Midnight Blues by Gary Moore – Guitar Lesson Breakdown

Learn how to master the soulful playing and emotional depth of “Midnight Blues” by Gary Moore with this detailed, note-for-note guitar lesson from LickLibrary. One of the standout tracks from Moore’s acclaimed Still Got the Blues album, “Midnight Blues” is a slow, expressive ballad that showcases his ability to make every note count. Built on lyrical melodies, rich harmony, and passionate phrasing, the song is a blueprint for blues guitar expression. In this lesson, you’ll explore four of the core techniques that define this track: barre chords, vibrato, string bending, and alternate picking.

This is the ideal lesson for intermediate and advanced guitarists who want to develop expressive soloing techniques, improve rhythm control, and dive deep into the heart of blues phrasing. This lesson is taught by Jamie Humphries.

Techniques Used

Barre Chords

The backbone of “Midnight Blues” is built on elegant and smooth barre chords that underpin the verses and transitions with a warm, steady harmonic bed. Mastering barre chords is essential for any blues or rock guitarist, as they allow for chord voicings to be moved across the fretboard effortlessly. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to approach barre chord transitions cleanly and with precision, while maintaining dynamic control and tonal consistency. Practicing barre chords in this context also strengthens your fretting hand, improves endurance, and gives you a better command of voicing choices in a blues context.

Vibrato

Moore’s vibrato on “Midnight Blues” is nothing short of iconic. His wide, slow vibrato gives every note depth and intensity, almost like a human voice crying out with emotion. This lesson breaks down how to apply vibrato effectively on both long sustained notes and shorter, expressive phrases. You’ll develop better pitch control, timing, and phrasing—key elements of expressive soloing. A well-executed vibrato is what gives your playing character, and Moore’s technique is the perfect model for learning how to make each note matter.

String Bending

In “Midnight Blues,” string bending is used to great emotional effect, with Moore employing both subtle half-step bends and dramatic whole-step bends to deliver soaring phrases that linger long after the note fades. String bending is fundamental to blues guitar, and in this lesson, you’ll develop your bending accuracy, pitch awareness, and ability to shape melodic ideas with nuance and control. You’ll also learn how to combine bends with vibrato and slides to create seamless, vocal-like phrasing—essential for capturing the emotion of a song like this.

Alternate Picking

While the song is rooted in slow blues, there are numerous fast flurries and detailed licks that require clean, articulate alternate picking. Moore’s precise attack ensures that even quick runs retain clarity and feel. This lesson helps you build alternate picking technique with an emphasis on synchronization between both hands and the ability to transition smoothly between picked and legato notes. Whether you’re playing intricate blues fills or speedy melodic bursts, alternate picking is essential for maintaining consistency and tone.

Why Learn “Midnight Blues”?

“Midnight Blues” is more than just a slow blues ballad—it’s an emotional journey that demands feel, control, and an understanding of melodic phrasing. Learning this track allows guitarists to explore how to build solos with tension and release, how to phrase like a vocalist, and how to maintain discipline in dynamics and timing. Every technique in this song contributes to the storytelling nature of Moore’s playing, and mastering it will expand your expressive capabilities across all genres.

This LickLibrary lesson breaks down every phrase with clarity and precision, helping you internalize the techniques and apply them not only to this track but to your wider blues vocabulary. Whether you want to deepen your phrasing, improve your control, or get closer to the sound of one of blues rock’s greatest players, this is the lesson to take you there.

About the Guitarist: Gary Moore

Gary Moore was a virtuoso whose ability to marry technical precision with raw emotional power made him one of the most respected blues-rock guitarists of his generation. With a background in hard rock, fusion, and traditional blues, Moore’s versatility was always matched by his distinctive voice on the guitar. “Midnight Blues” exemplifies everything that made his playing unforgettable—vocal-like phrasing, a sense of restraint and power, and tone that could sing, weep, or roar at will. His influence stretches from Joe Bonamassa to John Sykes, and his legacy lives on through players who understand that feel is every bit as important as flash.

Guitar Techniques Featured in This Lesson

• Barre Chords
• Vibrato
• String Bending
• Alternate Picking

Capture the tone, feel, and emotional intensity of Gary Moore with our note-for-note breakdown of “Midnight Blues.” A must-learn for blues fans, this lesson teaches you how to solo with soul, control your dynamics, and bring real expression to your playing—just like the master himself.