lesson summary
Lesson 5 of 47 in our Rock Series: Blues and Scales
Brad provides background information on the blues. He teaches you the 12 bar blues, 8 bar blues, and the first pattern of the minor blues scale. He examines this scale closely using scale theory.
Chapter 1: (2:23) Introduction
Brad plays a 12 bar blues in E with a nice rock and roll flavor. In this lesson, you will learn how blues slowly evolved into what we now know as rock and roll. Brad will give you all of the necessary information to play a blues. He will demonstrate rhythm techniques as well as some scales. These scales are the basic building blocks to playing your own blues solos.
Chapter 2: (0:53) About This Lesson
“Blues” is a catch-all term that can refer to many different things. When someone refers to “the blues,” he/she is referring to the genre of music. However, if someone says, “Let’s play a blues,” the person is referring to a specific 12 bar chord progression. This 12 bar form is quite simple. Thus, it lends itself extremely well to spontaneous improvisation. Brad will demonstrate the chords that comprise a 12 bar blues progression. In this lesson, an 8 bar variation on the standard 12 bar form is also discussed.
Brad kicks off the lesson by providing some of the reasons why he loves to play blues:
“The best thing about blues is the feeling you get when you play it.” It’s safe to say that every professional blues guitarist that has ever lived would agree with this simple statement. Blues is a relatively basic form of music. The chord progressions are very simple and repetitive. However, this enables the musician to focus primarily on conveying emotion by playing directly from the heart instead of from the head.
Chapter 3: (4:52) Learning the Blues
Why Learn the Blues?
Regardless of whether you enjoy listening to blues, every rock player should spend a significant amount of time studying blues guitar.
Almost all rock guitar teachers teach their students the blues as a precursor to learning countless other skills. As mentioned in the last scene, blues is a relatively simple style of music. For this reason, the blues is a great conduit for learning basic music concepts. Learning the blues enables young students to develop there playing in several key areas:
1. Learning a blues is the most effective way to learn how to improvise a solo. The scales utilized in blues improvisation are also the most commonly used scales in rock improvisation.
2. Learning how to improvise over a blues is a great way to develop a vocabulary of licks.
3. Techniques that originally developed in the blues genre have found their way into the rock genre over the years. Techniques such as bending strings and applying wide vibrato originated from the blues.
4. Basic music theory concepts regarding scale theory and chord progressions are explained easily in the context of the 12 bar blues form.
Naming Blues Chords
Chords are referred to in two different ways. Chords are referred to by a specific letter name (C7 or GMAJ7 for example). Chords are also named based on the way they function within a given key or chord progression. Within any key, each chord has a specific function or job to do. Roman numerals are used to represent a chord and its function in a key.
Let’s examine the key of C Major to see how this works. The key of C is the easiest to start with since it contains no sharps or flats in the key signature.
The C Major scale is spelled as follows: C D E F G A B C. Each note in the scale is now given a Roman numeral based on its position in the scale.
C-I
D-II
E-III
F-IV
G-V
A-VI
B-VII
C-I
A basic 12 bar blues progression utilizes only three chords. A blues consists of the I, IV, and V chords. In the key of C, these chords are C, F, and G.
The 12 bar blues that you will learn in the course of this lesson is in the key of A. This is the best key to start with when learning a blues. This is due to the fact that the scales used to play solos in this key are the easiest to master for beginning students. In order to determine the proper chords to use in this key, start with the Roman numeral analysis of each note in the scale. Always remember the key signature when spelling out a scale! Use the Circle of Fifths to determine how many sharps or flats are in a key. The key of A contains 3 sharps and is spelled as follows:
A-I
B-II
C#-III
D-IV
E-V
F#-VI
G#-VII
A-I
A 12 bar blues consists of the I, IV, and V chords. As a result, we will use A, D, and E chords for a blues in A.
Chapter 4: (10:30) 12 Bar Blues
Frequently, guitarists choose to play each chord in a blues progression as dominant seventh chords (A7, D7, and E7). These chords give the progression a much bluesier feel overall. Standard major triads are acceptable, but they tend to make the progression sound rather stale. Take this time to review these basic open chord shapes.
