The Complete Guide to Playing Playing B Blues lues Guitar
Book On O ne - Rhythm Guitar
Published by www.fundamental-changes.com ISBN: 978-1494702397 978-1494702397 Copyright © 2013 Joseph Alexander The moral right of this author has been asserted. All righ r ights ts reser reserved. ved. No part par t of th this is publication may may be reproduced, repr oduced, stored in a retrieval r etrieval syst system em,, or transmitted transm itted iin n any form or by any m means, eans, w withou ithoutt the the prior pr ior permissi permission on in wr writing iting of the the p publisher. ublisher. The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher. Fundamental-Changes www.fundamental-changes.com Also By Joseph Alexander Fundamental Changes in Jazz Guitar I: The Major ii V I for Bebop Guitar
Minor ii V Mastery for Jazz Guitar
Drop 2 Chord Voic oicings ings for Jazz and Mode rn Guitar Guitar
The CAGED System and 100 Licks for Blues Guitar
Complete Te chniq chnique ue for Mode M odern rn Guita Guitarr
Rock Gu Guitar itar Un-CAG Un-CAGED: ED: The CAGE CAGED D Syste m and and 100 Licks for Rock Gu Guitar itar
The Pra Practical ctical Guide Guide to M ode odern rn Music Theo Theory ry for for Guitar Guitarists ists
15 Es se nti ntial al Gui Guita tarr Les so son n for for Be ginn ginnee rs
Contents
Introduction Chapter 1 - The Basic 12 Bar Blues Structure Chapter 2 - Open-String Blues Blues Riffs and Vari Variations ations Chapter 3 - Using Dominant 7 Chords Chapter 4 - Extensions to the Dominant 7 Chord Chapter 5 - Common Variations to the 12 Bar Blues Chapter 6 - Blues Turnarounds Turnarounds Chapter 7 - Rh Rhyt ythm hmic ic Plac Placem ement ent with Triplet Triple t Blues Chapter 8 - Rhythmic Placement with Straight Blues Chapter Ch apter 9 - Melodi elodicc Fills Fill s between Chords Chords Fills on the I Chord Fills on the IV Chord Fills on the V Chord Fills Moving from Chord I to IV Fills Moving from Chord IV to I Fills Moving from Chord V to IV Fills Moving from Chord I to V
Chapter 10 - Intros and Outros Chapter 11 - Shell Shel l Voi oici cing ngss Chapter 12 1 2 - Drop Dr op 2 Voi oici cing ngss Chapter 13 - The Minor Blues Chapter 14 - Other Blues Forms The 8 Bar Blues The 16 Bar Blues
Chapter 15 - Conclusions Recommended Listening
Other Books by this Author If you would like a free pdf to print out for your music stand please forward please forward me your Amazon invoice to the address at the end of this book and I’ll send you one ASAP. Double-Tap Images on Kindle Fire to Enlarge Them!
You can download all the audio examples in this book from www.fundamental-changes.com/bluesrhythm-guitar
Introduction
What does it mean when someone says they play ‘blues guitar’? The sheer variation in musical style within the genre of ‘The Blues’ is almost immeasurable: it would be impossib impossible le to cover all of them them in just just one one hundred hundred pag pages es of text text and ex exam amples. ples. The roots of the blues, as a well-documented musical style in popular culture, are in ‘spirituals’, ‘work songs’ and ‘field hollers’ sung by African-Americans in the era of captivity, and in the years that followed emancipation. As a result, the blues is rich in African-American rhythm, harmony, melody and phrasing. One of the most important melodic structures that retains a strong link to this time is the performance of ‘call and response’, or antiphony, where one musical ‘question’ is sung, and is then answered by different voices. Since the first first recorded reference to the blues, Antonio Maggio's I Maggio's I Got the Bl Blues ues (1908), the musical form has grown, spread and evolved into many different sub–genres. From early ‘Delta’ blues, through ‘Texas’ ‘Texas’ blues an a nd later cont contem emporary porary rrock, ock, virtually all the the music w wee hear today owes ow es its origin totothe blues. blues Chronologies of the blues are widely available and this is not the place for a history lesson (although Alan Lomax’s Land Wher Wheree The Blues Began Began (1993) is a good place to start!). However, it is essential ess ential th that at anyon anyonee w wishing ishing to study moder modern n blues guitar understands the ro roots ots of the llang anguag uage. e. While the following list of names may not be to your personal taste, please spend time listening to early performances of the blues. Some of the recordings are poor (or maybe don’t even include a guitar), but you should be able to identify elements in these early musical roots that influenced the ork of more contemporary guitarists, such as B.B. King, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robben Ford. I consider the music of the following early blues musicians to be essential listening: essie Smith a Rainey ig Bill Broonzy lind Lemon Jefferson Charley Patton
Leadbellyy Leadbell Lonnie Johnson obert Johnson Son House As guitar construction improved towards the 1950s, and as guitarists became more proficient at solo lead guitar, many more of the ‘household’ names associated with guitar-based blues found fame. Assisted by the public’s easier access to recorded music, performers such as T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King helped shape the stylistic sound of guitar blues. On Once ce again again,, any recording recordi ngss by th these ese perform performers ers and others others in the the late 1940s – 1960s are essential listening. While these eras helped to define the sound of the blues guitar music, the late 1960s to 1980s evolved as the period during which the modern guitar blues style became the foundation of hard rock. Bands like The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin, featuring guitarists such as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, drew influences from the Afro–American performers listed above and forged the blues into the rock roc km music usic w wee know today. Jimi Hendrix’s ground-breaking albums A albums Are re You You Experience Experienced d and A and Axis, xis, Bold as Love in Love in 1967, along ith other albums by Beck, Clapton and Page, created the illusion of the ‘Guitar God’ in the minds o the the publi public. c. It iiss sign s ignifica ificant nt tthat hat th thee mu music sical al langu language age of al alll fou fourr guitarists, guitaris ts, and that of m many any ot others, hers, was based heavily around around th thee languag languagee of the the blu blues. es. In 1983, Stevie Ray Vaughan released Texas Flood , which has become a defining example of the Texas Bl Blues ues Guitar style. While this is far from being a complete history of blues guitar, and there are some very noticeable omissions, I highly recommend Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece, Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues, a seven DVD box set of the most important blues figures of the last hundred or so years to help you learn more about the roots and political struggle of the blues. With so musical diversity in just this one genre, it’s hard to know where and when to begin. There are however many topics that are definitely required knowledge and applicable to most styles of guitar blues.
I’m writing this series of books to help break down the language used in modern guitar blues from about 1950 onwards. This is by no means a chronological study, and to make things manageable the book is divided into two parts. Book 1: Blues Structure, Chords and Rhythm Guitar Playing. Book 2: Blues Guitar Solo Soloing ing,, V Vocab ocabulary ulary,, Scale Sc ales, s, Rh Rhyt ythm hmic ic Approa Approaches ches and a nd Techniques. Techniques. Book 1: While there are relatively few common blues chord structures, there are a multitude of approaches we can take to embellish the ‘standard’ harmony. We will also examine common riff patterns and straight versus ver sus tri triple plett feel rhy rhyth thm m guitar guitar pl playing aying.. You will learn the differences between major and minor type blues progressions and many different chord voicings voicings to to use to add great depth and interest to your playing. There are dedicated chapters to turnarounds, turnarounds, open open string riffs and melodic fills (solo phrases) that help you move smoothly from one chord to another. We go into considerable depth about how to play rhythm guitar with a singer or other solo instrument, using sparse shell sparse shell voicings or higher register drop 2 chords. 2 chords. We even study some common ‘non-12 bar’ blues forms such at the 8 and 16 bar bar blues forms. The biggest section of book 1 by far looks at the rhythmic placement rhythmic placement of of chords. The aim is to open up your ears to the subtlety of where, not what you play in the bar. In both triplet (12/8) and even (4/4) time we look at how to play on any any subdivision subdivision of the beat so we can play with subtlety and finesse. You will learn to drop chords into the groove wherever you wish and will learn that one small rhythmic ‘drop’ can be much more powerful than a whole bar of unfocused chordal filler. Chord extensions are also tackled… Instead of playing just simple major chords we will comprehensively cover dominant 7, 9 and 13 chords, plus some great places to use altered chords. chords. All in all, The Complete Guide to Playing Blues Guitar - Part One One aims aims to answer every common question about blues rhythm guitar.
