Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Solo Blues Composition in A (Jazzy Chords) – EP134

Description

In this blues guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a solo compositions (with a pick) in the key of A. This isn’t your traditional 1, 4, 5 chord progression. I’ve added several major and minor 7th chords to give it more of a jazzy feel. The first time through you’ll just be playing the chords (to establish the song), the second time through, you’ll be adding fill licks in-between the chords. This works great on acoustic or electric guitar as well. ep134, 134

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-Through - For Premium Members

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  2. Bill W2 says

    Thank you Brian. I’ve been listening to this style all week. Really eager to dive in. Also I (and i’m sure others) enjoy your emphasis on how we can develop our own style. Nice nod to Robert Johnson!! A nice sound here.

  10. gbhstrat says

    I love my Saturday mornings. Coffee with a new guitar lesson from Brian! I no sooner memorize the previous weeks lesson and bam! got to memorize a new one. Although I have forgotten more than I can play from memory, when I go back through them, its amazing how I can quickly play them even though its not in my long term parrot file. I have to give Brian a huge thank you for making these short but sweet tunes each week that are easy to absorb.

  13. Bill W2 says

    I’m really enjoying playing with this jazzy song. I’m finding on the last bar where it ends on the “A” note (3rd string 2nd) if you play an F# note (4th string 4th) and then E note(4th string 2nd) you can go back to that E13sus4 in bar 14 and finish it up again from there. Thanks Brian.

  18. baudolino says

    Well, I just wanted to thank you for learning us all this music.
    I don’t often leave a message for you Brian, but I really appreciate these weekly lessons ! I’m learning a lot and I gives me a lot of pleasure.
    Once more, thanks Brian !
    Be the way, happy newyear !

  20. sunburst says

    7th chord mix make a nice jazz blues , I try filling in where possible any extensions like an F7 (dominate7th ) in between the the two #F s followed by high E passing note .. fun song to play..the last two chords tough to hold the two lower strings with the pinky,, but sound awesome,, when i start tackling chords like that.. i try the four higher strings first and after a bit of practicing add the lower E A strings

  23. wrightclick says

    ok no overdrive required this week lol …..great stuff very pleasing to the ear this one came very easy under the fingers for once , great insight second time round where the notes were pulled from on the fills

  27. WBlues says

    Brian, thanks for the great, but also very heavy Exercise.
    It is very difficult for me to play. But it is a super big challenge. As Mick instead of Brian Jones came in, he shaped the music of the Stones is very strong and appreciated you on. Let it bleed is probably one of the best LP’s of the Stones. I remember at the time a young Stones Fan still very good.

    Wilfried

  29. Don D. says

    That is beautiful! The chords sound like Lonnie Johnson, which is about as good as it gets.

    Anything by Lonnie Johnson is worth hearing. There’s a 1960 recording with Elmer Snowden on second gittar that’s worth chasing down (there are two CDs from that session, the main title of both is Blues and Ballads).

  30. Gentlyblues says

    Great piece of music, this is what I always look for to learn, thank you Brian.
    But unfortunately I can´t download Part 2 and Slow Walk-Through as I always do for extra fine lessons
    I want to learn. Can anybody help me?
    Thanks a lot and excuse my bad English.

    • Brian says

      Try closing all opened tabs in your browser and restarting your browser, then the Part 2 videos should work. For some reason if other tabs have opened video content then they won’t play some times.

      • Gentlyblues says

        Thank you for answering Brian, I do how you recommended but it dosent work. I can´t download the Part 2 and Slow Walk to my HDD as usual, only the YouTube Part works for a download. I use Firefox and Downloadhelper and in the past it works propper. Maybe You have a recommendation to other Browser and/orTools to have a running download?

        • Brian says

          The site isn’t designed for video downloads – that’s partially because it goes against subscription (i.e. if you have all content saved locally there’s no need to subscribe). It’s set up to be more like a Netflix type subscription where you gain access to videos.

          That said, you can download the MP3 jam tracks and the tablature.

          However, since the Part 1 videos are hosted on YouTube, there are options for downloading YouTube videos to your hard drive. One that I know if is a Firefox (browser) plugin which you can see here:

          https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/download-youtube/

          If you do go that route, you’re on your own – I don’t offer support on downloading YouTube content.

          The Part 2 videos are hosted via Vimeo.

          • EMudgeSr says

            Brian,
            I am having the same problem playing downloaded versions of Premium Content. Until now I have always been able to save and play back the files locally. Watching your videos online is at best problematic because my only internet service option is very slow and keeps pausing during the viewing. Having the files available locally allows me to watch/pause/replay the lessons conveniently, something that is not easy to do with only streaming as an option. Whatever you have done to the way content is now being provided is a big disservice to me and I suspect some of your other subscribers.

            Yours is the only subscription site that I pay for that does not allow me to store the content locally.

            I paid my money, as I have for some time, but not I am now getting much less for my bucks. Makes me wonder about the value of your site which in the past I have valued highly. I would hope that you would restore the previous way Premium Content was made available to your subscribers.

