Description
This week’s guitar lesson is a slow, laid back groove that’s played in the key of D. You’ll be learning some J.J. Cale, Mark Knopfler, and David Gilmour licks in this composition. All 3 of those guitar players have one thing in common, and that is that they all are experts are saying a lot with just a few notes. Think “less is more”. So we’ll be exploring that style in this lesson, as well as revisiting the Dorian Mode.
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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jimbostrat says
Hey!! I’m number 1 again!! First to comment!! I guess everyone is busy watching Trump run out of pen ink signing off on all those executive orders he had stacked up at the ready for his signatures right after his inauguration………..at any rate……..this is really cool because Brian leaves the door wide open for us to get crazy with neat licks in the key of D!! One nice thing with the vibrato bar you can really wail on this guy!! Very cool jam!! Jim C.
Maurice G says
Yup – more is less… well done, Brian..
Laura M says
Let’s keep this about Brian lessons not your irrelevant political views. It can destroy Brian’s business.
JohnStrat says
Oh yes like this sound and its at a slow enough pace with great take away look forward to having a crack at this. a Trump card to Brian!
Ian C says
Awesome! Thanks Brian
Jeem says
Well, this one just has to go to #1 and back-burner for everything else including the wife and the dog!
‘nother excellent one Maestro!
TY Brian!
Michael Allen says
thanks Brian. It’s another winner but I’m still working on last week and will be super pleased to learn both
Strykerward says
This is exactly what I needed to do all weekend! Thanks Brian.
sunburst says
As President Donald Trump would say! Incredible just incredible Brian going to enjoy and really appreciate this lesson too! Brian helping make America Great Again!!!!!
Miami Five 0 says
Please keep politics out – Just seeing the name trump is offensive to many.
Johnny D says
Nice! I love the comment! Yes like Trump…Brian is making America great again!…With lessons like this!
Jim M says
What a wonderful way to end this week. With a nice laid back blues.
mexstrat says
I can play this groove all day.
Jimmy James says
Love it! I like slow blues the best…I always try too much to fill gaps. You are so right just a one note bend can have more feeling in a song! Love the Tele of course
sunburst says
yup. love my tele too, great American the free and great again coarse!
Rajiv D says
Awesome Brian – super lesson ! Beautiful yet easy to learn.
frankferendo says
Question, at the beginning, 4:30 mark where you show pattern 4. Is that 4 or 3? I’m a little confused.
Brian says
Pattern 4 – as referenced in the Blues Lead Course (My Account > My Courses)
MYRX says
Excellent selection. I was a J.J. Cale fan, so this was a welcomed lesson. Perfect timing for the rain soaked weekend. Spent Saturday playing this lesson. As mentioned above, I like slow blues the best as well. Thanks Brian.
Robert J says
lots’ of fun! excellent to run through the Dorian again. it was also cool to try some of the licks from EP 178 (The Santana one) over this jam track. They worked very well with this lesson. I used the Dorian a ton last night at my gig. The jam track reminds me of something off of the JJ Cale/Clapton “The Road to Escondido” record. Thanks again.
Ray H says
Love this one, anything inspired by Knopfler floats my boat (Cale too). Thanks Brian
joe c says
This is a good lesson, also very wise introductory remarks.
blake d says
perhaps you could put up those strum markers for the less experienced. getting the strums is hard!
Hyland says
Another winner. I don’t know how you keep coming up with them. Love JJ, Knophler, and Brian !!
dojokat says
Hey Brian,
You finally got my attention. I have been exploring Modes recently and would love to see more of this. Take care, Bill, Seattle
Cattuli68 says
Very nice Brian
Leslie C says
Love this Brian What pedals are you using sounds like the TC electronics Flashback and a booster pedal am I right?
Brian says
No pedals on this one. I was plugged straight into the amp.
Warren G says
Hi Brian,
Great lesson – really kept my interest going and went through everything and learn’t a lot.
Thanks once again!
Trevor Hemsley says
Hi Brian
As a strictly acoustic player, any chance of some finger-style / ragtime lessons thrown into the mix? I really appreciate your style of teaching and would like to take more advantage of it.
Cheers
Trevor
Brian says
Hey Trevor, have you looked through the “fingerstyle” category or the “ragtime” category on the lessons page? https://www.activemelody.com/lessons
Trevor Hemsley says
That’s great- thanks Brian. Always keen for more.
Cheers
Trevor
GJVR says
are you not going from pattern three to pattern four? first the note pattern 4 A C D for pattern 3 G A C.
tom f says
Great tune and lesson…you mention, near the beginning of the first video, a lesson dedicated to the five different scale positions for the minor pentatonic. What lesson no. is that?
