Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Improvise a soulful blues lead using the major & minor pentatonic scales – Guitar Lesson EP481

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to improvise a soulful blues lead using the major and minor pentatonic scales (and mixing in a few arpeggios).

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walkthrough

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  3. Bruce G says

    Friday= New Lesson From Brian. I love Fridays!

    AND–back to the pentatonics. I like the challenge of modes, but thank you for giving us a break back to the pentatonics!

    Great lesson! Will be fun to get this down this week. Thanks Brian

  5. David S says

    Brian, you really put out another burner. Love the style, the key and the pentatonics smooth transition from one to the other. The organ was great also. Bet it will get a bunch of woo’s when I get this one down. Thanks again for all you do. I could never play anything but chords until Active Melody. You’ve made a senior citizen happy.to keep playing. Dave

  9. Jim M says

    Brian, you are an outstanding guitar instructor !!! Week after week (for years) you share your musical knowledge and learning compositions with us. I am so grateful and appreciate your dedication to providing a great learning platform.

  14. deece says

    Brian,

    Am so happy to see this lesson that spells out every detail of how to apply the pentatonic scales and how to integrate them. Also happy to see you setting up the lesson with the rhythm part first and detailing small sections with clear graphics, while you explain the logic throughout.

    One question/suggestion: I have always found it confusing to jump back-and-forth to mentally identify the pattern numbers and shapes between the major and minor pentatonic scales. Wouldn’t it be simpler and more logical to refer to the major and minor scales to the CAGED shapes they represent rather than pattern numbers? This would reinforce how they are used and eliminate having to mentally cross-reference yet one more set of numbers.

    Just wondering…

    Thanks for another great lesson.

    deece

  15. houliAK says

    I hear what Deece is sayin above but I’ve been doing a deep dive into EP 471 (see the cheat sheet) which was a big “light bulb” moment connection for me between CAGED chord shapes and pentatonic patterns. I absolutely loved the last 3 licks in this weeks video and applied them back to the EP 471 cheat sheet! There is probably more in video two but I haven’t got there yet. My point is, I really like the home base of pentatonic patterns and connecting it back to the CAGED system.

  17. Jason S says

    Another great composition Brian.
    I’m just a little confused how the Edim 7 chord fits into the Bb major scale though?
    Sorry if I missed an explanation in the tutorial?
    I thought the 4 Chord would be Eb major and the diminished Chord would be A dim?

    • Brian says

      It’s a common blues (1,4, 5) technique to play the 4 chord, then the 4 sharp diminished 7 chord, which resolves back to the 1 chord. I was basically using that same technique but skipping the 4 chord altogether… and going straight to the 4 sharp diminished 7

      • Jason S says

        Thanks Brian
        I was on the right track as I have only just seen your lesson on Diminished chords but I got a bit confused as you go from the 4#dim to the 2 chord rather than back to the 1.
        Sounds great though and I guess there areno hard and fast rules to these things.

          • charjo says

            My fingers are working faster than my brain. I guess he did just skip the IV on the way to the #IV dim but the ii is part of the ii-V turnaround back to the I.
            John

      • Jason S says

        Thanks Brian
        I was on the right track as I have only just seen your lesson on Diminished chords but I got a bit confused as you go from the 4#dim to the 2 chord rather than back to the 1.
        Sounds great though and I guess there are no hard and fast rules to these things.
        I’m definitely going to use this In my own playing.

  19. Kevin L says

    Great lesson, thanks Brian. Week after week I learn (or try to) so many great licks. Please tell me if you have any suggestions for how to remember the licks and keep them in a kind of memory catalogue. How did you or do you manage to keep them in your head or somehow available mentally to use?

  22. michael f says

    So many chords. So many concepts to learn, practice and remember. Going to the sharp diminished instead of the 4 chord in part I; but then in part II going to the sharp diminshed chord AFTER playing the 4 chord.; the main focus of this lesson. But it doesn’t stop here. There is the secondary dominant concept to consider on the way to the 6 chord; then finishing the piece by going out of key and playing the minor 4. And then there is the idea of playing a blues in Bflat! I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. But since you tied it to Garcia’s melody making, some of it may stick beyond my basic 1,4,5 understanding. Am Isailing on that ship of fools?

    But thanks, some of it may stick. Love that “country lick in part II, (5,4,1). Think I can remember that one.

  23. Dale G says

    You put so much soul into your compositions. The backing track is so beautiful with the organ , it just fits so well with the lead. Thanks for making it available to us to learn. Will definitely be putting this in one my favorites.

