Finally: Make Music Flow From The Scale You Already Know

Years ago, I was trading solos with a guitarist friend of mine at a jam session.

His solos were aggressive, full of energy and emotion. Mine were... fine. Technically cleaner, fewer mistakes. But his had something mine didn't.

We talked about it afterwards, and he dropped something on me that I wasn't expecting.

He didn't know any scales. Didn't believe in using them. In fact, he seemed pretty proud of this.

Since I was the guy practicing scales religiously (nearly upon pain of death and dismemberment, if my memory of my guitar teacher is correct), and his solos were clearly more interesting than mine, he figured his approach was better.

He was wrong.

I kept practicing. Months later, we jammed again. This time, my solos were faster, more expressive, and still had fewer train wrecks than his.

What happened?

He was playing by trial and error - slowly building up a memory bank of things that sounded good. But he didn't realize that the same lick that sounds amazing over one chord progression can clash horribly over another.

He was stuck. I wasn't.

The scale gave me the raw materials. But knowing the scale wasn't enough.

If you've been playing guitar for a while, you probably already know the pentatonic scale. Maybe you know several scale patterns.

But here's the question that actually matters:

When you play those patterns, does music flow out of them for you?

Or does it sound... well, like you're playing a scale?

If Your Solos Sound Like Scale Practice, You're Not Alone

This is the most common complaint I hear as a guitar teacher.

People know their scales. They can play the patterns. But when they try to solo, it comes out sounding mechanical. Technical. Like scale practice collided with a 12-bar blues.

Some players stay stuck in this frustrating limbo for years.

All they want is to play a nice, effortless, musical-sounding solo. Even just once.

If that's you, I have good news: you're not missing some magical talent. You're just missing a simple approach that working musicians have been using for decades.

Steal Eric Clapton's "Stock Phrases" Approach
(It's Simpler Than You Think)

Eric Clapton calls them "stock phrases."

They're basically guitar licks - mini-melodies that you can pull off your mental shelf whenever you need them.

Think of it like this: when you're having a conversation, you don't construct every sentence from scratch using grammar rules. You have phrases you've said a thousand times that just roll off your tongue naturally.

Guitar solos work the same way.

You learn a handful of great licks. Maybe just a couple dozen. Then you start combining them, twisting them around, adapting them to fit whatever song you're playing.

Here's the beautiful part: when these stock phrases pass through your rhythm and technique filter, they come out slightly different every time. Adapted to the tempo. Modified for the chord progression. Twisted to fit your mood in that moment.

So those same couple dozen phrases can create hundreds of unique-sounding solos.

You're not memorizing solos note-for-note like some guitar robot. You're building a vocabulary of musical ideas that you can speak fluently.

That's when music starts flowing out of the scale for you.

"I really enjoyed this course. I already knew my way around the minor pentatonic scale (at least what I now know as Box 1), so I didn't have too much trouble getting to grips with the riffs themselves. But the beauty of it came for me in building on the idea of following the chords, and the idea of repeated melodic themes to create interesting solos. It all seemed to come together for me in terms of making music rather than 'just learning stuff', if you know what I mean?"

~ Melvin Schofield

Why Most Players Never Get There

Here's what usually happens instead:

Someone gets excited about learning to solo. They find the pentatonic scale patterns online (probably took about five minutes on YouTube).

Then they learn there are five positions. So they start working on those.

Then they hear about modes. Seven of those to learn.

Then someone mentions the CAGED system...

Pretty soon, they're drowning in patterns and positions and theory. Their brain is full of fretboard diagrams but empty of actual music.

They've lost sight of the goal, which was simply to make music.

The solution isn't to learn more patterns. It's to go deeper with one.

"So far so good. It's kind of basic but what I think I need at this point. I've been playing for a while but only recently feel like I am making progress (finally). I like the simplicity - it forces me to try short and simple licks that hopefully I can retain and build on. You provide 3-4 notes in the examples and as it turns out that is all that is needed to get going."

