Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Minor Key Blues Jam By Yourself – EP427

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson you’ll learn a blues jam in A minor that you can play by yourself (no jam track needed) using basic chord shapes and the minor pentatonic scale.

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. Tom Horock says

    I just signed up for a third year…. I think this type of lesson is the greatest….. I received a lot of guff about the subject of not being so interested in music theory. Just to let you know that I am going through the essential theory class. Most of it is addressing theory I am already familiar with but I’m sure I will pick up a few things…. Thanks

  4. sunjamr says

    And – good news – the minor key jams EP069 and EP184 can both be easily played in Am, so that gives us some ideas for merging all 3 together, or doing a cut and paste thing. The mind boggles!

  8. Mp J says

    Great stuff as always. As someone noted above some of these videos nicely dovetail with older ones..hard to recall which, tho..perhaps you could occasionally cap a lesson by referring viewers to others in same key or similar groove. Also you often mention the blue note. true enuff! But think also identifying it as a flat5 (or sharp 4) would help viewers locate it anywhere. Best!

  10. Arnold M says

    Terrific! These are the lesson I always gravitate to since I am an old lone wolf. I don’t have others to play with unfortunately, so these “ on the porch” call and response are number one for me. Thanks again :).

    • Scott R says

      I’m right in the same boat…. love these “on the porch” compositions. Reasons: (1) They sound great at home, (2) short enough that they’re easier to memorize, (3) they cover a variety of styles and genres, (4) it gives me something to play when I go to the guitar store and want to noodle around.

  11. Boomer says

    The mix and variety of approaches — stand-alone compositions like this, theory, deep dives, different genres, acoustic, electric, and so on — are what makes Brian one of the best in the business. 👍🏽

  13. Gregory D says

    Thanks Brian! Great Video. I’ve been going back and forth with the A Minor Rhythm and the Pentatonic lick for the last hour and loving it!!!
    Can’t wait to learn the rest but I’m in no hurry!!! 🙂

  14. Jeff H says

    Thanks Brian, this looks like a good one to learn, any Minor Key compositions get my attention, JoLa will love this one. This is just what we need here in Melbourne at the moment, into our 6th Lockdown, with cases rising, huge jump in cases in Sydney. Your lessons help in so many ways, and help us forget how crazy the world has become, at least for a little while. Keep up the great work, you Inspire us all. Take Care, Jeff

  16. Peter C says

    Hi Brian… my third year with Active Melody and I am also one of those that really love these stand alone blues lessons!
    Your site is the best one out there, love it all…Thanks again!

  21. André H says

    Hi Brian,

    Nice lesson! To me, penta and Caged system seem quite easy, But the most difficult one is “rythm”; So Brian have got some trick or kind of training to “get rythm”?
    Thanks you.

  23. Steve N says

    Brian – in full screen view, when I press pause to refer to the TAB underneath, this damn information bar pops up showing many other lessons. It is driving me nuts!

    How can I get rid of those annoying info bars?

    If I want to find another lesson I will search it, I don’t need pop-up menus in my face obscuring the actual TAB I am trying to read.

    Good stuff though – thanks

  24. alasdair L says

    Hi Brian, up till now I’ve been a bit frightened of the ‘by yourself’ lessons as the backing track hides the worst of my mistakes and allows me more ‘freedom’ (lack of discipline?) in my playing, but this week the tune is so good I am inspired/determined to give it a go. I’m usually more of a dabbler (20 or 30 tunes badly played in each afternoon’s ‘practice’, which is more fun but maybe not the way to see clear progress. This week, however, I have warned my wife that for 2 hours every afternoon she is going to have to listen to Minor Blues Jam by yourself 427. It would be nice to have a ‘party piece’. Your lessons are a ‘lesson’ to most other online teachers, especially to turn out a new piece of music every week. Looking back to the early lessons there is a big improvement and congratulations on your sticking power. Keep it up, We need you. Oh, and I’ve finally learned how to play, simultaneously, notes on alternate strings from today’s lesson. Thanks

    • Alfred Dowaliby says

      Alasdair, I completely understand the dabbler syndrome. It held me back for years from making the kind of progress I could have made. Then I realized, focus on one piece at a time and put everything else aside until it’s so smooth you can’t believe it’s you. Then move on to the next great one and do the same. No hurry in building a repertoire. Better to have one piece that can be played really well for the listener than 100 mediocre.

  25. David488 says

    Brian—
    I like the theory lessons and you do them well and I feel they benefit me as a player as opposed to just memorize the fingering. That said, I think we students as a group still love to learn a “cool lick or run” that is always great to play. I would love to see more fingerpicking/hybrid style lessons for electric guitar. Great work as always.

