Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Chill blues lead guitar lesson – Going from minor to major – EP469

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a chill, Pink Floyd sounding lead and learn several useful tricks when playing over minor chords.

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Comments

  4. blues46 says

    Data dump is right. My mind just exploded. I’ll probably be tossing and turning all night. I’ll have to take one chunk at a time.
    Thanks for lesson. This will keep me out of trouble for awhile.

  11. Enrico says

    Love this tune/lesson Brian! However I’m confused when you explain the use of F maj scale over this. Wouldn’t be the same as Dm scale? And so why thinking in major if the chord progression is in minor?

      • Enrico says

        Exactly. This is why I didn’t understand why Brian was referring to the Fmaj scale, when to me – it would have made more sense to think of Dm scale (being the song in Dm and considering both scales have same notes).

        • Brian says

          In the video, I DID say that you shouldn’t think of it as F major when soloing (8:39 in the video), I said nobody does it that way – I was just explaining modally where these scales were coming from. F major scale is the same as G dorian (which was played over the Gminor part) and is the same as D natural minor (which is played over the D minor part) – I was trying to explain that it’s the same notes… so once you find that pattern, you can solo over both chords w/ the same notes.

  14. barry w says

    scales and modes all over the neck you need the memory of a genius to take all this information in i haven’t got one so my two pennies worth is this…if it sounds good then its right….
    i use scales i can remember as a reference point but always get back to the point where if it sounds good then it must be right

    • Nick Ll says

      I agree Barry. There’s only so much I can take in theoretically, so I am thankful that my old brain has learned to distinguish between a note that fits and one that doesn’t and I’m getting familiar enough with the guitar neck to feel my way when improvising. I understand that others may differ and I recognise the value of the underlying theory. Poor Brian has to find a balance in these lessons and I don’t underestimate how challenging that must be. For my money he gets it about right, but if I’m honest I do sometimes find myself skipping some of the more arcane bits of theory.

  15. Jeff H says

    Another Interesting lesson, I thought it sounded a bit Jazzy, although I can hear Pink Floyd in there. You never disappoint, Brian. Thank You for Inspiring us every week.

  16. Jose S says

    Do you discuss the minor natural scale in any of your videos? I fully know the major scale using CAGED, but don’t understand the natural minor, which seems to be a key to this lesson. Any advice?

  17. Biker13 says

    I’m concerned that this is a precursor to how future lessons will be taught. PLEASE DO NOT DO THAT. It comes entirely at the expense of the viewer and site member. I’ve been a premium member for 10 years and this “new approach” would be enough for me not to renew my membership. If I want this its already all over the internet. You are taking what was unique and proprietary about ActiveMelody and throwing it out the window.

    You taught me how to play guitar. And as a result I now play well enough to pretty consistently repeat the riffs in your lessons without a lot of explanation. I can certainly play the song in this lesson regardless of your new teaching method. But that definitely would not have been the case when I was a beginner. Your note by note theory, analysis and explanation provides a learning experience no other online instructor offers. Please don’t mess with your formula. It is easily THE BEST on the entire internet. I am very grateful for all you taught me. Every beginner deserves what you gave me. And learning guitar via TABS sucks. It is NOT a substitute for what you teach!! It’s a nice crutch to lean on but not how you want to learn to play guitar.

    • Brian says

      What did I leave out in this lesson? Help me understand please. I not only explained where every note came from (theoretically speaking), but I put the tab up on the screen for every part. In addition, as a premium member, you have the same on-screen tab viewer and MP3 jam tracks to practice playing everything down to the note. I mentioned at the beginning of the video that I would do things a little different this week, but in actual fact, ended up doing the video pretty much the same way I always do them. I agree learning guitar via tabs “sucks”, but that isn’t what this lesson is at all. Seriously though, let me know what I left out of this.

      In addition, I’ve been creating lessons the same way for 12 years now, week after week, never missing, w/ over 500 of them available. Why would I not want to try some different things from time to time to make things better for everyone (myself included)? I never said I’m changing all lessons going forward, just that I wanted to try something different this week.

