The Blues

When to read this: after Session 4, “The 12-Bar Blues in A”, “The Same Blues in E”, “A Chorus of Your Own” (10 minutes); after Session 20, “The Shuffle” (5 minutes). None of this reading is part of a session’s 50 minutes.

What You’ll Learn

This handout is about the 12-bar blues. You read it in two parts, each after the session that sends you to it.

After Session 4: the 12-bar form by number, with seventh chords in A; the same form moved to E; and how a chorus of your own is built.
After Session 20: the shuffle.

Each of the four sections below ends with the questions for your theory cards.

The 12-Bar Blues in A

Copy of Session 2: “Seventh-Chord Blues in A” - chord chart

"Seventh-Chord Blues in A" - chord chart

Key: A major        Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure)

The 12-bar form, 12 measures:

| A7 | A7 | A7 | A7 |
| D7 | D7 | A7 | A7 |
| E7 | D7 | A7 | E7 |

Ending, 2 measures:

| A7 | A7 |

Play the 12-bar form three times, then the ending: 38 measures as played.

The table gives the same twelve measures by number, beside the chords of the chart.

Measures	By number	In the chart
1 to 4	I, I, I, I	A7, A7, A7, A7
5 to 8	IV, IV, I, I	D7, D7, A7, A7
9 to 12	V, IV, I, V	E7, D7, A7, E7

I, IV and V are the chords on notes 1, 4 and 5 of the key’s scale, as the beginner course numbered them; here each is a dominant seventh chord.

The last measure, measure 12, is on the V chord and leads back to measure 1 each time the form is played again.

Theory cards: three questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.

How many measures does the form of the blues have? Answer: 12 measures.
In what order do I, IV and V come through the twelve measures? Answer: I, I, I, I; IV, IV, I, I; V, IV, I, V.
What are the I, IV and V chords of a blues in A with seventh chords? Answer: A7, D7 and E7.

The Same Blues in E

In any key the root of the IV chord is five frets above the root of the I chord, and the root of the V chord is seven frets above it. In the key of E the I, IV and V chords are E, A and B, so a progression written in numbers moves to the key of E by reading I as E, IV as A and V as B.

Transposing — Moving a piece or a chord progression to another key, so that every note and chord moves up or down by the same number of half steps. A progression written as I, IV and V is transposed by reading the same numbers in the new key. (Session 4)

The V chord of the blues in E is B7, the new chord of Session 4.

B7 is a new shape for four fingers. Finger 2 stays where it is in Em, E and E7.

EADGBe

Finger 1 (index): string 4 (D), fret 1
Finger 2 (middle): string 5 (A), fret 2
Finger 3 (ring): string 3 (G), fret 2
Finger 4 (little finger): string 1 (high e), fret 2
String 2 (B) is played open
Do not play string 6
Strum strings 5 to 1 (five strings)
Notes, string 5 to string 1: B, D#, A, B, F#

Copy of Session 4: “Seventh-Chord Blues in E” - chord chart

"Seventh-Chord Blues in E" - chord chart

Key: E major        Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure)

The 12-bar form, 12 measures:

| E7 | E7 | E7 | E7 |
| A7 | A7 | E7 | E7 |
| B7 | A7 | E7 | B7 |

Ending, 2 measures:

| E7 | E7 |

Play the 12-bar form three times, then the ending: 38 measures as played.

The table sets the two keys side by side, number by number.

Number	In A	In E
I	A7	E7
IV	D7	A7
V	E7	B7

Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.

On your guitar: with no metronome, say the numbers I, IV and V aloud (“one, four, five”) and strum A7, D7 and E7 once each, one chord to each number. Then say the same numbers and strum E7, A7 and B7 in the same way.

Theory cards: three questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.

What are the I, IV and V chords of a blues in E with seventh chords? Answer: E7, A7 and B7.
How many frets above the root of the I chord do the roots of the IV chord and of the V chord lie? Answer: Five frets for the IV chord and seven frets for the V chord.
What is transposing? Answer: Moving a piece or a chord progression to another key, so that every note and chord moves up or down by the same number of half steps.

A Chorus of Your Own

In the blues a chorus is one time round the 12-measure form, so “three choruses” is 36 measures.

