Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Acoustic Blues Guitar Lesson in A – Solo Composition – EP208

Description

This week’s guitar lesson is a solo acoustic blues composition in the key of A. You’ll learn how to alternate between a shuffle rhythm and harmonized leads. You’ll also learn how to relate each of these licks back to basic chord shapes so that you can use them when you improivse or write your own music. Lots of takeaways in this one 🙂

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-Through

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

        • Billy Ray says

          Looks like a Martin CEO-7
          Keep in mind Jean
          You get what you pay for.
          I started many years ago with an inexpensive guitar, I got very frustrated, it hampered my playing ability.
          Good action/playability will inspire you to keep playing!

          • Bern F says

            I bought a Gibson L-00 Standard during lockdown, £2200…..playability was awful so sent it straight back, I have several guitars that were under a quarter of the price that outperformed it in everything but its tone

        • Michael M says

          A good beginner acoustic guitar is the Epiphone Hummingbird Artist. Starts under $300.00. You can find them on-line. I bought one that was an open box from Sweetwater.com for $129.00 about 2 years ago plus free shipping. Recently put new Elixir Nanoweb light strings on it, and sounds great. It’s also a beautifully made guitar for the money. Good luck in your search, and with your learning to play guitar! M. P. McCartney. 🙂

    • Don D. says

      You know the shape at around 10 minutes in to the first video? That’s the basis for the turnaround in organist Jimmy Smith’s “(Back at the) Chicken Shack.”; it’s the basis for main riff in Thelonious Monk’s “Blue Monk” (here’s an earlier tune by Scrapper Blackwell that starts off the same way too—if I remember, I’ll list it later), and it’s also the basis for the main riff in Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women 13 & 35.” So, potent stuff, can be put to many uses. Thanks again, Brian, have been trying to find equivalents for some of the others, this is really an excellent blues harmony lesson—sounds great too!

  7. jimbostrat says

    What happened to that ole Alvarez, Brian??!!! I somehow get the impression that you too have slipped on over to the Martin Guitar camp!! There’s a very good reason why they’re so popular…………and yes………….also expensive……but it’s like that one comic used to speculate on divorces…………why are divorces so dang expensive?? Answer: Because they’re worth it!! Rodney Dangerfield??

    Love theses!! This is a prime example of getting an arrangement down, playing it out and impressing all!! Great job again, Brian!! This acoustic blues solo is a framework plus, plus!! jim C.

    • Brian says

      The link works, I’m guessing this is a browser issue. you’ll get different results depending on the browser you use. If you use Google Chrome or Firefox and click on the “Download MP3” link, it will download the file automatically. Other browsers will try and play the file after it downloads (which is what you’re experiencing). So try RIGHT clicking on the “Download MP3” link if you’re on a Windows computer and then choose the “Save As..” option. If you’re on a Mac, hold down the “Control” key and click on “Download MP3”.

      • ben4given says

        I’ve tried for two days to download the pdf file also, to no avail. This isn’t an issue with the mp3 file, but the pdf to print out the tab. Maybe it is just mu browser, but it normally works just fine.

  35. Kendrick L says

    Hi Brian,

    This is such a lovely composition. I am aware you have to please so many diverse guitar players within your audience but for me this piece is one of the best lessons from you. Thank you for laying down some really catchy Acoustic Blues.

    I am determined to learn this piece hopefully at the same tempo as you so very confidently do. It would definitely give me a tremendous boost in my quest to learn Acoustic Blues as per the great masters who played during the 1920-1930’s.

    Thank you Brian for your wonderful lessons. We definitely need to hear more of this.

    Kind regards,

    Ken

  43. John c says

    Hi Brian, I just joined AM after seeing a number of your free lessons. I really like your style. As a non-vocalist, and the difficulty in finding folks to jam with, your solo lessons are dead on.

    My only comment upon seeing the tablature is that it would be useful if you had the music notation above the tabs. That helps to understand the rhythm a bit better. But in any event I excited to get started.

    Thanks,

    Dave

  45. Jack B says

    I loved this lesson! It took me 3 weeks to get it down, but it was worth it. I also learned a lot from the theory explanations. Your teaching method really works for me. Your program is better than any others I have tried. So many other “teachers” spend more time showing you how good they are and very little on really teaching you how to play. The added bonus of you explaining where the riff and licks come from is essential to actually learning to play as opposed to just memorizing songs. Thanks for what you are doing.

  47. Todd T says

    Love this one Brian! Thanks. Lots of fun to play.

    I’m wondering what you have your metronome set to on the SLOW WALK-THRU portion in the final video of the lesson?

    Thanks again…

    I’m about to try and wrap my hands and fingers around your instrumental AMAZING GRACE instrumental

  49. Keith C says

    Hi Brian, I joined a couple of months ago and I’m really enjoying the lessons. I haven’t played for several years and it was coming across one of the lessons on You Tube that got me interested in getting a guitar out and getting creaky old fingers moving again, so many thanks. Quick question about this one – what is the final chord? I love the sound and would like to add it to my regular vocabulary.

  53. Don M says

    Brian,

    This was the first video of yours I came across on Youtube last year, and I was hooked on part 1. Fast forward to 2021, and I decided I wanted to finish Part 2 and take my playing to the next level. I became a premium member today, and I’m stoked to see where this journey will take me! Thank you!

    Don

  54. Matthew P says

    How do I play it to go around again? I feel like the two chords at the end is a finish and doesn’t allow me to stay again from the beginning. Do I just leave out the final bar and start again after the last bar of A? Thanks! Matt

  55. Jason S says

    Such a Brilliant lesson Brian. I think I’ve got it but it’s still sounding so jangly!
    It seems like you’re palm muting a lot of this composition?
    Advice appreciated….

  56. Mark L says

    Hi Brian, I started learning this piece over the weekend. In your opening you asked if anyone recognised the artist this riff could have been “stolen” from. By pure coincidence, the first track I started listening to on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist this morning is “Keep on loving me baby” by the Paladins (1990). Sounds very similar….
    Love the challenge of learning the pieces you create. They are achievable and stretch me just enough to keep me challenged and interested. Very happy to be a subscriber!

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