  27. Bassman164 says

    Another excellent lesson Brian !! I like these simple, but smartly laid out/explained stand-alone compositions. Your lessons are not ‘too busy” and they are loaded with take away pieces ( to use your expression) which I have integrated to my playing….without even knowing it. Your tab player with the adjustable speeds etc is an added bonus which really help me dial in my coordination etc and get through the tougher licks/section and help with the ‘finger-management” and stay in time – if you feel me 🙂 Keep em’ coming dude

    (Ottawa, Ontario)

  28. DerekBlue says

    You can’t eat cake all the time. Sometimes you have to eat your spinach!!! I resisted theory for a long time, but finally took a couple of theory courses. It took me some time, but it does start to gel. Listening to Brian teach it in his wonderful style really helped solidify the concepts. Thank Brian. I’ve been with yousince the begining. Don’t change a thing.

    Brad aka Derek Blue

  29. charjo says

    Takeaway bonanza! The secondary dominant of the V in the turnaround is completely new to me. So nice to see music theory in action with the “chord family” ideas. The D minor lick in part 2 could also have been seen as an A minor scale lick anticipating the A minor chord.
    John

  31. Greg O says

    Love your teaching style ! Especially appreciate these stand alone lessons as that’s 90% of what I do. Really got me thru the pandemic! Have you ever considered expanding to banjo or mando? As if you aren’t busy enough! I’d really like to hone my playing /understanding of those as well. I’d be willing to pay separately for that ! Hey another revenue stream!

  32. Daniel H says

    Learning the theory behind application (Playing) is what brings these lessons home for me.
    It is how Active Melody hooked me into subscribing. My playin has elevated to a level I only used to dream of!
    Thank you Brian.

  36. gbhstrat says

    I have been a member for 10 years and I support you because I like your variety. Theory and jamming, acoustic and electric, finger style etc. I also like lessons with no backing track like this one. Because of all your finger style and hybrid stuff I am now prefer playing finger style over a pick thanks to you. When I started playing years ago I stayed away from finger style because it was so different. Keep the guitar theory in the mix.

  37. Jason L says

    great lesson, I like how you explain how you play a riff in A to come back to the A minor chord. That is the kind of things that i am usually get confused about and know one ever bothers to explain.

  38. Roberto C says

    Thanks for the lesson. When I first heard it I thought it would be simple to learn and indeed I managed to play the first part quickly. I take it as a reinforcment of all the stuff that I’ve learnt so far (caged, minor pentatonic, etc..) and as a warm up when I pick up the guitar, possibly in a shop to try new gear 🙂

  39. erwin41 says

    As usual,Brian an nice piece of work.Love the minor blues but also the other things you too.I think in these way we learn a lot and its not always the same.Keep up your excellent work,Brian

  40. Ian M says

    Been a member now for over five years. Your lessons have made me a much better player and I’ve only scratched the surface of what you have to offer! Someday I’m gonna break down and practice your finger-picking lessons.

    Also, I have a reasonably solid understanding of theory so I didn’t need the course BUT I do think knowing what your course teaches is essential, frankly, for learning how to play the guitar. Perhaps for those resistant to the subject you might want to change the title to some more palatable like “Fretboard Fundamentals” lol

    Really like the fact you use partial chords and triads instead of barre chords for the most part.

  43. charleydelta says

    I’ll be frank, Brian. I miss the blues lessons you presented so well in the past. I’d like to see more BALANCE in your weekly lessons. Some of your theory lessons have been too pedantic to appeal to your wider audience. I realize that some of your students crave academic exercises in musicology. but please restore the balance. Please intersperse those type of lessons with some good old blues and R&B lessons in the style of Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Gatemouth Brown, etc.

  44. Debra Amesqua says

    Brian, great lesson. I love your front porch approach to teaching, and I was wondering if you could share your thoughts/approach to the capo? In Tallahassee, bluegrass is the staple. but I’m resisting using the capo, as it confuses me (eg, play in the key of two). As a guitar beginner, I’m using the concept “attach my riff attempt to a chord shape or key” ….. Thank you for your guidance… dha

  45. sciencefiction says

    Excellent, Brian. In the vein of EP235 but appears easier (to play). Love those double stop and triad licks interspersed between standard pentatonic licks. Baseline rhythm riff cool also to practice timing and improvising. An essential lesson for me.
    Larry

  46. Ron W says

    Love the Am blues licks, I also signed up for mostly these kind of lessons. That said, I am a huge fan of 90% of all things Activemelody, it has changed my playing immensely and made my music experience so much better. Im still surprised how quickly I can master the techniques I once thought of as to difficult , or time consuming to learn.

    Thank you so much

  48. Alan S says

    I love this website and enjoy learning to play guitar , I am over 70 years old and find my interest in playing guitar keeps my mind active, I am not a lover of Blues music and yes I know many, many people are and that’s great, however the blues content on this website far outweighs any other form of music and I find myself being a little disappointed more often than not when every Saturday I eagerly check the weeks new lesson and once again have to go back through old lessons (sometimes years) to find something to play.

    • Brian says

      What specifically are you looking for? Also, maybe just ignore the word “Blues” in the title… you could make this country, rock… just about anything by changing the effect or the timing a bit.

