Coming up with today’s video was one of those “A Ha!” moments where I finally noticed something that a lot of blues players do but I’ve never seen it really broken apart.
There’s a particular group of notes that comes partially from the major and minor blues sounds all put together and based around the familiar “E Shape” dominant 7th chord that just works.
It lays nice under the fingers and has lots of great music in it – but it’s not really any one scale. And that doesn’t matter one little bit because it sounds great and you’re going to love it 🙂
Check out the video first and the TAB for the intro demonstration and the pattern itself are in the PDF below the video.
Downloads – MP4 | WMV | PDF (for the TAB)
And as always, I encourage you to play your own jam track for something like this… but any slow blues will give you what you need to play around with this. Once you’ve got it down slowly, start trying to use it over faster feels.
97 replies to "An Easier Way To Follow Chords When You Solo"
I’m going to have to go back and watch this a few times. I’ve wondered for a while what I can/can’t do when chord changes. For example, say I’m playing in A. I’ve always thought that over I-chord I’d be I. Box 1. Over the IV and V, I thought I’d be playing in Box 2 and then Box 3
In the back of my mind — however — I’ve wondered if I move from A7 to D7 can I play over a Dm scale and from D7 to E7 I’d play over Em.?
Maybe I’m overthinking this…still learning fretboard so box 3 would be a pseudo Em since I’m at/near 12th fret.
G’riff.. I actually like this email better than most, I think it’s the shirt..ha..
Griff
Which course do you sell that covers this? Thanks.
Matt
This needs to be applied immediately! Anybody that wants to play the blues needs to know this stuff. Thanks Griff!
2/16/22
Great lesson–just a bit confused regarding using the major sound over the 4 and 5–looks like with chord following, that isn’t necessarily true, and that major notes are more acceptable.
Is that true?
Thanks to anyone with help on this
If you are just playing in box one minor pentatonic and staying there, you can certainly bring in the major third on the one chord, When it comes to the 4 chord and the 5 if you are staying in box one you would normally keep it to the minor third on these chords, However, what Griff was doing was changing position for each chord so that he was sort of in the box one position for each chord. When you do this you can put in the major third on the 4 and 5 quite easily. I’ve been doing it for years and it works. What he was demonstrating at the beginning was using the one position to combine the minor pentatonic and blues scale with the Myxolidian(7th chord scale) and you can put any of the major scale notes in that are appropriate as well. When you say ‘major notes are more acceptable’, what’s acceptable is what your ear tells you is appropriate. Joe Pass used to say ‘there are no wrong notes’.
Griff
Thank You. Love your course and look forward to your videos
You are the best!!!
This is a great eye-opener. Thanks for breaking it down.
Cool noodles
Griff
Please post the tab for your run after the D chord
Sounds so great!!
USE YOUR EAR.
Griff
Thanks again for a fun lesson!
Barry
Why not mention that when you went up to the D you didn’t have to move your hand to the 10th fret. The D that you need is on the 5th fret just like the A is. And as most of us have noticed , box 4 is exactly like box 1 but one string under the 6th starting on the D instead of the A. And then the E is exactly the same as D but 2 frets higher. Alway consider the B string rule. You can stay where you are.
Funny but I downloaded the video and then my laptop asked me if I wanted to delete the previous version. I didn’t remember the video from roughly a year ago. But, obviously I had worked on it before but didn’t even recognize it. So, I worked on it again and I began to remember struggling a little with it. It just didn’t click before. Well, you wouldn’t believe how easy the lesson came to me this morning. All of the head work I’d done, and all of the practice, and all of that stuff just became evident as I ran through it. Griff has mentioned many times that if you were to record yourself, that you’d be surprised at the progress you have made. Thanks Griff for all that you do.
Great information and practice and good for techniques. I’m still learning all this a lot of notes and chords.
I always “go home” with something good after listening to you, Griff. Thanks, man.
Very good Griff this thing is becoming very popular on video`s like well it`s making the rounds. Had a practice with the band the other night first since March 12 . I have been working on something like this for a while . You connected with the dots and the notes .Waited for this one it`s been well worth the time. T Y You get an apple!