          • Gentlyblues says

            Hi Brian, hmmmm I don´t think so that this goes against subscription. I will anyway stay as a member on your site, because I will learn also your weekly new lessons in the future. You know, I´m often on business trips and take my Guitar and Laptop with me and sometimes I stay in areas where is a low connection to the www. ! I was very happy in the past to have the possibility to learn your lessons offline. At the moment I´m very unlucky and it´s now in your hands to heal that. :-))

  31. Thomas G says

    Brian I love your lessons but on a lot of them when I try to watch part 2 the lessons become distorted. Your hands move slower than your voice and I can’t understand what you are doing. I know its not my internet service or my computer. do you have a fix for it .

    • Brian says

      Hey Thomas, this has something to do with your browser. Try closing all browser tabs and closing the browser down and restarting it. If that doesn’t work, try clearing your browser cache.

  36. steve p says

    Question1: Correction to Part 1 video at 8:49 you describe the C7 chord as putting your pinky on the 3rd fret 4th string. Shouldn’t it be 3rd fret 3rd string?
    Question2: I notice you place the guitar on your right thigh. Is that just your preference? I was told by my instructor to use my left
    Thanks…this is a great site

    • Brian says

      Steve, you are correct, it should have been 3rd fret 3rd string for the C7 chord. As for where to place your guitar, just put it where it’s most comfortable. I don’t think that one has a right answer.

  42. Simon W says

    Thanks Brian, I recently subscribed to your site and absolutely love the acoustic lessons, this one has to be my favorite to date. I always begin by listening to the intro on part one of your lessons thinking ‘oh lord, I’m never going to be able to play that’ but slowly, surely through the excellent way you teach I always get there in the end, not quite as comfortably as you play, but good enough for me to enjoy playing. To echo one of the other students, can we have more lessons like this please. Keep up the great work and thanks again.

  43. JOHN T says

    I am new guitar student and new to the site. I have a question is the download for Tabular above really for the ep134 ? Solo blues lesson on the acoustic. The notes are for a Solo Blues on electric in A? May be I am missing something since I am new. Btw… I love this site. Great for learning and having fun.

  45. sunburst says

    wow, what a terrific lesson,,really one of mt top favorites .. think it sounds a bit of Chet Atkins .. like the mix of maj/min 7ths .. what is so cool.. when this lesson you introduced ,,i learned but didn’t really see /understand the 7th chords and today’s ( throw back Thursdays) i was able to breeze through and acknowledge all the chords ..even addrd a few cool sounding extensions!

  47. Richard E says

    Thanks for posting this beautiful, awesome lesson Brian! I love the way you mix jazz and blues in your compositions, and really dig the chords and melodic lead in this piece. For me, it’s also at a good technical level; a bit challenging in places but overall very doable.. I almost have it down at this point.

  48. Paul S says

    I’m a newbie who is catching up in all areas, other members said i would – all thanks to Brian. i love learning the numbers like these. However, as a Premium Member i also have to agree with others, who are having internet issues, and would be grateful if i could download the second lesson and premium video sections to learn off line. If it’s possible to do with the first free lesson video why isn’t possible for subscribers to down load the content they have paid for??

    • Brian says

      Paul, it’s possible in the first videos because people have found a way to hack their browsers and download the source file (since it’s on YouTube). The site isn’t designed for video downloads – that’s partially because it goes against subscription (i.e. if you have all content saved locally there’s no need to subscribe). It’s set up to be more like a Netflix type subscription where you gain access to videos.

      That said, you can download the MP3 jam tracks and the tablature.

  49. Greg H says

    I have absolutely no business attempting this beautiful song with my very limited skills but why should that stop me? This is one of my very favorite songs of Brian’s. One day…

      • Greg H says

        Well Brian its been an entire year since you said I could do it and I am very close now! That little song is still my favorite even after all the new ones I have enjoyed since then. I hope to hear many ore like it soon.
        On a different note I recently bought myself my first electric guitar so I could jam to some of the other “electric lessons”. Having a great time with all of the lessons. Thanks a million Brian.

  52. melvyn H says

    This is one of my favourite lessons together with EP121 I love the feel of the Bessie Smith style! More Please Brian! and on a totally
    different style it would be good to have a lesson on ‘Flat Picking’ as I think you mentioned in a Forum chat a short while ago.
    You really have got the teaching method down to a fine art, so thank for that. I wish you all the best from ‘Down Under’ Mel.

  53. David LC says

    I’ve played guitar for more than 50 years and recently, after having my guitar neck reset and refretted, I discovered a whole new world of guitar lessons online.
    Back when I started it required a lot of luck and perhaps I’d find a friend, a neighbor or a note stuck on a bulletin board offering “Giitar Lessons”.
    Fortunately, after a long detour from playing, I found your website.
    It took me a while to figure out what songs, which styles, and what songs were the most likely to get me playing and enjoying guitar again.
    This lesson is one step on my way back to normalcy, whatever that is these days.
    You have done a great service to anyone who wants to learn how to play.
    After this lesson, I’m going to continue working my way through the 30 to 40 different lessons I’ve selected as the foundation for myself.
    I appreciate your advice and the way you explain how we can adapt to playing songs our own individual way.
    David C

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