Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

How to improvise rhythm guitar – Soulful Rhythm Fill Licks – Rhythm Guitar Lesson – EP324

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a soulful rhythm by using double stops and simple 3 note chords. You’ll learn several easy rhythm fill licks that can be played with any chord. This lesson is designed to help enhance your rhythm playing and give you some creative ideas for when you improvise.

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Comments

  5. A quick message for Brian,

    As I now go into my second year as a premium member, I remember my very first entry lesson EP245 Jam Band Blues, every lesson onwards has been first class.
    My goal for 2019 along with Active Melody is Visualization & Exploration of my strat’s fretboard, ( Meandering ). Just to let you know Brian, its working.
    I’m going nowhere.

    Myra. East Midlands. UK

  6. Wow. There is so much to learn from this lesson. Never seen the fretboard and chord connections in that way, awesome. I understand your Explanations and now it’s all about getting it into my fingers. Big fan of your playing. Greetings from Germany

  7. Good to teach chord structure and rhythm ,,an easy but important R&B lesson..smart weekend lesson not too overwhelming an easy lesson before the monthly challenge dates. Enjoyed the tutorialand understand more after watching

  10. Thanks, Brian. I call this one “Playing Practical Parasites” (PPP). These are the types of lessons that separate you from the rest. Heavy emphasis on how to actually play a style of music with a little theory thrown in for fun. Love it.

  12. Wow! Another fantastic lesson, Brian. First bass lick here (5:02), very similar to that first bass lick in EP218 (Classic Rock Rhythm). Studying and comparing these two lessons should be very illuminating for figuring out playing options and getting around the fretboard. Two totally different sounding lessons in key of E (EP218 and EP324), but both sound so great and look to have many similarities. Don’t know how you do it!
    Larry

  14. Every week is like Christmas with the anticipation of receiving a new lesson and the joy of learning more about making and playing music. Sunday is my 70th birthday and in November I will have been a member of this group for 7 years. I wish I had found you sooner. When I reflect on the things about this life that bring me happiness, you and everything you do are at the top of my list. Thank you for another great lesson and for the experience you create for each of us in your group

  16. Simply brilliant explanation of how to open up a “whole new world” with fills that tie to the chord shape!
    It’s Saturday morning, I live in Orlando, and should be preparing for a hurricane (“Dorian” – isn’t that really a scale mode anyway?)
    That’s my excuse for spending a little hurricane prep time with my guitar!
    Great stuff Brian…can’t thank you enough.
    Really well done sir.

  18. What is a really “extra” on this piece, Brian……..play like Dickie Betts solo over the completed soundtrack!! I assume this is E major but emulating Allman Brothers seems to fit like a glove…….to me at least!! Very cool!! Jim C.

  22. Another great lesson Brian.
    I also noticed it’s easier to see the fret board this week. I looked back at last weeks lesson and the background and compared it to this weeks lesson and the background and noticed this weeks lighter. Thank you.

    Ray

  23. Love the lesson. And love e the immediate gratification of these easy lessons. Always so surprising that something so simple can be so pretty. But PLEASE DON’T START OVERSIMPLIFYING THE LESSONS. These simpler lessons are great OCCASIONALLY. But I love the more challenging lessons – even if I can’t master them in a week. That is how I’ve grown as a player – those challenges. And the best lessons are overwhelmingly those that are set to a jam track. USUALLY (almost always) playing with a jam track is more challenging and offers greater growth as a player. So basically DON’T CHANGE A THING about the way you’ve handled lessons.

  25. Brian, your making a senior happy with these kind of lessons.Love your new studio.Keep up the good work.It makes life brighter with all that’s going on around the world.Thanks again

    David

  26. Brian – this is a good one. Actually I could write that every week but for me this one stands out a bit. Can you name a song with vocals in it that is the spirit of this song? I guess perhaps if I canvas You Tube for R&B. Was wondering if you had something in the back of your mind when you put it together? I like to take your lessons and put them in the context of actual songs out there – for some reason it helps drive the point home for me.

