Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Call & Response TIMING – How to count blues rhythm on guitar – EP430

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn about timing, and how to play a blues call & response rhythm with fill licks – without missing a beat (hopefully).

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walkthrough

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  15. Tim B says

    Really great groove! I’ve been wondering how much you focus on your picking stroke accuracy. I know sometime the rules are broken for certain licks. Would love to hear your thoughts . Thanks.

  17. Richard38 says

    Great sounding piece. Really like the ideas of simplifying the harmony and focusing on the timing. Looking forward to digging into it. However, like Rob Raw says in an earlier comment, I’m confused. I’m not seeing or hearing the pattern based on the 1/16 notes that shows up on the first video. It looks like swinging 1/8 notes with some syncopation and triplets. Maybe, the revelation will come after I work on it a while.

  18. Andy N says

    This ones right in my wheelhouse. Working on timing and having a whole lot of fun at the same time. Is that legal?
    Looking sharp too Brian, I was wondering last week if the hairdressers were still in lockdown over there!

  19. John B says

    What a great lesson. A little Green Onions and adding the Dorian mode just bumped me up a notch. So cool. I don’t know how you do it each week but I’m so happy you do.
    Thanks Brian.

    Oh and nice hair cut. Ha Ha

  24. Jeff H says

    Another Classic lesson, I always wonder what you will come up with each week, and you never disappoint us. The beginning reminded me of “Steppin’ Out”, and then “Green Onions”, two of my favourites, and this lesson is another instant favourite. Thanks again Brian.

  32. sciencefiction says

    Essential for me!! I was supposed to be doing this when I was 16 y/o. Next on my list to learn. There’s a thousand songs like this from the 60’s. “I’m a Man” also, besides ones above. Key of Gm good also, like Steppin’ Out (G).
    Larry

  34. Rafa says

    Another great lesson Brian, learning timing is always a pending task to improve for me and I guess for much guitar mates outthere, I know I am better than when I started to play guitar 3 years ago, but I know I need to improve a LOT. The most we play the better the internal clock improve.
    Vey useful lesson, trying to feel the time when the call comes and impovise the resi of time, the most complicated the fill is easier to get lost.
    Thanks Brian! Very much appreciated!
    Best wishes!

    • Brian L says

      Such a great lesson. Thank you!

      Quick question as I try to piece things together…one of the licks (double stop) includes an E note. Just wondering how that note fits into the Gm scale?

      It sounds great. As a rookie, just looking for the why.

      Thank you again Brian!

  43. JohnStrat says

    Wow Brian,
    Got into this over the weekend and I think it may rate as the most dynamic and fun lesson for me so far. Really cool I just love the rhythm packed into this and such a great idea for riffs and the mode idea is simple and great too. Steps right up from your scale lesson in 390. A few more of these would be rhythm on a dynamite over charge! Double dynamite!
    JohnStrat

  44. Michael Lunny says

    Hi Brian, this is a great lesson. Thanks.
    Have just one question. When I play the 5th bar double stops, it doesn’t sound like your sound. But when I add a G ghost note from the D string, it sounds better
    . Is that what you added to the run?

  46. Barry B says

    Hi Brian,
    You might want to plug your Blues Lead Guitar course with this lesson. Noticed some of the licks in this lesson are included in that course and the other licks could easily be used over the jam track. Thanks for the lesson.

  52. MICHEL B says

    Great lesson Bryan, I love this call and response. I have however a questions on the TABS interpretation for the timing, in Bar-8, the rythmic goes over the 4 beats o f a 4/4 signature , because in beat 4 there are two triplets in a row which represents2 beats instead of just one to complete the measure …can you explain why..or may be I don.t count correctly…Thanks

    Michel (Quebec, Canada)

  53. chris b says

    great lesson, great groove. good to see you spend more time on time. so critical when communicating musical ideas, whether with band mates or composing for solo. i love the fact that you present multiple levels of challenge to us through the lesson material. i spend weeks working on getting better at the nuances, and love every minute of my practice time. it’s great to have one lesson build on another, but equally great to try something new froom time to time to build chops in a different direction. i really appreciate the detail you add, and the way you capture and present it to us. pls keep it up.
    best,
    -cb.

