Blues Guitar Lessons - 12-Bar Blues

Helpful Advice
Lanuage of Music
Attributes of Sound
Basic Music Theory

As we have already learned, every major scale has seven degrees. Again, they are: I (the root), ii, iii, IV, V,
vi, vii. In your blues guitar lessons, you will see that typical Blues chord progression includes the I, IV, and
V and will be arranged in stanzas of twelve measures each, rather than the typical eight or sixteen. For this
reason, the Blues is often referred to as 12-Bar Blues. Those three chords will be played in the twelve
bars like this:

Basic Guitar Chords

Basics of Rhythm
Blues Guitar Lessons
Guitar Chords for Songs
Guitar Scales
How to Read Guitar Chords

Shop and Support:

How to Tune a Guitar

Musical Term Glossary

As with everything in music, there are, of course, variations to this, but this is the most basic 12-bar blues
arrangement. To make things a little more interesting, for example, you might play the first line like this:

Ear Training
Musical Intervals Tutor
Buying a Classical Guitar

And you might play the last line like this:

Choose The Right Guitar

Essential Jazz Guitar
This progression of blues guitar chords will work with any key, but since we have already looked at the A
blues scale, well see what this progression looks like in the key of A:
Guitar String Harmonics
Anatomy of a Acoustic Guitar
Guitar Fundamentals
Class A Exposed
Guitar Harmonics
Tuning, Open String Method
Physics Electric Guitars

The Origin of Music

Jazz Improvisation Primer
Tetrachord

While the rhythm section, the piano, bass, rhythm guitar, etc, plays this chord progression, the lead soloist,
which in this case is guitar, but could also be saxophone, piano, harmonica, or even violin, plays their solo
by playing the notes of the blues scale.
Not all introductory blues guitar lessons will show you, but those who really know how to play electric
guitar will agree, that a particularly emotional blues song can be played using a minor key. Blues guitar
chords in a minor key might look like this:

Tritone Substitutions
Leading Tone First Inversion
Understanding Temperaments
Strings, standing waves...
Symmetry of interval ...

Notice that the E chord is not minor, but is a 7th chord. This produces a particularly sharp contrast during
the turnaround. A soloist who knows how to play blues guitar could still play an A blues scale or pentatonic
scale over a minor blues, or he might consider playing a straight minor scale.

Send Us Your Thoughts

Now lets take a look at a fun blues technique that you can use. This is a type of left-hand fingering that you
will certainly recognize. It works well with a shuffle rhythm, which can be in 4/4, 12/8, or, as in this case,
6/8 time.

During blues guitar lessons, I normally try to avoid suggesting which fingers to use with tab or with blues
guitar chords, but I will tell you that this technique is best achieved by keeping your index finger on the 2nd
fret and lowing and lifting your ring finger on the 4th fret. Although, once you get to the E, you should keep
your index finger and your ring finger stationary on the 2nd and 4th frets respectively, while lowing and
lifting your pinky finger on the 6th fret. This will take a bit of stretching and will feel uncomfortable at first, but
youll get used to it. And, as you will see, stretching your reach is a valuable skill to develop as you learn
how to play electric guitar.

Copyright 2009 Guitar Studies