The timing on this video is perfect! 6 days ago I finally tried this style of playing - and at the weekend one of our highly respected local musicians heard me fumbling around with it and said ‘You’ve got it - keep going!’ I fully intend to keep going… and going….
My problem with improvising is attempting too much too soon, and this lesson is a perfect reminder to keep it simple before moving on. If it weren't for Active Melody I would have given up on playing long time ago! 🙏💕
It's having the confidence to play simple at the start of the soloing journey and not try to fill all the gaps with notes. I usually try to solo 3 levels above where I actually am, doing too much, being too busy and not really properly understanding what I'm doing. This video is perfect.
I agree. I joined Active Melody two years a go at age 74 and learned so much after all of my years playing on and off. Brian is a real great teacher and excellent musician.
I watch a lesson like this, yet another gem from Brian, and I am so grateful to have become a premium member on Active Melody. Folks, seriously, you’ll get way, way value from it than the subscription price, I promise. Many times over. And No, I don’t know Brian personally, he did not ask for any Comments like this, and the only reason I’m writing this here is to thank Brian and encourage anyone who likes his style to go check it out. That’s all. Happy playing, fellow travelers!
Something about these triad videos just clicks with me. They just get right to the heart of things and get straight into the musicality. Best teacher on UA-cam?
As casual player for forty years, and feeling comfortable with playing a lot of easy stuff, I never knew where or how to start improvising as such. This was helpful and useful.
I wasted hundreds of dollars back in the day on guitar lessons, and still couldn't play a thing. Now I found you, and I am off and running! Thank you so much for these awesome videos!
This is another one of Brian’s gems I forward to muso friends to try and light a fire under them. The variety, the kaleidoscope and fluidity of his lovely tuition I haven’t been able to match with his contemporaries
I think I'm echoing what 40 other people have said, but perfect lesson for me, perfect timing. Easy enough to understand what to do, plenty to build on. Exactly the lesson I needed, thanks Brian.
Haha! Great way to say it! I started emerging from out the darkness the first time I watched one of Brian's videos almost 2 years ago. Others (on youtube and in person) have tried to show me a lot of what Brian teaches but it never really clicked. But Brian has a way of making click into place. So many "light bulb" moments.
What I love LOVE LOVE about these lessons is that there is always a nugget that you can immediately begin using. Maybe the full lesson is too much to digest in one sitting, but there is always at least one nugget that you can use and IMMEDIATELY change and improve your playing. And you ALWAYS get the WHY with the WHAT. The paid membership is well worth the price.
Dear Brian, I'm following your channel for a few months now and I'm always astonished by how easy you are able to break complicated things down to a non-complex level so that I can make some music. For years I played scales and not music. Thanks so much! You are really gifted!
The Way He Teaches You is like he knows what You're going through he shows You the Way You Understand and makes it So MUCH easier to Understand IT'S NOT COMPLICATED AT ALL PS I TRIED FOR YEARS TO PLAY LEAD BOUGHT A TELECASTER AND HE SHOWED LITTLE SCALES I LEARNED AND NOW IT'S LIKE MY GUITAR IS PLAYING BY ITSELF SOOO EASY NOW THAT I KNOW SO THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU SIR ARE A GREAT TEACHER LEARNING A LOT FROM YOU PS YOU HAVE A WAY TO TEACH AGAIN THANK YOU
Would love to see a whole series on improvising from this base model including the ideas touched upon in tab. As for some, Improvising would be a lot easier if all the pieces were in a kit form to help with the know how of using them like building blocks and mix and match. Great topic and arrangement. Appreciate your work.
Totally agree. This is yet another great lesson, and perfect timing for me. I would love to see "step 2" and " step 3" etc where each step challenges us Abit further... Other pentatonics, major/minor etc... But with the important same theme jerking the next step simple and focused. Thanks Brian!
This is so helpful to me. I want to improvise and express myself. Your lessons give me such a useful scaffold to build on, and they help me feel connected to the traditions and structures of the blues.
