| Robert Johnson was one of the greatest blues | | | | structure of chords and harmony that he needed |
| guitar players of the 1930's, and as such he is | | | | to replicate the sounds that he heard. If you are |
| considered one of the "grandfathers" of rock and | | | | fortunate enough to be able to pay for music |
| roll. He traveled around the Mississippi delta area | | | | classes, take advantage of them and use your |
| playing and singing, and recorded 29 songs in 1936 | | | | knowledge to make yourself a better player. |
| and 1937. Despite the fact that his career seems | | | | Don't be discouraged if you aren't successful right |
| quite limited when compared to contemporary | | | | away. Robert used every opportunity he had to |
| artists who tour the world and release a new | | | | listen to guitarists that played at roadhouses and |
| album every year, Johnson's impact on popular | | | | taverns in his area. When he gained some |
| music cannot be denied. Eric Clapton, Keith | | | | confidence, he brought his own guitar to the gigs |
| Richards of the Rolling Stones, the Allman | | | | with him and hung around, just hoping for a |
| Brothers, and Jimmy Page all mention Robert | | | | chance to join in on a jam session with the pros. |
| Johnson when they are asked to name their | | | | For years, they discouraged him. It seemed like |
| musical influences. Johnson had an undeniable | | | | every time they let him play Robert would break |
| talent, and his life and career have some valuable | | | | a guitar string or commit some blunder that would |
| lessons to teach anyone who has dreams of | | | | not go over well with the audience. Instead of |
| following in his footsteps. If you want to play | | | | giving up, Robert moved to another community |
| guitar like Robert Johnson, here are a few dos | | | | where his reputation as a bungler would not follow |
| and don'ts. | | | | him and kept practicing. He would work in the |
| Do use any resources you have to learn music. | | | | cotton fields just enough so that he could support |
| Robert Johnson loved music from the time he | | | | himself and spend hours and hours every day |
| was very young, but as the son of a | | | | playing his guitar in the woods until his blues solos |
| sharecropper he did not have access to music | | | | sounded the way he thought they should. He then |
| schools, fancy instruments, or private teachers. | | | | began to travel from town to town and played |
| He did make the most of the musical equipment | | | | for the tips that people would throw him as he |
| he had, though, and found a friend who could | | | | stood on the street corner or in the town square. |
| teach him how to play the harmonica and Jew's | | | | People were appreciating him more and more and |
| harp when he was still a young boy. He and his | | | | the early criticism he had heard mattered less and |
| friend began using these simple instruments to | | | | less. |
| accompany one another while they would sing | | | | Don't be afraid to be different. The more Robert |
| new verses to popular songs that they made up | | | | traveled, the more his confidence grew. He was |
| as they went along. They never failed to draw a | | | | soon adding tricky rhythm patterns to his guitar |
| crowd when they sang on the street corners, and | | | | solos and using his feet and legs to stomp out |
| it was a great way for Robert to learn what | | | | accompanying percussion sounds. He created an |
| things would please an audience and develop a | | | | entirely new sound that was admired by people in |
| stage presence. As he grew older, he went to | | | | all parts of the south. Little did he know that |
| other musicians that he knew and asked them to | | | | guitar players would still look up to him 70 and 80 |
| help him learn to play the guitar. He never | | | | years after he was gone. If you learn some |
| received any formal musical training, but his | | | | lessons from Robert Johnson's life and work, they |
| inquiring spirit and his ability to learn from | | | | will surely help to make you a better musician. |
| observation helped him to understand the | | | | |