      • Biker13 says

        I’m sorry. I feel like I irritated you. Definitely not my intention. But I’m not crazy. Your approach was notably different for this lesson. While your theory and analysis was every but as thorough and engaging as ever the actual “demo” on the fretboard was much more sweeping. It wasn’t note by note. It was broad strokes for the most part and you talked through a lot of it as opposed to playing it note by note. If the viewer requires note by note to learn this you’d have to go to the TAB. And that “little” departure in teaching style is major. And I suppose I got concerned that this was a precursor of things to come.

        Perhaps I should’ve kept my mouth shut. The lesson worked fine for me. And I’ve been playing this catchy little song all week. But it would have been MUCH more challenging to learn this way when I started playing and I didn’t want anyone to miss out on the incredible opportunity you afforded me.

        And the bit of music you were wondering about at around minute 13 is Minute By Minute by The Doobie Brothers.

    • Kiwi Rowan L says

      Hi Biker13
      With respect, and in Brians defence, I think your fears are pretty unfounded and unfair.

      Yes a newbie might find this lesson a big challenge – but then we musn’t underestimate the intelligence of new members who will in all likelihood have viewed many of the other tutorials on You Tube prior to joining and who can esily access other lessons or the the beginner courses Brian has available as well.

      It’s a tricky balancing act to please everyone week after week whilst maintaining the golden quality level that Brian does, and I was very pleased as an intermediate player to have a lesson that really stretches me across many keys.

      On the other hand, a while back you may recall Brian did a video lesson along the lines of keeping it simple and he showed how to play a solo using only three notes. This was great for a newbie but risked pissing off intermediate or advanced players …. if it wasn’t for the fact that most of us are relieved when there is a bit of a respite as most of us are deeply immersed and analying and exploring as he encourages us to do so we find ourselves playing catch-up on his constant stream of absolute gems and past lessons.

      You say you have been a member for 10 years. That’s intersting because for me personally I hope to be gone from this site within four years or so as I expect to be a grown up guitarist ready to leave home, stand on my own feet, and play my own stuff for myself.

      I think this is the actual point, in case you missed it – the goal that Brian is trying to get us to achieve is to be able to stand on our own feet as muscians adn create our own music.

      But I will always acknowledge Brian as the person who taught me to play from my nothing beginning and personally I think he should be inducted into thw Rock n Roll hall of fame for his contributions to teaching so many people the worlld over how to play guitar and feel so joyful in teh process.

      Take it easy and enjoy the blessings bro.

        • Biker13 says

          I’m still a member because Brian covers so many genres that there’s always something new to consider and think about.

          Your comment questioning while I’m still a member and suggesting your presumed superiority as you’d have been long gone from this site and a “grown up guitar player” paints you for what you are – a pretentious douchebag.

          How’s that for peace and love? ….. out

        • Biker13 says

          Did you give yourself a little punch in the arm when you came up with that little quip about playing the guitar but missing the music?

          Brian’s so lucky to have an arrogant sycophant like you in his corner.

  19. Bob W says

    Brian – Great lesson again. I’m finally more instinctively seeing the chords/triads in the note phrasing and understanding the major, relative minor and linking the chord change lead lines. Really great and transformative stuff, my playing keeps getting more tasteful and natural.

  20. klox says

    Nice lesson Brian, keep it coming as is.

    The Steely Dan vamp you refer to is probably Third World Man from the Gaucho album.

    The Lesson reinforced for me that the piece only used one scale note wise : D natural minor ( or pentatonic) = F major = G Dorian = C Mixolydian but note choice/ emphasis changes based on the underlying chord in use.

  22. Rollover33 says

    For me, premium member about 10 years, the weekly lessons make me want to jump on the guitar. Often, the desire runs out of steam, or attempts to learn on the net make you give up! As soon as we hear Brian’s composition on Saturday morning, we want to play it, to understand it.
    Arousing this desire for guitar through the quality of the composition is very strong !
    And this lesson is no exception to the rule!!! Borrow new forms occasionally? Of course, it’s a good way not to rust…

  23. Barry Marsden says

    Brian is there anyway, in sound slice, that we could turn off the lead and just have the backing track alone whilst seeing the lead tab. This would have two advantages: Firstly we could play lead by ourselves keeping to the backing. Secondly branch out to our own version of adlibing whilst seeing the chord changes and getting use to the backing structure before going to the backing track alone with out sound slice.

