Getting started with the St. Louis Blues, this is our first tune with an alternating bass. One of the things that's really important to getting the hang of this style is when you kick off a song, no really breaking down. What is it doing? What am I playing to get into that alternating bass to get into that rhythm. And for each St. Louis Blues, this is one of the reasons I chose this song. It's pretty straightforward.

We're going to start in the key of C with a C chord, C major with the left hand. We're going to pinch the fifth string and the second string. And then with our thumb, right hand thumb, we're going to play the four on the alternating bass in the key of C. It's a five, four fifth string for strings, we got this and then my right hand is going to kind of brush up on my first finger on my right hand, get the second string, you can get a little bit of the third string too. That's my thumb comes down. So we got this one more time slowly. That is the first phrase.

And so it's the bass note, pinch with the second string kicks off the 10. Now remember that pattern that pattern of the thumb and the finger because that's going to resurface throughout this 10. So we got this. Then our next pinch this time it's going to be the fifth string and the open first string. So we're doing a pinch here with the second string and then more pinch in there. Before we continue with the alternating bass and then we wrap it up at least the part we're going to play over the sea with that same phrase that we played before with the first finger coming up on the second string.

Let me play that first part, you can use the tab as well. And watch me play it in performance at the beginning and also run through it again at the end. So we got this and then we're gonna go to a G seventh chord, and pinch the sixth string and the first string whoops. With our alternating bass going now six, four, so we got this so that little Figure taking my first finger off the first string, putting my pinky down on the third fret of the second string. This is something we did in math lips comes LSP their first song. The only difference is now we're doing it with the alternating bass.

So watch the bass strings, look at the tab to see how I make that switch. Again, whoops There you go. So we're pinching, pinching again, with the open string. second string with the pinky on the third fret. downstroke with the thumb more time A good way to to learn tunes, especially when you're getting started is just really slow it down and make sure you just understand what you're trying to do with your thumb and your first finger. And then you can speed it up as you get, get the hang of it and get the get the timing and the coordination down.

So let's take it from the top. Now we're gonna go to the F, and we're pinching the F, the sixth string, and we have our thumb reading the first fret of the sixth string. And the second string, I'm doing it aggressively so I get both the second and third string ringing out. So we've got that's all we're playing over the F. So this time I'm picking the third string The second string is part of that rhythm. Try to imitate that little lick right there. Oops, I missed it.

Here we go the bass six, four, check the tab, then we're going to go back to the C. And we're just gonna pinch five and to do that little stroke with the first finger again. Then we're going to do this quick switch from F to G to C, and it's like this. I'm gonna make my F and I'm going to pinch the sixth and the second strings again. But as I pick, my first finger is going to continue up and get the third string before my thumb comes down on the fourth string. So we got this Then we're gonna do the exact same thing over the G and then back to a pinch on the C. So let's take the introduction for blind Willie Mattel's he's St. Louis Blues and I'll play it slowly for you. And then we'll talk about the the verses coming up next.

So here we go. Then we're going to go into the turnaround which we will learn next.