How to Play Twelve Bar Blues
Focus on learning the progression in one key to get used to the sound and movement., Set a metronome to 4/4 time, at a speed you can comfortably play along with., Play the I chord for four bars to kick off the progression., Play the IV chord for two...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Focus on learning the progression in one key to get used to the sound and movement.
The twelve bar blues are a chord progression
-- a set structure of movement to build a blues song.
Thus learning the form in one place completely makes it easy to transpose to any key.
For example, you could memorize the chords in the key of E, then worry about getting other keys later on.
For this tutorial, stick to E.
The standard blues progression has only three chords
-- the I, the IV, and the V, where the starting cord (the I) is an E.
The fourth chord (IV) is an A, and the five chord (V) is a B.
If the Roman numerals are confusing you can just ignore them.
They correspond to the number of the note in the major scale
-- the first, fourth, and fifth note.
The fourth note of the E-major scale is an A, the fifth a B.
Make sure you know at least the major scale and the minor penatonic scale before continuing. -
Step 2: Set a metronome to 4/4 time
The twelve bar blues is simply a set chord pattern played in 4/4 time, which is the most common time signature in music
-- turn on any radio song and count "1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4,
1..." if you need help getting a feel for it.
One bar is this count from 1-4, so the twelve bar blues is a progression of 12 of these counts.
Metronomes are essential practice tools, as they help you time up your transitions where they should be and get used to the twelve bars, exactly.
Bars are also called "measures." A good practice speed for beginners is 60 BPM or so. , For example, keeping the blues in E, you would start with four bars of an E.
Simply strum it, keeping count, for four bars.
For a bigger, more bluesy sound you can play 7th chords, like an E7.
For now, however, just focus on the progression. , Slide off your E and head to the A, which is the fourth chord in the key of E.
Then return to the E for two more bars. , You hit the V chord, here a B, once after the first eight bars are done.
This is the beginning of the "turnaround," or the end of the twelve bars. , The ending a twelve bar blues is called the turnaround.
You run quickly through every chord, hit the V one last time, and then start over.
In the case of E major, you want to play one measure of B, A, E, and then a final B. , Once you get through all twelve bars you're back at the beginning.
Just keep repeating the same pattern to keep your song rolling.
This is the twelve bar blues in E.
As long as you can figure out the intervals between the I, IV, and V using the major scale (remember, the 4th note of the scale is the IV chord), you can now play the blues in every key.
For example, in the key of A you would play A(I), D(IV), E(V). , Most songs in 4/4 are "straight." This means that on every count (1, 2, 3, 4) you strum the guitar once.
But the blues has a shuffle rhythm, or a swing step, that uses a quickly alternated up-down strumming pattern.
Think of playing with the rhythm, "1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and, 1 and..." You strum down on the "one" with a long stroke, then a quick upstroke on the "and." The final rhythm has a long-short, shuffling feel to it.
Listen to some old B.B.
Kind or Muddy Waters, to hear the shuffle-strum in action.
Not how it keeps the song moving forward, even on slower, sadder songs. , If you want to play something a little more unique than straight chords you can pick up a riff that follows the chord progression.
To keep the classic twelve-bar melody alive, you want to start each bar on the appropriate chord.
If the chord is the I chord, here an E, you want the first note played in the measure to be an E.
From here you can then improvise or play around to get new sounds on the 12-bar blues.
The following riff will continue in the key of E, and is a good example of how to add new notes and riffs to the basic blues.
That said, feel free to take these licks and improvise on them to make them unique. , You're going to kick things off exactly how you started the basic pattern.
Turn the metronome on, and use the shuffle rhythm to count out a "1 and," on the E chord. , Simply stretch your ring finger down two frets and do the exact same pattern for "2 and." You want to keep your index finger down, so that whenever you pick the A up you're right back to your original E power chord.
Putting it all together, you should end up with half a bar of alternating notes. , You'll play each note twice in each bar.
If you were counting it out, it would sound like: "E and, A and, E and, A and..." Complete this for four bars.
This is exactly the same amount of time you'd play the I chord, or the E, in a normal twelve-bar chord progression. , Again, you want to change chords at the exact time as the original twelve-bar progression learned above.
