Taking the first steps in Improvising / playing Blues Lead Guitar

[close2u]

@DavidP Thanks ... it's my pleasure.

@brianlarsen Ha ha and thanks.

I would say to anyone else in my position that you must watch the string bend lesson before trying any of the licks.

Such an important point and thanks for making it. I have edited and updated an early post to make the need to learn to bend more explicit.

Hear, hear!
But bear in mind- watching the lesson is not enough

Too true.

Good primer for first attempts at learning to play lead guitar, but if you are following someone else's riffs or tabs, it isn't improvisation. Take one or more of those tabs and change a few notes here and there and you will be improvising.

Thanks CT.
Again, as with the comment from sairfingers, I have gone back to amend a post and make clear that these licks need to be 'owned' by each person adding their own twist, spin, variation, extension, emphasis and attack.

[Twilight Storm]

Make the lick say something. Nicely put.
Nice tutorial breakdown Close2u.

[sairfingers]

.. 3-in-a-line, 4-in-a-line...

Hi close
Not sure what this means, could you please explain. Thanks.

[brianlarsen]

Not sure what this means, could you please explain. Thanks.

I had the same question, but then guessed it was just go up & down 3 notes (or 4, 5...) instead of the whole scale. Glad you asked though
Sounds like the bottom line is just keep playing all those notes all the time so your fingers go there automatically, then work on licks and variations- till they're automatic too 
Let me know when you find the shortcut!

[close2u]

Hi close
Not sure what this means, could you please explain. Thanks.

Will do - short on time just now.

I had the same question, but then guessed it was just go up & down 3 notes (or 4, 5...) instead of the whole scale. Glad you asked though

Not quite Brian.
Sorry to make it so you had to guess.

[close2u]

A Minor Pentatonic Scale practice Exercises


3-in-a-line

pdf of TAB

mp3 audio


4-in-a-line

pdf of TAB

mp3 audio

[sairfingers]

A Minor Pentatonic Scale practice Exercises

Thank for the explanation Richard. Is it reasonable to practice these licks without the string bends? I realise it’s the bends that make the ‘bluesy’ sound but it would be one less thing to learn at the moment!
Gordon

[brianlarsen]

Lick 4.



https://soundcloud.com/mrclose2u/lick-4

Make this one speak.

I'm having difficulty stretching my 3rd finger to the 8th fret for the pull-off 
I know I should probably go to the finger-gym, but in the meantime, is it ok to pick the note with the plectrum, or will this just cause problems later down the line?

[close2u]

Is it reasonable to practice these licks without the string bends? I realise it’s the bends that make the ‘bluesy’ sound but it would be one less thing to learn at the moment!
Gordon

@ Gordon
If you're struggling to bend then two things I would suggest ...
1] put string bending on your practice routine ... play the higher note then bend to the same note
2] make up some licks that don't involve bends ... you can use hammer-on, pull-off, sliding, double-stops etc to create some short expressive licks. Take them and use them as described above.

EDIT
Also - check this old Tips n Tricks thread I made ... bend the B string

I'm having difficulty stretching my 3rd finger to the 8th fret for the pull-off 
... is it ok to pick the note with the plectrum ... ?

@Brian - check this ...

Next, learn a lick.

Mess around with the lick, vary it, extend it, shorten it, vary it again.
Make it yours.

[sairfingers]

@ Gordon
If you're struggling to bend then two things I would suggest ...
1] put string bending on your practice routine ... play the higher note then bend to the same note
2] make up some licks that don't involve bends ... you can use hammer-on, pull-off, sliding, double-stops etc to create some short expressive licks. Take them and use them as described above.

EDIT
Also - check this old Tips n Tricks thread I made ... bend the B string

Thanks for the tips Richard. The smoke on the water one is especially good. My heart’s in my mouth waiting for a string to break though!
My problem at the moment is trying to learn too many things at once. I spread myself thin and don’t progress as I should at anything.

[sdd56]

Thanks Close, this looks like a great learning tool, above my level at the moment but I've bookmarked it!

[brianlarsen]

Lick 4.

Just curious why the second note is played on the 1st string 5th fret as opposed to just repeating the same note with the bent 2nd string?
Is this one of those things where it's fine to do whatever you find easiest, or just better to learn the above way?

[close2u]

@ Brian
Playing the equivalent note on an adjacent string having just bent to it offers a small but discernible change in tonal quality / character of the note.
That is the lick 'as shown'.
But the key ingredient is ...

... Mess around with the lick, vary it, extend it, shorten it, vary it again.
Make it yours.

Milk that lick for all it is worth until it is beginning to speak your words.

[brianlarsen]

Playing the equivalent note on an adjacent string having just bent to it offers a small but discernible change in tonal quality / character of the note.

Haha, if I play a note on a bent string it offers a wildly variable (and discernible) change in tonal quality/character of the note

Cheers Richard,
I'm enjoying learning to talk all over again-
My first words are 'Goo-goo, ga-ga', but I'm having a bit of trouble stringing them together into meaningful sentences