Let’s have a live Blues Lesson about how to best handle chord changes when you’re soloing…

This, like many of my topics, comes from a student question… and it’s not a simple answer (they never are.)

Hope you dig it, of course… this one is best enjoyed with a beverage in hand – there’s not so much to actually play right off the bat. You want to get the concept in your brain first.

 


    29 replies to "How To Handle Chord Changes In A Blues"

    • Ed Skiba

      Ya did it again Griff! Thanks for breaking me out of monotony.

    • Hugh

      Got to agree! Helpful and I think one of your finest lessons!

    • Bob Moorehead

      … the drummer AND Griff!

    • Bob Moorehead

      Great stuff! It’s what I needed to hear and didn’t know why except it just wasn’t sounding right. Perfect timing. (As the drummer said: It’s all about the timing!)

    • Jack Flash

      now that was very intersting…follow the chord notes

    • Richard Breitenbach

      Good stuff there! Thank you.

    • Lyle Friesen

      What a great session!! Distilled to the very essence.

    • Craig Webb

      Could you pleeeeeeease transcribed the beautiful lead you played at the intro of the video?

      • blind Lame Bob

        Give it a try yourself.

        Select watch the video on YT.
        Look in the lower r/h of the viewer.
        – There are a couple of squares and rectangles. These allow you to enlarge the screen and return it to its original size.
        – The Gear. Click on it and check out the menu. There are several useful functions provided. One of them is speed. You can increase or decrease the speed [ no pitch correction ].

        These two functions have been a great help when learning some songs. Please give them a try.

    • Gerry

      It seems like forever now, I’ve heard you talking about “boxes”. They don’t match the Pentatonic scales. Thus, I’ve confused and got a headache!

      • benj1707

        You are confused if you can’r make the boxes fit the scale.

      • Ricardo

        You’re right. Boxes don’t match scales.

        Scales “fit into” Boxes.

        The notes of a scale within easy reach in a particular region of the fretboard create a pattern we affectionately call a “Box”.

        Or a pattern or a shape or a form or a position or etc.

    • Jack Flash

      How did you know that is what I am working on as I bounce the chords to get better at making chords while I am strumming and trying to get from the chords to a solo as I get into the ZONE…

    • Frank Dion

      Great lesson. I still remember 5 Easy Solos and how difficult it was when I first started, and now I’m soloing over chord changes. Thank you Griff, you really made a difference.

    • Suzanne S

      Thanks Griff! This was really helpful. I’d manage to figure out part of it by comparing the individual chords with the pentatonic scale, but your explanation helped me understand why I still didn’t much like some of the notes, some of the time.

    • M Dub

      Excellent advice!
      I had some fun with this trying to solo over the chord changes while purposely avoiding using the root note in each particular chord, just to get more familiar with the other options.

    • Jim Boardman

      Thanks Griff!. Perfect timing as this is what I’ve been working on lately, This really halps

    • Jeff

      “As long as you hit that note you want on beat 1, everything’s going to work out.” ~ Griff @ 15:50 … answering the age-old question, “Where do I put my fingers?”

    • Chesterboy

      Great lesson Griff can you produce a digital download chords/ tab etc

    • Jeremy

      Best free lesson sitting in my mailbox I have ever seen.
      Brilliant!

    • John Mac

      For me this is such a good video. I’m ploughing through “How to Jam the Blues Alone” at present but the little takeaways in this video have switched on a light for me as visualisation is a key learning tool. Thanks Griff and BGU

    • John Harden

      How about an in depth lesson on horizontal scales (head playing)

    • Chuck

      “A lot more right.” You nailed it Griff. When you solo and hit those 1-4-5 chord notes, it really lifts up your playing. This is secret sauce territory. Please incorporate this concept in all your videos. Keep it bluesy, man.

    • Edward

      Priceless information from the best instructor on the internet. Thanks Griff! You made my day.

    • Michael Chappell

      Hey Griff,

      This lesson has just answered all my questions and answers that I think I got through doing the BGU Courses. I did figure out that playing in Am use the box 1 and finding the notes for the solo through the 1 IV & V. I like the way you explained all that in this lesson which was an eye opener and refresher.

      Excellent as usual.

      Michael-Sydney-Australia 16th July 2019.

    • tony

      I have known about this concept and try and get the other guitarists I know to try it. It a tiny bit tricky but there is a lot that can be done with it. It also sounds correct . THX

    • Gregory L Senich

      Excellent information, as always. I’ve been working on this a while and it is seemingly slower to get my head there and still play “smoothly”. That is without looking like I am stammering to find the ‘words’. I find it is easier for me if I lay down my own track on a Looper than try on a jam track for some reason. Chord tones do sound better and yes, pre-thinking is better than on the fly, at least, I assume, initially. You Rock! and thanks for all the great insights. Very much appreciated!

    • Interstate slim

      Thanks griff, I’ve stumbled into those target notes on chord changes, but now I can see how to get to them with a purpose. Also great tip on using the note pattern up and down the neck. Enjoy your day

    • Mark Newkirk

      I’ve been playing a few months and blues solo is fascinating to me. Difficult subject to grasp and looking for a place to start. I have all these ideas in my head but can’t get them to come out on guitar. This video opened ideas how to make this happen. Gives me something to work on. Thank you!

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