Modes For 12 Bar Blues
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- Beyond just hearing them, or knowing how they work, you need a practical application for the modes.
Here is a solution for the 12-bar blues with all Dominant 7th chords. But what comes along with this is a deeper sonic sophistication (because the modes are 7-note scales, vs the pentatonic). Does this increased sophistication suite you? Is it too "jazzy" for you?
00:00 Demonstration
00:27 Thesis
01:33 Introduction
03:33 Lesson
10:15 Wrap Up
TABs you say? Here they are: / chrissherland
Free music theory primer for guitarists here: www.curiousguitarist.com/ - Hudba
“You will be a better [genre] player if you improve your blues playing”
I really needed this. I always end up coming back to the basic blues licks I know and have only recently made the decision to get better at blues overall. It made me feel like I was silo-ing myself into being a lifelong blues player but you’re absolutely right that blues is the foundation for all electric guitar music. Thanks Chris.
You bet, Eric!
Over a Blues with 3 Dominant 7 chords, each chord can use all 12 notes in this order: first 3 and b7, then 1-3-5-b7; then 1-b3/3-5-b7; then 1-2-b3/3-4-b5-5-6-b7 (which is Mixolydian combined with the Blues scale); then use b2-b6-7 in chromatic lines that resolve to chord tones. - It took me a lifetime to figure out that all 12 notes can be used over each Dominant 7 chord in a 12-bar Blues with 3 Dominant 7 chords.
More "GOLD" from the master! I have to say my head exploded when you said we weren't in the key of A until we were in the 5th in E, but I held in and now understand. Thanks for another great lesson and more importantly for sharing your knowledge with the community. You have a tremendous teaching gift
Thanks Mick, that means a lot to me.
And good on 'ya for sticking through until the click. It's so common for guitarists to lose steam when they don't see the light...then they look away, possibly right before the revelation moment.
Oh my gosh, that FINALLY makes sense. I was taught the modes but I could never quite understand how they fit in with the Blues as my teacher was a Berkley guy but not a Blues player. Thank you so much!!
You are SO welcome! This idea helped me "hear" those changes a lot better too. Glad you're here, Chris!
Awesome! I was wondering how that works with three major chords! Brilliant as always.
Yeah, the 12 bar blues is a key change every chord change!! Once you start to outline those key changes, you really start to sound like you know what’s up!
Hi Chris, once more, lots of "aha!" moments here for me. Keep 'em coming!
Thanks Joshua!
I've known about the modes for 40+ years but only touched on them superficially until the past couple of years when I decided I needed to up my game. Once you learn the patterns, it's easy to do a vamp in any given mode, but it's waaay more difficult to shift modes between chords in a progression. For blues, I knew Mixolydian was the mode of choice, but until now I'd been approaching it in terms of switching to Mixolydian in the key of each chord root (e.g., for blues in A: A-Mixolydian, D-Mixolydian, E-Mixolydian). But then I had to try to figure out where each pattern in those three separate keys falls around whichever part of the fretboard I was centered at the moment. Your lesson showed me the much simpler path, which is to keep everything in the key of A and then figure out which mode of A matches the notes of Mixolydian in D (A-Dorian) and E (A-Major). Once you flipped that light switch on for me, the connections between the patterns just suddenly leaped off the fretboard!!! Many thanks, man.
Wow, what a great comment, this is exactly what I experienced as well, glad you got it here, David!
Every lesson the fog that wraps that guitar fredboard into mistery, slowly starts to open up and become clearer and clearer. Thank you sir for these amazing lessons. It's a light bulb moment every single time.
Great to hear that Mauro, it means a great deal to me that these are helpful in that way!
Fog! Be GONE!
You are at another level as a teacher. 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Thank you so much Ankara, I appreciate that.
Good Lord that was meaty! Such riches served up superbly, but in a wonderfully digestible form. Not arse-kissing, just sincere thanks Chris for the gifts you keep giving us. All the best.
Thanks for that Scott , I really appreciate it
With a huge sigh of relief I say thank you for an explanation of modes that I finally get!
Could not be more glad this is helpful for you Danny! It’s a tricky subject but once it starts to come into focus it gets easier to apply in multiple ways. There’s always a scale that outlines what’s going on, and sometimes more than one!
If only I could like this more than once, darn like button. Love the way you teach!
Thanks Charles, that’s such a great comment. I really appreciate it.
