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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Chris R says
Love it – Thanks Brian!!
Rainer W says
I miss the open G-string in the video that ist shown in the tabs!
Claire W says
The tabs contain several notes that the video misses completely-especially in the Am portion-and it would have been more useful to get an explanation of how to time the bass note in sequence than saying just to keep the thumb moving.
Jim K says
The bass notes all fall on the beat. If you are counting – 1, e, and, 2, e, and, 3, e, and, 4, e, and, 1… – the bass falls on all the numbers. As far as the other notes go, if they don’t fall on the beat with the bass then they are on the ‘and’ of the beat. The exception is the triplet in bar 7 in which there is a note played on both ‘e’ and ‘and’.
john p says
No better way to learn than by ear
Martin P says
👍
Boppie says
This is great. I love all your finger style lessons.
ken muso says
Love this and all finger style compositions.! My new Martin 00018 will like it also as the factory has recently opened!
JohnStrat says
Brian,Its a beauty,
I will have to promote this one to the top of the list its so very tasty love it .
JohnStrat
annekaz says
Thank you.
BRENDAN G says
Great lesson, I’m going to hook into this one.
Thanks Brian.
Have had a chance to look at the May responses yet?
Brendan
Michael Allen says
I can always use another finger style blues lesson. The more practice I getting fingerstyle the better to get that groove going. Thanks Brian
Michael W says
Hi Brian, is the Am embellishment at the 10 & 12 frets just moving the Am using the Dm shape up 2 frets?
Michael
Brian says
ah yes!
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 💎😍
Jim M says
Nice examples of triads and double stops.
John B says
Great lesson Brian and thank you for the new style AM tee-shirt.
Jeff M says
Love this one and comes at a perfect time for me to get back to a bit of fingerstyle. Your lessons are always so beneficial to my learning and understanding of the guitar.
Claire W says
I normally have no coordination for fingerstyle blues, but the first few measures clicked and I’m determined to make the rest of it work! Thanks for posting this one.
Phil B says
Super lesson Brian and that old Martin sounds wonderful. It’s rare to see you playing without it like it’s been assimilated as an extra body part!
rjwheeler says
Very sweet; simple but there is some much there. Love your detailed teaching of the different parts and where the notes come from.
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
Nacho S says
Thanks John !!!!!
Raymond P says
Great lesson Brian, I always enjoy the finger style lessons.
Thanks
Ray
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.
Don B says
Great Lesson. I am always glued to the finger style lessons. But I look forward to each new lesson. Thank you for all you put into these sessions.
Alan S says
you keep getting better every week Thanks
Cary says
Oh yes, fabulous. Love those minor blues fingerstyle lessons – keep ’em coming, please ! Thanks.
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.
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.
Greg H says
Another beauty! This one looks doable. Looking forward to trying it out. Thank you Brian!
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
Brian says
yep- that one came from right here in Nashville
Rainer W says
I miss the open G-string in the video that is shown in the tabs!
David G says
Ah, that groove is soooooo addictive! Excellent example of the idea that ´good’ doesn’t have to be complicated
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
sunjamr says
I predict this will be very popular, because it’s a nice slow mellow drone bass fingerstyle, and can be learned by guitar students at any level of expertise. Good fun!
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.
Christophe Z says
I love it and it feels like it is achievable !😍 very nice job ! 🙏
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
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
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]
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.
Henrik says
This is very cool stuff. A favourite 🙂
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
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
martin m says
brian, love this but struggle with the thumb independence, any drills ? i’ve done some but can’t seem to master it
Cian O says
Wow really looking forward to learning this. Always struggled with the rhythm in the thumb but won’t give up on this.
john p says
See that you don’t. Once you lock on, you’ll have it for life. Everyone learns different things at different paces.
Andy D says
Fantastic lesson, as always, Brian. Thanks. It’s a beautiful piece of music on its own, aside from its teaching benefits.
john p says
This is not easy Brian. I have learned many of your fingerstyle 12 bar blues. This one is hard, for me anyway. But I’ll get it down.
Benjamin W says
👍
bo brown says
This is a favorite
Israel U says
Beautiful bluesy melody! BTW I always use thumb pick when finger picking , I got all kinds of thumb picks and I get along wit them all. I’m not at all picky about thumb picks🙂
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
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?
ROD H says
Hi Brian;just re joined after some time away.Great lesson,which sounds just as good in Manchester UK as it does where you are.Best wishes Rod.
Chris H says
Got that Hubert Sumlin vibe. I normally eschew fingerstyle lessons, but this one, albeit challenging for an old flat picker, was fun and interesting. Huzzah, Brian.
Mandy (Banjo Lemonade) T says
WOW, really diggin’ this lesson!
Ivan J says
I really enjoy this you are Great Brian
Felix V says
Hello Brian, This is a beautiful catchy piece, but I have yet to get the hang of co- coordinating and synchronizing the base line with the melody lines.
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
Phillip F says
This is reminds me of Baby Please Don’t Go which was the first finger pick style song I attempted
This is a great lesson
Thank you
Phillip F says
Dunlop makes a nice thumb pick that the pick is out a little bit
Alex C says
I love playing this. Always impresses my friends
Alex C says
I’d love for you to write something similar . This just has a really cool groove to it!
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
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
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
Jake P says
Sorry if you mention it elsewhere, but what gauge strings are you playing on to nail that full bend on the high e with your pinky?