← Blues roadmap
advanced
T-Bone Walker Style
Jump blues comping and single-note lines in the style of T-Bone Walker.
Objective
Comp jazz-influenced jump blues chords and play a 4-bar single-note line in the key of Bb in the style of T-Bone Walker.
Concepts
- ▸T-Bone Walker bridged the gap between jazz and blues guitar — his style is rhythmically complex with jazz-chord voicings.
- ▸Jump blues uses the 12-bar form but with a swinging, big-band feel. The tempo is faster (130–160 BPM).
- ▸Chord voicings: T-Bone used 9th and 13th chords (e.g., Bb9, Eb13) instead of plain 7ths.
- ▸Bb9 voicing: x–1–0–1–0–x. Eb13 voicing: x–6–5–6–5–x. These move up and down the neck as a single shape.
- ▸Picking technique: T-Bone often held the pick between the thumb and first two fingers for a looser, jazzier attack.
- ▸Single-note lines: T-Bone played clean, articulate single-note phrases with wide interval jumps, unlike the boxier pentatonic lines of later blues players.
Diagram / Notation
Bb9 Chord (T-Bone voicing): e --x-- B --x-- G --3-- D --2-- A --1-- E --x-- Eb13 Chord: e --x-- B --3-- G --3-- D --3-- A --x-- E --6-- T-Bone style lick (key of Bb): e |--6--8--6----8b10--6--8--6--4--| B |------------------------------|
Exercises
1.Jump blues rhythm with 9th chords
- 1.Comp Bb9 on beats 2 and 4 (jazz stab feel) at 130 BPM.
- 2.Move to Eb9 on bar 5 — same shape shifted up 5 frets.
- 3.The chord should be a sharp, percussive stab — not strummed slowly.
2.T-Bone single-note line
- 1.Learn the example lick at 80 BPM. Focus on even 8th notes and clean bend intonation.
- 2.Notice the jump from the low note to the bent note — T-Bone used dramatic interval leaps.
- 3.Transpose the lick to Eb7 (shift everything up 5 frets).
3.Mix comping and soloing
- 1.Play 4 bars of Bb9 comping. Stop comping, play 4 bars of single-note lines. Return to comping.
- 2.This alternation is the essence of T-Bone's solo guitar approach.
- 3.Listen to "Call It Stormy Monday" and "T-Bone Shuffle" for direct reference.
Tips
- 💡T-Bone Walker is the direct ancestor of BB King, Freddie King, and almost every electric blues player — understanding him resets your whole view of the blues.
- 💡Use a clean or very light crunch tone. T-Bone predated heavy distortion.
- 💡Your left hand should be relaxed — T-Bone's jazz-influenced approach avoided the tight grip of Delta blues.
- 💡The swing must be authentic — if the drummer and bassist are playing jump, you must swing too.