What a teacher! What a player! Damn good!
Thanks Red! Hope all is well!
Just stumbled upon this video. Eye opening! Excellent!
Welcome aboard!
You have again read my mind with what I want to learn.
What a great lesson. Very eye opening. I buckle up before opening any of your lessons. It always a wild ride.
Thanks Richard, good to hear this made sense for you. Buckling up is an important metaphor...it makes you commit to an open mind set, and THAT get's you to the light bulbs much more easily than the "click through and skip" mentality.
Love this! Your teaching is so easy to understand. You are truly a great guitar teacher. 🤟🏼🎸
Thanks James, that’s a great compliment.
Eye-opening stuff..!! Thanks Chris..!👍🏼❤️
You bet, Joe! Thanks for your support!
This is great! I just started really digging into modes, and this gives me something to loop and practice to. I was just vamping a chord and trying to do something musical over top of it. Swapping modes in the middle of a progression seems way more practical.
Any key change can easily be defined in a lead line or solo by applying the “parent” scale, here we’re projecting the parent scale to the new tonic...a perfect application opportunity for the modes.
Great lesson! Modes have a mystery to me for years. Now I am starting to understand. Thank you so much!
You're very welcome, it's a complex subject and sometimes it just takes the right lens to look at it through.
Thanks for making me dig deeper into understanding the guitar and blues! Fantastic lesson
Hey Ian,
You bet! New blues video drops in about 30 minutes, you might enjoy this one as well :)
Thanks for being here Ian!
Absolute gold this lesson! I understood it and will put it to practice. Makes perfect sense and so beautifully explained. Thanks from NZ 🙏🏼
Hey Tim, glad this one worked for you! Great to have you here!
Nice!! Definitely more content like this, please. Awesome explanation, you make the theory pool not so deep and scary.
Ha! Love that analogy! The trick is that it’s complex, but does not need to be difficult. It just takes good contextual explanation and then some dedicated effort to apply :)
This is crazy... amazing tips right here... THank you sir!!
Of course!
@@curiousguitarist One last question to you or the community: How do I apply the concept on other chord progression when the progression is not 1-4-5 dominant? Thank you so much for your wonderful channel!
Great lesson @Chrissherland. I'm going to have to watch this one again. :)
Glad you enjoyed it, it'll be here when you need it, and as often! This one is worth a few watches if you're just getting the key-change idea behind the 12-bar.
@@curiousguitarist Watched again. Now to try to use it. I've been playing some of this and didn't realize it was actually modal tones. More work to do. Much appreciated!
@@timsellsted521 keep us posted!
There is so much great information packed into this 13 minutes video. And it's so applicable. Finally someone making sense of how to use these modes in plain English! Thanks, Chris!
Of course Robert! Glad this sheds some light(s)!
Mind blowing! You changed my life! Once again best teacher ever
Ha Sandro! So glad to be helping out. Thanks for being here.
Finally, the modal penny has dropped and I see/hear modes being applied and not only explained in a scholastic way. Thank you.
Yes!!!
@@curiousguitarist I’m actually watching you and you’re writing “Yes!” to my comment in real time. It feels like a koan is revealing itself..also in real time. But seriously, I’ve been watching videos and reading texts on modes for years and basically it’s felt a though all I’ve been learning is how to spell the rotten things. I’ve been a language teacher and the way you explain concepts….. it’s working. Now I’m going to find out where Patreon exists on the Internet and go for a deeper dive. I’ve played guitar for 50 years and now I feel reenergised. Have a great because I’m gonna. 😀
@@willbergman2483 Love it! Hope to see you there, and look forward to working with you if you do!
Chris, another outstanding lesson!
Perfectly explained. You are also the first guitar teacher I have heard acknowledge that a 12 bar blues progression has 3 key changes and then explain how use that knowledge if you want to add a jazzier sound to your improvising. Well done!
Thanks Russ, so glad this makes sense!
Nicely explained!
Glad you think so!
Another fantastic lesson! 💜
Thanks Vaughn!
I have had a Josh Smith True Fire lesson for almost a year. Your explanation has just unlocked it for me. I've never understood why he could switch and include the notes that were to me 'out of scale'. You are the 1st teacher to bring in 'the tonal center'.
I have huge respect for players like Josh. And his ideas about playing through the changes have been an inspiration for me, especially in the blues shuffle.
