Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Blues chord ideas that you may not know about! Guitar Lesson – EP591

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn several chord ideas that you can use in your Blues rhythm or lead. Enjoy!

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Comments

  3. Mike R says

    This one is pretty amazing! Certainly going to be one of my favorites. Love all the substitution chords for a simple progression. You can do as many of these as you like I really want to learn these types of substitutions for the I-IV-V progressions. Classic sounds that we all want to know how to play. Thanks

  5. Mark H says

    Excellent, thanks. My ear was pulling me to the F after the V (E), but that would make it more Thrill Is Gone-ish. Maybe I’ll do both, I think they could both coexist in the song as verse variations.

    I’d be happy to hear your take on a second verse, and beyond.

  10. JohnStrat says

    Hi Brian ,

    This is core stuff for me. I love these sorts of slow moody sounds, for me this is the blues.
    It takes me back to that wonderful piece yo put out at EP094.
    I am looking forward to getting into this. Like others here more please.
    JohnStrat

  11. David H says

    Oh man! This lesson sounds so awesome. I scrolled down to look at the tabs and start playing with it and there’s nothing there except for the following message:

    “This slice has embedding disabled. To fix this, edit the slice to enable embedding.”

    First of all, the “Slice” isn’t there at all, so I went and looked at one of my saved lessons and everything is there but I don’t see anywhere to do any editing or selecting of anything.

    I tried searching for the topic online and it says more or less the same as above.
    Does anybody know how to fix this? I’ve never had this happen before in the 3 or so years I’ve been with Brian on Active Melody.

    BTW…I did “Add to my Favorites” thinking maybe it would show up but no luck.

    Please help!
    Thanks ~ Dave

  12. Bill says

    So good Brian! This is gonna be a favorite lesson for sure.
    Glad to hear you mention Duke Robillard, just got to see him two weeks ago out in California at the Redwood Coast Music Festival, highly recommend going out there for it. So many guitar greats in one place!

    • Dale G says

      Love the change of pace mellow vibe to this lesson. Always noodled around with these type of chords but was never able to put into a coherent progression to make a decent number. Thanks for helping to put the pieces of the puzzle together and explaining the whys and the wheres as to what I am playing. Lots of light bulbs for sure!

  15. Robert Burlin says

    There is no tabs to work with. It says” This slice has embedding disabled. To fix this, edit the slice to enable embedding.” Does anyone know how to edit the slice? I was hoping to practice this tonight. Fun lesson by the way.

  20. Roger A says

    Hey Brian. I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately with my playing but, as always, you’ve come up with something truly inspirational that has got the wheels turning again. Different chords and cool blues licks – this one alone is worth every penny of my subscription. For me you are without doubt the best online teacher around.

  22. Mark H says

    Originally thought the lesson was overwhelming in complexity but listened to your advice and just tried to have one or two things I could do well. It was great advice and I built up bit by bit and as always learnt a lot.

  25. Daniel H says

    Brian, about the mandolin: do you find that learning/playing mandolin compliments your guitar playing abilities or is the mandolin a totally different animal? I see you included a lick that had a mandolin vibe and you stated as much… which got me wondering. Thanks!

  29. Jack S says

    Lately, I’m better appreciating the depth of your musical knowledge and your practicaliity in applying it. I plan to spend much more time integrating this lesson and the application of minor chords into the major chords to up my playing. Thank you Brian.

  36. Pierre B says

    These chord variations (in A) are a great addition to our blues improv toolbox. These new chords seem to limit our bad habit of noodling single notes in A minor pentatonic. Very clever Brian. Thanks!

  39. Dennis F says

    Boy, just a gold mine of good stuff here. The key is just to keep working on the various
    elements, instead of rushing on to the next things. As Brian says at the end here, you
    don’t learn it unless you work it.

  46. Stacey says

    Thanks Brian putting this together Brian. Super helpful in understanding how to slide chords around to achieve a cool effect. I have heard these used a lot but didn’t know how to achieve that sound.

  52. George A says

    Thanks Brian. Your lessons have been layering over my practice routes perfect lately. Thanks you. Any chance you have another Bluegrass Lesson in G coming our way soon? I’m trying to build up my lick library working on timing and phasing (it doesn’t come fast to the old guy in the room). Thanks. Always looking forward to Fridays. George

  56. Brian D says

    Hi Brian – love this lesson and the past lessons re finding and using the 6th an 9th chords. But I am missing some foundation understanding on rhythm playing and how / when to use chords.

