Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Eric Clapton Blues Lead Guitar Lesson – EP074

Description

In this lesson you’ll learn how to play an Eric Clapton inspired, bluesy lead in the key of C. The backing track has a bluesy gospel sound and is available to download for premium members (tablature is available as well). You’ll also learn how to alternate back and forth between the major pentatonic scale and the minor pentatonic scale.

Part 1

Part 2

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Slow Walk-Through

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Comments

    • Anthony E says

      As a new member ..may I first say your lessons are BRILL!!!I have been playing rythem guitar by ear, for the past 60 years ,and after seeing your classes i am now beginning to play a little lead. In the olden days, I learnt to play my watching my friend fingering CHORDS on his fret board ,not sure how difficult it would be for you to play the chords on video, and let us follow your chord fingering .as I am still struggling as to where the lead fits in .?
      Thank you regards Tony

    • dc3 says

      New to the site, found this, love this. I know this is one of your older lessons, but is there any way you can update this with the Video Tablature . That thing is awesome for learning or looping areas were one really needs to focus. This is so far one of my favorite lessons.

  3. maradonagol says

    Hi Brian, well, this is the one, the one that finishes putting the pieces together for me on the major/minor use with beautifully melodic transitions along the neck…..I understood it technically, and have been making use of the 2 scales at tempo, etc, but the transitions and timing felt and sounded clunky……I can’t thank you enough for the progress and motivation…..

  5. Micky51 says

    This is great, Brian . I think I’ll give up on the Scotty Moore rhythm for now and get stuck into this. So many things to learn, so little time!!  Really appreciate these lessons.

  8. conekeeper says

    Thanks for adding in the chords.  It makes it easier to follow for someone like me who plays a lot of rhythm.  I switch back and forth with the jam track which kind of creates playing with another person , switching the lead and takin’ a ride.

  13. maradonagol says

    Hi Brian, thinking more about this idea of transitions, it’s obvious there is a method to this and how to do it smoothly, maybe a lesson on scale transitions?

    Thanks and regards,

  15. doug.balch@gmail.com says

    Very nice.  This is the first lead lesson I’m going to dig into, hobbled as I am by an acoustic guitar.  I even understood a little of the scale instruction. duh.

  16. jimbostrat says

    I say this is most likely Brian’s finest most melodic soloing lesson! I’ve taken this and combined with some of Brian’s earlier soloing lessons in C and I swear you can lock me into a room and let me experiment and combine and learn and improve……….for hours!! Brian mentions he’s never trying to emulate Eddie Van Halen or speed riff or tap or whatever…………Brian sets out to make us learn and expand our horizons and he absolutely achieves this goal with this nice lesson!! Touch, feel and tone………..all three of these ingredients are the order of the day and definitely present here!! Great work, Brian!!

    Jim C.

  19. StreakyPete says

    I think you’ve pitched the difficulty level of this lesson exactly right Brian.
    It’s stretching us (well, it’s certainly stretching me..!), but it is definitely achievable. At first I thought the faster riffs were beyond me, but you break them down so well, I can ‘kind of’ get them all after only one day.
    I’ll spend some time polishing them up before I unveil them to my mates, but they’ll certainly liven up my formerly fairly dull solos.

    Thanks Brian - you’re doing a great service to us all!
    Pete.

  21. Tractor says

    Tractor
    Another enjoyable lesson well put together Brian . Would you be able to construct a lesson for us using the style of Arthur Smith on the guitar as I just love his style of music . I’m sure that some of your students would like to be exposed to his music .
    Kind Regards

  25. dakwa says

    hi Brian I am a new member for a year.Love your lessons abit tough for me but with practice I will get there.My question is waht kind of amps do you use for the video EP074.Got a strat and love blues and and a jazziblues which i use a heritage for.Thanks for your answer.JeanJean

  27. Tofttofly says

    I’ve spent a couple of days now with this lesson, and it is fantastic! I have been wanting to play licks like these for 35 years. I also know by the other’s comments that they feel as I do that becoming premium member is the best thing I’ve ever done for my guitar playing. It’s worth every penny. Thanks Brian

  29. jeannot18 says

    Quick question. On the first lick, where you slide really fast from 7=>8=>7, you end up the lick on the G fifth fret, thus your tab show another D 7th fret. Both seem to work anyway. This lesson is probably one of the best for my level, or maybe I am getting better ;0)
    J

  30. danway1@me.com says

    Great stuff, Brian.  Can’t wait to learn this one. Some of the speedier licks are going to be a real challenge for me, but that’s what keeps it exciting.  Thanks for doing what you do! We appreciate it!

  31. MachansGuitar says

    This EC lesson is fantastic, Brian! When I first heard it I couldn’t wait to get started on it. It is just the challemge I wanted now. If I can get my fingers around this one I will feel as though I have made a great leap forward.
    Mant thanks, Brian.

    Eric

  32. wayneduke says

    Hi Brian! I am just getting back into the guitar after not playing for about 30 years. Thanks to my daughter and granddaughter’s interest in learning to play I have decided I want to play too. Thank you for “teaching an old dog new tricks”.

  35. negreb says

    I’ve really enjoyed this lesson, Brian. Lot’s of great re-usable and foundational stuff, and just plain fun to follow along.  My biggest challenge is with vibrato, since that really makes the riffs sing.

  37. Stevethetaxi says

    Great lessons Brian. My fingers haven’t stung this much for a long long time, and I an thoroughly enjoying the pain.Clapton and Angus young have both been style aims of mine for ages, but alone, I got nowhere much. These lessons are doing what they say on the label.

