1/2 step Up?

[Breeze4300]

John Lee Hooker plays alot of 1/2 step up...I'm Lost.

[screamin eagle]

Well you could just say that his blues in E would be in F. Or you can tune your geetar a half step up and then play everything like you would normally. However the most important part about learning John Lee is his timing and phrasing, and it is his timing that defines him. His licks ain't tough, but it's the timing that make them his. Which is the blues--T-Bone's licks are very common and mostly straight out of the pentatonic scale, its just the phrasing and the dynamics that make it sound like T-Bone, and also, you want to pick the string right up on the bridge.

There are probably 25 blues licks that you must know, but from those 25 licks can you sound like John Lee, or T-Bone, or Chuck Berry, or BB King, or Eric Clapton, or Freddie King, or Albert King, or Jimi Hendrix, or Jimmy Page etc. It's all about the approach, timing and phrasing for the blues. That is why you gotta listen to records if you want to play the blues.

[angelicrock]

I think Motley Crue does this a lot as well. Though if I remember correctly they like tuning a whole step up.

[Breeze4300]

Thanks Dude I will put your advice to practice!