"Tonal center" for me feels like a phrase we have to use to decouple from the "Key" we're in if we are to understand EXACTLY what is going on. I think it's a but heavy for a phrase, but it absolutely helps to differentiate the key from the song's "sonic home".
Another good one Chris
Thank you, Scott.
Great help. Thanks.
You bet Keith
my band and I practicing sweet home chicago so this is perfect!
This will TOTALLY work for that tune!
Superb lesson
Thanks Jack! Glad you like this one, thanks for the view, good to have you onboard.
I've known the modes by heart for years, but have always been a little confused on the "where, when and why" for their application. This lesson was another unlocking puzzle piece. Thanks for your lessons Chris! They're awesome!
Glad you enjoyed this one Jay!
I agree learning blues will get you places. I find my skill gets better faster when I learn blues songs, and I'm glad Marty has so many videos on them (you taught him well lol).
I showed him a path and he ran down it pretty quickly :)
Blues = makes you better
Great lesson. Thanks
You bet!
Great way of explaining it Chris, a few years back when I got into learning modes I would play A mixo over A7 (just because I knew it was the 5th degree) and when it went to D7 I would back engineer the notes on the 10 fret mixo to 5th fret which became A Dorian, probably not the best way to the same end result lol..... Would love for you to do more vids like this so I can pound it into my brain, maybe explanation of how (and why) underlying chords play into playing modely and how to use that process. Thanks again, great vid👍
Great suggestion! Adding that idea to the list of videos to do this year!
Thanks Charles!
I’ve been trying to understand why I couldn’t play modes over I IV V in dom7 blues and this explained it all perfectly - we’re shifting keys! Thank you so much.
You bet! This was a huge breakthrough moment for me as well, glad you got some clarity from it!!
I had not used those particular modes to focus the A tonic throughout the progression. Thanks for the shared wisdom!
MDI (Mixolydian, Dorian, Ionian) is the mnemonic to keep it in the brain queue.
If you're looking for lesson ideas, 2 things that I don't see explained often enough are (I know these but it's not common knowledge from what I get from folk):
Perfects, and minor/major notes in a scale. Example; that a 2nd can be minor or major, then dragged into dim or aug, but perfects don't toggle between min/maj, they just have 1 slot before becoming dim/aug. So if you have a sharp 9, one doesn't find the ninth and sharp it, it just is in the "sharp" toggle of that particular mode/scale.
And 2; "3 notes per string" pattern for the diatonic (other scales too, but diatonic is an easy start point), for fretboard knowledge and for speed increases. There are only 3 patterns between the 7 notes; (x = skipped fret) 1x2x3 (for all 3 major tonics), 12x3 (for 3rd + 7th), and 1x23 (for 2nd and 6th). And 3nps teaches one to see each note as these extended groups, so A in C key is known as FxGxA, GxAxB, and AxBC, not just seen as a solitary A note all alone in the scale pattern.
My 2 pennies worth.
@@EclecticEssentric those are great ideas! Will put those exact subjects into the plan! Thanks
Yup, called it MDI when I was teaching it live
Amazing lesson Chris. You make it so easy to follow. I wish it was as easy to play switching modes though. 😀
It gets easier with practice!!!
Chris, this is music engineering! Brilliant! Thank you!
I love that phrase..."Music Engineering"! So cool.
Thanks Fernando!
@@curiousguitarist 😎
Very interesting. Extremely interesting even.
But I’m not sure I like it for Blues per se…..
You’ve definitely unlocked a door for me….but not for the Blues. Keep Blues bluesy, if you know what I mean. I like my SRV the way it is. Robben Ford isn’t my cup of tea. But I did hear some David Grissom stuff in there. I do like his playing.
But this definitely has other applications. I’ve been playing for awhile but sometimes you’re just not ready to receive something. Well, I received this. Thank you.
Thanks for this great comment! The blues is such a vast canvas, and we all like it a little differently. These 7-note scales add a new initial color palette, and players like Robben Ford take it a lot further.
It if you’ve “heard” it, you can at least decide now where you go. Focus on the 3rd and b7 here, all you need to do to turn this idea “nastier” is to flat that 3rd as well and bend it!!
Nice Chris, I feel like I’m back at GIT but I actually understand what the hell my teacher just taught me! This is actually actionable and extremely useful. Kids are so lucky these days with YT...lol... I’m a subscriber and big fan after watching this now.
