Picture yourself in a dimly lit blues club, the air heavy with anticipation. The spotlight falls on a lone guitarist, fingers dancing effortlessly over the strings. With each note, a wave of emotion washes over the audience, leaving them spellbound. This is the magic of blues guitar improvisation, creating a story through the guitar that speaks to the soul like no other.

In this blog post, I’ll teach you a gorgeous blues guitar lick that you can use for your blues soloing. The lick comes with the enigmatic b5 (blue note) and the velvety 6th note. Whether you’re a seasoned guitarist or just starting your musical adventure, this lick is a great way to spice up your blues chops.

Analyzing the Blues Lick

Let’s zoom in on this cool blues lick that’s packed with colorful notes. It’s got two special notes that give it that classic bluesy touch: the “blue note” b5 (colored blue in the tabs below) and the 6th note (colored orange in the tabs below). These notes are like the secret ingredients that make this lick sound so emotional and captivating.

The “blue note” (b5) adds a bit of tension and a hint of sadness to the lick. It’s like the spicy kick in your favorite dish that keeps you coming back for more. On the other hand, the 6th note is like a warm, comforting hug. Together, these notes create a blend of emotions that are the heart and soul of the blues.

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Author: Alex Bruce of Guitartricks.com

The question of why to learn an instrument is a well-answered one: To learn a new skill, to develop musicality, to have a creative outlet, to have fun, and so on. But for beginner guitarists or those thinking about starting, the question is specifically why learn guitar?

Well, lots of reasons is the short answer.

The main theme linking so many of the reasons, though, is the guitar’s ubiquity – its common-ness of use, its being so present in so much music and so many groups and ensembles. 

Here are some examples of how popularity translates into reasons to learn guitar:

Reference Material

Firstly, the huge majority of contemporary music features at least one guitar part, meaning the wealth of songs to learn is possibly greater for the guitarist than for any other aspiring instrumentalist.

Secondly, the abundance of online lessons, tutorials, how-to guides, and repair tutorials that has sprung up around the instrument’s omnipresence means that a guitarist can find just about anything they need at any stage of their progress.

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Hi folks, I know you’ve been waiting eagerly, and your patience is rewarded. Here it is: Part IV of the Effective One-Octave Major Scales! This is the final lesson of these series and if you haven’t had the chance to dive into Part I, II & III and you don’t know why you should, I recommend that you check them out. Here are the links below:

Effective One-Octave Major Scales and Why! Part I

Effective One-Octave Major Scales and Why!Part II

Effective OneOctave Major Scales and Why!Part III

With Part IV of the lesson we are really getting into the area where most of the guitar solos take place. Take your time with these 3 major scale patterns. Learn and memorize them thoroughly. Don’t half ass it!

Starting from the Root Note on the G-string

We’re now going to learn the three major scale shape/patterns with the first (root) note starting on the G-string (3rd string).

Tip: Learn and memorize the notes on the G-string so you know where you are on the fretboard. Know your notes!

Major Scale Fingering / Positioning

The numbers in the yellow neck diagrams indicate the fret-hand fingering. The neck diagrams clearly show the shape and pattern of each scale. Learn to visualize and memorize the shape of each pattern.

| 1 = index | 2 = middle finger |3 = ring finger | 4 = pinky |

Practice, practice, practice!

Once you got the G major scale shapes thoroughly under your fingers learn the pattern in different keys. If you know how to play the scale somewhere on the neck doesn’t neccesarily mean you can play it everywhere else. Practice the scale all over the neck! Go the extra mile.

Take this moment to invest in yourself. Pour yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea, find a descent chair, sit straight and makes sure you have proper posture and hand positioning, set a timer to 30 or 60 minutes, own this time, focus, practice and enjoy!

MAJOR SCALE SHAPES – ROOT NOTE STARTS FROM THE 3RD STRING

G MAJOR SCALE fingering / shape / pattern #10

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