Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

BB King Ballad Guitar Lesson – Slow Blues in The Key of C – EP041

Description

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a slow blues ballad in the style of the great B.B. King. B.B. tends to go to the same place on the guitar neck during a solo (usually in the Major Pentatonic scale), and in this lesson I’ll explain how to find that place and will give you a series of licks that you can use that are in the style of B.B. King.

BB King Ballad - Part 1

BB King Ballad - Part 2

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access
Curious about the benefits of
Premium Membership?
Try it for FREE!
arrow_downYou need to be logged in as a premium member to access the tab, MP3 jam tracks, and other assets. Learn More

Add to "My Favorites"

You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this content.

Comments

      • greg l says

        I have not counted the bars out but I suspect it is 16 bars maybe a second 16 with a variation but I don’t hear it but no I would not treat all the chords as major chrods especially the iv chords where it copies ragtime descending from the I chord which is C and that is the key of the tune…. it chromatically descends to an A7 chord or any A dominant could do, then a D7 or D9 but D7 is cool…. it is the ii chord then we go to the G7 chord which is the V chord…….. the A7 and D7 sre substituted for minor chords… an invention from ragtime and early jazz and blues… in fact most of that early stuff substituted ALL chords as dominant 7th chords… it’s the sound of the 20’s LOL…….

        I hear the progression starting off normally… C major or C6 is better if you like.. it then goes to the IV chord… F… but play an F9 for that sweet as hell blues sound…… then back to the I chord C.. (I like a straight C7 there too but that sets up that walkdown to the A7…….. you can go C13 B13 Bb13 to A13 or just play them as 7ths……… then D7 G7…. I am not totally right on it yet and do not have the time so perhaps the site owner can help us out but so far if you do not know what I am talking about so far you need to learn more… ( I am not assuming anything mate just sayin)……… as for how to play over it that is what the video is for…. unfortunately I downloaded the TAB and no chords were written…. I totally agree with you… backing tracks need to have chord chart with them when they stray from straight up 12 bar blues… I hope I have been of some use to you.

        • Paul S says

          Many thanks for the chord progression Greg, i wished i’d have looked on Activemelody website and your answer. Still the last hour trying to figure it out has made me think and learn a bit – even though i didn’t quite get all the answer! Many thanks. Have to say i find the chord finding part more difficult than “noodling” over the backing track. I didn’t see the chords on the tab (they weren’t there!) so have to agree they would have been handy. Especially, for a slow learner like me.

      • greg l says

        I find the chord rhythm playing more of a challenge than the lead guitar on this tune… BB King had been a part of my lead guitar language for a couple of decades now but rarely get to play BB songs as most players I know just do not understand the harmonic structure and right feel to back me up but you can throw in some BB licks over hundreds of blues feels but sound perfect with a backing track like this.

      • Ray J says

        Put the jam track on and play a C major chord 2 measures and then drop down to a F chord. Play the F chord 1 measure , then drop right down to a F minor for 1 measure. Then go back to the C major for 1 measure . Then it go’s to the A major for 1 measure, then drop down to the D chord for 1 measure. Then to the G major for 1 measure . Then it starts back over … Hope this helps . Im still working on nailing this myself .- Ray

  5. DM728 says

    I love this Jam Track.  Perfect for this lesson and the licks from the blues course.  Slow enough tempo to switch back and forth between major and minor and explore the two together.  Much fun!

  6. midrider335 says

    Thanks Brian- great lesson! Actually the feel and melody of this B.B. King style solo kind of remind me of B.B.‘s instrumental ballad “Darling You Know I Love You”, which is great! Great job!

    • donald d says

      love the slow blues maybe because i cant play quickly. but there is something magical about that sy
      tyle of play. i think
      to feel the music and put your own feeling into the piece. i have just started to play again after a long long layoff. started playing ep 268 kinda jumped right in. love the lessons. a littlle overwhelmed rt now but trying to stick with it. great piece and lesson . thanks brian.

  7. sena g says

    Every Saturday, I am full of expectations and waiting for the new
    lesson from Brian although there are so many lessons that I have not had
    time to go through. You feel almost privileged: it’s like having a private
    guitar teacher. And it feels good fanstastiskt. All of my guitar playing got
    a new dimension thanks to this. Songs that I wrote many, many years ago get
    new solos and they are freer and more advanced and more delightful. My
    guitar self-confidence has increased. Thank you!