Thanks for the sub Manny, I appreciate it.
I was this close -->
Good stuff
Glad you enjoyed
thanks bro nice !
You bet!
If we learn from you through CZcams, is it appropriate to say you are our teacher? Absolutely fantastic video like all the others I’ve watched. Thanks again to you and Marty.
I’d be honored to have 12,000 students :)
Ah, just another quality piece of teaching. Thanks Chris.
PS - I love Josh Smith, I just wish he'd stop singing ;0)
Haha, JS is a treasure for sure! I’d love to see home live someday.
Great tips here thanks. Just been running through it and found the v chord sounds great with the A major scale starting at the g sharp on fret 4. Is g sharp Locrian technically,but sounds great if you play a seven note scale.
Technically yes, but the library of notes you’re playing in that example is A major still. To really get a Locrian tonality you’d need to hear that G# as the root. A big part of the Locrian vibe is that half step above to the root.
So ultimately, when you’re playing the E7, your still hearing Mixolydian in relation. Make sense?
I get you. I should have said emphasise the g# as that is also the 3rd of the E7 you are soloing over. Also ,there is a killer g#m7b5 arpeggio to be heard
Wow there is a ton of work to do there...dang! Always just accepted that playing the 7th l, lv, v each is its own key...wow then adding the mode to establish the actual key....
Yeah, there's a rabbit hole here, but it's so very rewarding getting to the bottom of ANY of these modes.
Great lesson! I have also seen , been taught to play the Dorian scale of the 4 and 5 over those chords? It sounds good when I’ve done that, how does that differ in theory?
Dorian built from the root of the 4 and 5 will give you minor thirds over both of those chords, which, if you’re careful should be fine, especially if you target them and bend them slightly.
Dorian has a b3 and b7 where Mixolydian only has the b7.
More multiple views in my future just to get the hang of it!
Maybe a dumb question here Chris. Is there a chord shape associated with each mode?
Thank you sir!
Walt
For this specific lesson use the chords I’m playing for the I IV and V and try to “see” the modes around each of them
Wonderful lesson! I'll be adding it to my saved list.
One question: At 12:40 you reference Josh Smith and play a run in his vein over the 4 chord. How would you define that run? Is a specific scale, or modified scale? That sound is EXACTLY the feel I've been seeking for a long time. I wanna know how to play that and the theory behind it. Thanks again for as great video!
Frank
Well THAT run is using the half/whole diminished scale (which oddly produces a full Dom7 chord off the first degree), but the idea was to really push the altered sounds of that scale (b9 / #9 / b5) over the dom7 chord.
@@curiousguitarist Thanks!
Great lesson _ stuck in pentatonic rut tho this may take me a while 😂
You got this, just focus on it for a week or two and it’ll start to stick! Keep me posted
I’m gonna have to review my mode notes and then watch this again.
Looking forward to hearing what you find Steve!
Great stuff. So why does A-Blues work over the 1 chord? Shouldn’t the flat third clash with the major tonality?
Indeed it does, but that specific harmonic tension is something we've all grown accustomed to at this point. Raising that flat third a little bit, not quite to the major third, is where all the tension in the blues lives.
I wish someone would have explained this to me like this 25 years ago.
Yeah, it seems that this info, while readily available, is not easily accessed outside of a music academics setting. I’m really trying to get this info out into the mainstream with the right context. Glad to hear that this one has worked for you!
Hi Chris Are you saying G Major Pentatonic works over the A7 D7 & E7 because :
The One note G,
The 2nd note A,
The 3rd note B,
The 5th note D and
The 6th note E Remain constant
I would not suggest you use the G major pentatonic over this progression at all.
This lesson is referring to the Major Scale modes as a solution for the key changes inherent in this specific chord progression.
The major scale (and all of it's modal derivatives) are SEVEN-note scales and therefore have a deeper level of sophistication and depth of complexity than a FIVE-note structure like the pentatonic.
If you are looking for a pentatonic solution for the blues, the A minor and A major pentatonic work over this progression nicely. You will have to navigate a few potential land mines here and there, but specifically the A min pentatonic is fairly safe for the whole progression.
Thanks for the comment Danyella!