  55. Robert K says

    Good stuff Brian. Sounds hard. Plays pretty easy.
    Not as important that it’s stand alone, (jam tracks are helpful most of the time to keep time and remind where you are), but being rich with rhythm and licks is where I fall on the desire list.
    The theory stuff went a long way towards pushing me to actually value learning at least basic theory, and I wouldn’t ask that you abandon that at all but give me more of this kind of stuff into the mix. Now that you’ve given me/us that theory, this kind of stuff makes more sense. The CAGED thing is huge. PATTERNS ARE A HUGE HELP. Don’t forget to let us know where stuff falls in those CAGED patterns. Grudgingly learning some major scale patterns but the pentatonic/blues scales are pretty much where I want to be.
    Dude! Thanks for everything. Hope you’re enjoying then music on that hard drive but with so much on your plate, I doubt that you’ve had time to listen much. Now that you got the theory course done, hopefully you’ll get some time for that.
    Best, Robbie

  57. Michael J says

    G/day Brian,
    About to begin my seventh year of Premium. Don’t change a thing. Excellent content. Excellent tutorship.
    BTW Is there a connection with Michael and Molly? She plays the house down!
    M.J.

  58. Michael W says

    You asked for feedback….these lessons are by far the best in my view and I learn more and enjoy them more thank any other. The value I get from these is the classic licks with the explanation of where they come from so I can apply them elsewhere. Also, they sound so authentic without being a copy of another track. I don’t have a huge set up so “stand alone” tunes I can play by myself work best for me. I genuinely find that spending time working on these lessons is like therapy This one reminds me so much of Tin Pan Alley. Good work as usual.

  59. Phil67 says

    This lesson embeds all the quintessence of active melody:
    * A rhythm as take away : that only justifies the lesson
    * Licks connected to chords shape
    * key Transposed demonstration
    * variation and color tones that can be applied
    * Examples of ‘what else should have been done”
    * Invitation to improvise
    * Well measured theory, enough to get highlighted, not too much so I’m not overhelmed
    * Reference to other lessons if I want to go deeper on a subject
    *Two parts, each one completing the other but also can be played as stand alone
    * Blues oriented

    This is the typical lesson that comfort me in my membership.

  62. Mark T says

    Personally, I much prefer lessons like this, that have a tune to learn – either solo or with a jam track. Like some others, these lessons are what I joined AM for.

    Lately I’m gravitating more to the up-tempo lessons – challenging but really satisfying when you’ve learnt it!

    Brian will often drip-feed theory tidbits anyway – sneaky that! 😂😂

    With Brian’s new Theory course, we can always dip into that if we want a deep dive 😎

    Must also mention how beneficial the forum is for me! Always positive, and means so much more from people who are going through the same difficulties as you are – learning the “twiddly-bits” and such! 👍❤️

  63. Paul J says

    For me the lessons are best when theory is mixed in with the tunes . I get a little frustrated when a lesson with a song comes along and I think, that’s great want to learn that, then the next week I think that’s great want to learn that too, and I end up dropping the previous one before I finish learning it (I’m a bit slow 🙂 )! On the very odd occasion when one comes along that does not appeal quite so much, I think great, more time with the previous one. The theory lessons also give a give me a bit of a break for this. Basically, the quality and frequency of the lessons can be a bit overwhelming to some of us (well me anyway). I think I need to pick and choose a bit more, but scared of missing some gem of knowledge. That said congratulations on the quality and value of your lessons.

  64. Brad S says

    Brian, this is a great lesson …. I like how you explain it and demonstrate it! Since I have been working with your instructions, my guitar playing has improved. I also find that it carries over to other instruments I play.

  69. Randy H says

    Not to sound picky, but just a little confused. In a Minor Key wouldn’t the 2nd chord be Diminished or can it be played as a Minor chord instead?? Is this an option when selecting chords?
    Keep the theory input coming, it helps understand how music works.

    Randy

    • cloughie says

      That’s true but as it’s only really a momentary move from Am to Bm & back it sounds good, so I guess it is good!

      The Bm isn’t far away from the diatonic chord.

      The Bm7b5 is diatonic & that’s a Bm7 chord if you don’t play the 5 ( like in a shell chord ). As the 5 is the least important tone of the 4, that’d be an option if you wanted to hang out on the Bm sound for any length of time I suppose.

    • Chris White says

      you are correct if the minor chord is based on the sixth scale degree (then the “2” would be the 7chord) But there are two other minor modes starting on the 2 and 3 scale degrees If it’s the second harmonic environment Dorian then the second chord in the progression is minor. Check Brian’s modes and theory. See if you can find the relative major scale of the tune and number the intervals.

  70. David H says

    Brian

    I appreciate your dives in and out on theory and varied lessons crossing all the genres I like. So am very happy with the lessons you are doing and variety. My knowledge and playing is improving week by week. Thanks so much for your explanations and approach. Its great. Keep it up.

