Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a jam band style lead (think Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers). This lesson is designed to help you understand how to improvise in this style. You’ll be using the major scale for most of this solo, but will touch on the minor pentatonic scale and the mixolydian mode as well.
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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Robert R says
Thanks for your great lessons and excellent breakdowns, Brian!
Jurgen Z says
beautiful lesson Brian, one of your best!
Raymond P says
Great lesson Brian, lots of good take-away info.
Thanks
Ray P
AlbertoGunz says
They just keep getting better and better-Cool hat.
charjo says
Love that major pentatonic sound and what a beautiful tone.
John
San Luis Rey says
Great lesson Brian! The Little Sister is quite a versatile guitar It sounds fantastic. Can’t wait to dig in but first I’m going hat shopping.
Mirabel S says
Hi Brian,
Absolutely Brilliant, love it,
Thanks,
Myra.
sunburst says
Roll away the dew lol.. grateful dead ..splendid summertime composition Brian! going to jump on this soon.. I like the little sister tone.. I don’t think it sounds like any other American made too.. You play flawless make it look easy and that guitar has nice tones too! Excited to get started with this tonight!
Ian M says
My thoughts exactly. 🙂
Michael S says
Definitely sounds like Franklin’s Tower and St Stephen. Nice lesson Brian
JohnStrat says
Another very cool lesson, Brian. Thanks JohnStrat
sunburst says
I simply enjoy Jerry Garcia runs,, and I was never a deadhead,, yet have so much more respect knowing just a few of your dead compositions.. the 1/4 notes 1/8 and even those double stop hammer-ons from measures 19 into measure18 them 1/16 notes ..great feel and timing! I only know need to muscle memory this and likely have it to share tomorrow sometime! I’ll give you a thumbs up on you tube Brian! thanks again man, still lots of fun!
sunburst says
meant measures 17 instead of 19
Strykerward says
Brian… Excellent lesson as always but this one is killer.
Thanks
Badger (4FingerPhil) says
That’s so cool Brian. What a great piece! Love this one. Cheers Phil
Aussie Rick says
Another great little composition and excellent lesson thanks Brian.
Rick
Alexander P says
Brian, a question: why did you choose to play E mixolydian or E major pentatonic over this progression and not, say, A major and/or A major pentatonic?
I guess I could just try for myself playing over the jam track. My guess is that both work, but that A major (A ionian) would have a different feel, a different sound, maybe a less interesting one than the E mixolydian, which, as you point out, Jerry Garcia and a lot of other rock players have used.
Thanks,
Alex
Brian says
Hey Alex, the reason I chose E major and mixolydian is because it’s in the key of E – everything resolves to E. Mainly because it starts on the E chord – so that has the emphasis. Had I started with the A chord, then I would have chosen A major scale, etc.
Alexander P says
OK, thanks.
Jeff F says
But the A major scale is composed of all the same notes of E mixolydian scale. In the E mix scale though the E is the tonic or root of the scale. So either way you look at it, both A major and E mixolydian have all the same notes so you are essentially playing the same scale, just with the tonic or root note is E instead. Am I correct?
Ian C says
Unreal Brian. One of your best. Thanks
Ian C says
Similar to last weeks lesson, in that it sounds great and has so much take away material that I feel I am achieving real progress from the lesson.
I particularly like the way you bring back and repeat ideas, themes and licks woven through lessons to show the way that they can incorporated into different styles of music and playing….very powerful teaching.
Michael R says
The hat’s the real deal. I reckon the hat makes you inspired. Your playing here inspires me.
Dug says
Upbeat!
Great for party background music.
Allan says
Great combination of music the Dead and the Allmans works perfectly great breakdown as well top top lesson.
jeanlouis70 says
great piece and material to work with, loving it .
I think you are getting better and better at this (haha)
Keep them coming thx !
Michael G says
Great takeaways! I love it when I’m playing a song that I haven’t played for a while and I realize that a lick I learned from Brian will work in it and sound better than what I was playing before. It’s even better when the lick pops into my head and I play it without missing a beat. Makes my day! Progress!
drlknstein says
lol…..byrds…flying burito brothers…REAL BAND!!..
.hot burito no2!!!.
.I used to listen to them..hadnt heard them mentioned in a long long time..
.very funny tho.,,,the way u said it..real band…..but really good band
another good lesson. thanks
Rollover33 says
Great lesson Brian !!! Thank’s !
sciencefiction says
Awesome!!
SF
John P says
Goosebumps!
Rajiv D says
Easily one of your best Brian !
Mark C says
Dear Brian,
I really enjoyed this lesson. However, you never seem to relate what you’re playing to the underlying chord you’re playing over—-suiting a lick to an E, D, or A. Doesn’t it make any difference when the chords change this fast, or are you doing at instinctively?
Thanks very much. I always learn tons from you. Mark
Brian says
Hey Mark, that’s because I don’t think of it that way – unless I’m playing the chord changes. In something like this, I’m playing in the key – so it doesn’t matter what the chord is I’m playing over – I just play in the scale of the song.
