Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Slow acoustic blues lead in a minor key – EP444

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play an acoustic lead over a slow minor key jam track (provided by QUIST).

Check out Quist’s amazing jam track channel on YouTube
or you can check out his Spotify channel

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

  9. Ray B says

    Beautiful lesson, and arrangement. Definitely worth working on, though it is difficult for me to follow in some spots. I got lost in the various scale patterns that were so quickly introduced. I’m just not that advanced. I’ll keep working on it , and watch it a few more times. I’m sure I can, and should, research and figure out the scale patterns I couldn’t follow.
    Everything is easy once you understand it. And like I said, it’s a great composition, and the lesson is loaded with great info, so certainly worth the effort. I am not complaining at all, I’m just letting you know where my difficulties are. I will enjoy the challenge.
    Thanks Brian for another thoughtful lesson. I keep improving, week by week, and I’m having a great time along the way. Your lessons make it fun.

  12. David K says

    Thanks love your lessons, just one thing thu, I know you said easy and qualified it as relative, but to me lead like this would be for I bet 95% on this site be easy, but as in to murder this tune, the timing of above piece and tone to get it sounding right are difficult kills to master, exactly why we on this site to lear those skills, but feel we need to be realistic nd patient, so anyone who struggles with this like I know I will, dont feel bad, it sure isn’t easy in my view

  17. deece says

    Brian,

    Didn’t get a chance to comment on last week’s lesson, so I’ll combine it with this one. Wanted and want to say that I think you are a wonderful musician, composer and teacher. This “old dog” has been at it more years than I like to admit. These “practical, how-to and why” lessons are the best I’ve ever found in all of my many years of playing. On top of everything else, you got soul, man—something these young guitar-playing “technicians” just don’t know anything about.

    Thank you, Brian, for your persistence and dedication.

    Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you, your loved ones and all of the Active Melody players,

    deece

    • Jamal Z says

      I fell in love first time I heard it. I learned to play it fairly quickly, but I am struggling with the 6/8 time. If I start counting123456 I lose track. If I play with the interactive tab, watching the notes I’d get the timing to a great degree. Even playing with backing track I am ok. But I’d like to 100% get the timing right and would appreciate any hints. I never practiced with a metronome before and the counting in my head while tapping with my foot throws me off. Not really sure what to do; but I so love this lesson. Thank you!

  21. charjo says

    One of the takeaways here is sliding up 2 frets and back to embellish the minor chord. Brian said it works “probably 99% of the time”. Can anyone explain why sliding up 2 frets on the root minor triad works as an embellishment. It seems to me it introduces an out of key major 6th, instead of the diatonic minor 6th? Does it just bring a brief dorian flavour? You probably want to stick to minor pentatonic lead over that slide to avoid the minor 6th dissonance. It clearly works over the minor iv triad, because it briefly creates the minor v diatonic notes. I don’t think it works over the minor v chord as it introduces a major 6th and a major 3rd which would be very out of key, especially trying to play lead over. Any thoughts?
    John

    • Francois M says

      Charjo, my quick thoughts. The Em Brian plays in measure 3 is also a G6 and also an A9. Sliding up two frets gives an A6, as you observed. It is also a F#m, which is in the key of the song. Brian had some other lessons on sliding between an A6 and A9 (or any other 6ths and 9ths) and how it gives you that Miles Davis sound. It helped me to think of everything in the relative major key of D with G being the IV chord and A being the V chord. Thinking in minor keys through the whole song is challenging. Expanding on this thought, if in measures 3 and 4 if you were to slide the notes back two frets instead of forward that would be like sliding from a G6 to a G9 so theoretically it could work, but you end up playing A and F notes out of a D minor, which shouldn’t work in this Bm song. Sliding up and down two frets between the 4th and 5th chords of the song (Em and F#m) will work all day. I believe though that you can slide between the 6th and 9th of a chord (A6 to A9 and vice versa) for all of the I, IV, and V chords in a song. Doesn’t Miles Davis play E6 to E9 and then D6 to D9 in a key of A? I hope I’m not too confusing considering I’m not sure I know what I’m talking about.

      • charjo says

        Francois, your last thought gave me a laugh. I think the sliding from E6 to E9 in the key of A works over a major I, IV, V. In my DAW, I made backing tracks strumming i, iv, v and i, iv, V7 minor progressions. I tried the sliding up 2 fret embellishment over both progressions and in both cases it didn’t sound right over the five chord.

        • Francois M says

          Kudos to you for trying that out. I’ll have to go back and watch that video again about the 6th to 9th chord slides. I guess the slide up and down two frets using the same shape only works between the iv and v chords. I imagine it has something to do with the harmonized 6ths that Brian discussed last week. Another mystery to ponder on this journey.

