We will start off right at the beginning, talking about what the 12 bar blues is, how it is constructed, and how it is played. We can play the swing rhythm we have been using so far. Hello, todays lesson is for all you people who have heard about playing through the changes but are not entirely sure what that means. We will see that blues has a simple structure, called a 12 bar, which repeats over and over. Today we look at how the pros like to play the blues, which is much simpler than you might think. The 12bar blues form exercises blues bass studybass. Both are great options for prac when played in a suitable key for beginners. The vast majority of contemporary blues music is based on what is termed a 12bar format. Play the 12 bar blues for absolute super beginner guitar. Once youve mastered the basic 12bar blues rhythm it is time to move onto using variations on the basic pattern, allowing you to improvise within the. The most common musical form of blues is the 12bar blues. Blues slide chords by sinisa cekic added 8 years ago. King museum curriculum lesson plans curriculum lesson.
Kenny explains how the quick iv, also called the quick change, fits into the standard 12 bar blues progression. Lesson 1 grade 7 music minds on pause and ponder whole class setting the blues context read aloudashorttextorexcerptthatintroducesthehistoricalperiodwhentheblueswere popularandgivessomeinsightintotheculture. We are going to combine out knowledge of chord tone soloing with approach patterns, enclosures, and non diatonic. Digital sheet music for smoke on the water by roger glover, ritchie blackmore, jon lord, ian paice, deep purple, ian gillan scored for easy guitar tab. This video is about 12 bar blues chord progression elementary this video is about 12 bar blues chord progression elementary. Once you can, then listen to some blues recordings. The easiest blues on acoustic guitar fingerstyle guitar lessons. Download the free piano sheet music and video directly to your computer. Nearly all blues music is played to a 44 time signature, which means that there are four beats in every measure or bar and each quarter note is equal to one beat. The reason i called it bar blues, is that each lick spans 2 bars.
Apr 15, 2015 this video is about 12 bar blues chord progression elementary this video is about 12 bar blues chord progression elementary. We will also explore the minor blues scale and look at how its a perfect fit for the 12 bar blues chord progression. Each of these songs follows the 12 bar blues pattern. With that in mind this go over what makes up the basic 12 bar blues structure and a stepbystep approach to learning it. It has the background pattern of three notes per beat. In this lesson were going to explore the harmonic and rhythmic structure of the blues. Lesson 1 grade 7 music critical learning guiding questions thestructureofthe12barbluesformisbothaccessibleandchallenging. You will need a harmonica in the key of c and well be playing in 2nd position. This is probably the most popular of the blues forms other types include 8bar, 16bar, or something irregular and has a high degree of structure and predictability although never dull.
Ive found that at large group ukulele kanikapila classes, the majority want the music broken. The backing track below loops the 12bar blues form a total of 8 times. In this blues music lesson, students look at american history and relate it to blues artists. It developed in the rural southern us toward the end of the 19th. This free video lesson shows the basic of what a 12 bar blues progression is along with a couple rhythms to practice. Understanding the 12 bar blues form rock class 101.
The evolution of the 12 bar blues progression bob brozman. Here are some of my favourite online music resources. Some songs may have several different patterns to give them a bit of variety, but the guts of the song will normally be based on a set chord pattern for every 12 bars of music. It includes the first chords you should know and some substitutions that you can try. In short understanding the 12 bar blues progression is a great first step playing blues, but also can help you to learn songs in many styles quickly once you recognize the pattern. Jan 21, 2010 i will be using the same chord forms found in the basic open position seventh chords lesson that we did here on the site. Try to make sure that your finger from the last knuckle to the tip is pointed straight down into the string.