Brian,thank you very much for this lesson. I was beginning to get a bit lost but this is very helpful and I did find myself "tapping my foot". It is fun!
Would love to see more lessons like this. Improvising has been a sticking point for me to make it sound like a melody or music and not just a scale. Thanks!!
i couldn't agree more with the comment below. this is beginner heaven ...sugar and spice ..confidence boost. it makes it all worth while picking an instrument up and trying. i think time to join patroen with him ...well done Active Melody ...
Brian, such a valuable lesson. It’s very basic and yet foundational, setting up the transition from “I don’t know how to to improvise “ to “hey, it’s not as complicated as I thought”. I’ve been an Active Melody member for many years and credit you with opening many doors in my guitar journey. Thanks again, keep up the good work.
I have so much fun watching you teach and unlocking information in such a way that works for pretty much everyone. Your mannerisms, your tone of voice, the way you are able to articulate instructions honestly makes it fun to watch And learn from you at pretty much any level of ability. I guess all I can say coming from a 68-year-old guy who started playing when he was 12 years old and has owned more guitars than should have been allowed ha-ha , Played by ear and self-taught, played and copied all the old rock and rollers from back in the day, I truly enjoy watching and learning from you. You have definitely opened up and brought back to life this old guitar players joy for making up songs & things to play... Stay safe my friend and thank you for the blessings you bring to your channel and community.
Another great lesson. I love that opening riff. It can be a challenge to keep things simple and stay in one area of the neck. You've broken it down perfectly. Thank you.
Hi Brian, it looks like less is more, I enjoyed this micro lesson very much. 11minutes and 50 seconds are all it takes to plant a music seed which I look forward to practicing with. I find playing in smaller defined boxes on the neck beneficial. Cheers
Genial, magistral, impresionante. Ha sido una clase enormemente instructiva. No puedo dejar de tocar y probar cosas. Tengo los dedos echando humo. Muchas gracias.
This is simplifying this very well Brian:it teaches me to do small bits first and do them well before trying to do the complicated,impressive ones later.
I watch your videos all the time for little nuggets like this. I've probably seen you do these very same concepts in most of the videos I watch, but I actually had an ah ha moment with this one. Thank you!
I like that lesson very simple that could grasp. simple pentatonc licks that even I could do. I wrote it down on some tab paper. now I just have todo it. thanks.
This, and more like it, is exactly what I need. No matter what I do I can't seem to stop getting 'lost' when I try to play rhythm with fill licks. Something that is super basic is perfect for helping me get to the point where I can - hopefully - feel where I'm at in the form, because right now, TBH, I spend so much of my focus just making sure that I'm on the correct chord at the correct time that there's no possibility of improvising.
Often simple is more. This was one of the best lessons I ever saw on here. Actually what you played sounded real good and a listener would not even know it was say simple
Good work Brian. As you said you’ve done this before and it resonated with me. Once you get a scale under your fingers with chords, it is still sometimes hard to get the tempo right and remember where you want to ‘land’. I am definitely improving with this to the point that I am really trying to work with blues backing tracks. A struggle but it is still a lot of fun. Thanks as always. The quality of this channel is so far ahead of the rest, not that they are bad, but you walk on water. 🎸
Wow. I love this. I love how you explain the concept and keeping it simple. Dude! It’s the first video I’ve watched from you, and I think I just became a fan.
After watching this twice and reading some of the comments, I have to wonder. Brian is teaching us how to set the table properly and some are asking "what's for dessert " and others want the recipe. Whenever I climb a ladder I always look for a firm spot to place it and a safe place to land if I need to jump. That is the minor pentatonic scale, a safe place to climb from or to land on.
I am always happy to see your videos. Great school of music I have ever been to. Kea leboga for this lesson. Real eye opener. Wow you are a magician. You turned me into a lead guitarist I never thought I would. You make it real easy. You are my pioneer. Thanks God for you. Always I watch one of your videos I'm inspired it build something a brick. Se ke lesedi straight. Ke lebogela tshedimosetso ya gago. Thanks for the light.
