Playing Blues Solos Part 1

[AphelionDustwake]

I've noticed a teensy error in the beginning

The third blue dot does not belong

'Tis not a root note.

I may be wrong.

But It confused me a bit.

[Furryboots72]

thanks for the vids, the camera view really helps.

[IronMannara]

hey man what kind of pickups are u using ?

[nickeax]

@IronMannara Whatever pickups come standard on 2005 USA std Strats. :-)

[ShredMyESPMan]

Sweet man. 2:02-2:05 sounds like a solo from the Becker tv show. I fucking love those little solos in there. Sweet stuff.

[DistortedPerception1]

thabx for camera view!

[nickeax]

@DistortedPerception1 You're welcome!

[Trinivalts]

Why u say 2 blue notes, when it's the same note in just different octaves.

[nickeax]

@Trinivalts I think I know what you mean!

[clarkewi]

I like how you play the guitar flipped. Like Albert King, Jimi etc. very authentic.

[nirvanalive4ever]

hey very good tutorial, but

explain me something please, in 2:22 or 2:23

your lick is finished in a note that doesnt appear in the scale, i always use this note but i dont know why it can be used, or its a Guitar instinct or something like that??

thanks

[nickeax]

@nirvanalive4ever Yeah sorry about that. That note is the 5th from the key you're playing in, so it will always sound good in any piece. Having said that, I feel it's more important to play blues expressively and try to convey something rather than understand the exact science behind the music. What I'm trying to do is get people pointed in the right direction, the rest should come from 'you'. :)

[TheJimsky143]

@nickeax

hello sir!can you make blues solo on key of D?thanks

[PhilippeThomas84]

one of the best lesson on YouTube just because of the point of view.

[BerkayBB]

very nice :]

[zues2451997]

you teach to fast

[aldeilsondasilvacost]

muito obrigado, tab?

[VladDost]

hell yea! :D tnx for your help! I liked it.

[manowarozan]

thanx very nice lesson

[nickeax]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it.

[sebastiansfp94]

Thanks! great vid!

[nickeax]

Thanks and you're welcome my friend. :)

[123321asdasd123321]

thanks!!!!! :DD!

[nickeax]

You're welcome mate!

[sgaedfbaeyaef]

OBRIGADO

[nickeax]

do- itashi mashite

[nickeax]

You're very welcome!

[danworldemperor]

be nice if u had tabs for the solos

[nickeax]

Ha ha, yeah. Hang on, why?

[AndreErtz19]

Tabs?

[nickeax]

It's a system of lines and numbers for representing which fret and string to use.

[AndreErtz19]

no....do you have the tabs for the solos you're doing?

[nickeax]

I don't use TABs. What you are seeing are just simple licks from the minor pentatonic scale. I personally feel that you'll learn quicker if you attempt to copy what I'm doing, based on that scale.

[IWillrockyouHard]

5 stars! ;) nice blues

[nickeax]

Oh, thanks!

[namnoiz]

I like your video camera position in your video its easier to see finger position on the strings!5 stars just for that! nice playin.

[nickeax]

Thanks captain, and I'm glad you liked it.

[jayjaygibbs]

It always makes me cringe when someone ends on a note that is not the root when playing a scale

[nickeax]

Me too!

[Chilidem]

Why? When you're dealing with the blues scale, all the tones, except perhaps the passing tone, are relatively compatible with the root.

[jayjaygibbs]

Yeah, I know but when I play scales I like to hear the resolution clearly and when I play them in different modes I find it helps me to remember the feel. I guess it's just a personal thing. Thanks for your reply :)

[saiko189]

OMFG this is the sickest stuf i have ever seen...damn i love the blues...eargasm

[nickeax]

Yeah, it's true.

[Mylime900]

he played it cool, it was kind of upside down =D nice work!!!!!!!!!

[wiresystem]

Great Video! very helpful 5stars!

[nickeax]

You're welcome. Thanks very much for the kind remark.

[xBebop45x]

I love the blues scale soooooo much!!!!! Great for improv. Another note that sounds good with it is the one right behind the first octave up from your E string root. Allows you to do some cool runs up and down the scale and feels a little more natural.

[nickeax]

I think I know what you mean!