Brian says
Tom, that’s the Blues Lead Course available under My Account > My Courses
tommc says
Having fun with this one. Playing on my Strat, middle/bridge, with a little grit and a little tremelo and hybrid picking all the double stops. Good fun. Thanks.
Aleksander F says
Really looking forward to learning this one, am a huge Mark Knopfler fan!
Ray Y says
Hey Brian,
I’m confused about something. You said in the video that this song was in the key of D. Looking at the tab, it seems to be in the key of C. Can you explain?
Thanks
Ray
Brian says
Just because the first chord in the tab is a C, doesn’t mean it’s in the key of C.. 🙂
Hank V says
I only ever own a new lick, phrase, solo if I take it and move it to a different tune or key. Try playing this one over Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper’s version of Season of the Witch (Fillmore East: The Lost Concert Tapes 12/13/68). Also pull the dorian licks out the Santana lesson (EP178) shift them to D and lay them on that tune also. Jam for hours !
Lionel Da Silva says
awesome lesson brian! thanks. got me out of a groove rut.
San Luis Rey says
Hey Brian I thought this was just another great lesson but he more I got into it the more I loved it. It helps when you enjoy the sound coming out of your amplifier. Harley gave it two paws up!
Mike
David P says
Hi Brian
I really like the guitar playing mule t-shirt on EP 188. Any chance I could get one with a pocket?
David P.
Johan S says
Awesome work. I love these slower speed lessons so much. Shredding has never been my cup of tea.
Thanks Brian. More of this please…
Best regards from Belgium
Blonde Blob says
Hi Brian,
Long time lurker, 1st time writer. Great lesson, just one question, when your strumming in the beginning your palm muting with you right hand correct? Thanks for the help.
Brian says
Hey George, not palm muting with the right hand. But I’m muting the string with the left hand to create those muted strums (the ones with the “X” on the tab)
Blonde Blob says
Thanks Brian explains a lot I’ll be back at it tomorrow. One thing I’d love to see is a lesson on how to take 3 or 4 of your licks form the Blues lead course and tie them together into a solo. Sometimes the licks are learned in a vacuum and its tough to see how to tie them together into a coherent solo. Thanks much you’ve got a great site, tis is my 2nd year with you.
Peder W says
Thanks for a great lesson Brian! BTW, I changed the playback speed to 0.5 in video 1 at about 7.30, to make it easier to follow the details, but couldn’t help laughing how drunk one sound when talking in half speed :-).
Tom S says
Very nice. Learned some cool licks too. thanks!
jalal63@hotmail.co.uk says
Thanks Brian excellent lesson ,enjoying learning it 🙂
Peter P says
Really like this one – Thanks Brian!
stephen k says
Hey Brian… couldn’t get the onscreen tab viewer to work. says url is wrong? could you check? great lesson btw thanks!
Brian says
Hey Stephen, the on-screen tab is working on this end. 9 times out of 10 the issue is browser related, so try clearing your cache and restarting your browser first – if that doesn’t work, try using a different browser to see what result you get.
Johnny D says
You know there are lessons within lessons here…Just your phrase “less is more” in this lesson is huge! Thank you Brian!
JMTster says
Brian- had set this lesson aside so I could truly focus. Three of my favorite players. This one led to more “A-HA!” moments than I’ve had in a while. Your lessons have really reignited my desire to play. Thanks!
Dennis O says
The best lesson for me yet. Love the message (a little can go a long way ala BB) and the tune; right up my ally insofar as music is concerned. Thx much Brian.
Philip B says
Great tune/lesson! Thanks! Those 1/4 bends- they are really a challenge for me. It’s funny how such a small thing is one of the most difficult techniques for me to learn. I think I know what to do and I do it, but there is an art to it Brian and you have that down and it just makes all the difference in the world when you just do a 1/4 bend or you do a 1/4 bend correctly.
I feel like, having visited Nashville, that I would do a better qtr bend if I were living there ! (hahaha).
Stephen Y says
Hi Brian
Please tell me the number of the blues lead course where you go through the five patterns.
Thank you
Steve Yeadon
Brian says
It’s under My Account > My Courses
Todd F says
This is excellent, love me some jj Cale
Andrew H says
Awesome. Love this lesson too. So many good lessons to learn and practice. I’ve really enjoyed all your ‘in the style of J.J.Cale’ lessons. Thanks Brian
Laura M says
Let’s keep this about Brian lessons not your irrelevant political views. It can destroy Brian’s business.