Need Advice: Where is there a course on soloing over 1,4,5 chord changes?

ChicagoNed

Blues Newbie
Hi All,

I have entered my 2nd month of membership and what I want to get out of the site is listed above in the subject line. I am self taught, advanced beginner/intermediate, I play by ear. My eyes gloss over when Griff starts talking about 3rds, 5ths, flatted 7th, etc. There's just no way I can absorb theory. My experience has been that all my teachers picked up guitar at an early age, were music majors and theory is 2nd nature to them.

I am pretty good at the pentatonic scales and boxes in my favorite keys, love shuffles, have my own licks but can't quite understand how and when to do it over the 4th and 5th chords, all I know is try to resolve on the root note. I was on the lessons called Chord by Chord Blues Soloing and had to quit halfway through, I couldn't learn new scales since my pentatonic are imprinted in my brain.

I've looked through about a dozen courses, can anyone point me towards a class about soloing over the chord changes?

Many thanks,

Ned
 
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Paleo

Student Of The Blues
"Killer Blues Solos Made Easy" may be Griff's shortest and most overlooked course.

He cover his "3 Rules" and discusses "target" notes over the chord changes in both minor and Major.

Also a quick intro to bends, pull-offs and slides and last, but not least, a complete solo putting it all together.

A good basic intro to the essentials.
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I'd like to ask a more basic question.
What exactly are you not getting from the course(s) you already own?
I can't think of a single course in Griff's catalogue that doesn't show you how to play over the I, IV & V, Including How To Improvise Blues Solos (ok, maybe the strumming courses and the Theory Course don't).
In the simplest method, just play the minor pentatonic over all three chords. If you are playing in, let's say A, play the A minor pentatonic over the A, the D and the E.
 

ChicagoNed

Blues Newbie
Thanks everyone, I will look those courses up. I went back to his free site I subscribe to and to me that's easier thus far to find what I'm looking for.
 

ChicagoNed

Blues Newbie
I don't know what you mean by being an AAP member? I do the $29 a month thing. He has a free site that has a ton of videos and that's how I know of him:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNYxwW8unya2DCgENZcYvMg

I have belonged to many pay sites for a month or two, get what I can use and then move on. I do really love Griff's style although now that I have belonged to about 8 other sites, I have stumbled across several aspects of his site that could use a more streamlined user experience. I suggested it via email but got a response to use the forum, but that seems like a lot of work. Specifically, when he teaches a technique and it has a backing track in that relevant key under it, why can't we find it on that page and also download it? That would help us practice what we just learned.

Also, it would be very helpful if there were on screen buttons to skip 10 seconds back and forward. On the longer lessons it is very frustrating to go back a bit to see his fingers again. Most of the better guitar teaching sites have those features.

I am trying to figure out these forums. Is it that every category of his membership site has their own forum?

Thanks,

Ned
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I don't know what you mean by being an AAP member? I do the $29 a month thing. He has a free site that has a ton of videos and that's how I know of him:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNYxwW8unya2DCgENZcYvMg

I have belonged to many pay sites for a month or two, get what I can use and then move on. I do really love Griff's style although now that I have belonged to about 8 other sites, I have stumbled across several aspects of his site that could use a more streamlined user experience. I suggested it via email but got a response to use the forum, but that seems like a lot of work. Specifically, when he teaches a technique and it has a backing track in that relevant key under it, why can't we find it on that page and also download it? The backing tracks are all packaged in a zip file & found on the first page in each course, because most of us wanted to be able to download them all at once That would help us practice what we just learned.

Also, it would be very helpful if there were on screen buttons to skip 10 seconds back and forward While there is no ability to skip back and forth by ten seconds (that WOULD be nice) you CAN set a loop in all the newer courses, which does something similar for you. On the longer lessons it is very frustrating to go back a bit to see his fingers again. Most of the better guitar teaching sites have those features.

I am trying to figure out these forums. Is it that every category of his membership site has their own forum? Yes, Each course has an area within the Forum for discussion and recordings. That just made it easier to find what you are looking for without having to do a search.

Thanks,

Ned

I think I've answered three of your questions in green within the quote above.
Just my two cents...
The YourTube site, while having tons of great stuff is just little nibbles. to really get the most learning, you need a full course.

