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Learn to play blues guitar.

One Chord Blues Guitar Lesson – Improvise Over a Single Chord – EP230

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you won’t have to worry about playing chord changes … because there aren’t any. This jam track has a single chord (E) played over and over again. It’ll be your job to play something colorful on top of a single chord to keep things interesting. This lesson is designed to teach you how to improvise over a single chord by giving you a series of licks and different chord voicings.

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

  4. Aussie Rick says

    Great lesson. The first bar, showing how to play rhythm in a way other than by just strumming the chords, is a great take away. Was looking for ways to spruce-up my rhythm playing so I’ll be getting straight into this.
    Thanks Brian.
    Rick

  6. sciencefiction says

    Very cool! I think this lesson relates to EP206. Jam track on both sound very similar. Yet totally different flavor to both lessons. Yeah, I would like a second lesson here focusing on major pentatonic. Would fit well with EP206 also, I believe.
    Nice, Brian!
    Larry

  10. jimbostrat says

    Brian: Recommendations on Part II and to run even further with the lesson………think a bit differently……….Jeff Beck-ish ‘Highway Jam’ and what I believe is called a modal vamp or static vamp (improvising over one chord……….here the E but you may consider changing up things just a wee bit and going in the key of G………….worked well for Jeff………..with movable 6ths……….in the middle of the fretboard. Mixolydian style?? Anyway………..use of open strings and sliding doubles stops or 6ths………..getting slinky and well………..jamming over a single chord. Great way of showing us how to improvise even on a limited budget of one chord!! Miles Davis was a master of this and I’m certain you could get quite creative with this……even possibly some elements of jazz interjected!! This is the ultimate nightmare……..someone hands you a guitar at a party and drunkenly plays but one chord and how do you shine!!?? This and your ideas as shown in EP230 can quell these fearful nightmares and make us stand out!! Jim C.

  15. dmundy says

    Brian, the jam tracks you provide are so valuable, especially the lessons with a slow version (which I usually need). For the ones without a slow version I’ll download and change the playback speed, but it always sounds garbled and wobbly. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? Also, is there some way to seemlessly loop without an abrupt ending? Thanks

  16. JRG says

    Hello Brian,

    Great lesson! Thank you. Yes, please make a follow-on lesson using more Major scale licks. I seem to struggle more with the Major pentatonic licks than the Minor pentatonic.

    Jim.

  20. Raymond P says

    Thanks Brian, for another great lesson. I’ve learned so much from you in such a short-time. I truly enjoy the way you explain how you create these licks from the major and minor penta-scales, which is a huge eye opener for me. I struggle to keep up with the lessons but enjoy the struggle. Keep up the good work.

  22. wrightclick says

    I love this groove Hell yeah let’s go Major next week ! also it would be great if you could expand on that R.Johnson descending E7 finger stuff sometime in the Part 2 video at 4:05 that sounded cool or as we say in the U.K the dogs bollox lol , perhaps a micro of even a full lesson .

  27. sunjamr says

    I love these one-chord blues lessons. In addition to the licks in the lesson, they are a great opportunity to test your memory and see how many other licks you can come up with – and maybe even make up a few original licks (if there is such a thing).

  28. Charles C says

    Hi Brian,
    I just recently bought a Gibson ES 335. I love the sound of yours on this lesson. I love the lessons where you give the tone settings on your guitar/amp/effects pedals before the lesson. Will you please give me the tone settings and effects used on this lesson? I would appreciate it.
    Thanks,
    Chuck

  30. drlknstein says

    wow! the moment in part 2 from about 11:30 to 12: 30 was just dynomite for me..mixing the minor and major and using the top of the chord- I just spent an hour going up and down the fret board playing different riffs….”building the chord” and adding that riff….
    maybe a good topic for a micro lesson..

    thanks

  36. ed k says

    loved ep230 printed out part 1 to practice with and was looking for part 2 of ep 230 to print out and will have to practice as I look at it with you which is great just slower for me I am new to playing I’m very happy to be a member and look forward to many more lessons

  39. kahawaii says

    Just started on this lesson and I would like it a lot better if you just didn’t go off too much on a different tangent all the time and it seems you’re too much in a hurry trying to cram everything. I’ve been with you almost 3 years now, learned a lot but I’m 72 yrs old and all I can say is I’m glad you have the Slow Walk Through and Tab Breakdown.

    • Brian says

      That’s why I include the slow walk-through and the on-screen tab viewer – for folks that don’t want to hear any explanation but want to get straight to learning the notes. There are a lot of people out there that want the explanation though – and want to understand why things work. different learners.

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