Good video. I’m not a guitar player, but I’m a harmonica player and this lesson is sound for any musician. Go simple with feel. Give the noodling a break. 👍
Glad to get this Micro Lesson. I've always played those runs in E or A. Seeing how easy this is, I can now add the key of G to my arsenal. Just need to awaken to it. Thanks Brian!
You're the best Mr. B! If your stuff can't get one started... maby they should try a different hobby. I bought a violin and wow; gotta learn where the notes are and a different pattern/shape for scales. I have a whole new respect for violinists! Rock on!
Great lesson, Brian - thanks. Really simply clarified the close-compact 1-4-5 patterns AND the 1-4-5 notes to land on. As always - useful info well presented. Thank you.
I just love this type of basic lesson that’s so simple but you can then go away and make it as complex as your own playing will allow I’m kicking myself that possibly a teacher could have shown me this 40 years ago and I could have been improvising straight away instead of just strumming chords from a Bert Weedon book😂 . Thanks Brian
this is a great lesson...ad you can see from the comments, the simple approach is really resonating amongst the students...I cannot imagine a better approach...congrats to Brian...he has done it again💜💜💜
you are one of the best teacher, never regret being premium member
The timing on this video is perfect! 6 days ago I finally tried this style of playing - and at the weekend one of our highly respected local musicians heard me fumbling around with it and said ‘You’ve got it - keep going!’ I fully intend to keep going… and going….
My problem with improvising is attempting too much too soon, and this lesson is a perfect reminder to keep it simple before moving on. If it weren't for Active Melody I would have given up on playing long time ago! 🙏💕
It's having the confidence to play simple at the start of the soloing journey and not try to fill all the gaps with notes. I usually try to solo 3 levels above where I actually am, doing too much, being too busy and not really properly understanding what I'm doing. This video is perfect.
I agree. I joined Active Melody two years a go at age 74 and learned so much after all of my years playing on and off. Brian is a real great teacher and excellent musician.
Same here. Trying to play 16th s maybe slow down a bit
Hi Jola, long time. Have a wonderful Christmas 🎄.
@@douglaschristine8387 thanks, Doug, Merry Christmas!🎄
I watch a lesson like this, yet another gem from Brian, and I am so grateful to have become a premium member on Active Melody. Folks, seriously, you’ll get way, way value from it than the subscription price, I promise. Many times over. And No, I don’t know Brian personally, he did not ask for any Comments like this, and the only reason I’m writing this here is to thank Brian and encourage anyone who likes his style to go check it out.
That’s all. Happy playing, fellow travelers!
Spot on!
I agree with you whole heartly, the best money I ever spent on music.
So glad I'm a premium member!
Something about these triad videos just clicks with me. They just get right to the heart of things and get straight into the musicality. Best teacher on UA-cam?
Yes, best teacher on UA-cam!
Well taught lesson, and right at the basic level. Perfect for a beginner like myself! Thanks!
Best teacher on UA-cam hands down
As casual player for forty years, and feeling comfortable with playing a lot of easy stuff, I never knew where or how to start improvising as such. This was helpful and useful.
I wasted hundreds of dollars back in the day on guitar lessons, and still couldn't play a thing. Now I found you, and I am off and running! Thank you so much for these awesome videos!
I love your 'play by yourself' lessons Brian. They are challenging but achievable. Thank you once again.
How in the hell does he keep coming up with quality stuff like this constantly? As good as guitar lessons get! No lie! 🤘
I consider your channel to be one of the best for learning guitar and I'm sure the community would echo that. thanks so much, Ted in Sebastian, Fl
The lightbulb moments I got from this lesson make premium membership worth way more than the cost. Thanks so much Brian. Cheers from Downunder ! Mach
That four chord illustration five minutes in just blew my mind. Thank you again
This is another one of Brian’s gems I forward to muso friends to try and light a fire under them. The variety, the kaleidoscope and fluidity of his lovely tuition I haven’t been able to match with his contemporaries
I think I'm echoing what 40 other people have said, but perfect lesson for me, perfect timing. Easy enough to understand what to do, plenty to build on. Exactly the lesson I needed, thanks Brian.
