Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

3 Blues nuances you should know! Guitar Lesson – ML149

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson you’ll learn 3 commonly used nuances that can enhance your Blues lead playing. Easy to implement. I can do more of these if there’s an interest, just let m know in the comments.

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Comments

  6. Nelson V says

    i would like to see more of these, especially ones that work on acoustic as well as electric. I also appreciate that you explain where they come from (caged shape, scale form, etc.) rather than just tabbing them out and saying play these notes. Thank you

  8. daniel M says

    I always like your connecting the caged positions with the piece that you have put together, but I think your limiting the lesson by producing it this way. Within your expanded lessons you have covered so much that can be gleaned from what you are trying to get across. I’d rather you return to full ep lessons. Unless within your business model its better to stay with the more abundant ml lessons.

  15. Lesley O says

    Great stuff Brian, thankyou. Short but not so simple – some really fun and useful techniques to concentrate on here.
    I love these short lessons which encourage us to focus on skills to apply to our playing, rather than learning a song.
    Last weeks lesson was great as well by the way…..still working on that!! Something for everyone as always.
    Just one suggestion – I have occasionally tried to find alternative backing tracks to play some of your previous lesson blues arrangements to, in an effort to adapt what I have learnt to different tempos and rhythms. If you can occasionally point us in the direction of suitable backing tracks (by Quist for example), or backing tracks of your own from previous lessons, that might be helpful. Thankyou for all your efforts as always

  21. JEROME L says

    Hi Brian, and every one.
    I appreciate the micro-lessons for reasons I’ve already mentioned in the comments;
    they are more manageable and allow you to focus on specific elements to progress and improve.
    I’m in favor of more lessons in this format.
    However, even if it takes me several months to learn some of your songs, I think other more advanced people will want you to continue the classic lessons with your amazing compositions.
    I really like that you alternate between the two formats ‘epXXX’ and ‘MLXXX’ like you’ve been doing for several months.
    Please don’t give up either of them.
    Thank you so much for all your efforts.
    Have a good week.

  22. Rob N says

    Yes, I’d like to see this continue as a series.

    I like the idea of limiting this to a single chord – to demonstrate some of the many possibilities you can work out of that simple harmonic area. Maybe future lessons could focus in on the nuances surrounding the IV and V chord? Also, turnarounds.

  25. Greg O says

    Yes I love, love this type of info! Really separates just playing to expressing a feeling or mood. It’s the difference maker. Keep it up!
    I’ve been playing a lot of bluegrass lately
    I bet there is a ton of spice that relates to that genre as well.

  26. János G says

    Hi everyone,fellow guitar players! I’am Gyaresz from Hungary! Brian,keep creating more of these!Listening to you and learning from you makes me certain that we should never look for challenges,but rather understand the callings! Long live Active Melody!

  28. james w says

    Fantastic addition to work on would like to see additional ones on different keys major and /or minor. would be interesting to explore in some 6th and 9th chords for a jazz/blues sound.

  36. Fran M says

    Brian, every time I get to a point where I tell myself…ok don’t flag another lesson for review until you digest what you’ve already flagged…you do it again by coming up with another great one that fits where I am in this old-man guitar journey of mine! I’m struggling to make up for a mis-spent youth of not playing:)

    I’ve got categories of lessons (e.g. theory, phrasing, per artist, etc.) which are beginning to burst at the seams with lessons I haven’t gotten to yet and now a new category “nuances”. Please do add to this series when you can.

    Brian, your site is kinda like going back in time before the overwhelming internet. You’ve talked about the days of your own past where learning centered around someone showing you something you added to the toolbox. That’s what Active Melody is for me. Problem is the new tools come faster than they would without the internet being the medium:)

    Anyway, thanks again and be well!

  45. Brian M says

    Brian, you are on a roll with the past 3 lessons, each offering something to build on as we progress. The nuances series will be well worth our time mixed in with your other longer form EPs.

  49. David S says

    Enjoyed this lesson.Not extremely complicated but sounds fantastic.That is one thing I love about the blues.Key of E is great for the open strings .Your lessons are really w!! Enjoyed it!!

  54. John H says

    I agree with all the above – It’s very helpful to get info from Brian in smaller chunks – Much easier to digest since I can only take in so much at one time – Great stuff for sure !!

