Lesson 20 of 29PianoBeginner

The 12 bar Blues form

1:06

Hear the full 12-bar blues played in time, with rhythmic triads in the right hand over a boogie-woogie line in the left - a template for learning to improvise.

Part of the courseRockschool Beginner Piano Lessons: Grade 129 lessons (1h 50m)

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What's in the course

29 lessons (1h 50m) · 1 free
    • 01. Improvisation - what is it?

      3:21

    • 02. Starting out with Blues improvisation

      1:53

    • 03. The 12 bar Blues form

      You are here

      1:06

    • 04. Using the Blues scale

      2:20

    • 05. Adding accompaniment

      1:14

Lesson transcript

Full Blues Form in Time

So I'm going to play for you now the full blues form in time.

Count:
1, 2, 3, 4.

In the right hand, what I've done is:

  • Playing the triads that we learnt,
  • Using them in slightly more rhythmically interesting ways

This gives you the idea of groove or swing.

In the left hand, I'm playing a really common boogie woogie blues line.

Now, you can play this or not; it's up to you.

Note:
This is a great backbone and a template for learning how to improvise and understand the blues form, which you can then develop and get creative with yourself.

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