Simple jam in A major

Welcome to the first jam of this jamming masterclass with Andy and Mike Bradley! here the guys look at how to solo over a simple jam based around the chords A major and D major.

The rhythm part also a hint of a walking bass line that walks up the notes of the A major scale. The lead line takes this idea further, mixing both major pentatonic and major scale notes to create simple effective melody lines.

A major pentatonic scale - fretboard diagram

The A major pentatonic scale can be used for lead improvisation for intermediate players or those totally new to improvising.

A major scale - fretboard diagram

The A major scale can be used by more advanced players to add further melodic content and more advanced ideas.

Blue notes show the A major pentatonic; Orange show the two notes added to make this the major scale; Yellow notes show the same A major scale higher up the fretboard, as used by Mike in his demonstrations.

Want more advanced ideas? Learn Mike's full improvised solo from the interactive TAB below!

How to make the most of this course

See below interactive TAB synced to video for both the lead and rhythm lines for this jam. Use this to learn a few lick ideas to get you started improvising, or learn the full solos if you wish! Useful features of the interactive TAB player include;

• Slow down and loop sections to break down longer, faster sections into manageable licks
• Activate the 'fretboard visualisation', which shows which note is being played as well as shapes being used, all in real time
• See the TAB brought to life as the player syncs to the video in real time!

Mike's improvised lead solo example - interactive TAB

Click the icon on on the tab player above to see the fretboard notes in real time with the tab!

Andy's rhythm loop - interactive TAB