    I understand how chord progressions are identified using the major scale and how to use the numbering system to find the 1, 4 and 5 but my understanding on the timing/use of chords is basically the good old 12 bar blues (4 bars of 1 chord, 2 bars of 4 chord etc..).

    Is there an existing lesson that goes into rhythm and chord use that provides some basic rules on how many bars you can use specific chords on ? I understand this is the fundaments of making music and there probably are no rules but even something to challenge/mix up the simple 12 bars blues 🙂

  59. Randal C says

    Hey Brian,
    I keep trying to watch the one from October 4th on Mixolydian .. and it suggested I go to EP374 .. it keeps asking me to resign in to make sure I’m not a BOT .. I’ve logged out, logged in, X’d it out, resign in and it keeps coming back to that … and for the FREE one … not the paid one .. I can see the paid one but that’s always the 2nd half …

  64. Steve (Ruffcutt) R says

    Hi Brian, and thx for another grrreat lesson! What I liked about this one is that there were several lessons in one. The phrasings? that you taught today, can be applied to wherever a person thinks that they can fit in nicely in a jam session or stage. Gave me lots to practice, and once mastered, arms me with an even larger arsenal release of show ponies out to wow the crowd.

    Although still learning these off-color chords that I don’t know when you start trailing off into, that brings you to a C#/A9, then go to. and by doing your pinky here you get a A# by adding the finger…..it all starts to sound like French to me. The thing I like about it though is that after the number of times you go off on these, Im actually learning something because on this lesson I was like the next one should be a….and boom! I was right! Yeah!! LoLz.

    Last thing, I noticed you do a lot of the same stuff over and over but in different styles and use. Like the mandolin part of this lesson, I heard that in another lesson you taught and that makes me go, oh yeah, I’ve heard and seen that before but a different style. I hope to find it and I think I favorited that lesson, I hope to find it as it was one of my fav lessons and Id like to go over it again to remember in what style it was used then.

    Thx Brian, I think your one of the best.

    Steven J.

  65. Mike B says

    Brilliant lesson Brian. It came just at the right time whilst I’m getting to grips with 6 and 9 chords and learning how to find them and their musical basis. Like many players I’ve noodled round the chord shapes for years but not entirely understanding what they are or how to use them properly. All I knew was they sounded jazzy/bluesy/funky. Thank you!

    Mike B.

  68. Torquil O says

    It’s great to get the “lessons” with theory, progressions and notes; but then, it’s a whole nother chapter to try and capture your emotion and nuance! That’s an additional chapter and challenge. Thanks

  69. Randy D says

    Hello Brian. I’m in my 60s and have always wanted to learn how to play the blues guitar. I truly appreciate how you present things and make it possible for even a beginner to start playing. Being able isolate sections and slow things down, while staying on pitch is an amazing bit of technology.
    Thanks again for all the work you do to produce these lessons.
    Randy

  71. Gary M says

    You are the man! Your comments about light bulbs going off is spot on. Right from the start when you use the A9/C# for the one chord was a, “that’s how they get that sound” moment for me. For me personally, your explanation of where licks are coming from and your teaching tools like being able to slow down and loop sections of a lesson, are the absolute best for learning. I find that often now when watching a lesson, I am recognizing CAGED shapes and where notes and licks come from before you explain it. I doubt that I’ll ever be able to recognize chord shapes and scales as quickly as good players such as yourself, but learning and progress is what it’s all about. Being able to take some licks, triads, double stops… from your lessons and use them over jam tracks in other keys has made my improvisation much improved. Thank you. Keep up the good work.

  74. Stuart S says

    I really like this lesson, I find it difficult to follow the sound track. My timing is way off. I can play the selection but I can’t seem to stay with the track. I can’t tell where the track is once I get off in order to catch up. Any suggestions. I have been a member of your site for two and a half years.
    Thanks

  76. Anthony I says

    A lot of new stuff for me. But I love to know WHY, which you do. Now I can see the, for example and the standard D 7,E7 etc played like the first position C7 (4 middle strings) can be altered into a D9, then D 11). So I just visualize the comfortable, often played, C7 shape and it falls into place. Then of course the 6-9 , 2 frets back move. By the end of the video my brain is too full. I have to set away and listen again. Plus I learned a couple more riff tricks. My solos are evolving because of you.. My jam group knows how I play and when add Brian’s stuff I get a thumbs up sign.

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