Use your index finger to create the A power chord just like you created the E. , Land your ring finger two frets down to the D.
Play the quick up and down rhythm for "2 and," then release the ring finger back to the A on your index finger.
Play this for another four bars. , Again, this is just like the original progression, which went E-E-E-E-A-A-E-E-B-A-E-B. , After your two bars of E, it's time to hit the V chord again, here a B.
To get to a basic B power chord, simply add your ring finger two frets down, one string over.
Like the rest of the measures, you'll strum this for a quick "1 and" before modifying it.
Use your second finger, when possible, to get to the 4th fret
-- it will make the next step much easier. , For E and A, you had to stretch two frets down with a second finger.
But, since you're already using two fingers for the B, you need to stretch your pinky way down to the sixth fret to get the same alternating effect as the other two chords. , Instead of hitting the next A chord, hit the A-D alternating chord.
Then the pattern you started with for the E, followed by the A and a last run at the B.
Basically you are using this riff in the place of the actual chords, simply using the first note (which always matches the twelve bar blues) to imply the basic structure and melody. , Palm muting is placing the fatty part of your strumming hand lightly on the strings at the bottom of the guitar, making them sound dull and percussive.
The minor pentatonic scale, often known as the blues scale, is a collection of notes perfect for any blues song, and you can add them in the last half of each bar for some blazing licks.
And, while the shuffle rhythm is classic blues, the turnaround often features harder, more dramatic strumming, or even softer, lighter strums, depending on the mood.
Either way, it is a good place to change things up. -
Step 3: at a speed you can comfortably play along with.
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Step 4: Play the I chord for four bars to kick off the progression.
-
Step 5: Play the IV chord for two bars
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Step 6: then return to the I chord for two bars.
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Step 7: Play one bar of the V chord.
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Step 8: Play one bar of the IV
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Step 9: and the V again to get back to the beginning.
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Step 10: Return to four bars of the I chord and repeat.
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Step 11: Use the "shuffle" or swing feel when strumming.
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Step 12: Play the root note of each chord at the beginning of the measure to keep the progression alive.
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Step 13: Start with two quick strums of the E power chord.
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Step 14: Place your ring finger two frets down
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Step 15: on the A
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Step 16: and strum two more quick strums.
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Step 17: Keep alternating the E and A for four full bars.
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Step 18: Drop down one string to the A-chord after four bars.
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Step 19: place your ring finger two frets down and alternate every beat for two measures.
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Step 20: Return to the E power chord pattern for two bars.
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Step 21: Add your ring finger one string down and two frets over to go from the E to a B.
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Step 22: Use your pinky to stretch all the way to the sixth fret on the G string.
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Step 23: Use this alternating
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Step 24: two-note pattern through all three measures of the turnaround.
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Step 25: Add in some palm muting
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Step 26: the pentatonic scale
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Step 27: and mixed up rhythms for the second half of each bar for a unique riffing and solo style.
Detailed Guide
The twelve bar blues are a chord progression
-- a set structure of movement to build a blues song.
Thus learning the form in one place completely makes it easy to transpose to any key.
For example, you could memorize the chords in the key of E, then worry about getting other keys later on.
For this tutorial, stick to E.
The standard blues progression has only three chords
-- the I, the IV, and the V, where the starting cord (the I) is an E.
The fourth chord (IV) is an A, and the five chord (V) is a B.
If the Roman numerals are confusing you can just ignore them.
They correspond to the number of the note in the major scale
-- the first, fourth, and fifth note.
The fourth note of the E-major scale is an A, the fifth a B.
Make sure you know at least the major scale and the minor penatonic scale before continuing.
The twelve bar blues is simply a set chord pattern played in 4/4 time, which is the most common time signature in music
-- turn on any radio song and count "1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4,
1..." if you need help getting a feel for it.
One bar is this count from 1-4, so the twelve bar blues is a progression of 12 of these counts.
Metronomes are essential practice tools, as they help you time up your transitions where they should be and get used to the twelve bars, exactly.
Bars are also called "measures." A good practice speed for beginners is 60 BPM or so. , For example, keeping the blues in E, you would start with four bars of an E.
Simply strum it, keeping count, for four bars.
