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Learn to play blues guitar.

Jam Band Blues Lead Guitar Lesson – Using the Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales – EP245

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson I’ll show you how to play a lead on top of a jam band style jam track (think Allman Brothers). You’ll learn to do a lot with just 5 notes out of the major pentatonic scale. The first half is all major pentatonic, the 2nd half is minor pentatonic. MP3 jam track comes in 2 tempos. Also, I created a MicroLesson that has the rhythm part that I played on this, you can access it here: Jam Band Style Rhythm Guitar Lesson ML051.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-Through

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  7. Mark Z says

    Brian! Oh my gosh! I am barely 5 min into this and it is already in the TOP 3 FAVORITE lessons you have done!
    When I lived in La Crosse, WI (before I went to Alabama for grad school, then moved to the north woods) my friends and I had a “jam band” where we played lots of popular songs through a “Jerry Garcia” type lens; something for everybody kind of thing. Our songs would start out one place, go into another song, go on a tangent, then finish with the first song; sometimes songs would last 25 min. LOTS of dancing in the crowd. Your lessons are making me understand all kinds of things that are somewhat familiar, but are making more sense now. This lesson definitely hits that “groove channel.” Thanks for this. Cheers!

  8. uri s says

    Hi Brian, thank you for the great lessons. you make me happy as I can be! can you work out and teach “Stagolee” (Mississippi John Hurt) classic song? Thanks a lot for this. I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos.

  10. John F says

    When hearing this style of song in a jam session my first thought is to go to minor pentatonic scale licks
    This lesson taught me to be more creative with the Major pentatonic scale
    Thank you

  11. PHILFREIDA says

    Hi BRIAN ! one more amazing lesson ; i just agree with BRENDAN G who seems to miss the rythm section . Would it be feasible to add it as a micro lesson ? I cannot find your chord rythm transition and srumming . Beside that point the course is just perfect .

    Philippe

  14. Phil B says

    Another great lesson Brian. We’re practising a song that’s in ‘A’ and I think that I could use a lot of these licks that I can transpose into ‘A’ which is kind of fun to do. I figure that if I can get the licks under my fingers in the key on the Tab then I should be able to play them in the new position. The only problem is that the rhythms of your lesson song and the one I’m practising are different, but hey, who said life was easy!

  15. Bradley B says

    Love the guitar, I whached and read about B&G guitars. I thought about getting the little sister. Wish I could play it first. With what you said about how it feels and plays, I believe I have made my decision, so thank you. I see that they are reasonably priced out well and sounds just as good as a Fender, Gibson or any other guitar out there.
    Absolutely love the lesson Brian, love the blues!! Can you do a lesson in a country form like this one, that would be awesome and would sound great as well, thank you again Brian.

  20. Biker13 says

    Hey Brian,

    First thing I thought was wow, he’s got the Little Sister. Been into that guitar for about a year now. It’s so homely its beautiful. If that makes sense. Love it.
    This is easily one of your top 3 lessons. Amazing song. And surprisingly more manageable to play than I imagined. There’s a challenge but you know you’re going to be able to nail this. Just need to get that right hand humming. My favorite kind of lesson!! THANK YOU!

    Ted

  23. Arnold M says

    I’ve never liked the symplistic explanation of the 3 fret rule between the minor and major pentatonic. By just moving up the 3 frets just gets to another minor scale (ie, moving up from sixth string A three frets starts you on the F#m scale). You have to remember to still be starting from the same root note and be keeping that in mind as you solo. Easy to move up and then get caught thinking in terms of F#m instead of A which obvious is not going to sound right.

    • Brian says

      this one connects with most people and is so simple because you can take your minor pentatonic licks and just re-use them by moving them down 3 frets. there are some situations where you might land on a note that sounds un-resolved, but you can easily adjust by finding the correct note within that pattern. also, you don’t have to remember starting on a root note – that’s being to linear, remember, you aren’t playing scales, you’re playing licks / phrases.

      • Arnold M says

        Thanks so much for the reply Brian. Having read your reply, I had to go research back into my other notes and to also replay EP130. I have notes from another teacher ( in bold letters no less) that you can’t just move up to the major pentatonic and play the same lick, whereas you say other wise. After looking and listening, I now think I have it that that as long as I’m playing over the same chord in both, then yes, the same lick will work in both (ie, playing over A chord, the lick is sounding like from the Amajor vs the F#m). Certainly appreciate the extra feedback. (Relistening to EP130 was a great help on this too).