Thanks for the lightbulb moment, I am finally emerging out of the darkness!!
Haha! Great way to say it! I started emerging from out the darkness the first time I watched one of Brian's videos almost 2 years ago. Others (on youtube and in person) have tried to show me a lot of what Brian teaches but it never really clicked. But Brian has a way of making click into place. So many "light bulb" moments.
Another concise and extremely useful lesson. Thank you! 👏👏👏👏👏👏
Another perfect bite of instruction with a simple exercise that is actually a gateway to improv instead of memorizing. Thanks
I'm a 58 year old beginner, been at it two years, I'm ready for this. Thank you, and I'll let you know how it's going in a couple months. lol.
This is absolutely fantastic Brian, please more like this!
Brian knows how to show how one tendon works. I love his approach.
What I love LOVE LOVE about these lessons is that there is always a nugget that you can immediately begin using. Maybe the full lesson is too much to digest in one sitting, but there is always at least one nugget that you can use and IMMEDIATELY change and improve your playing. And you ALWAYS get the WHY with the WHAT. The paid membership is well worth the price.
Dear Brian, I'm following your channel for a few months now and I'm always astonished by how easy you are able to break complicated things down to a non-complex level so that I can make some music. For years I played scales and not music. Thanks so much! You are really gifted!
The Way He Teaches You is like he knows what You're going through he shows You the Way You Understand and makes it So MUCH easier to Understand IT'S NOT COMPLICATED AT ALL PS I TRIED FOR YEARS TO PLAY LEAD BOUGHT A TELECASTER AND HE SHOWED LITTLE SCALES I LEARNED AND NOW IT'S LIKE MY GUITAR IS PLAYING BY ITSELF SOOO EASY NOW THAT I KNOW SO THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU SIR ARE A GREAT TEACHER LEARNING A LOT FROM YOU PS YOU HAVE A WAY TO TEACH AGAIN THANK YOU
@@rheaumepeter
Would love to see a whole series on improvising from this base model including the ideas touched upon in tab. As for some, Improvising would be a lot easier if all the pieces were in a kit form to help with the know how of using them like building blocks and mix and match. Great topic and arrangement. Appreciate your work.
Totally agree. This is yet another great lesson, and perfect timing for me. I would love to see "step 2" and " step 3" etc where each step challenges us Abit further... Other pentatonics, major/minor etc... But with the important same theme jerking the next step simple and focused.
Thanks Brian!
I'd love to see the same thing
Great lesson. I would like to see the same thing.
Keeping it simple. It's perfect! Thanks Brian!
Brilliant......this is exactly the content I need to see...thank you so much.
Very useful lesson! Start with the basic chords, simple rhythm and some lead lines nearby and then build up 👍 .🎸💡
This is so helpful to me. I want to improvise and express myself. Your lessons give me such a useful scaffold to build on, and they help me feel connected to the traditions and structures of the blues.
I derived much enjoyment out this short lesson, thanks Brian it got me going again .
Brian you are a genius. It is so simple yet I never thought about just like that.
You are gifted and thanks for sharing your experience. I love watching your videos. Lov from Bombay
simple and great way to get you started on improv. Fantastic
you are a great teacher. Thank you very much
I have to say, for me this was what I needed to hear/be taught at this point in my learning. Thank you so much.
and u can end that on open strings..that works too..thanks for ur simple instruction style..it sure helps this oldtimer...love it
Brian,thank you very much for this lesson. I was beginning to get a bit lost but this is very helpful and I did find myself "tapping my foot". It is fun!
Wow Brian, unless that's some fancy wallpaper you can get stateside. That's one hell of a vinyl collection behind you!👍
Would love to see more lessons like this. Improvising has been a sticking point for me to make it sound like a melody or music and not just a scale. Thanks!!
