12 Bar Blues
12 Bar Blues is a chord progression which repeats every 12 bars. There are hundreds of well known songs based on this chord progression, i.e., they contain basically the same chords in the same order.
12 Bar Blues is common in many styles of music including Blues, Rock, Jazz, Country, Soul and Funk. Some well known songs which use this 12 bar chord progression are:
- Original Batman TV Theme
- Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
- Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley
- Roll Over Beethoven - Chuck Berry
- Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley
- In the Mood - Glenn Miller
- Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys
- Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
- Dizzy Miss Lizzy - The Beatles
- Red House - Jimi Hendrix
- The Jack - AC/DC
- Ice Cream Man - Van Halen
The following 12 Bar Blues is in the key of G major and uses all of the chords you have learned so far.
Instead of writing a chord symbol above each bar of music, it is common to write a symbol only when the chord changes, e.g., the first four bars of this Blues are all G7 chords. Once you can play this 12 Bar Blues, use the chords to accompany the next exercise, 2 String Blues.
Class Sessions
1- Sharps
2- 12 Bar Blues
3- Third String Notes
4- Eighth Note Rhythms
5- A Major Chord
6- 12 Bar Blues and Seventh Chords
7- INTRODUCTION
8- Fourth String Notes
9- Fifth String Notes
10- F Major Chord
11- Rests
12- Sixth String Notes
13- Eighth Notes
14- B Minor Chord
15- Minor Chords
16- Flats
17- Silent Strums and Continuous Rhythm
18- Dotted Quarter Notes
19- Suspended Chords
20- More on Bass Note Rhythm Patterns
21- The Major Scale
22- The G Major Scale
23- The F Major Scale
24- The Eighth Rest
25- Tuning
26- Chord Chart
27- GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL TERMS
28- LESSON THREE
29- First String Notes
30- Second String Notes
31- Syncopation
32- Key Signatures
33- The Key of C Major
34- Alternate Bass Note Picking
35- Silent Strum Symbols
36- Open Position Notes
37- First and Second Endings
38- Tuning Hints
39- Alternate Picking
40- The Common Time Signature
41- Turnaround Progressions
42- Note Summary
43- The Tie
44- Other Titles In This Range
45- Three Four Time Rhythm Patterns
46- The Octave
47- Right Hand Support
48- The Lead-In
49- The C Major Chord
50- Note Summary
51- The Whole Note
52- Note Summary
53- Rhythm Variations
54- Slide Finger
55- Duets
56- Pick Technique
57- The Seventh Chord
58- Electronic Tuners
59- Alternative Chord Fingerings
60- Approach to Practice
61- Bass Note Rhythm Pattern
62- Pivot Finger
63- Electronic Tuner
64- Acoustic Guitars
65- Rhythm Patterns
66- Electric Guitars
67- Open Chord Shapes
68- Amplifiers
69- Strings
70- Seating
71- Standing
72- Right Hand and Arm Using the Pick
73- Right Arm Position
74- The Rudiments of Music
75- Note Values
76- The Tie
77- Time Signatures
78- Count, Pick and Fingering Symbols
79- Chord Diagrams
80- Left Hand Fingering
81- Rhythm Symbols