Note: Click the “Supplemental Content” tab for fretboard diagrams of these chord shapes. You can also access these chords in Jamplay’s Chord Library.
So how do these chords fit into the 12 bar progression? Here’s a quick measure-by-measure breakdown of the chord changes.
Bars 1-4: A7
Bars 5-6: D7
Bars 7-8: A7
Bar 9: E7
Bar 10: D7
Bar 11: A7
Bar 12: E7
Bars 11 and 12 form what is called a “turnaround” progression. A turnaround is a short progression consisting of the I and V chord. The turnaround typically occurs at the end of most blues progressions. It serves as a quick transition back to the beginning of the form.
Note: Turnarounds in the Jazz genre are typically played as ii V I instead of V to I. Consult Matt’s Phase II Jazz lessons for more information.
When you begin to practice the 12 bar progression, start by strumming in simple quarter notes. Use a downstroke for each strum. Once you can play the progression accurately from memory, begin to implement some of the strumming techniques Brad demonstrates at 2:13. Brad plays the progression in all eighth notes using downstrokes. He also adds some light palm-muting to the right hand.
Notice the lazy swing feel of the rhythm. This is a crucial component of blues music. A pair of eighth notes is played as a quarter note triplet followed by an eighth note triplet. This long-short rhythm contributes to the swinging blues rhythm.
Brad also demonstrates how to play the same progression using barre chords. If you have not learned many barre chords yet, stick to the first progression for now. Slowly incorporate barre chords into your daily practice. Focus on one chord at a time. Be patient! It typically takes a student a couple weeks to master his/her first barre chord. Playing barre chords enables you to add some percussive muting effects with the left hand.
Note: Click the “Supplemental Content” tab for fretboard diagrams of these chords.
Blues Shuffle
Another popular way to play the 12 bar blues form is called the Blues Shuffle. A shuffle can describe any piece of music that features the long-short, swinging rhythm of eighth notes.
Note: A shuffle also refers to a quick rhythm in 12/8 in which the first note in a group of three receives the heaviest stress. The rhythm is subdivided into a quick triplet feel. Black Sabbath was the original master of the heavy shuffle. “United States of America” by Smashing Pumpkins is a great modern example of the shuffle.
To perform a blues shuffle, start with an A5 power chord. Fret the sixth string at the 5th fret with the first finger. Then, fret the fifth string at the 7th fret with the third finger. This is the basic A5 chord shape. Now, stretch your pinky in order to the 9th fret of the A string. This note is a major sixth interval from the root A. These basic chord shapes are used to play a blues shuffle. Watch carefully as Brad demonstrates how to play the shuffle at 6:30. Also, check out the “Supplemental Content” section for some additional help.
Chapter 5: (1:42) The Quick Change
In bar 2 of the 12 bar blues, the IV chord is frequently substituted for the I chord. As a result, D7 is typically played in bar 2. Jazz musicians almost always play the IV chord in bar 2. Adding this extra chord change to the progression saves the harmony from sounding too stagnant in the first four measures.
Chapter 6: (1:37) The 8 Bar Blues
The 8 bar blues contains the same chords used in a 12 bar blues. However, due to the shortened length of this form, the chord changes occur in different places. Here is a measure-by-measure breakdown of the chord changes:
Bar 1: A7
Bar 2: E7
Bars 3-4: D7
Bar 5: A7
Bar 6: E7
Bar 7: A7 (two beats) then D7 (two beats)
Bar 8: A7 (two beats) then E7 (two beats)
Note: The 8 bar blues can also be played as a shuffle. Once again use the power chord to root/sixth shapes to play this form.
Note: The 8 bar blues occurs far less popular than the 12 bar form. As a result, more practice time should be devoted to mastering the 12 bar form of the blues.
Chapter 7: (7:29) The Blues Scale
Brad opens this scene with some hot licks from the A blues scale.
The blues scale is typically the scale of choice when improvising a solo over the blues form. This scale is derived from the Minor Pentatonic scale. The Minor Pentatonic scale consists of scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. The scale contains five notes, hence the prefix “penta” in the name of the scale. The flatted fifth scale degree (b5) is then added to the pentatonic scale to form the blues scale. This note gives the scale a characteristically bluesy quality. For this reason, the b5 is often referred to as a “blue note.”