  39. skullking says

    Great lesson Brian exactly what i needed, just trying to get the speed right to play with jam track, I’m trying to figure out how to slow the tempo down to grow into it, any help out there on this would be appreciated! Once again fantastic lesson!!!  8)

  42. skullking says

    @A.Minor thanks, but when I hit download jam track it does not actually download a .mp3 file, it only opens a webpage that will play the jam track. Wondering how to download it as an actual file…

  44. StratPlus66 says

    Hi Brian,

    Could you consider counting us in (or adding some “clicks) on the videos where you demonstrate what we are going to learn AND on the backing tracks. I like to try and play along with you and watch the videos at the same time as it helps and if you miss the first few notes its difficult to catch up.  It is for me, anyway, at my level of ineptitude.  Its not a criticism, just a suggestion.  Its easier with the slow walk through but that is a relatively new innovation.

    This Claptonesque song is brilliant and has some Peter Green sounds in it too!

    How you dream up all these lessons I’ll never know and I just wait for the finger picking acoustic weeks to have a rest!  Only kidding.

    All the best,

    Andrew

  46. Dusko says

    Hello Brian,

    There is something I am still not getting. If you move from C /minor scale/ three frets down, then you are exactly at A /minor scale/. So, how it is all of a sudden C /major scale/.
    Hopefully you will clarify this to me and I will have that /so much needed/ EUREKA moment.

    Greetings from Ontario,

    Dusko

  47. Brian says

    @Dusko, you are correct.  If you move the C minor pentatonic scale down 3 frets, you are then playing the A minor pentatonic scale, however if the key remains in C, then the A minor pentatonic scale becomes the C MAJOR pentatonic scale (same scale) - it’s the key of the song that determines which scale it is. ,or how it feels.

  48. charmycoal says

    Hey Brian,
    As a teacher with many years under my belt I find that you’re an excellent teacher and I’ll without doubt renew my membership! Thanks for that.
    But lol
    I find it annoying that I have to listen to the fundamental parts of the lesson when I practice with you. My humble suggestion is that there be a level 2 lesson/video which doesn’t include the really fundamental stuff. I spend too much time trying to fast forward through these parts and it kinda kills the mood.
    Killer job!
    Joe

  50. clark henry says

    Brian I agree you’re best teacher i’m amazing myself with all your lessons. One question   what strings do you like for bending and overall playing.
    Thanks Brian for sharing with all of us.    James Henry @ Memphis

  52. JRI says

    Hi Brain, new member here, love your lessons and really like this one.  Just a question, what amp and pedals are you using to get your sound? I’m playing an american standard strat and really like your tone.

  53. Nihikai says

    Excellent lesson. It sounded as if it would be difficult to learn, but with good materials and video I came to it surprisingly quickly. I have vowed to master your lesson every week - sadly I have quite the backlog. Premium is worth every penny.

  61. hotrod1941 says

    Thanks Brian, One of my favorites.  Use it a lot. I slow it down just a tad and have changed the last phrasing in the walk down with another of EC’s signature licks.  Thanks again

  65. Randall F says

    Is there a way to loop sections of this on Youtube? I love the feel of the tune, and would like to learn it, but am struggling with the timing in bars 5-8.
    Youtube isn’t the best way to learn, but at least I can slow the videos down. It would be great if I could loop sections so that I don’t have to go back and try to find the sections I’m trying to learn. Vimeo’s failure to include a slow down feature makes it all but useless for learning songs with tricky timing.

  66. sunburst says

    Brian really enjoyed going it really slow and learning the feel of Eric Clapton this am.. as your description states, I learned much ..really liked the G triad sweep descending back down to the C at the end.. Really cool stuff you teach here. thanks again friend!

  68. sunburst says

    Really enjoying EP074 lesson but not sure about key signature ,, guessing from tab the chord progression is likely in the key of C Major?.. 1 next chord G // so counting off in major C up to five ..the G note .. makes the v (five chord) counting off the C major scale 4 note F which is the iv chord .. so far this progression seems to be a one five four in key of C major and lastly counting off the C major scale up to the 6th note is the Am Aelian? but it progresses to diminished F# right? this is where I get confused a bit .. isn’t the key signature in the key C major playing with the lead in C Maj ionian G M mixolydian? tia , john

  69. cosnuau j says

    Hey Brian,
    bought and downloaded a lot of stuff on the net, but yours man its great. A global, nice and easy approach which brings me much more than learning fast SRV licks….
    Thanks a lot, from the heart !

  70. Gary Boats'Blues. says

    Brian, Thank You very much for this lesson. I was on AM earlier to day and listened to Billy do it and knew that I had to do this one. I have worked on it at least a couple hours today and it amazes me how much I learn from your lessons. I have been needing to do one like this for some time because this one is right up may alley and is the kind of blues I love to do. Thanks so much,
    Gary.

  71. Dale C says

    I’m a little confused. Isn’t C the relative major of Am? And Am is the relative minor of C major? So playing the Am pentatonic scale at the 5th fret is “sad”, not “happy” ?

    Dale

    • wrightclick says

      no because its the chord underneath it which defines its sound which is a Cmajor , if that same scale at the 5th fret was played over Aminor then it would be sad sound . Think of it this way the same notes react different to whats behind it the music is in the key of C . lets say he wasnt mixing it up for ease major and minor , just wanted to make it sad blues he would start the scale 1st position at the C note 8th fret (six string) and keep that as he’s anchor point .

  77. Larry K says

    I’ve been looking for something to give me help adding fills to use with Dylan’s arrangement of “It Hurts Me Too.” I think it is a sort of nine-bar blues in “C” maybe but with a I, IV, VI progression – not sure I’m pretty new. But this lesson is full of applicable ideas….

  78. drutgat says

    Of all Brian’s lessons, this is my favourite.

    I keep coming back to it again, and again.

    I hope that one day I will be able to play some of the faster licks here as fluently and with the impeccable timing that Brian does.

    Thanks Brian.

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