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Learn to play blues guitar.

Slow & Pretty Country Lead – Learn where the licks come from. Guitar Lesson – EP615

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a slow and pretty, Country lead by connecting licks to chord shapes. This makes them easy to remember and reusable.

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Comments

  4. Mike R says

    This is a great lesson to see the licks within the chords. Lots of practical ways of connecting one CAGED chord to another with single notes and it sounds great. You have a way of making a simple progression sound totally different by changing one chord, like the II chord to major and adding the 7th. I will be looking to change these ideas to other keys!!

  5. David H says

    Great lesson. That A7 is a secondary dominant resolving to the D (the V chord in the key of D is A7), and that’s why it works even though you’re in G. The G7 is also a secondary dominant, resolving to the C (the V chord in the key of C is G7). The only dominant chord you would have if you were only playing chords strictly in the key of G would be a D7. You see secondary dominants used a lot, as well as many other chord substitutions, and there’s always a reason they work from a theory standpoint.

  7. Laurel C says

    Such a pretty song, deserves to be taken up by a singer for some words. But for us guitar players a variety of ideas to work into our playing as it sounds so good. This chord progression 2-5-1_2-5-1(Dom 7th)_4-5-1-6-2 (Dom 7th) has made me realise I don’t have a tool bag of many chord progressions at hand to put into categories to get different definitions like pretty etc.. The move of ‘happy to bluesy’ was one to put into the took bag. Chord Progressions would make for an interesting topic as a lesson.

    • Chris G says

      Thanks again Brian,
      I really only pick bits of each lesson. But taking this one for example – I take the backing track and after 3 months of ‘bits and pieces’ I am improvising – or at least playing more interestingly than before .
      Connecting scales / triads / double stops with chords has been invaluable.

  8. JEROME L says

    Very cool lesson here Brian!
    I just want to say that you do follow the chord change when the song goes to Em chord because your G major pentatonic scale is also the E minor pentatonic scale (assuming Em is the relative minor chord of G).

  12. Lyn C says

    Hi Brian…Some great tips, such as going from G-C-F-C using triads. Also liked the use of two notes in a triad and hammer ons to make a pedal steel sound.
    Lots of other useful tips like the intro walkdown too.

  13. Timothy M says

    Brian, thanks for another great lesson!

    I have been a premium member for a little over a year now and I have learned so much from your lessons.

    Because of you, I can now see Triads, scales, arpeggios, and chords across the CAGED framework.

    Keep up the great work!

    • Nick Ll says

      Agreed! Specifically McCartney – ey.

      Immediately ‘And I Love Her’ came to mind, followed by a bit of Stones’ Paint it Black (during an explanation rather than in the tune). This was all in the first five minutes of the lesson. Let’s see where the remainder takes us.
      By the way, for the avoidance of doubt, this is in no way a criticism Brian – quite the contrary – I just love hearing the influences in your lessons as well as the rich vein of information invariably contained therein.

  16. Daniel H says

    Awesome lesson! Brian, I like it when you not only focus on lead construct using the cage framework but when you also touch on song construct (chord sequences). As a singer-songwriter you light up lots of “light bulbs” and illuminate new pathways for song and melody ideas. This lesson was real standout!

    Thank you for keeping it to one part. I’ll be digesting this lesson for a few days. A part two would have simply been too much!

  18. Daryl F says

    I love these lessons that continue to build on reinforcing the caged system, and the slow leads give us time to play around and do new licks. One of my favorite lessons. Usually the “main lessons” that are EP are the 2 part longer ones and the ML’s are just shorter ones. I print them all in my notebook and having 2 different formats makes it a little more difficult to track. I’m wondering if you should just scrap the ML’s and keep the EP system as you did in years past? Maybe save the ML’s if you have some mid week inspiration and want to post something short that way?

    • michael f says

      or “Night Moves”, Bringing up a well-known pop/rock song in the context of explaining where that F comes from (the 4 of the 4 chord) made this lesson really valuable. It’s F# in the key of G, the 7th note in G major scale. That’s too confusing to remember because it’s a diminished not. . But remembering “the 4 of the 4 chord” is simpler. I’m always trying to make some sense of theory so I can use that in a different key.

  23. Alan V says

    Your lessons are always amazing, Brian, but this one has to be my top favourite ever. I like blues etc, but pretty tunes so beautifully played stir me like no other style. Add to that, the improv info sits right where I am with guitar.

  27. Jimmy L says

    Bryan I need your help with a how to plz I’m a beginner/ intermediate acoustic guitar player and struggling with a song that I would really appreciate your help with the song I’m referring to is amazing grace by Stephen Mcwhirter and after learning your version of amazing grace witch may I say I really appreciate the way you did it i would like to take that lesson you did for us and some how work it in the Stephen’s version how ever I’m having trouble converting what you did in the key of A and the version he did! Am I changing my tail or can this be done?

  31. Steve says

    Great lesson, has a lot of stuff simply explained, loved the 2,5,1 and what feels like a momentary key change. The pedal licks are so authentic, and love the passing chords from 5 to 1 via 4 and the slide between minor and major.

    Some ideas you might consider

    Over several lessons structure a full song with intro, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, outro etc

    A video with you playing with your friends in local jam

    Arpeggio based folk style with less or no bends

  35. Keith S says

    Great lesson. I just spent 4 days at Chris Thily’s acoustic bluegrass camp. Those bluegrass players are so fast, and all over the fretboard. Amazing new concepts. Your lessons really helped me understand the new stuff that came flying at me.

  36. Joseph C says

    Love that regardless of how many lessons I have watched from you, there is always something more with the smallest nuance that is so cool. Thanks Brian. The fretboard is your world!

  40. Charles P says

    Great progression of chords ! I recently acquired a 12 string and used this lesson to get a whole new vibe! Brian I don’t know if you have one, but a lesson geared to 12 string would be awesome!

  42. sam l says

    Great lesson Brian. I play in an acoustic duo at Northern California wineries and am responsible for most of the lead playing. I’m always looking for ways of improving and the pedal steel ideas in this lesson will be fun to incorporate. That said, I find the blues lessons interesting but not so applicable. Thanks for throwing in a bit of country.

  47. naftali k says

    Once again your mastery at creating lesson that teach us how to fish father than just give us a finished prduct to imitate. Learning to play your stuff is great exercise as well.
    There is always somehing I can take to my Kumzitz music. Skillwise I have a long way to go. All the best.
    RNK

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