Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Blues phrasing formula – Connect it all to a single note! – Guitar Lesson – EP629

Description

If you’ve ever struggled with using all of the guitar information you’ve learned to actually construct a solo, or even not known how to start your lead, this lesson will be a breakthrough for you

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

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Slow Walkthrough

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Comments

    • Roy L says

      Really enjoyed this lesson. I’ve been playing guitar for years, so found this easy to understand, and so obvious. Would really enjoy if you could do a follow up lesson using different keys up the moving up the fretboard.

      • Scott T says

        I’m all in for similar lessons in different keys. Although it wouldn’t too take much effort taking this one and apply it to the keys myself, Brian no doubt does make it a more enjoyable learning experience with his lessons.

    • Jerry B says

      Brian, I’ve been playing a lot of jazz for years and felt like I never got a good wrap on the blues. I decided that I needed to buckle down and return to playing/simplifying the blues to make my jazz feel and sound better, Could not be more happy that I found your course. I’ve been gong on for most of my life, as you said over thinking it. Your approach is so right on. I can’t thank you enough. Enjoying being a premium member. Jerry B.

  3. slopace says

    Another great lesson Brian. As for myself, I would like more solo lessons playing in the same key throughout. When playing in a jam session, especially with a lot of chord s, I always find myself wanting to just play in the key and of course targeting chord tones because you don’t have to think as hard. I really do enjoy learning all the different approaches to soloing though.

  5. Michael Krailo says

    JoeD1, this lesson was made just for you brother. This ought to clarify your options for the challenge. You can play pattern #4 major or pattern #3 minor and blend them together as you see fit. For the challenge though, the key is G, so there is a G on the 10th fret and the 8th fret. This was the perfect lesson to get everyone into the challenge with more confidence.

    In ML129, he blended the major into the mostly minor pentatonic because the chords were all dominant 7 chords. Since we are not playing to a backing track, it really doesn’t matter how you approach it. But I really like what Brian did with this lesson leading up to the challenge to give us all more confidence in what our options are.

    • Rob N says

      I can’t speak for logic (I guess you’d have to delve into the complexities of every interval?) but your example suggests you are looking for some form of pattern recognition e.g. when a major chord is in the E shape you know pattern 1 of the minor pentatonic ‘fits’ around that (and pattern 2 of the major/pentatonic scale).

      If this is what you’re looking for I’d recommend the CAGED shape lessons on Active melody – the ones that provide PDFs for the major, minor, pentatonic and mixolydian scales and the arpeggios – based around the five CAGED shapes. For example, the C shape lesson (ep 556) has a PDF labelled ‘Download Tablature – EP556-C shape’. This has all the most relevant scales shown (as well as arpeggios) and is a goldmine of info.

      Hope this helps.

      • Rob N says

        Just to add, I’ve personally found it really handy to create my own fretboard maps. I downloaded a blank guitar fretboard diagram and then made pattern ‘maps’ for the scales. I’ve chosen to colour the ‘target’ notes on mine with a different colour for the root, third, fifth and flat seventh. It ends up looking a bit like a Damien Hirst dot painting, but I’ve found it really handy for memorising those patterns and where the target notes sit.

      • Stephane R says

        you nailed it even with my poor explanation, i have played by ear for years and years, this is still very confusing to me. I guess i was looking for some kind of quick answer to make it click… like in my example, index finger on root is minor while picky on that same note is major. will look those up.

          • Rob N says

            The index finger/pinky shortcut is a good one.

            For me, seeing those CAGED shape chords is the key. For example, if the major chord is a C shape I know it’s associated with pattern 4 of the major scale/pentatonic and pattern 3 of the natural minor/minor pentatonic.

            This then follows logically: next chord shape going up the fret board will be the A shape (C….A….G….E….D) which will link with pattern 5 for the major and 4 for the minor.

            Next one is G shape: 1 for major 5 for minor…..and so on.

            There are only 5 patterns to memorise and the logic is whatever pattern the major is the minor is 1 below. If you can visualise those chord shapes (major, minor and their variants) within those patterns then not only can you anchor yourself to something but you also know where the chord tones are within the patterns.