I think that you will find that Griff's teaching style will outweigh any perceived deficiency in the video user interface and you will over time want to stick with just Griff. One thing he has always said is:
You should pick ONE teacher. It doesn't have to be me (Griff), but you will benefit from having ONE voice instruction you.
 
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Paleo

Student Of The Blues
I do the $29 a month thing.
That's AAP, All Access Pass.
He has a free site
That's a YouTube Channel.

You can find the same videos on his blog page, which are listed with the most recent first. It also has search capabilities.

http://bluesguitarunleashed.com/blog/category/lessons/

You have access to every lesson in every course, as well as recorded videos of every "live" session stored in the archives. These videos all have "looping" capability.
 
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snarf

making guitars wish they were still trees
My eyes gloss over when Griff starts talking about 3rds, 5ths, flatted 7th, etc. There's just no way I can absorb theory.
I've been around music all my life, but didn't start trying to learn theory until probably 10 years ago. The thing that helped me the most was when I realized that we're talking about 3rds, 5ths, 7ths, etc. Those are just numbers. Numbers are math. Math makes sense to me. A lot of music theory is just math. I can count to 8, so I can understand music theory. 1 and 8 are the roots. Everything else falls in between those. I'm not a theory whiz by any stretch, but I can get it to make sense now. It worked for me, but as with anything, ymmv.

As to your question, depending on how intermediate you think you are, you might take a look at How to Improvise Blues Solos. I think it covers what you're asking pretty well.
 

ChicagoNed

Blues Newbie
Thanks Snarf! Yes, that's my whole problem, I'm practically dyslexic at math, numbers, and music is ALL MATH, that's why I had a 41 career in the creative visual arts, I did not need numbers (except for bookkeeping). I compensate by playing by ear and what's great about blues, now that I have a Strat, is if I'm off a bit I can bend or slide to where I was spose to hit. But once Griff or any teacher starts talking bout 3rds, flatted 5ths, Doria Mode, etc., ugh, I tune out. I'm a Monkey See/Monkey Do visual learner.

I'm retired, 67, quit guitar around 20 so was on a 47 year hiatus, picked it again a couple of years ago and realize being self taught I have a LOT of bad habits. The only human teachers I have had was the last year at the Chicago Old Town School of Folk Music. What I have learned is that all the great guitarists, my teachers in person and all these online teachers, is that they picked up the guitar at 10-15 years old, were music majors in high school and college, and to them theory is mandatory. My quest is to find a teacher who like me is self taught, a street musician type, does not know any theory but yet sounds great. Still looking...

Best,

Ned
 

PapaBear

Guit Fiddlier
Thanks Snarf! Yes, that's my whole problem, I'm practically dyslexic at math, numbers, and music is ALL MATH, that's why I had a 41 career in the creative visual arts, I did not need numbers (except for bookkeeping). I compensate by playing by ear and what's great about blues, now that I have a Strat, is if I'm off a bit I can bend or slide to where I was spose to hit. But once Griff or any teacher starts talking bout 3rds, flatted 5ths, Doria Mode, etc., ugh, I tune out. I'm a Monkey See/Monkey Do visual learner.

I'm retired, 67, quit guitar around 20 so was on a 47 year hiatus, picked it again a couple of years ago and realize being self taught I have a LOT of bad habits. The only human teachers I have had was the last year at the Chicago Old Town School of Folk Music. What I have learned is that all the great guitarists, my teachers in person and all these online teachers, is that they picked up the guitar at 10-15 years old, were music majors in high school and college, and to them theory is mandatory. My quest is to find a teacher who like me is self taught, a street musician type, does not know any theory but yet sounds great. Still looking...

Best,

Ned
Well if your blessed with perfect pitch and can play by ear I don't know that there's much a self taught street musician type could help you with, and I wouldn't confuse knowing intervals (or the values of a note) aka 3rds, 5ths, flatted or not with learning theory, with good pitch I would think knowing the value of a note would be a big plus, but alas, I don't have perfect pitch so I wouldn't really know
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I'm not a theory guy at all, but if you want to get good at playing, want to play with others, take some of the "work" out of learning things, then understanding a bit of "theory" helps.