  24. Mike R says

    Another great soulful piece. I really appreciate your soulful, gospel background and love the way you work the double stops in. Lots of feeling. I am having some trouble with the video on this one stopping and starting. Maybe I’m the only one, no one else has mentioned it. Thanks for another beautiful piece and more cool connections between chords.

  27. Paul M says

    Brian, as with all effective teaching, you come at a your goal from various directions which is why each of us find growth in every lesson you present. Ever so slowly I am gaining knowledge and confidence in my very limited ability, but I am having small wins (following your directions) that bring me enormous joy. Many thanks.

  28. Doug D says

    Can’t thank you enough!
    As an older beginner, I have learned and enjoy the guitar more than I ever dreamed. Your lessons and your demeanor as a teacher are a big part of my new obsession.
    Thanks

  32. John H says

    Brian, thanks again for making Friday the best day of the week. Regarding measure 6 when you say you outline the Edim7 chord, aren’t the notes from the Bb major and minor chords while the E on fret 5 is a blue note from the blues scale (ie box 5 of Bbminor pentatonic)?

  34. Dory says

    I could be wrong but seems like you just hit that spot where you were into the jam. You know where all of us players hope to get when we connect with the fretboard, dreamy, I would have loved to listen to just a few minutes more! either way a beautiful lesson, nicely done

  35. Aj M says

    Brian – Found your site about 4 months ago – it’s taking me to another level (Thank you)
    Question, the backing track, are you doing all of that i.e., the bass, the drums, rhythm guitar? Because it is all so “beautiful”
    With the premium membership, are we able to “keep” the backing track. Because I found that a lot of times, after a year or two we want to go back and add what we have learned since then to the “basic” composition (if that makes sense)
    Again – thank you. Seriously you have made a tremendous impact on my playing/interest/style.

  37. nostril says

    Great lesson Brian! So Enjoying it. Haven’t read all the comments yet. Do so the cord changes and the way you explain the briefness of the minor for flavour. Would it be possible to flash scale patterns with the cord changes.Just occasionally to help insight into the cord changes.
    Many Thanks

  38. Ross H says

    Great lesson thanks! Can you find the major pentatonic scale in all 5 patterns by moving down the neck 3 frets from the minor patterns? Like, Am(pattern 1) to Fm(pattern 1) minor to major. That should work for all 5 patterns correct? By the way I think the internet was invented just for this type of website! Keep up the good work from a 66 year old rhythm guitar player who is trying to play lead.

  39. David S says

    Brian, This is just a great style..You couldn’t have made it any better. After listening to Bryan R put singing to it, the lesson just came alive. Thanks so much for your expertise teaching ability. Trying to finess it now . Thanks again. Dave

  40. gazulli says

    Brian – I have been a premium member for a while and suffer from the overwhelming use of input and not much output which is a problem you have discussed before. I am trying to reverse this ratio but have a a question that you may want to consider. I was wondering if you would consider releasing a series of you “take aways” that are not based on any particular lesson but on development of technique overall that would be readily adaptable. I have tons of your lessons but find it difficult to do some of them because I lack the skills needed. I also know that many of your techniques are applied over and over again in many lessons but for some reason I just don’t seem to pick them up very well. I think it would be helpful if there was a series of move to learn that would then be widely applicable.

    Not sure this is something you would consider and I understand that you are probably extremely busy just staying even week to week but thought I would throw this idea out there for your consideration.

    Thank you.

  41. George V says

    Ah, back to my youth with this one. No one was talking about CAGED when I was learning starting at 12 (long time ago) but Pentatonics was the way to go. To this day, I spend a lot of time there. So it’s good to see something rooted there instead of CAGED. I still don’t think in terms of CAGED when playing but I’m trying where it makes sense.

  43. Gary W says

    Love this Brian, thank you. I am especially grateful for the help in recognising that I – to – #4 seven chord sound when I hear it now. Its a sound I like & after having Ship of Fools on repeat for a while, I can hear it now right away.

  44. Andy D says

    Wonderful lesson as always, Brian. Lovely changes (love that Edim7). And beautiful, soulful, tasteful playing. So reassuring to be reminded that the good old pentatonic can account for all sorts of things.

  45. Pierre L says

    Hey Brian, always looking forward to your lessons every week. I’m at the stage I’d like to try to play with backing tracks “minus guitar”. My problem I can usually play most pieces at ~80% speed, but no faster, even for the “easy” lessons. It would be great if you could make MP3 backing tracks available at slower speed for all lessons.

    Thanks for another great lesson!

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