Book 2 is a complete study of blues guitar soloi soloing ng . You may already be comfortable using a minor pentaton pent atonic ic or blues scal scalee and while this is an obvious and and important important startin starting g poin point, t, we will w ill be gett getting ing much deeper. much deeper. This book covers soloing using many different approaches and musical colours. There is a detailed detail ed dis discussion cussion of soloing from a rhythmic rhythmic point point of view, as opposed to ‘here is a new scale, use these notes’. By learning to be in control of when when we play, play, rather than what notes notes we play, play, we can completely revolutionise our melodic thinking. Instead of learning 100 licks and playing them in one ay, you will be able to take one lick and play it in 100 different and creative ways. (Don’t worry though, the book is packed full of original and classic blues guitar licks!)
You will learn to use the most important scales and sounds in blues guitar music: Not only is the minor pentatonic scale examined, but also the blues scale, the major pentatonic scale, the Mixolydian mode and the Aeolian mode. Each scale is shown in each one of the five neck positions and there is immediate usable vocabulary (licks) for each of the five shapes. The emphasis is on learning the vocabulary quickly, internalising it and finding ways to make it expressive in your own voice. We go beyond beyon d oth other er books th that at are a simply a list of licks. Finally, you might find that you need to develop your guitar technique to be able to express your musical ideas in the way that you desire. The last section of this book focuses on building your ability to bend in tune, play in time, add strong vibrato and gain the speed and accuracy to express your ideas musically. The blues, as with all music is about expression. It’s not simply a case of regurgitating licks and using the musical structure as an opportunity to show off your ‘chops’. The key is to listen to what’s gone before and incorporate incorporate th these ese idea ideass int into o your your own vocabulary. vocabulary. Listen carefully ca refully,, take your tim timee aand nd above all, all , have fu fun! n! oseph You can download all the audio examples in this book from http://www.fundamentalchanges.com/blues-rhythm-guitar
Chapter 1 - The Basic 12 Bar Blues Structure
As much as it is a cliché and also the starting point for a million guitarists, the ‘standard’ 12 bar blues progression is essential knowledge for any m modern odern guitar guitar player. It is the the basis for coun countless tless songs songs and has been be en in the m musici usician’s an’s repe repertoir rtoiree for longer than livi living ng memory emory.. We will begin by taking a look at the most ‘basic’ and common 12 bar blues form before looking at common alterations, additions, and riffs. While it is hopefully obvious, the form we are studying is named ‘The 12 Bar Blues’ because as a musical structure it is 12 bars long. In its most basic form, it contains only three chords and all o them are taken from the major scale that you might already know. The chords are formed on the first, fourth and fifth fi fth degrees degrees (notes) (notes) of the major scale. For example, in the key of A Major: A B C# D E F# G#
We use the chords A Major, D Major and E Major. The degrees of any scale are always described by Roman numerals. 1=I 4 = IV 5=V
So in the key of A Major, A= I D = IV and E=V
When we use Roman numerals to describe scale tones in this way, it doesn’t matter which key we are in: we can always easily explain the relationships between chords. In a sense, it is musical algebra because we describe descr ibe the the relationships between ch chords ords rather th than an the the ch chords ords themselves themselves.. In modern western music (especially pop, rock and blues), chords I, IV and V are the most commonly used chords c hords iin n song fformation. ormation. The simplest simples t 12 bar blues pro progressi gression on uses o only nly chords I, IV and V. While it mig might ht n not ot be the the most exciting version of the blues that you ever hear, it is very important to know the foundations of the progression before launchin launching g into into th thee many many possib possible le variation vari ations. s. Study the following chord chart ( example 1a). I have given both the letter names of each chord and the Roman numeral description of each chord, along with an open position chord voicing so you can play along with tth he audio exam example. ple. Example 1a: Examp
Broadly speaking there are two main musical feels used in blues rhythm: strai straight ght (or (or even) feel and the triplet (or (or swung) feel. The triplet feel is more common and can be heard in famous blues tunes such as Stormy Monday (T-Bone Walker), Blues Power (Albert King), or Five Long Years (Buddy Guy). The straight blues feel is also important and is used in many songs, such as the incredible Scuttle Buttin (Stevie Ray Vaughan), Messin’ with the Kid (Buddy Guy) and Crying at Daybreak (Howlin’ Wolf). It is more ccom omm mon in roc rock k and pop song s ongss than in what a trad traditio itionalis nalistt m migh ightt conside considerr to be true blues. However th thee straigh straightt b blues lues is an easier eas ier place to start s tart so s o we will wil l begin to learn blues rhyth rhythm m guitar by playing the 12 bar blues with a straight feel. The first exercise is to play the correct chords just on beat one and beat three as shown in example 1b:: 1b
If at any time you don’t understand the notation, listen to the included audio examples and try to play along with the recorded versions.
Example 1b:
The next exercise is to strum on just beats 2 and 4 as 4 as shown in example 1c:
Finally, try adding a bit of a groove to the rhythm guitar by playing on one of the off-beats off-beats (between (between the beats). Listen to the audio track if you’re not sure of how this rhythm sounds. In the following example we play on beat one, beat two and the off-beat of beat four. (4&). Example 1d:
Examples Exam ples 1a-1d aare re al alll eex xamples amples of aa strai straight ght blues blues feel. Each beat is divided evenly evenly into two equal halves and this musical feel is found most often in rock and pop music. You can count “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” throughout and” throughout the progression.
We will look at many more ways to subdivide the bar and free up your playing in chapter 7 but for now keep jamming along with backing track 1 seeing if you can find more possibilities to place your chords. Be led by the groove of the backing track and use the bass and drums to guide you. The Triplet Blues
By contrast, the triplet blues has a much more laid back, lazy feel at slow tempos but can get quite bouncy boun cy when w hen we speed th thing ingss up. Each of th thee four four main beats in the the bar is divided divide d into into three even subdivisions giving a total of twelve quavers (1/8th notes) in each bar. This is what the time signature signat ure at the start of the following bar of music means: 12, 1/8th notes in the bar. It is simply musical convention to group them into threes. A bar of 12/8 looks like this:
There are pl There plent enty y of ways ways to divide divi de up this this ba barr of 12/8 which we will w ill explore in chapter 8 but ffor or now e will stick with some of the more popular grooves. We can still play on beats one and three as shown in example 1e:
Make sure you listen to example 1e before you play it. The rhythmic feel is a little more ‘bouncy’. And you might find it a little harder to place your chord accurately. Even though you’re still playing on beats one and three, just like in example 1b, the music feel is very different. This triplet feel is much more common in blues and R&B. The next exercise is to play on just beats two and four as shown in e xam xamp ple 1f:
The final example for now teaches you to play on the firs the firstt and third 1/8th 1/8th note of every beat. This is one of the most important ‘basic’ blues rhythms. As always listen carefully to the audio examples to make sure you lock in with the musical feel. Examp Exam ple 1g:
In terms of technique, it can help a lot to keep your strumming hand resting lightly on the strings to produce a mut muted, ed, ‘choppy’ soun sound d as th this is will w ill help to articulate the the ch chords ords more clearly clear ly.. You You m may ay also ish to let the first note of every beat ring slightly longer to create a less aggressive sound. This can be heard in e xamp xample le 1h:
Spend some time playing with these rhythms and see what you can come up with. Listen again to your favourite blues songs and work out whether they are played in a straight or triplet feel. The examples in this chapter have all used simple major chords. Work through the chapter again but
this time substitute each chord for its equivalent 7 chord:
For example, instead of playing A major, play A7. Here are the chord shapes you will need:
Finally, try the 12 bar blues progression substituting in minor chords chords in each bar:
Notice how how the qu quality ality of th thee chord dram dramatically atically aff affects ects th thee m mood ood of tthe he son song g.