This is so useful. Thank you.
Griff, this was definitely an awesome lesson thanks!
This is a great lesson. I always struggle with soloing because I lack confidence in my playing. This really gives me something to build on that helps I know I can do!
Thank you for your help!
Hay Griff or anyone, What do you recommend for a good inexpensive looper? I will check back here for any answers.
TC Ditto
I’m extremely happy with my DigiTech Jamman Express XT! It has accurate sound reproduction, and three LEDs on the front to tell you exactly what mode you are in. Beats the hell out of one LED that changes color, if you’re colorblind!!! Cheap too!
I just picked up the Jamman solo xt and it is really sweet. Has 9 drum rhythms that can be used or not, 30+ minutes of record time and 200 possible loops internal and more with memory card
Nothing has come close to my BOSS rd-30 looper pedal
Boss RC-3. Well worth checking out. Comes with different pre-sets and adjustable rhythms.
I’m curious, Griff, does this whole concept go out the window when at a jam the leader calls out, for example, Bminor7, from the 5?
Yes, admittedly a minor blues is minor all the way through so much less thinking going on.
Great little tip/lesson. Fun to do. Once you get going, watch out! You blues out til the cows come home, lol. Thx Griff
Griff, many thanks some beautiful familiar riffs on this track and i aspire to play like that, a lot of practice for me i think.
Hi Griff,
Great ideas. The first solo I really studied that ‘followed the chords’ was from the live version of Stray Cat Blues on the album Get Yer Yas Yas Out by the Rolling Stones. Mick Taylor’s solo during the break perfectly follows the chords of C-G-D-A and sounds really cool (always loved MT’s work with the Stones).
Hi Griff,
After few years following your courses I can’t remember any focused on the 3rd level of sophystication you mention on the video.
I’d like to move to this 3rd level.
Keep teaching, you’re the best.
Javier
Thanks so much Griff. I bought the BGU package a couple of years ago and man – this is the gift that keeps on giving. You’re blogs are always useful. You’ve really helped me get to the next level. Cheers – Steve
Thankyou Griff. A very valuable lesson.
Please stay safe in those terrible fires.
Regards
Chris Hutchison. Perth
So many ways to look at things…thanks mate
Thanks Griff and as a BGU memeber your videos are always such and eye opener and thank you again-you help me to keep stretching my musical blues abilities and look at the scale,licks and chords etc in other ways
thats mate
Gordon Ray from Down under (Australia)
Definatly a keeper lesson. This is really great Griff. and where do you get your shirts thats kewell to
Rohn
Man, there are a lot of good questions here. Does Griff ever answer them?
Usually the discussions carry from here over to the member forum or to another video. The answers typically don’t show up here. But sometimes they do, I just don’t like to count on people who post the question here returning to find out if there is an answer.
Hi Griff,
I have series of video lessons from another teacher that is more jazz blues-oriented and he refers to the same pattern as the “swing scale.” He says it really emerged from T-Bone Walker’s playing with a nod to Charlie Christian. If you play it in straight or swing eight notes you can really hear it.
David
OK…big question, Griff. You’ve said in the past you don’t like the sound of simply shifting minor pentatonic keys over the 1, 4 and 5. (For example: box 1 of the 1 chord over the 1, box 1 of the 4 chord over the 4, box 1 of the 5 chord over the 5). This video is basically just that, with the major 3rd, 6th and 9th note added for some hybrid, major-minor spice. Does making this work, where just the minor pentatonic alone doesn’t, simply come down to how much major key spice is sprinkled in? And is it vital to always add at least one of these three, extra, major key notes in order to make this idea work?
I don’t remember Griff saying he doesn’t “like the sound of simply shifting minor pentatonic keys over the 1, 4 and 5”. Instead, like in this video, he’s said it’s a step in learning soloing. He’s also said, the minor pentatonic is used most of the time (or was it, almost all of the time).
Also, it’s my understanding a minor pentatonic scale is just fine using this method (in the I, IV, and V keys over the I, IV and V chords), and one can add in the major spice for a different taste, but it’s not vital to do so.