Here's the very LEAST theory you need:
The chords in any scale are in a numerical order. and we use Roman numerals to depict them:
For instance in the keys of C and A...
I ii iii IV V iv vii
Chord/Key: C Dm Em F G Am B
A B C# D E F# G#
(The vii is usually diminished.. don't worry about it it's rarely used)


In blues we generally play the I, IV , V chords (C, F & G above), but at a jam someone may say "Take it from the Five" You need to know that that means the IV chord or G in this instance.

That's the bare minimum, but I'd include this too:

Now if you WANT to know when & why are some major (upper case) and some Minor (lower case), then you need more theory. Check out Griff's (or any online) discussion of the Standard Harmony Rule.
I've found this helpful when at a jam said "It's not a standard One, Four, Five. It's One, Four, Two, Five.") I realized that the TWO was ii (minor).
You need to know how to build a Major Scale and you do that by using the Standard Harmony Rule.
It simply states that a scales is made up of a sequence of notes that can be determined by using the following W W H W W W H rule (The W= Whole Step, the H = Half Step)
Steps = Frets on a guitar.

so in the above example

W W H W W W H
In the key of C (C D E F G A B C)
you have:
C
then a Whole step to D
Whole Step to E
Half step to F
Whole Step to G
Whole Step to A
Whole Step to B
Half Step to C

W W H W W W H
In the key of A (A B C# D E F# G# A)
you have:
A
then a Whole step to B
Whole Step to C#
Half step to D
Whole Step to E
Whole Step to F#
Whole Step to G#
Half Step to A


I hope this helps more than it confuses.
If all this still makes no sense, don't sweat it for now. You can still play without knowing this. It should make some sense when you are ready for it.
 
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JackRunnels

Blues Newbie
Hi All,

I have entered my 2nd month of membership and what I want to get out of the site is listed above in the subject line. I am self taught, advanced beginner/intermediate, I play by ear. My eyes gloss over when Griff starts talking about 3rds, 5ths, flatted 7th, etc. There's just no way I can absorb theory. My experience has been that all my teachers picked up guitar at an early age, were music majors and theory is 2nd nature to them.

I am pretty good at the pentatonic scales and boxes in my favorite keys, love shuffles, have my own licks but can't quite understand how and when to do it over the 4th and 5th chords, all I know is try to resolve on the root note. I was on the lessons called Chord by Chord Blues Soloing and had to quit halfway through, I couldn't learn new scales since my pentatonic are imprinted in my brain.

I've looked through about a dozen courses, can anyone point me towards a class about soloing over the chord changes?

Many thanks,

Ned
Well if you are still in the start at learning how to play guitar go for Beginning Blues Guitar course If at the intermediate level go for the Blues Guitar Unleashed 2.0. It showing me in the course the solo part now. I still done know theory either.
 

ChicagoNed

Blues Newbie
Thanks everyone! I'm getting more familiar with the navigation.

And Mike S, I learned the W W H W W W H in a bluegrass seminar, to skip the halves in between E/F and B/C, the trick is: Bill Clinton Eats Food. I remember him being shamed for his love of Big Macs.

The nice thing about dropping into a bluegrass jam is if I'm confused I can watch the other guitarists's hands and quickly get the progression.

I will do a deep dive this week into the site to see if it's better to just but the annual. My goal is to get good at jamming to backtracks as a solitary hobby, I have no intention of interfacing with humans, I'm good in the Keys of E & A but I also need to branch out by mixing minor and major. It feels constrictive to just be in the minor pentatonics.

Thanks,

Ned
 

PeterSantago

Blues Newbie
Hi,
This is my first time on the forum, so unsure if this is correct place to ask this. I am looking at Griff's video on KBS - Soloing Technique (The Hows). There are 5 examples. Does anyone have the tabs for these or know if there is a link to them.

Thank you for any help with this or guidance on using the forum.

~pete
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
The Manual (with all the tabs, pdf) for the course is downloadable from the "Introduction" page for the course.

This should be the first page when you open the course.

(Along with a zip file for all the audio.)

Scroll down below the introductory video.

From the "Soloing Technique" page you can click on "Course Navigation", then "Introduction" to go back there.

Welcome to the forum. :)
 
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