Modern blues

History and character

“Modern electric blues” refers to blues for electric guitar, bass, and drums (and often organ or horns) from the 1960s to today: the blues-rock that emerged in the mid-1960s between the United States and the United Kingdom and its developments up to contemporary blues. The roots are the “three Kings” (B.B., Albert, and Freddie King), Buddy Guy, and Chicago blues; in 1963 the fast instrumentals of Lonnie Mack (“Memphis”) and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (founded in 1963; “East West,” 1966, with long solos) defined the genre in the USA, while in England John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (“Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton,” 1966) and then Cream combined blues, rock, and improvisation. Canned Heat (1965) built long jams on John Lee Hooker tunes.

Between 1967 and 1969 Jimi Hendrix had a lasting influence on all the genre's guitarists; Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page's Led Zeppelin pushed the blues toward hard rock; Johnny Winter, the early Allman Brothers Band, and ZZ Top represent the heavier tendency, from which Southern rock was born (Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd). In the 1980s Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Robert Cray brought a more traditional style back to the fore; in the '90s Gary Moore, Jeff Healey, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd filled arenas, while Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Ben Harper, The White Stripes, and The Black Keys offered alternative, “garage” takes; in the 2000s–2020s came Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks (Tedeschi Trucks Band), Beth Hart, Joe Bonamassa (who founded the label Keeping the Blues Alive in 2020), Gary Clark Jr. (albums from 2012 and 2015 with modern blues-rock production), Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Marcus King, Eric Gales, and Larkin Poe.

Hallmarks: distortion and power chords (already used by Memphis electric guitarists in the 1950s), extended solos and jams, loud amplification, a heavy, riff-based sound, often fast tempos and rock straight eighth notes in place of triplets, but also long, intense slow blues; the guitar is the absolute protagonist, along with a powerful voice.

Scales and keys

Minor pentatonic and blues

• Minor pentatonic: 1 b3 4 5 b7. On A: A C D E G. Blues: + Eb (b5).
• Characteristic note: b3 and b7 with wide bends (a whole step and beyond), b5 as a passing tone.
• Use: power riffs, rock-blues solos, the “box” of the five positions on the fretboard.
• Real-world example: Cream — Crossroads (A), Gary Clark Jr. — Bright Lights.
• Common mistakes: playing fast without phrasing: modern blues still works through phrases and “question and answer.”

Major-minor blend

• Formula: 1 2 b3 3 4 b5 5 6 b7. On A: A B C C# D Eb E F# G.
• Use: solos that target the major 3 over the I7 chord and the 3 of the IV (F# over D7): the sound of B.B. King, SRV, Bonamassa.

Dorian (minor blues-rock)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. On A: A B C D E F# G.
• Characteristic note: major 6 (F#). Use: minor blues and modal jams (Santana, Allman Brothers — In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Gary Moore).

Aeolian and harmonic minor (minor slow blues)

• Aeolian on A: A B C D E F G. Harmonic minor: A B C D E F G#.
• Use: dramatic minor slow blues (Gary Moore — Still Got the Blues uses a cycle of fifths in A minor), with harmonic minor over the E7.

Mixolydian

• On E: E F# G# A B C# D. Use: riffs over a dominant chord, Southern rock jams (Allman Brothers), slide in open tuning (Derek Trucks in open E: E B E G# B E).

Major pentatonic

• On A: A B C# E F#. Use: “southern” and country-blues phrases, slide.

How to choose

Harmony

Harmonic function

The 12-bar blues remains central, but the genre also uses one-chord riffs, rock progressions (I–bVII–IV, i–VII–VI in minor), minor blues with a cycle of fifths, power chords (5), and modal jams over two chords.

Typical elements

• Power chords (A5, D5, E5) and unison bass-guitar riffs.
• I–bVII–IV–I (Mixolydian borrowing) in major.
• Minor blues with a cycle of fifths (Am–Dm–G–C–F–Bø–E).
• 7#9 chords (the “Hendrix chord”: E7#9).
• Modal vamps for long jams.

Voicings

Two- or three-note power chords, triads on the high strings, 7#9 and 9 chords, double stops; Hammond organ with full chords and Leslie.

Harmonic rhythm

Slow in the blues and jams; faster in rock progressions and bridges.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

Feel

These alternate: shuffle (often heavier and more rock), rock and boogie straight eighth notes, slow blues in 12/8, funk-blues grooves (Gary Clark Jr., Tedeschi Trucks), and jams in a rock or Latin feel (Santana, Allman Brothers).

Accents

Very strong backbeat on 2 and 4, kick following the riff, crash at the start of sections, whole-band stops on the riffs.

Dynamics

Very wide: from intimate slow blues to solo climaxes at very high volume; the rock-blues trio “breathes” with the guitarist.

Microtiming

More “inside the grid” than traditional blues, but with the guitarist pushing or holding back; modern productions often use a click, but with parts played together.

