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Slow, Soulful Blues Lead Guitar Lesson (Easy) – Played Fingerstyle – EP349

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to improvise a slow and soulful lead over a non-conventional jam track (this is not your typical 1, 4, 5 chord format). You’ll be using the G minor scale to play over the entire jam track track and will be playing this fingerstyle to slow things down a bit.

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Comments

  1. Michael Allen says

    February 21, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    It seems you make these lessons specially for me each week because they just what I want to play. I had a blast learning the lesson last week and can’t wait to learn this one. Thanks Brian

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    • Jimmy W says

      February 21, 2020 at 7:52 pm

      Great sounding composition. Thanks for putting so much into this piece and then teaching us the theory behind it. This is truly the type of musical instruction I need.

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    • naftali k says

      February 25, 2020 at 9:16 pm

      You’ve got your guitar gently weeping with this piece.

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    • Terry P says

      April 1, 2020 at 6:26 am

      This is new style of playing and a totally different sound which I really enjoy learning. Its can be challenging learning how to use your fingers rather than a pick.
      Thank you Brian

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  2. smake1954 says

    February 21, 2020 at 12:47 pm

    Love it

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  3. Mirabel S says

    February 21, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    Hi Brian, very good content in this lesson, and good backing track.

    Myra.

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    • Bezzayar O says

      April 10, 2020 at 1:09 pm

      Hi bro i neeed back can 😭

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  4. PaulG says

    February 21, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    Loving it too!

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  5. JohnStrat says

    February 21, 2020 at 2:47 pm

    Been toying with this sort of thing myself so this lesson is very welcome thanks.John

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  6. Tony says

    February 21, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    As always, very nice and most of all useful.

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  7. BRENDAN G says

    February 21, 2020 at 4:29 pm

    Great lesson, thanks Brian. Great tone, is that the four position on the pickup selector switch.

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    • Brian says

      February 23, 2020 at 12:48 am

      middle pickup

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  8. Lights says

    February 21, 2020 at 4:46 pm

    Really cool harmony sequence.

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  9. Alex says

    February 21, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    Thanks for doing this! Very cool sound, a la Mark Knopfler perhaps.

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  10. Martin P says

    February 21, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    Wow, my kinda lesson.

    Many thanks Brian, exactly what I have been waiting for.

    Mark Knopfler meets Eric Clapton.

    Thanks again 🎸

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  11. Jim M says

    February 21, 2020 at 6:45 pm

    Ssssssweet $$$

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  12. ozman42 says

    February 21, 2020 at 6:59 pm

    Great vibe,JJ and Clapton in one lesson

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  13. sunburst says

    February 21, 2020 at 7:16 pm

    think you had some cool Mark Knophler feel here.. very nice!

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  14. sunjamr says

    February 21, 2020 at 7:52 pm

    Nice chord progression, great jamtrack, easy to play….who could ask for more?

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  15. Brent C says

    February 21, 2020 at 8:00 pm

    Wow! LUV this one Brian. Any chance we could get a longer version of your backing track (without guitar)?
    1:48 is just not enough…. 🙂 I could play over this all nite!!! Thanks again. WONDERFUL!!!

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    • Jamie R says

      February 22, 2020 at 12:52 am

      agree!

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      • Brian says

        February 23, 2020 at 12:46 am

        fixed

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    • Brian says

      February 23, 2020 at 12:46 am

      I have fixed this – my bad! I didn’t have the full thing selected when exporting.

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      • Brent C says

        February 28, 2020 at 8:17 pm

        Awesome – Awesome!!
        Thank you.

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  16. sunburst says

    February 21, 2020 at 8:35 pm

    As a a second now that I played along,, it’s more like Peter Phantom.. very fun easy and a lot of room for improvisation!

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  17. sunburst says

    February 21, 2020 at 8:37 pm

    ( trusted windows spell check ) Peter Frampton

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  18. Raymond P says

    February 22, 2020 at 9:23 am

    Great lesson Brian with some new ideas.

