247 - How To Solo Over A Minor Blues Progression

Beginner Guitar Academy

In this week’s episode, Paul dives into the moody and expressive world of minor blues progressions.

Building on last week’s look at soloing over major blues, this episode walks you through the structure, chord options, and soloing approaches for a classic 12-bar minor blues.

By the end, you'll know how to play and solo over a minor blues progression, select the right scales, and discover great artists and tracks for inspiration.

Key Topics Covered

What is a Minor Blues Progression?

• Explained as a 12-bar blues that swaps dominant 7th chords for minor chords, resulting in a darker, more emotional feel.
• Variations include using minor 7th chords or introducing a dominant 7th on chord 5 for extra bluesy tension.

Common Minor Blues Variations

• Paul demonstrates the classic A minor progression and a B.B. King-inspired variation (“The Thrill Is Gone”) that introduces a major 7th chord for extra drama.

Beginner-Friendly Approaches

• Tips on using open chords (A minor, D minor, E minor, D7, E7, and Fmaj7) for easier playability.
• How to simplify strumming and tempo for beginners.

Soloing Over Minor Blues

• Introduction to the A minor pentatonic scale—your go-to for minor blues soloing.
• Shows both open and fifth-fret positions.
• Expressive techniques: bends, vibrato, slides, and targeting root notes (A notes).
• Advanced flavour: how to add blues scale notes and natural minor notes for richer phrasing.

Listening for Inspiration

Song recommendations to practice and internalise the sound of minor blues:

• “The Thrill Is Gone” by B.B. King
• “Still Got the Blues” by Gary Moore
• “Tin Pan Alley” by Stevie Ray Vaughan
• Curated Spotify playlist with 25 minor blues classics. Click here to access it

Homework for the Week

1. Practice playing the minor blues progression in A using both open and minor 7th chords.
2. Improvise with the A minor pentatonic, starting with simple phrases and working up to bends and slides.
3. Listen to the Spotify playlist and focus on picking out phrasing, note choice, and expressive techniques from the pros.

Resources Mentioned

Spotify Playlist: 25 Minor Blues Tracks – https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5M3zmU5zHT7d1h5sNWtG3l?si=sr3fLJRXSqqcT6yrL9vX3g

Video Version: Watch Paul’s finger placement and demonstrations here.

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