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Classic electric Blues lead by blending the Major & Minor Pentatonic scales – Guitar Lesson – EP640

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn a classic Blues lead that is played by staying in the key of the song and blending the Major & Minor Pentatonic scales.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walkthrough

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Comments

  1. Michael Krailo says

    July 24, 2026 at 6:34 pm

    Oh, this one got me to yank my guitar off the wall and jam. Love this one and I predict a lot of us will be doing this lesson for years to come.

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  2. Paul J says

    July 24, 2026 at 8:47 pm

    Sounds great! I love your blues lessons. Many thanks!

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  3. Paul S says

    July 24, 2026 at 9:01 pm

    Some real toe tapping’ blues! Can’t wait to get into this one.

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  4. daniel M says

    July 24, 2026 at 9:29 pm

    you are the best, between theory, technique, and the ability to move smoothly through the progressive blending of major and minor pentatonics . you always have my vote! Well always my membership..

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  5. Jeff H says

    July 24, 2026 at 10:31 pm

    An instant favourite. A Classic song and Classic lesson.

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  6. Jeff H says

    July 24, 2026 at 10:39 pm

    Hi Brian, I just realised we can print out the chord boxes, but it is only showing one note of the chords. Is there a way to show all the notes of the chords?

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  7. JohnGB says

    July 25, 2026 at 2:39 am

    Great lesson, say no more.

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  8. JEROME L says

    July 25, 2026 at 3:36 am

    Hi Brian, and every one.
    Hello from France, where summer is tough this year because of the heatwave and fires on our coast.
    Great blues composition this week ; it’s sounds really good.
    It’s just a little bit too fast for me and I’ll have to slow down the tempo to work on it.
    Have a good week.
    Regards

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  9. JEROME L says

    July 25, 2026 at 3:48 am

    Just a question : Isn’t the IV#dim7 chord also the Idim7?

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    • Brian says

      July 25, 2026 at 4:25 pm

      Yes, same notes

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      • JEROME L says

        July 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm

        Ok thank you.
        You use this technique often, but it’s easier for me to remember (and find) the I than the IV#.
        Maybe just a point of view thing (I’m trying to find my bearings).
        Thanks a lot

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  10. peter v says

    July 25, 2026 at 5:00 am

    hey Brian,
    das fetzt!!! What a pleasure.

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  11. Imerio A says

    July 25, 2026 at 5:20 am

    Good old blues Brian. Very cool lesson full of riffs to use. Nice and clear theory explanation to.
    Great as usual.

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  12. charjo says

    July 25, 2026 at 7:16 am

    Love your blues lessons, Brian, there’s always something new.
    I’ve heard “call and response” phrasing described as a real conversation. You could pretend a 2nd guitar player was giving a response to your statement. In that sense it should be an appropriate reply, ie with a similar rhythmic pattern and maybe even starting on the same beat of the bar. In other words, sound like the other player was really listening to what you said.

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  13. Jim M says

    July 25, 2026 at 10:23 am

    Licks for the toolbox!!!

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  14. Paul N says

    July 25, 2026 at 10:39 am

    Brian, thank you so muc for the time and effort you put into this week’s lesson. I really enjoyed and appreciated it, and as always learned something new!

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  15. Andy says

    July 25, 2026 at 10:47 am

    That’s great stuff, thanks a lot

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  16. Olivier P says

    July 25, 2026 at 11:40 am

    A very nice blues song with precious explanations.
    Thanks a lot Brian.

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  17. Islamujeres says

    July 25, 2026 at 2:04 pm

    Awesome! B&G guitar. Model? Thank you.

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  18. Randall W says

    July 25, 2026 at 2:27 pm

    Great lesson.

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  19. Steve says

    July 26, 2026 at 3:52 am

    love the harmonized skipped strings on A and F# and the augmented option, i’m sure i’ve heard that one some of my favourite songs but can’t recall where. this is why i’m premium, keep up the good work.

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  20. Paul M says

    July 26, 2026 at 5:18 am

    Thanks Brian, you have the uncanny knack of meeting us where we are which is an extraordinary gift. More power to you!