    Thanks
    Ray P

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  19. Phil G says

    February 22, 2020 at 9:38 am

    Brian, you have confused me again. Right away. Around 10:18 you start showing the G minor scale, but you did not start with the G root note. Instead, you start with the b3 (Bb) then you paused on the b3. So to me, it sounds like a Bb major scale, and not like a G minor scale.

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    • Phil G says

      February 22, 2020 at 12:48 pm

      Ooops. That G minor scale is around 4:18.

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  20. Steven B says

    February 22, 2020 at 5:46 pm

    Keep doing what you do Brian, it is working so well. Great sound with simple approach is so helpful for motivation.

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  21. charjo says

    February 22, 2020 at 9:33 pm

    Don’t know how you came up with this progression and idea for the lead, Brian. I notice you never really assigned a key to this lesson in the tabs as it really doesn’t fit one. The strangeness started with playing the G minor scale over the G major chord, but that’s the blues. The notes of the G minor scale or G aeolian are the same notes as D# or E flat lydian, as you mention, and will fit over the D#/E flat chord. They are also the same notes as F myxolydian and, therefore, fit over the F major chord as well. The notes are also those of C dorian which would have a minor 3rd or E flat. That is where you had to adjust the scale and play an E to fit over the C major chord (G minor scale would have fit over a C minor chord)
    I guess you could look at this as the key of G minor with the G major and C major chords borrowed from the parallel major scale and with the scale adjustment for the C major chord. Any way you look at it, it’s different from any other lesson you’ve done. Interesting and sounds great. Apologies if I’m overthinking this, just trying to make sense of it for improvising. Short form, play G minor/G minor pentatonic and hit the E note ( avoid the E flat) on the C chord (and find chord tones).
    John

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    • Brian says

      February 23, 2020 at 12:26 am

      well said John – that’s pretty much exactly how I would describe this – it is strange… and I was improvising over it without thinking about it… it wasn’t until after the fact that I realized those notes are all just the G minor scale – I hadn’t considered F mixolydian but you’re right – so your final conclusion is spot on – play G minor, G minor pentatonic scale and try to work that E note in over the C chord and you’re set 🙂

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      • Canada Moose says

        February 23, 2020 at 10:02 pm

        i also struggled with what key this is in; I agree with John’s analysis, but for me the whole thing seems to really resolve to the C chord. That feels like “home”. The F and G chords fit the key of C, and the D# would be a bluesy minor 3rd.
        I’m playing it like you both say, using G minor pent and G Aeolian (that’s where those Knoffler notes are), but also really digging into the C major chord at the end as the home base of the whole progression.
        I haven’t recorded in a while but this one seems to be calling …

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        • Bret A says

          February 24, 2020 at 4:37 pm

          yeah, that riff towards the end resolving on C reminds me of “Wicked Game” a bit. 🙂

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      • Richard S says

        February 24, 2020 at 10:34 pm

        I agree with John’s analysis but came the conclusion that if we treat the
        Key as Bb with the G and C as major chords instead of the minor they should be as John said.
        Then the modes all fit and it is why the D# (Eb) Lydian works as well as fitting the other notes that make up the chords, such as the D# that has a Bb in it.
        The only avoid note then is the Eb.
        Really the same thing but gives you a key centre to orient to.

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        • charjo says

          February 25, 2020 at 8:59 am

          Gminor is the relative minor to Bb major, so it really is the same thing.

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          • Richard S says

            February 26, 2020 at 3:01 pm

            Now that you mention….yah!
            I’m always amazed how these things always come back around.
            Scary thing is it is beginning to make sense to me.🧐

    • Robert Burlin says

      February 23, 2020 at 12:45 pm

      Love the play by play commentary, John. Maybe you can do one each week. Way cool! While I am here might as well ask Brian for Part 2 for this week’s lesson.

