Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Call and Response Blues Guitar Lesson – Solo Guitar (No Accompaniment) – EP235

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll be learning my favorite style of solo composition, “Call & Response”. This style is great for playing by yourself with no need for any accompaniment because it provides you a format that allows you to improvise. You’ll learn several classic blues rock licks and the scales they come from so that you can start using these when you improvise.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-Through

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

    • wrightclick says

      i know how you feel but i dug in the D sections can throw you a bit , i highlighted each stave line on the tab view player and looped it then nailed it line by line adding one as i was ready to progress . When i got frustrated i stopped and went and did something else for a while then came back to it all fresh and determined over and over again . Some parts were a still bit shaky but i pushed on and cleaned them up the end . It gets me down in the dumps when i cannot do a new lesson but it’s a great feeling when you nail it and trust me i am no guitar god and definitely not a natural .

  11. Alexandre F says

    Wow, this sound came through so fine righ after the muddy waters blues that I´ve learn recently but still I need a electric guitar so it will take a couple of months I think to get a fender stratocaster and a Boss BD-2 blues driver pedal switch them both into my small sized marshall combo amp and take over it … though I will not resist and probably study this great blues solo with my acoustic: a fender CD-140 sce at least with “muddy waters” song did a great step

  13. Tremelow says

    No doubt, another “must have”. I think it’s way beyond my capabilities, but after watching the first part video I feel encouraged to give it a try. From another “no accompaniment / call & response” lesson fans!

  15. sunburst says

    Top of the morning Brian! Nice tone from the SG gibbon (SG stands for solid body guitar) always enjoy all these great blues lessons as with all the mixed genres! ,,lot of fun learning and practicing here! Yes , agree with the others ,keep up the great work!

  22. JohnStrat says

    Brian,
    This is a real Christmas present as good as the Muddy lessons. It mus rate as a fairly advanced play having bends with vibrato etc. There is certainly some speedy fancy fingerings ‘footwork’. I think you used the same A chord thing on frets 54 and 55 3rd and 4th string in EP127 .I recall Roberto saying it was worth the years subscription alone. I have noticed Roberto Maradongol hasn’t been around for a while so, Hi Roberto if your out there
    Happy Christmas to All at AM.
    JohnStrat

    • wrightclick says

      i remember EP127 and that little trick on the A 54 55 frets it gave me the idea to go back to it and have a recap . it took very little time to nail it again a quick run through on the tab view player as i could not remember the second section . One thing i also remember is how hard it was for me when the lesson was published and how crap i was with the end section tying me up in knots all round proof this site works me thinks.
      Chris Gretsch

      • JohnStrat says

        Chris
        I had exactly the same experience with 127 and so yes you are right about the AM method it works, and exceptionally well for me. Interestingly the lesson 083 has a lick at the very end which is the basis of the bend and vibrato lick here all very tasty stuff. Again here in 083 it was the same for me I could not get any where near it for a year or so but kept at it periodically and can now play it without problem. I think Brian is very clever in this way as I note he keep reusing various parts and it makes it easy to find reward in ones learning when a few months after struggling with a lick you come across it in a new lesson and play it with less difficulty. It is as Brian ‘s analogy like learning words in a new language and so it is no wonder they re appear from time to time.
        Happy Christmas
        JohnStrat

  25. wrightclick says

    Great stuff Bryan a little hard for me but i put the effort in and the input paid off , i have also learnt to deal with the frustration of not being able to nail it so to speak . Great lick of paint on the website by the way and nothing gets the members blood up like a new guitar aswell lol you knew you was not going to get away with that un noticed . I have just signed on for my 3rd term and looking forward to another year with AM. I wish your site and your business all the success in the new year.

  28. Phil B says

    Again, this is excellent. So many good sounding ideas and accurate finger placement. It’s great that you can come up with so many ideas. Keep up the good work and I will try to keep up although it will be tough going.

  32. Glock says

    Brian,
    I can’t say that I’m familiar with more than….maybe….5% of your lessons( Yes, I’m a slacker) but for some reason, I got really stoked with this one ….kinda same feeling that got me to join in the first place with the EP013 lesson…..yeah Waaaay back then……
    Thanks for everything you do…
    Merry Christmas.

  33. karen r says

    I just joined tonight and am already impressed because the tabs I printed out are so easy to read! I am a 63 year old grandmother and need big print so Thank You! I am so looking forward to playing this fun arrangement on my SG.

  40. Tom D says

    Hi Brian,
    I have strayed from EP235 this week, because I love the music put out by Carlos Santana and would love to use some of his runs in my own improvisation. I have discovered on YouTube that you do cover tune lessons, but I could not find any by Santana. Is it possible for you to do one for Black Magic Woman? I love your reaching style and I have enrolled in your course to improve and modernise my own playing style. I am 69 years of age and have been playing the guitar off and on since I was 10. I learnt classical guitar about 40 years ago and completed stage 4 in 2 years, but that was about 40 years ago and I have not played any classical numbers since then. I have played in mainly rock and country bands sine 1965 and am now playing at nursing homes and retirement villages – mainly 50’s and 60’s numbers.Keep up the good teaching and merry Christmas.
    Tom D

  42. Marty V says

    Brian —

    This is one of my favorite lessons so far.

    A couple months back I asked about how to add an vocal accompaniment guitar part (the riffs, chords I’d use) to your lessons . Any chance you could do a micro lesson on this?

    This lesson seems like the perfect base for this — how would I take the riff ( in A) and extend it through the progression to the D and E chords?

    Again, I’m NOT asking you to sing — I’m just looking for ways to extend the ideas I’m learning in your lessons so that I can accompany myself while singing too.

    Thanks!

  45. Tracey H says

    Hi Brian,

    I’ve been writing a song inspired by ‘She’s Crazy’ (JT Coldfire) and ‘Married to the Blues’ (Danielle Schnebelen and The Nortons) and this lesson has helped me with ideas for the guitar parts.

    BTW, given my inspirations, is the slow walk through available as an mp3 download?

    Cheers,

    Tracey

  48. Alexandre F says

    This is another great lesson in the key of A and how we use some parts of minor pentatonic “call and response” by yourself with no accompaniment so I saw on the video Brian playing with a gibson SG and the sound of itmatches really well but in my case I have got my fender telecaster a bit vintage sound even though it´s a modern one I don´t know how but it came through perfect to me a new guitar with that old vintage sound therefore along side with a boss dyna DN-2 effects pedal and a small combo marshall which sometimes becomes a bit fuzzy like it´s dying or whatever it is… in the end it came through a great set as it brings me further close to this lesson Awsome !

  49. Brad W says

    Brian,
    I’m trying to get a similar sound on my Strat or Epiphone ES339
    or Telecaster.

    My amp is a vox AV15 no peddles.

    What settings would you recommend. I’m at intermediate experience so any help would be great. Your lessons are great.

    Regards Brad W. — New Zealand.

    • Brian says

      Hey Brad, that had just a little bit of overdrive – no need for pedals. just give your vox some overdrive (20% maybe) – switch to your neck pickup on the strat and turn the tone down to 7 or so – back off the volume a bit as well (not all the way up) .. but just back it off until you dial in a good tone. – also a little reverb if you have that on your amp.

  52. Dave F says

    Been with you now for 2 years……………..Just found this EP235. This is brilliant stuff Brian. Thanks ever so much.
    This will defo get these 70yr old fingers moving a little quicker.
    Have a great Christmas you and yours.

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