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Transform a few basic chords in to a solo guitar composition! Mellow guitar jam – Lesson EP572

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a slow and mellow guitar composition by yourself (no jam track needed), and will learn where all of the notes come from by visualizing chord shapes. You can create your own compositions using this technique

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

  1. James W says

    June 7, 2024 at 4:17 pm

    Nice Guitar!

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  2. Michael Allen says

    June 7, 2024 at 4:29 pm

    I love that ES 335 . It sounds so sweet. And of course as always, great lesson. Thanks Brian

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  3. Theodore J says

    June 7, 2024 at 4:41 pm

    Nice, I can sit on the porch with this one.. thank you.

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  4. San Luis Rey says

    June 7, 2024 at 5:38 pm

    Love the lesson and the guitar Brian! Great video of that trip to Iowa with the boys. What a cool history the ’61 has . Now it will continue with you!

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  5. slopace says

    June 7, 2024 at 6:51 pm

    Another good one Brian!

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  6. Dale G says

    June 7, 2024 at 6:53 pm

    Wow! that 335 is in amazing shape. Thanks for sharing video. You have some good looking sons there! Sure I will be picking up some ideas off your lesson as well. Only question on my mind—-wonder what he paid ! Lol!

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  7. Michael L says

    June 7, 2024 at 7:00 pm

    Great lesson, as always Brian! Congratulations on the new guitar. Really enjoyed the video of your trip to go get it.

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  8. Don R says

    June 7, 2024 at 8:44 pm

    Gorgeous guitar, which in short order might be seen by more people via this site than ever saw it live on a stage. I wonder, had you asked the former owner, what song has likely been played the most on that guitar throughout the years. Whatever it was is now in your hands to give it new expression.

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  9. parsonblue says

    June 7, 2024 at 9:32 pm

    Wow, wonderful composition! Also, I would like to comment on the outstanding layout of the A.M. site itself. So many helpful features…large screen, slow mo., loop…etc., etc.

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  10. Scott S says

    June 7, 2024 at 9:49 pm

    Stellar teaching Brian…so good!

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  11. Nathan C says

    June 7, 2024 at 10:13 pm

    I just subscribed and want to say I love this lesson. I am enjoying guitar a lot more since I started watching your videos and following along.

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  12. KIRK E says

    June 7, 2024 at 10:31 pm

    Great lesson, and the new guitar is really cool. I enjoyed the video, you’ll never go wrong including something like that. Thanks again.

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  13. willi s says

    June 7, 2024 at 11:59 pm

    What a lesson. It will keep me busy for a whole week. Have to remember, I’m 75 years old. It’s my crossword, my suduco!

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    • Jack S says

      June 8, 2024 at 7:58 am

      One week to get it down? That is great at any age!

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  14. Thierry says

    June 8, 2024 at 2:46 am

    Congrats to Ben, great video – and lucky escape for the guitar! Thank you also for another great lesson. Love your analytical approach in these, really helping me to progress!

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  15. Kevin S says

    June 8, 2024 at 6:27 am

    Good God man, another amazing axe! Thanks for the road trip video, having grown up in the midwest it was a nice trip down memory lane. Great lesson as well, your teaching style keeps me coming back for more.

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  16. André H says

    June 8, 2024 at 7:10 am

    After that great lesson, you can flight by yourself, don’t you!

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  17. Paul N says

    June 8, 2024 at 11:55 am

    Hey Brian, I faithfully watch your new lesson every week, and also have worked my way back through your back catalog since I retired and joined a few years ago. I’ve taken at least 450 or more of your lessons, plus the courses. I have neer seen you use a tremolo bar! I had to rewind the video intro when I saw you grab the bar! Anyway, what I found interesting and helpful was the arpeggio on the diminshed chord. Arpeggios are my weak spot. Not any fault of your lessons, you cover them. Just laziness on my part to sit down and memorize. Anything you can come up with on that topic would be helpful. Great lesson this week. Thanks!

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  18. Jim M says

    June 8, 2024 at 12:07 pm

    Great inspiration Brian !!!

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  19. James S says

    June 8, 2024 at 12:28 pm

    The ending of that first lesson is beautiful. Can you tell us how to know which diminished chord to use leading back to the one?

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    • James S says

      June 8, 2024 at 5:35 pm

      I figured it out – even though it’s a Bdim7, it’s also an Abdim7 and you can always resolve from a dim7 chord to the next chord a half step higher – in this case from Abdim7 to A Major.

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      • Brian says

        June 8, 2024 at 8:22 pm

        Yes, – this would be good to cover in a future video though! Just remember this – there are only 3 diminished chords… so if one of them sounds off – try the other two 🙂

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        • James S says

          June 9, 2024 at 12:01 pm

          Great point!!

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  20. James S says

    June 8, 2024 at 7:03 pm

    BTW, it’s a Bigsby Vibrato, not tremolo. Leo mixed up the names. Vibrato varies pitch, which is what every whammy bar does; tremolo varies volume.

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  21. Michael J says

    June 9, 2024 at 2:29 am

    G’day Brian,
    I just absolutely love playing this stuff all thanks to you. I just fe el like I’m

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  22. Michael J says

    June 9, 2024 at 2:35 am

    G’day Brian,
    I just absolutely love playing this stuff all thanks to you. It’s so very, very rewarding,
    M.J., Kilmore, Victoria, Australia.

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  23. Bailey says

    June 9, 2024 at 6:34 am

    Fun.

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  24. Duncan M says

    June 9, 2024 at 7:43 am

    Inspirational Brian and thanks for the explanations. The why is as important as the how. You’re a great teacher.!