  72. Mark W says

    Keep bringing it all! I want “practical theory”, applied to making music (mostly the blues and moderate rock). Not just theory for theory sake. I quit guitar lessons in the late 60’s because I just wanted to play, not learn to read notes, so I bought song books and learned the chord boxes. I could not improvise, but could play the songs I liked (i.e. rhythm a la brute force). Fast forward to today, I am to teach myself music theory (keys, scales, chords, etc), but want the practical side of it, that’s where you come in, and I love it, so keep mixing it up. At the end of the day, most of us probably just want to play some music. I like what you are doing. Thanks as always. Been a member of AM for 4 years now.

  77. Andy N says

    These minor key, rhythm oriented lessons are my favourite format, but I think you have the balance between lessons like these and the more theory based ones about right.
    We need both to build our skills while keeping the fun level high. For me, the tips like playing complimenting chords (e.g. same minor two frets up) and the position of scale fragments with respect to CAGED chords shapes are golden. I struggle to remember licks how ever hard I try, but these kind of tips really stick.

  79. Laurel C says

    This is an awesome stand alone arrangement to be able to play. So many interesting facets contained within it. Determined to get this one on the electric however long it takes as it will open the door to try other rhythm lessons that have more tricky muted and ghost strums. Keep doing what you are doing Brian in what ever you bring to the table, it is all appreciated. ps The takeaway of the 5 chord below the one chord sounds interesting. Could that be elaborated visually into a mid week lesson ?

  80. Brian T says

    I have ONLY one issue. These lessons are so great that almost every week one comes out that I really want to learn. But the next week is a new one that I also want to learn but haven’t got the first one down. Self discipline is not yet my strong point..but gone have exercise self control and learn one before going off on the next.

    GREAT SITE AND GREAT LESSONS>>>>>> THANKS.

  82. barry v says

    This is something I can sort of achieve with practice I don’t play with others so this is right up my street..I would like to learn more in the way of complete blues songs even real old ones that are clear of copyright… Please 😉

  83. Francois M says

    These lessons the last few weeks have been great. Nice midweek lesson this past week. I’m someone who just plays in my bedroom for fun. I just want to pick up the guitar and noodle around and make it sound good. I will never play in public or even with other people. And I’m not interested in playing along with a jamtrack. That’s too much work. And I play real slow. I like this minor blues stand alone lesson, but I will play it at half the speed. I’m also a theory nerd and find your explanations helpful. And unique on the web you tie the composition to chord shapes. You seem to revisit big themes every 50 lessons or so, with new material and new insights, and I find that helpful as well to refresh my memory on things you said before and also to take more out of the lesson than I would have appreciated on my learning journey when I last heard you teach the topic 50 lessons previously. One of the comments above mentioned that you explain why to play certain notes instead of saying just repeat after me. I echo that. Extremely helpful. I find it hard to remember full songs but with your teaching I am not limited by just re-gurgitating a handful of songs I may have memorized that were written by someone else and that get repetitive very quickly if that’s all I can play.

    I have two unrelated questions:
    1. How often do you find yourself clipping your nails on your fretting hand? As a professional player do you make it a practice to clip every other day or something like that?
    2. I bet only a very small handful of subscribers have watched and practiced your lessons every week over the last 10 years, other than you. The expression is something like, the test of whether you know a subject is if you can teach it to someone else. I know you were really talented even before you started the lessons but I’m wondering how much do you think you have improved in your playing by virtue of your having prepared and practiced these lessons for these past 10 years?

    Thanks for the lessons.

  84. Ralph S says

    I really enjoyed the middle of the week lesson and this weeks lesson. I am 76 years old, and really played out for probably 30 years. Always with a pick, but every time I seen your fingerstyle lessons. I would try it and move on. But this past spring I have been going back and spending some serious time with you fingerstyle lessons. I am not very good at it yet, but love them.

    Keep up doing what your doing, it is keeping us older guys learning new things.

  86. Jerry G says

    Well laid out, constructive and useful as usual Brian, you always show the ” why” not just the lick and that helps put things in context and further cement the CAGED shapes which really opened a lot of doors for my improv….. Many thanks, keep em’ comin.

  87. James W says

    Thanks Brian,

    I love these types of lessons. 40+ years of lead guitar, but these simple rhythm and melody concepts are something that just never clicked until I signed up for your weekly lessons. Love that these are easy enough to play straight through but packed with tips and reasons why things work. I have always been able to just feel my way through so great so see why it all works. I am sure this really jump starts people learning to get to the next level – wish we had all this in the 70s.

    Really like the play-by-yourself lessons since they give me a simple melody practice routine to work on the theory.

