Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Blues Guitar by Yourself – Fingerstyle Blues Guitar Lesson – EP599

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn a fingerstyle blues composition that sounds great on it’s own (no accompaniment needed). I’ll explain which chord shapes all of the notes come from so that you can learn to improvise in this style.

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

  7. Jeff H says

    I was just thinking the other day, we must be due for another fingerstyle lesson. Sounds so good. Happy Christmas to you and your family Brian, thanks for all you have done throughout the year.

  8. Harry B says

    Great Stuff, Brian. Your explanation as to why so many songs–not only blues but other songs–are in the keys of E and A is so logical that it makes me wonder why that concept had never really registered with me.

    I learned to play many years ago and for a long time played pretty much in the keys that I had learned in, C and G, and used a capo a lot. I should have started developing skills and patterns in E and A much sooner and would have learned the fretboard faster by using the open E and A strings and using the four higher strings for improvising.

    We have a habit as guitar players to get stuck in the same old ruts that a good teacher can help us break out of. Thanks so much for what you do.

  15. Pierre B says

    Another great fingerstyle blues lesson. Highlighting the importance of the open E and A strings throughout your composition makes EP 599 an essential lesson in Active Melody’s Blues By Yourself catalogue. Following EP 599-Part 2, my right thumb wants to join the bass players’ union!

  16. Paul N says

    Enjoy week 600 Brian! Happy Holidays to you and your family!

    I never thought I would be able to play this style. Still can’t just pick up a guitar and jump right into a base player thumb groove, but I’m getting close! Maye by 700!

  17. houliAK says

    I like you stressing the idea to loop the areas of the syncopating thumb and high string lead areas to get comfortable with it. If I focus on that, it helps my technique fall into place. Thank you for all you do and Merry Christmas.

  18. Thierry says

    Thank you Brian for this new little gem – I love blues and fingerstyle. Making so much progresses in my knowledge and above all practice of the fretboard with your clear weekly explanations. I wish I was 20 years younger, so much catch-up to do on my playing… Your weekly clear autopsies of your playing are really helping me and pushing/pulling me forward! Thank you !

  23. John I says

    I always find finger style blues a challenge, but this one seems to come to me a bit easier. Fun to play, and yet another great lesson woven into the composition.
    Appreciate all that you do, and look forward to Fridays. I’ve been a member for almost a year and plan on being around a long time.
    Happy Holidays and New Year!

  24. Michael J says

    G’day Brian,
    Long time member! Never a finger picker, but with this it’s seems to be easier to be more fluent.
    Congrats on the imminent 600, I think I jumped in at about 115, so big thanks!
    Merry Christmas to you & yours, and all AM people!
    Michael J., Kilmore, Australia.

  25. Steve says

    Love it, It’s starting to feel more natural now and helps with the key changes. When I feel more at ease with this, going to try a capo with the same patterns.

    Would be interested to see how to do simple key changes around the circle of fifths in a future lesson, should be able to use the same formula to travel the whole circle.

  27. Peter R says

    Brian, beyond your talent as a musician and as a teacher, I really admire your work ethics, and how you manage to deliver a great lesson week after week. Congratulations with the upcoming 600 lesson milestone next week. I feel bad not finding enough time each week to properly keep up with you. The great lessons you create and I still want to work through just keep piling up on my side. A luxury problem I realize. My guitar playing has improved significantly regardless. Thanks for that.

  29. Jeff T says

    Love this! I’ve been working on Travis picking, off and on, and this really helps with the thumb on beat. Seems so simple. HA! I just love your work and can’t keep up. I’m back at Mixo trying to get that integrated to my playing. yipes, as someone above me said… luxury problems, not finding enough time to get one lesson down, and here’s another already 🙂 and all quality presentations. well done! and seeing how all this fits to the CAGED system all up and down the neck…. that’s pure gold!!

  31. Michael J says

    G’day Brian,
    Second time comment, first time ever. I was told a long time ago, don”t ever sell yourself short. At 08.45, it sounds like you’re selling yourself short. You definitely do not have to do that. You’re playing ability, you”re teaching ability sell themselves. That is why I am near enough to a ten year member. Looking forward to 600 and many more.
    Michael J. Kilmore, Australia.