Chapter 2 - Open-String Blues Riffs and Variations
While it is essential to know the form the form of a 12 bar blues, our rhythm guitar playing will quickly get stagnant if we stick to playing only chords in each bar. It is a common technique to create riffs and open-string bass lines while simultaneously outlining the chord changes, as shown in the previous chapter. In this chapter we will explore some ‘classic’ examples of open string guitar riffs. The following The follo wing ex exam amples ples are played as triplet feel feel rhy rhyth thm ms iin n the the aaudio udio exam e xample ples, s, however how ever you sh should ould experim experi ment by playing them them as both strai straigh ghtt and trip triplet let feels. fee ls. Example 2a is a typical blues riff that can be used anytime there is an A major chord (Chord I) in the progression. It has has be been en used used by every every blues blues guitarist at some point. Your picking hand is continually strumming the bass note ‘A’ on the 5th string with a moving figure on the 4th string. Use the 1st and 3rd fingers of your fretting hand to ‘rock’ backwards and forwards between the alternating notes. Examp Exam ple 2a:
Listen to the audio example and play along to internalise the triplet feel. The first strum of each twonote group is longer and the second is shorter. If we’re counting 1 2 3 1 2 3 through each bar, then the first strum lasts for the count of 1 and 2 and the second strum lasts for just 3rd count. The first longer strum lasts for counts 1 and 2, and the shorter strum lasts for just count 3. This is shown underneath example 2a. Try counting out loud as you play along with each audio example.
To play this blues riff on the D major chord (chord IV), all we need to do is simply shift the pattern onto the 4th and 3rd strings. We’re playing exactly exactly the the same riff, just moved over by one string.
Example 2b:
Finally, to play this riff for the E major chord (chord V) we can shift this pattern onto the bottom two strings. Examp Exam ple 2c:
Practice changing between each of the previous three examples. When you’re ready, try using these riffs to play through a whole blues progression as shown in e xam xamp ple 2d.
Example 2d:
By using this simple pattern we can add more depth to the guitar part when we play blues rhythm. There are however many variations to this pattern that can be inserted anywhere to add even more interest to the rhythm guitar part. Subtle variations in the rhythm guitar part can help ‘feed’ the soloist with creative ideas and to build the groove of the music for both the band and the audience.
Study example 2e:
In this example, instead of simply repeating the backwards and forwards motion as we have done previou previo usly, sly, use you yourr little finger to stretch out and play the 5th fret on the 4th string on beat 3. Try moving th this is example example through through th thee chord c hord chan c hanges ges as we did in example example 2d. Examp Exam ple 2f:
Again, this riff can be used on the A, D and E chords by simply moving it across string groups as you learn lear ned ear earlier lier in th thee chapter chapter.. Another classic riff in the style of John Lee Hooker uses ‘pull-offs’ to create a descending bass line at the end of each bar.
Examp Exam ple 2g:
This next example combines previous ideas and uses a bass note on a lower string to give even more movement in the guitar part. Example 2h:
As always, practice moving this variation through all three string groups. Until now, all the bass fills have taken place on the last few beats of each bar. We can easily shake things up a bit by adding a fill on beat two. Example 2i:
Finally, a great approach is to split each chord into two parts to displace displace th thee bass line.
Examp Exam ple 2j:
Once you have a few of these riffs under your fingers, take a ‘mix and match’ approach to playing them in a 12 bar blues progression. All these ideas are freely interchangeable so slot them in herever you feel they work. Onee poss On p ossibl iblee eexam xample ple out of th thee thousands of perm per mut utations ations iiss shown s hown bon the the next page:
Example 2k:
I’ve added a couple of new fills to keep you on your toes! To gain some inspiration of just what can be achieved by using this important rhythm guitar technique, listen to Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughan. There’s only one guitar playing on that intro!
In Pride and Joy, Stevie Ray Vaughan combines the kind of bass lines we have been looking at in this chapter with chord playing at the same time. time. This hybrid of chords + bass line is typical of the Texas Blues style. Let’s look at a few short examples to get us into the feel of this kind of playing. E Major is probably the most common key for the 12 bar blues when played on the guitar for many reasons, but one of the main ones is because we can use the open E string to form low bass lines hen we play. Here is one way to add a bass line to an E major chord in 12/8. Example 2l:
Use strict alternate picking on this idea to help you get into the feel of the riff. We can also apply this idea to an A Major chord: Example 2m:
Another reason that guitarists like to play in the key of E is that all of the open strings are available to play which is han handy dy wh w hen w wee want to hamm hammer onto onto a chord from nowhere. Using this this techn technique we can play two chords in i n a bar with w ith tthe he walking bass line.
Example 2n:
Another approach in this style is to use two chords in one bar. The next example is heard as a riff in E despite there being a strong A chord in the bar. Examp Exam ple 2o:
Another great Stevie Ray Vaughan bass line to check out is the one from the track, Rude Mood. Listening to bass guitar lines can also be a great source of ideas to emulate in your playing. Try stealing a few!
Finally it is important to point out that on the turnaround section (the last four bars) the final V chord, in this case E7 is often delayed by by up to two beats. Play through example 2p to learn this important technique in the Key of A. Example 2p:
This displacement of the final V chord may come about because of the ‘turnaround lick´ that is often played on chord I. Notice how th thee lick l ick in the A major major bar has th thee eeff ffect ect of pushin pushing g the the V ch chord ord back as we w e have just seen seen::
Example 2q:
This kind of rhythm rhythmic ic ide ideaa happens happe ns frequent frequently ly in Texas Texas aand nd Delta blues bl ues music music so s o be on the the llookout ookout ffor or it.
Chapterr 3 - Using Chapte Using Domi Do minant nant 7 Chords
While the 12 bar blues derives from chords I, IV and V in the major scale, it is common to substitute these major chords for any other chord quality you wish. The most common substitutions are to use dominant 7 (7) and minor 7 (m7) chords. We briefly covered dominant 7 chords in the open position in chapter 1:
Example 3a demonstrates the 12 bar blues substituting the major chords we have been using with these these dominant dominant 7 chords chords..
Notice how the whole mood of o f th thee mu music sic has altered from being h happy appy with major major chords to be being ing a bit more more lai laid d back and and ‘sm ‘smooth ooth’’ with tth he dominan dominantt 7 chords. chords. All of the riffs you learned in the previous chapter will work over this progression so try combining the the chord and bass lline ine approach we llearned earned in chapt chapter er two. These open position chords are important to know, but to expand our ability to play the blues in any key we need to learn to play the blues using barre barre chords. chords. The first shapes to learn when moving to barre chords are given here in e xam xampl plee 3b:
Barre chords are movable chord shapes; once we have learned a barre chord we can move it anywhere on the neck to play the same chord type type with with a different bass note. For example, shifting the A7 barre chord shape from the 5th fret to the 7th fret means that the chord becomes B7. Moving a D7 barre down dow n ttwo wo frets gives gives us a C7 ch chord. ord. Replace the chord voicings in example 3a with these new barre chord shapes and play through the blues progression. Playing Playing on just beat one of each bar soun sounds ds like li ke th this: Examp Exam ple 3c:
We can now add some rhythmic movement to the 12 bar blues by splitting each barre chord into a bass note note and a chord stab. This w will ill add iin nterest and textu texture re to our rhy rhyth thm mg gu uitar playin p laying g an and d can be seen with the first two chords of the blues in example 3d.
Example 3d:
I would normally use palm use palm muting on on the bass notes to give a more percussive effect and then let the chord ring for slightly longer to create a multi-layered texture in the rhythm guitar part. You can hear this idea in the audio example. Take this rhythm figure through the whole 12 bar blues as demonstrated in audio example 3d.
An extremely common idea in blues rhythm guitar is to slide slide into the barre chord from a semitone below. As long as the the sli slide de is done from from a wea weak k beat to a stron strong g beat we ca can n always use use this this dyn dynam amic ic technique. techn ique. Carefully study example 3e:
The technical challenge is to make sure that the chord you are sliding, for example Ab7, rings through into the subsequent A7 chord. The trick is to find just the right amount of pressure allowing you hold the chord down while sliding the whole thing a semitone. The full six-string chord shape is held down in every slide, however I normally just strum the top three or four strings. Use your first finger to play the last note in each bar to help you get into position for the next barre chord. The whole 12 bar progression is played in example 3e, but just the start of it is notated here. Listen carefully and apply these chord slides to each chord in the progression. These approach chords are normally played on a weak beat sliding into a string beat. Here is another rhythmic approach that begins just before beat one.
