🎸 How to Play Real Guitar Phrases (Not Just Scales) Over a Funky Blues
- ryanboisselle
- Sep 22
- 4 min read
You’ve got your pentatonic scale memorized. You know which key you're in. But when it’s time to actually solo… your phrases don’t quite land. They either sound random, or like you’re just running scales up and down.
This problem plagues a lot of guitarists when they're soloing or trying to improvise. They can understand they've reached a wall in their improvisational skills, but they don't know how to quite break out of it.
In this post, I’m breaking down a solo I played over a funky B minor 12-bar blues—and showing you exactly how to make your phrases sound more intentional, groovy, and musical. We’re going beyond just “what scale to use,” and into how to make it feel good.
🎶 Step 1: Start with the Extended Minor Pentatonic
The whole solo uses one scale: B minor pentatonic. But here’s the twist—I’m not just staying in “box 1.”I’m stretching across the neck, blending position 1 and 2 into one longer, more expressive shape.
Think of it like extending your vocabulary across a wider space—still the same language, but more room to speak.
This shape gives you freedom to move horizontally, which naturally breaks the "trapped in a box" sound most players fall into.
🎯 Try This: Practice your pentatonic scale as a long connected shape—not separate boxes. Use slides to glue positions together.
📐 Step 2: Think in Scale Degrees
Don’t just play notes—understand their function.
I call out the root, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th, and flat 7th as I play, because once you start seeing the roles those notes play, your phrases start to feel like they have direction.
Sliding from the 4th to the 5th? That gives energy.Hitting the root? That gives stability.Flat 7 to root? That’s a resolution.
🎯 Takeaway: Scale degrees aren’t just for jazz theory nerds—they help you shape emotion and movement.
🌶️ Step 3: Use Blue Notes the Right Way
Want to add a little grit? Reach for the flat 5—the classic blue note.
In this solo, I slide into it, bend around it, and land on it just long enough to make the listener lean in. It’s not just about hitting the note—it’s about how you deliver it.
Blue notes aren’t special because they’re “wrong.”They’re special because they create tension you can resolve.
🎯 Pro tip: Start with a bend or slide into the blue note—don’t just plop it in.
⛅ Step 4: Leave Space. It’s Funky Blues, Not Bebop.
If you’re playing every second of the bar, your solo’s gonna feel crowded.
In this solo, I deliberately leave space, hold notes, and let the groove breathe.That space is what makes the next phrase hit harder.
You’re not just playing notes—you’re playing tension and release.
🎯 Assignment: Mute your strings and tap a funky rhythm. That’s how your phrases should feel.
🎯 Step 5: Target Chord Tones for Flavor
I stick to the pentatonic scale 90% of the time……but when we hit that IV chord (F♯7), I land a note that’s not in the scale.
Why? Because it belongs to the chord.
It creates a moment where your ear perks up. It sounds “smart” without sounding complicated.
🎯 Try this: Find one non-scale note that outlines the chord underneath. Just one. Drop it in like hot sauce.
🧠 Step 6: Think in Phrases, Not Bars
The final lick in the solo builds up and resolves on the downbeat of the next chorus.That kind of forward motion makes your solo feel connected—not like a loop that resets every bar.
Think of your phrases like sentences, not isolated words.
🎯 Exercise: Practice ending phrases after the bar line, not always on beat 4.
🎥 Want to Hear It in Action?
Watch the full video here:👇
You’ll hear exactly how I use these ideas to build a solo that grooves and tells a story—all without switching scales or going “outside.”
🔜 Coming Up in Part 2: Taking It Further
In Part 2 of this series, we’ll start exploring new colors over the same groove—like using the B natural minor scale to add melodic motion, and dipping into the F♯ altered scale to bring tension to the IV chord.
You’ll see how just a few note changes can add depth, drama, and spice to your solos without losing the groove.
Stay tuned—it’s where things start getting really fun.
Want to try this for yourself?
Download the PDF transcription of the solo
✨ Want to Build Solos Like This?
If you're tired of noodling and want to learn how to build phrases that land, I’d love to help.
I teach private and group guitar lessons in Tokyo (Takadanobaba) and online. Whether you're new to soloing or trying to groove harder—I’ll help you get there, step by step.
Let’s get you soloing like you mean it. 🎸🔥
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