Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Solo Blues Guitar Lesson in A – Standard 12 Bar Blues – EP127

Description

In this lesson we’re going back to basics regarding the blues. I realized it’s been a while since I’ve created a standard 12 bar blues (I, IV, V progression). I wanted to create a solo guitar composition so that you can play this one completely on your own, no jam track required. These no accompaniment pieces are great for both practice and playing for others. When practicing, try to take the licks that I’ve given you and expand upon this piece by adding some licks of your own. You’ll eventually get to a point where you can just improvise it and do it on the fly.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access

Slow Walk-Through - For Premium Members

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access

Video Tablature Breakdown

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access
Curious about the benefits of
Premium Membership?
Try it for FREE!
arrow_downYou need to be logged in as a premium member to access the tab, MP3 jam tracks, and other assets. Learn More

Add to "My Favorites"

You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this content.

Comments

  9. Manley says

    Brian,
    You always say to print out the tab to follow along.
    Well I’m not the smartest knife in the drawer sometimes.
    Until today. By doing this I was able to add in notaction to
    The tabs and this is going be so much less confusion.

    And to you thanks for being a great teacher, I have learned
    A lot especially over last 3, 4 lessons.
    Manley;

  18. Manley says

    Brian, last night after I worked through the lesson I shared it to couple guitar groups I belong in.
    One is called Blues Guitar Lessons, and the other is Guitar Alfonso.
    The video has gotten a lot of likes and shares from both groups. Now how I did it was I took the Facebook lesson you posted then save it to me only and from there I was able to share the video to the groups. In other words they only got to see the free version.
    As a business owner I would never steal the pay section and just give it away. I think you will be getting few more clients.
    Every week I talk it up for in appreation of you having a course that I’m able to play.

  23. Peter C says

    Great lesson Brian, I am loving these blues “no accompaniment” lessons. Great fun to learn and play. I’m trying to extend the length of them by making up additional 12 bar arrangements, but don’t have the level of musicianship that you do. How do we get the knowledge to know that ending on an A sixth chord, for instance, resolves perfectly in this piece. Had I not seen you do it, I might have been inclined to end on A, for example. I’d really like to be able to make up and play longer pieces. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Cheers, Peter

  24. hansell says

    Another great post Brian! Thanks!
    You seem to out-do yourself every week.
    Problem is, I can’t keep up to all the posts you put out.
    But hey, I’m not complaining – just wishing I had more time.
    Lately I’ve been trying to fit in some of your old nuggets like from way back on page 7 or 8.
    Who needs any other guitar course?

  25. ben4given says

    Like others Brian, I’m always amazed how you can come up with a new lesson each week. Now if only I could learn them in a week! Learning to copycat what you are doing is one thing, but creating these lessons from scratch puts you in a whole different league. Thanks for sharing with us copycats.

  26. Ronamach says

    Thanks for another great blues lesson Brian. You’re an amazing composer and teacher. I really like this slower tempo, which gives my poor brain and fingers a chance to keep up. I printed the tab and wonder if you’re missing a note at the end of bar 22? Does this run go: G#-B-C#-E? If so, I’m not clear on the timing. Is it the same as bar 10? Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

  33. Don D. says

    Thank you! Another excellent lesson. You’re teaching at a pace that’s both understandable and challenging for me, adding much to my riff vocabulary.

    Funny thing about the I-IV-V blues–that exact progression never appears. I’m not disputing the usefulness of the term, just saying.

  35. frankie05 says

    hmmm, doesn’t look like the download tab tracked that well. Not the notes you went thru in the lesson, doesn’t look like it matches the video with the tabs running on the bottom. I just got thru the first few bars so far….

    • Brian says

      Frankie, if you go to the onscreen tab viewer – change it to “Synthetic” instead of “Video” mode, you’ll be able to hear the actual MIDI notes. I listened to the playback and it sounded accurate to me. It’s impossible to get everything 100% – I might have overlooked a note or 2 which happens when I play it. No matter how hard I work at memorizing it exactly, sometimes I might do something slightly different. It should be pretty darn close though.

  38. Rori says

    Thanks I really like this lesson. Brian is there anyway we can save these to use off line? I live in a place where I have to us a 3G phone for the Internet and it is not always good. Would be much appreciated

    • 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.

      • sunjamr says

        Living sometimes in a remote area of New Zealand, I have the same problem. I deal with it by printing the tabs, then watch the video and make notes on the tab sheet (slide here, palm mute there, keep index and ring finger in place there). That way I only need to watch the video once.

  39. timothy9 says

    Lord have mercy! To quote Muddy Waters. Great lesson. As someone said earlier, these licks really start to make sense when you see them played in the context of chord changes.
    Best wishes from Canada ,for Thanksgiving ,to you and all the site members.

  42. David Milers says

    I loved this lesson also, but without wanting to sound at all negative, as a beginner, I found it quite a complex arrangement of licks. If I heard somebody play this down at my local pub, I would have assumed that they were either playing in a regular working band, or some kind of session musician.