Examp Exam ple 3f:
You can also slide two semitones as shown in example 3g:
Again, listen carefully to the audio examples to get the feel and placement of these rhythmic ideas. You can also use the same rhythms to practice approaching the target chord from above above.. This idea is notated over the first three bars in example 3h:
We can take the idea of using open string riffs and apply it to barre chords. Some of the following example exam pless require r equire quite a stretching in th thee frettin fre tting g hand hand so s o if i f you find find you can’t rea reach ch try dropping dropp ing your your thumb on the back of the neck and remember you don’t always have to hold all of of the chord. It is quite acceptable to just play the bottom two strings if the stretch requires it. Here is the basic blues riff with the A7, D7 and E7 chords. Example 3i:
We can even use a bigger stretch with our little finger as in e xam xamp ple 3j:
We can even add a sliding chord for extra movement in the rhythm part. This is shown in example 3k:
The movement in the rhythm guitar part can also be at the top of the chord, not just in the bass. The following examples work well when we are playing underneath a guitar solo but can be a little too busy when there there is a vocal melody melody.. In the following examples, use your little finger (pinky) to add a moving melody note at the top of the chord. With my picking hand, I use my thumb to play the bass notes and my index, middle and ring fingers to play the three note block chords. Example 3l:
Example 3m:
Just by moving our little finger on the guitar neck we can find many melodies to give subtle movement to the rhythm guitar part. Ideas like this can give a lot of interest to the song as a whole, just be careful not to get in the way of the singer or soloist.
Chapterr 4 - Extensions Chapte Extensions to the Dominant Dominant 7 Chord
Dominant 7 chords are used often in the blues, but we can use any any chord from the dominant 7 ‘family’. This isn’t a theory book so to keep things simple the dominant family of chords includes 7s, 9s, 11s and 13s which are all normally interchangeable. For example, if you see an A7 written there is often no reason why you can’t substitute it for an A9 or A13 chord. You normally need to be more careful ith dominant 11 chords so we will avoid these for now. Think of dominant 9s, 11s and 13s as extended dominant dominant 7 chords. While the basic dominant chord quality and function are the same, these extensions add depth, colour and interest to our music. Heree ar Her aree so som me useful v voi oici cing ngss for dominant 9s and 13s 13 s for chord chordss I, IV, and V. Note that that th thee voicing voi cing of A A9 9 here iiss rootless rootless.. This works best in the context of a band situation where you have a bass player to play the root. Examp Exam ple 4a:
We will begin by substituting some of the original ‘7’ chord voicings in the 12 bar blues with extended chord chord voicings.
Example 4b:
Using the idea of approaching each chord by stepwise movement from above and below we can easily generate great interest in theinrhythm guitar part. Study Notice example 4c Itofreely hear how this between kind o movement decorates the chords the previous example. that change approaching each chord from above and below. below.
Examp Exam ple 4c:
It is also acceptable to change between chords from the same family in the same bar. For example, you could play this:
Example 4d:
Listen to the movement this creates on the 2nd string and look out for the semitone movement from above in the second bar as I approach the Ab13 with a Bb13. The key to internalising these chord ideas is to practice playing rhythm guitar with a backing track. acking track 4: Triplet Blues in A includes just the drums and bass guitar parts so you can rovide your own rhythmic accompaniment on the guitar. Focus on changing smoothly between chords in time and experimenting with different extensions for each ea ch chord chord.. For example, I li like ke to play pl ay A13 for chord I and D9 for chord c hord IV, but you may come up ith many different combinations. You can also practice changing between chord voicings and moving between different extensions of each dominant chord in each bar. Finally, practice the bass line examples from chapter two, being sure to listen to the bass and drums in the backing track and ‘locking in’ with their feel.
Chapter 5 - Common Variations to the 12 Bar Blues
There are many common chord variations that we can apply to the 12 bar blues while keeping its structure intact. You will find the following alterations in hundreds of blues tunes and as you listen to players you like, y you ou will start to h hear ear th them em all the ttim ime. e. We will examine the turnaround (final (final four bars) section in great detail later, but first let us add some variations to the first four bars of the tune. A very common idea is to go to the dominant (V) chord in the second half of bar three: Examp Exam ple 5a:
In example 5a I approach many chords by step, but the thing to observe is the new E9 in bar three. Adding chord V here helps to break up the static two bars of A7 in the original 12 bar blues
progression.
Instead of playing the E9 chord in bar three it is not unusual to hear a Bb7 (A dominant 7 chord built on the the b bII II of th thee scal s cale). e). This iiss o one ne of the ideas idea s used in T-Bone T-Bone W Walker alker ’s Stormy Mon Monday day Blues. Example 5b:
In the 12 bar blues there is a second ‘static’ two-bar section in bars five and six; two bars of D7 (chord IV). To add harmonic movement we often play an Eb diminished 7 chord in bar six. This is an idea borrowed borrow ed from a ‘jazz’ blues that that works really well in a stan standard dard 12 bar. Here is one useful way to play an Eb Diminished 7 chord:
Can you see that this chord is identical to a ‘standard’ D7 chord that has had the root raised by a semitone?
Examp Exam ple 5c:
A more typical way to break up the two bars (of A7) in bars seven and eight is to play an F#7 (chord VI7) in bar eight. Once again, this idea is borrowed from the jazz repertoire but is quite often used in a Texas style blues. Example 5d combines the Eb Diminished 7 chord and the added chord VI into one example. The second four bars of the blues progression could look like this: Example 5d:
The F#7 can of course be approached by step if you wish. When we use chord VI (F#7) in bar eight, you can probably hear that the harmony wants to go somewhere different from the usual V chord (E7) that is often played. The traditional way to follow chord VI in this context is to play chord B minor 7 (iim7) in bar nine.
By falling in bar nine this Bm7 delays the appearance of the important dominant chord by one bar. Example 5e:
Another great way to delay the E7 (V) falling in bar nine is to substitute it for an F7 or F9 (bVI) chord. Examp Exam ple 5f:
Without stepping out into the realms of jazz harmony and chord substitutions these are some of the most important variations that occur in the first eight or nine bars of a traditional 12 bar blues progression.
One final way to add movement to bars seven and eight is to use a substitution made famous by TBone Walker in Stormy Monday Blues. It’s easier to see on paper than it is to explain in words so study example 5g:
Chapter 6 - Blues Turnarounds
The last four bars of a 12 bar blues is called the turnaround section because it is designed to ‘turn the song around’ back to the beginning of the chord structure. This is often where the majority of the tension in a blues is contained both harmonically and melodically. You will often find that altered chords are used in the turnaround section and the chord frequency or harmonic rhythm increases. rhythm increases. To remind ourselves of the final four bars of a standard blues, look at example 6a:
An idea you will often hear is to add the subdominant and tonic to the final two bar section: Example 6b:
Remember that all these chords are interchangeable with any chord in their dominant 7 family, i.e., you may wish to play A13s instead of A7s etc.
Another idea is to also use the bVI (F or F9) chord with the D7 in bar ten.
Examp Exam ple 6c:
Before looking at the next chord progression, turn back to remind yourself of example 5e. When we use chords VI and II in bars eight and nine it is common to repeat the chords from bars eight to ten at double the the frequen fre quency cy in the final two bars bar s o off the the turnaround. turnaround. This Th is is i s easier eas ier to see on paper so s o check ou outt e xample xample 6d:
I hear this progression as being ‘set up’ by the Eb diminished 7 chord in bar six. But you are by no means obliged to play it if you use the diminished chord there as you can see in example 6e:
As I have mentioned, the musical tension in the 12 bar blues increases towards the end of the structure ith the two E7 (V) chords in the last four bars being in most need of resolution. As these parts of the progression are tense anyway anyway,, they they are a g great reat place to add chr chroma omatic tic alterations alterations to to the dominant (V) chords to further increase their pull back to the tonic. A great chord to use to develop tension in these spots is E7#9. You may already know it as ‘The Hendrix Chord’ as it was used often in songs such as Purple Haze and Foxy Lady. It is played like this on the guitar:
Try it as the last chord in the turnaround as shown in example 6f:
The next example is a little more ‘jazzy’ but I also like to use the 7#9 as a passing chord between D7 and F#7 in th thee fol follow lowing ing mann manner: er: Examp Exam ple 6g:
The examples in this section are really just scratching the surface of ‘jazz’ chord ideas but they represent some of the most normal substitutions that are used in the modern 12 bar blues progression.