The chart of the “Seventh-Chord Blues in E” above has you play its 12-bar form three times: three choruses. A solo over one of them is a chorus of your own.

Session 4 sets this as a task, under “One chorus of your own over the Blues in E”. The task is built from five things, which are printed there and not again here:

The backing. You record it yourself in the session: the chord map of the “Seventh-Chord Blues in E”, one strum to a measure, through all 38 measures, saying the measure number aloud in place of count 1 in every measure of the form.
The note pool. The twelve places of E minor pentatonic in open position.
The model phrases. Four short phrases of one or two measures each, to start from. A first chorus can be made of these four alone.
The rule. Five lines: your chorus is twelve measures, over the second time round of your backing; it uses the notes of the pool only, and none shorter than one beat; a phrase is six notes at most and ends on a note that lasts two beats or longer; at least three measures have no new note, and measure 12 is one of them; your last note is E, the home note, on beat 1 of measure 11.
The tick list. The same five lines as five things you can count after you have played. Five ticks is a pass.

Home note — The note a tune keeps coming back to and comes to rest on. The tune of Beginner Session 14 uses the notes of the C major scale but keeps coming back to A, so its home note is A (a scale that starts from A with these same notes is called A minor). (Session 4)

Theory cards: one question. The answer printed after it is the back of its card.

What is a chorus in a 12-bar blues? Answer: One time round the 12-measure form.

The Shuffle

Swing (swung eighth notes) — Eighth notes played long then short. In this course the first of each pair falls on the number and the second on the “let” of 1 trip let; they are written as ordinary eighth notes with the word Swing on the tempo line. (Session 20)
Shuffle — A rhythm of swung eighth notes kept going steadily, two to every beat, as in the palm-muted power-chord pattern of the Shuffle Blues in A. (Session 20)

Swing on a tempo line means that every pair of eighth notes is played long then short: the note on the number comes on 1 of 1 trip let, and the note on the & comes on let. The Count row is still written 1 & 2 &.

In swing your hand still goes down on each number and up on each &. Only the timing changes: the & comes late.

Many players strum the shuffle with downstrokes only; this course uses down-up, as for palm-muted eighth notes.

Fast strumming: if your strumming hand or forearm aches, that is tension. Stop playing for today, and next time loosen your grip on the pick.

Copy of Session 20: the shuffle

Chord:  A5
e|--------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------|
D|------2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|
A|------0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|
E|--------------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Strum:  D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
PM:     PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM  PM

PM = palm muted. O = let the string ring (palm lifted).

This block is for reading here: play it in its session and in the week’s row, not from this handout.

The Count row of a shuffle is written 1 & 2 &, like straight eighth notes. In Session 20 the tempo line above this pattern carries the word Swing, and that word is what makes it a shuffle; this handout prints no tempo line.

Copy of Session 20: “Shuffle Blues in A” - the chords, one to a measure

"Shuffle Blues in A" - the chords, one to a measure

Key: A major        Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure)

The 12-bar form, 12 measures:

| A5 | A5 | A5 | A5 |
| D5 | D5 | A5 | A5 |
| E5 | D5 | A5 | E7 |

Ending, 2 measures:

| D7 | A7 |

Play the 12-bar form three times, then the ending: 38 measures as played.

This block is for reading here: play it in its session and in the week’s row, not from this handout.

The table gives the twelve measures of this chart by number. The order of the numbers is the same as in the two seventh-chord blues.

Measures	By number	In the chart
1 to 4	I, I, I, I	A5, A5, A5, A5
5 to 8	IV, IV, I, I	D5, D5, A5, A5
9 to 12	V, IV, I, V	E5, D5, A5, E7

This chart is the 12-bar form of Session 2, with A5, D5 and E5 in place of A7, D7 and E7 until the last measure of each time round. A chord’s number comes from its root, so E5 and E7 are both the V chord.

Theory cards: three questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.

What is a shuffle? Answer: A rhythm of swung eighth notes kept going steadily, two to every beat.
How are swung eighth notes written, and what tells you to swing them? Answer: They are written as ordinary eighth notes; the word Swing on the tempo line tells you to swing them.
Which strokes does this course use for the shuffle? Answer: Down-up: down on each number and up on each &.