Some things that makes the 12 bar so variable is the amount of chord voicings (ways to play chords) there are. Along with the blues scale, notes of the chords played along with the scale, signature licks (phrases that make a particular song recognisable) and a host of other things.
We will get to these later. First we will look at some 12 bar progressions using the 'shuffle'. This is not truly a chord but is often used in rhythm playing. We will play variations of the 12 bar in the key of A.
|
12 Bar Shuffle in A |
|
The 12 Bar Shuffles |
Depending on the style and personal taste of the player, flat pick, thumb pick, just the thumb, or thumb and fingers are used when playing 12 bars. A nice effect is produced when the palm of the hands rests on the bass strings close to the bridge. This mutes the bass and sounds really good. It can be done without the use of a pick.
When playing the shuffle in A most players use the left-hand index finger for the 2nd fret and the ring finger for the 4th fret. Make sure to only hit the two strings that are supposed to be played.
The shuffle rhythm is like playing triplets and missing the middle one. So the rhythm is:
| Count | 1 | trip | let | 2 | trip | let | 3 | trip | let | 4 | trip | let |
| Strum | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
|
12 Bar Shuffle in A (Variation 1) |
It is important to get the feel for the 12 bar chord changes. It should be second nature to the point that you don't have to actually count. Listening to musicians who use the 12 bar regularly helps also. It won't take long before you get the feel for it.
All of the 12 bars in this file will use the 'swing' rhythm that is used in the shuffle. The strums will change somewhat but the 'swing feel' stays.
|
12 Bar Shuffle in A (Variation 2) |
Variation on the Shuffle:
Sometimes players will play the shuffle strum but go to the 5th fret after the 4th. Rather than playing the 2nd fret and then the 4th fret rotating back and forth, they will play the 2nd fret, 4th fret, 5th fret, and 4th fret.
|
Variation on the Shuffle |