Chapter 7 - Rhythmic Placement with Triplet Blues
While the previous chapters have been mainly based around ideas for the blues structure and variations to its harmonic form, this chapter looks more closely at rhythm placement and concepts that you can apply to all of your playing. Triplet Blues I have previously mentioned that we can count “1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3” through each bar in this type of 12 bar blues. This is the reason that we call this style triplet feel. feel. If you’re not already comfortable ith this idea, listen to backing track 4 and count the triplet feel out loud in the manner described above.
As odd as it may sound at first, each of the three divisions of the beat is considered to be an 1/8th note. There are three 1/8th notes or quavers quavers per per beat. This doesn’t make mathematical sense in the ‘real’ orld but it is a musical convention and an extremely important concept in much of the music that you listen to. In example 7a, the top row of notes shows the main beat or pulse of the music and the bottom row shows how the three 1/8th notes fit into each beat. Examp Exam ple 7a:
Four beats x three 1/8th notes per beat = twe twelve lve 1/8th 1/ 8th note notess per b bar ar.
This is what the time signatur s ignaturee of 12/8 means: 12, 1/8th notes per bar. That’s enough maths! Let’s look at playing chords on some of these rhythmic subdivisions. A very simple way to play blues rhythm guitar which we have already covered is to strum only on each beat of the bar.
Example 7b:
We can start to add more interest by playing the triplet subdivisions. Use down-strokes to strum the following pattern that uses all the subdivisions. Examp Exam ple 7c:
This adds ad ds more movement ovement but it’s very busy busy.. Try playing on only only th thee fir first st and third tripl triplet et in ea each ch beat as shown in e xam xampl plee 7d:
Listen to the audio example if you’re not sure how to play this idea. Personally I feel that in most band situations it’s best to leave a lot of space in the rhythm guitar part. By playing sparsely, especially at the beginning of a tune, it gives the song room to grow. Here are some patterns that use the triplet rhythms but also leave large gaps that can be filled by other instruments. Example 7e:
Example 7f
Examp Exam ple 7g:
Example 7h:
At any time you may wish to add percussive scratc scratches hes to to your picking hand pattern. Hold the chord but relea release se the pressure on th thee strings strings w with ith y your our frettin fretting g hand hand while your your pickin pi cking g hand hand patt pattern ern keeps keeps a tight triplet feel. Scratched notes are notated with an ‘x’.
Example 7i:
Even though I have notated the full chord, I will normally only play the highest four strings on the guitar to stop the sound becoming too bassy. Try examples 7d to 7i again but this time only play on the top four strings and add muted strums in some of the spaces. Work on taking some of these patterns through a whole 12 bar chorus. You should also try making your own rhythm patterns by simply missing out different combinations of triplets. These patterns can be as sparse spar se or as de dense nse as y you ou like. like. 1/16th Note Subdivisions of the Beat
Each of the three 1/8th notes in each beat can be further divided and split into two 1/16th 1/16th notes, making a total of six subdivisions for each main pulse. This is shown in e xam xamp ple 7j:
The top line in this example shows the triplet divisions you have been working with in the previous examples and the bottom line shows how each triplet can be evenly evenly divided into two subdivisions, giving 6 even divisions of each major beat. The easiest way to count this out loud is 1and2and3and1and2and3and etc. Strum this rhythm while muting your strings. Strum Downupdownupdownup updownupdownup Downupdownupdownup updownupdownup.. Accent the first down stroke of every beat and try to sync up with the audio from example 7j. When we play blues rhythms based on 1/16th note subdivision we can create many interesting strumming patterns. It is important not to overpower the rest of the band so discretion and the use o space are advised! To stay in time and help with my dynamics, I often find myself playing quiet, muted strums on every 1/16th note and accentuating only the notes I wish to play with an unmuted chord. In the following examples, muted notes are notated with an x x.. To get the feel for this play through example 7k (all muted strums) with the audio track.
Next try to quietly play Next pl ay all the the subdivisions with an A7 chord without overpowering the drums and bass. To manag anagee th this is relax you yourr wrist wri st and rreali ealise se th that at you don’t don’t have to play every string. string. You may ish to also accent every main pulse of the bar. Example 7l:
Now we w e wi will ll com combine bine some some 1/8th n note ote and 1/16th note note idea ideas. s. Try taking taking these these patt pa tterns erns th throug roughou houtt the the hole 12 bar progression.
Example 7m:
Example 7n:
Now let’s try com combinin bining g th thee percussive scratches with chord stabs. Th This is idea is a bit more challenging as we’re playing in a very syncopated manner. Start slowly and gradually build up your speed when you get into the feel of the rhythm. Remember to keep your scratches light and accentuate the chord stabs. Examp Exam ple 7o:
Example 7p:
Example 7q:
Something important to practice is miming strums strums to keep time. You don’t always want to play a note or a scratch on a beat because sometimes the music will require silence. Practice miming 1/16th notes in the same way you practiced the 1/16th note scratches with your right hand. This time howeverr simply howeve s imply do not m make ake contact w with ith th thee guitar strings. s trings. Example 7r includes a 1/16th note rest in beat one. Keep your strumming hand moving throughout this pattern.. pattern Example 7r:
Don’t forget Don’t forget we can still use ideas like sl sliding iding ch chords ords from a sem se mitone itone bel below ow too. Th This is creates alm a lmost ost a ‘sub-rhythm’ against the main groove of the rhythm part. Check this out in example 7s:
Use the strumming patterns in this chapter to play through full blues progressions. Don’t be afraid to alter or combine them in any way and don’t forget that a rhythm pattern can be longer than one bar long. The best thing you can do is to listen listen to to your favourite recordings and copy the approach of the rhythm players you like.
Chapterr 8 - Rhythmic Chapte Rhythmic Placement wi with th Straight Blues
In a ‘straight’ time feel, every beat in the bar is split into even subdivisions. Whereas triplet feels are split into groupings of three, straight feels are split into groupings of twos and fours. In example 8a the top line of music shows the main 1/4 note (crotchet) beat of the bar and the bottom line shows how each beat is divided into two subdivisions. Examp Exam ple 8a:
Look at the 4/4 time signature. If a time signature has the number 4 at the bottom then the convention is to group the subdivisions into even divisions. We will begin once again by strumming on just the first beat of each bar, although this is a similar exercise to example 7b you will find that this rhythm feels very different when played with a straight drum groov groove. e. Remember, you don’t have to play the full chord, often just the top four strings will do. Example 8b:
We can create more movement by playing on each 1/8th note (quaver) subdivision.
Examp Exam ple 8c:
Playing on each 1/8th note can be a little rhythmically dense so here are a few patterns that use 1/8th notes but don’t play every subdivision of the beat. Take these rhythm figures through the full 12 bar blues chord chord sequence. Play Play along with back backing ing track 1: Straigh Straightt blu blues es in A. Example 8d:
Example 8e:
Examp Exam ple 8f:
Examp Exam ple 8g:
Once again, we can use scratches (muted strums) to add percussive rhythms to the chords and to help keep time. In the following examples I often split the chord so that some of the time I am playing on the bass strings and the high strings separately. Example 8h:
Example 8i:
Example 8j: Examp
1/16th Note Subdivisions of the Beat
As with triplets, each 1/8th note can be further split into 1/16th notes by doubling each one:
To get a feel for this rhythm count “1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and a” out loud along with backing backin g track 1. Try strumming this rhythm with muted strings. Throughout the whole bar your strumming should be Downupdownupdownupdownup
Example 8k:
Now we can stu study dy som somee rhy rhyth thm m patterns patterns th that at use combination combinationss of 1/16th not notes es and 1/8th not notes. es. Remem Rem ember ber to practice pra ctice th these ese rhyth rhythm ms throughou throughoutt the the w whole hole 12 bar progressio progres sion n with th thee cchord hord chan c hanges. ges.
Example 8l:
Example 8m:
Example 8n:
Examp Exam ple 8o:
Example 8p:
Example 8p is a bit more tricky than the earlier examples. Listen carefully to the audio example and keep your strumming hand moving in straight 1/16th notes. 1/16th Note Shuffle Grooves
The 1/16th note divisions of each beat do not have to be evenly spaced. If the first of each group o two 1/16th notes is longer and the second shorter, then the rhythm is said to be played as a shuff a shuffle le.. These rhythms can look identical on paper, but there is normally a performance direction at the start of the music such as the word shuff word shuffle le above above the first bar. Listen to example 8q and compare it to example 8k. Whereas example 8k is completely straight, example 8q has a definite bounce to it.
