Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

  • Log In
  • Weekly Lessons
  • Take The Tour
  • Forum
  • Hear From Our Members
  • Membership Sign Up

Easy Fingerstyle Blues Composition – EP319

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a fingerstyle blues composition. The thumb stays on one string at a time, making it much easier to play. This is a great lesson for those that are interested in getting into fingerstyle guitar.

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

  1. JohnStrat says

    July 26, 2019 at 6:12 pm

    Sounds nice on a curious looking guitar. Good to have a finger style too. Thanks JohnStrat

    Log in to Reply
    • Wim M says

      July 30, 2019 at 2:58 pm

      Hi Brian,

      How many guitars do you have?
      Nice piece by the way!
      Again a very good lesson!

      Thx . Brian

      Log in to Reply
    • Neil P says

      August 9, 2019 at 5:21 am

      What happened to full screen tab?

      Log in to Reply
      • Brian says

        August 9, 2019 at 12:24 pm

        it’s still there. just click on the 3 dots in the bottom right corner.

        Log in to Reply
  2. sunburst says

    July 26, 2019 at 6:24 pm

    What in the fancy cool looking guitar is that!..350.00 ! ..? thanks for both guitar /amp review .. Brian always something different and a cool song ..yes a country composition lesson! Thanks again man!

    Log in to Reply
  3. San Luis Rey says

    July 26, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    Ok fingers, here we go ! Cool guitar Brian!

    Log in to Reply
  4. Michael Allen says

    July 26, 2019 at 7:17 pm

    i need these finger style lessons with the bass line. I’m anxious to get cracking on this one. That is a really cool guitar, looks great and sounds very cool. Alice Cooper Dude

    Log in to Reply
  5. Jim M says

    July 26, 2019 at 9:40 pm

    You never let me down Brian. Another great arrangement.

    Log in to Reply
  6. Buster89 says

    July 26, 2019 at 10:12 pm

    I love it ! These finger style lessons always are so addictively peaceful to play . Thanks Brian for throwing one of these time to time. Much appreciated !

    Log in to Reply
  7. smilefred says

    July 27, 2019 at 12:38 am

    Another super cool lesson!!

    Log in to Reply
  8. Richard G says

    July 27, 2019 at 3:02 am

    I will definitely add this one to my playlist, thanks Brian.

    Log in to Reply
  9. Tremelow says

    July 27, 2019 at 3:36 am

    Thanks for this lesson Brian. As a full rounded guitar player that I am trying to become, I think I also have to practice finger style. There are other great finger style lessons in your repertoire, but this one looks looks like it gives me easier access. And it sounds great, too. Interesting gear review, too!

    Log in to Reply
  10. Paul L says

    July 27, 2019 at 6:16 am

    I was wondering what is the scale length of your guitar. It appears much shorter than a Fender of Gibson.

    Log in to Reply
  11. Raymond P says

    July 27, 2019 at 9:34 am

    A very nice Finger-Picking lesson Brian. Fun to play

    Thanks
    Ray P

    Log in to Reply
  12. Andre B says

    July 27, 2019 at 9:44 am

    Nice lesson! What are your settings on the Katana? I’d like to get that sound.

    Log in to Reply
  13. PaulG says

    July 27, 2019 at 5:23 pm

    Yet another great lesson Brian! Anyone interested in the Boss Katana should check out patches from Juca Nery. They enable even inexperienced players to get amazing tones out of these great amps.

    Log in to Reply
  14. Tom M says

    July 27, 2019 at 6:16 pm

    Takes me back to the 60’s as a teen listening to my friends relatives from Tennessee picking in his back yard at their family reunions in Michigan. Starting on this one after the kraut and kielbasa’s done

    Log in to Reply
  15. Gert says

    July 28, 2019 at 9:44 am

    Hi from South Africa! Great lesson Brian – adds warmth to a cold Cape Town day.

    Log in to Reply
  16. Glenn says

    July 28, 2019 at 11:14 am

    Hola from Costa Rica, Brian,
    I was really happy to see your comments about playing without a pick. I CAN play with a pick, but 90% of the time I pluck, brush, slap with the back of my nails, or do upstrokes with the side or pads of my fingers, or use a “pseudo pick”: I rest the thumb against the pad of my pointer finger and use it as a pick. After my experience on bass in a garage bad in the eighties it just feels natural, I feel as though I have more control. Also, the notes sound warmer and rounder. I just usually like it better and keep going back to it. I can play several of your compositions, including EP314 and EP277 using this technique. Mostly with tutors online it is either strumming and economy picking, or “fingerstyle”.
    Also, I have named your composition EP318 General Delivery, Death Valley.
    Cheers. And thanks. Glenn & Julie

    Log in to Reply
    • David G says

      July 29, 2019 at 5:48 pm

      Me too! Can’t see the point of a plastic pick when you can grow your own!

      Log in to Reply
  17. magpie says

    July 28, 2019 at 12:04 pm

    Thanks for this fingerstyle lesson Brian. I was really needing something new to give me some encouragement to get me to play,and this is just perfect timing to give me something to get me going again. More fingerstyle would be great. A big thank you again Brian.

