Chords for Kirk Fletcher's Blues Comping Tips — Guitar Player Magazine

[Ab] Hi, my name is Kirk Fletcher and I want to talk to you about _
[C] some blues comping [G] ideas in B-flat.
[C] Alright, _ here's a few things I picked up from the [G] great Robin Ford.
_ [Eb] _ [Gb] _ [Abm] _ _ _
_ _ [Gm] _ _ [Cm] _ [Bbm] _ _ [Eb] _
[Gb] _ _ [Gm] _ [Bb] _ _ [Eb] _ [Db] _ _
[Eb] _ [Db] _ [Gb] _ [Bbm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Fm] _ [Gm] _ _ _ [B] _
[Dm] _ _ [E] _ _ [Cm] _ _ _ _
_ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [F] _ _ [A] _ [Bb] _ _ _
_ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _ _ _
[Gm] _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _ [G] _ _
[Am] _ _ [Bb] _ [Eb] _ [Dbm] _ _ [Gm] _ [Gbm] _
[E] _ _ [F] [E] I [Cm] _ _ _ _
[Eb] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ [Eb] _ _
_ _ [F] _ _ [Bb] _ [Ab] _ _ _
_ _ [Bb] _ [Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Ab] _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ [Gbm] _ [Gm] _ [E] _
[Ab] _ _ [Gm] _ [Dm] _ _ [E] _ [Eb] _ _
[Db] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Bm] _
[Bb] _ [Dbm] _ [C] _ [E] _ [Abm] _ _ [Gm] _ _
_ _ don't know, [G] something like that.
[Ab] _ _ _ [Bb] _ [Ab] _ _ _ [A] _
_ [Ab] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ _ _ I like to have a whole big handful of ideas over the different chords, like [Am] for your I [D] chord. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Gm] _ _ _
[E] _ _ [Bbm] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _
[Bb] _ _ _ [Dbm] _ [Eb] _ [Dbm] _ [Bb] _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [Ab] _ [D] _
[Fm] _ _ [E] _ _ _ [Bbm] _ _ _
You know, that [G] kind of stuff.
It's a lot of [Am] fun too, because it keeps it interesting for the rhythm guitar player.
It also [Gm] adds [Am] excitement and gives you some more harmonic [G] ideas to play over, you know, in just a regular _ B-flat blues.
_ So yeah, I like that one.
_ _ [Ab] _ Sometimes you strum your [Gm] guitar chords in a certain way too, [B] like that.
[G] Oh yeah, yeah.
Why?
_ _ [C] That's so fun, I never get asked that question.
_ It goes back really quick, I'll just say this Robin Ford and Jimmy Witherspoon _ live record that came out in the 70's or something like that. _
_ [Ab] That kind of is what got the ball started and then I listened to big bands and stuff.
_ _ If you're [G] playing the swing blues, there's one idea you can [Gm] go _ _ [Dbm] [Bb] like_
[Ab] _ _ _ [C] _
_ [D] _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [F] _ _ [E] _ [Eb] _ _ [Gbm] _ [F] _
_ [A] _ [Dm] _ [Eb] _ [Gm] _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ [Gm] _ _ [Dm] _ _ [Dbm] _ [Gm] _ _
[Db] _ _ _ [Gm] _ [Ab] That's one way of playing it.
_ [Gm] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [Bbm] _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _
_ _ [Gm] _ _ _ _ _ [Db] _
[F] _ _ [E] _ [Cm] _ _ _ [Eb] _ _
_ _ _ [Gm] _ [Dbm] _ [G] _ _ [Eb] _
_ [Abm] _ _ [E] _ [Bb] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
That's _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _ _ _
_ [Dm] _ _ _ [E] _ [Eb] _ _ _
[Db] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ another thing.
And then for a funky blues, sometimes you can play like_
_ [D] That's _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ [Eb] _ [Bb] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Gm] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Abm] _ _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ [Abm] _ _ [C] another thing, I didn't talk about that either, this little thing to give it some [D] movement. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ [F] _
[Ab] _ [Eb] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _
_ _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ You know, just [Gb] for movement, and it's real fun and kind of makes everybody smile.
[G] _ _ I like it when you do the [Ab] brush stroke too.
_ [Gm] _ _ What is that and why do you do that?
_ _ _ Because I heard a big [Em] band do it, I don't know, like Count Basie, you know.
You hear those guys, the horn [Bb] section. _ _ _ _ _
[E] So I'm just trying to imitate a horn [G] section kind of thing.
And once [B] again, give the [G] blues some movement when you're comping behind [A] somebody.
_ [D] _ _ _ _
[Eb] You ever brush some of your brush [Em] with just your fingers?
Oh yeah, there's another thing on the slow blues. _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ That's _ [Bbm] _
_ _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ [D] _
something I got from T-Bone [Db] Walker.
_ [D] _ _ _
_ _ _ [Bbm] _ _ _ [Am] _ [Bm] _
[Bbm] _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _
_ _ [Dbm] _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [Gm] _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
[Eb] _ _ _ _ [Db] _ _ _ [F] _
[Ebm] _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Bb] _ _ [Gbm] _ [Bbm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Gb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Bbm] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Fm] _
[Gbm] _ [Gm] _ _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ [Dm] _ _ _ [Gm] _ _
_ _ [Dm] _ _ [Cm] _ [Dm] _ _ _
[Ebm] _ _ [E] _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _
[Db] _ _ _ [Eb] _ [Bbm] _ [Bb] _ _ [Gm] _
_ _ [Eb] _ _ [Gb] _ _ _ _
[A] [Ab] I _ _ _ love [G] that color.
Kirk [C] Fletcher, ladies and [E] gentlemen, right on, thank you.
[G] _
_ [Em] Man, _ _ that was [N] fun!