Example 8q:
The following rhythm is the same as in exercise 8o, however this time the rhythm is played with a shuff shu ffle le feel. Example 8r:
Shuffle
Chapterr 9 - M elodic Chapte elodic Fi F ills between betw een Chords
Rhythm guitar playing isn’t just about playing chords, it is important that we learn to decorate the chords we play to provide movement and counter melody to the singer or soloist. The art is to never over-play and to make sure what we play is appropriate to the music. There should always be space for the melody to shine through. Cluttering the melody is one of the easiest ways to get kicked out o your band! Aim to play in the spaces left by the singer, don’t fill every possible gap and turn your volume down a bit so you don’t overpower everyone else on stage!
Fills on the I Chord The following rhythm fills work well on a static (held) A7 chord. Examp Exam ple 9a:
Example 9b:
Examp Exam ple 9c:
Fills on the IV Chord These licks target important notes of the D7 chord however you can shift them all up one tone and they are great lines for the E7 chord. Example 9d:
Example 9e:
Examp Exam ple 9f:
Fills on the V Chord Again, Ag ain, you can shift these these E7 lines l ines down one tone and they work well as D7 licks. Examp Exam ple 9g:
Example 9h:
Example 9i:
Fills Moving from Chord I to IV The following ideas are used to target notes while moving from the tonic chord (A7) to the subdominant subdom inant ch chord ord (D7). Examp Exam ple 9j:
Example 9k:
Example 9l:
Fillls Movi Fil M oving ng from f rom Chord Cho rd IV to I These licks fill in the gaps when moving from D7 back to A7. Example 9m:
Example 9n:
Fillls Movi Fil M oving ng from f rom Chord Cho rd V to IV The following examples add melodic interest when moving from E7 to D7. Examp Exam ple 9o:
Example 9p:
Fills Moving from Chord I to V These fills give strong melodic leading when moving from A7 to the all-important E7 chord. Example 9q:
Example 9r:
Examp Exam ple 9s:
To reiterate, don’t line overplay these licks comping rhythm guitar in the blues. The occasional melodic leading from onewhen chordyou’re to another or over a prolonged period on a static chord will give great contrast to a repetitive rhythm guitar part. Notice how most of th thee lines only occur towards th thee end of the the bar; the the crucial concept is i s to leave space for y your our sing singer er or soloi soloist. st.
Chapter 10 - Intros and Outros
The ability to start and end a tune cleanly can save a lot of embarrassment and help to reinforce a memorable performance. Too many times I have seen under-rehearsed bands frantically looking at each other on stage trying to find someone to take control and end the tune they are playing. By having some stock outros (and intros) we can always find a way to end a blues tune cleanly. Intros many songs, the blues idiom often based the last what few chords or turnaround of the to song. There is anot bitjust of in a crossover in the are following tunesonbetween is considered ‘lead’ guitar gu itar and what iiss cconsider onsidered ed rhy rhyth thm m guitar guitar pl playing aying but that that is noth nothing ing to worry wor ry about. One of the great things about learning an intro is that they can normally function as an outro as well, it ust depends on which chord you end on. For example, look at this intro in the key of A Major. Examp Exam ple 10a:
This idea is based around a descending dominant 7th chord and ends with an E7 chord voicing approached from a semitone above. By ending on the E7 (dominant) chord in this way we get a strong feeling the musical line wants to continue and resolve back to A7. Now look l ook at example 10b. In this example the line begins in exactly the same way but instead of the last two chords moving into E7 as before, the line finishes on the A7 approached once again by step from above. This resolution hasafter a certain degree of finality about it and it can be quite difficult to keep the music moving forward this point.
Example 10b:
As you can hear, this is the musical equivalent of a full stop. You can alter all the following lines to end in this way if you wish them to be an outro instead of an intro. The next example contains an A note ‘drone’ as the bass line descends. Once again the E7 is approached from above however this time the chord is played in a much lower voicing. Examp Exam ple 10c:
As before, if you end the lick moving into an A7 chord it will serve as a great outro line.
Example 10d uses a musical device called contrary motion motion where two parts move in different directions. This a very strong melodic line based around changing chords.
Example 10d:
In the previous example the dominant chord is approached from a semitone below. The next intro line moves through ascending chords up to the dominant chord E7. The A9 chord on beat two can also als o be view viewed ed as a C#m C#m7b5 7b5 chord alth al thoug ough h in this this instan instance ce iitt is easier to think think abou aboutt it as an A9. Look out for a movement we have seen before; the D major becoming an E diminished 7 chord before moving to the E7. This small adjustment creates the chromatic bass line C#, D, Eb, E hich has extremely strong harmonic movement. Example 10e:
Instead of using an approach chord into the E7, there is a short A Mixolydian lick to lead smoothly
into the change.
In e xam xamp ple 10f melodic movement is created at the top of the chord by careful use of chord voicings. I would normally play a line like this using just the fingers of my picking hand, or hybrid pick the the line using pick and fingers fingers.. On beats three and four there is a movement from chord IV major (D) to chord iv minor (Dm). This rich-sounding change adds a great deal of interest to the phrase. Pay attention to which string contains the melody note.
Examp Exam ple 10f:
While there is no obvious E7 chord in example 10f, the lick at the end targets targets the the note G# which is one of the important guide tones of the chord. Targeting the G# in this way creates the illusion to the listener li stener that th they ey have heard th thee dom do minant ch chord ord and th thee music music is ready rea dy to begin. If I wanted to change this intro link into an outro lick I could simply add an A7 approached by step at the end of the lick: Examp Exam ple 10g:
If in doubt it’s hard to go wrong with this Jimi Hendrix ending. This example uses ascending power chords to move up to the dominant chord but ends with some big ‘9’ chords for a classic rock ending.
Example 10h:
See if you can convert this lick to an intro line by changing the Bb9 and Ab9 to an F9 and E9. Clean intros and endings are a very important part of a tight band performance. Make sure you have rehearsed exactly what you’ll be playing for each song before you get on stage. There’s nothing worse than hearing a band take 8 bars to figure out where they should be playing. Your audience is also more likely to remember your sloppy ending than your ground-breaking guitar solo. Get these basic building-blocks building -blocks of music music righ right! t!
Chapter 11 - Shell Voicings
One scenario that all of us come up against at some point in our musical career is the ‘busy blues jamnight’ gig. Sometimes we can be on stage with two other guitarists, a keyboard player, a bass guitar, three singers and a flugel horn. It can be extremely challenging to know what and indeed when when to to play a chord. The music that canenhances be so crowded harmonically andaudience’s rhythmically that it is almost to busy play something the music and makes the experience better. If itimpossible is really that on stage, my best piece of advice is to not play anything at all. It may work to play muted, rhythmic scratches on deadened strings, but often it’s best to leave some space. This is a totally legitimate musical decision and one that really can be ‘for the greater good’. You may however find yourself in a band where things are quite busy but maybe (hopefully) a little less dense. In these circumstances I often find myself playing very sparsely and using either shell voicings,, or drop two chords. voicings two chords. Shell voicings contains just the root, 3rd and b7 of a chord. They do not contain the 5th of the chord or any ex extensions. tensions. The 3rd and 7th of any chord are the two notes which define the chord quality. No other notes are needed, not even the root, and in fact I will often avoid playing the root altogether if I’m playing with a busy bass player. We will learn how to play various different shell voicing shapes for the chords in the 12 bar blues. They are fantastic to use rhythmically when we don’t have much harmonic room to play bigger chords. Shell voicings can also help us to learn good voice leading between chord changes. Here are ar e some shell voicing voi cingss for an A7 chord. Example 11a:
These shapes can be treated exactly like barre chords so they are movable anywhere on the neck. For example you could play through the chords in a basic blues by just using the movable shape on the 6th string.
Example 11b:
This however is a little simplistic so let’s look at playing these shapes in one position on the neck in example 11c:
Try using these chord shapes in a full blues progression and remember, all the ideas that we have for rhythm and approaching chords by step still apply. Your 12 bar blues could now sound like this:
Example 11d:
The previous example is deliberately simple rhythmically and harmonically. It provides just enough movement to keep things interesting as a self-contained study but you may wish to play even less in a band situation situation..
