Lick-in' Riff

Intermediate Grade 4 Blues Guitar Studies
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John,

I think that you are right as the title of this discussion is Intermediate Grade 4 and not Grade 3. I bit confusing really. Could do with it being retitled.

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Oh, that makes sense ! I found that the other Blues Studies had a similar difficulty level than the Lick-in’Riff. :slight_smile:

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Just had another go at this. Why does Justin use different fingerings for the E7 and A7 chords. They are different to those shown here https://www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/open-7th-chords-bg-1301

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There are multiple ways of playing the same chord. It all comes down to the CAGED system.

The first open 7 chords people learn are usually:

E7 = 020100 = E shape
A7 = x02020 = A shape
D7 = xx0212 = D shape

They are derived from the E, A and D shapes in the CAGED system respectively, but these particular chords happen to have open strings so most people find them easier to learn.

I think Justin said in another video that he prefers the sound of an E7 and an A7 with another voicing (fingering).

For this lesson, he plays:

E7 = xx2434

This is the same shape as an open D7 chord, but everything moved up two frets. So it’s an E7 with a D shape.

A7 = x02223

This is still an A shape, but with the note G on the thinnest string instead of the open G string. So still the same notes (A, C#, E and G), but in a slightly different order.

These voicings have the 7th (the note D in the E7 and the note G in the A7) on the thinner strings. It usually sounds better then having the 7th on the thicker strings.

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At this point I have got to mid Grade 3 and I don’t think that the the CAGED system has really been explained as part of the early modules. I know that open 7 chords that you have noted above.

Noted but the fingering of these is awkward at best and takes me ages to set up the E7 before changing to A7. I know that OMC’s will help with this but not sure how long to spend on this for practice to be honest. I come back to it every so often but never seem to make much progress.

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Hi everyone! So, I ave already learnt that the 12 bar blues has a structure. We have been given 3 of them in a previous lesson and I have worked out which one Justin has chosen from those. Little victories at this stage of the game seem important! :wink: So, my question is about the intro. Why did he choose those chords other that they are part of the I IV V? Is there a structure there too that you need to know given where we all are in the course? Ending on the B some how seemed to lead everything into the main body of the tune. Is that it? Thank you and good luck to anyone who is working their way through this lesson at the moment. :slight_smile:

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Often, the intro to a 12-bar blues consists of bars 11-12 of the progression, which is the case here

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By ending on the V chord it is taking you back to the I chord so progression continues. Where as it ends on the I chord signalling the end.

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Thanks for the reply. I got the GP file and I am working on the intro for the first time today. I can’t see anything similar to the intro about the notes in bars 11 and 12 of either chorus though. I must be missing something.

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Hi David,
In addition to what James says we just learned in the BLIM course (I can’t post that further), here is a video about ending a song…

It is grade 6 but I think it also fits grade 4

Greetings

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I should explain better. In my answer above, I was referring to the harmonic structure (i.e. the chords) and not the licks. If you look at the tab for the intro (video 4:30), you see the chords are E7, Edim7, E7, B7 (half a bar each). This is a variation of the chords in the bars 11-12 of the 12-bar progression, namely E7 and B7 (1 and a half bars of E7, 1/2 bar of B7).

Btw, bars 11-12 (sometimes bars 9-12) are referred to as the turnaround and, as somebody mentioned above, signals that the progression is about to start over, especially when it ends on the V (as in this case).

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Aaahhh I see now. Thank you! If I understand the structure (especially when I can’t actually play it yet) I don’t feel lost. Nice one.

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Thanks for that Roger. How are you getting on with the blues course? I’d love to be able to do that one day!

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Hi David,
It’s going slowly but with a lot of pleasure, especially now that I have more time and energy since this week ( one of the things it’s been too hot in the house).

Now that you are working on grade 4 here (and 2 grades lower then it is also possible because immersion is the right way for most) it is certainly a good level to start thinking about BLIM 2 which starts sometime next year … I was (and am) glad I did this (free) lessons first in a little slower way …( not good,certainly not even at three-quarters level)

But if you like this stuff then you’re in for a treat :sunglasses:

thanks for asking,

Greetings

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That’s great! Good luck with it all.

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Hi all, I am working through the set piece in my practice and had another question. The last part of the progression is V, IV, I, V but in the last bar (V chord) Justin plays three beats of E and only one beat of the B7 (V) chord. Why is that? Why didn’t he play all from B in the last bar of chorus one?

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A couple of things:

  1. in the last bar, Justin plays a B note (5th string, 2nd fret) on beat 3 and that is implying a B chord. Then he plays the full B7 chord on beat 4. So bar 12 is actually 2 beats of E and 2 beats of B7.

  2. There are many variations of the standard 12-bar progression, including what to play on the last bar. Perhaps the V chord for the whole bar is the most common, but often the I chord is repeated on the last bar. Another variation is the one Justin employs here with a half bar of the I and a half bar of the V.

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I didn’t know that. Thanks so much for the explanation.

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I’ve come back to this one to give it another go! Justin mentions in the text that “When you start mixing lead lines into a rhythm, the most important thing is that you stay aware of the beat. And you need to know where the groove is. It’s what Blues guitar is all about!”

This is all very well but assumes that you know the notes and chords. At the moment I can only just about remember the Into and Chorus 1 and have to say that the beat is the last thing on my mind.

He also notes:
"### #4 Explore with other licks

Explore and improvise using licks that you’ve learned in other songs. See where they fit in all this! There is a lot of fun to be had here."

What licks is he referring to as not sure that I have learnt any up to this point?

I’ll keep plugging away but this is a struggle!! How long do you practice something before you realise that it’s not working for you and move on?