            I am still trying to become adept at all this, but once you have that basic framework a lot of what Brian teaches will become clearer.

            I am a visual learner so the patterns and colours work for me, but playing by ear is the more musical route.

            Most of this tune is using those patterns: the tune is in the key of D and the shape of the D chord is the C shape – so you can play the D major pentatonic pattern 4 and the D minor pentatonic pattern 3 in that area of the fretboard…then over the A chord it’s pattern 5 of the A minor pentatonic.

            So, if you wanted to extend this tune up the fretboard you could play D major pentatonic from pattern 4 up to 5 then on to 1 and 2 etc. all the way back to pattern 4 twelve frets up from where you started.

            This follows how you’d play a D chord up the neck: open D shape frets 0 to 3, C shape around frets 2 to 5, A shape from 4 to 7; G shape from 7 to 10; E shape from 9 to 12; D shape from 11 to 15…….back to C shape 14 to 17. Of course, this is not the only way of visualising the fretboard, but it is one that makes a lot of sense.*

            (*until you get to modes….but that’s for another day).

            I hope that makes sense and corrections are welcome (I think I got it right but always check these things for yourself).

          • Michael D says

            This note is about the Rob N comment below on CAGED shapes. I am asking because I a now confused (so much so that this comment may note make sense). In paragraph 3 of the comment Rob typed “This then follows logically: next chord shape going up the fret board will be the A shape (C….A….G….E….D) which will link with pattern 5 for the major and 4 for the minor.” This statement appears to be a conflict as Rob, later (in the eighth paragraph ) indicates “Most of this tune is using those patterns: the tune is in the key of D and the shape of the D chord is the C shape – so you can play the D major pentatonic pattern 4 and the D minor pentatonic pattern 3 in that area of the fretboard…then over the A chord it’s pattern 5 of the A minor pentatonic.” I thought I was on the road to understanding what pattern went where, but maybe not. I now think that last sentence is correct and the first sentence was erroneous. Am I correct or still confused? I would appreciate any clarification. I had used Rob’s comments to make a chart of which major and minor pentatonic shape went with which CAGED Shape and now think it needs correction. Thanks for the help to anybody who offers it.

  7. David H says

    Great stuff, Brian. I would appreciate more similar lessons that focus on any and all formulas that offer memorable and valuable starting points. I find that, having pretty much memorized the various pentatonic scale shapes, worthwhile solos flow easily once I have a solid starting point. The solos almost play themselves.
    Also, would it be possible for you to also put up as downloadable files the loops you use for just the 1 chord, and for the 1 and 4 chord. Thanks.

  11. Mark H says

    Favorited. I’ve been working on using position 4 of the pentatonic major & minor lately, this will fit right in with that effort.

    It’s a crazily-shaped pattern that does sound really good. I’m guessing it’s the disposition of the intervals across the strings that makes it sound special.

  12. Mike R says

    Really enjoy this lesson. Yes, please do more like this. Simple and elegant always sound the best to me without losing that cool, bluesy feel. I can relate very well to this presentation using one note to focus on for each of the chords. Let’s do it with the other CAGED shapes also.
    Thanks

  15. Brian P says

    I would LOVE a pdf summary / cheat sheet for the key of D with the scale/notes and the patterns from the lesson. It would help me memorize the notes on the fretboard and be a quick visual aid when studying these concepts along with the on screen lesson material. I just posted on the forum yesterday looking for this exact lesson / material.

  19. Tremelow says

    I still have to watch the second part and I’m already excited about this lesson. What really upped my game was your advice about just moving down one fret from the root note when playing over the V-chord. I’m sure you already said this many times before in other lessons, but it took me until now before it clicked. Amazing!

  21. Lee W says

    This lesson was so helpful. It knitted a lot of factors together as you said it would. Thankyou. I agree with other comments and would appreciate the suggested follow ups.

    Sorry if this is a silly remark and may seem a bit basic but I would appreciate some further guidance on how to find the flat 3rd, 7ths and 5ths etc in any given key. Is there a formula I’ve probably forgotten amongst all the other knowledge.