These examples haven’t really explored playing shell voicings on higher string groups. Let’s see how e can play the chords on the top three and four strings in e xam xamp ple 11e 1e::
Here are the shell voicings that you need in order to play Bm7.
We now have all the voicings we need to play an extended blues. The following example shows you how to navigate the chords in a 12 bar blues with a 1 6 2 5 turnaround. When you have the chord voicings memorised, try to add in your own rhythms and approach chords to make the music your own. Remember, the whole idea behind this approach is to keep things simple and to leave room for others to play. When you have learnt this example, try finding as many ways through the changes as you can using the shell voicings on different string groups. You could begin with the first A7 chord on either the 6th, 5th, 4th or 3rd string and then try to find the closest possible voicing of the next chord to move to.
Example 11f:
I previously mentioned that we could play just the 3rds and 7ths of each chord without the bass notes. This idea is great because it teaches us to see and hear the most important notes of the chord as closely linked shapes. For example, here are just the last four bars of the previous example as just 3rds and b7s: Example 11g:
When I teach my students these movements on the guitar, it often comes as something as a surprise for them to see just how closely these chords are all related. These guide tones tones can also be used as a soloing idea to outline each chord that we’re playing. Spend some serious practice time working out how to play closely voiced guide tone lines on each two-string grouping. For example, try to play through the 12 bar blues using only 3rds and 7ths on the firstt and second firs sec ond stri string ngs, s, the se second cond and third, th thee third and fourth and fourth and fifth string strings. s.
Chapter 12 - Drop 2 Voicings
In the previous chapter we looked as shell voicings as a method to keep out of the way of busy harmony and rhythm parts and focused on playing low register voicings so as to not crowd the range here singers and soloists tend to play. Drop Dr op 2 chords are also a great way of staying out of the way of dense harmony parts, however this timevery we normally play in tempos a higher register register of percussively the guitar isn’t dense. are useful at higher where we where might the playtone more andasadd moreThese chordchords stabs rather than letting chords ring for longer periods. “Drop 2” is simply a musical arranging technique where the second highest note in a chord voicing is dropped an octave. For exam example, ple, here is th thee chord of A7 as a stacked “closed “close d posi position tion”” voi voicing cing::
When we drop the second highest note down an octave, the chord is said to be a “drop 2” voicing:
Once again, this isn’t a theory book, for more information you may wish to check out my book Drop 2 Chord Voicings for Jazz and Modern Guitar. It is usual for drop 2 chords to be played on just the top four strings which is what we will focus on here, but it is a worthwhile pursuit to find these chord voicings on the middle four strings too. Any four-note drop 2 can be played in any of four inversions. This gives four different ways to play each chord. You might recognise a couple of the following voicings.
These are four different drop 2 voicings of exactly the same A7 chord arranged from the lowest position on the the neck tto o the h high ighest. est. Notice th that at th thee square dot d ot in each example example is the the root r oot of th thee chord and this is only the lowest note in one of the chord voicings. Begin play playing up through all four voicings in the following way: Examp Exam ple 12a:
Next, we can link toget Next, together her th thee chords in th thee 12 bar blues using using the closes closestt possible possibl e shape for each chord. Begin Be ginning ning on each chord in turn turn we have four cl closel osely y related rela ted ways w ays to pl play ay the the I, IV, progression: Example 12b:
Examp Exam ple 12c:
Example 12d:
Example 12e:
Knowing how to move between chords I, IV and V in four positions in this way is essential as now e have the whole neck covered when we’re playing blues rhythm guitar. We will always be able to move to a close voicing and keep good voice leading between the chord parts. We can also use more than one chord per bar to create an melody line with the top note of each voicing as demonstrated in
Examp Exam ple 12f:
Notice how I approach all th thee chords in i n tthe he previous exam example ple with w ith stepwi stepwise se chord sl slides ides either either from above or below to help keep the melody flowing. These kinds of ideas are virtually limitless so having a good grasp of drop 2 chords all over the neck is very useful when we want to create and interesting interesti ng and and melodic melodic rhyt rhythm hm par partt wi with thout out an overly overl y dense chord sound. We can also add in the drop 2 voicings for the Bm7 chord and use these in the same way:
Here is one way to play the I VI II V turnaround in the key of A: Examp Exam ple 12g:
As with the earlier examples, try to find as many different ways of playing through this chord progression as you can. T Take ake it in ttu urns tto o start ffrom rom a differen differentt voicing of the the A A7 7 chord. Finally, we will take a look at some sample rhythm patterns you could use with drop 2 voicings.
Example 12h:
Example 12i:
Examp Exam ple 12j:
Of course, the rhythm pattern you play will depend on the groove of the song so use your ears and lock in with the band.
Chapter 13 - The Minor Blues
Until now we have been examining the 12 bar blues based around dominant 7 chords. This is probably probabl y tth he m most ost com comm monly played type type of blues, but there there is i s one m more ore very ver y usefu usefull appr approach oach we can take to the chord format. We can base the whole 12 bar progression around minor chords to create a very dark mood. It is acceptable to play every every chord in this progression as a minor chord however we will often use a dominant V chord (E7) to add tension when resolving to the tonic chord (A7). This is the structure for a basic minor blues. Examp Exam ple 13a:
Notice the the chang changee to A7 A7 in bar fou fourr to h help elp build a smooth smooth transition transition in into to tthe he D Dm m in bar five. five. In bar si six x I use a Dm7 chord for a little bit of colour and in bar 12 I use an E7, not an Em to help build the tension at the end of the structure. Here is i s the n new ew chord vocabulary y you ou will need for the the previous pr evious progression progressio n.
As with the dominant 7 blues there are many techniques we can use to add interest and movement to the minor blues progression. Play through the following progression and look out for examples of 1) Substitutions 2) Approaching chords by step from above and below 3) Using altered chords 4) Changing from minor to dominant chords in the same bar
Example 13b:
Listen to players such as Gary Moore and B.B. King as they often use variations on the minor blues in their their music.
Chapter 14 - Other Blues Forms
The 8 Bar B ar Blues Blues The 12 bar blues is not the only set structure for the blues. The 8 bar blues is used frequently in many songs and is an important form to know. There are many variations but the basic structure is usually something like e xam xamp ple 14a:
Another variation is shown in e xampl xamplee 14b:
It is not uncommon to move from the IV chord (D major or D7) to the iv minor chord (D minor or Dm7) in bar four.
Examp Exam ple 14c:
This is the chord vocabulary you need for the previous example. Try swapping the D minor for a D minor 7.
Just as we altered the chords and structure of the 12 bar blues, we can take a similar approach to playing the the 8 bar form form..
In the following example we can add an Eb diminished chord in bar four and a I VI II V turnaround in bars five and six. This This time time however, th thee VI chord (F#) is played as a minor chord instead of the the dominant 7 chord we have used previously. This F#m7 is technically the ‘correct’ chord to play in the key of A majo ajor, r, but chords are a re often free freely ly interchanged interchanged in the blues. Example 14d:
Of course, we can add in any of our harmonic ideas from the 12 bar blues too. Here is one way to add the bVI into bar six and I’ve also spiced up the 7 chords with a few 9ths, 13ths and approach chords. The rhythm is fairly simple so that you can concentrate on the new 8 bar form, but do feel free to spice it up a bit. You may wish to also consider using drop 2 chords and/or shell voicings on this tune too. There are many possibilities to vary this chord progression so don’t take this version as set in stone.
Example 14e:
The 16 Bar Blues
Another well recognised blues form is the 16 bar blues. It is used in famous tunes such as Hoochie Coochie Man (Muddy Waters) and Oh Pretty Woman (A.C Williams). Often the 16 bar blues can be seen as a 12 bar with an extra 4 bar ‘tag’ ending. A simple form of this is shown in e xam xamp ple 14f:
Other 16 bar forms sometimes repeat the V to IV movement (dominant to subdominant chords) in bars nine to fourteen as shown s hown in example 14g:
You will also find 16 bar blues that stay on the I chord (A7) for a long time. This can be a great opportunity to make use of drop 2 chord voicings in different inversions creating a moving melody at the top of the chord as you learnt in example 12f. You can hear this eight bar I chord idea in e xamp xample 14h:
It’s not uncommon to find this type of progression in pop or rock tunes as sometimes writers don’t ant a lot of harmonic movement at the start of the verse.
