Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play an slow and melodic jazz lead that comes from the Pentatonic scales (major and minor).
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Part 2 - For Premium Members
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Rhythm - For Premium Members
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Slow Walkthrough
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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Sounds like we shall need to get the technique and tone right for this one should be interesting. Nice to see the Byrdland out to play
JohnStrat
Hey, John!! How’re things going over there in the old country? Jim C.
Absolutely beautiful!
Anyone can give me a sense of tone adjustment for this song? I got the new es-339 and spark amp (amp they finally decided to send me)
Thanks for the chord shapes on the rhythm sheet. It makes it so much easier for practice until you’ve really memorized the chord shapes better. Can you turn on the Soundslice print option too?
Thanks again for these wonderfully detailed lessons
Ray P
It’s there now
Thanks Brian
Nice lesson, Brian. Looks like you cleaned Clapton’s fingerprints off your guitar
Yeah, Glenn……….I could’ve sworn I’ve seen video of E.C. playing this exact same guitar from his collection……….you don’t think that Brian………..Nah…….Couldn’t be!!??
:>) Jim C.
Wow, running at the speed of light.
There is a video of Brian in the video catalogue quite some time ago explaining how Brian came to acquire this beautiful guitar.
I noticed that too. They were probably his roadie’s anyway.
Really liking the sound of this one Brian. Looking forward to trying it out this weekend.
This is just what I needed Brian. Thanks for the great lesson! (Love it when you do jazz!)
sweet, makes me think a of earl klugh before i knew what is/was called jazz
Superb lesson Brian, love your jazz compositions. Is it possible to get a backing track of the rhythm guitar to play over?
It’s there now – sorry about that!
Brian, I always appreciate your inspirational reminders in the lessons regarding “learning a language” and its ok “to take away just a phrase” or two. I have played guitar for many years but never really dug into it until I discovered Active Melody. You are an inspirational teacher and your lessons contain so many valuable “take aways”. But I still get frustrated by how many hours of diligent practice it takes to become a good guitar player. Hence my gratitude for your encouragements. I spent too many years strumming cowboy chords with an embellishment or two. I have learned more in two years under your guidance than I did in the prior10+ years on my own. Thank you for being such great teacher.
Brian,
Thanks for showing, again, how simple can be absolutely beautiful. The F# minor triad tip was worth the price of admission. I’d like to second the request for a rhythm backing track available for download.
John
I third the request fir that rhythm jam track.
Bob
It’s there now – sorry about that!
This is very nice and I really look forward to working on it. The Byrdland sounds terrific – I am surprised EC didn’t hang on to it.
Hi Brian – If you could make a backing available for this piece it would be very helpful. I would love to get this lesson under my fingers then strike out in my own direction. This is a very cool rhythm and worthy of learning on its own! Thanks again for all you do.
A rhythm jam track would be really cool for playing the to lead to, if that’s what you mean Joe. What say you Brian?
Thanks, Bob.
It’s there now – sorry about that!
Great lesson! Brian I don’t know if it is just me, but the soundscape play back runs out after the first four measures. Thanks,
you may just have the first four measures selected – so it repeats them. Try refreshing the page
My take away from this lesson: Soloing
When a chord in a progression is changing, target the chord tones (1,3 or 5 note) of the chord the progression is changing too.
Great Jazz Solo Brian !
nice like this a lot
Great job Bryan! Can you please also add the backing track audio? So we can play the song over it and/or improvise. Thanks!!!
It’s there now – sorry about that!
I love this lesson! The sounds really are something else!
Hi Brian – ‘love this lesson and am trying to use the playback tab, but I don’t think I quite understand how to use it because the “time-slice” feature (I think) keeps causing the playback to abort to the beginning after only a few bars. What might I be doing wrong?
Hmm- only seems to happen when the “video” option is selected. When I set it to “audio only” the jump back does not occur. Is the issue with the linked video/demo? Is anyone else have an issue with this? Just curious 🙂
I’m not getting this on my end. Maybe a browser issue?
Yes, could be. I’m on a mac using Safari. Not big issue, Brian, really.. I’m just limited to the audio only option for some quirky reason 🙂
Thanks for this amazing lession
I too would like a backing track . Thanks Brian. A really great lesson once again.
It’s there now – sorry about that!
Great lesson.Love the Jazz style for a change.When I was young didn’t like many styles but I like everything now because of your great teaching.Thanks again for your integrity to your teaching ability.Would also like to have backtrack for this lesson. Makes you better if you play with backtrack. Thank You , Thank you, Thank you. Heard someone say this before.Oh yea
Thanks for another beautiful melody. I had surgery yesterday and was unable to get the lesson today. Can’t wait to learn it when I’m better able to stay up. Thanks Brian
Fantastic Lesson – love learning how to play the jazz chords and leads using pentatonic scales with a touch of the out of the box jazzy scales – made it so easy to catch on.
I will get a lot of run out of this lesson for sure,
Thank you
jc
Hey Brian, You had me at the D# dim7 arpeggio! This is such a sweet sounding lesson playing over these chords. You hit this one right out of the box. Thanks!