    • Michael Krailo says

      Learning basic interval shapes is easier if starting from the sixth string to avoid the g to b shifting. If you simply locate each degree of the major scale from any root note, you should notice a pattern where all the triads fall from the root note in one octave.

      A flat 3rd is the same as a minor 3rd which up three frets from the root or on the adjacent string two frets down.

      A flat 7 is two frets down from the octave root note.

      I recommend learning all of the intervals of the major scale. That will be time well spent. Everything starts to make sense after that.

  24. charjo says

    I’ve never seen you discuss intervals so intensively in a lesson, Brian. Intervals around root shapes have always been my focus.
    Also, other than focusing on the one root note I’m trying to see the two or three roots within the CAGED shape I’m playing within to see the overlay of the major and minor scales in that location. Hopefully, this will lead to seeing the roots of the other chords in the progression in the same area for following the changes. After all, this is a finite process with only 5 root patterns for both the major and minor CAGED shapes.
    I agree, other formulas for playing a blues progression would be a great series of lessons.

  26. Robert R says

    Thanks Brian, This is a brilliant lesson, and YES, I would love to see more lessons about this concept.
    I have one question here. While I’m familiar with how to play the Dminor pentatonic in a few places on the fretboard; I am NOT familiar with how you’re playing the Dminor pentatonic in this area of the fretboard. Thanks again Brian. You’re still the best guitar instructor I’ve found anywhere.

    • Michael Krailo says

      That tells me you don’t know all five shapes of your CAGED patterns yet. Each of the patterns have root notes within them that determines the key as either major or minor.

      An alternate way of viewing it is through intervals of whatever scale you need to use from the root. Just learn both and you’ll be in great shape.

  29. Robert M says

    Some real helpful insights on an approach to soloing using both the scales and chord tones. Provides focus and logic. Would definitely like to see lessons on applying to other caged shapes.Not to complicate it but insights on what to use when a 4th or 5th chord is added to the arrangement would be great.

    Thanks
    Bob

  31. Robert R says

    Hi Brian, Just a follow up from my previous message from an hour ago: While working on ideas from this lesson, I realized that I did know a bit about playing the D minor pentatonic patterns in this part of the fretboard. I guess I just hadn’t pictured it as a pentatonic pattern.
    Thanks

  34. Rob S says

    This is such an excellent lesson. Of course, you teach us parts of this technique in so many of your lessons but this one really clicked for me moving from the major to the minor pentatonic over the 4th but for some reason the minor 5th pentatonic over the 5th sunk in this time. I think applying this same principe through all the cage shapes would make sense as a lesson and def something I’ll be working on. Thanks again as always for such great content!

  35. Rob S says

    …also,,,,just finished the second section which was very satisfying to pull it all together. It’s interesting you said it was difficult or seemed fragmented to you given the end result was what I view as the perfect lesson based on simple concepts but you connected it together beautifully in yet another wonderful tune to play. I would love to see a full series of CAGE lessons using this D key to move up each section which would leave us with a relatively long blues solo in D once all the shapes were covered. Great lesson thank YOU!

  41. Scott L says

    Great lesson! I’ve been hearing about “lightbulb” moments and I thought I might’ve had one but this was legit. Something just clicked and it was the fastest I’ve ever learned one of the pieces. Thanks!

  43. houliAK says

    Great job breaking this down. I like using the root note as the base but mostly the review of the 1,3,5 safe note ideas as you explained. C shape Major P4 and minorP3 explanantions were spot on for the BB box traingle and how they relate to the I, IV chord changes. I have always struggled with improvising a lead going to the V chord and this lesson explained why and had some great ideas for me to explore.

  48. JEROME L says

    Hi Brian, hello from France.
    I don’t know how to say it (with my incorrect english) : I am not really sure if you are turning something subtle into something simple (cause you are a great teacher), or turning something simple into something subtle (cause you are a good player)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Very impressive.
    I like this kind of lesson ; it does really help me (help us (I guess))!!

  49. Dennis S says

    Got a ah -ha moment from this lesson , going from major to minor in same chord shape . Also using boxes 3,4 and 5 in this one area. Looking forward to exploring the walkthroughs. Like to see continuance of this as you mentioned.

