How to Play the 12 Bar Blues Progression

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Hi I’m Nate Savage and in this lesson I’m going to teach you the 12 Bar Blues. Now you're going to need just three chords to play this and it’s going to be in the key of E, so your first chord is going to be an E power chord. [Demonstration] Second chord is going to be an A power chord. [Demonstration] And the third chord, the last one is going to be a B power chord. [Demonstration]

So let me fill you out on the order of these chords and how many measures each one is. The first one, the first E chord is going to be four measures. [Demonstration] Then we’re going to go to the A for two measures back to the E for two measures. So the B for one measure back down to the A for one measure, E for one measure and we’re going to finish with the B for one measure.

Let’s talk about our right hand a little bit; we’re going to keep it really simple, so you can just concentrate on the form of the song, okay? I’ll show it to you and then I’ll break it down for you a little bit. [Demonstration] That’s all we’re going to be doing the whole time [Demonstration], a rhythm like that. [Demonstration].

So let’s play four bars of E [Demonstration] switch to the A chord, play that for two bars.
[Demonstration] back to the E chord for two bars, [Demonstration] up to the B for one bar [Demonstration], back down to the A for one bar [Demonstration], go to the E one last time for one bar. [Demonstration] Then you’re going to stop on the B right up here for one final bar [Demonstration], you can strum it open on the whole way there like a nice little wrap up in it.

So let me play the whole thing for your one time all the way through and try to keep up with me in your head as I’m going thru the bars; count four bars of E, two bars of A and so on.

[Demonstration]

So that’s the 12 Bar Blues, that’s the lay out of it, there's a lot more complex things you could do with it, but it’s important to understand the basic structure of it first. So take that and practice it, embellish if you want and come up with your own variations on it.


Transcription by: Scribe4you Transcription Services