  88. Ron M says

    Brian, Thought I would do as you asked this week and leave a comment thanking you for yet another terrific lesson. I started using your site at the start of lockdown. Despite having played for more than 40 years, including a lot of Classical lessons, I’d never really unlocked how to approach playing Blues until I started following you. I really feel I’ve come a huge distance in the time, so many thanks. One comment – I know why you avoid using the names of notes as far as possible, but, for me, I really think eventually players need to start knowing where the notes are : I find it hard to imagine how people can find chord shapes up the neck if they can’t identify root notes. Maybe just me.
    I live in Glasgow in Scotland, and thought you’d like to know of a charity I recently got involved with called “12 Guitars”. They started a couple of years ago with the aim of bringing guitars and lessons to people who otherwise wouldn’t have access – either through poverty, mental illness or for other reasons. They run out of an old London bus in the Govan area of Glasgow. Its extraordinary how many people are prepared to donate equipment, strings (thanks Rotosound and Fender!) and their time to help. We’ve started running ‘Play and share and learn’ nights – I recently ran a group based on your lesson Ep368 (I think – slow acoustic Blues), which went down really well. Hope that is OK with you. I did plug your lessons and pointed them to your YouTube channel – though most of these kids couldn’t afford to pay even your very reasonable fee. If you are interested to know more about them, I can send a link.
    Keep up the excellent work. I always look forwards to my Monday class with you. Ron McLeod.

  89. Mark N says

    This is so satisfying to learn and play, it’s taken me ages but I’m finally getting to a place where I can play rhythm and embellishments but have a natural understanding over the chord changes, whereas previously I was just stuck in a particular pentatonic key. This piece sounds just great but is deceptively simple to learn too. Thanks Brian.

  92. Richard F says

    Holy mackerel. You’ve outdone yourself on this. One of the best I’ve seen so far, & the bar is very high. I tend to avoid full-out electric blues, but this one goes into muscle memory ASA:.
    Thanks.

  94. DouglasAlaskaDad says

    Brian, you are one super talented dude and all of us are better players because of how you are able to teach, but for me it almost seems like you have a sense of what needs to be taught/shared. I had been working on a little bit of the ‘Fly On/Little Wing’ chord progression ala Sir Hendrix and Vaughan (the tiny bit I know) and this one fit perfectly for me at a time I needed a nudge. Good good stuff man thank you.

    Mark

  95. Michael S says

    Hi Brian – I really enjoy the lessons each week, although it takes me most of a month to learn the piece. I just started learning “EP 275 CAGED for Minor Chords.” Now I see this one, which is similar, and sounds really cool. I play acoustic guitar. Which one, 427 or 275, should I learn first (eventually, I’ll do both)?

    Thanks,
    Michael

  96. Alfred Dowaliby says

    Gosh, the response to this lesson was so overwhelmingly positive — so many glowing comments, I’m not sure what I can add. But I’ll try anyway. This piece is not just a good vehicle for practice, but an excellent stand alone piece of music that can be played for our listeners. One thing that I have seen typically afflict guitarists (myself included) is the meandering locks and noodling with no cohesiveness. It’s kind of like having a bunch of sentences which, even if well written, do not flow together to tell a cohesive story. We owe more to our listeners (and to ourselves). This, piece, along with a host of other stand alone pieces Brian has composed and posted through the years, provides us a wonderful vehicle to provide entertainment to others with nothing more than our own guitars. entertainment. One could build a pretty extensive repertoire just by getting down all the various stand alone pieces, or at least some of them.

  97. Brian T says

    Love your teaching style!! Iv’e spent many hundreds of dollars on other sites through the last 20 years and have used them but have never been so exited to use a guitar teaching site as i am with yours!!

    Thank you for your dedication to teaching this art! I have had light bulb moment after light bulb moment and I am sailing through to uncharted waters how exciting!!!

  99. Mr.Charlie says

    Brain, iv learned SO much from you that is actually truly incredible how far iv come in such a short time and its all because of the stand alone comps like these. More please! thanks for all you do

  100. Julian S says

    Yes. Exactly that 60’s rock blues composition I signed up for. Will be all over this today in Aussie lockdown. Thanks Brian. Keep more of these bluesy rock things a comin’.👌. Jules.

  103. Brian D says

    Brian,
    I wanted to comment again on this lesson. I have only been with you for 6 months. I have learnt so much and love the lessons.
    But lately I was getting frustrated because I thought I should be moving quicker in my playing. This lesson was just what I needed. I felt like I did not have to repeat the lesson 20 times before I got it.I dont know what the average ability of your customers are but sometimes the lessons are a bit too difficult especially when the theory is over my head.

    I would love more lessons like this and please don;t be afraid to go a bit slower. I realize there are players much better than I but the better we feel about our playing the better we will like the lessons. The better players can perhaps have a different spin or challenge to the lesson???

    thanks

    • Francois M says

      Thanks for pointing out that lesson. Really beautiful. I used (to try) to play EP315 for months. I had to double check if that was the lesson you were referencing. I’m going to have to study both lessons again. No way I can keep up with these new lessons every week on top of 10 years of past lessons that are each a gem worth studying.