  50. William B says

    I like simple. It educates my ears. The addition of chromatic notes helps with phrasing. Sliding into the third and the blue note does the same thing. Your explanation of why you go to the minor pentatonic for the 4 chord is an eye opener. Also the the half step down for the 5 chord is slick. All together a sweet lesson. Love it when you mix the major and the minor. Hope to see more.

  53. Brandon J says

    Great lesson Brian. This is one of those lessons you do every now again where I think my brain is so close to getting the bigger picture. I would like the follow on lesson as well higher up the neck.

    • Brian says

      Try it and tell me if you think it sounds good – always let your ear be the judge. You can play it, it is in the minor pentatonic scale , but to land on it sounds pretty terrible.

      • Lesley O says

        Ah yes ok, thankyou for the reply Brian. I can hear that it sounds awful to land on but wasn’t sure why, as it’s the root note. So I can play it but not land on it – perfect, thankyou 👍

    • Michael Krailo says

      I’m guessing the reason it sounds terrible is that the root note functions as a resolving tone, not a tension tone. The five chord creates max tension prior to resolving back to the root.

      Yes it can function as a drone note in harmony with other notes in the scale for brief moments in a walk up or down. But, by itself, it doesn’t make good musical sense to resolve and create max tension at the same time.

    • Michael Krailo says

      I looked up the exact answer why the D note sounds bad over an A major chord regardless of which degree it is. If your goal is to create even more tension that will eventually get resolved, there is nothing wrong with it, but it is clearly unstable over the A major chord.

      The D note is the 11th (or 4th) of the A major chord (V chord in D major), and when played over A, it creates a suspended or tense sound because it clashes with the major third (C♯) of the A chord.

      This interval — D against C♯ — forms a minor ninth (m9), which is a highly dissonant interval. In functional harmony, the 4th over a major triad is considered a suspension (specifically a 4–3 suspension when it resolves to C♯), and it needs resolution to sound “correct” or resolved.

      So while the D note is diatonic to the key of D major, it does not belong to the A major chord (A–C♯–E), and thus sounds harmonically unstable or “bad” when emphasized over the V chord unless used intentionally for tension and resolved properly (e.g., D → C♯).

  58. Michael H says

    What I found useful was playing a blues with the I chord starting in the C Shape IV chord in the E shape V chord in the A shape. Forces you to look at the fret board a little differently than the typical I chord in the E shape as in the key of A or G.
    Going through the shapes in that manner would be a great exercise.
    Given the “ formula” we could easily and we should do this on our own.
    Then this can be expanded with your next formula

    Great lesson, simple but powerful

  59. Guy H says

    Awesome lesson! Love the teaching sequence, pick a chord shape and neighborhood, get the 1, 4, 5 down ( and any other chords from the rhythm); then find their flat 7s, get a few applicable scales that sound sweet over the chords; then get a few awesome phrases / licks; and put it together for a composition; viola- the blues. The part 2 was terrific; it really pulled together all the thoughts from pt 1. It would be great to do a few more of these highlighting different shapes going up the neck.

    Just a question- how do you keep time so well, what’s going on in your head to maintain timing?

    Thanks

    Guy

  61. obie123 says

    Really like this lesson.and method. Have been learning all the parts chords scales etc but have trouble thinking fast enough to play them when I hit a position … this really helps. More I say more tkd

  63. Philip S says

    Don’t just like this Brian – I love it. Just added this to the key of A then E and C and it fits in perfectly with whatever I’m already playing. Another add on to my repertoire. I generally stick to the pentatonic scale but this might just make me expand a little – not a lot but it’s still a step forward.

  64. Chris Ford says

    Really liked these lessons the last few weeks, focussing on one area and one shape. Think doing what you suggested and going up the fretboard and showing how to connect the different areas would be great. Thanks Brian!