  8. ChrisH says

    Hi Brian - Really like this - great quality backing track too! Have recently been getting to grips with BB’s “Blues Boys Tune” which I really enjoy playing - Thanks so much for all that you do It’s very much appreciated.

  9. Biker13 says

    Thanks Brian - Another superb lesson. Great arrangement. I really appreciate the slower tempo in this one. It provides an excellent proving ground for refining technique and focusing on the subtleties of style, bends and touch. Becoming a premium member was the easiest and best decision I made last year. Thanks again!!

  10. allenmorales230@gmail.com says

    Great lesson Brian. Very accessible even for a beginner yet full of soulful licks that any advanced player should be lucky to have in their bag of tricks.

  13. Tony Dyrsmid says

    Hey Brian. Thanks for this lesson. It is exactly the style of playing that I like. It’s slow speed allows me to concentrate on the feeling, bends and vibrato. Please consider more lessons like this. Thanks soo much. Cheers, Tony

  22. Bzerker says

    Thanks Brian i can appreciate all the work you put into these lessons. Glad i found you on YouTube. I have you thing to ask though. could you put a link for the whole tab to get printed out at one time somewhere. Thanks again for another great lesson

  28. crawf says

    Great lesson Brian.Maybe at some time you could give a lesson on how to play lead blues at a faster tempo and what positions best suit this style.Many thanks.
    Richie.

  31. orient2k says

    Great lesson. Simple but superb. The solo is so effective it touches the soul. Many thanks Brian.  Hope there will a few more of these types of ballad in the future.

  34. Brian says

    mrpitiful - I don’t know why part 2 isn’t working for you.  Are you logged in as a premium member?  If so and you still can’t view it let me know - brian (at) activemelody (dot) com

  36. demmykro says

    Brian, nothing you do is painful. Everything you say while you are teaching has allot of meaning, as to the fundamentals of music.

    Thank you for your in depth teachings that show us how to play and Where the Music Came from.

  39. rajond@usa.com says

    i don’t buy lessons too often, but this lesson especially made me want to make the purchase. always a good lesson from Brian and i want to get tabs and jam trax. one observation. your lessons get a little wordy. imho. great teacher all the same.

  47. Bob Thomas says

    Great lesson, exactly why I started learning the Blues. Few timing issues when I’m playing along with the backing track but I know I’ll get there in the end.

  50. Tanner1 says

    Hey Brian, Really enjoying your lessons. It would be nice if you could make part 1 in your 2 part lessons active so we could listen to it instead of going back to youtube. Only part 2 in your lessons are active for listening. Not being negative just a suggestion.

  51. Tofttofly says

    Brian,
    Thanks for posting the chords for this lesson. As always you are doing a great job in your lessons. I always looking forward to the next lesson.I’m also going back and working on some of the older ones as well.

    Thanks

  52. MachansGuitar says

    Hi Brian, I just signed up yesterday and I am very much enjoying the lessons. I love the BB King Ballad lesson and am working very hard on that one and having a great time. It would be great for me if you could put the chord changes on the tab. That would help greatly in building my understanding of solo construction to relate licks to underlying chord structure. Many thanks for a great site Brian.
    Cheers   Eric

  53. double-stop says

    Great Lesson. I had learned the pentatonic patterns a little different and numbered different. So, at first I was wondering what was going on.I thought, as a beginner that everyone used the same patterns and number system.Now, I see there are different ways to “skin a @#$.”

  59. madams says

    Thank you so much. I just joined as a premium member a couple of weeks ago and I’ve learned as much, if not more, than I did during 1 years of weekly in-person lessons!

  60. Theodeman says

    Thanks Brian, I will say how many times I had to this video, however, I am glad I could, so that I could get all the bends correct. Thanks for your thoughtfulness
    in preparing the lesson. Thanks again. Tom

  66. charjo says

    I have worked on adding major pentatonic notes in my minor pentatonic licks. It never occurred to me to bend into minor pentatonic notes in my major pentatonic licks. What an exciting concept! That will add a whole new dimension to my playing. Love your lessons, Brian.

  67. bluesdaddy292 says

    I though I remember seeing 2 mp3 links here - one with the guitar and one without.

    Right now I’m only seeing one link - one mp3 without guitar.

    Did something change or am I dreaming?

