Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Jam Band Style Lead Guitar Lesson – How to Jam on Guitar – EP266

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a jam band style lead (think Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers). This lesson is designed to help you understand how to improvise in this style. You’ll be using the major scale for most of this solo, but will touch on the minor pentatonic scale and the mixolydian mode as well.

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

  8. sunburst says

    Roll away the dew lol.. grateful dead ..splendid summertime composition Brian! going to jump on this soon.. I like the little sister tone.. I don’t think it sounds like any other American made too.. You play flawless make it look easy and that guitar has nice tones too! Excited to get started with this tonight!

  10. sunburst says

    I simply enjoy Jerry Garcia runs,, and I was never a deadhead,, yet have so much more respect knowing just a few of your dead compositions.. the 1/4 notes 1/8 and even those double stop hammer-ons from measures 19 into measure18 them 1/16 notes ..great feel and timing! I only know need to muscle memory this and likely have it to share tomorrow sometime! I’ll give you a thumbs up on you tube Brian! thanks again man, still lots of fun!

  14. Alexander P says

    Brian, a question: why did you choose to play E mixolydian or E major pentatonic over this progression and not, say, A major and/or A major pentatonic?

    I guess I could just try for myself playing over the jam track. My guess is that both work, but that A major (A ionian) would have a different feel, a different sound, maybe a less interesting one than the E mixolydian, which, as you point out, Jerry Garcia and a lot of other rock players have used.

    Thanks,
    Alex

    • Brian says

      Hey Alex, the reason I chose E major and mixolydian is because it’s in the key of E – everything resolves to E. Mainly because it starts on the E chord – so that has the emphasis. Had I started with the A chord, then I would have chosen A major scale, etc.

  16. Ian C says

    Similar to last weeks lesson, in that it sounds great and has so much take away material that I feel I am achieving real progress from the lesson.
    I particularly like the way you bring back and repeat ideas, themes and licks woven through lessons to show the way that they can incorporated into different styles of music and playing….very powerful teaching.

  21. Michael G says

    Great takeaways! I love it when I’m playing a song that I haven’t played for a while and I realize that a lick I learned from Brian will work in it and sound better than what I was playing before. It’s even better when the lick pops into my head and I play it without missing a beat. Makes my day! Progress!

  22. drlknstein says

    lol…..byrds…flying burito brothers…REAL BAND!!..

    .hot burito no2!!!.

    .I used to listen to them..hadnt heard them mentioned in a long long time..

    .very funny tho.,,,the way u said it..real band…..but really good band

    another good lesson. thanks

  27. Mark C says

    Dear Brian,

    I really enjoyed this lesson. However, you never seem to relate what you’re playing to the underlying chord you’re playing over—-suiting a lick to an E, D, or A. Doesn’t it make any difference when the chords change this fast, or are you doing at instinctively?

    Thanks very much. I always learn tons from you. Mark

    • Brian says

      Hey Mark, that’s because I don’t think of it that way – unless I’m playing the chord changes. In something like this, I’m playing in the key – so it doesn’t matter what the chord is I’m playing over – I just play in the scale of the song.

      • Mark C says

        I understand but not completely. For example, Chuck Berry plays different notes or double stops over the 4 chord or the 5 chord than the 1 chord because not all notes sound right—like D over an A chord in the Key of A. But everything you play fits perfectly. You just seem to keep going. I don’t get how you do that!

        You’re a very gifted teacher.

  29. wrightclick says

    Goodstuff I managed to keep up , 2nd part a bit tricky on the theory jumping from Pent maj and minor and them added major scale notes .When a note don’t fit in them five patterns it throws me a bit and i have to find out where it comes from . Great tune

  30. greg f says

    Awesome piece! Just getting my head into it! With it being only 3 notes that just keep repeating – you can jump in and out of the lead at any point. Mixing the lead with the rhythm is pure joy! I almost feel like I’m jumping around on a trampoline and can go hard or go easy at any point!

  38. Jonas D says

    Hi Brian,

    Thanks again for this lovely lesson.
    I have a question though referring to the E major scale pattern IV you mention at minute 8:30 of the first video. When i try to figure out the pattern you are playing there it looks to me you are playing pattern II en III of the E major pentatonic scale. Am i looking at this wrong? Im a litte confused about this 🙂

    Jonas

  39. David M says

    Great lesson one of the best I’ve seen on the internet. Would like to see more of these type of lessons.
    Seems to me like this lesson had more advanced material that’s hard to find.

  40. Leslie P says

    Beautiful Breakdown… Nice sounding Garcia like licks and yes Allman brothers too!! And the takeaways…!!! Wow good stuff Brian!!!
    Cheers!
    Keep dishing out those tasty dishes!!!

  43. Ian D says

    When I first heard this one I didn’t really think I’d like this lesson as not a great fan of Jerry G (just not my thang) but once I watched this a few times, it gave me a lot of “light bulb” moments. I really like how you break things down and put them into context and not just show how to play the notes. Another Master Class Brian, keep educating people to play and not memorise. Many thanks.

  45. Chris Christie says

    Last week I was studying the Allman Bros. Blue Sky and was wondering…Now that I have that under my belt where do I go from here…And this lesson is the perfect follow up! Really slams that e major home for me! Well Done!

  46. Relic says

    Hey Brian, great lesson.

    Went away for a few months to try and absorb some of the stuff I’ve picked up here over last year of so. This one lured me back and have had a lot of fun with it this week.

    I really wish you’d got into a bit more depth with the rhythm tracks though. I know you go through the basic chord progressions in the video but you don’t touch the embellishments. Would make these lessons a lot more complete if you did – there are no good rhythm courses online and you are missing a trick here. Great stuff anyway but a bit more info in the rhythm department would be vey welcome. All the best, R

  47. Randy G says

    Incredible lesson! I’ve played it so much in the past few wks that my poor wife says he even hears it even when I’m not playing!
    Thank you Brian for your thoughtful approach to teaching. Your site is exactly what I’ve been searching for.

  51. Danya G says

    Love your lessons, Brian. Thank you for the care and creativity with which you put these together. As an advanced beginner player, these provide just the right amount of challenge and skill building. After spending a few days with one of your lessons (this one was my third so far). I can feel my fingers starting to “own” some of these patterns. I can actually play at tempo passages that seemed unattainable just a few days ago. The practice tools you provide really help. Keep the goodness flowing!

  52. Daniel S says

    Brian,
    Locked in on this one my friend, and thanks!
    you’re in depth demonstrations complete with “good to know” side bars are the exact prescription at this point of my guitar development.
    As an older player i realize i’m not going to learn at the pace i would have if I had begun earlier. But remembering i once heard the guitarist for a major band say it took him about a month to learn a zep cover, ( i get the fact he was working on getting it stage ready) I rethought how long things might take for a late starter like me. So I’m on the grind and getting better if i may offer that observation of myself.
    The slow play thru, on view tabs and tabs in pdf form are all features that are invaluable to me.
    Right on , love it , thanks.

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