    • Michael W says

      Hi charjo,
      Not sure if this answers your question but he isn’t playing a minor v he is playing over a dominant v. Again I’m sorry if I’m misunderstanding your questions. Hope this helps.
      Michael

  28. Rich F says

    This is beautifu,, Brian… a wonderful Christmas present from you to the AM community! Can’t wait to dig into this!

    I agree with James W: has a real “Since I’ve been loving you” vibe… there’s a lick that you play around 43 seconds in that is straight out of the Jimmy Page songbook! He woukd be proud if this!

    Love it love it love it!

    Happy Christmas to you and your family!

  30. Jay Guitarman says

    This is a beautiful lesson, because it shows the multiple possibilities to improvise: scale intertwinment, blue note, passing notes, pentatonic runs, and use of a different pentatonic over the five chord, single note run to name just a few…:-)

  39. Jeff B says

    Great lesson Brian. I was admiring your old Martin….is it a late 50’s D-18? I couldn’t tell if sides were mahogany. The Quist backtrack is awesome and he always provides a topnotch clean recording. Thanks!!

  40. Michael T says

    I enjoy these lessons, but I always struggle to follow the chord changes. I feel like I need someone sitting next to me to say, “OK. B minor ……. get ready… now E minor ….. OK, here it comes….get ready….F#7….”

  42. Mike P says

    This gave me goosebumps! I’m really enjoying learning this beautiful composition with so much useful ‘theory’ delivered so painlessly as ever. Thanks for another cracking lesson Brian!

  46. Dan S says

    Thanks for mentioning the relationship between the D Major and Bm. Although that is 101 stuff, it’s like saying ” got your car keys ?? Sometime the most obvious gets lost in all those details.
    I have to confess that I benefit more from the visuals than memorizing all those patterns.
    The D, A and E patterns on the first three frets seem to get me anywhere I want to go. All the relative minors too. Just move them up or down.
    Thanks also for mentioning things you’ve all ready taught and how they are woven into your current content. That is perhaps the most valuable part of your teaching skill set.
    Ever think of a backing track with just some base and percussion ?

  48. Craig K says

    You’ve done it again, Brian! Put up an irresistible ear worm of a lesson that I have to drop the lesson I was already in the middle of and go for this one! In 3 or 4 years I have never been able to make it through a whole lesson. But I sure pick up a lot of tidbits and licks! I have a friend just starting the guitar journey and we plan to jam together when we can. I am going to show him this lesson so he can see how easy and personable you are at teaching us how to play this fascinating instrument. I predict you will have another subscriber by next week.

  50. mritalian says

    Finally Gettin around to it. So many great lessons. I got to tell you guys nailed this lesson. I’ll be listening for more of Quist . Thanks Brian, for all that you do, I turn off Clapton to play your stuff its that good. And the way you teach your making clearer and clearer. Anyways, thank you again. Continued success and Happy Holidays Ron

  51. Richard M says

    I was somewhat confused until I got to the tabs. This is my first exposure to a 24 bar blues form. The chord changes are in the usual order but there are more bars of the same chord than I am used to with 12 bar. I strummed the form in 6/8 a bunch of times and got a much better feel for why the tune works like it does with so much more time on each chord allowing more of the melody notes to fit into two bars instead of just one. Really cool stuff. I have been on your site for a couple of months now and feel like I am getting better every week/day. In the beginning, not in the biblical sense, there was so much that was new and seemingly beyond my range and knowledge but with these lessons, so many things are used over and over in different contexts that the lessons now are somewhat easier as instead of 20 things to learn there are only 5 things added to what I have learned in the earlier lessons.

    Have a safe and happy holiday. Perhaps a bit too PC but you can add whatever you want to the greeting.

  52. Max d says

    Hi from DownUnder,

    Yes, thanks again Brian from an old dog at least learning new tricks and loving it!

    All the best to you and yours for the festive season and looking forward to another great year of learning with you, Max d

  56. Enrico says

    Great lesson and backing track. Nice and easy to play following the tabs and as always top notch explanations of the theory…While I understand it all, I wish I would be able to improvise on this but so far, every attempt kinda sucks..guess my fingers still need the ability to connect with my brain waaay faster!

  57. Bruce G says

    Great lesson Brian….as always!

    Small request—I’m taking your comments to heart about really learning the licks and attaching them to a chord shape, etc. Would you mind also commenting on your choice/thinking around chord tone selection with the lick? Some of the licks I’ve seen in other lessons, but with variations…it would be great to hear your thinking about how you chose the particular ending note of the lick/phrase. Basically reinforcing ideas in EP 418, etc.

