Blues solos

[Alan Balfour]

Check Lonnie Johnson on this 1927 cut by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five; he starts at 1:30 and it goes on for about 28 seconds of pure magic

A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y

In August 1926 Lonnie recorded an instrumental 'To Do This, You Got Know How', which just about says it all.

[Paul Inglis]

Well, the least notes you could use in a guitar solo would be one. I'm thinking something like the way Pete Townshend launches into the solo on "I Can See For Miles" - just one note played very, very fast. However, that's not very bluesy.

You could do it with two notes though. Elvis Costello does it on his song "I Want You" which is quite bluesy in an angsty white boy way.