Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Slow, Soulful Blues Lead Guitar Lesson (Easy) – Played Fingerstyle – EP349

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to improvise a slow and soulful lead over a non-conventional jam track (this is not your typical 1, 4, 5 chord format). You’ll be using the G minor scale to play over the entire jam track track and will be playing this fingerstyle to slow things down a bit.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access

Slow Walkthrough

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access

Video Tablature Breakdown

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access
Curious about the benefits of
Premium Membership?
Try it for FREE!
arrow_downYou need to be logged in as a premium member to access the tab, MP3 jam tracks, and other assets. Learn More

Add to "My Favorites"

You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this content.

Comments

  15. Brent C says

    Wow! LUV this one Brian. Any chance we could get a longer version of your backing track (without guitar)?
    1:48 is just not enough…. 🙂 I could play over this all nite!!! Thanks again. WONDERFUL!!!

  19. Phil G says

    Brian, you have confused me again. Right away. Around 10:18 you start showing the G minor scale, but you did not start with the G root note. Instead, you start with the b3 (Bb) then you paused on the b3. So to me, it sounds like a Bb major scale, and not like a G minor scale.

  21. charjo says

    Don’t know how you came up with this progression and idea for the lead, Brian. I notice you never really assigned a key to this lesson in the tabs as it really doesn’t fit one. The strangeness started with playing the G minor scale over the G major chord, but that’s the blues. The notes of the G minor scale or G aeolian are the same notes as D# or E flat lydian, as you mention, and will fit over the D#/E flat chord. They are also the same notes as F myxolydian and, therefore, fit over the F major chord as well. The notes are also those of C dorian which would have a minor 3rd or E flat. That is where you had to adjust the scale and play an E to fit over the C major chord (G minor scale would have fit over a C minor chord)
    I guess you could look at this as the key of G minor with the G major and C major chords borrowed from the parallel major scale and with the scale adjustment for the C major chord. Any way you look at it, it’s different from any other lesson you’ve done. Interesting and sounds great. Apologies if I’m overthinking this, just trying to make sense of it for improvising. Short form, play G minor/G minor pentatonic and hit the E note ( avoid the E flat) on the C chord (and find chord tones).
    John

    • Brian says

      well said John – that’s pretty much exactly how I would describe this – it is strange… and I was improvising over it without thinking about it… it wasn’t until after the fact that I realized those notes are all just the G minor scale – I hadn’t considered F mixolydian but you’re right – so your final conclusion is spot on – play G minor, G minor pentatonic scale and try to work that E note in over the C chord and you’re set 🙂

      • Canada Moose says

        i also struggled with what key this is in; I agree with John’s analysis, but for me the whole thing seems to really resolve to the C chord. That feels like “home”. The F and G chords fit the key of C, and the D# would be a bluesy minor 3rd.
        I’m playing it like you both say, using G minor pent and G Aeolian (that’s where those Knoffler notes are), but also really digging into the C major chord at the end as the home base of the whole progression.
        I haven’t recorded in a while but this one seems to be calling …

      • Richard S says

        I agree with John’s analysis but came the conclusion that if we treat the
        Key as Bb with the G and C as major chords instead of the minor they should be as John said.
        Then the modes all fit and it is why the D# (Eb) Lydian works as well as fitting the other notes that make up the chords, such as the D# that has a Bb in it.
        The only avoid note then is the Eb.
        Really the same thing but gives you a key centre to orient to.

  22. Laurel C says

    Great sequel to EP 318. Like Ep 318 this continues that free spirited adventure along the Arizona highway on some movie set. Such an emotion of freedom in the ambience of this composition. Leaves you wanting a third instalment. A trilogy perhaps.

  23. George P says

    HI Brian this is my first time in commenting a great lesson as always. Do you ever use any of the blues scales for youre solos. You seem to use lots of pentatonic scales. Dont get me wrong they all sound fantastic. I have a little query the other day i was going through some of youre old lessons and i found one that i liked. I thought i had downloaded it but to my regret i had not. It was in the key of a but started with 2 13th chords can you help? George from a rainy Cornwall England.

    • Brian says

      well, the blues scale is basically the same thing as the minor pentatonic scale (in my mind) – the only difference is that one extra note (the blue note) – I play that note often, so I suppose that I do often play the blues scale.