Click here to download a highresolution, printable pdf of the. Follow along with this super easy guitar tutorial to learn the chord progression that started it all. This lesson teaches you 24 great blues licks, as well as the rhythm guitar parts. The 12 bar blues has long been a favourite amongst music educators for teaching form, triads, the blues scale, cyclical chord progressions and music history. Publication date 20140302 topics pl collection opensource language english. In the last lesson, we went over the basic 12bar blues riff. First of all, youll learn about just what the 12 bar blues is, and also what chords youll be using in the key of e. In the next lesson, were going to go over dominant 7th chords. Have students number their papers from one to twelve, representing the twelve measures of the 12bar blues. Expected response is that the blues is americas first homegrown musical genre teacher asks, where did the blues come from. Instead of annoying, creepy, privacyinvading ads, popups, or selling your data, studybass relies on the support of its users. Creating, performing and participating in the arts music intermediate students will compose simple pieces that reflect a knowledge of melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, timbrel, and dynamic elements a.
An absolutely essential skill if you want to play the blues. You will learn 4 licks over bars 12, another 4 licks over bars 34, and so on. Create an 8bar blues progression based on elements of a 12bar. This lesson is designed for the aspiring blues guitarist looking for that first step to learning the blues. Welcome to the fifth video of the blues guitar quickstart series. Most blues are based on a 12 bar structure, hence the term. This lesson will show you what a little creativity. For teaching high schoolers to play 12 bar blues ive found 2 things very helpful. Play the 12bar blues bass line in whole notes using blocked chords in root position. In this guitar lesson, we are going to combine chords and melody. There are fingerstyle blues, delta blues, chicago blues and on and on. Learn blues guitar from kenny ray with an intermediate guitar lesson for 12 bar blues.
Quick change blues in a by john hatcher added 7 years ago. We want to place our index finger right behind the fret to create the best sounding note. Take your time with it though, there are lots of technical elements involved, and mind the rhythm as well. I created the chart and everyone has my permission to use it and the lesson for anyall commercialnon commercial use. This is the first lesson in our study of the 12 bar blues. In the lesson, ill cover the chords, rhythm and techniques needed to pull off a great 12 bar blues tune. The 12 bar blues is by far the most popular form for the blues. Lets now start off with a standard 12bar blues in its simplest form using the i, iv and v chords in the key of a in simple 44 time. Improve your guitar playing with online video lessons from jamplay.
The focus of this lesson is to learn 24 blues licks, but with a twist. Dont put your finger on the fret, or too far behind it. Our 12 bar blues guitar lesson is broken up into several sections. I nitially, just play the ch ords with a downward strum per beat. A lesson in leavin goodrummaher 1979 or kenny rogers and dolly. This lesson will teach how to play easy 12 bar blues progressions with open chords. Now that youve learned the 12 bar blues and some rhythmic variations, its time to throw in some chord variations.
While this blues guitar arrangement is mostly a riff and some bass notes, below are a few of the chord shapes that are used. It is the foundation of everything well be covering in the blues guitar quickstart series, so its important to get it down really well. King museum curriculum lesson plans curriculum lesson plans, grades 4 5 the blues. Sep 20, 2007 12 bar blues in the open position, key of e.
To facilitate use of the method of detailing given in this manual. This chord progression is based around the most important chords. This the mighty mississippi and the twelve bar blues lesson plan is suitable for 4th 5th grade. H ow do they change t he feelsoun dg r oove of the pie ce. Here is the tablature for the whole blues guitar arrangement.
Blues lesson guitar tab by blues exercises with free online tab player. The mighty mississippi and the twelve bar blues lesson. Learn blues guitar from dj phillips with an intermediate guitar lesson for minor pentatonic scale variations. There is a blues scale which contains these notes, however in a major key most players combine the flattened notes with the natural notes. This set of worksheets is designed to enable students to play a 12 bar blues piece taken from a music activity book. As you might know, the 12 bar blues uses the i, iv and v chords of a given key.
