Description
In this week’s guitar lesson you’ll learn how to play a minor key composition that requires no accompaniment. This composition uses just 3 chords and can be played on acoustic or electric guitar.
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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Absolutely beautiful composition! I can’t wait to learn this one. I pretty much feel that way every week when your new lesson comes out. Thanks Brian
So many cool walkdowns. Can’t wait to see what you did here. Beautiful composition, Brian.
John
Thanks John 🙂
Love this one!
ron
A beautiful composition and a great lesson.
Brian, this got me wondering about the process you follow in writing a tune like this. Do you have a clear idea of the melodic direction of the tune right from the start, or, do you start out with no firm idea and the melody evolves as you’re working on the tune (i.e. do you try things, and include those phrases/licks that sound good and are consistent with the chords and emerging melodic feel of the tune)?
Thanks again,
Rick
That’s exactly the question I’ve been trying to answer lately. So I’ve been trying to develop my music composition skills by just diving in and going for it. So far, the easiest way for me is to develop a chord progression and choose a tempo and record it as a jamtrack. Then I loop it and just start noodling around with various melody options. Have you tried that?
Yeah I have tried that Steve, but the melodies I come up with usually sound pretty uninspiring. I thinking part of the problem is I don’t actually listen to a lot of music and so I don’t have much in the way of melodic ideas to draw on.
Rick
Reminded me of Late Greg Lake ..anyway really cool lesson!
https://youtu.be/vobATaBm91M
Maybe Michelle-The Beatles?
Yes that was my first reaction as well. It is a beautiful piece and also can’t wait to learn to play it.
Rabbi Naftali Kalter
That sounds great Brian! Was just watching some really famous guitarists do some fabulous performances on youtube . This sounds simply wonderful and by next week I hope to have it down. Thanks for another gift!
I love playing the stand alone composition you created! You’ve created this hint of Stairway to Heaven with a spanish feel. I love it! This is a beautiful song to add to my playlist. Thanks and once again you are an amazing teacher!!!
Me encanta, una leccion maravillosa.
Gracias.
Hi Brian, Just beautiful very Spanish sounding, thank you once again.
Myra, East Midlands, UK.
Hi Brian,
Thank you for this very nice lesson.
Now we can understand “Michelle” from McCa.
André.
Hi Brian. One of your best compositions ever, so melodic. You are an inspiration Graham from down under
Just listened through the first part lesson. That is a genius learning composition which really whet my appetite for learning it. It sounds so beautiful I know will create real sense of achievement once it’s mastered, and many of the components are novel and will embed themselves easily in the mind. Superb job Brian.
Beautiful composition on its own, yet for the purpose of teaching concepts. The knowledge learnt is so rewarding.
Makes a nice fingerstyle arrangement.
So beautiful! Thank you!
Took me right back to Time In a Bottle which was one of the first songs that really made me want to learn to play. Oh to have had the internet and ActiveMelody back in the day. I never learned Time in a Bottle because it was just too overwhelming. Your teaching style and ideas give us tools to accomplish far more than books, fake charts or tabs ever could. Thanks for this and all the others!
I thought the same thing. Time In A Bottle.
Lovely tune and great lesson as always. Your lessons are inspirational. Many thanks.
What a beautiful melody to learn as this weeks lesson. Very pleasant to the ear.
Thanks Brian,
Ray P
This is the type of melody that makes me want to reach out for my guitar. Thanks Brian.
Great lesson! Do you have a lesson like this but over major chords? I’d like to learn that too.
already my favourite leasson
I watched the intro video like it all especially mentioning the three main minor scales.. this you do great , Really done well, this lesson should really get a lot of likes imho… I naturally like the harmonic minor is my favorite scale lol (inside joke) again excellent instructional video ,, that guitar sounds great too!
Just loved it Brian. When I played it I Spanishised it..lol! I play more and more Spanish style flamenco jazz and this just fits right in there! Enjoy your Sunday.
Merci beaucoup.
Denis
Beautiful! Looking forward to this one. thank you Brian
First thing I am learning with you and love how you present your content Brian! Great site and lessons.
Oh yes Brian lovely tone very melodic top tune cheers
Cracking tune!
A piece that really encourages musical expressiveness! I like it equally with a pick or fingerstyle.
Love this one..not too tough to do but cool., has a sort of Eastern-Europeanish vibe with those discordant notes? Have you touched on Travis-Picking? could be a good lesson. Thanks.
The last 2 video’s give a broken link and don’t show.
How do I fix it or can you do something about it?
Donload the program again?
What is the link for it?
Try either clearing your browser cache or using a different browser – they are working here and I don’t have any other reports that people can’t view them.
Sounds a little bit like “Time in a Bottle” ???
Thanks Brian, One of your best yet, Cheers.
What wonderful sounds, just beautiful. My Godin LaPatrie hybrid, heard this and wants to come back out to play. Thank You Brian, this is a winner! JimK
Wow … what an outstanding piece of work! I knew this lesson was going to be something special as soon as I heard the intro and Brian’s great teaching skill just puts icing on the cake. Great stuff, can’t wait to give it a try.
Beautiful piece; it is fun to play sounds so impressive. I improvised a new A7 chord in measure 5 to make the slide to the 7th fret easier for me and I also wrote a new ending. Your teaching about the theory has helped me with the changes because I understand where the notes are coming from. Thank you so much. Saturday has become my favorite day because I am so excited to see what you have for me to learn.
