Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
Jim Oblon

Jimmy Reed was one of the most influential blues guitarists to ever live – and his fingerpicking style makes an incredible launching pad for improvisation

The great Jimmy Reed wears a sharp suit and bow-tie and plays an Airline electric guitar in this archive live shot from 1960.

Today I would like to present a neat fingerpicked blues rhythm pattern inspired by the great Jimmy Reed, who inspired a generation of guitarists from the Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan.

It’s in the key of A and is based on a simple eight-bar progression, as opposed to the more common 12-bar blues form, and it’s a fun and refreshingly different template to play and improvise over.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.