Extremely good lesson on how to make complicated music more simple.....I have always appreciated your teaching you are the best!
i couldn't agree more with the comment below. this is beginner heaven ...sugar and spice ..confidence boost. it makes it all worth while picking an instrument up and trying. i think time to join patroen with him ...well done Active Melody ...
Brian, such a valuable lesson. It’s very basic and yet foundational, setting up the transition from “I don’t know how to to improvise “ to “hey, it’s not as complicated as I thought”. I’ve been an Active Melody member for many years and credit you with opening many doors in my guitar journey. Thanks again, keep up the good work.
Simplicity is often much more inspirational than complexity. Thanks a lot!
I had abandoned the guitar after many years of "playing" but you have helped me light the fire again. King regards o
Hey Brian this is much more than a lesson ..this is could be an entire course !! More than happier to be a member ! Thanks
I have so much fun watching you teach and unlocking information in such a way that works for pretty much everyone. Your mannerisms, your tone of voice, the way you are able to articulate instructions honestly makes it fun to watch And learn from you at pretty much any level of ability. I guess all I can say coming from a 68-year-old guy who started playing when he was 12 years old and has owned more guitars than should have been allowed ha-ha , Played by ear and self-taught, played and copied all the old rock and rollers from back in the day, I truly enjoy watching and learning from you. You have definitely opened up and brought back to life this old guitar players joy for making up songs & things to play... Stay safe my friend and thank you for the blessings you bring to your channel and community.
This is excellent! I've been struggling with this! Thanks...
I’ve watched dozens and dozens of these type of videos. This is among the most useful. Thank you!
Another great lesson. I love that opening riff. It can be a challenge to keep things simple and stay in one area of the neck. You've broken it down perfectly. Thank you.
I loved this lesson Brian because it was simple enough for me to actually play well. Thanks, Buddy!!
Hi Brian, it looks like less is more, I enjoyed this micro lesson very much. 11minutes and 50 seconds are all it takes to plant a music seed which I look forward to practicing with. I find playing in smaller defined boxes on the neck beneficial. Cheers
Genial, magistral, impresionante. Ha sido una clase enormemente instructiva. No puedo dejar de tocar y probar cosas. Tengo los dedos echando humo. Muchas gracias.
WS looking at one of your lessons from roughly 5 yrs back & it occurred to me just how far you have progressed. A good idea here,Thanks 💡.
This is simplifying this very well Brian:it teaches me to do small bits first and do them well before trying to do the complicated,impressive ones later.
I enjoyed the lesson. Nice to focus on one area to force you to develop more style within that area.
Best guitar tutorial video ever! Thanks Brian🙏🙌
Hi Brian, always enjoy these short lessons. Much appreciated
Simple but so fun! Thanks from France...
Man your the best teacher out there for me!
I watch your videos all the time for little nuggets like this. I've probably seen you do these very same concepts in most of the videos I watch, but I actually had an ah ha moment with this one. Thank you!
Thanks Brian! It's making good sense to me now! Thanks for sharing!
What an awesome lesson! it's in the right hand, a wise man once told me that.
Great basics to take off from. Thanks Brian.
Thank you I love simplicity, still making it rich!
Thank you for the great content per usual!
Nobody can accuse you of not giving it your best effort, Brian. Thank you!
I love how explain things in whatever your teaching on Brian, i have learned a lot from you,
this micro lesson is so helpful for me. Thank you.
Awesome lesson, second to none. So clear.
I like that lesson very simple that could grasp. simple pentatonc licks that even I could do. I wrote it down on some tab paper. now I just have todo it. thanks.
This, and more like it, is exactly what I need. No matter what I do I can't seem to stop getting 'lost' when I try to play rhythm with fill licks. Something that is super basic is perfect for helping me get to the point where I can - hopefully - feel where I'm at in the form, because right now, TBH, I spend so much of my focus just making sure that I'm on the correct chord at the correct time that there's no possibility of improvising.
