Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, I’ll show you how to create melodic sounding solos by targeting chord tones when improvising. You’ll be “playing the chord changes” which means changing scales to match each chord change. Most of the notes you’ll be learning are pulled directly from chord shapes (not scales) which makes it easy to visualize where you can play on the neck.
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Part 2 - For Premium Members
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Slow Walk-Through Video
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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Sweet as broken dates…and wonderfully inventive! Excellent work again…I’m going to enjoy this. Many thanks again Brian.
Hello Brian,
In video part 2 you mentioned Willie Nelson
A long time ago you told me that you would spend a lesson on his way of playing.
When will you do so?
Kind regards,
Jaap
Awesome lesson, and so easy. Thanks Brian……..
Perfect , such as all the time But the color and the type of wearing remind me the soldier in the war zone.
Wish you best
Imi
I have been on your site now for about a month. All lessons are very well explained. This one in particular is excellent. Keep up your good work and thanks!!
Brilliant at 7 mins rough he sais may be a major breakthrough for some ,, Well from that very moment ive suddenly connected the whole neck in my c scale ,, thanks brian
Nice change of pace, Brian (3/4 instead of 4/4) and a beautiful lesson at that, Brian. Lots of take-aways as I can already tell. Thanks already for this one!
Definitely something to be said about a cool Western swing ballad………….deceptively tough to play and get the waltz down properly but when done correctly and melodically…….very soothing and universal! A lot of blues actually go into this classic style………….and a great concept to broaden our own musical horizons!! Jim C.
Even though you cover a lot of the same concepts in prior videos, sometimes it takes something special I can relate with to hit home. Playing to the chords is something I’ve only recently started experimenting with and this hit it out of the park for me. Love your western swing and jazz lessons- thank you!
Simply awesome and something completely different! Brian be careful with metal buttons and belt buckles etc.! lol cheers!
Waltz Across Texas !!! Love it Brian.
I like it! My new ES-335 has been getting quite a work out.
I also like the shirt…..So were did you get it? I know it’s off topic Brian but you were some really Cool threads! 90% of the time.
wait, only cool 90% of the time???
That’s pretty good considering everyone has different tastes, wait until you enter the fifties club Brain.
All kidding aside that shirt is awesome!
Ok 98%, it’s that yellow shirt the one time.
Some great takeaways!🎶
grate sound im steel working on it nice and smooth
Very useful. I sing a version of Evangeline that I just know I embellish with some of this.
Great lesson ! Shirt is great ! I agree too.
Brian,
You make that Epiphone sing! You’ll have to make a CD soon. Lovely sound.
Andrew
Brian
My first post to you! You are a champion. Thank you for the last year on active melody.
Ynot
100% cool shirt Brian lol.. just just be careful not to scratch your guitar lol.. Like the Gary Moore finger stretch positioning in measure 16.. I will use that too for the 1/4 double stop bends. very much a better secure smooth concept in that approach. I must watch your videos more closely. One never knows the better techniques until they try them both! cheers!
Love it, but i had to do my own thing over bar 16. Way too difficult for me.
Amazing lesson, sweet sounding guitar, super cool shirt – what more could we ask for?
Hi Brian,
This week it is a funny tune you play and a cool lesson as ever!! Thank you so much!!
Hello Brian,
I’ve been with you for a few months now and you have progressed my playing ability ten-fold!.
This western swing waltz is just what I have been looking for. Keep up the great work.
Toujours aussi extraordinaire, every week !!!! Thanks Brian !!!
What settings do you use on your amp. I want my guitar to sound like yours?
Brain ,,another great lesson, and I love the Epip! curious any mods to the guitar? it sounds great !!
No mods – everything is stock.
That’s a tasty one !!
Love this tasty piece and so well presented. Thank you Brian!
Great lesson Brian.Love Jazz/Western Swing. Lets see some more?
Yeah! More Western swing!
G’day Brain, nice one mate. Shades of Chet Atkins in there too. Isuppose you could just about do this finger style also , couldn’t you Brain? Cheers, Phil.
always a little Chet in this stuff – he was such a hero of mine. fingerstyle waltz.. hmmm well i suppose i could work it out
Thanks Brian, alittle bit of Chet somewhere down the track would be excellent. I’ll keep an eye out. Cheers, Brian. Phil.
Hello Brian,
I am one of your newest members from the UK and really pleased that I found your website. The guitar lessons are easy to follow, simply explained, and complimented by great backing tracks.
