Jim Oblon

Virtuoso guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Jim Oblon has toured and recorded with Paul Simon, Lucinda Williams and many others. His latest album is 2023’s I Wanna Be Loved.

Latest articles by Jim Oblon

Roy Buchanan wears a flat cap and works some Telecaster magic in the shadows onstage.

How to find new approaches to blues soloing – using fingerstyle improv ideas and Roy Buchanan-inspired licks

By Jim Oblon published

Jim Oblon takes an eight-bar rhythm and applies some fingerpicking ideas that could help get you out of a jam and put you right in the jam

Artist Lessons
The great Jimmy Reed wears a sharp suit and bow-tie and plays an Airline electric guitar in this archive live shot from 1960

Jimmy Reed was one of the most influential blues guitarists to ever live – and his fingerpicking style makes an incredible launching pad for improvisation

By Jim Oblon published

Jim Oblon cracks open the box to present us with a blues lesson to refresh your rhythm game

Artist Lessons
B.B, King on 6/21/80 in Chicago, Il.

Learn the soloing strategy that T-Bone Walker, B.B. King and Albert King all used, and will instantly make your blues solos sound more pro

By Jim Oblon published

Jim Oblon drops some blues science, demystifying the practice of alternating between parallel minor and major pentatonics

Artist Lessons
A still from Jim Oblon's Guitar World video lesson, in which the Telecaster master is teaching us how to add the fifth to your bass notes in a blues shuffle.

How inverted boogie riffing can shake up your blues

By Jim Oblon published

Jim Oblon shows us the tricks behind inverted boogie riffing – and the best part is you don’t have to stand on your head to play it

Artist Lessons
Closeup of a man's hands playing a Fender Telecaster-style guitar.

“You’ll find it in many old blues tunes”: You need to learn how to solo over this chord progression

By Jim Oblon published

Paul Simon guitarist Jim Oblon shows you how to tailor your leads to the classic I-VI-II-V progression – a jam night staple that’s a lot of fun, too

Artist Lessons
A portrait of Jim Oblon superimposed against a sky-high background as the sun is setting, the margins of the image look like an old photographic negative. Oblon wears a wide-brimmed hat and plays a Telecaster.

How you can use arpeggios to imply dominant 9th chords in your solos (it's easier than it sounds!)

By Jim Oblon published

Understanding the chord shape and the theory behind it is easier than you might think, and it offers another strategy for navigating the fretboard on the fly

Lessons
Jim Oblon plays a resonator guitar in a dimly lit image

The “train beat” is a staple of country and blues music – and learning to play over it will hone your hybrid picking and timing

By Jim Oblon published

Jim Oblon's debut Guitar World column is all about country-fried rhythm guitar, but it's a lesson for any player who wants to understand pocket and groove

Techniques