  67. Lynne R says

    Terrific lesson but I am confused about playing over the V chord. Stepping 1 fret down from the D to the C# ( 3 of the Vchord) sounds great and I get that. But then you say that you can also simply play AmiPP5……….. which includes the note D in the Ami pentatonic scale. Would you comment on this please

  68. Kenneth Y says

    Great lesson. I have been focusing on improvising following the chord tones and adding the scale notes as enhancements. I think a lesson exploring another part of the fretboard would be really helpful. The jam tracks at normal and slower speeds are also very helpful. Thanks

  75. Georg B says

    Hello Brian,
    At the end of your part 2 video for premium members, you talk about how you felt while creating this episode, and I can say with 100% certainty that you have absolutely succeeded in piecing everything together in a way that makes it seem child’s play. I have no doubt that it was certainly not child’s play to put everything into a logical, digestible form. But you managed it. I would be very interested in receiving more episodes in this format. The clear concept and the reference back to only one single note, i.e., the root, makes it so easy to make progress in learning.
    Really great!
    Georg

  77. Michael D says

    Brian: This was an especially useful lesson that allowed me to tie together much of the information that I have learned about music theory and technique in to an actionable result. What fun, especially when coupled with the sense of being able to accomplish something worthy of all the time I have spent in this enjoyable journey of learning how to creatively play guitar. Thanks very much.

  81. Jonathan K says

    Hi Brian, as many have already said. I would love to see you do more of this type of lesson! It’s right up my alley and I look forward to getting comfortable with it. As always, your way of explaining things really resonates with me!

  83. MANUEL M says

    Superbe leçon pour apprendre à construire un solo blues. Grâce à vous je commence à bien jouer. C’est une très bonne idée de votre part de vouloir continuer à faire des leçons sur ce sujet. Je vais mettre le backing track de cette leçon et m’entraîner en suivant vos conseils.
    Manuel,

  86. Richard G says

    The simplest things are often the best and most valuable, this lesson was simple but held so much value in composing a solo. Yes Brian, this style is definitely worth following up, either by expanding it further and/or adding a comp-type rhythm to it.

  88. Charles W says

    I guess I’m the fly in the ointment. felt like we jumped from “one note” to firehose and a full fretboard of notes (i.e. an overwhelming plate load of information and options) in a matter of a minute! EEEK!

  90. Alan S says

    Great lesson again. I notice in your earlier years of posting lesson you would give the Tone settings. such as; your amp, volume, treble, bass, and any foot pedals and their setting also with lesson. It seems you stop doing that. Love to play some of your sounds to match the lesson. I believe this helps the learning process.

    Thanks

  94. Steve K says

    I’m learning a lot from this lesson, Brian. Thanks as always. One question: You refer a couple times to “the blue note.” How many are there in a chord family (in this case D major/B minor)? Just one per scale, or more? An article in Wikipedia says that in a major scale the blue notes are the flat 3, flat 5 and flat 7.

    If you’ve covered this in a previous lesson, can you tell me which one? Thanks.

  95. Dolores "Dee" G says

    Brian… Thank you so much. Excellent lesson… Playing in the key of ” D ‘ has been difficult for me and this lesson has opened it up. Yes, on more up the neck. And thank you for your excellent, understandable explanations of the CAGED system as you teach.

  96. Mark.Ogier says

    Great lesson Brian. Please do continue up the neck. It will also help with playing these things in other keys. For example, seeing what you do with the A shape position for key D will make it easy to move it down a couple frets and play in key of C.

  98. Pentti S says

    Brian, this was an excellent and brilliant lesson, a real eye opener. Following chords in a pretty simple way.

    Yes, please continue creating lessons like this. It teaches imrovisation among other things. Following chords is generally demanding, so these lessons really help.

    Maybe you could also make one for Minor blues.

  99. Luke B says

    This was just fantastic Brian, absolutely love it. It’d be awesome if you could talk through different places on the fretboard using a similar approach and composition to demonstrate it. Thanks so much.

  100. Peter K says

    Fantastic lesson Brian! Surely this helps me in my blues lead improv. I would highly appreciate more of this starting from other positions. The theory behind the logic of combining major and minor over de V is very helpful as well!

  102. Lisa L says

    Thank you so much for this particular lesson. I’m in my 60s and have played since I was 11. This lesson finally helped me with the “one, four, five chord, and the flat sevens” finally make sense!