  27. Where were you 57 years ago when I was playing rhythm! Come to think of it, if your lessons were available then, you would have changed the history of modern music by helping so many guitar players reach their potential! Thanks for doing what you do every single week Brian.

  28. Just love this sort of rhythmic stuff. I have subscribedsubscribed to your site for quite a long time now, and each new lesson is a definite highlight of the week for me. In fact, I eagerly look forward to the next one every Saturday here in Sydney, Australia.
    What sets your site head and shoulders above the rest out there is the fact that most of your lessons are wonderfully melodic, original, self-contained pieces of music that can be expanded on to form part of an ever growing repertoire.
    Starting with your suggested licks and tricks, it is fairly straight forward, and a lot of fun, to then formulate our own licks in extra verses and choruses, generally returning to your simple theme to play the song out at the end. Obviously this is very commonly done on background music played in all sorts of commercial establishments worldwide.
    Thanks to you Brian, my guitar playing is much, much better than it was before I started with you, and new lessons are becoming easier and faster to learn due to the accumulation of knowledge and licks built up over time.
    More of this rhythmic stuff in future pleas, and thanks so much for what you do.

  29. Hi Brian,

    I agree with others that you do not simplify your lessons or reduce the number of ideas. Understand that a standard piece of music might contain a lot of repetition and only a few ideas but I enjoy your “student” pieces covering a range of ideas/approaches. It is up to us to absorb & apply them further.

    IMHO your practical approach to teaching guitar is unique and peerless in the online landscape. It is amazing how you keep it fresh. Request : more jazz elements in the blues/rock mix if possible. (Steely Dan fan)

    Must say I smiled at the some of the museum pieces in your new studio backdrop ( I once had a reel to reel too..) You might consider hanging samples of your vast guitar collection in the background ?

    Cheers
    Ken

  36. Brian,

    I have only just started to have a look at this and it is immediately obvious to me that this will turn on a search light battery of light bulbs! A fabulous lesson for me. Its right where I need to Head.

    A Very Big Thanks

    JohnStrat

  38. Great lesson as always Brian! It’s one of those that just seems to get under your fingers and almost without thinking becomes a part of your sound and go to stuff. I believe thats the point anyway.

    Thanks!

  42. Hey Brian,

    Like everyone else is saying, these short lessons are fantastic! But I have a concern. You explain a little theory along with the musical pieces. I get that,,, at least some of it 🙂 , yet you make it look so easy. The problem I have is that I understand a good part of the theory but I can’t seem to put the theory, scales, and chord shapes and all, and just jam to whatever song or backing track. Simply put, it’s like I know theory but if I need to play a song I need the tabs. Is this common or is my IQ to low? I have been playing for over 3 years. I am getting better but I am waiting for that AH HA moment where it all comes together. Or maybe it never will? What can I do?

    • You are are not alone in this Michael O. It is having the lack of imagination to use this knowledge and jam with it in other ways. This is a good question to put to the forum as there would be those willing to give some suggestions on how to make a start on that pathway.

    • Being a professional educator myself I’m very picky about what I spend my time learning and from whom.
      Why? You never get back the time you spent learning stuff so focus on the finest teaching you can find and learn all you can from those who sound the most like you want to sound. Avoid anything that does not inspire you. Most of all “PLAY”.

      Most of the ability that I have to improvise is to just play my instrument any way that I feel like playing it. Use all the licks I know and play stuff with them in. I always begin by playing what I know and finding new ideas as I play. I don’t look for new ideas per se. I look for ways to play what I know and express myself while doing so. That’s what brings out the best improvisations as you’re not playing songs per se you’re playing things you know and playing them until they sound better.

      Every time I hear a thing that pleases me I go further into it and bash away at it until I’ve tried it in different tempos’ styles, arrangements, chord progressions, and I just work on it until my playing gets inspired and then I play until that inspiration drops a little and then I end. I may have been playing for two or three hours or just 10 minutes. Whatever the length I only stop playing if I don’t feel anything developing.

