Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

How to improvise over a 1 chord jam, using 2 scales. Guitar Lesson – EP455

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to use the E minor pentatonic scale and the E dorian scale together to jam over an E minor groove.

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Slow Walkthrough

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Comments

  4. richard p says

    Oh man, I FINALLY get the Dorian mode… this lesson really makes it make sense!
    And, if it’s D-major… then it’s also B-minor (the relative minor of D-major), which is right in that 7th fret area (like the D-minor)… so, I played that run up there.
    Thanks Brian… love it.

  6. Ruddy S says

    Excellent lesson. Between this one and the micro lesson (068) it has been an eye opener. I am starting to see the connections.
    What is sweet about this lesson is that is just one chord and I can work on the timing and the two scales in different places.

    The micro lesson was so good that I thought that it was worth the yearly membership. Making the connection between chord and scale and more importantly moving between chord shapes/scales was awesome.

    Can you imagine a series, “Moving between Chords/scales” that would be great. Anyways, Brian keep up the good work.

  7. Andre H says

    Another great lesson. Very helpful to learn how to move from ‘standard’ minor pentatonic to dorian or diminished, and to hear the change in color! I have something to do this weekend!

  8. Miguel L says

    Good evening everyone. I just purchased the premium package and I am an absolute newbie to guitar well I know the cowboy chords but I can’t get the strumming down where is the best place in all of this content to start

    • RANDY M says

      Hi, In the search box try rythem ideas lesson Also try typing strumming.
      You’re going to enjoy this guy.
      Half the time I can’t see where he puts his fingers so I paid $20 bucks and bought guitar theory for dummies book
      and now I can figure out where my fingers need to go. It also explains caged. Most only show the C and A. The dummies
      show them all. Have fun.

  18. Charles Q says

    Very nice, and thank goodness no bar chords! Those are very hard for me to make with my hands and wrists, because of my arthritis. Are there any substitutions for the full barre cords? Thanks

    • Brian says

      it’s a minor mode / scale that has kind of a bluesy feel… but I didn’t realize what I was playing until after the fact. I don’t map it out that way when playing.. just go off of sound.

  33. James S says

    Amazing playing and content as always, but some of this was unnecessarily confusing. Instead of telling people to play the D major scale over an E minor, why not just say that the E Dorian is the same as the E minor pentatonic with the addition of the two and six? That is way easier to remember. And then you said it’s the same as the E natural minor, which it isn’t, because that is E Aeolian with a flat six. And then you immediately said there’s only one note different. Well, that one note different makes it a different scale and mode. Confusing.

    • Brian says

      Sorry James, I disagree with you big time on this. It’s much easier to explain that E Dorian is just the D major scale than saying it’s the E minor pentatonic scale with the addition of the 2 and 6 – I would lose far more people with that explanation – and I have over a decade of experience to back that up. Thanks for trying to help though.

      • James S says

        Thanks for the quick response, Brian! We do disagree, and that’s OK. I do have some experience as well, having studied music since the 70s and majored in music in college in the 80s. I just fail to see how in an E minor environment telling students to use the E minor pentatonic scale +2 notes would be confusing….especially more confusing than telling them to use the MAJOR scale from an entirely different key.

        Think of it this way. If you were in an E Major environment and were showing some licks out of the E Major pentatonic scale, and then you threw in the two extra notes from the E Major scale, that wouldn’t be confusing, would it? It’s the exact same thing.

        • Francois M says

          I’m with Brian on this. I didn’t study music in college. I know my major scales and my pentatonic scales. If Brian says play the D major scale, I know what to play. If he says play the minor pentatonic but then start fooling around with it and add more notes, then I’ll just tune him out (pun intended!). At that point he might as well be saying to play the Pythagorean scale.

          • James S says

            But the point is he has to tell you to play the D Major scale. Will you remember that a year from now when you are playing in E minor?

            Whereas I think you will remember that if you are in E minor you should play the E minor pentatonic scale, and then what’s so hard about experimenting with throwing in the two and the six? Don’t we naturally do that anyway when improvising? The two is already in the E minor scale after all, so really you are just trying to remember one note, the addition of the six.

      • Gregory W says

        Hi Brian
        I have to agree with James. I have found that using the minor pentatonic as my starting point from which everything else derives, is so much easier…add this, take away that. This way I feel I’m never far from “home” and modes fall into place so much better, around it and within it. Also so much easier to move between mode and scale because I have this rock solid reference point. But…you’re the boss…experienced teacher as you say, and a wonderful and tasteful player.
        Gregory

  35. A.S. says

    ….apart from that Dorian thing, what I got out of this so far is working on my picking technique, bars 8 to 11 are an excellent example of how to control your tone….

  38. James A says

    The opening section straight away reminded me of a Steely Dan vibe . You mention Steely Dan later on in your clip. While I like you composition, for some strange reason I can never get any satisfaction from SDs song – Reeling In The Years. It always seems incomplete to me.

  40. Paris w says

    Really like the sound of this piece and its nice to learn how one can utilise the modes whilst improvising. Ive some basic modes with another provider but find it hard to apply it to improvisation.

  41. Peter H says

    Great lesson, Brian! I like the quick scale runs especially because I need to work on my alternate picking speed and playing this is definitely helping. Keep up the great work. I have learned so much since I started watching your lessons and joined active melody.

  45. KIRK E says

    Dude, I know your music IQ and knowledge is off the map, but it’s your God given tallent that makes ALL your lessons so good. Your “touch” and instints are unmatched. I’ve learned some of your stuff, but sounding like you is hard to pull off. I like everything you do. Thanks

  49. Michael v says

    Hi Brian,

    I‘ve been following your lessons now for more than a year and wanted to just share my appreciation. It is by far the most helpful concept that I have seen so far, the mix of great sounding compositions, repeatedly linking this to shapes, CAGED and scales and connecting those dots.
    This lessons I particularly enjoyed as it left the typical blues area and introduces a jazzier concept with dorian and diminished scale. Very cool sound!
    Looking forward to lots more!
    Michael

  50. Mark H says

    I like this lesson. It’s focused and explains some scale stuff I didn’t understand. While you were talking Steely Dan and George Benson, I’m hearing Robby Krieger and that’s something I’ll spend some time on.

  51. Geoff says

    Hi Brian, I absolutely love this. The funky / bluesy/ George Benson like jazzy on this is just great.

    Sadly for me my hand is recovering from surgery but this is one I am just itching to play as soon as I get it back.

  56. Dave F says

    Brian..
    This is just a brilliant lesson – fast enough for me anyways. I’ve just about got it down but requires some polish.
    Do you ever think that you should revisit a piece and write a second verse etc or maybe a ‘middle 8 maybe? just a thought.
    I’m loving your lessons.
    Happy New Year anyway ……from the U.K.
    Dave.

  57. Bassman164 says

    I must have missed this when it came out. The whole vibe and feel is awesome. What a great lesson to jam over and E, the double stops, slides, etc… my wife says half the time she doesn’t know if it’s me playing or something online – hence, your lessons and approach Brian are certainly helping my playing – many thanks ! Keep em coming !

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