Twelve Eight Time (+ )
Many slow Blues songs are written in twelve eight time (+). This means there are twelve eighth note beats in each bar. A bar of eighth notes in twelve eight time sounds the same as a bar of triplets in four four time. Although there are twelve individual beats which can be counted, twelve eight time is usually still counted in four as demonstrated in the following example.
One of the main reasons for using the twelve eight time signature instead of * is that it becomes easier to count when the eighth notes are subdivided. Since there is a number on each eighth note, sixteenth notes can be counted as + (and) as demonstrated in the following example.
These sixteenth notes may be played straight or swung, experiment by playing them both ways. The counting example is followed by a lick which makes use of 16th notes in + time.