~ Jay Ruchamkin

Box 1: The Pattern You Already Know
(But Probably Don't Know Deeply Enough)

If you've spent any time learning guitar online, you've come across Box 1 of the pentatonic minor scale.

It's the most famous scale pattern in all of guitar. It's the foundation of rock, blues, and countless other styles.

Most guitar players would say, "Yeah, I know that scale."

But knowing where the notes are is just the beginning.

The question is: how deeply do you know it?

That's the difference. And that's what Box 1 Blues Soloing is designed to fix.

"Wow - so nice to play such a simple riff over the jam track, using the two upper octaves. I even found myself 'following the chords' through the changes, using what I learned from previously doing that course. It just seemed to come naturally. THAT's a breakthrough!"

~ Melvin Schofield

What You'll Learn: 15 Riffs That Multiply Into 200+

Each of these riffs can be modified, adapted, and recombined in multiple ways. Change the rhythm.

Add a bend. Use it in a different key. Start it on a different beat. Combine it with another riff.

By the time you work through the course, those 15 riffs become 30, then 45, then easily over 200 distinct musical ideas.

Not because you're memorizing 200 different licks. Because you're learning how to work with the scale musically.

"'Grand Mr Boettcher' as me Irish mammy might exclaim - getting to link all three riffs together on the A backing track now - yo tank ye very much!!!"

~ David King

The Copycat Solo Sessions: Your Ear Is Your Best Teacher

Here's where Box 1 Blues is different from other courses.

Most courses demonstrate a lick, then move on. You're left to figure out how to actually use it.
Not this one.

I've created something I call Copycat Solo Sessions. Here's how they work:

I turn on a jam track. I play a riff over it, showing you different ways to think about it and use it. As soon as the cycle ends, it's your turn.

You play the same riff over the same jam track, immediately after hearing me do it.

Then I go again. Then you go again.

Back and forth, like we're sitting across from each other trading solos in real time.

No buttons to push. No pages to flip. Just pure, immediate practice with the example fresh in your mind.

Your ear will tell you instantly what needs work. You'll hear the difference between what I played and what you played, and you'll naturally adjust.

This is how real musicians learn - by playing together, listening, and responding.

"Having all the action in Box 1 certainly takes the pressure off where to go next – except that I’m now beginning to “hear” where the music wants to go and have started using the extended scale to get there! But that’s OK I guess? And I can always run back to Box 1 if I get lost. All good stuff!"

~ Adrian Chalkley

What Makes This Work: Focus On ONE Position

I'll be honest - I had to force myself to stick to just Box 1 for this course.

It would have been easy to jump around the fretboard, showing you all five pentatonic positions. But that would have defeated the purpose.

Too often, guitar players think the answer to better solos is learning more scales, more positions, more patterns.

That's not the answer.

The answer is learning how to make music with what you already know.

Once music is flowing out of Box 1 for you - once you're not thinking about it anymore, you're just playing - then it becomes incredibly easy to apply that same musical thinking to every other scale position you know.

That's why this comes first. Master the music-making in one position, and the rest of the fretboard opens up naturally.

It's the difference between knowing five positions mechanically and knowing one position musically. The latter is infinitely more valuable.

The Blues Note: One Note That Changes Everything

We're not just working with the basic pentatonic scale. We're adding one extra note - the flatted fifth, famously known as the "blues note."

This single note is what puts the magic in blues turnarounds you've heard a thousand times.

But it's not just for blues.

That flatted fifth shows up in rock, jazz, funk, country - everywhere. It's the quickest way to add character and edge to your solos.

If you're stuck in the "my solo sounds too much like a scale" rut, the blues note is your escape hatch.

It gives you a way to play a little "outside" the normal scale sound, adding tension and interest.

Chances are you've come across this note before. But knowing where it is isn't the same as knowing how to use it musically.