  105. Andy D says

    Great lesson as always, Brian. Really enjoy the music you write for these lessons – the grooves almost always make me want to pick up the guitar and try to master them. Your attention to detail is just right and explanation of supporting theory is – to my mind – perfectly judged; not too much, not too little. In short – thank you.

  107. Barry L says

    Brian,
    I love this lesson because this is the type of tune I can warm up with, adlib other “response” licks, improvise with a group, or use it when testing a guitar or amp at Guitar Center (smile). These stand alone lessons are great I just wish I could recall all of them when I need one. Good job.

  109. Craig K says

    I’ve been a premium member for a few years now and I like the mix of styles and levels of theory you have now. You are my one and only teacher because you cover it all and compose such irresistible practice numbers. I super love this little short piece (minor blues my speciality) and I am going through your new theory class. Thanks for everything!

  111. John C says

    You asked for comments. I would say I love both the lessons that focus on theory and these that focus on playing something beautiful. I get a lot out of both. Keep up the great work.

  112. Randal C says

    Hey Brian,
    Great lesson! I really enjoy the ‘Call and Response’ lessons. Maybe it would be a good idea if you had a ‘Call and Response’ drop down on the ‘Lessons categories’ area.! Thanks again………

  113. Mark V says

    Very nice lesson! I enjoyed it a lot. I have a question though. It’s called Am blues Jam, I thought a basic minor blues consists of Am/Dm/Em. You are playing the chords from the G major scale in the video. So I am somewhat confused.. Bm is not part of the Am Key. Am I missing something? It sounds great though.

  118. Boppie says

    I have really enjoyed this weeks lesson and look forward to see what’s the next new lick from Active melody in my email. Thanks for all you do to keep my playing the guitar interesting.

  119. Chris H says

    Brian, I’ve been playing for … well a while … and I’ve never watched one of your lessons and not walked away with something useful. Your breakdown of theory is the best on the ‘net. Keep on making the world a more musical place.

  120. Bo R says

    Yet another great lesson, Brian. Thank you.

    I appreciate the touchstones to music theory, and I’m enjoying the hell out your essential theory course. I have familiarity with much of the material, but you have a way of enabling a view from another perspective. I suppose this is what separates a good teacher from a great teacher. OK, back to practice.

    All the best– Bo

  121. Mark O says

    You asked for comments this week, so here you go.

    I have looked at other on line guitar guru’s, and as far as I am concerned you are the best! EP 427 is another great example. There are so many attainable riffs and progressions in your lessons (continuing this week) that have a familiar sound and feel like they should be part of anyone’s repertoire. I also really liked the chord progression in EP427 in addition to many of your other lessons.

    Music is important to me, and I have not spent as much time with it in the past many years as I have in the last year of being a part of active melody.

    I thank you for that.

    Mark

  122. Bob B says

    love the stand alone lessons where you don’t need a jam track, love the slow blues flavor, would love some more jazz lessons with a call and response. I tell any guitar player who wants to know your stuff is the best. Thanks

  123. Paul T says

    Thanks for another great lesson. I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for years but lacked the confidence and the vocabulary to play lead. In the short time that I have been following your weekly lessons, my playing has improved considerably. I have a long way to go to reach the level that I want to reach, but these lessons are exactly what I have been looking for. Cheers.

  125. Daniel says

    Really love this solo blues call and response lessons. A your walk throughs a sooo helpful. However, in the the second half of the second course I completely lost it when got carried away with the theory😩

  130. Steven F says

    I enjoy all the different kinds of lessons, including ones like this and the deep dives and theory courses. What is really helpful when you do lessons like this are your comments that continuously tie back to the theory courses and other deep dives.

  132. Steven F says

    I’m fine with a mix of some theory and some conventional Brian style lessons

    Please Brian do me a favor and mention which scale tone you’re using a lot more–e.g., the third or the fifth or whatever. I think in terms of these numbers.

    Thanks!

  134. Christopher t says

    Thank you Brian, much appreciated. The lessons in this vein are great and EP427 seemed to have a slightly different approach, which is the variety we all need…the play-along style, bass riff, chord, fill lick and repeat.

  139. John C says

    Hi Brian, John here.. I’ve been a lurker down here in Australia for a long time, and do love your instruction and the lessons you produce. I’m often squeezing guitar into a busy day so I tend not to make comments as they rob me of playing time – and my typing, while fast, is terribly inaccurate! However, I do know how important the comments are to you, so I apologise for that and am now trying a little harder to fit them in…

    My favourites are the solo lessons such as this, or something with a simple backing track that is easily played on any device. Combined with the quality of your instructional compositions and the easy to understand theory explanations “as you go”, I have always been totally content with my subscription to Active Melody, and never questioned it over many years… Great work!

    If I was to ask for something small it would be this: Sometimes I really want to imitate the tone you achieve on your chosen guitar, but struggle on the subtle aspects of the sound… I do recall some earlier lessons where you would say a few words at the start about how you were dialling it up on the guitar or amp, and what (if anything) was in your signal chain. It would be good to hear that as part of the introduction a bit more often, where you think it might be helpful and not superfluous – I’m not asking for much, even just a sentence can help nail it sometimes..