There are other blues forms like the 8 bar blues, 16. Click here to download a printable pdf of this lessons notation. Apr 17, 2011 this set of worksheets is designed to enable students to play a 12 bar blues piece taken from a music activity book. Four dominant blues chords that you can use in the 12 bar blues. That is, the main body of a song follows a set pattern of chords over 12 bars of music that is repeated over and over. In this lesson ill show you how to dress up that blues riff and make it even more interesting. Im going to show you what notes to target over a 12 bar blues. If you dont know your open position sevenths, just do a search for that lesson and download the lesson pdf. Become a member, purchase studypacks, buy suggested products or donate. Well learn the 12 bar blues in several keys, and the chords youll need to learn are the following.
Click below for the best in free chord progressions lessons available on the web. A 12bar blues is one of the most universally understood chord progressions amongst musicians, no matter the instrument or a players ability and preferred genre. It is assumed that you are familiar with the 12 bar blues progression. The guitar riff makes use of slides, pulloffs, and a slight bends called smears. In this video, i am playing over a 12 bar blues in the key of a, and each time through the 12 bars, i play only 3 notes from the a minor pentatonic scale. The 12bar blues form basic a typical starting point for studying the blues is the 12bar format. In this tutorial series we are going to learning how to play a 12 bar blues in a. The most basic variation of the 12 bar blues is comprised of just 3 chords. Literacy gains transforming instructional practice supports grade 7 music 2 what is the blues. Have students number their papers from one to twelve, representing the twelve measures of the 12 bar blues. They only use the 12barstructure for either the verse as in the tennessee blues. Can you really play a 12 bar solo with only 3 notes.
Blues lesson tab by blues exercises spur 1 electric. There are other blues forms like the 8 bar blues, 16 bar blues, etc, but they are not as common as the 12 bar blues. We will be playing it in the key of g, so our chords are g, c and d. Easy guitar tutorial 12 bar blues in ethe 12 bar blues is a very common pattern and an important one for guitar players to learn. Learn how to play the 12 bar blues on the piano in this piano lesson. This lesson covers the traditional, quick change, and shuffle blues. Play the 12 bar blues bass line in whole notes using blocked chords in root position. I will be using the same chord forms found in the basic open position seventh chords lesson that we did here on the site.
Lets talk about rhythm patterns to use with these notes we are playing. Pf principles training identifying song structures. The 12 bar blues and the minor blues scale online guitar. In todays lesson, we are going to take an indepth look at how the form, or structure, of a blues chord progression is made. Learning how to play the 12 bar blues will allow you to jam with any musician that plays the blues. What notes to target over a 12 bar blues on harmonica. The intermediate 12bar blues riff blues guitar lessons.
The 12bar blues is or blues changes are one of the most popular chord progressions in blues music. The 12 bar blues is one of the most popular chord progressions in all of music. How to play 12 bar blues in a blues guitar lesson licks and. The simplicity of blues is what draws people to it. Find 12 bar blues lesson plans and teaching resources. The 12 bar blues is or blues changes are one of the most popular chord progressions in blues music. We will put some of these chords to work in this lesson. This lesson will show you what a little creativity can do for improving your blues rhythm guitar playing. Once you learn to play the 12 bar blues on the guitar, you can play such classic blues pieces as hound dog, stormy monday, kansas city, st. Id be willing to bet if you sat down with a musician youve never played with before, youd soon start jamming on a blues. In this video i am showing how to play a 12 bar blues combining chords and leads into one guitar.
Think kenny burrell and try to combine your blues vocabulary with more sophisticated jazz lines. The chord progression is easy for beginners because it only uses three chords, the root, the fourth, and the fifth. It is not only the basic structure for blues, but is also used extensively in rock, country, jazz and pop music. Bb king, eric clapton, and john mayer will be proud. It comes with over 35 minutes of video, pdf tabs, and 2 audio backing tracks. The chord names and slashes called rhythm slashes represent one beat each which make a total of 4 beats per bar. Blues is undoubtedly one of the most popular forms of music to come out of america. Intro to 12 bar blues by john hatcher added 7 years ago. With only 3 chords in a 12 bar blues, it has the power to move you. If you missed the video guitar lesson, make sure you watch it here.