Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Fingerstyle Melody Using Basic Chords – Guitar Lesson EP397

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn a fingerstyle solo composition that has a melody based on basic chords (E, A, F#m, and B). You’ll learn how to play harmonized 6ths and use the open E and B string to create interesting melody lines.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

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Slow Walkthrough

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

    • Jay Guitarman says

      That’s really cool stuff. I found out three different rhythm parts in this piece, which is why it’s so dynamic… the slap fingerstyle part though is for me the most difficult one,.. I’ve been repeating it over and over again…. I hope there will come that declic in my fingers to get it down. Anyhow, very pleasant stuff, also the lydian mode hint…

  9. Ralph P. says

    Pretty Little Melodic Chord Thing is right. I’ve always been a sucker for beautiful ballads. I think I’ll call this composition “Waiting For A New Day”. So many great melodic and rhythmic elements, and a guitar tone to die for. The #4 over A is definitely a keeper, so is the Eadd 9. I notice how you bar the A shape B chord with your pinkie finger. Did you get that from that Clapton guy? You two are the only players I’ve seen that play it that way. Thanks for another beautiful composition Brian.

  14. Daniel H says

    Brian- every now again you put together a lesson piece that captures a bunch of previous “take-aways” and makes them even more accessible. Fantastic! This is an awesome piece to noodle-around with and get to own the chord shapes and creation of melody from them. Thank you for your guidance!

  18. James S says

    This is incredibly rich as always. One request, every time you do one of these percussive fingerstyle lessons they are fantastic, but I always end up focusing so much on the content that the percussive rhythm part takes a backseat. Would you be willing to do a lesson JUST on the percussive rhythm fingerstyle technique, maybe using some really super easy and repetitive patterns we can practice without getting bogged down in learning everything else that is in a content-rich lesson like this one today.

  20. One Take Toni says

    Wow, so much fun to noodle over it 🙂
    I learned so much here over the years !
    And even I saw the light balls much earlier its like a magic trick:
    You have to practice it, before you are able to present it to
    an audience.
    Thanks a lot!
    I just have a classic guitar with nylon strings, but I can do nearly all your stuff
    with it-
    but I think to get an fender tele accoustasonic-
    you checked that out?
    I think its pretty nice for a lot of stuff you do 🙂
    Greetings from cologne, Germany,
    One Take Toni.

  21. Ian S says

    I have just joined today, and I can’t wait to play this pretty sound you have composed Brian.
    I love this sound of guitar right up my street, with all the problems we are having around our world, I will call this one ,There is hope.
    Thanks Brian

  22. Claire W says

    Thanks for the beautiful piece. I forced myself to get the slap down before advancing to the next measure, and think I have it! I love playing the bluesy/jazzy stuff the best, but also enjoy giving the finger style tunes like this a try, which feels like more of a challenge to uncoordinated players like me…but is all the more satisfying when it clicks.

  27. Patrick G says

    Really nice sound Brian. I would like to make a request if its not too much trouble. I have always used a pick. The last few lessons you have done some hybrid picking and now you are doing all finger picking with this lesson.

    You have courses like beginner guitar and blues etc…could you work on a course to introduce fingerpicking. Nothing too complicated, but something where we can get a good foundation with practice licks. I have always wanted to learn this method, but for some reason, haven’t been inspired until now.

    Thank you

    Patrick

  33. cbuck says

    How do I ask a question about an old lesson?? Ep088. Can anybody tell me where the lick measure 22 comes from or why it works. Brian says great lick I agree but cant figure what patterns or keys it comes from. Thank You so much

    • charjo says

      cbuck,
      The composition is an E blues. The lick is a mixed major-minor blues lick starting in E major pentatonic position 4 based around the A shaped E chord and moves down into position 3 E major pentatonic within the C shaped E chord. Brian uses this concept in a lot of lessons. It helps to start thinking about how the licks relate to chord shapes and where the roots and major or minor 3rds are within those shapes.