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  21. Raymond P says

    July 26, 2026 at 11:41 am

    Thanks Brian. It also helps me when you explain how you think through your creation process. It gives me different ideas on how I can think through my creative process,

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  22. cbuck says

    July 26, 2026 at 6:47 pm

    on the a you chang to an a pentatonic the four chord, a general rule is to go to the scale of the five chord when on the five ?

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    • cbuck says

      July 26, 2026 at 7:47 pm

      sorry notes are in a e shape and also pattern 4 e major pentatonic

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  23. James W says

    July 26, 2026 at 10:40 pm

    Great lesson Brian. Loved it! All very useful stuff while at the same reinforcing my understanding of the caged system and the scales. Very tasty and fun lesson.

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  24. Georg B says

    July 28, 2026 at 7:18 am

    Hi Brian,
    I’d be happy to give you some feedback on your current lesson, even if it’s just a quick one. Your cross-references to lessons ep 602 and ep 408 are fantastic. Not only was I able to memorize the rectangular shapes and the triangle, but I also understood that parallel keys apply not only to the “normal” major and minor scales, but also to the major and minor pentatonic scales. It finally clicked for me. THANK YOU!
    Georg

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  25. macb says

    July 28, 2026 at 10:16 am

    Nice piece. How come this lesson is missing the standard notation?

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  26. macb says

    July 28, 2026 at 10:43 am

    I do see that the downloadable PDF does have the note values with the tab, but not the Soundslice.

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  27. Andy says

    July 28, 2026 at 11:34 am

    I just started my third year with you now and I don’t think i will ever quit course of your fantastic job, there is always something new to learn, and I play guitar for over 40 years now. Thanks a lot

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  28. Mark K says

    July 28, 2026 at 4:28 pm

    Whoa… Cool, new look!!!

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  29. Brad S says

    July 28, 2026 at 9:02 pm

    Whoa is right! Haven’t played regularly for way too long. Ya got me off the couch with this one. Having a challenge getting that tone. How do you do that?

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  30. KIRK E says

    July 28, 2026 at 9:46 pm

    MAN. that’s great. I’ll learn it but won’t sound like that. That’s one that won’t be that hard to learn BUT all those little touchy licks are tough to keep clean like you played it. I watched the demo about 10 times back to back. Killer tune — That one makes everybody stop shooting pool and listen up…GOOD FOR YOU BUDDY

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  31. Chuck H says

    July 29, 2026 at 2:02 am

    Brian, enjoyed this week’s lesson on electric blues.

    I would like to request that you do your rendition in a lesson on the song “Route 66.” I’m a big fan of the Mother Road. It sure would be cool if you could do this in celebration of its 100th year anniversary.

    Thank you Brian

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  32. ian w says

    July 29, 2026 at 5:07 am

    Great lesson – key takeaway is how the major and minor patterns overlap in so many places .

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  33. John I says

    July 29, 2026 at 3:13 pm

    Excellent lesson. This one is over the top nice in the variety of tasty licks, harmonies, interesting chord structure, and a vibrant overall energy. And your playing is simply superb in the demo.
    Thanks yet again, Brian.

    It would be an interesting lesson idea to maybe show how you go about working up the jam track parts with relation to the lead. They are always so nicely complementing and arranged.

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  34. MANUEL M says

    August 1, 2026 at 3:27 am

    Bonjour Brian,
    Vous avez ommis de mettre le tempo.
    Quel est le Bpm please?

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  35. Michael J says

    August 5, 2026 at 2:19 am

    G’day Brian,
    Solid Gold! Nuff said.
    M.J.

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  36. guy k says

    August 12, 2026 at 12:08 am

    Just got back from holidays. This is another Great upbeat blues lesson I will be tearing into this one. Keep them coming.

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  37. Phil B says

    August 18, 2026 at 10:50 pm

    I’ve just found this site and love it. Lots of Claptons Hideaway licks. And love your style of teaching.

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Recent Lessons

How to find the Groove. Call & Response Blues in C minor – Guitar Lesson – EP641

Classic electric Blues lead by blending the Major & Minor Pentatonic scales – Guitar Lesson – EP640

Open-String Licks for Your Next Guitar Jam – Guitar Lesson – EP639

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