Drums

Principle

Modern blues drumming is rock drumming with the language of the blues: heavy shuffle and 12/8, a powerful backbeat, straight rock grooves, more prominent fills; it must give the band weight without crushing the guitar. References: Ginger Baker (Cream), Mitch Mitchell (Hendrix), Butch Trucks and Jaimoe (Allman Brothers, two drummers), Chris Layton (SRV), Anton Fig (Bonamassa), Johnny Radelat (Gary Clark Jr.).

Kick

Shuffle: quarter notes or 1 and 3; rock: 1 and 3 with syncopations that follow the riff; slow blues: 1 and 3 of the pulses.

Snare

Very strong backbeat on 2 and 4 (rimshot); ghosts in the shuffle; in 12/8 a full hit on 2 and 4.

Hi-hat, ride, cymbals

Shuffle on the ride (open crash-ride in the solos), straight eighth notes on the hi-hat in rock, crash at the start of choruses.

Dynamics and velocity

Verses 90–105 on the backbeat, solos 120–127; long crescendos in slow blues (from cross-stick to full snare).

Interaction

Bass and kick in unison on the riffs; the drums follow the guitarist in long solos (accents, crescendos, stops).

Sections

Intro with riff, verses, solo (even several choruses), verse, final solo, tag with crescendo and “big ending” (a stop with a roll and crash).

Fills

Broader than in traditional blues: toms and snare in triplets or sixteenth notes, 1–2 bars.

Sounds

Rock kit (22–24" kick, metal or wood 14×6.5" snare, large toms), medium-dark cymbals; compressed room sound.

Typical mistakes

Overly “clean” metal or pop drumming, constant fills, a stiff shuffle, a crash on every bar.

Bass

Sound

Electric bass (Precision, Jazz Bass, Gibson EB in 1960s blues-rock) with a tube amp, sometimes slightly saturated; in trios it fills a lot of space.

Lines

Walking shuffle, boogie, unison with the guitar riff, long notes in slow blues, “melodic” lines in the jams (Jack Bruce of Cream, Berry Oakley of the Allman Brothers).

Relationship with the kick

Unison on the riffs and strong beats; in trios the bass is also “harmony.”

Examples

Jack Bruce, Noel Redding, Tommy Shannon, Berry Oakley, Dusty Hill.

Harmonic instruments

• Electric guitar (Stratocaster, Les Paul, ES-335): rhythm with power chords and ninth chords, lead with distortion and overdrive (Tube Screamer, fuzz), wah, Univibe; Marshall, Fender, Dumble amps.
• Second guitar (the Allman Brothers' twin guitars, harmonies in thirds).
• Slide (Duane Allman, Derek Trucks, Sonny Landreth) in open tuning.
• Hammond organ (Gregg Allman, Reese Wynans) with Leslie.
• Piano and Wurlitzer.
• Horns (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Bonamassa with a horn section).

Melody and vocals

Vocals

Powerful, raspy voices (Gregg Allman, Beth Hart, Susan Tedeschi, Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr. with soul falsetto), melodies built on the pentatonic and blues scales, AAB lyrics or rock song form.

Lead guitar

Long solos built chorus by chorus: pentatonic phrases, wide bends, broad vibrato, fast triplet phrases, use of feedback and amp dynamics; two-guitar harmonies.

Backing vocals

Soul and gospel backing vocals in the bigger bands (Tedeschi Trucks Band), doubled vocals in rock choruses.

Effects

Overdrive, fuzz, wah, Univibe, analog delay, spring and plate reverb.

Instruments

• Vocals
• Electric guitar (1–2), slide
• Electric bass
• Drums (sometimes two drummers)
• Hammond organ, piano, Wurlitzer
• Harmonica (in some groups)
• Horns and backing vocals (big bands)

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• B-3 V — Blues-rock organ: Drawbars 888000000 or 888800000, high overdrive and fast Leslie in the solos (Gregg Allman, Jon Lord): the “roar” of the organ in rock-blues.
• Piano V — Piano: Rock-blues piano (Chuck Leavell with the Allman Brothers): bright grand, a bit of compression.
• Wurli V — Wurlitzer: Modern soul-blues color (Gary Clark Jr., Tedeschi Trucks).
• Mellotron V — Strings and flutes: For psychedelic blues-rock ballads of the '60s–'70s.

Song structure

Form

• Blues-rock: Intro (4–8-bar riff) – Verse (12) – Verse (12) – Solo (2–4 choruses) – Verse (12) – Solo/outro – Big ending. 4:00–7:00.
• Blues-rock song: Intro – Verse – Chorus – Verse – Chorus – Solo – Chorus – Tag. 3:30–5:00.
• Slow blues: Intro – Verses (2) – Long solo – Verse – Solo – Tag. 6:00–10:00.
• Jam: theme – multiple solos – theme; live 10–20 minutes.

