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Play a 12 Bar Blues Composition By Yourself on Guitar (No Accompaniment) Blues Guitar Lesson – EP288

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn a classic, 12 bar blues composition that you can play by yourself on electric or acoustic guitar. This uses the “call & response” technique which allows you to easily go back and forth between rhythm and lead licks. As always, I’ll break everything down note for note and explain the “why” behind the notes so that you can start using these licks when you 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

  1. Jim M says

    December 21, 2018 at 8:46 pm

    Nice lesson Brian. Love the blues!!!

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    • Barrie E says

      December 25, 2018 at 3:08 pm

      Merry Christmas, Brian! I have just joined Active Melody as a Christmas present. I am very excited about what I can learn from your excellent teaching over the next year(s). Congratulations on your successful approach to web based guitar instruction. You are an easy person to get to like and that makes your presentations very engaging. Best wishes!

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      • Lyndon F says

        December 31, 2018 at 1:29 pm

        I’m a newbie to the sight as well, another Christmas present member, can’t wait to get into it thanks Brian!

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        • Norm M says

          March 4, 2019 at 9:21 am

          Brian its feb2019 just getting the lesson now lol.. great stuff .
          Ur a fine teacher Brian, and I just love ur lessons that can be played on the porch…

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  2. sunburst says

    December 21, 2018 at 8:48 pm

    Love this! Hop on this tomorrow! I really think this is genius and this is a very popular Blues shuffle in E ! A must learn for me! solid foundation for mixing both major/minor pentatonic shapes up the fret board!

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  3. Michael Allen says

    December 21, 2018 at 9:03 pm

    I love this one! Thanks for always keeping it interesting.
    Merry Christmas!

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  4. roco says

    December 21, 2018 at 9:04 pm

    Beautiful!🎶

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  5. San Luis Rey says

    December 21, 2018 at 9:40 pm

    From first listen to favorite list! That old rescued guitar sounds great on this Brian.

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  6. Aussie Rick says

    December 21, 2018 at 10:19 pm

    Great little stand-alone 12-bar composition. Have only had time to listen to a couple of minutes of the breakdown and have already picked up a number of take-away ideas.

    Thanks for your outstanding efforts throughout the year Brian – and a very Merry Christmas and happy and healthy 2019 to you and yours.

    Rick

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  7. David M says

    December 21, 2018 at 10:23 pm

    Brian:
    This was one of your best ever videos. The guitar was gritty and ballsy – perfect complimentary instrument to this type of blues.
    I hope to see more lessons like this.
    Thanks and have a Merry Christmas!

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  8. roco says

    December 21, 2018 at 10:29 pm

    Merry Christmas!🎶

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  9. Geoff R says

    December 22, 2018 at 12:11 am

    Blues the way I like it………
    Merry Christmas from over the pond.

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  10. kenny says

    December 22, 2018 at 12:36 am

    There is a very good reason why these type of lessons are so popular. Timeless.

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  11. Slawek says

    December 22, 2018 at 2:39 am

    A great lesson to learn and practice. I am going to add it to my list. Thank you Brain.
    Merry Christmas to everyone.

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  12. TJquitar says

    December 22, 2018 at 2:52 am

    Great licks and other takeaways!

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  13. JohnStrat says

    December 22, 2018 at 2:56 am

    I am going to learn this for Christmas sounds great and runs for a good time. Which Christmas will be the question…ha

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  14. Micky51.(Paul) says

    December 22, 2018 at 4:00 am

    Hi Brian. Really enjoying these blues lessons. Many thanks for another year of great teaching and inspiration. Season’s greetings and best wishes to you, your family and everyone at Activemelody,

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  15. Dieter says

    December 22, 2018 at 6:41 am

    exactly the Stuff I like – and I need. Best wishes all,

    Dieter

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  16. sunburst says

    December 22, 2018 at 8:31 am

    Something new to takeaway every time,, many cool classic fill response licks here and am sure I never did them here or elsewhere so, really enjoying this lesson today!.. so many fun lessons and very educational too,, explaining a classic 12 bar here on active melody!

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  17. vicman says

    December 22, 2018 at 8:59 am

    Thank you Brian.

    Merry Christmas to all from Canada.

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  18. charjo says

    December 22, 2018 at 9:18 am

    The guitar was made for blues in E. Thank you, Brian, and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
    John

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  19. Rolf A says

    December 22, 2018 at 11:04 am

    Vielen Dank für die tollen, lehrreichen Lexionen 2018.
    Ich wünsche Dir und deinen Lieben ein besinnliches
    Weihnachtsfest und ein gutes Neues Jahr, bei bester
    Gesundheit und Schaffenskraft.

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    • JohnStrat says

      January 2, 2019 at 1:51 pm

      Thank you for the great, educational Lexions 2018.
      I wish you and your loved ones a contemplative
      Christmas and a Happy New Year, at best
      Health and creativity.
      JohnStrat via google translate

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  20. Edgardo S says

    December 22, 2018 at 11:39 am

    Excellent lesson Brian! You are a great teacher! My regards from Argentina for this Christmas. BTW, is there no Christmas offer for Premium Membership? because here in my country it is very expensive. Thank you!

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  21. Anthony G says

    December 22, 2018 at 11:57 am

    Another great lesson. I have learned not only song and theory from you but also how to make clean sounds. What I mean is that your hammer on, pull off and other techniques are spot on and by following your examples I am learning how they should be played to sound good . Also the jam tracks force proper timing, very important.