    Many thanks again for your work – it’s been a lockdown saviour!

    cheers,

    John

  144. Robert N says

    Really fun jam!

    Great theory (as always – love those little nuggets you toss in and how they apply to the chords and such)

    Cool vibe to the rythm

    Makes me feel like a real guitar player (and I’ve only been playing for 40 years)

    Before I started your lessons, I was Mr. Copy Cat. I would mindlessly start playing songs I liked until I sounded like the record.

    After taking your lessons, I realized that even thought I knew lots of songs in genres from jazz to rock to emo to punk to country, I never really understood what I was doing.

    Sure, I sounded like the guy on the record but not until your lessons did it all come together.

    Kind of an epiphany.

    Now I create my own jams and am developing my own sound.

    Thanks Brian!

  148. Matthew K says

    Brian, good Sir, I’m new to Active Melody, a self-taught plunker who played in a bunch of bad grunge bands in the 90’s and now in my 40’s want to really learn to play. I’m finding your lessons tremendous. Working through your theory course, and blues lead, and hitting these weekly lessons for the joy of them. I feel that right around minute 11, when you start talking about playing that C chord with either the C or the E as the base, and you refer to it as “either side of a fence,” and how it relates to the minor pentatonic……. I almost had a lightbulb moment–feels like there might be a whole lesson there about discovery/writing little riffs based on your “two sides of the fence.” Maybe there already is a lesson you could steer me too. Again, really new to theory.

    Mostly, just want to say thank you!

  159. Clem says

    I love these types of stand alone compositions. It takes me a while to get them down in the most basic form. Brian, this is exactly what makes your teaching style unique. I would love to learn more of these simple tunes, as they keep me motivated to keep learning.

    Thanks!

  161. Nik K says

    Hey Brian,

    I absolutely love your lessons – the variety and depth is just astounding; whilst I’m not ‘in’ to all the musical styles you play there is still so much material that I can always find something new and exciting.

    The practical application right along side the theory is exactly what I need to help me understand and progress. I can spend a week on 1 just lesson, which is really such great value for money and I always come back to keep reminding myself and consolidating my learning.

    For me, your guitar tuition is second to none – keep doing what your doing (I love the cool, laid back groovy stuff EP427 is right up my street!)

    Thank you.

    Best,

    Nik

  165. Barry W says

    Way behind on my lessons but this one is a keeper, very melodic. I especially like the the unaccompanied guitar lessons since I primarily play finger-style and gypsy jazz guitar. My other teacher is Yaakov Hoter. I skip the lessons that you play lead over a jam track since in my band I play rhythm guitar and sing.

  166. Graham F says

    I really like the lessons that can be played on their own, preferably on electric guitar and more importantly with rhythm and lead combined. I also would like to see how such lessons fit within the pentatonic box shapes since I learn more visually (better yet with a color diagram or picture) than by being instructed in the old fashion to place my ring finger on the third fret of the B string, then move my index to the second fret, etc. I find that old way to be so boring and useless in inspiring interest.

  167. Michael S says

    Great lesson. The best thing about all of these lessons is your little side bars and connecting the dots. The minor In front of the minor or major behind it. Licks in the chord shapes, the arpeggios. Learning so much!!

  171. Jason S says

    Great Lesson Brian
    I’m confused as the the minor blues though.
    Would a blues not normally use 1,4 and 5 chords?
    This appears to use the 1,3 and 4?
    Sounds amazing but is there a reason for this?

  172. Werner L says

    Big fan of your work. Recently joined and loving it. Your teaching style is unique. You pack so much into each lesson and it took me a little while to get used to your speed. (Are you perhaps from Brooklyn, NY??) I really like the material you offer (especially blues, acoustic and call/response). Pretty challenging for me, I’ll admit and it takes me some time to absorb the concepts. You do reference CAGE a LOT as well as Pentatonic boxes / patterns, so I’ll have to learn those in order to get the most benefit from your lessons. I’m 73 and just started playing a few years ago since retirement. Thanks so much.

  175. Richard F says

    This is great, Brian. I have a number of things that I use as warmups from blues, bluegrass, rockabilly, etc. I recently added Freddy King’s Hide Away which I can do in fragments or the whole thing along with my variations. So, this lesson goes on that list. That said, I also value the theory shots that come with some of the lessons and playing along with the backing tracks has been of immeasurable value. Thanks, RF

  178. Les Brown says

    Your compositions are always packed with “take-aways”: ideas that are useful, not only in jamming with other musicians, but also in composition. But the biggest take-away of always is how you use them in teaching to SEE the fretboard in terms of chords and harmony as well as patterns. Some lessons are more useful to beginners, others to us intermediates, but as my Karate instructor used to say, “No matter what level you reach, you will always improve by going back to practicing your most basic skills.”