    Thank you!

  58. John H says

    Wonderful lesson, as always. Thanks Brian. Can I ask if it is possible for you to increase the font size on the printed tabs? My aging eyes can barely make out the numbers when I print the pdf.

  64. drlknstein says

    excellent lesson. i needed this. very timely – i was in a jam recently and struggling for some minor key things and had forgotten some of this..very helpful, especially the tie into the relative minor thing….merry christmas….from the deep south

    i m working out on this waiting on family for christmas dinner.. have a great one

  65. Jesse G says

    Of all the lessons I’ve watched and worked at, this is the best. I’m a fan of Blues, especially minor key Blues, and this really hits the mark. In about a minute and a half you hit all of the elements that get me. I love this lesson!

  66. chris b says

    great lesson Brian. B minor at the 2nd fret is a challenge for me, but that is opening up exploring other voicings in other positions further up and across the neck, working on my triads within context of the progression. i must say that i can’t get enough of the origin of your melodies, connecting different scales in different positions. really helps to hear you talk about your thinking process whilst you are playing. that’s the IT factor. Miles Davis famously said ‘there are no accidents with music, just new discoveries’, or something like that. i am glad we are exploring the natural minor. it’s amazing what a difference two notes makes. this is another of your compositions that has both a heavy and sweet emotive feeling. i can imagine this one in different tempos, played soft or loud or both. i really enjoy the discovering that happens working through the lesson. it calls me to go deeper, sometimes for weeks at a time, and is helping to connect my musical brain with my feeling heart.
    many thanks,
    -cb.

  72. Werner L says

    Another beautiful piece! Just love it. I fantasize being able to play like that….then I wake up! Not sure it’s as “easy” as you mentioned. Reading some of the comments, I know I’m not alone. Maybe I’m just not there yet, skill wise. At 73, don’t pick up things as fast. Your lessons are what I would call “dense” in that there is soooo much to learn in each section. I have to play the lesson in .5 speed often to catch all the content.

    In another lesson you mentioned that we should learn the tempo first rather than the notes. I am not sure how you can do that. I naturally try to get the notes down, section by section, and then try to piece them together in some flow. If that’s not right, I’d appreciate some tips. As always, pro’s make everything look easy. How long do you think it should take ME (3 years along, early intermediate) to learn something like this. Tough question, I know but I never knew how slow a learner I am until I started guitar.

  73. Nick L says

    So great, this. I’ve been stuck in a rut on minor blues for a while now. The slide up a tone on the root triad and the little chromatic run on the B minor pentatonic shape. Just tried them over I Shot the Sheriff and they worked like a charm. I love the arpeggio on the maj 7th too.

    Who’s the man? Who’s the man?

    Brian’s the man.

  74. Rick R says

    Hey Brian,
    Just purchased the Quist Blues Album set. Terrific backing tracks. Very well put together and the sound quality is excellent.
    We hanks for sharing the resource. High quality assemblies like these are hard to find.

  75. Rick R says

    Hey Brian,
    Just purchased the Quist Blues Album set. Terrific backing tracks. Very well put together and the sound quality is excellent.
    Thanks for sharing the resource. High quality assemblies like these are hard to find.

  76. Paul T says

    Hey Brian Thanks for another great lesson. I really appreciate the way you explain the concepts behind these compositions. I have played guitar for longer than I care to admit, but I was never comfortable playing lead. When I did, my solos were based on simple box patterns I had learned. Your emphasis upon visualizing the notes in the chord makes so much more sense to me, and I finally feel like I am starting to understand how to improvise, though I admit I have a long way to go and a lot more to learn.

  78. Jamal Z says

    I fell in love first time I heard it. I learned to play it fairly quickly, but I am struggling with the 6/8 time. If I start counting123456 I lose track. If I play with the interactive tab, watching the notes I’d get the timing to a great degree. Even playing with backing track I am ok. But I’d like to 100% get the timing right and would appreciate any hints. I never practiced with a metronome before and the counting in my head while tapping with my foot throws me off. Not really sure what to do; but I so love this lesson. Thank you!

  79. Charles R says

    Beautiful piece. One thing to note. In Measure 17 (on the video, 15 on the PDF) Brian plays 3h5 4 (G string), but it is scored as 3h5 3 (B string). That’s a lovely run, and playing it as Brian plays it pulls it together for me.

  80. Pedro D says

    Excellent, the EP 444 as all the others. I almost play along the backingtrack.

    I was wondering if you could do something for warming up before starting the practising. I am a beginner more or less hehe. If you have already done it ..could you let me know.

    Thanks for sharing the videos anyway, that was a good way to discover you.

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