  32. Michael J says

    G’day Brian,
    Second time comment, first time ever. I was told a long time ago, don”t ever sell yourself short. At 08.45, it sounds like you’re selling yourself short. You definitely do not have to do that. You’re playing ability, you”re teaching ability sell themselves. That is why I am near enough to a ten year member. Looking forward to 600 and many more.
    Michael J. Kilmore, Australia.
    i

  33. Don R says

    Was musing that if you had chosen to do 100 lessons for each string, you would now be coming to a close at 599. So glad you didn’t go that route. Enjoy your well earned 1 week sabbatical.

  34. Klaus G says

    Thank you Brian, I like this kind of your lessons very much.
    could you please give us the tabs for the 1 4 5 standardvariation at he end of the premium lesson
    An if possible the one at the end of the premium lession EP594
    Perhaps you could make microlessons out of them
    Greetings Klaus

  39. Will L says

    Stupendous!
    I have had a stab at fingerpicking blues over the years but failed miserably.
    This lesson has got me progressing
    !
    After 2 hours on part 1 fingerpicking blues has moved from “impossible” to “difficult” for me, and my fingers feel ready to fall off.

    Hope Christmas goes well for you and yours 👏

    Will,
    Warrington. U.K.

  40. Tom B says

    Hi Brian
    Hoping you go back to the tabs in black notes and lines on white background. For some reason it is harder for my brain to process the white notes on background.
    I guess I am used to reading music on the standard music book format.

  42. nick b says

    Brian hi
    You probably know . On lesson 2, unlike lesson 1, it does not convert to landscape on Android mobile s22. When you turn the phone. Haptic.
    I often watch your lessons when away from my PC.

    Many thanks
    Nick

  47. David B says

    One man BLUES band! Love it! These finger and thumb blues lessons have helped me improve my playing and creativity…. Indoor porch style in front of the wood stove blues ! Have a Merry Christmas and keep ‘‘em coming in the New Year from snowy Lanark ON. CA.

  49. Tom D says

    Hi Brian,

    I’ve noticed these days everyone says Happy Christmas, but I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
    I could not play this number using my Strat, so I tried my classical guitar with its nylon strings (easy on the thumb). It was a bit better, but the sound wasn’t right, so then I tried my jazz guitar using a thumb pick and this worked well (Chet Atkin’s style). I have not got it off yet, but I am working on it.

    • Chris H says

      Oh, and I meant to say, finger style is not my thing, but I appreciate it and wish I had some skill with it … this lesson got me working on getting that independent thumb … that rascal always wants to do it’s own thing, but you gave me a couple of little drills that I can work on to straighten that out.

  56. Frank says

    Hi Brian nice to see you can afford all these nice guitars you deserve it as the best over all www blues++ guitar page greetings from Berlin Germany and thanks again for your heartful gesture wish you luck and success for lifetime (whereas in eastern Philosophie success meaning good karma more than material world success)
    God bless you and your family
    Walt

  57. Frank says

    Hi Brian nice to see you can afford all these nice guitars you deserve it as the best over all www blues++ guitar page greetings from Berlin Germany and thanks again for your heartful gesture wish you luck and success for lifetime (whereas in eastern Philosophie success meaning good karma more than material world success)
    God bless you and your family

  59. Mike D says

    Hello Brian, I noticed when you went up to the G chord you mentioned you could not hit a base note because your index finger would not stretch to the G on the third fret 6th string. You could however hit the open D string. Not strictly a base note as for E and A or B7, but would work. Keeping the same thumb/finger pattern.
    I can only say that, I’ve been with you for the last 12 months and I’ve learned more from you, than my previous two years with a guitar teacher. You make it so easy to understand as opposed to being blinded by theory. Thanks.

  61. Pentti S says

    Hei Brian,
    Great lesson again.
    I am trying to learn fingerpicking. Have tried travis picking for example. I find it very difficult to reach finger independence if the patterns in each bar is not the same.

    Especially in this lesson I found the bars, which begin with solely the bass note (no “melody” note played at the same time), such as bar 14, A7 difficult.
    I always tend to take some melody note with it. Likewise I easily play bass note with a melody note, even if I am not supposed to.
    I notice that when bass and melody note are played at the same time, I kind of pinch the strings. I also do this since pinching kind of gives more support/strength to my thumb to add more power/volume to the bass note.
    It would be nice to know how the finger independence is achieved.

    Anyways, I am very pleased with your lessons.

  63. Bern F says

    Excelled yourself with this Brian, fingerstyle blues is my favourite…I was watching another of your videos, and it had a mandolin on the wall…If you play mando how about putting an easyish mando blues up, I expect many of your captive guitar audience also have a mando, like I do, but have never got far with it as too busy with guitar

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