Welcome to Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar!
This channel is all about timeless guitar playing, vintage tone, and the spirit of classic Blues and Jazz. From Charlie Christian and Oscar Moore to B.B. King and Robben Ford, we explore the phrasing, tone, and groove that make great guitarists unique.
▪️Guitar Lessons – Licks, solos, chord melodies, phrasing & improvisation.
▪️Song Breakdowns – Step-by-step jazz & blues standards with tabs.
▪️Gear Reviews – Vintage guitars, amps & pickups that shape real tone.
▪️Tone & Technique Tips – Practical advice to sound and play better.
Whether you play blues, jazz, or anything in between — this channel celebrates great tone, soulful playing, and the joy of vintage guitars. Subscribe and join the journey!
Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
Why does it sometimes feel so annoying to practice guitar?
I think there might be a few reasons for this. First and foremost: we don’t want to do things we are told to do. So, if the teacher says you have to do your homework, it’s not fun.
I personally never, or almost never, did my homework at school. But I spent a lot of time at home playing guitar. I wanted to play like the great players I loved so much at that time: Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Scofield.
We’re talking about the ’80s.
When I decided to become a professional musician, I realized that my practicing had to become more serious and effective. It felt like pressure every day. I kept telling myself, “You have to practice, otherwise you will fail.”
Today, things are a little bit different. I practice when I need to learn songs for the jobs I play, or when I’m really interested in something. And that’s when I really enjoy being a guitarist: just sitting there and diving deeply into something that means something to me.
Then practicing is not just a routine, but a meaningful and important part of my life.
There is one special thing about it, though. I don’t do it for any particular reason. There’s no reason, and that’s why I love it so much. It’s not good for anything. It’s just fine as it is, for no reason.
1 week ago | [YT] | 3
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Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve just finished recording my new album!
It’s a solo album, with me playing guitar and singing some old Blues classics that I love, like Stormy Monday and Shake It Up and Go.
The album will be out in a few weeks and will be available to stream on Spotify and all the other major platforms. I’m really excited to finally share it with you!
1 week ago | [YT] | 3
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Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
What skill would you like to improve?
🎓 NEW COURSE: The Solo Blues Guitar Roadmap is live! It takes you from your first blues chords to playing confident solos in under two hours, with the 12-bar form, real licks, bending, vibrato, and a complete solo broken down step by step.
markusbak.thinkific.com/courses/Solo-Blues-guitar-…
4 weeks ago | [YT] | 2
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Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
Your favorite king is...
🎓 NEW COURSE: The Solo Blues Guitar Roadmap is live! It takes you from your first blues chords to playing confident solos in under two hours, with the 12-bar form, real licks, bending, vibrato, and a complete solo broken down step by step.
markusbak.thinkific.com/courses/Solo-Blues-guitar-…
1 month ago | [YT] | 3
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Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
the most versatile guitar?
🎓 NEW COURSE: The Solo Blues Guitar Roadmap is live! It takes you from your first blues chords to playing confident solos in under two hours, with the 12-bar form, real licks, bending, vibrato, and a complete solo broken down step by step.
markusbak.thinkific.com/courses/Solo-Blues-guitar-…
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
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Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
Best Hollowbody...
🎓 NEW COURSE: The Solo Blues Guitar Roadmap is live! It takes you from your first blues chords to playing confident solos in under two hours, with the 12-bar form, real licks, bending, vibrato, and a complete solo broken down step by step.
markusbak.thinkific.com/courses/Solo-Blues-guitar-…
1 month ago | [YT] | 3
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Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
Some ideas on praticing
1. Practice every day, or at least regularly. Your fingers need to develop muscle memory. You will achieve this with three things: repetition, repetition, and repetition. It's how our body works. There's no use fighting against it. And there's another reason: discipline. I know what you're thinking. I don't like this word either. But it's the key to developing the skills we need to make music.
2. Explore something you really enjoy. There are a few things you really need in your toolbag: good left- and right-hand skills, a strong sense of timing. Fair point. But when it comes to repertoire, play what you love most.
3. Don't focus on success. We're used to defining our goals and checking if we achieve them. But what could our goal be in the end? To become the best guitarist on the planet? There will always be someone better. Making music is not about competition. It's about being one with the instrument. Don't be too ambitious. Music is never about the ego. It’s about letting go.
4. Record yourself and listen to the recordings several weeks later. I was given this advice by my guitar teacher back in the 90s. This is really helpful, because you get quite a distance between the recording-you and the listening-you. You'll be glad to hear how you sounded a few weeks ago and recognize how much better you can play now.
5. Be nice to yourself and don't be too critical. This might be the hardest part. When I was younger, my inner critic was very active. It took me years to become gentler and more compassionate with myself. Maybe being over-critical is part of our upbringing, but in the end it doesn't work out.
1 month ago | [YT] | 5
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Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
How do you amplify your electric guitar?
🎓 NEW COURSE: The Solo Blues Guitar Roadmap is live! It takes you from your first blues chords to playing confident solos in under two hours, with the 12-bar form, real licks, bending, vibrato, and a complete solo broken down step by step.
markusbak.thinkific.com/courses/Solo-Blues-guitar-…
1 month ago | [YT] | 2
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Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
Improvising music is not really complicated. Or in other words, it wouldn't be complicated if there weren't 12 different keys. Every melody can be played in 12 different keys. Fortunately, we guitarists can easily shift our left hand and transpose our ideas into a new key.
The complexity of the fretboard - 6 strings tuned mostly in 4ths and one major 3rd apart - allows us to play every scale in a minimum of 5 different positions. Multiplied by 12 keys, that makes 60 ways to play one single musical idea.
Honestly, it makes no sense to learn all of this. Stay in the positions you really can handle easily. This is what all of the great players did, no matter if Blues, Jazz, or Rock. Focus on one, maybe two main positions. Accept that there is always a lot of stuff you will never encounter. And that's ok. You don't need to know everything. Focus on what is important: making music with all your heart and soul.
2 months ago | [YT] | 6
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Markus Bak – Vintage Blues & Jazz Guitar
Do you play with other musicians or do you play alone?
🎓 NEW COURSE
The Solo Blues Guitar Roadmap] is now available on Thinkific...
markusbak.thinkific.com/courses/Solo-Blues-guitar-…
2 months ago | [YT] | 3
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