I believe in the keeping it simple way of learning. To me, simply moving an open F chord shape from the 1st fret to the 5th fret, gives me an A chord. Then using those notes from that shape, I can easily find both major and minor notes using my ear rather than thinking about what notes fit in the scale, and I can easily move to the A minor scale From that F shape on the 5th fret. Am I crazy? Or is this an easier way of thinking about this.
Hey Jerry,
I too noticed that the E shape explanation seemed to click for lots of people.
For me,(not unlike you I think) I started exploring the fret board (when I was starting out) by moving F up the neck and pulling the chord apart for two reasons. One, it was great to learn finger-picking with those strings and shapes (think A and E in particular and the nice open strings for the bass bass and how many lovely partial/altered chords come out of that F shape) and two, it was the beginning of me taking stock of the notion that there are different places on the neck to play the same chord. I still see that F shape more readily I think than any other, all these years later.
Not sure if you’ve ever heard Griff talk about his ‘House Pattern’ or not but I always think of it out of that same F shape as well.
Anyway, different ways of looking, seeing, and learning I guess.
All the Best,
Sue
Griff , this is such a great lesson . I have been playing it slow , so I can get the feel . Thanks for another example of your teaching skills . Mike Z.
Another aha moment, things coming into focus, another simple pattern to build on, BRILLIANT! Thanks!
Griff, I want that shirt! Don’t you have one with wings on the shoulders too? Yep, I’ll take that one also. Haha.
Great lesson.
Griff,
As others have said….Thanks a million.
This particular lesson came as a blessing….Ive recently found myself alone and these (Your), lessons and more are keeping me level headed and not: JUST, allowing more expressionism on my gee-tar.
Thanks Bud!
Nice sounding lesson, Griff! It’s helpful that you’re giving an alternative to the boxes. Funny, when I was in my teens, my teacher-friend told me to ” to solo, just use the chord and pick some notes” He was right! (I just made it sound very bad).
Of course, I had no clue about the Blues scales, or why I was playing any of the notes, or when to play them! Thanks for another cool blues sound!
So much the same as other tips and suggestions, yet this really clicked in my head. I think you just about doubled the notes available to me in familiar areas of the fret board for soloing. Thanks a million, Griff.
This is great, thank you. This is exactly what I needed in order to introduce additional notes (beyond pentatonic) in a solo – Thanks again
Learning and playing the blues to become a better guitarist, makes me appreciate Heavy Metal so much more …
As usual this is a very useful video, a great practise tool. I’m looking forward to using this one.
Keep ’em coming Griff!
Griff you have got to be one of the most coolest guys around – you just keep on giving-I only wished I had known about you along time ago -what you give in what you teach is absolute gold mate- thankyou so much.
Best wishes to you and your family
Gordon J Ray
I couldnt find anywhere else to leave a comment, so Im doing it here through a reply…
anyways, I find the “dominant pentatonic scale” does this same effect, except if you memorize this scale all up and down the neck it has this awesome Jimmh Paige like quality to it. Look up the scale and try it with a mixolydian or any typical 1-4-5 progression works awesome.
Golly! Ripper stuff Griffo.Thank you.
Is that taking parts of the mixolidian scale and the pentatonic scale?
Does it matter?
Dorian & Mixolian in the same key! Gives you all the notes to play over the I,IV & V of the key
Griff, excellent. You really have a way of explaining what appears complex in a straightforward form. Aside from that I find your lessons inspirational. It must be your love of playing blues guitar coming through. Thanks for all the great stuff.
Griff, Correct me if I’md wrong, but it seems like all you have done is combine the major and minor pentatonic scales. 1st position minor and 2nd position major pent. Scales.
Hi Griff,
I love your approach to stuff especially what you are doing with the blues. In talking about digging into some clever ways of playing the blues I think Peter Green takes some beating. I love his approach on Fleetwood Mac’s second album “Mr. Wonderful”. For example the way he plays “If You Be My Baby”. The unexpected way he uses notes could be great for future lessons you give. Also the amazing rhythm and fills that Jimmy Vaughan used in The Fabulous Thunderbirds song “She’s Tuff” on their first album, also known as “Girls Go Wild”. Apologies if you have already covered this.
