Blues

Blues Turnaround

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This lesson is all about classic blues turnaround in the key of E. A turnaround is usually played on the last two measures of a Blues form. It is called the turnaround, because it brings you back to the beginning of the song. Turnarounds can also be used to start a song, which is what the first exercises focuses on.

Blues Form Turnaround

Blues Form Turnaround

This turnaround #1 shows one of the most classic turnarounds. 

Turnaround #1

Turnaround #1

Turnaround #2 shows a classic variation of a blues turnaround.

Turnaround #2

Turnaround #2

Turnaround #3 is another variation of the classics.

Turnaround #3

Turnaround #3

The next two examples are full blues form starting with a turnaround and finishing with a turnaround.

This first example uses the turnaround #1 that we worked on above in a blues form.

This second example uses the turnaround #2 that we used above in a blues form.

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E Blues Bass Basics

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When playing the blues on bass, just like with any other instrument, you play it with a basic blues  form which we discussed in Basic Blues Theory. Below is the E Blues form that we will be using for all the exercises for this lesson.

E Blues Form

E Blues Form

E Blues Form Exercise #1

This first exercise is simply to play the root note of every chord for this E blues form with a whole note, so one note per measure like the example below.

E Blues Form Whole Notes

E Blues Form Whole Notes

E Blues Form Exercise #2

This exercise is the same as exercise #1, but you'll play half notes, so two notes per measure.

E Blues Form Exercise #3

This exercise is the same as exercise #1, but this time with quarter notes, so four notes per measure. You should try to play this one with one finger the first time; the second time, try to alternate between your 1st finger (index) and your 2nd finger (middle).

E Blues Form Exercise #4

This Exercise is a typical blues walking bass line. Walking bass refers to your fingers that look like they are walking on the bass. In this exercise we use patterns that will be repeated on every chord of E, then a very similar pattern every chord of A, then a bit of a change for the chord of B.

E Blues Walking Bass #1

E Blues Walking Bass #1

On the chord of E, try to use your 3rd finger for the 4th fret and your 1st finger for the 2 fret. Use the same fingers for the corresponding notes for the chord of A. For the chord of B, start the pattern with your 2nd finger, then 1st finger for the 1st fret, and 4th finger for the 4th fret.

E Blues Form Exercise #5

This blues walking bass is a variation of the exercise #4. It is a two measure pattern, which means that you can only use it when you have two measures with the same chord next to the other.

E Blues Walking Bass #2

E Blues Walking Bass #2

E Blues Form Exercise #6

This exercise is the same as exercise #5, but you play eighth notes swing throughout the blues form. Alternate your plucking fingers, between your 1st and 2nd finger.

 

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Basic Blues Theory

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Blues Rhythm Basics

Blues has influenced the music industry more than any genre nowadays. You can hear its influence in almost every song you hear these days. Therefor, it is essential to have a good knowledge of it.

Triplet Feel

Triplet Feel

Blues is usually played in a swing feel, which means that each beat is divided into three equal eight notes and you only play the first and third eight note per beat.

Blues Form

Below is a standard 12 measure blues form. If you ever want to play blues with a friend, you'll need to understand this graphic, so that you can play the blues in any key you wish. As you may notice, the numbers below are written in roman numerals which is very common in music to describe a chord within a scale. In a major scale there are 7 notes and each chord created from these notes bears a roman numeral that represents it. 

I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii

The upper case numbers represent major chords and the lower case numbers represent minor chords. For the blues, all that we will be using are the three major chords: I, IV, V

Blues Form

Blues Form

In the example below, the roman numerals were replaced by the name of the chords that will be played in each measure in the key of E major. In the key of E major, the chords are usually E, F#m, G#m, A, B, C#m, B#m(b5). As mentioned above, the only chords used for the blues are the major chords or upper case roman numerals, so in this case E, A and B.

E Blues Form

E Blues Form

Beginner Blues Rhythm Guitar Lesson

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Basic Blues Chords

These chords are the basic power chords that you will use for the blues in E. Usually, you should use your second finger to play the black notes on the grid for E5 and A5, but in this case, I suggest that you use your first finger, so that you'll be able to alternate between your first and third finger for the following exercises.

