Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Ideas for making a blues chord structure sound more interesting. Guitar Lesson – EP588

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn several ideas for making a standard blues chord progression sound more interesting, all while learning a blues composition that you can play by yourself.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walkthrough

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  2. Mike R says

    Another very valuable composition Brian. Love how you are getting me to think shapes instead of names of chords. These stand alone blues pieces are some of your best. You blend major and minor pentatonic scales so nicely. I can see how learning these shapes will allow me improvise within them nicely. This should be another very popular piece. Keep them coming. Can I ask you a question? Do you actually remember all your songs? Could you play any of these EP’s just by someone calling out a number or would you have to take a few minutes to review it first? I can play a lot of them now but do have some trouble remembering them until I review them. George Harrison once said in an interview that he had to review some of his own songs before playing them in public because he could not remember them exactly the same way he played them before, but after an hour or review he would remember them.

  5. Raymond P says

    Hi Brian, the Lesson information you usually have listed at the top of the Soundslice sheet music is showing. I noticed this last week too. Can you put the info back on the sheet music? It helps me identify what each lesson is for when I go back to them for review.

    Thanks

  7. Oscar D says

    Very interesting the way you fit the notes and chords together like a puzzle.
    I like the standalones.
    Keeping time with a backing track and remembering all of the different length rests is too much for me.

  8. Chrysalis says

    Out-Freakin-Standing lesson!

    Thanks so much for your continued great instruction. I’ve played guitar a long time but in the last 15 months of being a member my playing has improved immensely! I’ve finally connected so many aspects of playing that I never got before.

  9. Herschel R says

    Another terrific lesson. I enjoy hearing you talk about the ” why” and I am getting better at learning by watching and listening rather than relying too much on the tabs. You do not talk to much for me; that helps me understand. Your guitars always sound and look great. How do you choose which guitar to use for a lesson?

  11. Rob D says

    I like that sound shift to the F# key, makes it feel new and more bluesy, gets me going. I start adding and improvising over top of what you’re playing. Very good lesson, thanks again!

  18. Keith S says

    I t is SO helpful that with each change you are saying…. This is which major or minor pattern. I literally sit with my tab sheet and write that above the music. I don’t know if you can do that with your tech, but it would be a real bonus and make things even more educational and transparent. Thanks

  19. RIFF DIGGER says

    Was watching YouTube feed on LARGE screen TV and EP 588 came up. Good to watch these on a 65″- enjoyable and fun.
    Taking me away from my Active Melody Premium favorites which I love and work on daily based on my personal preference, but that’s okay. The more the better. Thx for this one Brian. How about a blues lesson tuned down 2 1/2 steps to open C?

  20. Michael G says

    This is another great lesson Brian. I’ve started taking notes with the tab sheet to help me understand, and recall each lesson. You have helped me become a better player and my knowledge of music theory has also improved. Your teaching technique is absolutely the very best. I look forward to each of your lessons.

  22. Lars S says

    Thanx, this was a real nice one!

    I notis every time when looking at the slow walkthru how smal the movements of the hand and fingers are. It seems so easy.

    The tabs i wish the fret numbers would be in a little bolder rype. The tabsheet i mean.

    • Debra Amesqua says

      ps Having a backup / comp section to the lesson would also be helpful.. I enjoy playing the chords progression as much as the solo portion of the lesson. thank you Brian. I could truly feel my breakthrough on this wonderful lesson.

  27. Dave says

    Nice one! I’ll be looing for this one when I’m done with a few others I’m still learning. With so many favs, for me its hard to comb through and find them sometimes. I’ve learned to keep a hand written reference and look them up by the number when I remember to write it down. But, have you ever considered adding a resonator section to the categories? Just a thought. Thanks as always!

  29. gary s says

    1st day on site as new student – I was looking for a fresh “guitar” re-start approach – many things I like but in particular, I remember early on that Tommy Emmanuel said you really have to work your way through a new song one note and bar at a time and your interactive video tablature really helps that process.

  30. Georg B says

    Hello Brian,
    Thank you for your great new lesson. Sometimes you ask for feedback on what you post. I would like to do that. The teacher appears when the student is ready, they say. In this respect, you can’t go wrong.
    But what I particularly appreciate is that you always build up your lessons in the same tried and tested way. You once said in a lesson you were a creature of habit. Learning is a habit and, in this respect, the same tried and tested approach always gives me security.
    It’s also great that you are easy to understand, even for non-native English speakers like me. (I also like the idioms you use, and they are an additional source of learning for me, even if it’s not a language lesson, of course.)
    What you also manage to do is to explain in simple, understandable words what others present in a complicated way.
    Yesterday I took the time to look at ep370 and ep371 again. Even though I don’t have the pieces under my fingers, I think these episodes that build on each other are very good. It’s easier to keep up because you’re not overwhelmed. Less is more.
    From my point of view, your now large library of episodes is revolutionizing guitar lessons in a very positive way. It enables people like me, and I’m sure there are many of them, to do what you have as a motto on your website: Learn to play, not memorize. That’s what I’ve always been looking for.
    In short: Keep it up!
    Georg
    PS
    I’m also impressed by how you master all the technology, the camera, the sound, the light, editing the videos, uploading and managing your website. Hats off!

  31. fred o says

    I appreciate your method and approach to teaching. I have a much better feeling about alternating between major and minor.
    In a previous lesson, you mentioned someone stated you talk too much. I don’t feel way. I love the detail and your solution was perfect: to give the time in the video where the action starts.

    I have a request relative to this specific lesson. Can you post a backing track of just the chords? I’d like to see if I can get the timing down.

    • Brian says

      YouTube changed something recently which is causing SOME people to see that message for embedded YouTube videos. I’m having a hard time figuring out specifically what causes it. One thing I know that can do it is if you’re logged into a VPN. If you are, you can try switching to a different VPN location and that should solve the issue. 

      Some antivirus software (Web Root, etc) is now logging people in via VPN when they use their software.  So if you do have antivirus software running, you might try disabling and see if it works ok without – then you’ll know it’s the culprit (or the VPN within the software is the culprit).

      Lastly, try changing browsers (I recommend either Google Chrome or Firefox). I know there have been issues with Safari.

      I THINK you can click on the YouTube icon in that embedded window and it should take you directly to that lesson as it lives on YouTube.  Clunky, but could be a workaround until this gets resolved.

      Do you mind letting me know:1) What type of computer are you using? (laptop? desktop? smartphone, tablet, etc?)2) What operating system you are using? (version would be awesome) 3) What browser you are using?

      Trying to find the common denominators that is causing this.

      • Mason L says

        Thanks for getting back to me. I don’t always get the “Bot” message, but when I do it’s pretty tenacious.

        I’ve got a MAC Mini (poor mans desktop). I’m not using a VPN or antivirus software.

        Using Safari 17.6

        macOS Sonoma 14.6.1

        You’re a great instructor. Thanks for staying patient!

        🙂

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