      At that point I’m always a bit out of breath, I got lost in the playing (I mean so absorbed I forgot I was playing) and crescendo’d into a finish. That always leaves me breathing hard and feeling like I just “achieved” something. In a sense I experience what it is to be my own fan for a brief moment. I then bask in the afterglow for a bit and thank myself for the performance. It may sound like I’m some playing playing above your level. That may or may not be true but I started doing this before I got good enough to enjoy my own playing. It was hardest when I got started because I didn’t have much in my repertoire so I did a lot of three chord practice just learning all the ways I could use 3 chords. Then I began adding minor 2nds and so on. I just use what I have and play it over and over in various ways until I sound better. When I enjoy what I’m hearing it excites me so I play more.

      I got the idea more than 20 years ago from a prominent bassist and it has turned out to be one single idea that has taken me further than any other. The more you play the things you know the better you get at playing new things. The more you find new things the more want to play. The more you play the better you get. However when you start recording yourself that’s when you’ll learn the most about your playing because you have to hear what you played over and over. That’s the fastest cure I know of for not practicing. In fact I know a few people who almost quit playing when they began to record because they didn’t know how many mistakes they were getting away with. Who’s your harshest critic? Probably you. The good news is that you can fix your playing with more playing. Yay.

  46. Hi Brian, another very cool lesson – thank you for that. And I understand your instructions very well as a guitar player from Germany. Your speech is clear and not to fast. That’s why I’m choosing ActiveMelody.com. Good job….go ahead and keep on your awesome work 🙂 Kind regards Jay

  50. This is one of the lessons I added to my Favorites. I started jamming with my buddy Drew, instead only solo-jam tracking in my room. We will both use this lesson to move forward. Thanks! – Kent

  51. Hi Brian,

    With a singer, would you play like this throughout or stick to boom-chucka strumming (as demonstrated at the beginning if the lesson) while singing and then insert these as fills between phrases?

  56. I am a rhythm guitarist and love R&B licks from chord shapes a la Steve Cropper, Hendrix, DuPree, Al Greene 1960s. I don’t learn your compositions, I just fish for “take aways”. Your southern style is right up my alley. Rockabilly, western swing, blues, southern rock, swamp rock, Chuck Berry, and occasionally a hint of jazz.

  61. Very fun to play. As a bass player getting back into guitar I loved playing around with the bass and tossing in some percussive parts. (I’ve been learning it on an acoustic.) Thanks again…

  62. This was great. I need to get better at being the rhythm 2 guitar. That’s where I want to be. I want to be that guy the other guys say “ how did you come up with that?” Going over these alternate chord shapes and fill licks makes the light come on for me a little bit. Thanks and keep these coming!

  63. excellent lesson..great ideas..I been jammin on it all week..so not too short for me..long ones are cool too- I can always shorten them if I get lazy-ha.JK.
    I really like it when You go on a sidetrip- like in this lesson when you where jammin on the E major scale on the 9th fret and mentioning the allman brothers
    -and the a minor lick (a la’ rainy night in georgia)..good stuff

  66. Love this rhythm lesson as there really is lots of bits and pieces to pull our of it and use anywhere in your playing. I am hearing some of “Don’t Rock The Boat” by The Hues Corporation in this. Stuff we can use and look cool at the guitar store! Thanks, Brian.

  69. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it…….Keep doing what your doing and keep on movi’n on !! I love the format of your lessons and how you explain the theory that links it all together. It’s good to learn someone else’s licks and stuff but I don’t think that will always make you a better player unless you can understand why other guitarists are playing what their playing. Well that’s what I think anyhow !

    Thanks for all the knowledge that you share on a weekly basis.

    Ps: Loving the new back drop as well !!

  70. fantastic, as always! Wonderful stuff. Keep on keeping on Brian. Love the rootsy feel to these chords – summer soul, southern soul, RnB, blues, straight soul, country – all in a few chord embellishments. Wonderful.

  71. Big chunk, little chunk, it does not matter.as long as it is a quality chunk. And this is. Perfect for me. If something is over my head I just find something else. You have plenty to choose from. Lots for every level and taste. I would love to play the boogie woogie but it’s over my head but I’m glad it’s there for when I’m ready. Plenty to work on, years worth.

