G Blues Scale guitar - lesson 5

Blues in the key of G: jam track lesson – lesson 5: shape 5.
This is the fifth lesson in the G Blues Scale guitar series. The lesson series include audio, scale diagrams and instructions.

Instructions

The G Blues scale can be used over the whole track, but the final outcome of your solo can be improved by some slight adjustments, see instructions Lesson 1.

"Texas Blues Rock in G" alt. 5

Jam track info

Instruments: Bass, drums and rhythm guitar
Chords: G7, C7, D7 (see full progression below)
Tempo: 120 BPM

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Lesson goals

Lesson 5 focus on the shape 5 of the G Blues Scale, played in open position. It can also be played one octave up, spanning 12th to 16th frets.
Notice how the shape 5 merge with shape 1 on the 3rd fret.

Explanations

Chords and structure - This blues jam track in in 4/4 time is structured as a 12-bar song, by far the most common song structure in blues. It also uses one of the most standard chord progressions including the I chord on the first four bars. The chords are played in a progression as seen below:

12-bar structure chords in each chorus.

G7	G7	G7	G7
C7	C7	G7	G7
D7	C7	G7	D7

Each bar last for two seconds. The complete structure is played four times (notice that in the last repeat, the D7 turnaround in the 12th bar is replaced with a G chord). The more you jam over 12-bar blues jam tracks with I, IV and V chords, the more you train your ear to hear the chord changes.

Lessons overview

G Blues Scale guitar series include these lessons:

Lessons are based on the G Blues Scale.

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