For a bigger, more bluesy sound you can play 7th chords, like an E7.
For now, however, just focus on the progression. , Slide off your E and head to the A, which is the fourth chord in the key of E.
Then return to the E for two more bars. , You hit the V chord, here a B, once after the first eight bars are done.
This is the beginning of the "turnaround," or the end of the twelve bars. , The ending a twelve bar blues is called the turnaround.
You run quickly through every chord, hit the V one last time, and then start over.
In the case of E major, you want to play one measure of B, A, E, and then a final B. , Once you get through all twelve bars you're back at the beginning.
Just keep repeating the same pattern to keep your song rolling.
This is the twelve bar blues in E.
As long as you can figure out the intervals between the I, IV, and V using the major scale (remember, the 4th note of the scale is the IV chord), you can now play the blues in every key.
For example, in the key of A you would play A(I), D(IV), E(V). , Most songs in 4/4 are "straight." This means that on every count (1, 2, 3, 4) you strum the guitar once.
But the blues has a shuffle rhythm, or a swing step, that uses a quickly alternated up-down strumming pattern.
Think of playing with the rhythm, "1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and, 1 and..." You strum down on the "one" with a long stroke, then a quick upstroke on the "and." The final rhythm has a long-short, shuffling feel to it.
Listen to some old B.B.
Kind or Muddy Waters, to hear the shuffle-strum in action.
Not how it keeps the song moving forward, even on slower, sadder songs. , If you want to play something a little more unique than straight chords you can pick up a riff that follows the chord progression.
To keep the classic twelve-bar melody alive, you want to start each bar on the appropriate chord.
If the chord is the I chord, here an E, you want the first note played in the measure to be an E.
From here you can then improvise or play around to get new sounds on the 12-bar blues.
The following riff will continue in the key of E, and is a good example of how to add new notes and riffs to the basic blues.
That said, feel free to take these licks and improvise on them to make them unique. , You're going to kick things off exactly how you started the basic pattern.
Turn the metronome on, and use the shuffle rhythm to count out a "1 and," on the E chord. , Simply stretch your ring finger down two frets and do the exact same pattern for "2 and." You want to keep your index finger down, so that whenever you pick the A up you're right back to your original E power chord.
Putting it all together, you should end up with half a bar of alternating notes. , You'll play each note twice in each bar.
If you were counting it out, it would sound like: "E and, A and, E and, A and..." Complete this for four bars.
This is exactly the same amount of time you'd play the I chord, or the E, in a normal twelve-bar chord progression. , Again, you want to change chords at the exact time as the original twelve-bar progression learned above.
Use your index finger to create the A power chord just like you created the E. , Land your ring finger two frets down to the D.
Play the quick up and down rhythm for "2 and," then release the ring finger back to the A on your index finger.
Play this for another four bars. , Again, this is just like the original progression, which went E-E-E-E-A-A-E-E-B-A-E-B. , After your two bars of E, it's time to hit the V chord again, here a B.
To get to a basic B power chord, simply add your ring finger two frets down, one string over.
Like the rest of the measures, you'll strum this for a quick "1 and" before modifying it.
Use your second finger, when possible, to get to the 4th fret
-- it will make the next step much easier. , For E and A, you had to stretch two frets down with a second finger.
But, since you're already using two fingers for the B, you need to stretch your pinky way down to the sixth fret to get the same alternating effect as the other two chords. , Instead of hitting the next A chord, hit the A-D alternating chord.
Then the pattern you started with for the E, followed by the A and a last run at the B.
Basically you are using this riff in the place of the actual chords, simply using the first note (which always matches the twelve bar blues) to imply the basic structure and melody. , Palm muting is placing the fatty part of your strumming hand lightly on the strings at the bottom of the guitar, making them sound dull and percussive.
The minor pentatonic scale, often known as the blues scale, is a collection of notes perfect for any blues song, and you can add them in the last half of each bar for some blazing licks.
And, while the shuffle rhythm is classic blues, the turnaround often features harder, more dramatic strumming, or even softer, lighter strums, depending on the mood.
Either way, it is a good place to change things up.
About the Author
Joseph Graham
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in hobbies and beyond.
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