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Hi Active Melody family!
It’s time for the January, 2026 Site Member Challenge
This month’s challenge is going to be for you to create a solo Blues composition in the key of G by starting in either the C shape or the D shape (both of which have been covered in recent MicroLessons – links below).
You can make the composition as basic or complicated as you want, just no jam track! So if you start in the C shape, you’ll be playing the G, C, and D chord in that position (that area of the fretboard), same is true for the D shape. You can also blend ideas from the C and D shape if you want, but only if you’re comfortable doing so.
If it’s too complicated trying to blend the chord and the scale to create a composition, feel free to just play the 1-4-5 chords (G, C, and D) out of that C or D position.
The submission date for this challenge will be Sunday, February 15 – you can start submitting Friday, February 13
**If you need assistance with how to record yourself and post to the forum see this post**
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GROUND RULES FOR PARTICIPATION:
1. Post your Youtube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud links of you playing your chosen lesson anytime between Friday, February 13, through Sunday, February 15, 10:00 pm CST. Please do not submit earlier. I think it is fun to see everyone’s posts at once.
2. Submit individually in the “Active Melody Member Challenge Response Submissions” forum. Title your posts “January 2026 Challenge Response – [Your AM Screen Name]”
3. Please submit only a single video or audio file for this challenge.
4. Have fun and don’t be intimidated by these challenges!!! Use these challenges to help you set goals and complete them by a deadline. You can also use this as an opportunity to chat with your fellow Active Melody members and share tips or tricks on this challenge that you think are useful.
5. It is better to show progress versus perfection with these challenges. So if you are a beginner and can only play the first couple of measures. That is completely ok. If you play two more measures of the next challenge piece than you did the previous one, you are on track to getting better. This is what these challenges are about…you learning guitar and getting better. Remember we are all here to support you no matter what your current playing level is.
I look forward to seeing everyone’s posts! 🙂
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JoeD1, as long as you know how to make a 7 chord rooted on A string and E string, then it’s just playing the minor pentatonic scale in position #3 over the cord changes. I’m really not thinking about CAGED at all for this one, just 3 chords and some fills between the chords.
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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I’m frustrated again!
Michael said to play something in pattern 3 of the Pentatonic but that looks like it’s the C shape isn’t it?
Steve said pattern 4 but that’s the A shape isn’t it?
Do I just not know the pattern numbers and caged shapes? I probably should have skipped this challenge but now I’m determined to figure this out!
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge -
I’m frustrated again!
Michael said to play something in pattern 3 of the Pentatonic but that looks like it’s the C shape isn’t it?
Steve said pattern 4 but that’s the A shape isn’t it?
Do I just not know the pattern numbers and caged shapes? I probably should have skipped this challenge but now I’m determined to figure this out!
The challenge was to play the C or D shape in the key of G. So if you use the C-Shape with the root at the 10th fret on the A string, then pattern #3 will be the Em pentatonic scale just like it was in the lesson he did on the C-shape in ML129. If you use the D-shape, then pattern #2 lines up perfectly for playing Gm pentatonic scale just like he showed in the micro lesson for the D-Shape Blues ML131.
Pattern #4 minor pentatonic lines up with the A-Shape, but that’s not part of this challenge.
You will know what is correct, when you play it and it sounds good over any backing track in G Blues using dominant chords.
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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