Arrangement

The trio or band grows with the solo: low dynamics in the verses, a crescendo for each chorus, a climax and a return to the riff; in bigger bands (organ, horns, backing vocals) the horns and backing vocals come in for the last choruses.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Guitar at the center of the universe, but with a powerful, “glued” band: solid bass and kick, big snare, organ filling the space, vocals up front and gritty, room ambience. References: Gary Clark Jr. — Bright Lights, Joe Bonamassa — Sloe Gin, Tedeschi Trucks Band — Midnight in Harlem, The Black Keys — Lonely Boy, Stevie Ray Vaughan — Texas Flood. Loudness −10/−8 LUFS (modern rock-blues), −12/−10 (more dynamic).

Kick

HP 35 Hz; 55–75 Hz +2/+3 dB; −3/−4 dB at 300–400 Hz; 3–4 kHz +2 dB; compression 4:1, 3–5 dB; center.

Snare

HP 90 Hz; 150–200 Hz body (+2 dB); −2 dB at 500–800 Hz; 4–6 kHz crack; compression 4:1, 4–6 dB + parallel; plate 1.2–1.8 s or large room.

Toms and cymbals

Toms: HP 60 Hz, body 100–200 Hz, attack 4 kHz, gate; overheads: HP 150 Hz, −2 dB at 400 Hz, air at 10 kHz.

Bass

HP 30 Hz; 60–90 Hz +2 dB; −2 dB at 250 Hz; 700 Hz–1 kHz +2 dB; saturation (Ampeg, SansAmp) in parallel; compression 4:1, 4–6 dB; center, mono.

Guitars

• Miked tube amps (SM57 + R-121 ribbon in phase) + room.
• EQ: HP 80–100 Hz; −2/−3 dB at 200–300 Hz; presence 1.5–3 kHz; −2 dB at 4–5 kHz if “fizzy”; LP 9–10 kHz.
• Compression: 2–3 dB on rhythm, none or very light on lead (volume automation for the solos: +2/+3 dB).
• Space: plate or room 1–1.5 s; delay 300–450 ms at 10–15% on the lead in slow blues.
• Pan: doubled rhythm guitar at ±70–100% (rock), lead in the center; in the trio the guitar in the center and the organ wide.

Organ and piano

Organ: HP 60 Hz; −2/−3 dB at 300–500 Hz; stereo Leslie; drive. Piano: HP 50 Hz; −2 dB at 300 Hz; moderate stereo.

Vocals

HP 80–90 Hz; −2 dB at 250–350 Hz; presence 2–4 kHz (+2/+3 dB); de-esser 6–7 kHz; 1176 (4:1–8:1, 5–8 dB) + opto 2–3 dB; saturation (Decapitator, tape); plate 1.3–1.8 s, pre-delay 40 ms; filtered quarter-note delay on the throws.

Backing vocals and horns

Backing vocals: HP 150 Hz, compression 6 dB, wide, more reverb. Horns: HP 100 Hz, presence 2 kHz, bus 3 dB, plate.

FX

Plate and room are common; analog delays on the lead; Leslie and Univibe as recording effects.

Buses and groups

Drum bus (SSL 4:1, attack 10–30 ms, 3–4 dB, parallel), guitar bus (1–2 dB), mix bus (glue 2:1, 1–2 dB, tape).

Sidechain

None audible; optionally dynamic ducking of the rhythm guitar from the vocal (1–2 dB at 2–3 kHz).

Master

Chain: EQ (HP 25–30 Hz) – compressor 2:1, attack 30 ms, 1–2 dB – tape/saturation – limiter. Target −10/−8 LUFS integrated (rock-blues), −12/−10 for more dynamic albums; true peak −1 dBTP.

Common mistakes

Lead guitar too distorted and compressed, guitars covering the vocal at 2–3 kHz, bass and rhythm guitar muddied at 150–300 Hz, “clean” pop drums, excessive limiting that kills the dynamics of the solos.

Reference tracks for the mix

Gary Clark Jr. — Bright Lights; Joe Bonamassa — Sloe Gin; Tedeschi Trucks Band — Midnight in Harlem; Stevie Ray Vaughan — Texas Flood; The Black Keys — Lonely Boy; Christone “Kingfish” Ingram — Fresh Out.

Reference listening

• Lonnie Mack — Memphis (1963)
• Paul Butterfield Blues Band — East-West (1966)
• John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers — Hideaway (Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, 1966)
• Cream — Crossroads (live, 1968)
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Red House (1967)
• The Allman Brothers Band — Statesboro Blues (At Fillmore East, 1971)
• Robert Cray — Smoking Gun (1986)
• Gary Moore — Still Got the Blues (1990)
• The Black Keys — Lonely Boy (2011)
• Gary Clark Jr. — Bright Lights (2011)
• Tedeschi Trucks Band — Midnight in Harlem (2011)
• Christone "Kingfish" Ingram — Fresh Out (2019)