Lead Guitar Fills between Chords

Rhythm guitar playing isn’t just about playing chords, it is important that we learn to decorate the chords we play to provide movement and counter melody to the singer or soloist. When we provide lead guitar fills the art is to never over-play and to make sure what we play is appropriate to the music. There should always be space for the melody to shine through. Cluttering the melody is one of the easiest ways to get kicked out of your band! Aim to play in the spaces left by the singer, don’t fill every possible gap and turn your volume down a bit so you don’t overpower everyone else on stage!

Lead Guitar Fills on the I Chord

The following rhythm fills work well on a static (held) A7 chord.

Example a:

Example b:

Example c:

Lead Guitar Fills on the IV Chord

These licks target important notes of the D7 chord however you can shift them all up one tone and they are great lines for the E7 chord.

Example d:

Example e:

Example f:

Lead Guitar Fills on the V Chord

Again, you can shift these E7 lines down one tone and they work well as D7 licks.

Example g:

Example h:

Example 9i:

These examples are taken from The Complete Guide to Playing Blues Guitar Part One: Rhythm Guitar.