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    • Tom H says

      February 27, 2020 at 11:13 am

      All the knowledge of the modes is very fascinating but simply put just play the Gm relative minor scales over the chord progression. Works very nicely.

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      • Tom H says

        February 27, 2020 at 11:34 am

        Sorry, Natural Minor scales.

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      • Tom H says

        February 27, 2020 at 11:36 am

        Natural minor scale. Sorry.

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  22. Laurel C says

    February 23, 2020 at 5:28 am

    Great sequel to EP 318. Like Ep 318 this continues that free spirited adventure along the Arizona highway on some movie set. Such an emotion of freedom in the ambience of this composition. Leaves you wanting a third instalment. A trilogy perhaps.

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  23. George P says

    February 23, 2020 at 5:28 am

    HI Brian this is my first time in commenting a great lesson as always. Do you ever use any of the blues scales for youre solos. You seem to use lots of pentatonic scales. Dont get me wrong they all sound fantastic. I have a little query the other day i was going through some of youre old lessons and i found one that i liked. I thought i had downloaded it but to my regret i had not. It was in the key of a but started with 2 13th chords can you help? George from a rainy Cornwall England.

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    • Brian says

      February 23, 2020 at 5:41 pm

      well, the blues scale is basically the same thing as the minor pentatonic scale (in my mind) – the only difference is that one extra note (the blue note) – I play that note often, so I suppose that I do often play the blues scale.

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  24. greg f says

    February 23, 2020 at 9:21 am

    Killer good Brian! Thanks for continuing to push us with content that out of our comfort range. I love playing something that is slightly off the grid – G minor!

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  25. Thomas S says

    February 23, 2020 at 11:46 am

    Cool, I like this Mark Knopfler style

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  26. Bret A says

    February 24, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    Beautiful composition! I’m really enjoying this and adding my own touch to it! I love that slide into C near the end. Reminds me of ” Wicked Game” a little bit. Sounds as if you have a lot of Warren Haynes influence in your playing, Mark Knopfler too, as you stated. Warren uses a lot of those bent diads as well. Love it!

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  27. jlg says

    February 24, 2020 at 8:19 pm

    Great lesson. Nice to have one full minor scale with same twang stuff too!

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  28. Tom A says

    February 25, 2020 at 3:23 pm

    Love the music. Love these lessons. I was a member for a year, but don’t play well enough to benefit from the extra stuff you get as member. There’s enough free content until I really start playing and learning. This lesson screamed Mark Knopfler to me. I read a bunch of comments and no one mentioned it until well down. Then a few mentioned it. Funny – I don’t think Brian has replied to any of the MK comments. It’s all I hear. Great music. I wish I could consider playingsomething at this level. Thanks Brian.

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    • Brian says

      February 25, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      I wasn’t really trying to do a Knopfler thing – it just sort of ended up that way… but I think as I was fine tuning it, I probably heard that too and ended up subconsciously throwing in a few of his licks. I originally wanted more of a J.J. Cale type vibe… fingerstyle, laid back.. soulful 🙂

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  29. Michael Q says

    February 25, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    Super lesson Brian, love this!

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  30. Roland T says

    February 25, 2020 at 6:22 pm

    Interesting fact: You mentioned Ry Cooder.

    I actually took a few guitar lessons from him when he was ~17 years old – around 1965. Yep I am that old!!!! LOL

    It was at McCabe’s Guitar store on Santa Monica Blvd. in Santa Monica, CA. Fond memories!

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  31. John K says

    February 25, 2020 at 6:32 pm

    Great Stuff Thanks.
    JohnK from down under

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  32. [email protected] says

    February 25, 2020 at 10:16 pm

    BEST lesson since the JJ Cale lesson. So glad to get this one. My 2 faves. Also enjoy the way you remind & include tips & takeaways to reinforce licks and lessons from the past to reinforce them. Great stuff, man.