Hey Chris just trying to wrap my head around this lesson. I know the dominant seventh chord is 1-3-5-b7. When you move between chords like this do you target the chords, aka knowing it would be Adom7 then Ddom7 move to a D note and use the chord formula 1-3-5-b7 to target or are you thinking about the key change and what mode in A would represent that. Or are they basically the same thing and just a different way of viewing/analyzing it? Of course anything is ok and everyone is different, I was just wondering about your perspective on this?
I see the modes and chords as part of a single fabric so to speak. So I’m looking for the chord tones and seeing the mode around the chord as additional color to apply.
At least that’s how I’m seeing it.
@@curiousguitarist ah ok! Thanks Chris! Btw I really appreciate all the responses! Also to note when you eventually blow up, I hope you know we understand you won’t be able to get to all our comments and that that’s perfectly fine! Keep up the great videos! Thanks so much!
@@Drew-gm4sy replied!
Haha, if it gets to the point that I can’t reply it’ll be bittersweet my friend!
Music theory reminds me of Mathematics class which puts me off playing because it's so incredibly complex and difficult to understand and remember.
Thanks for the comment, Salvador!
Yes in fact music theory is exactly like the study of Geometry in so many ways. Its the expression of sonic distance (I cannot think of a cooler math to study actually!)
Ultimately music theory describes the language that your instrument was designed to speak. If you speak it, the limit of your expression is your imagination, if you don't, the limit of your expression is your capability to regurgitate or try to reinvent the library of things you've learned so far.
Either way is valid. Either way your can make music.
But when you visit a place where you do not speak the language you're only really going to experience the top layer, when you meet the people, you'll only get directions to the bathroom. Not the poetry, not the passion.
But yeah, it's math. And yeah it's work.
If those turn you off, more than the promise of controlling your potential as a musician, then yup. It's not for you.
Thanks for being here!
Omg. Appreciate you. But I’m going to have to start from the beginning of this music theory stuff
Hello!
I wrote a free music theory primer if you are looking for a starting point.
www.curiousguitarist.com
It’s called “Fretboard Harmony Primer”. I think it’ll be helpful! Let me know.
Mixolidian, Dorian, Ionian off the tonic, all with dominant 7's, off any choice of tonic? ...and could still use the pentatonic if I just want to, along with these others, in 12 bar blues then. 5 4 1
So to get from the fifth of the fourth to the tonic turns out to be one whole step.
Is the second of the fifth, always going to be the Dorian mode? Or I guess the second of anything?
This solution will work over a 5-4-1 as well (again, as long as they’re all Dom7), you’d just need to scoot the order around.
I guess the real meat of this solution is projecting Mixolydian of whatever chord your playing to the tonic of the song/progression. When that all gets too complex you can fall back on playing Mixolydian for any Dom7 chord and get the same sonic result, without having to think about projecting that scale to a new tonic.
Modes! Man they can get sticky quick!
🎉🎉🎉
Can you use a similar approach to minor 1 4 5 ?
Yes indeed! But for "most" minor blues, simply using Aeolian over the progression works great. Its usually the turnaround section that is unique in minor blues...for example, the turnaround in The Thrill Is Gone uses a chord sourced from the Harmonic minor scale. So care must be taken to analyze the chords to find the appropriate scale.
Do i understand correctly?
Normally composing a song, composer should choose a scale first and then build chords after that
But in blues
They choose set of chord progression first
So that why i have to figure out which scale can be used over that chord.
And i found more than one because each chord can be derived from different scale and key.
Do i say correct?
Ps.Sorry for my english
Yes that sounds correct.
I like expanding my knowledge but my ears like the pentatonic.
Yeah, these sounds, the more sophisticated notes are a real style preference. The pentatonic and blues scales, with a few target notes thrown in we’re good enough for SRV too!!!!!
You are the smartest man in the world.
Ok that’s a probable overstatement.
:)
Glad you’re here, thanks for the view!
I once was in a class where most of the students disliked the teacher. I asked them 'Why he's smart. You just need to ask the right questions.' The best reply was 'He's a teacher, we shouldn't have to pull the information out of him'.
Chis' lessons are well thought out and communicative. Just right for me right now.
@@jimduffy9773 Thanks James, that means a lot to me.
I was noodling around trying to come up with a chord progression. I started in G and went to A7 (experimenting with secondary dominants), however the Amaj sounded better for what I came up with, resolving to Cmaj.
Why does that work?
G pentatonic worked great with it.