Chapterr 15 - Conclusions Chapte Conclusions
This book has been designed to take you from the first principles of the basic 12 bar blues right through to some fairly complex chord substitutions, rhythms and melodic fills. The emphasis has been on fitting in with the band, adding to the groove and considering what to play and what to leave out. It is normally the case that less is more. The guitar can also be a percussive instrument so don’t be afraid to fill in the gaps with rhythmic scratches, sparse chords and if in doubt, silence. You don’t have to play every chord if there is another instrument there to do it for you. Every time you play, either in practice or in the band, try to record your sessions and notice what your guitar part is adding to the music. You may feel that you should play more or less, less, that you need to ork more more closely with the bass and drums, against the the bass and drums or maybe just provide the harmonic harmon ic padding of of playing one chord per bar. It’s also OK to call a band meeting to figure out exactly and whatimprovisation and where each playing. Of course there should always be room for spontaneity butinstrument time in theisrehearsal rooms building the track from the ground up can really revolutionise your band’s sound. I normally like to begin with just the drummer playing to a metronome. From there bring in the bass guitar and when they start gelling that’s the time to bring in the harmonic instruments. There are no hard and fast rules but I like to get the keyboard player to play first so I can work my part around them. It can be challenging having a guitar and a keyboard in a band as both instruments take up so much sonic real estate. Ask the keyboard player to play with just his right hand if things are getting too crowded in the guitar frequencies, or, if he is already playing higher voicings of the chords you can stick to bassy shell voicings on the guitar. If there are two guitarists in the band do NOT play the same thing . Either sit out or arrange things so that you’re using different approaches in different registers. For example if one guitar is playing an open string riff, you may wish to try playing drop 2 chord pads chord pads or or rhythmic staccato chops. You may ust want to take care of the melodic fills between chords or the odd blues lick between vocals: B.B. King style. Don’t overplay though, save it for the solo.
If you’re covering someone else’s song, listen to as many possible recordings of that tune by as many different artists as possible. See what instrumentation they use and how they have built the track into their own personal sound. This should inspire you and guide you towards finding the identity you ant as a musician. There are thousands of blues artists out there and to try to give a definitive list of musicians you should listen to is quite frankly an impossible task. On the next pages I have tried to give some specific artists and albums that you may find helpful to listen to. This list is by no means exhaustive and please don’t send me hate mail if your favourite artist isn’t here. Don’t forget, what might be considered rock music today definitely has its roots in blues. Check out bands like Led Zeppelin, eppeli n, Cream Cream,, Pink Fl Floyd, oyd, The The Who and AC/DC. AC/DC. Hear the the blues influen influence ce and listen to what makes this music cross over into Rock. For the sake of easy communication, the majority of these examples are written in the key of A however it should be taken as read that any any key key is a common key in which to play the blues. Some o the more ‘normal’ keys are E, G and C, but if there is a brass or woodwind instrument in the band you may be asked to play in the Keys of Bb, Eb, Ab or Db. Any barre chord forms in this book are obviously movabl,e but if a riff uses open strings you may need to be very creative about moving that idea to an awkward key for guitarists. Many blues (and indeed rock) tunes are in the key of Eb and are played with open string riffs on the guitar. This is achieved by simply tuning the guitar down a half step so the tuning of the open strings are Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb and Eb. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix, among many others are famous for normally playing with the guitar tuned down to Eb. There are a few reasons for this, firstly the male vocal range can be quite comfortable in that tuning but the main reason is that a Fender Stratocaster in Eb tuning with thick strings (try 11s or 13s!) and a cranked up amp sings beautifully. Normally I keep a spare guitar tuned to Eb if I need to transcribe a solo or do a short-notice gig. Guitar tone is another important consideration. I could fill another book just talking about tone, but suffice to say hear that for blues rhythm guitar playing (depending on context), I’d be aiming for a clean-ish sound which starts to slightly break up when you strum a bit harder. One tip is to use your volume control as an extra tone control. Not enough guitarists are aware of the fun you can have with
a cranked c ranked up amp controlled controll ed b by y clev clever er use of your volum vol umee knob, and the many many differe different nt textu textures res that that it creates.
The best piece of advice I can give anyone is to listen as much as you can to the style you wish to play.. T play Transcribe ranscribe rhyth rhythm m guit uitar ar parts, even even if if it’s just it’s just the the rhythm that you’re picking up. The occasional different chord voicing is insignificant compared to the benefit you will get by locking into your favourite favou rite pl player’s ayer’s groove. Have fun and good luck. Joseph If you liked this book, Please review it on Amazon US or Amazon UK
Recommended Rec ommended Li Listeni stening ng Albert Collins - Cold Snap Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland – Showdown! Albert King – Born Under A Bad Sign Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup – That’s All Right Mama Bessi Bes siee Smith – The Compl Complete ete Recor Rec ordi ding ngs, s, Vol. ol . 1 Big Bill Broonzy – Trouble In Mind Mind Billie Holiday –Songs for Distingué Lovers Blind Willie McTell – The Definitive Blind Willie McTell Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger Buddy Guy & Junior Wells – Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Play the Blues Bukka White – The Complete Bukka White Charley Patton – Pony Po ny B Blues lues Elmore Elm ore James – Shake Shake Y Your our Money Moneym maker: The Best of The Fi Fire re Sessions Sess ions Etta James – The Chess Box Furry Lewi Lewiss – Shak Shakee ‘‘Em Em On Down Gary Moore - Blues for Greeny Howlin’ Wolf – The Chess Box Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced Jimmy Reed – Blues Masters: The Very Best Of Joe Bonamassa - Live from the Albert Hall John Lee Hooker – Alternative Boogie: Early Studio Recordings 1948 – 1952 Johnny Winter - Johnny Winter Leadbell eadb elly y – King of the the 12-Stri 1 2-String ng Guitar Guitar Lightn ightnin’ in’ Hopkins – The Complete Prestige/Bl Pr estige/Bluesvil uesville le Recor Recordings dings
Lightnin’ Slim – Rooster Blues Lonnie onnie Johnson – The Com Comple plete te Folkways Fol kways Reco Recordi rding ngss Magic Sam – West Side Soul Mance Lipscomb – Texas Sharecropper & Songster
Memphis Minnie – The Essential Memphis Minnie Mississippi Mississi ppi JJohn ohn Hurt Hurt – 1928 Sessions Muddy Waters – At Newport 1960 Otis Ot is Rush Rush – Cobra Record Recording ings: s: 1956-1958 Pink Anderson Anderson – Ball Ba llad ad and a nd Folksinger – Vol. 3 R.L. Burnside – Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down Reverend Gary Davis – Harlem Street Singer Robben Ford - Talk to your Daughter & Worried Life Blues Robertt Johnson – King Of the Rober the Delta Bl Blues ues Si Sing ngers ers Skip James – The Complete Early Recordings Of Skip James – 1930 Smoky Sm oky Babe – Hottest Brand Goin’ Goi n’ Son House – Father Of The Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Recordings Sonny Boy Williamson [II] – One Way Out Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood & Couldn’t Stand the Weather T-Bone Walker - I Get So Weary T-Bone Walker – The Complete Imperial Recordings: 1950-1954 Tommy Johnson – Canned Heat (1928-1929) Willie Dixon – I am the Blues There really are just too many great blues albums to mention so here’s a list of the top modern blues guitarists you should check out:
Albert King B.B. King Big Bill Broonzy Blind William Jefferson
Bonnie Bonn ie Raitt Buddy Guy Chris Duarte
David Gilmour Duane Allman Eric Clapton Freddie King Gary Moore Jack White Jeff Healey Jimi Hendrix Jimmy Page Joe Bonamassa John Lee Hooker John Mayer Johnny Winter Jonny Lang Kenny Wayne Shepherd Lead Belly Bell y Lightnin' ightnin' Hopkins Luther Allison Muddy Waters Otis Rush Peter Green Robben Ford Robert Cray Robert Johnson Rory Gallagher Roy Buchanan Sonny Landre Landreth th
Stevie Ray Vaughan Sue Foley T-Bone Walker
Wes Montgomery I’m sure I haven’t included everyone’s favourites so apologies in advance!
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