  69. fcoy2 says

    Very nice touch. Although I play more acoustic, this one has me itching to get home tonight and plug in the electric. Been watching a lot of clips of BB lately, and this really reminds me of Peter Green (Need Your Love So Bad) and you can see BB’s influence on him. Thanks for another great lesson. If I can ever find enough free time to really spend the appropriate amount of time on these lessons, I’ll be able to get past “just playing songs” I’ve learned and really start making some music.

    Thanks again!

  72. Lowrey says

    Hi Brian,

    Absolutely loving the site.

    Unfortunately I can’t download the TAB pts and 2 for BB King EP041. (Love the tune)

    Is there anything you can do.

    Cheers

  74. jaystrings says

    Another great lesson, man.  I’m wondering if we can get the chorus to this in another lesson?  Also with a regular ending instead of an abrupt one.  Sure would be nice to have a track that included the complete song.  I’m not in a band and rarely get to jam with others.  It would be nice to be able to practice an entire song in the privacy of my home. 

    This also applies to all future lessons.

    Thanks.

  75. Radar says

    Great ballad.  I love learning these slow blues and really get how the key is moveable and can apply to so many songs.  This one really reminds me of Peter Green’s “I need your love so bad.”  He probably copied it from B.B. King.  Really nice job and I appreciate the videos.

    Thanks

  77. adarabos@mdlz.com says

    Hi Brian, this is one of your masterpieces thanks for that. Please post more ballads. The tempo is more convenient while the rhythm and bandings are the real challenge. By the way, explaining more about the rhythm would be appreciated. Get the right notes and chords is relatively easy after a while but to give the soul of a song back is all about the rhythm. You may think about some of the songs of Gary More - Ballads of the blues…
    Cheers, Attila

  79. JohnStrat says

    Brian,
    Like the long list before me I love this lesson. Its so much fun as you said. Would there be any chance of putting up a ‘ith guitar jam track’ repeating a few times so that those of us who take a bit of finger twisting to get the technique have a good chance to run through several plays it is such an enormous help in building up the technique and timing to be able to play along to your guitar prior to the blank jam track?

  82. John D says

    Hello, I’m not getting the chord progression. I see where you said the chords were C, C7, F, Fm, C, A, D, G – but I can’t tell how long they are being played for. Part I of the tab has 9 measures and part 2 has 8. I know this may seem stupid to some, but can you tell me which chords are played in each measure? I want to be able to play this with some of my friends, but if I can’t give them the chords and how long to play each chord, it just won’t work. Thanks.

  85. Duncan M says

    Brian – this is the first time I’ve posted. Normally I’m too busy learning material to respond,. I find your lessons fantastic, in that you explain so well what needs to be learned and give the learner time to adapt. You’re a born teacher, and coming from someone who was a teacher that’s high praise indeed. There are some absolute gems in these earlier lessons, but they would benefit so much now with the chords written in on the tab, the slow walk-through and the on-screen tab viewer of the later lessons, if that’s possible. Few of us would mind I’m sure if you revisited some of these and updated them, perhaps even adding a little more if you wish, but that certainly isn’t necessary. This would certainly help me internalise the material fully and allow me to use it over different chord sequences.

  86. Steffen L says

    Hi Brian, great lesson! I love your B.B lessons. I wondering which note you are playing at 13th on the high e string. This note is not in the major pentatonic scale, right? From which scale comes this note? Thanks. Best regards, Steffen

  88. Omar G says

    hello, I would like to share my experience in just 3 days of hiring membership of active melody has been fantastic simple, rewarding practice; I have loved the soft and melodic sweet country classes; I had other experiences with other online methods that only teach licks, however, without any context and now how to use it; on the other hand I am a slow blues bb fan; I would like you to be able to do tutorial on “Darling You Know I Love You” ideas about chords and scales thanks in advance.

  90. Ashley D says

    Hello Brian, Great lesson. Is it possible to have the jam tracks to this lesson in the key of A and perhaps also G. Some of us (as I do), tune the guitar a semitone lower – E flat. This enables easier bends. However, on the flip side, in the key of C, the notes to be played are too far down the fret-board and sounds a bit dull. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.

  92. Blaine H says

    Old senior here trying to have some fun playing the guitar in later years…. love this sound ….. COULD SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE EXACT CHORD PROGRESSION IS… helps me understand the notes and their relationship to overall sound…

    Any assistance would be greatly appreciated…

    Thanks all..

Leave a Reply

Recent Lessons

Contact

For all support questions email: support@activemelody.com
For all other inquires email: brian@activemelody.com