Improvising Guitar Lesson
Improvising
DJ talks about the art of improvising in this lesson. Always begin with a grand entrance and end with a big finish.
Taught by DJ Phillips in Blues Guitar with DJ seriesLength: 7:59Difficulty: 2.5 of 5
Supplemental Learning Material
Blues Guitar with DJ
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsDJ Phillips will teach you everything you need to know to become a master of the blues with an emphasis on fast-paced techniques & playing.
Lesson 1
Series Introduction
Meet Mr. DJ Phillips & learn what he's going to teach you throughout this series.
Length: 2:30 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
12 Bar Blues
Learn what makes a chord progression a blues progression as well as the basics to the famous 12 bar blues.
Length: 13:18 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Rhythmic Variations
Time to take the 12 bar blues progression you've learned and add in some rhythmic variations.
Length: 8:48 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
12 Bar Blues Chord Variations
Now that you've learned the 12 bar blues and some rhythmic variations, it's time to throw in some chord variations.
Length: 6:22 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Pentatonic Scale
Time to take a break from the 12 bar blues and start mastering some lead techniques. This all starts with the minor pentatonic scale.
Length: 8:13 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Pentatonic Scale Variations
Now that you've learned the minor pentatonic scale, it's time to learn how to move it around.
Length: 11:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 7
SRV - The House Is Rockin'
Learn a handful of new blues techniques while learning to play Stevie Ray Vaughn's "The House Is Rockin'".
Length: 49:58 Difficulty: 3.0 FREE
Funky Blues Rhythm
Now that you've mastered some SRV, DJ is going to show you some funky blues rhythms that use the 9th chords.
Length: 8:44 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Pentatonic in Open and First Position
DJ begins a discussion of the minor pentatonic scale patterns. He demonstrates the A minor pentatonic scale in first or "open" position.
Length: 12:16 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Pentatonic in Second Position
Continuing on with the minor pentatonic scale, DJ covers the second position. As with lesson 9, he provides a few exercises and riffs along the way.
Length: 10:11 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Pentatonic in Fifth Position
Continuing with the A minor pentatonic scale, DJ returns with a lesson on the fifth position pattern.
Length: 7:09 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Pentatonic in Seventh Position
In this lesson, DJ covers the A minor pentatonic scale in 7th position. He includes licks and riffs to help with skill building.
Length: 8:49 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Minor Pentatonic in Ninth Position
This lesson covers the 9th position of the A minor pentatonic scale. DJ provides licks, riffs, and a string skipping exercise.
Length: 15:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Moving Positions
Now that DJ has covered all five patterns of the minor pentatonic scale, he explains how to shift from one pattern to the next.
Length: 6:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Major Pentatonic
Now that DJ has covered the minor pentatonic positions, he shifts gears to the major pentatonic scale.
Length: 17:34 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Moving Across Positions
In this lesson, DJ demonstrates a number of major pentatonic licks that feature position shifts.
Length: 5:15 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Combining Major and Minor Pentatonics
DJ demonstrates how to combine the major and minor pentatonic scales. He provides a number of combined scale licks for you to learn.
Length: 12:54 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Solo and Lead Lines
In this lesson, DJ demonstrates how to build an effective guitar solo.
Length: 9:13 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Rhythm
This lesson details the importance of rhythm within solos and lead lines.
Length: 6:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Improvising
DJ talks about the art of improvising in this lesson. Always begin with a grand entrance and end with a big finish.
Length: 7:59 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Building Chords on the 6th String
DJ begins a discussion of colorful dominant chord voicings. He demonstrates how to build chords from a root note on the 6th string.
Length: 9:38 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Building Chords on the 4th and 5th String
Continuing on from lesson 21, DJ explains how to build dominant chords from root notes on the 4th and 5th strings.
Length: 8:26 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Using Different Voicings
In lesson 23, DJ demonstrates how various chord voicings can be used while playing rhythm or lead over a 12 bar blues progression.
Length: 4:49 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Mute Raking
With lesson 24, DJ begins a short segment on tricks of the trade. First, he discusses and demonstrates string rakes.
Length: 5:08 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Organ Licks
DJ explains how B3 organ licks can be played on guitar.
Length: 4:11 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Volume Swells
In this lesson, DJ talks about volume swells and how they can be used.
Length: 4:37 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Walking Bass and Upstroke Shuffle
Continuing with his "tricks of the trade" lessons, DJ demonstrates a walking bass line and the upstroke shuffle.
Length: 6:51 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Slide
In this lesson, DJ discusses and demonstrates the basics of slide technique.