This may have been explained elsewhere on ActiveMelody, and I just have not discovered it yet, but it would be helpful, perhaps, if you could devote a lesson for guitarists to achieve the same sort of sound that you have. Tips regarding amp and guitar settings for the various styles, and what other pedals, or equipment, you personally find useful.
Best Regards
David
I love the dissonance at measure 16 that you attribute to David Rawlings, as well as the jazzy chord walkdown G6 to G9, Fm7/flat5, Fdim/add7 to C. How does one develop an ear for those subtle nuances that add so much? Nice work Brian. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Hi Brian It as taken me 50 years to find a tutor like you, many thanks.
I was apprehensive about this one at first for some reason I can’t explain but I’m so glad I worked on it everyday. It was loaded with gold nuggets and a very rewarding piece to learn. Thanks Brian.
Brian,
Once again, Thank you for the excellent explanations of how all these fit together. You make it looks so easy and then make it so easy. Keep up the excellent work sir, it is worth every moment I spend watching these lessons. Life would have been much easier and less frustrating if you had been my first guitar instructor.
Thanks again sir.
Hi Brian,
Thank you very much for this lovely lesson, it’s not just a excellent lesson but surely can be played as a standard Instrumental too!
Thanks again, Please keep it coming….
I’m doing this for November challenge..you doing an extension for this lesson before the deadline ? Loloh my I had to ask
not that i’m aware of 🙂
Yay! – I managed to learn play this one through to the end on the slow walk through and the timing was MOSTLY right- for a relative beginner this was big –
Is it Brien I am talking to? – I have a problem regarding EP229:- The web-site won’t let me into part2 or the sheet music section. Can you please fix the problem? Regards Tom
Tom, this is probably related to your browser. The solution that usually works for people is to close all opened tabs in your browser, close it, and restart it. If for some reason that doesn’t work (and it should), you could always try using a different browser, i.e. Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.
Brian
It just doesn’t get any more melodic than this, thanx for sharing Brian. Can you tell me what gauge strings you use? I want to learn to string bend. Thanx again
That is a great lesson. Your explanation of everything in the lesson was very helpful. I really enjoyed learning to play a waltz.
Today I came back to this lesson in order to get it to dancing tempo. It started to snow outside – It’s still too smaltzy!!
Brian,
Love the Western Swing. I can even play this one up to tempo.
Dick
Thanks for this lesson. I love the Western Swing but the I love all of your lessons. This reminds me a lot of Alvin Crowe’s (an Austin musician) “Broken Spoke Waltz”. I have always wanted a little insight into that tune. These lessons represent the best way that I have spent my money in quite a while!
Is there any way I can copy these lessons down to my computer so I can practice when I do not have internet access?
Thanks for the nice lesson. But please explain why the chord 2 bars below G6 with same shape should be G9 but not F6.
The cord contains F-D-A-F (thats close to D9) while chord G9 sholdl have G B D A !
It’s also an F6 🙂
thanks Brian
Brian I listen to at least one of your lessons every week…..Quite a while back I began getting your e-mail lessons which were great but I decided to join your program of lessons for $65.00 a year & have been so very excited & happy with the lessons you provide… I am becoming a much better player…..I learn very slowly but I’ve looked at a number of lessons available on the internet & for myself YOUR LESSONS ARE WAY AHEAD OF ANY OF THEM….VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND AND FUN TO LEARN…..
I RECENTLY GOT AQUAITED WITH A YOUNG BOY FROM OUR CONGREGATION IN CHURCH…. HES BEEN TAKING LESSONS & PLAYING FOR AROUND 3 YEARS SINCE HE WAS ABOUT 8 YRARS OLD……well I spoke with his father about looking at your site….. & at least signing up for your e-mails…..this was just the other day….HOWEVER IF THEY DONT SIGHN UP I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO GET THEM A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION FOR A YEAR….you are such an inspiration to me and I share your passion for the love of playing the guitar as I have mentioned before to you…I know Zanner would learn much from you his dad is Robert…….last name isBaker….
So how would I get the gift subscription????
This is immaterial of course, but at the beginning of the lesson, about the 7 minute mark, you talk about the C major scale pent pattern one. That position to me is the C major pent scale pattern 5. Weird how we learn things differently. Anyway, since I get what you are saying about tying the notes into playing over the C chord, it’s a moot point. I love the way you teach to play over chords. It opens up the fretboard for me and gets me out of the pattern “box”. Thank you Brian.
I really like this piece, and I remember having once found a slightly different (later?) treatment of the same tune here on AM, but I can’t locate it now. Can anyone point me at it?
Barry
Aha, I found it – it’s EP382.