  64. Dick S says

    Great lesson Brian. I’ve added another rhythm guitar to my band and that leaves me room now to explore more of these little additions to the chordal rhythm. Keep ‘em coming. Great.

  71. MANUEL M says

    Je commence à trouver des exercices pour approfondir mes improvisations. Je mets mon métronome en ternaire à 70 bpm, je joue une mesure de Ml149 et une mesure d’improvisation en comptant les 4 temps pour être en mesure C’est très important à mon avis de respecter la carrure. Ensuite je passe à la mesure suivante avec le même principe…..

  76. Mark K says

    Yes, let’s do some more. I have a question for you. I just received this email on September 1st. Yet I see responses as from other members as early August 26th six days before I received my email. Why is that?

  78. David M says

    It’s really cool, Brian, when you point out and explain things that I (we) tend to do in my (our) playing, but just never realized it or why works. Specifically, the Mid fret pull off in a minor pentatonic scale. Thank you .

  81. Brad C says

    It’s a LIGHTBULB MOMENT, Brian!! That semitone pull-off is the thing I’ve been hearing and just having been able to put my fingers on. Thank you! Yes, totally keep this series going on Blues Nuances – it’s the spice that really makes the flavour.

  91. Thomas G says

    Please add my yes to further Blues nuance lessons. And I also agree that the way you put the various moves in CAGED and chord contexts is very useful. You’re gradually getting me to see the fretboard differently, which makes for a much less anxious experience when I’m playing. Thanks, Brian.

  95. Eugene W says

    I’d definitely like to see more lessons in this style. With some lessons, it takes me a fair amount of time and effort to really absorb the material and work it into my playing. Sometimes I want to keep practicing, but I get worn out, ‘even though I still feel like playing, so I end up drifting into aimless noodling. A lesson like this seems like a great way to extend my practice session with something less demanding but still genuinely useful.

  98. Samantha W says

    I just watched all of your pentatonic foundation lessons a couple weeks ago and picked up a lot of that quickly and this lesson was really fun and easy to add to the pentatonic stuff I am currently absorbing. I would love to see more of this. Thanks!

  100. Jared M says

    Fantastic lesson! The smaller size is really helpful for someone like me who is still working on the fundamentals and can easily get bogged down with chord changes and the accompanying different scales. Also, there were elements that were explained in this lesson that I have had questions about for quite a while from other lessons (where there was no explanation). For example, the pull-off’s using notes that are not in the pentatonic scale and are not blues or 7th chord notes. That one had me baffled for more than a year now. I have a tendency to be pedantic and knowing the details really helps me as I am used to learning by precise sheet music as opposed to just going by feel and ear (although I am working on these aspects and the video tablature breakdown and looper have been very beneficial in this regard).

  102. David T says

    Brian….. I have only been a member for a few weeks but am massively impressed.

    There is such a wealth of knowledge here!

    I am currently looking at the recent blues nuances…. more please!

    The acoustic Clapton stuff is also brilliant!

    Sooo glad that I joined up!😁👏👏👏

    Dave Thain UK

  104. Georg B says

    Hi Brian,
    I watched your interview on the Gary Dranow Show, and what stands out to me—aside from your expertise on the guitar—is simply that you want to be nothing more and nothing less than who you are. You just come across as a wonderful person. In today’s world, that’s more valuable than ever. People like that are my true heroes.
    The tip in your lesson last Saturday—that you can always use a hammer-on wherever there’s just one empty fret in between my pentatonic scales was another highlight for me. These simple yet brilliant tips make the fretboard feel a little more familiar to me every time.
    Without you, I wouldn’t have discovered the guitar in this way, nor would I have found the joy in playing that I have today. Thank you so much for that.
    Georg

  106. Andy says

    Hello Brian
    Love this lesson, great job and please continue this as a new series.
    Could you please put a special mark on the TAB when you hybrid pick the high note on the high e string with the finger?
    That would be very helpful, thanks a lot for your support getting me a better player since the last years

  132. wannaplayblues says

    Would definitely like more of these Blues nuances style lessons. It’s stuff like this that makes a player sound more “prefesional” (for want of a better word) in my opinion. It really makes for understanding the style of the Blues, to me.

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