Tag Archive for ‘12 bar blues’

Playing the blues, music is something that many guitarists aspire to do. Some it comes to easily whereas others find it more difficult. Another thing about the blues music is you either love it or hate it. By the looks of how popular it is, one would have to say that those who hate it are in the minority.

One of the greatest if not the greatest blues singers was B.B.King. Many novices to the guitar marvel at how well he plays them and just how it?s done. To do so you need to learn the 12 bar blues. Don?t give up yet with some perseverance and practice you will master the blues as well.

Have you ever been listening to the blues and just know it reminds you of something? Well it may well do so if you remember the African American slaves from down south. It stems from their local traditions of how they would call out and respond to each other. The majority of blues songs is simply based on this and mimics those sounds. It is the progressive scale.

If you have been following the history of blues music then you have heard the name W.C.Handy. By using the 12 bar blues he was able to produce the very first certifiable blue hit. This is going back some years naturally, since blues has been around for a long time. We?re talking back to the introduction of the ?St. Louis Blues? back in 1914.

Interestingly enough at that time the blues wasn?t all that well received it was just ok in the opinion of most. It slowly caught on and almost seemed to have an infectious affect to it.It didn?t matter what the ethnic group was it was being accepted. It really was the African American artist that brought the blues to the forefront. Artists such as Billie Holiday played a big part in this roll. By this time, it was well in the 1930?s. As the 20th century grew to a close, B.B.King added a unique touch to the Blues. Being a lead guitar player, he would bring a different touch to the music with his 12 bars blues techniques. From this point on there was no looking back or cooling off for the blues. It has just continued to grow into popularity, as it is known today.

It revolutionized the aspects of guitar playing. The 12 bars blues is now a commonplace and basic way of the guitar. Anyone aspiring to be good guitar player must learn the essential cord progression.

One of the best ways to learn this technique is through iVideosongs. Here is where you will start the beginning of learning the 12 bar blues, and then by taking what you learn here and making it a practice you will soon be surprised and pleased at how adept you will become.

It just seems to be natural to begin to learn how to play the 12 bar blues the moment one becomes serious about learning to play the guitar. Perhaps because rock includes the 12 bar blues this is the reason.

The first thing you are going to learn is that in order to learn the blues you are going to learn three bars that follow each other in succession.

The first measure is learning how to play a chord. If you are familiar with Presley?s some Hound Dog then you already know what a cord is. Don?t even think about moving onto the next step until you have this one down perfectly.

Now moving onto the second measure does not mean you will not be continuing in the 4/4 time meaning each quarter measure is one beat. The difference here is that in the first measure you were playing in ?A? now you will be playing in ?D? chord. Once again, become really familiar and comfortable at this measure then get ready to move onto the third and final measure.

Finally, you are here on your last measure and guess what? It?s no different from your first two except now you are going to be playing in ?E? chord. That really wasn?t so hard was it? Now it means hours of practice and application to really master these 3 measures to make up the 12 bar blues.

So, you want to play the blues just like all the blues greats who are out there. Good, hold on to that desire. It is the love of the thing that endures and grows with you as your playing gets better and better.

So, now that you?re hooked, what about the actual reality? The twelve bars refers to a musical term called measure, measures are informally referred to as bars, which is how the notation looks. It looks like vertical bars, and with the twelve bar blues progression, there are twelve. When you marvel at your favorite blues artist and how they do all that wonderful stuff, just remember that it is simplicity itself, and it is only one layer atop the other that gives the depth style and rhythm that you hear.

The progression part is the chord changes, and the blues part is the style. There are only three chords in blues and they are called seventh chords. The blues chords are A7, B7, and E7, and again, all the fancy stuff that you love so much is only technique and personal style in combination with those three basic chords. The actual blues style is to sing a line, and then repeat it, followed by additional lyrics that tell the story.

The first line has that all too familiar, ?Woke up this mornin? start followed by the situation, Like ?Woke up this morning?, and I couldn?t feel my head. Said I woke up this mornin?, and I couldn?t feel my head?. Then the next line describes why he is this way ? ?I know I lived through last night, and that?s why I feel half dead?. The pattern is repeated in the second verse.

As far as the playing goes, there are as many styles out there as stars in the sky, but what you are listening to is called a riff. A riff is a certain way of playing that sets this player apart from the others. A riff can also be called a lick. This is what the artist has learned from others on the way up, and eventually made his own. It is best not to try to figure out the fancy playing, and why it is this way or that, it is always best just to allow yourself to feel, as all the greats have.

It is easy to get lost in all the technical jargon of dominant sevenths and tonics, to sub-dominants, etc. The best advice is to either mentor with someone who knows, learning as you go, or take lessons from a qualified instructor. It is crucial that you get off on the right foot. If you don?t. Then it is easier and easier time to lose interest, and eventually give it up, because you start to think that being good is for someone else, but not for you. So, remember to keep it simple, that?s what the blues is all about and that?s where you?ll get your enjoyment.