Often simple is more. This was one of the best lessons I ever saw on here. Actually what you played sounded real good and a listener would not even know it was say simple
Excellent. Thank you so much. What a great teacher, great music.
I don't remember ever seeing a better explanation of how to start improvising. This should be a pre-requisite to Improv 101. Thanks Brian!
This is awesome. Very simple and very effective at playing melodies to the chord tones, in the same general area of the fretboard.
This is what I needed for a kick start of my impro. Journey...thanks a lot sir!!! Awsm!
Good work Brian. As you said you’ve done this before and it resonated with me. Once you get a scale under your fingers with chords, it is still sometimes hard to get the tempo right and remember where you want to ‘land’. I am definitely improving with this to the point that I am really trying to work with blues backing tracks. A struggle but it is still a lot of fun. Thanks as always. The quality of this channel is so far ahead of the rest, not that they are bad, but you walk on water. 🎸
Really helpful lesson, thanks. Wasn't overwhelming at all. Can't wait to try it.
Wow. I love this. I love how you explain the concept and keeping it simple.
Dude! It’s the first video I’ve watched from you, and I think I just became a fan.
After watching this twice and reading some of the comments, I have to wonder. Brian is teaching us how to set the table properly and some are asking "what's for dessert " and others want the recipe.
Whenever I climb a ladder I always look for a firm spot to place it and a safe place to land if I need to jump. That is the minor pentatonic scale, a safe place to climb from or to land on.
Love the simplicity.
thank you Brian, I need to get to this next level. Much appreciated.
I am always happy to see your videos. Great school of music I have ever been to. Kea leboga for this lesson. Real eye opener. Wow you are a magician. You turned me into a lead guitarist I never thought I would. You make it real easy. You are my pioneer. Thanks God for you. Always I watch one of your videos I'm inspired it build something a brick. Se ke lesedi straight. Ke lebogela tshedimosetso ya gago. Thanks for the light.
Love this lesson. Really felt like I was connecting things I had learnt and joining them together to make music.
Did I mention before that you are an inspirational tutor, excellent lesson, it melted my face.....!
Good video. I’m not a guitar player, but I’m a harmonica player and this lesson is sound for any musician.
Go simple with feel.
Give the noodling a break.
👍
I loved it Brian….. I used it right away and did a little ad-lobbing, too. Thanks a lot!!
Great fun lesson....I like the simplicity just for sitting around and picking by myself
Thanks Brian
Brian, really like your teaching and your delivery of what you are teaching. THANKS for all that you do!
Glad to get this Micro Lesson. I've always played those runs in E or A. Seeing how easy this is, I can now add the key of G to my arsenal. Just need to awaken to it. Thanks Brian!
great lesson to help me wrap my head around improvisation over a chord. Thanks!
This was great! Accentuate the note when you shift to a new chord. And keep it simple. 1, 4 5 pent. is pretty simple but groovy.
You're the best. Great teacher.
You're the best Mr. B! If your stuff can't get one started... maby they should try a different hobby.
I bought a violin and wow; gotta learn where the notes are and a different pattern/shape for scales. I have a whole new respect for violinists!
Rock on!
😎 Fun licks Brian. Thank you, Doug
Great lesson, Brian - thanks. Really simply clarified the close-compact 1-4-5 patterns AND the 1-4-5 notes to land on. As always - useful info well presented. Thank you.
I just love this type of basic lesson that’s so simple but you can then go away and make it as complex as your own playing will allow I’m kicking myself that possibly a teacher could have shown me this 40 years ago and I could have been improvising straight away instead of just strumming chords from a Bert Weedon book😂 . Thanks Brian
this is a great lesson...ad you can see from the comments, the simple approach is really resonating amongst the students...I cannot imagine a better approach...congrats to Brian...he has done it again💜💜💜
Great stuff Brian!! 👌
These little lesson help me so much! Downloaded the TAB. :)