  72. Hello Brian…
    Just wanted to let u know that I was so very delighted with EP324. It was a great breath of fresh air. Many weeks it feels like I’m drinking out of a fire hose trying to keep up. I earned alot from the lesson and after focusing on I’ll be comfortable playing in front of other s just improvising with what I learned from that lesson.

    I saw some say something somewhat negative about not making future episodes less complex like u did this one….I don’t share that opinion…if they want super complex lessons, there are a plethora on activemelody.com for them to choose.

    This was a GREAT lesson we could sink our teeth into fairly quickly….little complex to get it under “hand”…..but wow…the sky is the limit once able to get grooving with it.

    On the background,. I didn’t like it at first …distracting…but have gotten somewhat used to it. I like the simple white background better…but see why alot like the more interesting set u have now.

    Keep up the great lessons. Ur a God-send for us trying to learn…..I’ve developed soooo much over the last two years thanks to your help….

    -Brian Knotts. …. Columbia, SC USA

    (I’ll post this too on EP324)

  73. This is my favorite rhythm lesson ever. It sounds about the nicest of anything you’ve taught that I’ve heard. It’s well taught (like most of your stuff). It’s not hard to play but it takes a little repetition to get moves you are not familiar with. I took 4 days on it (about 1/2 hour a day). I it was so well done that I decided to complete it. Often I don’t complete them if I’m not inspired enough to invest in it only to be able to play something that does not light me up. I usually learn enough from the ones I don’t complete to feel like I’ve taken what I needed to. I also come back to some that I liked but stopped either too hard at the time, too busy, or some instruction is not clear and I can’t figure it out. When I return to a discarded piece I’m often able to nail it down the road with a little more experience from other pieces I’ve learned.

    I’ve subscribed to several services along the way. So far Brian’s material has gotten me as far or further along than the others I’ve studied. He’s teaching style covers a wider range of beginner to advanced than most. His teaching is always about the right detail level for me. He plays things that take you further into what other professionals are doing and doesn’t seem to hide his best stuff. Most teachers seem to have insecurity about teaching their best tricks. The most confident, like Brian, are not the least bit afraid to teach their best material. Thanks to you Brian I’m reaching some of my goals in music making me able to set new ones.

  76. Great lesson! As a premium member now, I looked all over YT for guitar lessons even though I’ve been playing 30 years; run out of ideas! LOL! The shorter lessons I find easiest to focus on and link over to other real songs; great fill licks and new sounds. The theory is just enough to make the lesson relevant without getting bogged down too much in boring music theory; important but too much leads to brain overload.

    Also, enjoy the short tunes playable without another guitar; folks always hand me a guitar and say “play something”. The short solo pieces are nice and useable without another instrument.

    Brian, you are very personable and I enjoy listening to you. Great job!

  77. I really enjoy these “Improvising over Chords” type rhythm lessons. Reading through some of the comments, I can only agree that I wish I had run into this material when I was first starting out. My guitar teacher was a nice enough guy but, man, now I see what I was missing. Never too late, I guess, but, this is the kind of rhythm playing I wish I had learned from the beginning. At any rate, thanks once again.

  78. Hi Brian,

    Could you do more lessons like this? I have no major problem with chords or scales BUT rhythm…Your previous BB King lessons were excellent just like this one but when you say “it is easy” that may be true for the melody or the chords but not to get the feeling, the soul, I mean the right tone and rhythm. Thanks, Attila

  80. hi brian, this lesson was jusy what i needed. we all want to be guitar slingers, i am no exception. i came to the conclusion that as a rythyem player i am a bit of a train wreck. since joining active melody and picking up the guitar again after 17 years away it has been a struggle. i recently finished ep 268 after many months. i have dabbled in a few other lessons along the way also.my rythem playing was sorely in need of some work. i got it in this lesson! bravo. one thing i noticed is that you drop little nuggets of gold along the way to the gold mine that i have picked up in various lessons that i am applying to other songs. well done. keep them comeing. thanks alot i am getting the joy of playing again. DON DAY

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