A great lesson for my return to AM after a break. Remember that the walk-downs can also be used as “walk-ups,” so it’s good to practice them both ways. Not that I can name any tunes that use a climbing bass note pattern–can anyone pitch in?
Brian, this is the reason I joined your site….I love the stand alone lessons……(wish I could sound like this while I am on my back porch “noodling”….lol great lesson…thanks and PEACE
I just love this one. I’m learning it on my acoustic, but it is SO hypnotic played slowly on my strat through a Boss DD-500. So sweet
Oh, man. One of your best. Once you get a feel for it, love the On Screen Tab Viewer that scrolls in one window with your hands playing the entire tune in a separate window. To get the flow this is really helpful because it conforms to such a pretty melody. Love the Premium membership. Give me something usable, something people will take notice of- you gave it HERE! Fun to play and worth the time to learn. This technique has amazing dividends and not ridiculously difficult to play. I print the tabs, love the mp3 tracks, but with this slow melodic cooker, the ON SCREEN TAB VIEWER WINDOW on the web browser page with your technique above in another window is brilliant. And helpful. Thanks, Brian!
Posted June of 2019 and just wanted to say as of Sept 15 a year later, I’m back on for the 2nd part. This composition has legs and I really like it. True, I’ve been studying all sorts of lessons in the meantime as well as purchasing a few more great guitars and perhaps it took that time to get my muscle memory to a more sustainable level as a new guitarist. It’s a very clever melody and I feel Brian put a lot of effort in this lesson. Thank you. This is a challenge and to polish each nuance, well it’s a great weekly exercise as well.
Thanks. This is a good one.
Absolute genius Brian, so many take aways from this one. Thanks so much!!
I loved it from the first listen but there is so much more to it than awesome melody, this lesson is pure gold! The minor chord walkdown alone is a killer – sometimes I feel like Brian is a magician who is giving away (revealing) all the magic tricks! And then on top of it, he makes it so do-able and easy to learn, it’s just amazing. Thank you, Brian for another golden nugget, you are a true gift 💖
Beautiful tune, well taught. I like how you explain referring to CAGED so one can understand how it all hangs together. Fun to learn, wonderful to play.
Hi Brian,
This is a beautiful piece. As others have said here, a very Spanish feel over a 14 5 progression! I love the Spanish feel!
I have been away from the site for various personal reasons: nice lesson to come back to!
What I love about this lesson (as with all of your lessons) is that there are loads of standalone segments and takeaways that we can take in isolation and focus on. In this lesson, I love the segment around 12.50 where you go from Dm in first position, with the hammer on/pull off, going to A7. I love that, and could play it all day!
In summary, this lesson is genius, and Brian is an amazing teacher!
Rich F.
What can I say Brian. This is one of my all time favs. I just can’t stop playing it.
Thank you thank you thank you!!
Hi Brian, good job! A very nice composition. I love this kind of laid back music. By the way….I’m from Germany 🙂 Go ahead with your execellent work.
Warm greetings, Jay Kay
Thank you Brian for an absolutely beautiful composition and a wonderful lesson!! I love it!
Wow, your style and lesson presentation is a beautiful thing. Your teaching style and professional web presence is a gift that brings me a great deal of happiness and reward.
I am not one to comment online but the pleasure I get from your teachings far exceeds any other form of entertainment. Its both relaxing and exciting as these lessons have expanded my playing enjoyment in a way that I hadn’t thought possible.
It must be a lot of work but your efforts do a lot more than teach guitar.
I got this going shortly before we left for a family vacation and enjoyed how it sounded on my travel guitar. Would love another one in this slightly Stairway-style.
This arrangement just grabs me. Sultry, with minor notes chiming so precise. So worth the time to work out, slow and then eventually with a swing feel and a moderate tempo. All good. Thank you, Brian.
Beautiful piece!
Brian,
I think this will be the stepping stone to using my classical hybrid guitar at last. This is a very nice tune and I am patiently working on it with (no nails) finger picking. What at BIG plus to be able to listen to your recording, pick it up by ear and then read the notation and improve my timing.
Thanks a lot, it was a lucky day when I found your site.
Jim K
So beautiful.
Brian, this beautiful composition fits so nicely to a classic guitar. Thought about adding to your guitars collection? 🙂
You are amazing teacher Brian!Thank you
I really enjoy playing this one. Perfect lazy day warm up but would be sweet if you would consider a part 2 😎👍
Really enjoying learning this one. It’s perfect for a rainy day in Scotland. 🙂
Fantastic.
Hard to believe, but I was on the fence with joining up and this one pushed me to the ‘premium’ side. Sooo worth it.
Thank you Brian for being a fantastic instructor.
Bill.
I think this is a great lesson for praticing using a pick! For me as a more fingerstyle player I am not comfortable using a pick, but really want do develop my pick skills. So this kind of structure is great for that. That´s a big bonus for me in this lesson 🙂
Just rediscovered this one, such a beautiful melody, and one of my favourite AC tunes, a real gem. Thanks for the inspiration Brian.
Community, can you help? What is the BPM for the lesson as seen on the YouTube version. The tab and the SoundSlice notate 60 and the YT is more perky. Is it metronomic? Is it floating? I lock into the downbeat -and the closest I can get is 87 BPM but then I lose the One. The tab and SS have the One where it should be at the 60 and you’d think the YT would be metronomic and the 1&3 would fall into place. I hope someone can help me on this. I’ve learned the complete lesson but I want to practice it at the same lively tempo that Brian did on the YouTube video.