  37. simone b says

    Discovered your channel yesterday at 1pm searching desperately for a proper triad explanation which I was searching for months ( or years ) . I subscribed your premium after one hour and I’ve been watching on the sofa ( due a little accident on my knee ) the whole day with my Tele unplugged and my mind blown away.
    How you show that everything is connected … that’s the real GPS !!!
    I’m so glad to have find you … I left the guitar for many years just because I wasn’t able to go forward and I wasn’t able to see those connections that free you on the neck!!!
    Many Teachers should learn This way of teaching. Thanks 🙏🏼

  43. Gregory W says

    Hello Active Melodymakers! My first post here. Just a few months with Brian, I came from fingerpicking cowboy chords and am making wonderful progress for an old guy! This is a beautiful and touching melody. I am learning it as a welcome contrast to fingerstyle blues, but it is SO challenging. While I think I understand the theory of the CAGED system (finger bar becomes the nut, raises my familiar cowboy chords up one semitone per fret) I am having to think so hard about the partial chords in this piece in order to gain the ” takeaways” Brian talks about. These partial CAGED chord shapes are tricky to grasp, and then trying to remember the sequences of the string…fret…percussion is very hard, but I WILL NOT GIVE UP!
    So far my method has been to learn a Brian fingerstyle blues, staying in key of E for now, then use his E licks, A licks and B licks to build my own blues compositions, to explore the licks in action if you like, which has been great for me so far in terms of takeaways. But as for this lesson…so difficult. QUESTION PLEASE FOR ANYONE: should I spend some serious time on the CAGED SYSTEM before exploring more lessons like this?
    Thanks guys. What a great place to learn guitar!
    Gregory

  44. daryl w says

    Hey Brian, One of my favorite lessons so far! I’ve gone from a 1″ binder to a 2″ binder to hold all of my PDF files…thank you for those. I love the harmonies by sixths but I’m having a challenge with the muted chords. Should I use my knuckles or the bottoms of my fingers?
    Thank you,
    Daryl

  45. john m says

    I’m not sure why I’m saying this but I would just like to say that the last year has been the most difficult of my thirty years as a physician. Our hospital in the Denver area was overwhelmed by death and dying for months and our community was decimated a hundred different ways, just like so many other regions across the nation and world. And if it hadn’t been for coming home to learn guitar I’m not sure what I’d have done to take my mind off things. It’s been so great to have someone that clearly just loves sharing music teach these lessons. After years of self taught learning of open and barre chords to play in our church worship team, it’s been unreal to learn how to play some lead and connect chords in meaningful ways. Thank you so much!! I’ll probably never join in one of these threads again because I suspect I’m more of a beginner than most here(these lessons sometimes take me weeks to learn), but I wanted to say thanks to a clearly kind decent man who enjoys being a teacher. It’s finally starting to click and it’s fun!

  47. gary r says

    Hey Brian, fellow Active Melody Pickers,

    Great lesson ! I wanna love it so much. Great percussive style to absorb. Super soulful chord progression and melody. Awesome stuff, right ?

    I am halfway there but having real trouble nonetheless with the percussive pattern. It would seem on paper that the slap would happen on the 2 and 4 of each measure, when it happens. If it were consistent I could follow. But sometimes it comes on the “and” of 2 and not on the 2. Sometimes there is no slap in the measure. Sometimes only on the 4. I suppose that is part of what makes this piece compelling musically, that it does not follow the same exact pattern each measure. And Brian is certainly playing in time. But if you are trying to get the percussive technique down it makes it a real challenge if the pattern is not consistent measure to measure.

    Is there anyone out there who was challenged by this piece but stuck with it and “got it?” I would love to hear from you. What did you do to get over the finish line ? What tricks did you use to help you get it ?

    Thanks so much

    • JoLa says

      Gary, the “slap” pattern is very consistent, it ALWAYS falls on 2 and 4 just like the snare.
      For example, in the 13th measure, the slap still happens on the 2 of the beat (on “222”) but you let the 3 notes play (so you just strike them with the top of your fingernails) and then quickly mute. The “xxx” you see after the slap indicate muted notes.
      Whenever the tabs confuse me, I just watch what Brian does, and that helps.

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