Playin' Through The Changes of B.B. King's Thrill is Gone

I was teaching a student this evening and we were working on a basic blues chord progression based on "The Thrill Is Gone," by B.B. King.

We happened to be playing in C minor (the actual "Thrill Is Gone" recording is in B if I remember correctly), so the chord progression was Cm - Fm - Ab - G.

This is a C minor blues, including a minor IV chord (or "iv" to be more accurate -- if you don't know the "Nashville Numbering System," you need to learn more about it. Also the Ab to G turnaround gives the progression a little spice.

Anyway, it was helpful to my student to just solo over the i and iv chords repeatedly, and leave off the VI-V turnaround. You may also find this a valuable exercise. Just have a friend play Cm and Fm repeatedly while you find your way through the appropriate Cm and Fm pentatonic and diatonic scales, and arpeggios.

If you'd like to learn more about all this, you'll find a lot more info on my site: LogicalLeadGuitar.com

And while I'm on the topic of B.B. King, check out my very detailed interview with B.B. here: B.B. King on Guitar Life Magazine

My Robin Trower Interview on GuitarLifeMag.com

I've just posted another great interview from my 20-year archive of celebrity interviews...

This one was from a conversation I had with Robin Trower a few years back. We were backstage at the Chicago House of Blues and I was shooting a video guitar lesson with Robin.

I'll post some of those video clips to go with the article asap!

Find out what Robin had to say:

Robin Trower Interviewed for GuitarLifeMag.com!

My YouTube Channel Features Dozens of Guitar Lesson Videos!

I've been posting for awhile to YouTube -- samples of my courses Logical Lead Guitar and Shut Up 'n' Play Yer Guitar: videos from my band, Midwest-based Southern Rock tribute act The Almost Brothers; and plenty of samples from guitar instructional DVDs from publishers Mel Bay and Hal Leonard.

Check out my YouTube channel, LogicalLeadGuitar.com:

My YouTube Channel

And don't forget to join my mailing list to receive free book downloads and more free lessons: LogicalLeadGuitar.com

Bell Bottom Blues Video Guitar Lesson

Bell Bottom Blues by Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton and Duane Allman) is one of my favorite songs of all time.

I've posted a video guitar lesson on this song, taken from the Hal Leonard Signature Licks series DVD "Eric Clapton -- The Early Years."






For more info on this 63-minute, 8-song DVD:
Eric Clapton The Early Years

For info on the complete, three-DVD Eric Clapton set: All Three Eric Clapton DVDs

And for hundreds of concert and instructional DVDs: RockChops.com

Crossroads Video Guitar Lesson

From the Hal Leonard Signature Licks DVD, "Eric Clapton -- The Early Years," here is a video sample teaching the Cream classic Cross Road Blues (Crossroads).





For more info on this 63-minute, 8-song DVD:
Eric Clapton The Early Years

For info on the complete, three-DVD Eric Clapton set: All Three Eric Clapton DVDs

And for hundreds of concert and instructional DVDs: RockChops.com

Eric Clapton Layla Video Guitar Lesson

I've just posted an Eric Clapton video guitar lesson teaching the song Layla by Derek and the Dominos.

This three-minute video guitar lesson is an excerpt from the 63 minute DVD "Eric Clapton -- The Early Years," from the Signature Licks series by my publisher, Hal Leonard.

Hope you enjoy the video:





For more info on this 63-minute, 8-song DVD:
Eric Clapton The Early Years

For info on the complete, three-DVD Eric Clapton set: All Three Eric Clapton DVDs

And for hundreds of concert and instructional DVDs: RockChops.com

Guitar Finger Exercises: Try These Simple Exercises

I'm constantly being asked about guitar finger exercises. It seems the world's guitarists are crazy about exercises. And that's OK, I understand, 'cause I've spent most of my life relying on guitar exercises to turn me into a pro-level player.

Exercises work.

So I've just posted a video lesson demonstrating some essential soloing exercises using the pentatonic scale patterns.

Oh, and there's a complimentary 33-page pdf book to go with it, including the tab for the exercises shown in the video!

And yes, that's right, I said soloing exercises – so these aren't your run of the mill, make your fingers do the walking, boring old chromatic fretboard exercises (though I've relied on those all my life too, 'cause they do work)…

These are guitar finger exercises which will actually sound like soloing, and will improve not only your soloing, but your playing of all the world's great riff-based songs, too!

Read or download the book and watch the video here:

Guitar Finger Exercises