players, or advanced players in other genres. Recommended for Folkies ages 15 and up (youth with adults, please).

Head Folkie for the Day

Job Striles has played every damn blues and jazz club in Los Angles—including the regular gigs he played at the famous Babe & Ricky's Inn in South L.A. He performs regularly throughout the southland as the Job Striles Band and Atomic Roots Orchestra and regularly is invited to sit in with bands big and small. He's recorded four albums over the years that showcase his Chicago blues style in a Southern California key. His knowledge of the blues canon is encyclopedic, and his love of sharing it is infectious.