Good question. He’s only playing the top 3 strings of the A7, the missing A note would be on the 4th string, 7th fret: xx7989. Justin actually shows this grip very briefly at exactly 1:32 of the video.
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Think of it as a rootless A7.
The critical b7 is there, plus the 3rd, less critically the 5th. In the context of a song, it works, as the base note A may be played by the bass etc, or the 3rd and 7th distinguish it enough from the other chords.
Cheers, Shane
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Thanks Shane! That makes total sense!
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Just had a listen to this and tried to play the Beginners Blues Solo over it but they just appear to be two completely different things that don’t go together. I guess that I’m missing something here.
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Richard’s backing track is just a 12 bar blues shuffle in A. The beginner blues solo fits perfectly over the top. If that backing track isn’t working for you, search Spotify for “slow 12 bar blues shuffle in A” and you’ll get a heap of options. If you don’t have Spotify, try YouTube.
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Ok. Not sure what I was expecting to be honest.
Will have to take your word for that as the two don’t seem to fit. As a bit of help at what time in the BT would I start the solo?
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Stuart, the actual solo begins bang on the count of 1 of the first bar of the 12-bar cycle, over the first A chord of that 12-bar cycle.
See the pic which is based on Justin’s TAB with annotations added.
OK. So you play the intro bit, the start the BT and at the same time start the solo? Not sure my timing’s up to that!
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I’m confused about this statement in the lesson
Guitar Pro is free to download for registered users - but you need Guitar Pro software to use it. If you don’t have this awesome software yet - you can use this link with promo code JUSTINGUITAR to get 20% off. 
I bought Guitar Pro software. Where do I get the GP file to download?
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Hey Greg,
Any GP files for a lesson can be found under the Resources tab ( looks like a download icon.
And, welcome to the community mate👍
Cheers, Shane
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I bought guitar pro for ios so which opened this GP file no problem. it seems pretty full featured with the backing track stuff working, adjusting the speed & section-looping and the score / tab / fret diagram scrolling along in time. seems good value at £6 if you dont need to edit the gp files yet. am I missing anthing major in the full gp software if i’m just using justin’s files?
Agree with other posters that I’d be keen for more gp files to go along with lessons, seems great.
Will
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Hi,
First time posting, so please forgive me if I’m not doing it correctly (indeed, please tell me how to do it). The Beginner Blues Solo contains the notes F# and F in Bar 14 which are not part of the A minor pentatonic scale. Could somebody explain how this is so.
Thanks
Jon
These are the last two bars:
You are correct to notice that there are two notes played in the solo that are not in the scale. They are in the descending run of notes on the 4th string from fret 5 to fret 4 to fret 3 to fret 2 where it ends.
The note at fret 2 is the note E which does belong in the scale.
5 → 4 → 3 → 2 is called a chromatic run. This means playing a consecutive set of notes all one semitone apart as you pass from one scale note to another. It is very common in blues and other musical genres. Chromatic movements such as this are not limited to single notes only. Sometimes chords will move one semitone at a time as a transition. If it sounds good it is good!
I hope that helps.
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Mr C - I just could not resist adding the root to your equation and succinct explanation. 
Isn’t that what happens in the intro to the Beginner Blues Solo Richard?
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Hi Richard,
Thanks for the prompt response. I have been reading, trying to understand and apply a lot of theory but I’m now learning from many experienced guitarists such as yourself that music is so much more than this. It’s about feel and sound as much as anything.
There is a certain music logic to this chromatic run in that the A7 chord contains a G and the downward run is G, F#, F, E.
Thanks again
Jon
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Is it best to say the count or just feel it? i’m having a hard time counting the tempo whilst playing it. Also, when Justin only counts the notes that are played (like 1 + 2 3 4 + ), when i try to do the same i always get off tempo, so i try and say all the beats (like 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ) but my playing is really bad and i mess up a lot/get off tempo. What are some ways that i can improve with this? Please help.
It sounds like you would benefit from using a metronome
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