  26. Bret A says

    Beautiful composition! I’m really enjoying this and adding my own touch to it! I love that slide into C near the end. Reminds me of ” Wicked Game” a little bit. Sounds as if you have a lot of Warren Haynes influence in your playing, Mark Knopfler too, as you stated. Warren uses a lot of those bent diads as well. Love it!

  28. Tom A says

    Love the music. Love these lessons. I was a member for a year, but don’t play well enough to benefit from the extra stuff you get as member. There’s enough free content until I really start playing and learning. This lesson screamed Mark Knopfler to me. I read a bunch of comments and no one mentioned it until well down. Then a few mentioned it. Funny – I don’t think Brian has replied to any of the MK comments. It’s all I hear. Great music. I wish I could consider playingsomething at this level. Thanks Brian.

    • Brian says

      I wasn’t really trying to do a Knopfler thing – it just sort of ended up that way… but I think as I was fine tuning it, I probably heard that too and ended up subconsciously throwing in a few of his licks. I originally wanted more of a J.J. Cale type vibe… fingerstyle, laid back.. soulful 🙂

  30. Roland T says

    Interesting fact: You mentioned Ry Cooder.

    I actually took a few guitar lessons from him when he was ~17 years old – around 1965. Yep I am that old!!!! LOL

    It was at McCabe’s Guitar store on Santa Monica Blvd. in Santa Monica, CA. Fond memories!

  36. Andy D says

    Fantastic, as ever, Brian! I often vaguely wondered what gave Knopfler his signature feel – and I suspect you’ve hit the nail – the (full) minor scale. Your lessons are always so inspiring. Top man!

  37. berni e says

    Englisch

    think I’m crazy, but …. the first thing that came to my mind was war:

    OMG is relaxed and decelerated ..

    laid back is exactly what it reminds me of. I can already see Brian jumping out of the plane with a guitar and performing relaxed in the camera.
    the feeling & the mood is awesome ….

    less is more!

  38. richard p says

    OMG, like most of the other lessons… I love this lesson. It’s such a cool sound. And the way you give us the context for each riff… I feel like I’m sitting down with my cool big brother(even though I’m about 20 years older than Brian), and he’s cutting through the junk and showing me the magic. I get a glass of wine in me, and I start to feel the magic. I love going between pentatonic and 7-note scale.

  39. David E says

    Wow!! Love this lesson in G minor pentatonic etc. Sounds just like Mark Knofler’s licks at times.

    Brian, I am right in thinking when you are using the G minor pentatonic scale and adding those 2 extra notes ‘A’ and D#( Eb) you are actually also playing in Bb major scale? Hope I’m not confusing myself!

    Anyway, another brilliant lesson and using some Caged triads. Brilliant!!

  41. timfred63 says

    Hi Brian

    I love this lesson. I struggle to saty focussed learning off youTube but your lessons are always so cool. This one is probably my favorite in a long time and has me invigorated all over again.

    You’re the man!

    All the best

    Tim

  45. Vernon says

    Brian, I love many of your finger picking lessons, but I always prefer to play with a flat pick. Can this be hybrid picked? I struggle with finger picking, but I’m relatively new in the scheme of things.

  46. Chris M says

    Excellent lesson. I learned the first part of several of your lessons on youtube. Told myself if I could get thru them I would become a premium member…well…here we are. You have an awesome way of teaching and I plan on learning from you for along time. Brian, you’re truly playing a part in changing people’s lives for the better. Thank you!

  47. Andy N says

    Nor sure what I was doing back in Feb last year but I’ve only now discovered what an interesting and different lesson this is. No excuse for missing it since I was locked down from March!
    Still better late than never! Great stuff Brian.

  48. Mark says

    You went above and beyond with this one…amazing lesson!!! Gm is a key that I never really played in so I spent some time on the scales and definitely made progress on this one. Thank you!

  49. Dan V says

    Oh my! The content of this lesson is the exact reason we pick up the guitar in the first place. It’s the hope of one day being able to play this!!! I can’t thank you enough for my new addiction!

Leave a Reply

Recent Lessons

Contact

For all support questions email: support@activemelody.com
For all other inquires email: brian@activemelody.com