Clapton Unplugged Series (Old Love)

ERIC CLAPTON UNPLUGGED – OLD LOVE

Eric Clapton’s Unplugged version of Old Love is a masterclass in blues guitar phrasing, dynamics and improvisation. The stripped-back arrangement gives the music space to breathe, allowing Clapton to move effortlessly between subtle rhythm playing, expressive fills and extended solos.

It’s a fantastic example of how a great guitarist can take relatively simple musical ingredients and use touch, timing, dynamics and note choice to create something incredibly expressive.

WHAT MAKES OLD LOVE GREAT?

• Expressive blues phrasing – discover how bends, vibrato, slides and carefully placed notes give Clapton’s playing its vocal quality.
• Rhythm & lead working together – explore how chords, fills and lead ideas combine rather than feeling like completely separate parts.
• Dynamics & space – learn why what you don’t play can be just as important as what you do.
• Improvisation & note choice – see how Clapton develops musical ideas rather than simply running through scale patterns.
• Building a solo – explore how phrasing, repetition and dynamics help an extended improvisation grow naturally in intensity.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Learn the key features that make this version of Old Love so awesome
• Explore the distinctive Old Love chord progression and groove that creates great phrasing through blues vocabulary.
• Mix chords and licks to develop a fuller part as Clapton does and take this into your own playing.

We’ll break down the key guitar elements from Old Love, exploring the chords, rhythm playing, fills, scales, phrasing and lead techniques behind this remarkable performance. We’ve combined the main sections

We’ll also look beyond simply copying Clapton’s notes. Old Love is a brilliant vehicle for understanding how to improvise more musically – developing phrases, leaving space, responding to the harmony and gradually building intensity.

The aim is to give you ideas that you can take beyond Old Love and use to develop your own blues playing, solos and improvisati

WE’LL HELP YOU MAKE IT PLAYABLE

There’s plenty in Layla to challenge an intermediate guitarist, but you don’t need to be able to play everything before you begin.

The lesson starts with the song structure, chords and rhythm before building towards the riffs, fills and lead work. Where useful, we also explore ways to make sections more accessible, including:

• Easier chord and partial-chord options
• Simplified approaches to selected riffs
• More economical fingerings and fretboard movement
• Guidance on technique, rhythm and picking

You’ll still learn the authentic approach, but with options that allow you to develop the arrangement at your own pace.

WHO’S IT FOR?

This course is aimed primarily at Intermediate players, but developing players can still gain a great deal from it.

Because you have the complete lesson video and accompanying materials, there’s no pressure to keep up with a live class. Pause, rewind and revisit sections as often as you need.

As a general guide, it will help if you’re reasonably comfortable with:

• Open chords and basic barre chords
• Strumming and picking with a plectrum
• Basic lead playing and pentatonic shapes

Acoustic guitar is recommended, but electric guitar is absolutely fine.

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

Originally recorded as one of our live online classes, this course includes the complete Zoom lesson recording together with all accompanying lesson materials. The video retains the informal, interactive feel of the original session and allows you to pause, rewind and work through everything at your own pace.

Purchase Options

• Buy the series for £46
• Purchase individual lessons for £15 each. 

CHECK OUT THE WHOLE SERIES

HOW IT WORKS

Purchase the course and we’ll send you access to the lesson video and accompanying materials.

The lesson video is provided via a private YouTube link. Course videos and PDFs are for your personal use only and should not be shared or uploaded elsewhere.