Brad presents this scale in the key of A. It is spelled as follows: A, C, D, Eb, E, G, A. There are five different finger patterns for this scale that span the entire fretboard. Guitarists and instructors frequently refer to these five patterns as the pentatonic “boxes.” In this scene, Brad demonstrates the most commonly used blues scale box.
The first box is played entirely in fifth position. This means that the first finger does not stray from the 5th fret.
Note: Click the “Supplemental Content” tab for a fretboard diagram of this scale pattern.
When practicing through the scale, adhere strictly to the fingerings Brad has indicated. When soloing however, the notes that are played with the pinky finger are frequently played with the third finger to accommodate techniques such as string bending. The first step to take in becoming a soloist is memorizing your scales inside and out.
Vibrato
Brad applies a technique referred to as “vibrato” as he plays through the blues scale. Vibrato creates a pulsating effect by rapidly moving a pitch back and forth. There are a few different ways of performing vibrato on guitar. The vibrato typically originates primarily from either the wrist or the finger muscles. These muscles combine to create a steady shaking movement. Regardless of the technique you utilize, use your ears to guide your vibrato. Vibrato adds extra dramatic effect to the end of phrases. However, use this technique sparingly. You can have too much of a good thing.
Chapter 8: (6:57) The Major Scale
The Major scale is one of the most fundamental units of music. Brad begins by breaking down some basic theory pertaining to this scale.
Let’s start at square 1. The musical alphabet consists of the following notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The distance between one consecutive note to the next can either be described as a half step or a whole step.
It may help to examine a piano keyboard to visualize this concept. The keyboard consists of black keys and white keys. A half step occurs between one key to the next regardless of color. Similarly, a half step on the guitar occurs from one fret to the next.
A whole step occurs between two frets on the guitar. For example, a whole step occurs between F on the 1st string and G on the 1st string. These notes are two frets apart.
Now, let’s return to the musical alphabet to apply these concepts. Make a careful note of where half steps and whole steps occur.
Between A and B: whole step
B and C: half step
C and D: whole step
D and E: whole step
E and F: half step
F and G: whole step
G and A: whole step
Many of you are probably wondering how all this theory is going to help your guitar playing. The answer is simple. All major scales follow the same pattern of half and whole steps. If you know this pattern, you can start on any given note and play a major scale.
Start with the C Major scale since it contains no sharps or flats. The C scale is spelled as follows: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. Take a look at where the whole and half steps occur within the scale. All major scales follow a pattern of whole step, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.
Note: For fingerings of five Major scale patterns, check out Matt’s Phase 2 Rock Series.
Chapter 9: (9:52) Chord Theory
Brad begins an ongoing discussion of chord theory in this lesson. Learning chord theory will help you immensely in a few specific areas. This knowledge is essential to learning what scales work over certain chords when playing a solo. Chord theory is also an essential tool in forming your own chord progressions.
What Is a Chord?
A chord is a combination of three or more notes that is played simultaneously. A contains three notes is called a triad. There are four types of triads: Major, Minor, Augmented, and Diminished. Formulas are used to determine which notes comprise each type of triad.
Take another look at the C Major scale. A triad can be built from each note in the scale. These chords are referred to as “diatonic triads.” Let’s start with the first note of the scale, C. A triad consists of three components: the root, the third, and the fifth. The root is always the letter name of the chord-in this case, C. The third is the most important note in any chord. The third determines whether a chord is major or minor. 3 half steps make up the minor third interval. 4 half steps make a major third.
To find the third, count up two notes in the scale from C. Thus, the third is E. To find the fifth, count up two more notes. The fifth is G.
Now let’s move onto the next chord. Begin with the note D. Count up two notes in the C Major scale. The third is F. Count up two more to A. This note is the fifth. These notes form a D minor chord.
Here’s a breakdown of all the diatonic triads for the key of C:
I: C
ii: Dm
iii: Em
IV: F
V: G
vi: Am
vii: Bdiminished
Chapter 10: (2:04) Final Thoughts
In the following lesson, Brad will delve into some of the left-hand techniques essential to rock guitar playing. He will demonstrate how these concepts can be applied to the scales learn in this lesson.
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