  56. Scott J says

    Wonderful and the backing track of course is critical which brings up how much you discuss backing tracks, appropriately of course and how wonderful yours sound. Boy would we like to see a tutorial on making backing tracks (or several) or lacking that, simply a demonstration of how you do it. That also brings up the idea of a studio demonstration of your setup and how you produce and film your videos. Not teaching us how but rather kind of an open house. So many of us would be thrilled to have a peek behind the curtain either of how you do your videos or how you do a backing track. Perhaps some great ideas, or perhaps not your thing…

  62. daniele f says

    Hi Brian
    I know this lesson was about timing but for me the G Dorian was the little light bulb!
    So far I have expected minor key to be natural minor ,like a G minor would be the 6th of Bb,
    If I got it right from the beginning you play this song in a G Dorian and the whole way thru
    I am right ?
    On the top of that I love +++the sound of it.
    Dorian mode is my new friend ! Thanks to you !

  63. Jacques G says

    Hello Brian,

    When I got my first guitar in 1960, I didn’t have a clue. Being a lefty I just flipped the instrument upside down and played that way ever since. The music school thought it to be a sign of disability , so it was a no-no and I never applied again. Moreover, rock, blues and the likes were out of the question: playing those inferior genres was almost a deadly sin and an insult to classical music.
    Sheet music was almost non existent and the word “tablature” had not been invented yet.
    So I stuck to my guns, and was muddling along for years. And then… a massive light bulb moment: I discovered Active Melody and everything fell into place.
    For me your site is ideal in every aspect but one: I can’t obviously take your finger setting into consideration! That leaves me with one pressing question.
    Why weren’t you born in the 40’s?
    Thanks for your wonderful and stimulating efforts!
    A Belgian 73 year-old.

    Jacques Gâté
    Ostend
    Belgium

  64. David G says

    Brian, what a terrific lesson this is! Musically satisfying, challenging (I’m one of the ones who loves it when you build in some technically challenging riffs), inspiring. Trying to build on it got me into switching between major and minor blues, which this call lends itself to very well, I think. And that got me thinking more and prompts me to ask you whether you have already done a lesson on the “B.B. King box”, and if not, whether you might consider putting one together at some point. I can’t find one by searching, but maybe I’m missing something?

    Anyway, thanks so much for a really great lesson! And I’m with Jacques Gâté, by the way: I wish you had been around decades ago. 🙂 Best, D

  67. Patrick G says

    Great lesson Brian. I never really took timing into consideration as I use the feeling method when I play. Would you possibly have a lesson on Timing with Chord changes in the future. This lesson was a giant lightbulb moment for me. Can’t thank you enough for this weeks lesson. I truly appreciate all the work you put into these lessons.

  68. richard p says

    So that’s Chicago Blues… man, is that fun!!!
    Probably too late for a question, but just in case:
    – when you play that first long lick I hear the trip-e-lets. When I play it I don’t hear them… I’m missing something (I’ve listened to it 5 times)
    – so, next time, could you try teaching those long licks as triplets (break it up into triplets), so that we hear and get the groove right from the start?

  71. Tim B says

    Great lesson. But seems like the minus guitar backing track cuts out around 4:43 although my player indicates it should go to 5:23. This also happens on the mini player on the web page. Can this be corrected?

  73. Brian L says

    Such a great lesson. Thank you!

    Quick question as I try to piece things together…one of the licks (double stop) includes an E note. Just wondering how that note fits into the Gm scale?

    It sounds great. As a rookie, just looking for the why.

    Thank you again Brian!

  74. ernon l says

    hello, finally, I found a great site, so that I can evolve, you are very clear in the explanations, pity that on the videos, there is no possibility of doing the translations, to better understand anyway
    Perfect
    Luc.

  79. Paul D says

    Measure 4 in the tab is incorrect, there should be 3 lots of slide /7 6 fret B string. Only 2 lots are marked in the tab just in case it’s throwing anyone off on the timing.

    Great lesson.

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