    Whether it’s a deep dive, or an overview, you make playing both fun and entertaining for the student. And your overall attitude gives us this great feeling that “Hey, I can learn that! I can do that, and it SOUNDS GREAT!” What more can a teacher ask of themselves?

  183. Paul H says

    Hi Brian, I have been going through some of your earlier lessons and EP427 interested me..
    Love the way you explained the techniques you Used. One things I noticed, which you didn’t mention in the toutorial , was the way you played the Am chord followed by base notes slightly differently in bar 2, for example, from bar 4. It’s sound cool but took me ages and closer inspection of the video to work out what you where playing . Was there a reason for the nuance of these ‘call’ bars? Just interested in your thoughts.
    Paul

  184. Clem says

    I love this lesson! A very cool song. I like really slow blues that combine melody and lead in a very simple way, so as to help me as a beginner accomplish the whole song and not quit mid way through. One of my biggest challenges is keeping time going from lead to melody. I would greatly benefit from a specific song that would address going from lead to melody. Chords to single notes has been a challenge. Thanks!!!

  186. Nicholas S says

    hey Brian,
    I just a Harley Benton 52 telecaster. Inexpensive guitar great build. I love the tone of your telecaster in this video, I’m looking to put new pick ups in it. I love the warm fat sound. What are you using here? And what would you recommend?
    Great lesson!

  190. Jonathan B says

    This is a great lesson that I’ve just picked up. It’s a very satisfying and interesting piece to master and the combi nation of different elements, chords and licks are logical to follow. I’ve come with a better understanding generally and it’s helped me feel more confident moving up and down the fretboard.

  192. Andy W says

    brian brilliant lessons my playing is improving but would like some more lessons on right hand techniques as my left is getting better but struggling to pick strings with same accuracy as hitting notes on fret board. any help would be appreciated keep up great work, by way went to nashville last year and absolutely awesome place gonna go back soon

  196. Clem says

    My second post, cause I keep going back to this song. This is the stuff that I really like, somewhat simple, but challenges me as an intermediate player. I hope you keep adding stand alone blues songs just like this one. Even slower blues would be so cool. Thanks for your help Brain.

  198. Mike H says

    There are a LOT of really good guitar teachers online to choose from. It’s a blessing and a curse. The blessing is easy enough to see. The curse is that all those great sources can be distracting and confusing when you really just need to knuckle down and focus.
    THIS lesson from Brian did make “lights go on” for me. The main light being Brian’s taste and choices are parallel to my own. That’s VERY important.
    Not only do the deep-dives dissect his choices and reasoning behind those choices but the tunes themselves ring bells and are worth remembering, to me. They just fit and translate to my personal tastes and capabilities. He explains things simply and does not try to show off to impress with shredding, etc. which I always find much more discouraging than encouraging.
    So… I’m going to move over Rover and let Brian take over. For the time being… anyway.
    PS – he plays beautifully too. I’d love to hear him live someday.
    PPS – I am NOT a paid spokesperson but… I’m willing.

  203. Spencer M says

    Took me about 4 days just to be able to roughly play through this from start to finish. 1-2 days to practice and get it more clean and I’ll be jamming! This lesson really took a basic a minor chord and made a whole Jam around it. I loved the different voicing around am chords. My first lesson with active melody complete! Sweet!!

  205. DEAN M says

    Fun lesson, Brian! Always like these “standalones”… I think, depending on context, you can call that barre passing chord a D11 sus2. Maybe. I just call it “Fred.” Cheers!

  210. Ken L says

    Hi Brian merry Christmas 2025 . I’ve enjoyed the stand a lone . Ep 427 several take aways. If you have time now or later down the road. I would like to see a stand a lone / call & response G major specifically starting in the first 3 frets of guitar. Where you would play cowboy chords . Then moving down to the 2nd or 3rd G major pentatonic scale
    Going back and forth. You come up with very creative ideas. Thanks ken

  211. Chris H says

    Brian, you are the man! I’ve viewed dozens of lessons on the ‘net, and there are a lot of good ones, but yours are right at the top … I’ve never viewed one that I didn’t take something away … even ones that are more basic always have some little nugget that makes me go, hmmm, never thought of that before. Your lessons are always great and your explanations are second to none … this one is no exception. AND you are a great player … I hope you get a chance to shine out there in Nashville somewhere!

  212. Claudia M says

    Great lesson. So apprieciate establishing each basic principle simply and SLOWLY. then building on that. I can so often get lost in the weeds if side comments about how things work in theory ‘Big Picture” before each basic step is explained simply first. Sometimes if a piece of info is dropped like “ok thats the basic, then you can drop in this extra flat 5 diminished scale , with a quantum 6th over a suspended boson and you get a jazz feel, but don’t worry about that now…” Then I get the glass-eyed, guitar student in the headlights blank stare.
    Love this one. And that it is a stand alone. It is just plain fun. Thank you

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