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Learn to play the chord changes in this Western Swing guitar lesson – EP287

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a Western Swing style lead by playing the chord changes (changing scales to match the chords). This is designed to teach you how to play more melodic and interesting sounding leads when improvising.

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

  1. madams says

    December 14, 2018 at 9:31 pm

    I am learning to love country thanks to your great lessons!

    Thank you, Brian.

    Michael

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  2. Michael J says

    December 14, 2018 at 9:33 pm

    G/day Brian,
    A very Merry Christmas to you and your’s, as well as all Active Melody people.
    By the way, this is such a lovely laid back tune. Great work as usual!
    M.J.

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  3. John V says

    December 14, 2018 at 9:34 pm

    Nice git fiddle Brian! I need to play my “thin body” acoustic a little more.

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  4. Michael Allen says

    December 14, 2018 at 9:39 pm

    Nice tune! I don’t know you do it every week but I appreciate it. I love the guitar . thanks Brian

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    • Michael Allen says

      December 14, 2018 at 9:50 pm

      I meant to type that I don’t know “how” you do it every week. sorry

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  5. Bradley B says

    December 14, 2018 at 10:46 pm

    Love it Brian, thank you!
    Would you be able to do a lesson in the style of Brent Mason? I love all the other country style lessons as well!!

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  6. JoLa says

    December 14, 2018 at 10:47 pm

    The new guitar and this happy melody even got you singing, Brian! Just freaking awesome! 😉👍❤️

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  7. houliAK says

    December 15, 2018 at 1:11 am

    I wait every Friday for your lesson to get posted and I’m never disappointed. I cant thank you enough. Keep up the great work. We are all out here learning and enjoying!!

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  8. brian-belsey says

    December 15, 2018 at 1:15 am

    Another interesting and enjoyable lesson – they just keep coming! When I joined AM in 2014 I thought the pressure on this poor guy to keep coming up with something fresh each week must be awful, but soon realised this was not a problem – Brian can do it!

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  9. Robert S says

    December 15, 2018 at 1:15 am

    Brian As usual you have a winner here !!! Great lesson !! Keep them coming !!

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  10. Laurel C says

    December 15, 2018 at 1:45 am

    This sounds so awesome, one for the acoustic guitar players. Really appreciate the concepts and thought that goes into these lessons. The visual tools are so helpful, by the time I work my way down to watch the video tablature and the fretboard together at 60% speed then I realise that it is possible.

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  11. jes says

    December 15, 2018 at 5:24 am

    thanks brian
    cant you doe chris stapton tennesee whisky

    thanks

    gr bart from holland

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    • TEKIN P says

      March 6, 2019 at 7:51 am

      Yes we are waiting for tenessse whisky 👍

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  12. Jim M says

    December 15, 2018 at 7:52 am

    This is an “Outstanding Arrangement” Brian !!!

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  13. Joe F says

    December 15, 2018 at 8:09 am

    Thank you so much for all you do. You mix it up, which makes it fun, your passion for the instrument and music shines through. I can’t say enough.

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  14. Francisco Javier C says

    December 15, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    Thanks B.
    I Love the acoustic lessons.

    And,
    Merrry Christmas everyone.

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  15. Mirabel S says

    December 15, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    Thank you Brian for all the hard work you put into the weekly lessons. As a premium member this is just my wish list.
    Merry Christmas to all at Active Melody and enjoy your self’s.

    Myra.

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  16. dherzog says

    December 15, 2018 at 2:14 pm

    Wow, Brian! Your lessons are overwhelming. It takes me a good five or six weeks to master (I use the word “master” very loosely) one and then I realize there are four or five new ones by then. Can’t keep up. Have no idea how in the world how you do that every week, but thank you so much for doing it. I’ve been through umpteengazillion internet teachers and now I realize had I found Activemelody at the beginning I could now say I’ve only looked at one: Activemelody. It’s all that I, or anyone else, really needs. Merry Christmas to you and yours and thank you for all of your hard work.

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  17. kenny says

    December 15, 2018 at 4:41 pm

    Straight to the favorites list.

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  18. paul s says

    December 16, 2018 at 2:03 am

    Hey Brian very enjoyable lesson would you be able to do a micro lesson on the rhythm? Keep up the great work I look forward to a new lesson each week!
    Paul

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  19. sunburst says

    December 16, 2018 at 8:22 am

    Very cool lesson and that B&G sounds so takamini imho nice little parlor or travel guitar

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  20. Arnold M says

    December 16, 2018 at 12:38 pm

    Always enjoy and look for all the takeaways. Great linkage of the harmonized 3rds and 6ths to various CAGED chord shapes. Have struggled to memorize these harmonized patterns, but now with linkage to chords and CAGED, I can see it will be easier to use them. ( the CAGED lessons were an exponential help to me and now this builds on that further- terrific!). Thanks.