Just read Timmy Spencer's comment below referring to how a 2nd could be min or major. Guess I still have a lot to learn.
You’re hearing that A7 as the 2 of G. That progression is 1-2-4 with that 2 chord being the secondary dominant.
But it must resolve to the G right? When I play it the C sounds like it’s pulling to the G really strongly (acting as the 4).
@@curiousguitarist
I guess my understanding of resolving is shaky, but I'll give you an example.
When I noodled around it started sounding familiar and I finally figured out it mimicked "How Your Love Makes Me Feel" by Diamond Rio
In that case, it sounds like a 1-2-4-5. What I couldn't understand is how the 2 could be major.
@@3dVizualMan Yup, maj 2 is a secondary dominant function. This is much like the Beatles' minor 4 chord after the major 4, resolving to the 1. It's a "cadence" more than an actual key function and if you look at the chords from a voice leading standpoint you'll likely find the one set of notes that pulls you along.
Get curious!
@@curiousguitarist
Discovering these chord progressions that don't necessarily fall in line with general music theory can make things a bit perplexing for a newbie. I love it though. Never been much of a rule follower.
Thank you for responding. I get so much out of your teaching style.
👍
😎
I like it but then I thought Dorian is a minor mode the others are major, but hey thats okay it's the blues :) thanks again
You bet Lawrence, thanks for your support!
Sir, I somehow misplaced/deleated your email on how to buy your book. Please resend. Thx
I sent a note out on Patreon, is that where you saw it?
What makes blues blues is the Pentatonic scale over Dominant 7 chords. As soon as you start adding notes and changing scales, the blues sound disappears.
Blues is a 1 4 5. To refer to it as three separate keys, is to ignore the whole concept of blues.
I could just as easily say that the A7 is D harmonic minor, the D7 is G harmonic minor and the E7 is A harmonic minor. But that wouldn't be a blues progression.
Blues relies on the ambiguity and dissonance of the minor Pentatonic over major chords.
Great comment...but I'd respectfully disagree.
The blues is not a singular progression or scale, or mechanism. It's the forced combination of two distinct musical cultures, sounds and methodologies.
And, any chord progression that features multiple dom7th chords is indeed changing keys, without a shadow of a doubt.
Not only does the pentatonic scale over a dominant chord NOT define the blues, it's actually not required at all.
Lol, I'll keep doing what I'm doing
If it sounds good, and it makes you happy, keep it going!!
Ladies and Gentlemen,, please fasten your seatbelts, Put your seats and trays in the upright position,,, we are leaving the key you thought you were in your entire life and heading into the twilight zone. You may experience some turbulence and Things are not always what they appear but never fear,, Chirs Sherland is at the helm and will make sure you have a safe and comfy landing..
Question... Do you remember what,,,, If any,,,, was the single thing that gave you the ""Ah-Ha"" moment for understanding modes.???
Reason for asking,,, Once I think I have an understanding of modes,,, I see something else that just throws a monkey wrench in my spokes and I go over the handlebars in confusion all over again...
Yeah, modes were tough. The single most impactful thing I did to hear them was write backing tracks for them (you can do this in a looper) and keep trying until I could start recognizing them in other music.
Try Dorian first, it's pretty easy to hear. Use Aminor to D7 for an A Dorian loop.
Muddy Waters invented electricity.
Hahah! That must mean that Tesla was a blues man too!
Chris, if I could understand what you are talking about I would not need the lesson.
This is the plight of all educators across all subjects. I hope you enjoyed this one Pete!! Thanks for being here.
I have to take exception to the following: "The blues genre has at its core, at its center, it has the electric guitar as one of the primary evolutionary forces. This instrument continues to define what the blues genre is."
Blues music was born and raised on acoustic instruments, most notably the acoustic guitar. And while the electric guitar has certainly become a major instrument for expressing blues music today, the core is still what was played on acoustic guitars and continues to be plaid on acoustic guitars. Nothing says "the blues" to me quite like the sound of acoustic slide guitar, and I continue to enjoy acoustic artists just as I do electric guitarists. No, blues music is not "defined by" electric guitar. The instrument is just one tool out of many for expressing the genre.
The electric guitar is one of the primary evolutionary forces for the blues genre. I can not see how that is even questionable.
As far as the definition comment: point taken, that does come off a bit too “complete” sounding.
I hope you can find some value in the lesson.