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05/24/26
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BlueStream Soloing
The Art of Crafting Expressive, Flowing Blues Guitar Solos
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Tim Lerch
Educator
Genres
About this course
It’s not uncommon for players to start developing their soloing skills by building a vocabulary of licks and phrases and then stringing them together to form a solo. While initially rewarding, players soon notice that their solos can sound mechanical and unnatural.
Developing a more nuanced and personal sound requires a different mindset and approach. There’s an art to creating expressive, flowing solos — this is the focus of Tim Lerch’s Blue Stream Soloing masterclass.
”In this course, we’ll work through seven solo studies across different blues progressions and grooves. In each set, I’ll talk about the chord changes, perform a solo for you over a backing track, and then we’ll break it all down chorus by chorus.
We’ll pay particular attention to the harmonic content, pointing out opportunities to make flowing, melodic lines and connections that form a beautiful arc from chord to chord and chorus to chorus.”
Tim will solo over three choruses for each of the six backing tracks he prepared for the course. Each individual chorus features distinct concepts and approaches, which Tim breaks down for you. In effect, you will learn 21 creative and melodic techniques for crafting your own expressive, flowing solos.
You’ll have TrueFire’s interactive learning tools at your fingertips to personalize your workspace and learn at your own pace.
The performances are tabbed, notated, and synced to the video with controls for looping, slow motion, fretboard animation, and many other helpful tools. Backing tracks, Guitar Pro files, printable tab and notation are also included.
Grab your guitar, and let’s ‘stream’ with Tim Lerch!
Developing a more nuanced and personal sound requires a different mindset and approach. There’s an art to creating expressive, flowing solos — this is the focus of Tim Lerch’s Blue Stream Soloing masterclass.
”In this course, we’ll work through seven solo studies across different blues progressions and grooves. In each set, I’ll talk about the chord changes, perform a solo for you over a backing track, and then we’ll break it all down chorus by chorus.
We’ll pay particular attention to the harmonic content, pointing out opportunities to make flowing, melodic lines and connections that form a beautiful arc from chord to chord and chorus to chorus.”
Tim will solo over three choruses for each of the six backing tracks he prepared for the course. Each individual chorus features distinct concepts and approaches, which Tim breaks down for you. In effect, you will learn 21 creative and melodic techniques for crafting your own expressive, flowing solos.
You’ll have TrueFire’s interactive learning tools at your fingertips to personalize your workspace and learn at your own pace.
The performances are tabbed, notated, and synced to the video with controls for looping, slow motion, fretboard animation, and many other helpful tools. Backing tracks, Guitar Pro files, printable tab and notation are also included.
Grab your guitar, and let’s ‘stream’ with Tim Lerch!
What you'll learn
- Use melodic minor scale a half-step above for altered dominant sounds
- Apply Aeolian mode concepts to jazz improvisation
- Understand how to improvise over Song for My Father chord changes
- Learn to create melodic continuity across chord changes
- Develop flowing improvisational ideas rather than chord-by-chord thinking
Release date: 12/19/2023 • 2h 23m runtime
Sample lessons
Not Stirred Rhumba in C Minor
Overview
Not Stirred Rhumba in C Minor
Performance
Not Stirred Rhumba in C Minor | Chorus One
Concepts & Approaches
Not Stirred Rhumba in C Minor | Chorus Two
Concepts & Approaches
What's included
38 lessons • 7 charts • 7 Jam Tracks
BlueStream Soloing
Hi, Tim Lerch here. Welcome to Blue Stream Soloing.
It's very common for guitarists to start developing their soloing skills by memorizing licks and then stringing them together to form a solo. While that might work great at first, players soon notice that their solos can sound a bit mechanical.
Developing a more nuanced and personal sound requires a different mindset and approach. There’s an art to creating expressive, flowing solos — and that’s what we’ll focus on here in Blue Stream Soloing.
In this course we’ll work through seven solo studies across different blues progressions and grooves. In each set, I’ll talk about the chord changes, perform a solo for you along with a backing track, and then break it all down chorus by chorus.
We’ll pay particular attention to the harmonic content, pointing out opportunities to make flowing, melodic lines and make connections that form a beautiful arc from chord to chord and chorus to chorus.
Grab your guitar, and let’s dig in.
It's very common for guitarists to start developing their soloing skills by memorizing licks and then stringing them together to form a solo. While that might work great at first, players soon notice that their solos can sound a bit mechanical.
