Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Minor Key Fingerstyle Blues Guitar Lesson – EP366

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a fingerstyle blues in a minor key. In addition to showing you how to play it note for note, I’ll also explain how it was put together so that you can use these concepts when you write and improvise.

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

  8. JoLa says

    So simple and so awesome! I absolutely love the sound of this fingerstyle minor key blues, right up my alley! That old Martin and your playing sounds just epic, what a GEM 💎😍

  15. Nacho S says

    Hola Brian. Saludos a todos los compañeros de chat.
    Va a hacer un año que estoy con vosotros y no paro de disfrutar y aprender.
    Perdona que mi dificultad con el inglés me haga escribir en español pero no quiero dejar de agradecer tu trabajo y reconocer el esfuerzo que supone, semana tras semana.
    Espero seguir muchos años en este viaje tan “disfrutón”.
    Mis mejores deseos desde Bilbao.
    (Sorry about my english…. After a year enjoying your lessons, I want to thank your work week after week. Keep lighting us!!!

    • JohnStrat says

      Hello Brian. Greetings to all the chat partners.
      It will be a year that I am with you and I do not stop enjoying and learning.
      Sorry that my difficulty with English makes me write in Spanish but I don’t want to stop thanking you for your work and recognizing the effort it takes, week after week.
      I hope to continue many years in this trip so “enjoyable”.
      My best wishes from Bilbao.

      From google transl;ate

  17. richard p says

    Another great tune… it’s kinda jazzy!!!

    And, I must be learning something from Brian because I knew exactly what he was doing with that Am up at the 12th fret… I learned that from Brian!

    I love the way this lesson ties into the lessons from 2-3 weeks past… it’s really reinforcing these melodic concepts.

  21. magpie says

    Always a fan of your fingerstyle inventions. That guitar just sounds so good . It must be inspiring every time you pick it up. More fingerstyle as good as this will always be appreciated by me. Thanks Brian.

  22. Glenn says

    This is a great lesson for me, Brian. Once you get the hang of it, you can just make stuff up.. I’ll call it Storm Clouds Comin’ and put it in my regular rotation. Last week’s lesson was a stunner, by the way. Glenn.

  24. Kevin M says

    Hi Brian…
    I love this lesson, and all these good Blues lessons..! Also from comments that you’ve made in the past, I realize that we both favor much of the same styles of music. and specific artists.
    My everyday, always at hand… pick up and play guitar is a Martin OM21 Special, and it looks very much like the one that you are playing here in this lesson. Could it be the same model..? And if so, did you buy yours in your home State of Tennessee..?
    God bless, stay well. Thanks for the music..!
    -KM

  27. Randy H says

    Brian:
    “Am embellishment at the 10 & 12 frets” Would these two notes be part of the relative major (G) for the key that the song is in Em ?? Just curious…. I like the embellishments and you paint a very practical picture to this instrument .

    Thanks,

    Randy

  29. Alex says

    Great lesson! Looking forward to trying it. I have had some severe hand injuries so fingerpicking is painful. I use a Fred Kelly speed pick for a thumbpick. It’s the white color, heavy. I think it is model D3-H. Also use one alaska pick on my index finger.

  31. John says

    That’s a great lesson Brian, thanks. You have given me new inspiration for an Am piece that I have been working on. I love your idea of sliding the minor triad up two frets, I am not sure I understand why it works, but I can definitely see that it does, thanks again for another great lesson

  32. David Walker says

    Brian, this has to be one of my favourite lessons you have ever posted. I just am having a terrible time keeping my thumb moving while I use my other fingers. Got any ideas or exercise to convince my thumb to go along for the ride? LOL

  33. Adrian H says

    Great lesson Brian – With reference to David G ‘s comment “Good does not need to be complicated” { look what B B King could do with a handful of notes!!!]Although this piece is not too complicated it is rich in blues embellishments – bends -slides -double stops – beautiful phrasing etc etc . Although some of these features can be challenging ,your exemplary presentation ,superb teaching skills ,and very fine technique make it all so accessible .Since I signed up for Premier Membership I have greatly improved my blues guitar skills -the Premium Members access to the On-Screen Tab Viewer has been a particularly useful learning tool -Keep up the great work !!! Adrian [ Ireland]

  34. Mark N says

    I’ve got to say Brian that I’m just loving this weeks piece. It’s fairly simply once you get that groove and grasp the pretty tricky (for me anyway) thumb rhythm. At first I found this really tough especially the first two bars but I just learned this bit really slowly to start and repeated the two bars over and over, after about an hour or so I was pretty fluid. I’ve now learned about half of it but just really enjoying it. It’s definitely one of those that once you have the method you can easily add your own little Em blues riffs in to and enjoy just recycling through the tune.

  36. Boomer says

    Hi Brian! Love this lesson. Well, really, love ALL your lessons. One question on the PDF Tablature: is measure 5 correct? I see the way you play it, and it looks like the second-lowest note is on the fourth string, but the tablature shows it on the third string. Thanks! — Boomer

  37. MICHAEL C says

    Another great lesson Brian-Finger picking has always been one of my weaker skills. Trying to master it with your lessons. Do you use your pinky finger when plucking the high E string ? Seems that would be the proper way though a bit more tedious . Thanks

  45. james s says

    Hi , Need little advice , im in nooo way correcting your style ,, i wouldnt be a full member if i wasnt happy , if i could play 1/4 as good as you id be happy . Can i ask why are you using your pinky , D minor shape etc , going up the neck , is it to do with where your gona land next , or is it just the way you do it ,,, end of the day there is n rules .. I use finger 1 ,, 2 ,, and 3 ,, should i not be doing it this way ? am i making it hard for myself ?? loving this one ,, thanks brian

  46. Diana G says

    I love this tune that I’ve been playing for a while. I’m struggling to keep a relaxed right hand with the muting the whole way through. Any tips on how to mute without creating tension & right-hand pain?

  52. Jordan H says

    Thanks really enjoyed this and you are so right about looping a piece over and over, at first, my brain was not liking anything off the beat of the open bass string but now it just feels really natural and like I can just forget about it. Top Job Brian

  57. Peter D says

    HI Brian – this was a great lesson – really enjoying the finger style – where you mentioned you made a mistake on the Am on the E10th/B13th/G12th – isnt that the same principle you taught us of moving the Am triad from the E8th/B10th/G9th and sliding up 2 frets? like the other minor triad movements? Cheers Pete

  58. Jeff M says

    Part 1: 17:40 (Am section/9th bar) seems to show something different than the tab. In the tab it looks like pinky goes down on third fret/second string and the notes are strummed simultaneously. In the video it looks arpeggiated. Same with the other Am variation (pinky on third fret/first string). Am I missing something? Thanks! -j

  59. Felix L says

    This is it. Finally my campfire-vibes are getting the blue mood delivered. Love that piece truly. Ill be sittin till the morrow havin myself some well served melodical pain for my heart

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