E Blues Chord Chart

E Blues Chord Chart

Exercise #1

This first exercise is a basic blues riff played on the measures of E in the blues form above. The pattern starts with a power chord that you play with your first finger on the second fret and alternate with your third finger every second and fourth beat.

E Blues Rhythm #1

E Blues Rhythm #1

Exercise #2

This second exercise is the same pattern, but starting on the fifth string (A string) for all the measures during which you will play an A. You alternate between your first finger and your third finger.

A Blues Rhythm #1 

A Blues Rhythm #1 

Exercise #3

This third exercise is simply a power chord of B on the A string that you usually play for only one measure during a blues form, but in this case it's just for practice, so you'll be playing two measures.

B Blues Rhythm #1

B Blues Rhythm #1

Blues Form using Exercise #1, 2, 3

Now that you know what to play for every measure, you can try to play every measure of E with the pattern from E Blues Rhythm #1, every measure of A should be played with the pattern from A Blues Rhythm #1 and every measure of B with the B Blues Rhythm #1. You can try it several times to get good at it. If the recording is too fast, practice it slower than the song, then try it again later with the audio file.

E Blues Form 

E Blues Form 

Blues Rhythm Variations

Exercise #4

This exercise is a variation of the E Blues Rhythm #1. You simply will add your 4th finger on the 5th fret on every third beat. If you don't have enough dexterity to reach with your pinky, you can also slide to the 5th fret with you third finger.

E Blues Rhythm #2

E Blues Rhythm #2

Exercise #5

This exercise is a variation of the A blues #1. Just like with the exercise #4, you simply have to add your pinky finger on the 5th fret on every third beat.

A Blues Rhythm #2

A Blues Rhythm #2

Exercise #6

This variation of B Blues Rhythm #1 is not easy, it requires a lot of flexibility. You will need to play your power chord of B with your first and second finger, so that you can manage to stretch to the 6th fret with your pinky finger. 

B Blues Rhythm #2

B Blues Rhythm #2

Exercise #7

This exercise is a variation of E Blues Rhythm #2. You simply play the original exercise, but you palm mute every note. To palm mute, you simply need to put the palm of your picking hand on the bridge of your guitar to mute the sound of it. You have to be aware that if your hand touches the strings too much, you won't get any sound and if your hand is too far on the bridge, then you won't get any muffling of the sound that  you're looking for.

E Blues Rhythm #2 Palm Muting

E Blues Rhythm #2 Palm Muting

Blues form using Exercise #4, 5, 6, 7

Now that you have practiced all the variations of the blues rhythms, you can try to put them all together in one form of blues just like in the E Blues Form #1 exercise. If the audio file is too fast for you, then practice without it until you can build up the speed to play with the song. All the blues forms are played swing.

Full Chords Blues

E Blues Chord Chart #2

E Blues Chord Chart #2

Above are the full chords of E, A and a bigger version of our original B power chord. These chords are used to replace the guitar rhythms that we were using for the previous exercises. In this blues form, we use full chords strumming down only on the beats as shown on the examples below.

E Blues Chord Form #1

E Blues Chord Form #1

E Blues Chord Form #1A

E Blues Chord Form #1A

E Blues Chord Form #1B

E Blues Chord Form #1B

Below are the chords for the E Blues Chord Form #2. It's the same thing as with E Blues Chord Form #1, but this time you will play every eight note with a down, then up stroke.

E Blues Chord Form #2

E Blues Chord Form #2

E Blues Chord Form #2A

E Blues Chord Form #2A

E Blues Chord Form #2B

E Blues Chord Form #2B

Finally here is the last exercise of this lesson. It is a bit harder than the other ones. You have to play the same chord progression as the E Blues Chord Form #2, but you only play the upbeats and the first beat of every measure.

E Blues Chord Form #3

E Blues Chord Form #3

E Blues Chord Form #3A

E Blues Chord Form #3A

E Blues Chord Form #3B

E Blues Chord Form #3B

To finish this lesson, here are 2 forms of a blues in E without the guitar, so that you can practice the different variations of the blues that you learned in this lesson.

We hope you enjoyed this lesson, if you have comments or suggestion please don't hesitate to contact patrice@paliatsky.com. Otherwise, you can help us create more lessons by donating at the top of this page. Thank you!

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