    Log in to Reply
  18. David G says

    July 29, 2019 at 5:45 pm

    Hey! For once a piece that you describe as .easy’ that I don’t find too difficult! Loved it! Particularly your use of 6 and 2 in a 145 arrangement. Maybe sometime in the future you could explain how these chords work in a 1.4.5 and what the rules are? Only joined your group at the end of June an already I feel like I’m getting so much from it. If, by the way, there are other musicians near Bridport UK I’d love to hear from you.

    Log in to Reply
  19. svenderik N says

    July 30, 2019 at 5:01 pm

    Soo nice! Always af good choise,,, if only it would stick to me,,, great Im improving.. Thanks!!

    Log in to Reply
  20. John s says

    July 31, 2019 at 2:00 pm

    Nice! Sometimes the weekly lessons aren’t the best… but you nailed this one! Love it!

    Log in to Reply
  21. Martin W says

    August 1, 2019 at 2:46 pm

    Hi Brian, Great lesson, are you using Flat wound strings.

    Log in to Reply
  22. erwin41 says

    August 2, 2019 at 6:02 am

    Again a lovely composition,Brian.with very helpful hints.Thank you.

    Log in to Reply
  23. PB says

    August 2, 2019 at 3:59 pm

    Is the first E major chord arpeggio and hammer on based off of the A shape in caged?

    Log in to Reply
  24. Carl Z says

    August 4, 2019 at 1:51 pm

    Took me som practice to get the rhythm right. Great, as always, that you explain where scales come from. Fine tune. Fun to play

    Log in to Reply
  25. Tom D says

    August 6, 2019 at 3:07 am

    Brian,

    I can’t print the music because the symbol you click om that enlarges it and displays the print command is missing.

    Log in to Reply
    • Brian says

      August 6, 2019 at 10:35 am

      They have changed the layout recently – so if you’re on a desktop or laptop you’ll still see the gear icon in the bottom right, if you’re on a tablet or mobile you’ll now see three little dots in the right corner. Click on that, and then you can see “Settings” – under settings you’ll be able to scroll that window and find everything you need.

      Log in to Reply
  26. Slimpicker says

    August 6, 2019 at 2:15 pm

    I was always afraid I would “loose my religion” trying to learn a finger style tune. You composition has inspired me to take the plunge and hopefully not rock off the porch in the process.

    Log in to Reply
  27. Tom D says

    August 7, 2019 at 1:36 am

    Hi Brian,

    Thanks for the information on using the new system for printing the music. I am using a desktop PC and I get the 3 dots, but I followed your instructions and it worked. I am having trouble playing fingerstyle. I used to be good at it, but that was a long time ago. Now that I have the music I can keep practicing until I master it. My biggest problem is muted strings caused by my finger touching the adjacent string when I try to play a chord arpeggio.

    Log in to Reply
  28. Norman W says

    August 26, 2019 at 11:58 am

    Hi Brian,

    I really like this little song. It’s a great lesson to impromise with once you have the foundament of the song.

    Log in to Reply
  29. Peter E says

    September 29, 2019 at 5:51 am

    I have a Katana myself and love it.

    Log in to Reply
  30. Dongsu H says

    November 5, 2019 at 10:56 am

    Hi
    I am Dongsu from South Korea. I am finally a premium member~~Yeah~ I am so excited to start~
    This lesson is going to be my first lesson~
    Thanks Brian

    Log in to Reply
  31. Israel U says

    December 8, 2019 at 8:07 am

    You are a great teacher, Brian, and a brilliant composer as well.
    The guitar sound awesome.

    Log in to Reply
  32. Israel U says

    December 12, 2019 at 4:58 pm

    PS I finished the first part, it’s 1 am, and I can’t stop playing it. It’s genius. Simple after you explained it, but genius.

    Log in to Reply
  33. Mark says

    February 5, 2023 at 2:54 pm

    I really connected with this lesson and learned a lot from it. So many small tips that I learned from this one. After YEARS for struggling I am finally rounding the corner of being able to improvise and make my own music.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Don’t have an ActiveMelody account? Sign Up.

Links

  • Blog
  • Resources
  • About
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Refunds & Cancellations
  • Sitemap

Recent Lessons

1 Note changes everything! The Major Pentatonic scale + 1 note sounds amazing! Guitar Lesson – EP614

Improvise a Ragtime Blues lead PLUS a fingerstyle rhythm – Guitar Lesson – EP613

Classic Blues by yourself (on acoustic or electric guitar) – Full of Blues lick ideas – Guitar Lesson EP612

Contact

For all support questions email: support@activemelody.com
For all other inquires email: brian@activemelody.com
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2025 · Active Melody. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Free Weekly Guitar Lessons

Enter your email address below to have the weekly guitar lesson delivered to your email address. I take privacy very seriously and will not share your email address.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Active MelodyLogo Header Menu
  • Weekly Lessons
  • Take The Tour
  • Forum
  • Hear From Our Members
  • Membership Sign Up
  • Log In

Insert/edit link

Enter the destination URL

Or link to existing content

    No search term specified. Showing recent items. Search or use up and down arrow keys to select an item.