[jpcamerota]

I have been struggling for a while. This is eactly the instruction I was looking for. Thanks so much Nick!

[nickeax]

I'm very glad to of been some help!

[clockmaster69]

thanks a lot man! :)

[nickeax]

You're welcome mate!

[leebones100]

Great licks and a very good camera angle, very easy to see the frets and bends etc. Thanks:))

[nickeax]

I'm happy that you found this useful! I have made more videos like this, but with more advanced licks. Maybe you'd get something from them too?

[silverfox1508]

Nice one, thank you!

[nickeax]

You're welcome, and thanks!

[grimgrimdeath666]

slow down their cowboy lol

[nickeax]

Quite.

[nickeax]

Quite often, 9th and sharp 9th chords are used. But 7th and Minor chords are also prevalent. I am no expert though, but I'd suggest trying out some of those chords to see what you personally like.

[beaudiddley]

Dude,

You are one excellent teacher.

I've been working with the blues scale for some time now and this lesson really helps me make sense of things.

Thanks!!

[nickeax]

I like to read things like this!

[huebertd]

when you show the penatonic scale, you have it wrong, also you have 7 strings on the diagram. lol

[nickeax]

Ha ha. :)

[dracostein]

dude i was so confused abt scales.....this video is great........ur a life saver....keep on the good work...thnks :)

[nickeax]

You're welcome and I'm glad to have provided what little help I did. Cheers.

[thejimmypagejunior]

youve not shown all the riffs in slo mo

[nickeax]

How can I ever repay you?

[unchie979]

thats some high action dude.........is it better for playing blues?.....i heard it was...or is that bollocks?

[nickeax]

I have no idea! I have never adjusted the action on a guitar.

[marcusmarkmus]

lower action is easier to play, and easier to play fast, especially if your a beginner. some proffesionals like it abit higher, they like to "dig" into the fretboard =P i think its all up yourself and waht makes YOU feel good! =)

[nickeax]

I'm fucking hopeless at it!

[j2thebissle]

What does root note mean? Sorry im new to all this.

[nickeax]

The root note is the naming note for the scale. If you start playing this scale from the fifth fret, for example, that note is 'A' on the 'E' string, so the scale will be called 'A' Blues Scale.

All this is explained in detail in the free lessons on my site by the way.

[zeppelinstrat]

the blues scale only has six notes, the pentatonic five and the myx and all the rest have 7

[nickeax]

I think you're right!

[petey904]

dam dude ur great wit these blues licks finally i was lookin for this kind of stuff for a long time i got this vid on my fav now

[nickeax]

Excellent, thanks! I'm happy to have been of some help mate.

[318825768]

7 strings wtf!

[nickeax]

LOL

[rvkillinspree]

hmmmm.. finally my search ends here !!

ty ty ty ty

[GuitarAlfabet]

is the guitar hanging in the corner a 1962 strat?

[nickeax]

Nah...! It's a 2006 Deluxe Telecaster. You will see it in some of my other videos.

[GuitarAlfabet]

ok..just thought the colours were the same cause i have one B-) btw..nice playing dude!!

[nickeax]

Hey that sounds nice! What's it like? And when are you sending it over to me (address sent)? :-)

[GuitarAlfabet]

its delicious..but i like my Gibson LP better..

btw...

sending what? the strat?

[nickeax]

Yeah, will you send me the Strat?

[GuitarAlfabet]

yeah sure, in form of a picture or vid:-)

but what kind of amp do u use?

fender?

[nickeax]

Just a Peavey Classic 30. But I like it!

[GuitarAlfabet]

it sounds great on the vid!

And mine aint much better either, its a marshall valvestate 265..everyone I know says it sucks, but man!!! it can blow your ass long up in the skies!!!

[nickeax]

Yes.

[TotalAmputation360]

I use that too, it's a great amp

[nickeax]

Which, the Valvestate?

[TotalAmputation360]

Nope, Peavey Classic 30

[nickeax]

Oh right. It's a good amp to own if you want to use it's power amp stage with another preamp too, IMHO. I often hook up a Marshall JMP-1 (old valve preamp that can be found on eBay!) to the C30 with great results.