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  21. sunburst says

    December 16, 2018 at 3:38 pm

    Greatly lesson metronome very prominent and this is why we need to focus more on the such lessons.. thanks

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  22. Don D. says

    December 16, 2018 at 10:58 pm

    Beautiful song Brian! Thank you!

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    • David K says

      December 21, 2018 at 9:07 am

      Great lesson took me all week to get it up to tempo kinda fast for an old beginner

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  23. Nick P says

    December 16, 2018 at 11:56 pm

    My immediate impression here is that there are lots of good techniques and takeaways in this one. And lots of notes! Kept reminding me of another lesson I’d spent a lot of time with – EP234. I can join the two up to create quite a composition!

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  24. Shane B says

    December 17, 2018 at 11:19 am

    I really enjoy this kind of lesson. I hope to be able to play it sometime in my guitar journey. There are so many great takeaways and great little licks in this lesson.
    Thanks for all you do.

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  25. Wheelman says

    December 17, 2018 at 1:40 pm

    Nice tune Brian…you are one lucky fella what with B&G sending you these nice guitars!

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  26. elerouge says

    December 17, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    Again super nice! Extremely productive to be able to do a lessons like that every week. If you ever have the time to put the chord progression on your micro lessons.

    Thanks.

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  27. Michael R says

    December 18, 2018 at 3:23 pm

    Fun lesson. Thanks for introducing the guitar. I like that. You could tell us each week what you are playing, take 15 seconds even…

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  28. Will L says

    December 18, 2018 at 3:44 pm

    Thank you, best yet!
    But I know you will somehow transcend this one too.

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  29. Rodney W says

    December 18, 2018 at 6:06 pm

    Lovely to listen to Brian. I cant begin to understand how you can keep it up. Such a variety of compositions and yet they all sound very good. I dont know if that was your intention but this one I felt had a Christmassy flavour. Is Western Swing ”Country” as some suggest? I too would normally say I am not a country fan but this was good music very well executed.

    Someone said it takes them six weeks to master one lesson. I havent managed to master any of them yet but I keep trying and get an awful lot out of every lesson. Thank you Brian. I really should ”put my money where my mouth is”and become a premium member. Perhaps after Christmas. Brian certainly deserves our support and with more than just words.

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  30. Robert R says

    December 18, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    You ‘da man, again! This one just makes me smile. Really nice!

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  31. paul B says

    December 19, 2018 at 8:03 am

    Great piece of music to learn. How you work them out so quick every week I just don’t know.

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  32. alan a says

    December 19, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    I am having trouble working through the last screen using the gear and how to use the various symbols and what they do AL A

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  33. Jose says

    December 20, 2018 at 2:04 pm

    Hello Guys,

    Working on this beautiful lesson. When I do, I record my own backtrack, guitar, bass, and keyboard.
    On this particular lesson, it would help a lot, to have the lead guitar only… is that possible???
    Since it is a bit hard to catch up with the rhythm guitar, I would need only that part. So, if possible let me know,
    otherwise I will have to record that from the video/audio and tablature, in order to practice the chord changes.
    Help…

    Jose

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  34. Dieter says

    December 21, 2018 at 10:32 am

    Wonderful Song with an old-fashioned feeling.

    Dieter

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  35. dana h says

    December 21, 2018 at 4:32 pm

    Hi Brian:

    Would you please consider adding a rhythm track to some lessons. It would help a lot on this one.

    Dana

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  36. Tom D says

    January 4, 2019 at 12:25 am

    I love the run at the end. You could use it at the end of so many songs.

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  37. willem v says

    January 4, 2019 at 4:50 pm

    Thanks.I will have to work on this for a while but I got a lot out learning some transition chords etc that will come in handy on improvisation on other styles of music.
    Willem

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  38. Jose says

    January 11, 2019 at 2:15 pm

    Hello guys

    This one’s been a hard one for me. As of today, will leave it as is, and will post it during the weekend, with.good pictures this time.

    Happy delayed, New Year!

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  39. Dario R says

    February 5, 2019 at 6:39 am

    Hi Brian! amazing composition 🙂

    Pleeeease will you upload the detailed tabs for the background track? I have just bought the loop station and would love to loop that rhythm first and then play along the lead section!

    thank you very much!!

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  40. Lyn C says

    November 22, 2021 at 12:55 pm

    Hi.. just revisiting some compositions that I never really took the time to practice previously. There are lots of GREAT tips in this one, from using the 2 chord shapes for a C major scale, to using Augmented chords to transition from a 5 to a 1 chord, not to mention all the licks that can be used anywhere. This is truly a most helpful lesson! Than you Brian.

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  41. Ryan G says

    May 14, 2022 at 4:36 pm

    Can you possible put the rhythm lesson up for this piece, and also any suggestions of who to listen to when it comes to western swing guitar, I love the jazzy bluesy mix!

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