    As a beginner who has just got to the stage of being able to play a 12 barre blues without having to actually count out the 12 barre’s in my head, I would have been very keen to try a simpler set of pentatonic licks between the one/four and five chords and to work up to something more complex over the course of a few lessons ( Brian?? )

    David Miles ( UK )

    • Brian says

      David, it’s obviously impossible to create something that is suitable for everyone, because we’re all at different stages of learning. As for playing a simpler set of pentatonic licks between the one, four, and five chords – you can do that. In all of these lessons I encourage you do create your own licks in those spots if something is too difficult.

  44. orient2k says

    Brian This lesson has motivated me in picking up my guitar again and practice for hours. What is unique about your lessons is that you always show and tell how you arrived to your licks..
    Thanks for another great and inspiring lesson.

    Kim

  45. BradBowie says

    This is another great lesson Brian! It really amazes me how you take a little from various artists and turn these lessons into master pieces. You are a great teacher Brian!! Thank you so much… Brad

  46. AndersDejenfelt says

    I really liked this lesson! Some really good sounding old tricks you taught this time. And then put them together in one song, great. I’m going to make this one of my standards, that way all these licks will become part of me. More of this, please!

  48. Britboy48 says

    Thanks Brian, I love these no band needed pieces. Would like to see more using the same rhythm but different lead styles to show what else you can do over the standard 12 bar. Keep it up! I’m enjoying playing more now than for a long time.

  52. Habakkuk says

    I love this 12 bar blues sequence. I haven’t got an electric guitar, but my acoustic handles it pretty well with a few modifications because I can’t do full bends. It also works nicely with a finger style approach. I like the key of A, it’s so versatile.

  55. dennis g says

    Really enjoyed learning this.It has taken me 8 weeks but is the first tune i have studied.
    As a relative novice l find your comments such as “a James Brown “chord and then a little demo helps enthuse me.
    Best Wishes from England!

  57. Jimmybond says

    This is the perfect lesson for my level. By playing through this song it helps me to perfect and remember the licks which are all amazing. I now have some nice moves to use and improvise in other keys around the fretboard. Many thanks for this lesson….

    Please share more of these building blocks so I can construct my own houses 😉

  59. JohnStrat says

    Hi Brian i know the to do list is very long but I wonder if a que hopper might grab a spot?? Being entries for the forum quest have to be in by the end of the month it sees to me that a jam track made from your slow play through being repeated two or three times would be really helpfull for practicing with kind regards john strat

  62. André M says

    i got it ! thanks mate ! it’s a very clever and beautiful progression in A key blues… opens up the mind on what we could do with a bar chord… if we use our greymatter a little 8)
    thank you again, very very nice piece !!
    it made me laugh and smile when i first played it straight !! guess it got me proud upon myself… that’s another reason why i’m re-apropriating the instrument, it nourishes the spirit !!
    cheer-up comrades !! see you all in a while for another tune… 8)

  63. Graham W says

    Brian, this is so good it makes my brain FIZZ like sherbet. You have unlocked several entire areas of the blues for me in a single lesson.
    Thanks for all the hard work you put into it – you are a gifted arranger and teacher.

    Graham

  68. Graham W says

    This is a wonderful lesson Brian, opened up the blues for me.

    Is there any way to LOOP a video? I use Chromecast to link from my mac to a larger TV and I have to get up from the guitar every 3 minutes to re-start the video on my laptop. Would be great if I could just click a button on the video that would loop until I was finished practising.

    Thanks in advance

    Graham

  72. jeff a says

    this one drew my attention to active melody. didn’t think i’d ever subscribe to a site like this until i saw brian teaching. very pleased to be a new member and am looking forward to raising my level of play and musical knowledge over this next year and beyond

  74. Robert M says

    As with all lessons and even recordings I always find a ‘hook’ that draws me in. In this lesson it’s that D7 you did at the very end …..I’ve heard you do it before I just can’t remember where! Love this one.

  75. Scott C says

    Lately I have been trying to learn which scales to use over the caged chords- both minor and major. Whenever I get bogged down and wonder why I am playing, I come to Active Melody. You are always providing a more practical way to apply theory without getting into the black hole. I really appreciate your approach. I get cues in all your lessons of how to apply the theory I am learning to make MUSIC. Thanks

  77. Mark M says

    Brian – many thanks. Dug this one out of the archives and joined your group. This one lesson was worth the one year price of admission. It ties together a lot of things that were scattered around in my head but could not be put into a coherent plan! Hours of fun and some challenges to be sure. Many thanks. Mark

  79. Bern F says

    Great one, come across this whilst sitting on the john so reached for the Jim Dandy I keep on a wall hanger next to it, didn’t even have to retune from drop D. Hendrix and Clapton practised sitting on the john too, but that is the only similarities my guitar playing has to theirs : )

  82. Paul N says

    I didn’ realize folks were still commenting 7+ years after a lesson’s release! Anyway. as I work my back through your catalog. it’s all good Brian! As you got older, your teaching methods and your use of technology got better, but the roots, explanations and compositions of the music were, and still, all great!

Leave a Reply

Recent Lessons

Contact

For all support questions email: support@activemelody.com
For all other inquires email: brian@activemelody.com