The Basics of Playing 12-Bar Blues Guitar

Series Summary

Blues music is the heart and soul of rock n’ roll, some would say. From the muddy, mighty Mississippi delta, blues overflowed its banks, making deep inroads in the British music scene of the 1960’s, carving out large swaths of musical real estate in America, and inspiring such a virtuosity of style and expression that the world has never been the same. Without blues music, there could be no Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Leadbelly, Howling Wolf, Led Zeppelin, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy—in other words, imagine that forty years of great songs were never written. That’s how strong and lasting an influence the blues has had on Western popular music.

Watch this free instructional video series and join the proud ranks of so many who have gone before, who have made the paths of blues music straight and level. Our expert guitar player will show you how to play the basic 12 bar blues pattern with the standard I-IV-V chord progression…but he doesn’t stop there. Learn rhythm guitar techniques, how to solo in a blues song, how to change from major to minor, slide guitar tips, hammer ons and pull offs, and even how to write your own lead part. Take these lessons to heart; because blues music is the basis for the majority of pop and rock you hear today. Continue the legacy that was left to any rock guitar player anywhere…and know your roots, for they run deep.

Video Transcript

"Okay for this segment we'll be learning how to play the 12 bar blues. 12 bar blues is a format that's been around probrably since the turn of century. It has permeated itself into popular music, expecially in rock and roll. It is basically the forerunner of rock and roll. The 12 bar blues is 12 measures broken up and using basically only three different chords changing. 7th chords each. A one 7th chord, a four 7th chord and a five 7th chord. With these chords you can create a certain feel a certain riff and be able to explore what we know about scales and soloing and note manipulation to create solos. It's a great way to network with other musicians and play something if you don't know the same songs. You can always rely on the 12 bar blues as something to get started on. So, we're going to learn a little bit about each mode that we use for this. For the 1 7th chord we'll be using the mixellian mode. We'll be using the Dorian in the same position for the four 7th. For the five 7th we'll be using our old friend the Major chord."