@jimmisc On my computer, I closed the popup saying that the file was locked and was able to adjust the speed with this button.
And I agree with you that it would be awesome to have guitar pro files for more lessons. I am having a lot of fun with this guitar pro blues file.
Going thru this lesson and Justin says ā we are playing solo over the D chordā. I know we are in the key of A and D is the 4th of the scale but the phrase ā playing over ā¦ā baffles me.
Any help is appreciated!
ShastaFan
Hi @Shastafan. Been a while since I watched this video. Usually solos are not played in isolation, theyāre played with another guitarist doing chords for rhythm guitar. Or maybe a bass player, if not a rhythm guitar. Or a backing track if youāre by yourself.
So playing over a D chord is literally, the other guitarist is playing D, while a solo is being played.
Technically not quite, at this level yes best play over a loop or backing track; later licks can be played in between strums of the chord or partial chord and bass line picking.
Hello @Shastafan and welcome to the community.
Music has a harmonic structure - in simple terms a chord progression broken down into bars / measures.
When melody is added it then has harmonic and melodic parts.
The way that melody and harmony are described relative to one another is positionally - melody sits above, harmony sits below.
The melodic can be heard on top of the underlying harmonic structure.
In a 12-bar blues the solo / improvisation is the melodic part and the chords are the harmonic part. You are improvising over the A, D and E chords 9in technical language the I, IV and V chords). The chords provide the underlying harmonic structure above which the solo can be played.
I hope that helps.
Cheers 
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide, Approved Teacher & Moderator
I have a problem with string muting. When I play, other strings tend to make noise even though I didnāt pick them. Is it okay if I put my picking hand over the top few strings?
Hi Richard, thanks for posting a track at the top. Could you please make a suggestion to include practice backtracks in the app as well? This seems like a no brainer and a perfect use for the app.
Thank you,
Scott
YES! 
Iāve been practicing with the backing track from Richardābeen really fun! Iād like to record my own backing track, though. The solo from this lesson is in the key of āAā. The lesson in the previous module was a standard 12-bar blues progression also in the key of āAā (A7, D7, E7). If I record the progression from the last lesson with this blues solo, will they match?
Thank you.
Hi Ryan,
Hereās my annotated notes from Justinās lesson. Iāve added the chords in red above each bar. I guess they should really be 7th chords. Hopefully this helps, rather than confuses you!
Thatās greatā¦thank you so much! Itās much easier for me to get the timing down if I have a visual cue. Do you know if we can we play any notes in the Am pentatonic scale at any time with this progressionā¦or do the notes have to match the chords. For example, when we are playing the āAā bars are there only certain notes in the scale that should played over them? Or, if we are playing the āDā bars should we only play certain other notes? Anyway, thanks again for the graphicā¦very helpful!
Well Iām a rank amateur at this, but since everyone else is probably asleep, Iāll have a go at answering! You CAN play any notes from the Am pentatonic scale over a chord progression in the key of A. But playing the root, third and fifth notes from the backing chord being played will sound better. Although if the chords are 7th chords it might get a little more complicated. Hopefully one of the experts will be along shortly to make sense of it all.
Thanks! Iāll give that a try. I really want to play my own stuffā¦but itās hard when you donāt have a clue!
What Jack says is exactly it.
The minor pentatonic is a 5 note scale and is very user friendly, just try it out and see what happens.
Thanks, Richard. After getting the beginner blues riff down (thanks for your backing track on SoundCloud, by the way), ājust trying it outā is exactly what Iāve been doing. Have been getting some good sounds, but the question āAm I doing it right?ā is always in the back of my mind. In particular, I wonder if I should be using certain notes in the bars of A7, other particular notes in the bars of D7, and other particular notes in the bars of E7. I guess intuitively I just feel that if the chords in the rhythm guitar are changing, so too should the notes Iām playing on the lead! Fun stuffā¦but quite a learning curve!!
@ryanwiley Any of the five notes over any of the chords. You donāt need to worry or think much beyond that. When I say the minor pentatonic is user friendly that is exactly what I mean. Seven note scales can present issues of some notes being good / not good over some chords. With a 12-bar blues playing A7, D7, E7 and the A minor pentatonic it is all systems go, full steam ahead, enjoy the party.
Sorry in advance for all the questions coming up. I just arrived at this module and am enjoying trying out the Blues. I bought the Guitar Pro software today, so I could play the lesson. It seems to be locked; is there a way to unlock it, so we can try things out? I donāt know how to use the software yet; is there a section on the website on how to use it (I tried going through the help pdf for GP, but it was a bit overwhelming)? Are there other lessons that have GP tracks? I have a Katana and a Mac; can I hook the computer up and play backing tracks through the amp? If yes, how do I create the backing tracks, in the software or with my guitar? Iāll stop here.
To answer your question Dude, please see above from a bit further up the thread that @Richard_close2u posted in answer to someone else asking if they are locked.
There may not be a way to unlock it but it could be a good exercise to replicate it on Guitar Pro whilst getting to know the software.
Thanks. I read the thread before I posted. I asked if thereās a way to unlock the file. Any ideas?
Have a great day.