Very best regards,
John Page.
Isn’t this called embellished chords? Or chord embellishments?
Amazing, another very useful tip.
Thanks Griff for another great lesson, you are a great teacher. I have learned so much from your various courses and freebies. Still a lot of work to do though, but getting there…..slowly.
Thanks, Griff. This is like stepping up a notch from the minor pentatonic scale.
I had known when you shift to the four chord and five chords you should be able to actually go to the root box of those chords and find notes that would be more tasty than just playing the box 1 licks with the BB King box thrown in. This video really clarified the relationship between the notes contained in the chords and how you can add these notes to expand your lead repertoire. Thanks for just tripling the notes of my solo vocabulary!!
You are truly a great guitar teacher. Thanks for all you do to help us out.
Thanks so much for doing these Griff!
Many thanks for the lesson very good
Thanks for the video lessons. I Will definitely try it out soon.
Ah-ha for me as well, Griff. You’ve articulated this to a fine point. Thank you for a very poignant lesson. I appreciate this one very much.
Hey Griff,
This is a great lesson, as I have been wondering how to play some Box 1 solos and chords similar to what Matt Schofield plays in his song “I Don’t know what I’d do ” as part of your Greats lessons to what the greats. Now this Lesson covers some of the solo which is great. I am going to learn this one when I get home later tonight.
Have a great Thanksgiving with you and your family.
Thanks
Michael- Sydney Australia
This one is a great refresher from 2015 and I remember it well.
Cool,
Michael-Sydney-Australia June 2020..Stay Safe.. stay indoors and play the Guitar..
thank you Griff good stuff
Really good vid Griff.To the point as always.Thanks for your efforts .Very much appreciated.
Griff,
Great lesson! Thank you for the clear instruction and fantastic content.
You’re instruction is appreciated!
Steve
Hey Grif you’ve really stepped it up over the last year handing out the crown jewels and pearls of wisdom.
Ton of admiration out here for your generosity.
Love and appreciation to you and yours.
Have a great end of year mate!
I think this is called arpeggio scales- or using the chord tones. If you add some passing tones– such as the ninth, or chromatic scales you get some very colorful sounds. It takes some time to get the notes down- you need to find them obviously (!!) but that challenge makes it cool.
Good lesson and great explanation. I have seen other’s teaching the same idea but you do this lesson on a better level. I am wondering if the same idea will work off of root 5 chords playing from the back side of the bar chord, for example Root 5 D chord, root on 5th fret of A string and bar all the notes on the 7th fret and play a combined maj/min pattern from there. I will have to give it a try and see how it sounds.
Keep Rockin’
Yup.
This generates so many interesting phrases, countless….Thank you for adding to the repertoire……
Go (to) Blue(s)!
Ah more notes to play with in a slow blues right down my alley great stuff Griff thanks millions !!!!!
Amazing – thanks a lot.
The thing you put out everyday is a gift!! You are very kind and a gifted musician. This lesson I can’t see your hand clearly in another word view is not wide enough to see your hands movement.
Thank you
Thank you Griff. Great tool to have.
Thanks for all u do for us. My guitar playing has improved because of u.
times have been experimenting for long time which leads me to something like this but can surly be done now with a lot less mess . this vids a keeper
Excellent lesson. One thing I always do when I am working on solos or trying to develop a new riff is to see how far outside of the normal scale I can go and for how long before it starts sounding like s….string jumping, open strings, false harmonics, three and four finger hammer on and pull offs, how long you can hold a bend, all kinds of good stuff.
Gracias Maestro!
Thanks for this one. Really helpful to me.
Thank ‘s Griff & hope you are having a great holiday. If you ever need a deal on an e-assisted bicycle,remember,you NOW, have a friend in the bicycle business ! See them @ Izipusa.com Respectfully, Kim Alexander -pres. Fox River Sports(.net)
Thanks!!
You are appreciated!! Keep up the great work man!!
You are a weather of knowledge
thanks griff love your work!
There is no place like home