Robert Johnson

• Open G tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) or open D (D-A-D-F#-A-D) for standard Robert Johnson approach — barring across any fret produces a major chord
• The thumb-and-fingers technique plays bass and treble simultaneously — the thumb handles the alternating bass pattern on strings 6/5/4, fingers handle melody and lead on strings 1-3
• Slide on the ring or little finger of the left hand — allows the other fingers to continue fretting bass notes while the slide handles the melodic slide phrases
• The vocal and guitar phrase in call-and-response — the guitar answers or echoes the vocal line, not playing over it. This vocal-guitar dialogue is the structure of the entire style
• "Cross Road Blues," "Sweet Home Chicago," and "Love in Vain" are the required listening — they contain the full vocabulary and are familiar to rock listeners through covers
• The bass line alternates between two bass strings on every beat — this "running bass" creates the illusion of a rhythm section and drives the song forward without drums
• Standard tuning Delta blues is also valid — some Johnson tracks are in standard tuning. Practise both open and standard tuning blues before attempting the simultaneous bass-and-melody technique
• Rhythm and melody are inseparable — unlike electric blues where a rhythm section provides the groove, acoustic Delta blues requires the guitarist to be their own rhythm section
• The recordings were made in two sessions in 1936 and 1937 — every recording exists. Work through all 29 tracks systematically; each has distinct technical and harmonic content

Robert Johnson is the foundational figure of the blues — his 29 recordings from 1936–37 contain the entire vocabulary of Delta blues, from the walking bass-line technique to the singing slide phrases that influenced every blues and rock guitarist who followed.