Mark C says
I understand but not completely. For example, Chuck Berry plays different notes or double stops over the 4 chord or the 5 chord than the 1 chord because not all notes sound right—like D over an A chord in the Key of A. But everything you play fits perfectly. You just seem to keep going. I don’t get how you do that!
You’re a very gifted teacher.
snakechisler says
I just love it, love it love it
great backing track great solo
wrightclick says
Goodstuff I managed to keep up , 2nd part a bit tricky on the theory jumping from Pent maj and minor and them added major scale notes .When a note don’t fit in them five patterns it throws me a bit and i have to find out where it comes from . Great tune
greg f says
Awesome piece! Just getting my head into it! With it being only 3 notes that just keep repeating – you can jump in and out of the lead at any point. Mixing the lead with the rhythm is pure joy! I almost feel like I’m jumping around on a trampoline and can go hard or go easy at any point!
rwtisch says
Great lesson Brian!😎🎸
JC S says
This lesson is changing my life. I can never thank you enough.
Stuart M says
Really enjoying this lesson, like so many others. Jam (sorry) packed full of info. A challenge for me to play but it’s coming.
smilefred says
Hi Brian this is just amazing.. love the crescendo of this solo
Scott S says
So so good…..AGAIN!
Rastuscrab says
Brian: Another Jam Band song that starts like this, 24 hours at a time (The Marshall Tucker Band)…The Great Toy Caldwell played E major & minor scales very similar to your arrangement..
Relic says
Cheers for the heads up. Will give that a listen.
Thomas N says
Thanks
Jonas D says
Hi Brian,
Thanks again for this lovely lesson.
I have a question though referring to the E major scale pattern IV you mention at minute 8:30 of the first video. When i try to figure out the pattern you are playing there it looks to me you are playing pattern II en III of the E major pentatonic scale. Am i looking at this wrong? Im a litte confused about this 🙂
Jonas
David M says
Great lesson one of the best I’ve seen on the internet. Would like to see more of these type of lessons.
Seems to me like this lesson had more advanced material that’s hard to find.
Leslie P says
Beautiful Breakdown… Nice sounding Garcia like licks and yes Allman brothers too!! And the takeaways…!!! Wow good stuff Brian!!!
Cheers!
Keep dishing out those tasty dishes!!!
Aurenck says
Hi Brian,
what guitar do you use on this track?
she is magnificent !!!
Ian M says
That lick at 16:53. St. Stephen?
Ian D says
When I first heard this one I didn’t really think I’d like this lesson as not a great fan of Jerry G (just not my thang) but once I watched this a few times, it gave me a lot of “light bulb” moments. I really like how you break things down and put them into context and not just show how to play the notes. Another Master Class Brian, keep educating people to play and not memorise. Many thanks.
Boba says
Inspirational Brian
Chris Christie says
Last week I was studying the Allman Bros. Blue Sky and was wondering…Now that I have that under my belt where do I go from here…And this lesson is the perfect follow up! Really slams that e major home for me! Well Done!
Relic says
Hey Brian, great lesson.
Went away for a few months to try and absorb some of the stuff I’ve picked up here over last year of so. This one lured me back and have had a lot of fun with it this week.
I really wish you’d got into a bit more depth with the rhythm tracks though. I know you go through the basic chord progressions in the video but you don’t touch the embellishments. Would make these lessons a lot more complete if you did – there are no good rhythm courses online and you are missing a trick here. Great stuff anyway but a bit more info in the rhythm department would be vey welcome. All the best, R
Randy G says
Incredible lesson! I’ve played it so much in the past few wks that my poor wife says he even hears it even when I’m not playing!
Thank you Brian for your thoughtful approach to teaching. Your site is exactly what I’ve been searching for.
Greg R says
hahaha exact same thing happening to me too.
Glenn S says
Your lessons are excellent. Very well presented. You’re right in this lesson, ( as in all others) the coolness just keeps on coming!! Thanks.
James L says
Love the slow walk through, great way to learn for me! I am an advanced beginner, so it keeps me moving!
David G says
I have to say this lesson is my new favorite. Worth the price of admission alone! So much fun to play. Thanks, Brian!
Danya G says
Love your lessons, Brian. Thank you for the care and creativity with which you put these together. As an advanced beginner player, these provide just the right amount of challenge and skill building. After spending a few days with one of your lessons (this one was my third so far). I can feel my fingers starting to “own” some of these patterns. I can actually play at tempo passages that seemed unattainable just a few days ago. The practice tools you provide really help. Keep the goodness flowing!
Daniel S says
Brian,
Locked in on this one my friend, and thanks!
you’re in depth demonstrations complete with “good to know” side bars are the exact prescription at this point of my guitar development.
As an older player i realize i’m not going to learn at the pace i would have if I had begun earlier. But remembering i once heard the guitarist for a major band say it took him about a month to learn a zep cover, ( i get the fact he was working on getting it stage ready) I rethought how long things might take for a late starter like me. So I’m on the grind and getting better if i may offer that observation of myself.
The slow play thru, on view tabs and tabs in pdf form are all features that are invaluable to me.
Right on , love it , thanks.
Steve J says
Love it! what cant you play ? lol. Got a lot of Jerry in there
william p says
I’ve taken a lot on-line courses, and you are by far the best!!!! Many Thanks-William P