Developing a more nuanced and personal sound requires a different mindset and approach. There’s an art to creating expressive, flowing solos — and that’s what we’ll focus on here in Blue Stream Soloing.
In this course we’ll work through seven solo studies across different blues progressions and grooves. In each set, I’ll talk about the chord changes, perform a solo for you along with a backing track, and then break it all down chorus by chorus.
We’ll pay particular attention to the harmonic content, pointing out opportunities to make flowing, melodic lines and make connections that form a beautiful arc from chord to chord and chorus to chorus.
Grab your guitar, and let’s dig in.
Back Beat Blues in Bb
We're starting off with a fantastic piece known as 'backbeat blues in B flat.' This swinging tune has a distinct two feel to it, and it's quite open, featuring no piano accompaniment. As a result, I'm taking the liberty of filling in much of the space with small chords and similar elements. This is an excellent example of how I approach a trio situation. My focus is on keeping it simple and melodic initially, while gradually developing the ideas.
Back Beat Blues in Bb
In this lesson, we will explore the nuances of playing 'backbeat blues in B flat,' a swinging tune with a unique two feel. We will delve into how to effectively fill musical space in the absence of piano accompaniment using small chords and related techniques. This session is particularly insightful for those looking to understand handling a trio setup, emphasizing simplicity, melody, and the gradual development of musical ideas.
Back Beat Blues in Bb | Chorus One
In this lesson series we delve into the intricacies of playing a B flat swinging blues, focusing on the first three choruses. We explore how to keep the music simple yet engaging, emphasizing the importance of pickup measures, chord progressions, and the flow of musical ideas. We discuss techniques like using small chromatic movements, addressing chord changes effectively, and the value of space and silence in music. The lesson highlights the subtleties of transitioning between chords, particularly in the context of blues improvisation, and offers insights into making music that is both melodically rich and rhythmically compelling.
Back Beat Blues in Bb | Chorus Two
In this lesson series we delve into the intricacies of playing a B flat swinging blues, focusing on the first three choruses. We explore how to keep the music simple yet engaging, emphasizing the importance of pickup measures, chord progressions, and the flow of musical ideas. We discuss techniques like using small chromatic movements, addressing chord changes effectively, and the value of space and silence in music. The lesson highlights the subtleties of transitioning between chords, particularly in the context of blues improvisation, and offers insights into making music that is both melodically rich and rhythmically compelling.
Back Beat Blues in Bb | Chorus Three
In this lesson series we delve into the intricacies of playing a B flat swinging blues, focusing on the first three choruses. We explore how to keep the music simple yet engaging, emphasizing the importance of pickup measures, chord progressions, and the flow of musical ideas. We discuss techniques like using small chromatic movements, addressing chord changes effectively, and the value of space and silence in music. The lesson highlights the subtleties of transitioning between chords, particularly in the context of blues improvisation, and offers insights into making music that is both melodically rich and rhythmically compelling.
Dancin' Shoes in C
In this lesson, we focus on 'Dancin' Shoes,' a tune characterized by its distinctive use of suspension and release on all chords. If you pay close attention to the keyboard part, you'll notice the subtle yet impactful sound of suspension and release. This technique varies throughout the song — sometimes it's prominent and easily heard, while other times it's more subtly integrated into the mix. As we explore the choruses of this tune, we'll identify where and how this occurs, and I'll demonstrate how I address it in my playing. 'Dancing Shoes' features a pleasingly swampy groove in the key of C, enriched by the dynamic suss and release sound.
+ 31 more lessons
Reviews
7 results
revman2015
Verified buyer
07/18/24
Tasty stuff
Very thorough course. Particularly like the pieces/ songs in this course Tim lerch has put forward some tasty pieces that I have just added to my live set and the punters have passed comment about how much they like the new inclusions. Always a good guide when someone makes the effort to approack you in a live venue about the set you are playing. Have a look at all of Toms stuff while youre at it he covers a broad scope of data / genres. His Jazz Blues knowledge and Ideas are pretty comprehensive. And are sure to add to your musical journey
Toni L.
01/24/24
Great Course for any Blues enthusiast
This is such a great course! I just worked through the Back Beat in Bb. Really fun tune. And digging into Tim’s explanation of each chorus gives you even more nuggets to chew on and add to your blues arsenal. If you take the tie to digest the music theory behind this tune, you will be well on your way down the path of jazz blues. I am looking forward to woodshedding the next tune in the course. Tim is awesome!
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