[TotalAmputation360]

do you plug the preamp into the fx return?

[nickeax]

Yes.

[STRATOKASTER3]

VERY SWEEEEEEEEET!!

[nickeax]

Thanks for the kind words. :-)

[brinedase]

i love this camera veiw!!! dude thank you i knew that scale but couldnt do jack with it till now!!! awesome

[nickeax]

Excellent! It's always good to see that my videos aren't a waste of many hours. :-)

[79102193]

simplemente perfecto

[nightwatcher19]

fag!!!

[nickeax]

Cheers mate.

[rafaelpossa]

if the image and sound were 100% together it would be easier, but thanks anyways

[nickeax]

You're welcome.

[martinsvard89]

great licks man!!^^

[nickeax]

SLURP

[ryukishisama]

in your picture, the third root note is at a wrong place

[davidarlette]

Have a close look at the guitar in the graphic. 7 strings! Mentioned in earlier comment.

[nickeax]

What a moron!

[roycornerchina]

great~

[arlsan]

That camera view is very easy to follow.

Thx.

[gaelicbanshee]

Yeah, Nick---and that to. Old age is NOT what it is cracked up to! That's a fact. (but of course, the shredders and metal heads DO use 7-stringers!) :) I like your vids (I have seen 4) though --- the camera angle and the repetition are good teaching tools. Your picking hand up shown in the corner would be a nice feature to add.

[nickeax]

I am working on getting a second camera.

[gaelicbanshee]

I believe you have one of your notes colored incorrectly. If you look at the B-sting you will see that the 'root note on that string is mislabled as a 'normal' note --that is, on the B strin, at the 6th fret, the red should be coded blue, a 'root' note (and a VERY useful one at that!).

[nickeax]

Yeah, in my old age confuzzlement, I have included 7 strings... LOL

[dbikeguy]

thats what stevie ray vaughan based most of his solos on.

good i know this is legit

[SoloBen247]

and every ither blues guitar player....

[dbikeguy]

not what i meant, i mean almost exclusively those particular notes

[ohmann88]

hey thanks for giving us a good view of your fingers at work

[nickeax]

You're very much welcome. Thanks for commenting!

[Calgebra]

This is a great video with a great view of the frett board but you seem to play the more difficult riffs less frequently and alot quicker!!

[nickeax]

I don't want to do ALL the work! :-)

[thepiro666]

good lesson

[djohnsonhot]

THANKSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DarkBrute]

Question, when I play a scale such as this one and start from, say, the G or B string, is it still in the same key as if I played it from the E string?

[nickeax]

Scales have 'root notes' and most often, the lowest root note will be on the low E or A string. The patterns for E and A root note scales are slightly different.

As long as you are playing the correct notes from either the root A or root E string scale, you may start from anywhere you like. The root note itself denotes which key you will be playing in.

[timothywebber]

great vid dude totaly helping me

I didn't like the view at first but grown to love it good idea

thank you so much for taking the time to post

[ledzepplinisthebest]

Thanks for the video man! Helped alot. I knew how to play a blues scale but what i dont get is in the beginning in the diagram is the extra notes and stuff on the first three strings? Can you help me out?

[nickeax]

Sorry about that. It's just an error in my graphic! Ignore the string closest to the middle of the neck.

[ledzepplinisthebest]

no not that.lol i didnt notice that though. But im talking about the other notes and stuff. And the normal and root notes. Like on that 1st string when you skip a fret it has a normal note.

[richiemabie]

Hey Aussie great vid to learn the blues it does not get any easier than that

[SirDuncan1]

Fantastic vid!

[timothywebber]

dude great vid just awsome love the way you show the guitar

[LocoLife69]

thanks a lot that really helped a lot more than others

[SoloBen247]

nick im havin a problem with recording in reality my guoitar sounds thick from my amp and good but when i record even with my good mic it sounds thin and brutal no matter how i mic it...

please help

[nickeax]

You need to consider the following points:

- Do you have a decent audio interface?

- Is the mic very close to the speaker? I'm talking at least two inches (about 6cm)

- Are you recording with sufficient level?

If you can answer those questions, myself and others will be in a better position to offer you advice.

Cheers!