Length: 5:28 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Wah Pedals
DJ demonstrates some of the subtleties of using a wah pedal in the blues style.
Length: 3:50 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Harmonics
DJ discusses and demonstrates natural, artificial (harp), and pinch harmonics in the blues style.
Length: 8:37 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Aspects of Tone
DJ delves into tone in lesson 31. He discusses how and why certain tones are achieved.
Length: 21:41 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Blues
With lesson 32, DJ introduces the minor form of the 12 bar blues progression.
Length: 4:57 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Using the Dominant V7 Chord
Building on his minor blues set, DJ discusses how to utilize the dominant V7 chord to spice up the standard progression.
Length: 4:14 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Turnaround
DJ demonstrates a couple turnaround techniques that can be applied to the 12 bar minor blues progression.
Length: 6:13 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor 7 Voicings
In this lesson, DJ discusses some minor 7 voicings with roots on the 6th, 5th, and 4th strings.
Length: 9:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Minor 6th Voicings
Much like lesson 35, DJ discusses minor 6th chord voicings with roots on the 6th, 5th, and 4th strings.
Length: 8:53 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Extensions of the V7 Chord
DJ explains how altered extensions such as the b9 and #9 can be added to the V7 chord within the context of a minor blues progression.
Length: 8:35 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Scale Options
DJ discusses the scale options that can be used over a minor blues progression.
Length: 2:21 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Minor Scale Positions
In this lesson, DJ builds upon lesson 38 and covers the minor scale positions across the entire fretboard.
Length: 5:11 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
T-Bone Walker
DJ profiles blues guitarist T-Bone Walker in lesson 40.
Length: 31:23 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
T-Bone Shuffle
Profiling T-Bone walker, DJ will demonstrate the T-Bone Shuffle.
Length: 29:26 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Skills and Concepts of T-Bone Walker
DJ discusses and demonstrates skills acquired from learning T-Bone Walker's material.
Length: 17:42 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Bo-Diddley
DJ will take a look at Blues guitarist Bo Diddley and teach you the "Bo Diddley beat."
Length: 13:26 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Blues with DJ: More Bo Diddley
Dj is back yet again with more on the style of Bo Diddley. Here is will dive more into his style of solos as well as an in depth explanation of how the songs are played out. Get comfortable everyone and...
Length: 22:15 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Implementing Bo Diddley's Style
Dj brings a kicking finish to the style of Bo Diddley by teaching you how to implement his style of playing to your's. With a quick review of what he has taught so far, Dj will play the backing track as...
Length: 10:59 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
About DJ Phillips
View Full Biography
Like many guitar players who began playing around the same time, DJ began plunking out Nirvana and Soundgarden tunes when he first picked up the guitar in the mid-nineties. While these grunge-y roots certainly have their merit, it wasn't until DJ's eldest sister took him to a Led Zeppelin laser light show that the full potential of the guitar began to come into focus.
With Jimmy Page's Les Paul pyrotechnics as his inspiration, DJ began fervently practicing for hours on end in the suburban jungle of Southwestern Ohio. This newfound passion (combined with his complete lack of athletic prowess and physical coordination thus completely ruling out all sports) led him to form rock bands in junior high and high school. He grew to love the performance aspect of music and soon decided on it as a career path.
College led him to Nashville, Tennessee where he began to pursue a degree in Commercial Music at Belmont University. He also started another band and got his first professional theater gig the following summer. Since that summer, DJ has spent nearly every waking hour finding ways to play music and avoiding a real contribution to society in any other way.
He moved to Minneapolis after college, rocking out between theater gigs with his current rock band Brother Big Bad. He has now convinced the band to move to Nashville where music flows like water.
DJ is elated to be a part of JamPlay and is thankful for everyone's warm welcome and says "Now, let's ROCK, people."
Acoustic Guitar Lessons
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Kaki King
In lesson 6, Kaki discusses how the left and right hands can work together or independently of each other to create different...
Free LessonSeries Details
Jim Deeming
Jim Deeming discusses how to use a metronome for practice, skill building, and speed building.
Free LessonSeries Details
Trace Bundy
Trace Bundy talks about the different ways you can use multiple capos to enhance your playing.
Free LessonSeries Details
Erik Mongrain
Erik expounds on the many possibilities of open tunings and the new harmonics that you can use in them. He explains what...
Free LessonSeries Details
Nick Amodeo
Nick explains how to play some of the most commonly used chords in the bluegrass genre.