  24. wrightclick says

    Really loving this grove , this a top 5 with so few notes , its all there pentatonic major and minor relative minor harmonised 6ths and a great rhythm and chord progression . I worked it out myself but there is another lesson with the Rhythm in this alone using Bars and triads for quick changes i’d like to see the variations and possibilities i think you are a playing a quick bottom string triad C before hitting the G then back to the D G bit .

  25. Arnold M says

    Thanks for this lesson, for me a reminder of that 4 note pattern (& more- adding the 2nd, 5th, flat 5 and 6th at time) and how powerful it is when the light bulb went off on that in an earlier lesson. Then I just focused on the minor pentatonic locations of it. Now with your using both major and minor, I looked to see the similarities. Burned up my fingers trying various ideas on the two different patterns ( interesting, the minor pattern starts with the ring finger on the root and the major uses the index finger. Fun jumping back and forth and hearing the coming back to the root from the two directions and even though you come back to the same note how the ear hears it differently – happy or sad). Even though learning the lesson is a lot to do, already relearning the 4 note patterns again has been great!Thanks.

  32. tellonem says

    Great lesson and cool guitar. Does the guitar have the same action as your other electric guitars? I also found a “knock off” on line (1,500 rather than 3,500) and what’s your opinion?

  33. Habakkuk says

    Love the sound of the guitar and the composition. I might try parts of this lesson on my acoustic – unfortunately I don’t have an electric. Plenty of time on my hands at the moment due to a cast on my leg following snapping the achilles tendon. Maybe that badminton session was a bad idea….

  36. Martin G says

    Hey Brian….
    FYI…..placed an order for a Crossroads Little Sister with the electronic upgrades and a pick guard….same shape and color as yours. I listed Active Melody as my referral source.
    Couldn’t resist……You were so exuberant over this guitar….I’ve seen other online reviews that seem to echo your sentiments……
    Have a good weekend….

    Marty

  38. Richard J.R says

    Brian, This lesson is so great. It’s a shame I didn’t meet you when I was young, but you weren’t born yet to meet . lol- A few days with you has already brought me amazing results and reached another level. I see the patterns, the relationship between the minor and relative major, it just hit me in a playing way, even tho I know the relative minor of any key, so this opens up so many doors for improvising. I’ll ask of you a question you probably answered but I am new so I’m not sure? If you can if you hadn’t already, like lesson ep 153, beautiful melody, backing track is also terrific, do you have any of these that run continuously? They’re are all terrific to improvise to but they stop after the melody of the lesson ends, or another run through? I saw “Rain” last nite, they had the original Vox amps but when they play I didn’t think they played through those amps just the sound system, it was standing room only, wonder if they can get the original Beatle sound which they did only running through the sound system without the amps involved, as a general rule do you know? I realized your trip was long gone as I am behind most in my lessons having started a few days ago. Terrific lesson Brian.

    • Brian says

      Thanks Richard and welcome 🙂 I don’t have any backing tracks that run continuously – but you can download the MP3 file and open in software like the VLC Player (which is free) and loop it continuously. I don’t know much about the Beatles sound setup. I assumed they played through Vox amps live though?

  40. AndersDejenfelt says

    Hello Brian, I love this lesson! It’s not the easiest, but it has all the stuff I want. I find it necessary to take one piece at a time, one riff at a time and then piece them together. In doing so, I find that it is very useful to have “Riffstation”. It allows me to select out just that piece I want to practice, slow it down, maybe way down, and work on it. It works out. The key to learning it is to take it very easy in the beginning, and then repeat, repeat and repeat!
    I’ve been working on this for a couple of weeks now and still not there! But the more I get into it, the more I’m hooked.
    Thank you for explaining the way you do, I do want to learn how to come up with all this, and you show it to me.

  43. allan5921 says

    realiy liked this lesson I have not Really played in the key of d Before Now I don’t know why But the minor and major penta
    tonic Really stand out for me Possibly my light bulb moment on the penta
    tonic scales Has finally happened

  44. James C says

    Dear Brian,

    After falling off your list of premium members for some months I have joined again as a premium member. Why, after playing as a working musician for 40+ years and almost 60 years of playing? Because your lessons and catalog are simply without comparison all the way across the ‘net. I teach now and they are also a plethora of topical and genre-specific material. I have students throw me curves all the time in the form of, “can you teach me ______.” Not only can I be almost positive that I will find what I seek in your lessons, this old dog continues to learn new licks! Thank you, God Bless you and keep on keepin’ on. I am super happy to be back. James Calderon.

  49. Derek H says

    This reminds me of a song that used to pop up on Google Music for me. I think it was called Baby Be Good (to yourself) and I thought it was by Trigger Hippy. But, now I can’t find hide nor hair of the song anywhere.

    Anyway, I’d pay good money to see any band that jammed like this.

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