[SoloBen247]

I've tryed close mic (right on the grill cloth) right inbetween the cone and outer part of the speaker and it sounds thin when its close or far micing

I use a loud volume but it sounds thin when its low to

and i dont use an interface im jsut usin a mic thats plugged into my computer

thanks

[nickeax]

Mate, check out the tutorials on my guitaraustralia site. They will show you everything you need to know about getting started in recording at home. And whatever aspects are not covered will be answered in the forums.

The guides are forum topics, by the way.

[BossHogster]

Excellent video. I wish more tutorial videos were film from the players viewing angle as it makes so much more sense!

[nickeax]

Yes... I'm a GENEOUS!! :-)

[ThankGodForCountry]

you geneous people sure are gud speelers

[manjavo]

7 strings? why a 7-string guitar

[nickeax]

Because I'm a complete idiot, I made a mistake. :-)

[thbeldee]

ive been lookn a long time for blues lessons like this..just one thing thou,im havin trouble at the 2.02 mark as well,its too fast for me to follow..otherwise thks heaps.

[MorgoSargas]

just take your guitar and try to guess the notes. Then listen to the video and see if you were right. It's not that hard. (Don't try to guess blindly lol... Try to hit the notes that looks the most possible ones)

Sorry for my English (I know there are some mistakes. I just can't see them lol)

[mdluffy113]

hey could you plz tab out the lick between 2:02 to 2:10 cause I just cant figure it out thx for your other help

[fallenmonkeytieryu]

thanks man you are a big a help to my playin

[nickeax]

That's good to hear!

[BlesidBlack]

if you like this check out our channel and that vid on there it is josh williams he is great.

[nickeax]

Will do!

[nickeax]

To the person who commented last, I'm sorry, but I clicked DELETE instead of REPLY!

Feel free to comment again if you don't hate me too much! :-)

[PENTADACTYLON]

7 string blues? ..why not 9 strings or 11? ... or better, a Arp!

[nickeax]

Ha ha! Yes, I'm an idiot... I did make a mistake there.

Sorry you got confused mate, but watching what I do on the guitar should make it clear for you.

[StoneMaestro]

your playing the Aminor Blues scale, then why did you end your lick at 2:22 and 2:26 on a C# that doesnt appear on the blues scale????

[nickeax]

I was just showing that it's OK to be free and experiment.

I'm sorry to have confused you. On my website there is a simpler introduction mate. Maybe that'll be more helpful?

[pocas14]

MAN THE GUITAR HAS 7 STRINGS! WTF?

[nickeax]

Slight error on the part of the art depo! Sorry to confuse your small mind.

[pocas14]

good joke ahahahah silly --'

[EuricV]

Very nice job ! i love that kind of licks, 5star ! I'm gonna watch other parts :)

[1oleblues]

The BEST Guitars Leseon On the hole You Tube,Thanks man:)

[bordz25]

it was great!...it would be better however if the insturction was a bit more involved and the riffs played a little bit slower

[hartrick]

thank you - a great resource - I AM BACK

Had to put the guitar down and renovate th house - Back in the saddle after a month - thanks

[wadems]

Nicely done instruction.

[Arakaii]

awesome job.

[JOMIGUEL30]

VIVA EL BLUES!!!

[jephbailey]

i only have six strings on my guitar!!!!!!

[Heaner]

are you serious?

your supposed to have six strings

[earlhustle]

incredibly useful vid for those familiar with the minor pentatonic scale looking to get a bluesy feel and tips on solos in general.

[havalyousef]

thanx alot good work ,God bless you.

[mustafalang]

this guy is great. never seen a vid where you can actually see whats going on. things sound so complicated, but once you see the actual movement you can tell its all about the way you use the notes.

[chawkolay]

I've been looking for lessons like this for such a long while! other teachers just blab on and on about the scales and how you should practice them. This guy shows you the scale, then shows how you can screw around with it, and that's all i've ever wanted! god bless Australians!

[acadaca95]

thanks im aussie XD

[rich4364]

not a full instructional vid for bigginers but once you sorta know what your doing, this video kicks ass

[chawkolay]

agreed

[49skate]

you put one root note wrong on the 4th string it should be third note on the fifth