    • Brian says

      Hey Barry, I have added the Audio – Minus Guitar track to Soundslice for this. Not sure how helpful it will be. Let me know if this is something I should do each week.

      • charjo says

        Brian,
        Adding the lead guitar to the backing track in Soundslice was one of the best learning tool additions. After using this, I usually download the backing track without lead into my DAW and build tempo from there. Having the option of Soundslice without the lead will be a nice option for some people.

      • Mark H says

        Could be a good missing feature perhaps. I think I’d use it after getting familiar with the licks, phrases, melody and tab, at which point one would naturally transition to playing up to speed.

        The downside might be a tendency to become too good at sight reading tab and therefore more reliant on it. Tab is a useful learning tool that I really don’t want to become dependent on. I resort to it when I can’t get ‘it’, whatever ‘it’ is, from the audio and visuals.

  25. Jim M says

    Very emotional lead work Brian. Dark and Sad then progressing to Happy and Hope sounding. Then repeating this whole theme through out the entire piece. Nice composition !!!

  28. Robert L says

    I really like it. In fact, I re-subscribed after being absent for a few months despite the annual cost increase. Brian does a fabulous job whether you want a la carte or a course. I love that I can’t get a deeper understanding of why, because then it becomes my idea in the future. Keep it up Brian.

  29. Robert L says

    I really like it. In fact, I re-subscribed after being absent for a few months despite the annual cost increase. Brian does a fabulous job whether you want a la carte or a course. I love that I can get a deeper understanding of why, because then it becomes my idea in the future. Keep it up Brian.

  30. Rich F says

    This is a really interesting lesson! I have been looking at modes recently… particularly Dorian mode. I jammed over the backing track sticking in D Minor pentatonic and D Dorian throughout … and it worked I think! So I was almost kind of thinking of it as in the key of C major, D Dorian (although I realise that some of the chords do not fit the C major family: eg: G minor is there instead of G major…)

    Anyway, sticking in D minor pentatonic, and D Dorian, seemed to work (D natural minor didn’t!)

    If it sounds good, it is good! I will post ot soon!

  33. Dana D says

    I really like this lesson! I love how you do each lesson whether they are a fit for me or my style or not, I get something out of it. I enjoy the old lessons and new I’m currently enjoying this lesson and EP 004.

  34. Gary K says

    I got a lot out of this lesson. An earlier session a few weeks ago showed how to play a C major scale to accompany a D minor blues, essentially playing D Dorian (I think). This kind of expands on that concept and showed some new licks and possibilities. I would have had a hard time with the lesson when I started back in 2020, but it’s kind of making sense now. Thanks Brian.

    • Carl T says

      Good lesson, but I find myself concentrating on the rhythm. I am finding myself doing this quite often. I would enjoy an addition that provides the notation of some of your rhythm tracks. Rhythm guitar is the other side of lead and much more than strumming chords.

  41. RANDALL J says

    “Good Lord it’s hot”…
    You’re sitting in the heat in Tennessee, and I’m sitting in the Oregon rain and 63°
    Maybe we could meet in the middle…😄
    Lesson is hot too 👍

  44. André S says

    Dear Brian
    I love this lesson and I do not think that you „threw“ something „out of the window“ with regard to your teaching method: I found it as clear as ever.

    Thanks!
    André

  45. [email protected] says

    Loved this lesson, Brian. Best one since your JJ Cale stuff. Well engineered and so loved the tone of that guitar with the bass & keys. So beautiful and soulful it needs no lyrics. Very inspiring. All the reasons I’m a long-time premium member. Keep up the great lessons that teach the important things. Jay

  46. Jeremy F says

    There is definitely a Floyd lick or two in there. Honestly Brian, I don’t know how you can keep coming up with such a variety of really nice musical pieces week after week… but I sure am glad that you do!

  55. Brian Canadian in the UK says

    Great lesson , besides the Pink Floyd, , maybe my ears are playing games but I hear a bit of Dire Straits, for some reason, I enjoyed this lesson, I enjoy just being able to pick up the guitar do these lessons sometimes record myself and just have fun , that’s the main thing for me is having fun, once that’s gone the guitar goes , I like some theory but you need to play , and having lessons like this keeps you going , and keeps you having fun with the guitar,

    Cheers
    Brian

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