Free LessonSeries Details
Pamela Goldsmith
Pamela brings a cap to her first 13 JamPlay lessons with another original etude inspired by the great Leo Brouwer. This is...
Free LessonSeries Details
Mitch Reed
Mitch teaches his interpretation of the classic "Cannonball Rag." This song provides beginning and intermediate guitarists...
Free LessonSeries Details
Orville Johnson
Orville Johnson introduces turnarounds and provides great ideas and techniques.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mark Kailana Nelson
Mark Nelson introduces "'Ulupalakua," a song he will be using to teach different skills and techniques. In this lesson, he...
Free LessonSeries DetailsElectric Guitar Lesson Samples
Our electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
Jane Miller
Jane Miller talks about chord solos in part one of this fascinating mini-series.
Free LessonSeries Details
Emil Werstler
Emil takes you through some techniques that he uses frequently in his style of playing. Topics include neck bending, percussive...
Free LessonSeries Details
James Malone
James explains how to tap arpeggios for extended musical reach.
Free LessonSeries Details
Tosin Abasi
Tosin explains some of the intricacies of the 8 string guitar such as his personal setup and approach to playing.
Free LessonSeries Details
Kenny Ray
Albert Collins brought a lot of style to the blues scene. In this lesson, Kenny breaks down Albert's style for you to learn.
Free LessonSeries Details
Kris Norris
Kris analyzes different pick sizes and their effect on his playing. Using a slow motion camera, he is able to point out the...
Free LessonSeries Details
DJ Phillips
Learn a handful of new blues techniques while learning to play Stevie Ray Vaughn's "The House Is Rockin'".
Free LessonSeries Details
Brad Henecke
Free LessonSeries Details
Lisa Pursell
Lisa breaks into the very basics of the electric guitar. She starts by explaining the parts of the guitar. Then, she dives...
Free LessonSeries Details
David Wallimann
This is a crucial lesson that explains tablature, how to read it, and why it's important.
Free LessonSeries DetailsAdditional Lesson Features Available to Members
While we have attempted to provide you with an accurate rendition of our video lesson experience, there are some features which
require a membership with us!
Custom Progress Reporting
At JamPlay, we give you the ability to monitor your own progress for any lesson! If you watch one of our lessons and feel as though you understand around half of it, mark your progress at 50%. This adds the lesson to your customized Progress Report, and gives you an incredible ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.
Progressive Bookmarking
With thousands of lessons at your fingertips, JamPlay can be a touch intimidating to a first-time user. With Progressive Bookmarking, we give you the ability to systematically bookmark sections of any lessons you are working on to quickly access later. After all, what is the point of all this content if it isn't easy to use?
Save Your Notes
JamPlay also gives you the ability to leave notes for yourself on any lesson. Just like in any educational system, taking your own notes while learning gives you the ability to highlight the instruction that is important to you. Leave your notes, and we store them in our database for you to reference each and everytime you come back to the lesson.
Join the Thousands of Members at JamPlay
Signup today to enjoy access to our entire database of video lessons, along with our exclusive set of learning tools and features.
Unlimited Lesson Viewing
A JamPlay membership gives you access to every lesson, from every teacher on our staff. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many times you watch a lesson. Watch as many times as you need.Live Lessons
Exclusive only to JamPlay, we currently broadcast 8-10 hours of steaming lesson services directly to you! Enjoy the benefits of in-person instructors and the conveniences of our community.Interactive Community
Create your own profile, manage your friends list, and contact users with your own JamPlay Mailbox. JamPlay also features live chat with teachers and members, and an active Forum.Chord Library
Each chord in our library contains a full chart, related tablature, and a photograph of how the chord is played. A comprehensive learning resource for any guitarist.Scale Library
Our software allows you to document your progress for any lesson, including notes and percent of the lesson completed. This gives you the ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.Custom Chord Sheets
At JamPlay, not only can you reference our Chord Library, but you can also select any variety of chords you need to work on, and generate your own printable chord sheet.Backing Tracks
Jam-along backing tracks give the guitarist a platform for improvising and soloing. Our backing tracks provide a wide variety of tracks from different genres of music, and serves as a great learning tool.Interactive Games
We have teachers covering beginner lessons, rock, classic rock, jazz, bluegrass, fingerstyle, slack key and more. Learn how to play the guitar from experienced players, in a casual environment.Beginners Welcome.. and Up
Unlike a lot of guitar websites and DVDs, we start our Beginner Lessons at the VERY start of the learning process, as if you just picked up a guitar for the first time.Our teaching is structured for all players.
Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.good stuff.
Still nothing useful