    Thanks so much, I think we all appreciate the hard work it must take to put these lessons together.

    Happy Holidays to you!

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  22. Bill G says

    December 22, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    8am – Wake up – Xmas spirit.
    8:05- get on Active Melody lesson 288

    8:07 – got the blues

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    • PaulG says

      December 22, 2018 at 1:29 pm

      Ditto

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  23. Thomas W says

    December 23, 2018 at 2:06 am

    Thanks Brian, very nice one. I noticed from the last Blues lessons that you repeat the licks – which is great because we learn thru repetition and it gives me a good feeling that I am actually making progress. Thanks from Hamburg, Germany.

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  24. Bosc T says

    December 23, 2018 at 3:08 am

    Merci beaucoup Brian, super Blues, super professeur, joyeux Noël de France.

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  25. jeannot18 says

    December 23, 2018 at 5:26 am

    Nice Christmas present, thanks Brian. I love this type of lesson!! Merry Christmas all

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  26. Michael M says

    December 23, 2018 at 5:56 am

    Thanks, Brian. Awesome. Merry Christmas. Love and best to you and your family.

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  27. kenford says

    December 24, 2018 at 5:21 pm

    Merry Christmas to you and your family Brian.

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  28. Rich F says

    December 26, 2018 at 2:58 am

    Hi Brian,

    Brilliant Boxing Day lesson! Goes nicely with the mince pies and sherry!

    Wishing all AM members a continued great Christmas!

    Rich F

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  29. timothy9 says

    December 26, 2018 at 7:19 am

    Another gem. One of the things I love about your playing is the way you switch from the down and dirty part of the spectrum to the sweet and melodic part of the story. Lonnie Johnson was a master of that kind of playing. Although she wasn’t a guitar player, Dinah Washington sang a lot of songs that way; her songs are a gold mine for musical ideas.

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  30. drlknstein says

    December 26, 2018 at 12:27 pm

    Yeah..Bayou Self Blues..!
    good stuff..

    Lonesome stranger is one of my EC fav’s. .learned it a while back and play it all the time..l yrics are awesome…and I know thqt riff but I NEVER THOUGHT OF USING I IN A SETTING LIKE THIS!…

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  31. Jon M says

    December 26, 2018 at 7:03 pm

    Another brilliant solo lesson. These are so great, Brian – very few have your combination of skills – as a composer, a musician (performer), and as an excellent instructor, thanks!

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  32. Jay Guitarman says

    December 27, 2018 at 1:16 am

    Hi Brian, it’s difficult for me to know exactly where we are on the strings. Could you also announce the notes. For example when you change to the four chord previously you end on a note in the second pentatonic position which matches the four chord…

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  33. Michael W says

    December 27, 2018 at 8:04 am

    I love the takeaways and explanations as well. So it’s not just memorizing, its very helpful to learn improvising without memorizing.

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  34. Giles G says

    December 27, 2018 at 11:52 am

    Hi Brian, first comment from me …. to say these are exactly the type of tunes I love to learn. A little groove to return to makes this much easier to learn than some lessons – yet still superb. Many more like this will go down a storm. Happy new year.

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  35. Phillip S says

    December 28, 2018 at 6:13 am

    Hi Brian, I’ve just signed up and already enjoying the lessons which I think will help me a great deal and I really like your style of teaching.
    I have one request though. It would be useful to have an idea of your amp settings to help me get the right sort of sound, I know amps are different but just an idea if you are using a little bit of gain or reverb etc.. Of course you may have a lesson on this I don’t know about.
    Thanks.

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  36. Douglas S says

    December 28, 2018 at 8:27 am

    What are you using for an AMP and pedals ? I would like it if you mentioned your set up when you intro the lessons.

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  37. mitchellwolfson says

    December 29, 2018 at 3:25 pm

    Great lesson, Brian. One comment/question- when you are playing the 4th position of the B minor pentatonic scale, there’s one note ou’re playing that is actually not in this scale, the G# note (4th fret of the high E string). The 4th position of the B minor pentatonic would have the A note (5th fret of the high E), correct?

    Mitchell

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  38. drlknstein says

    January 2, 2019 at 10:20 am

    I love these lessons in E 12 bar..w/ the open strings…I usually finish your lessons in the first week but I am still here working on these awesome ideas etc..really good one for me

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  39. Ludovic M says

    January 3, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    Thanks Brian, the last two blues lessons are great. Very rich in content and tips to practice call and response licks/rhythm. I end up playing the blues for hours and hours after listening to your lessons.

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  40. GaryV21 says

    January 21, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    Bryan, great lesson. It would be great to see you do this same lesson in A. Is that a possible?

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  41. Bo V says

    February 9, 2019 at 11:30 am

    Thank you Brain. Is all that has to be said.

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  42. Andy L says

    February 20, 2019 at 5:28 pm

    How do I register a comment so I can easily find the reply?

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  43. JOSEPH G says

    August 30, 2019 at 12:50 pm

    Just enough theory making it easier to memorize this tune. Creative and fun to play. Thank you Brian!

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  44. Julie B says

    December 20, 2019 at 4:35 pm

    My husband bought me a membership for Christmas. As you can see I am opening my present early. Is there some way to print out the music in NOTE form, not tabs? I see the notes on the staff in the “on screen tab viewer” and would love to print them out, but all I see for printing is the tabs. Thanks! I am so looking forward to searching through all the lessons.

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