Mike
Thanks Brian. Love your lessons. I am an “older” leaner although I played folkie stuff as a kid. I am really impressed how your teaching skills and this web site has evolved over the years. I think it is the very best guitar instruction on the web for folks who really want to understand how to play and why things are the way they are. Can you tell us how you get the tone on this one?
Nice guitar and great lesson, I’m getting faster at learning these songs each week. I love learning all the genres and after I get the new song of the week down I reward myself with 301 rockabilly!! over and over! (I’m hooked) not quite up to the high speed, somewhere between slow and fast! Getting there, thanks Brian.
Added to my default collection! Those maj7 and #dim7 licks make me feel like a cool jazz player now 🙂
Also interesting the fact that Dmaj7 equals to F#m which is also A6
This is a great lesson Brian!
I have always been partial to this style of playing and appreciate you including jazz in your mix of lessons. Thank you also for including the video on the rhythm technique. I think a lot of us would have struggled without it. You always seem to be willing to go the extra mile for your students in preparing these lessons and we benefit greatly.🙂
Love this lesson!
Totally inspiring lesson and composition. I absolutely love that diminished run, it really catches your ear nicely by surprise and sets off the whole piece. Delightful and brilliant.
As you are fond of saying, “You can do this…”. Yes we can, it’ll take some work though. I’m dusting-off my jazz box and will be moving it to the living room.
Sincere thanks,
Mark H
Excellent as always. The run is nice. Great vibe overall. Now, for all of the various Brian-Phrases like ‘connect to chord shapes’, ‘major pentatonic lives within the major scale’, etc. – all of which can potentially connect my brain to skills and sometimes eventually do, now we can add the Brian-Phrase “It’s there now – sorry about that!”. Good stuff man. Thank you.
Mark
Absolutely love this melody and jazz style. Been mostly focused on your blues style lessons Brian, but with this you have inspired me to explore your jazz style lessons more.
Thanks for this. Bob.
Ciao Brian
I am new in this website and let me say I have learnt more things here about lead guitar, but not only, in one month than in years of lessons.
Thank you very much.
Alessio
P.S.
I am italian so I ask excuse for eventually English language mistakes
I wasn’t keen first play why is that ? but then my ears sort of got in key and now i just can’t get enough , fabulous lesson Brian . p.s where has the beautiful sunburst Sheraton gone ?
This is beautiful-I will love learning it.
Thank you so much Brian. This is such a beautiful melody. Until now I wouldn’t have believed if could be played using just pentatonics. Another great lightbulb moment!
Great lesson Brian. Love this piece.
Great lesson! I liked it a little bit at first and I worked on it because I liked the “devices” (techniques?) you used. The more I played it the more I liked it. I agree with above about your jazz lesons being really good ones. And I like learning this solo and then using those techniques to imporvise around a bit more with them. Thanks !
Great lesson, Brian. My only peeve is while you accurately describe the origins of each phrase extremely well that sometimes overshadows the actual application. I learn by seeing the phrasing maybe slow two times per section after the origin and then go on to the next section. Playing it slow section by section allows me to practice and add the next section allowing me to memorize as I move forward. The origin by section throws me off. Otherwise, really nice piece that allows for interpretation as well.
Just love this lesson, I’ve been playing it all week, hoping that diminished lick will make it into the long term memory banks.! The rhythm part works perfectly on a loop pedal and as ever I’m in awe of you ability to conjure such Melodies week in week out.
Great lesson, Brian. Loved the jazz twist. It is good to get out of the pentatonics now and then.
Loved this lesson. One of my favourites now.
What a wonderful tutorial! I borrowed a few chords from “Rain Night in Georgia ” and expanded the melody. Thank you!
so the dim scale contains the 1-b3 – b5 – b6 – 6 ?
thanks kai
LOVE this kind of groove! Well done!
Beautiful melody Brian. Listening to, and watching you play, those Claptonesque riffs on that gorgeous Byrdland makes me think of Eric’s Reptile album. Great lesson! I worked in a music
store back in the 60’s and an unobtainium Byrdland would pass through the shop from time to time. Gorgeous guitar with a beautiful jazz sound. Thank you so much for sharing this lesson
and your exceptional teaching skills.
Peace.
this is going to be a fun lesson , as you said Brian getting your ears out of hearing typical sounds, but lessons like this really expands your guitar learning , a bit tricky, but good to push yourself,
Thanks for the Lesson Brian
This has a really chilled vibe. I am so looking forward to try this one.
Great lesson. I love these blues/Jazz fusions. I loved the inclusion of the diminished run. Genius. I’m mainly into Blues, but your lessons encompassing Jazzy cords /styles is broadening my playing. Please can we have more. Cheers Roy. (from the other side of the Pond)
Lovely tone. Such a graceful sound all around. What gear are you using here?
Great lesson with the beautiful chord melody. Thanks for the finger placement charts with each chord change , it makes it so much easier (at least for me) to follow along. Playing the lead with this is almost automatic.
What does it mean though to play the “chord changes”?