In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play a slow, laid-back lead in the style of the great J.J. Cale. I'll show you how everything starts with the minor pentatonic scale and how you can add 2 notes, converting it to D dorian mode. This one is easy to play from a technical standpoint and can be played fingerstyle or with a pick. … [Read more...]
Drop D Blues – Acoustic Solo Blues in Drop D Tuning – Blues Guitar Lesson EP354
In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn an acoustic blues in Drop D tuning, along with some general tips for playing blues in this tuning. This sounds great on acoustic or electric guitar (especially with a little overdrive and tremolo), and is a solo composition (no jam track needed). … [Read more...]
Rock, Blues Lead Guitar Lesson – Using the Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales – EP341
In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play a rock, blues lead that uses both minor and major pentatonic scales. I'll explain my thought process for choosing either the major or minor path when playing a solo. … [Read more...]
B.B. King Inspired Lead Guitar Lesson with a Key Change – EP339
In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play a slow and easy, B.B. King style lead by using the major pentatonic scale. I'll show you my trick for finding the major pentatonic scale triangle so that you can easily translate these licks to any key. The jam track for this lesson has a key change as well. … [Read more...]
Creative Rhythm Ideas – Rhythm Fill Licks plus a Simple B.B. King Style Lead – Guitar Lesson EP338
In this week's guitar lesson you'll learn several creative rhythm ideas to play over a soulful jam track. I'll show you several of my "go-to" rhythm fill lick ideas so that you can start using them when you play. I've also included a simple B.B. King style lead that uses what I refer to as the Blues Triangle. This one is full of takeaways! … [Read more...]
Learn a soulful, blues rhythm and lead on guitar – EP331
In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play both rhythm and lead over a soulful, blues up-tempo jam track. Lots of chords in this one! … [Read more...]
Blues Phrasing Mini-Series (3 of 3) Playing The Chord Changes – EP313
This is Part 3 (of 3) of a blues phrasing mini-series for guitar. If you've ever struggled with not knowing what to do with all of the scales and information that you've learned for guitar, this mini-series will be perfect for you. It's designed to give you some essential tools to get you improvising right away. This lesson builds on the information that you've learned in the first 2 parts of this mini-series (EP311 and EP312) by adding "playing the chord changes", which is when you change … [Read more...]
Blues Phrasing Mini-Series (2 of 3) Mixing the Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales – EP312
This is Part 2 (of 3) of a blues phrasing mini-series for guitar. If you've ever struggled with not knowing what to do with all of the scales and information that you've learned for guitar, this mini-series will be perfect for you. It's designed to give you some essential tools to get you improvising right away. This lesson focuses on combining the major and minor pentatonic scales so that they can be played in the same area, as opposed to 2 separate areas on the neck like we learned in the … [Read more...]
Jazzy Blues Lead Guitar Lesson in a Minor Key – EP308
In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play (and improvise) a blues lead (with a little jazz flavor) over a minor key jam track. You'll be playing the chord changes over the verse, alternating between a minor and a major chord. … [Read more...]
Learn a Jazzy, Blues Composition That You Can Play By Yourself on Guitar – Blues Guitar Lesson – EP289
In this week's lesson, you'll learn a solo blues composition (no accompaniment required) that isn't the typical 1, 4, 5 blues format. This has a jazzy chord arrangement to keep things interesting and give you ideas for other ways to play the blues (similar to Lonnie Johnson's approach). This also uses the "call & response" technique to allow you to alternate back and forth between chords and lead. Los of takeaways in this one! … [Read more...]
