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Learn to play blues guitar.

Western Swing Style Rhythm Guitar Lesson – EP185

Description

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to spice up your rhythm playing with some jazzy sounding chord substitutes. Western Swing is a great format for this because it combines, blues, jazz, and country and creates techniques that can be applied to any of those styles. In addition to explaining the theory behind the chords, I’ll break down the rhythm pattern. The MP3 jam track for this lesson comes in 2 tempos as well.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Part 3 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-Through

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  4. Want to be a guitar player that people want to play with….a good rhythm player is always in demand….Rhythm is the heart beat of the band not to discount the drummer and bass. Great lesson Brian.

  6. What enjoyable lesson,, a happy Western swing not hard yet very good as you described plenty of great study here mixing a bit of western jazz blues about suspended 7th chords /extensions /double stops /triads / chords and their arpeggios !!! Really learned this relative minor to it’s major..very good teaching here thank you Brian,, i will look back after this one ,,going to do the T Bone Walker again!!! ty and Happy New year!

  18. wow!

    In football terms…”way to coach it up!>>Brian” I remember the t bone walker lesson and I see the similarities…I improvised using part one for 2 hours last nite- and had a blast..just got thru part 2…

    ..ding!..I guess you can noodle around like that with any chord…minor, etc……and thats what you have been saying all along..wow…it takes a while to get the hang of it and to be able to visualize the chord…

    thanks

  20. Just joined and every lesson is so enlightening it’s hard to focus on one . Thanks for all the eye opening information Brian. You teach how to play rather than just what notes to play. So much insight. Kudos on another awesome lesson!!!

  21. Very interesting how to make the different chords. So a question for your comment Brian, when you moved down two frets and made an A9 chord coming from the A6, does that not mean that an A9 is the same as a G6? Normally I thought of moving up or down I change the root but keep the same chord structure. In this example you moved and keep the same root name and changed the chord name. More confusion to my music world. Thanks.

      • Thanks Brian. (I assume you meant A9 is like G6 as I was inquiring). One further theory question then. You mention you are only using triads here, so something is left out. With the theory aspect of a 6 chord to fully be composed of R356 and for a 9th fully being R357b9. It appears then common to be leaving out the 5th in the 6th and the 3rd in the 9th? It certainly sounds good, so must be good. But for a somewhat beginner as I am ((who goes back to some of the theory for understanding), when you say you making the A6 or 9, here you are really making partial of both, right? Hope I am making my enquiry clear enough. Thanks for the great lessons.

        • You’re correct, it would be only a partial chord which is why it could be either a minor chord (the relative minor) or the A6 or A9. It depends on the context. Just like the minor / major pentatonic scale.. they’re the same patterns… it just depends on the chord or root note underneath it to define it.

  23. Brian. I really appreciate your lessons.
    You are able to teach both practice and theory in the same lesson. Learning to play nice music and learning theory at the same time keeps the interest high. This latest lesson EP185-Western Swing Rhytm was again a splendid example of a good one. Nice tune, good tempo and spirit and it’s complete material e.g. TAB containing right hand up and down strikes etc.
    I am very happy to be your student. You are the best of the internet based guitar teachers that I have found so far.
    I am wishing you all the best for this ongoing year 2017.

  25. Well I’m a bit confused. Playing the same chord and calling it a F# minor at times and at other times calling it an A6. The caveman in me says I wish he’d make up his mind :). Obviously I’m missing something?

  26. You make me laugh Brian. Especially when you jump into a chord shape and use it on different frets and say “I’m getting off track here” lol. But it makes a lot of sense…..I know you’ve being teaching and playing along time. But I’m always impressed how dam good you really are.

  27. I was tempted to give this a miss as Western Swing isn’t quite my thing but after listening to Brian’s intro comments thought I’d give it a go. Wow! Glad I did, this lesson is stacked with useful info. Its going to take a while for it all to sink in and I’m going to have to go back to it a few times, but really good stuff Brian! Thanks!

  29. Awesome lesson! I’ll be using so many elements of this lesson in so many of the songs I’ll be playing–I’m already “stealing” some of these elements for my own composition. Thank you, Brian.

  31. I’m probably among the least talented guitars and at 80 years of age among the oldest, mos of this stuff I knew, but couldn’t apply it.
    Western Swing is my favorite music . And I have marveled at some of the best in the business , doing this exact stuff. Now I can do it
    Thanks for the great lesson, there is so much to take from this lesson. I definitely will be using this from now on. This lesson paid for this year’s subscription. I’ve been following you for about 3 yr. love what you do .
    Thanks a lot. And happy new year to you and yours.

  35. This is one of those lessons where I start out thinking “No way I can play this… ” and then Brian breaks it down, makes it all seem so simple. Next thing you know, I’m playing it (not quite full speed yet, of course!)

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