  105. Ronald L. M says

    Thank you Brian! I had so much fun with this it took me almost an hour to get thru the lesson bacause I just found so much to play. You really connected dots! I’ve always looked for “safe places,” now I see them all over. Pease do a follow up.
    Thanks again, Ron

  106. Jack S says

    I liked this lesson for a lot of reasons–elegant simplicity, practical and movable (and yes let’s see how it works with the A cage). It also made me think in terms of the D major and minor scale modes in order to pull out the arpeggios when the I, IV and V chords are all 7th. The latter prompted a headache! I’ll stay on another year for sure!

  107. Daniel K says

    Great lesson. Yes, please continue to show flowing these ideas up the neck in different positions. Loved the hint on the minor pentatonic switch on the IV chord. Thanks. The second premium vid was very helpful

  108. Tom D says

    Hi Brian,

    Please continue on with this number. I’m sure I was sent a continuation from YouTube, which got me interested in this lesson, I am vision impaired and find it nearly impossible to read tablature and sheet music, so I rely on your explanation of how to play the number and also playing by ear. Therefore part 2 of the exercise suited me down to the ground. I am pretty familiar with all the scales, chords and triads, which also helps.

  109. MARCOS B says

    Solo he tenido dos profesores, Esteban Vélez de Argentina y tu Brian. Esteban me dijo una vez, en realidad sólo hay dos notas, la mayor y la menor, a partir de ahí todo sucede.
    Esta lección se la recomendaría a cualquiera que esté empezando a aprender cualquier instrumento. Tiene lo esencial para entender el potencial de la música, cómo aplicar los patrones, cómo se superponen unos encima de otros en el momento adecuado. El blues con su 1,4,5 es maravilloso, no nos cansamos del blues porque es muy agradable siempre.
    Llevo años contigo y he avanzado mucho con tu estilo. Gracias por tu generosidad y empeño para que aprendamos. Enhorabuena!
    Saludos desde Barcelona.

  110. Two Below says

    Brian, your CAGED-shape lessons have presented another way to view and make sense of the major and minor pentatonic scales. I’m looking forward to more. The jam track is helpful, too. And I enjoyed moving the C shape up to the key of A. Terrific lesson.

  111. Ann N says

    Great lesson. Just went over it for the 3rd time and would love for you to do some follow up on up the keyword. I’m working on this now and hope to have it down with my own licks very soon. Thanks!

  126. Stephen T says

    Hi Brian! Looks like I am late to the party on EP629, but since I wanted to comment I’ll simply reiterate all previous requests for a follow-on. Please. Maybe a nice root E out of the 5 string. You are correct in thinking that for many of us eager but time starved amateurs, the techniques the scales the shapes the everything can be overwhelming. EP629 was just the kick in the head I was looking for to stop trying all things and to simplify and focus. A wonderful lesson!

  129. G D says

    Brian, just wanted to let you know that this lesson and the ‘Shape series’ you just did has sparked what I’d call a lighthouse, rather then a lightbulb moment for me in regards understanding the fretboard, scales, both minor and major pentatonic, as well as major scales etc….. not only in how they reate to each other but also in how they relate to the ‘shape’ of the chord I’m using in the context of the caged system…! And in how the ‘scale shape patterns’ move up and down the neck exactly mirroring how the ‘CAGED system’ moves up and down the neck. And how you can literally just ‘spell’ CAGED, in both directions and then fit or find all of the scales related patterns with those ‘letter areas’…! I’ve been a member for a year and a half now, and while I’ve been loving learning and exhancing my techniques and guitar vocabulary via learning to just play your compostions, this is truly the breakthrough in musical theory and guitar understanding breakthrough that I’ve been longer for my whole life of playing. Apologies, but I may post this same feedback in a few lessons as I really want you to receive and feel the credit for your awesome teaching method which has given me this gift. So, from across the ocean in Ireland, thank you so very much. Keep doing what you do.

  131. math07 says

    Yes please make a follow up to this lesson. I’m loving the blues shape series since the start of the year. Every video of that serie is an opportunity to practice more and repetition is key in learning. I hope you will continue the blues shape serie for many more months. 🙂

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