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  33. David S says

    February 26, 2020 at 11:58 am

    Brian, Great lesson. Has the same flavor as 318 that I still play 2 or 3 times a week.Love this style. Keep up the good work. Dave

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  34. Tim V says

    February 26, 2020 at 5:05 pm

    Fantastic lesson, yet again. Many thanks!!!

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  35. Steven B says

    February 27, 2020 at 11:00 pm

    Reminds me of the theme for Law and Order on TV.
    A bit anyway

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  36. Andy D says

    February 28, 2020 at 5:16 am

    Fantastic, as ever, Brian! I often vaguely wondered what gave Knopfler his signature feel – and I suspect you’ve hit the nail – the (full) minor scale. Your lessons are always so inspiring. Top man!

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  37. berni e says

    February 28, 2020 at 7:27 am

    Englisch

    think I’m crazy, but …. the first thing that came to my mind was war:

    OMG is relaxed and decelerated ..

    laid back is exactly what it reminds me of. I can already see Brian jumping out of the plane with a guitar and performing relaxed in the camera.
    the feeling & the mood is awesome ….

    less is more!

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  38. richard p says

    February 29, 2020 at 9:36 pm

    OMG, like most of the other lessons… I love this lesson. It’s such a cool sound. And the way you give us the context for each riff… I feel like I’m sitting down with my cool big brother(even though I’m about 20 years older than Brian), and he’s cutting through the junk and showing me the magic. I get a glass of wine in me, and I start to feel the magic. I love going between pentatonic and 7-note scale.

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    • timfred63 says

      March 12, 2020 at 8:43 pm

      I agree Richard, Brian’s lessons are incredible. What a resource. If only I was twenty years younger and could remember all the licks.

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  39. David E says

    March 4, 2020 at 2:52 pm

    Wow!! Love this lesson in G minor pentatonic etc. Sounds just like Mark Knofler’s licks at times.

    Brian, I am right in thinking when you are using the G minor pentatonic scale and adding those 2 extra notes ‘A’ and D#( Eb) you are actually also playing in Bb major scale? Hope I’m not confusing myself!

    Anyway, another brilliant lesson and using some Caged triads. Brilliant!!

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  40. GmanBang says

    March 10, 2020 at 1:03 pm

    Dire Straits reborn, thank you for this Brian.

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  41. timfred63 says

    March 12, 2020 at 8:41 pm

    Hi Brian

    I love this lesson. I struggle to saty focussed learning off youTube but your lessons are always so cool. This one is probably my favorite in a long time and has me invigorated all over again.

    You’re the man!

    All the best

    Tim

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  42. Gerald M says

    March 20, 2020 at 11:26 pm

    Thank-you Brian. the mood fits perfectly with the times. Just perfect.

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  43. Robert Rosewood (aka Matt Scallon) says

    April 20, 2020 at 9:31 pm

    Hi Brian, this is another gem! Just starting to learn it. The chord progression and lead is very moving. I have fitting lyrics for it. Will be recording and posting the finished song in the forum hopefully end of this week. It will be titled: Forever Again.

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  44. BRAVODELTA says

    May 1, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    This is freaking fantastic!

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  45. Vernon says

    August 1, 2020 at 4:31 pm

    Brian, I love many of your finger picking lessons, but I always prefer to play with a flat pick. Can this be hybrid picked? I struggle with finger picking, but I’m relatively new in the scheme of things.

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  46. Chris M says

    December 25, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    Excellent lesson. I learned the first part of several of your lessons on youtube. Told myself if I could get thru them I would become a premium member…well…here we are. You have an awesome way of teaching and I plan on learning from you for along time. Brian, you’re truly playing a part in changing people’s lives for the better. Thank you!

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  47. Andy N says

    May 21, 2021 at 12:00 am

    Nor sure what I was doing back in Feb last year but I’ve only now discovered what an interesting and different lesson this is. No excuse for missing it since I was locked down from March!
    Still better late than never! Great stuff Brian.

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