12 Bar Blues

The 12 Bar Blues

In this segment, we're going to talk about the 12 bar blues.

Review of the One Chord Groove

Last segment, we discussed the one chord groove. This is the 12 bar form, meaning there are three chords involved in this style of blues:

• E
• E7

We'll focus on these chords down here on the bottom part.

Understanding the Chords

Next, we go to our A chord, which is known as the IV chord.

• Why is it called the IV chord?
  Because it's four steps up in the E scale:
  E, F sharp, G sharp, A.

The five chord is the B. You just move up one more step, as this is the fifth note of the E scale.

So, when you hear someone say 1, 4, 5, that's what it means in any key.

You have your E, E7, and then we go to A.

• Down here, you have this flat A (which I call it), and you also have A7 that you can use.
• Furthermore, you have your B7.

The Tomato Theory

A lot of people say you shouldn't play certain notes because they clash. However, this idea ties into my tomato theory:

"If it sounds good, it is good."

The old blues guys didn't know theory; they just knew that if it sounded good, it was good. This is a crucial rule of thumb for you when making music.

• If it sounds good, it is good.
• If it sounds bad, you don't need me to tell you to change it.

Playing the 12 Bar Blues

Let's play a little bit of this 12 bar and see how it sounds.

• We're going to keep the groove slow.
• Remember: if you can play it slow, you'll get the hang of it.
• Speed will come later, so practice slowly first.

We're maintaining a nice, easy groove with a heartbeat feel, think of that classic Jimmy Reed feel.

Hammering On

Now, let's discuss what we can do on this four chord; it's pretty hip!

• We can hammer on.
• Hear that? All I did there was hammer on with my third finger at the second fret of the B string and then hit up on the E string.

With my pinky available, I can adjust my groove a bit.

The Five Chord

Here's your B7. You can use this little C sharp from the A7, and voila, you've got the groove going!

The Turnaround

Now, let's get to what we call a turnaround.

• Remember that double stop we had?
• And we're back.

Let's do it in time.

That was just to showcase those chords.

• You can check that out with your DVD controller.
• Review the left hand part there in time.

It'll sound like this...