That's what you'll discover in this course.

A Bonus That Multiplies Everything: Moving Riffs Around The Fretboard

I said we're focusing on Box 1, and we are.

But at the end of the course, I couldn't resist adding one powerful bonus section.

I show you how to take a single lick from Box 1 and find it in 6-8 other places across the fretboard - without changing a single note.

Once you understand this concept, every lick you've ever learned becomes 7-8 times more useful.

You'll be able to play the same musical idea at different fretboard positions, which means:

This technique alone has led me to discover some of my all-time favorite go-to licks. I hope it does the same for you.

"I liked this course a lot. There were a couple of dozen ideas that led to others all over the fretboard. My looper arrived this week so I'll have new things to work on. Thanks." 

~ Michael Watts

What You're Really Getting

This isn't a theory course. It's not a "learn all the patterns" course. This is a learn how to make music with one powerful scale pattern course.

When you're done, you'll be able to:

You'll have 15 core riffs in your pocket, knowledge of how to multiply them into hundreds of variations, and - most importantly - you'll have developed the musical thinking that lets you solo effortlessly.

"I thought this course was great. It was just what I needed, I got a lot out of it. The way you consistently explained the riff patterns great. The play alongs were great too. I have several of your courses. This was perfect for me. Do more like this one. I got a lot out of the multiple riff play alongs."

~ Phillip Bue

Who This Is For

This course is designed for players who have at least a little bit of soloing experience.

You don't need to know music theory. (In fact, if you're drowning in theory but can't apply it, this course is perfect for you.)

You don't need to know all the pentatonic patterns. We're only using one, and if you don't know it yet, there's a section in the course where you'll learn it.

Here's what you should have:

Basic familiarity with the pentatonic scale pattern. If you're still at the stage where you're consciously thinking about where each note is, spend some focused practice time getting past that stage first. Even 30 minutes of practice can get you there.

Once you're not thinking hard about the pattern itself, you're ready to learn how to make music with it.

This works for different skill levels because the licks themselves aren't inherently difficult. I demonstrate easy options for each riff, as well as more advanced versions.

If you're newer to soloing, you'll grab the simpler versions. If you have more experience, you'll naturally work toward the more complex options.

Either way, the core musical concepts work the same. You're learning how to think musically, not just memorize patterns.

"Well conceived and executed! Great idea to laser focus on Box 1 with flatted fifth. I had fun and learned by doing tons. Thanks for making it available. Moving on now to Slow Blues Solo in 'A'. See you there!"

~ Jerry Persall

What's Included

Video Lessons: Step-by-step instruction on all 15 riffs, plus the Copycat Solo Sessions where you'll practice each one with me in real time.

Jam Tracks: Custom backing tracks in A minor and E minor so you can practice these riffs in musical context immediately.

PDF Course Supplement: Detailed tab, theory explanations, and discussions of each riff and technique. This truly supplements what's in the videos.

The "Moving Riffs" Bonus: The technique that lets you multiply every lick's usefulness by 7-8 times across the fretboard.

"Excellent Jonathan, getting into my 'gettin' it off my grumpy 64 year old shoulder blues!!' Love the melodic feel of the copycat rhythm! Watch out there... I even managed to set up a jam practice with a Robert Johnson influenced guitar player (heard him in a post lockdown session in a pub garden last Sunday) about 12 miles from my house in his music room next week... as the guy above said ... raptures ... possible euphoria!"

~ David King, 64 years old

Let’s work together to take your guitar soloing to levels that you never dreamed possible!

To Your Success,

P.S. You'll learn fifteen core riffs that quickly multiply into 200+ musical ideas as you learn to break them apart, reverse them, and work them rhythmically over jam tracks.

P.S. Complete all 15 Copycat Solo Sessions. If your solos still sound like scale practice after 60 days, I'll refund every penny AND personally review your playing on a Zoom call to show you exactly what's blocking your progress. Zero risk.