How—and Why—to Use Diminished Licks in Blues Solos

Are your blues licks and solos sounding tired? Want to make your lead work sound different from what every other blues player is doing?

Check out this lesson. In it, Tyler Larson demonstrates how you can use the diminished scale in your blues lead work to create a decidedly different—and very cool—sound.

“Diminished licks in blues progressions are, seriously, one of the coolest things you can whip out when you are taking a blues solo,” Tyler says. “Because, believe it or not, some people think the diminished sound is only for metal—which it’s not.

“Since that mindset exists, not a lot of blues players, or guitar players in general, tend to gravitate toward the diminished sound in a blues context.”

Tyler says the diminished lick works in both major and minor blues, and in this lesson he demonstrates it over a minor blues progression.

Take a look and see how you can make your blues solos stand out.

For more of Tyler’s videos, visit his Music Is Win YouTube channel.

- YouTube

Watch On