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  25. Jeff T says

    June 9, 2024 at 3:11 pm

    Well, this is the lesson the one that finally got me to subscribe! What have I been waiting for?! I dunno, but. but I’m all in now. Thanks so much for all you insight !

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  26. Bill says

    June 9, 2024 at 8:25 pm

    Oh man., that 335 was created to play like this. Nice one Brian!

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  27. Pierre B says

    June 10, 2024 at 9:41 am

    Hi Brian,

    Thanks for walking us through the (somewhat intimidating) B dim 7 arpeggio that resolves to A in Part 2. That was an A-Ha moment for me.

    Pierre

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  28. Alan O says

    June 10, 2024 at 12:19 pm

    Great lesson! I will be watching this one several more times in order to digest all of the information. LOVE the new guitar and enjoyed watching the video of the road trip to pick it up. Ben did an excellent job putting that together. You should hire him!

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  29. Ralph S says

    June 10, 2024 at 2:05 pm

    I absolutely love this lesson. Brian, it seems your quality of lessons continue to inspire.

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  30. Max d says

    June 10, 2024 at 8:40 pm

    Being away for a few weeks and came back to a great lesson, semi-jazz and great basis for expanding on. Love the ‘closure’ from C#m with the little arpeggio at the end… now I know it from you drumming into us! Great stuff. Thanks Brian

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  31. Lee P says

    June 11, 2024 at 4:42 pm

    Thanks Brian great guitar

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  32. Craig K says

    June 11, 2024 at 11:32 pm

    Just wanted to chime in and say that I really dug the travel video to get the new guitar. I’d love another one when the adventure warrants.

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  33. Rob M says

    June 12, 2024 at 7:25 am

    This lesson is so good. To me at least. Tying chord shapes to scales and sounding so good. The concept is so easy and it sounds so good! Now to internalize it. There’s the 1,000 hours. Off to the music room!

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    • Rob M says

      June 12, 2024 at 7:36 am

      This lesson is so good. To me at least. Tying chord shapes to scales and sounding so good. The concept is so easy and it sounds so good! Now to internalize it. There’s the 1,000 hours. Off to the music room!

      Edit: you mention licks you’ve memorized for different chord shapes. Would that alone make a good lesson? I don’t get to play with others enough, and that’s where it seems you can really learn different licks. Some help there is what I’m thinking. Learning these stand alone pieces has already helped a bunch, I should add. Many thanks for all this.

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  34. James B says

    June 12, 2024 at 9:37 am

    Great lesson Brian – re-inforcing and explaining the ways you use CAGED really helps my understanding of it . Its a cool melody as well.
    Thanks

    Jim

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  35. J A C D says

    June 12, 2024 at 11:33 am

    Really like this style of playing. More tricky to play than you make it look! Thanks.

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  36. Bruce G says

    June 13, 2024 at 10:52 am

    A bit above my pay grade, but a great lesson nonetheless. I’m falling in love with diminished chords. Focus lesson on that in future please?

    Thanks Brian.

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  37. Ricky O says

    June 14, 2024 at 6:30 pm

    I love the turnaround in bars 14 – 16 🙂

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  38. Georg B says

    June 16, 2024 at 2:16 am

    Hello Brian,
    Thank you so much for this wonderful sounding composition. I’ve been carrying it around with me all week long as an earworm.
    Georg

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  39. Michael says

    June 24, 2024 at 2:22 am

    Somewhere Chet is smiling…

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  40. edgar a says

    June 24, 2024 at 8:36 am

    First if all, thank you Brian for the time and effort to put together these great lessons. I’m new here and I am really enjoying it. I must tell you how much I enjoyed your video of your trip to get this beautiful guitar. I got one almost identical to it in 1970, I paid $375 for it. I wouldn’t dare ask how much you paid for this one. But seriously, how much did you pay for this one ? LOL! I traded mine for a boat soon after I got it, then quit playing for about 35 years. I really enjoy your site, it’s so easy to use and so full of all different kinds of information. Thanks again Brian. P.S> The boat I traded by beautiful Gibson Electric Spanish 335 for never did run !!

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  41. Dave says

    July 12, 2024 at 4:46 pm

    Brian! This has gotta be one of my favorites. Not a dull moment, so many good connecting lessons and great feeling musical moments in this one as you learn it. The tune has such a genuine sweetness to it. I pulled out my Semi-Hollow P90 loaded guitar for this one and it sounds glorious with a deluxe reverb. This song was practically made for that lush sweet tone. Thank you, just what I been lookin’ for. 🙂

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  42. Peter C says

    August 3, 2024 at 2:13 pm

    Fantastic lesson… and beautiful guitar Brian! Your son did an awesome job putting the video together of your trip. This is one of my favorite lessons mixing blues with a slight jazz feel. Thanks, Brian…Keep ’em coming!

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  43. Ted D says

    August 18, 2024 at 3:27 pm

    Good Lesson in a lesson:

    TAKE TIME TO LEARN THE VARIOUS NOTES IN MAJOR AND MINOR CHORDS AND TRIADS THAT THE PINKIE CAN PLAY. Those embellishments will come in handy.

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  44. Adam J says

    December 21, 2024 at 2:41 pm

    My first lesson since becoming a member! Amazing stuff. And I totally agree, tremelo never feels right on my strat but I can’t stop using it on my gretsch

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  45. Robbie M says

    March 18, 2025 at 2:36 pm

    I grow as guitarist with your lessons Brian. Thanks

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