Description
Most of us will end up playing our guitars with other musicians at some point, either with another guitar player, bass player, or with a full band. One of the most common things that ends up happening in that scenario is to play a 12 bar blues (usually in they key of E or A). The problem with playing rhythm on guitar is that it’s easy to fall into a rut and not know how you can play something that makes the song more interesting. This lesson was created to show you a different way to approach a 12 bar rhythm – something you can do on an acoustic or an electric guitar. This rhythm sounds good on it’s own as well!
Acoustic Rhythm Guitar Lesson
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capwheel says
Since I’m playing a tenor, tuned dgbe, should I transpose the 1st and 2nd string TABs to, maybe, my d string, or would Chet not approve? Any suggestions?
Thank you,
Bruce
kulakai says
JUST GOT IBANEZ TENOR TUNED C G D A , KNOW WHERE i CAN GET A CHORD BOOK? MAHALO, kulakai
Jeffrey W says
Are you still playing Tenor Guitar DGBE? I have too. I have transposed as you suggest. You are basically playing a steel-string baritone ukulele. You might Goole, “The Bad-Ass Baritone Ukulele” for a variety of payers using that tuning.
capwheel says
“Happy new haircut.”?????
grrrr71 says
happy new haircut
Porkus Helveticus says
Hi Brian,
Just loving this, feels great once it gets up to tempo and quite addictive. I do have a problem though. I am finding it a bit difficult to play lead over. Sounds almost as though it becomes too much with any lead notes over it. Maybe I just can’t het my lead fit the rythm. What would help me greatly is if you could add a bit of lead over it at the end of the lesson as a demo. Thanks so much for your wonderful approach to teaching.
Grouch says
Hi Brian
Nice picking Sir and a pleasure to learn from you.
Grouch x
demmykro says
We do love that new doo… Nice lesson and beautiful sounding even on my Les Paul Standard
bstrum says
What happened to the $5.00 membership I purchased?
Brian says
Bill, you didn’t lose anything. This explains it best.. http://www.activemelody.com/faq#question-4
bstrum says
Thanks Brian,
I checked it out and yes indeed I can see all the past lessons.
The23rdman says
Another great lesson, Brian. Really enjoyed that one.
thetendertutor@sbcglobal.net says
Hey Brian,
Do you know if I can order the
Alvarez AP66 left handed ?
Thanks, Jill
and thank you for all the great
lessons.
Brian says
Not sure if they make the AP66 for left-handed players. You’ll have to reach out to Alvarez directly for that one.
MarkSD says
It’s a lot easier for me with a pick
MarkSD says
actually hybrid picking
IIMaesTro says
Its great blues in A. Thank you Brian for another good lesson.
alvin sears says
Thanks Brian.
Awesome!!
NoeOlivr says
Thank you!
Mike_k_Houghton says
Hi Brian,
This is really nice but I’m *really* having problems with the E part of it. If you have time please could you do an easier finish then I can finish the whole 12 bars and then work up to the last part?
Thanks
Mike
crashcup says
So this if a fine rhythm pattern, and I especially appreciate that it is geared toward fingerstyle. Thank you!
I have tried to transpose this into “E” and it doesn’t work as well. Do you have any plans to publish fingerstyle rhythm accompaniment patterns in other keys? Please?
Cheers,
Bill
ochomarvo says
Eric, is that you ?
TonyS3 says
Hi Brian, love the Vibe on this one, but it seems to fit 24 rather than12 bars. I’ve come across 8 and 16 bar blues but 24, only as 2 choruses of 12. Are there other examples of this or am I getting it wrong?
Cheers,
Tony
Raincoast says
Hi Brian, great lesson! Could you comment on the composition of very last bar up at the 7 and 9th fret. Is it meant to be predominantly a D chord? It’s seems like sort of a Em / D going on.
Brian says
@Raincoast - that little riff you hear on the 7th / 9th frets are just some notes from the D major pentatonic scale (since the chord at that point is a D chord)
Raincoast says
Thanks! OK that makes sense
DKB says
This is a springboard; wow I can add so much into, or take parts and place them elsewhere in the jigsaw puzzle of my own lil “Bag of tricks. Are you a musical mastermind, or do all these tunes come to you by magic? Anyway thanks. WELL WORTH THE $59.00. Everybody buy this class. Heck I sit around at night just jammen with Brians lessons
sunburst says
well done, love the turn around,, so many ways to improvise off this 12 bar tune! I hear the Eric Clapton in this one!
chris D says
Brian, you got some soul dude! It just seemed you were quietly grooving on this piece especially at the chord change. As I said, you really are one of the best, perhaps the best of all the online teachers that I’ve seen and a fabulous guitarist. Cheers!
Yudistira S says
hi Brian, i have trouble donwloading this old episode tablature.. would you mind reupload it
jboy says
This lesson is gold….5 year old lesson …..especially
the turn around
…when I first started with Brian..learning this would have been out of the question…..but now its within reach…wow and thanks Brian
..you are simply the best
Martin says
Very cool…. looks so simple but for a beginner I am banging my head against the wall!! lol…….. one of these days I will catch on
Jeffrey W says
I am still fairly new to this site and I have always played with my fingers. I have struggled with the rhythm aspect of the arrangements. I backed off on this one and just got the sequence of notes under my fingers. The next step was putting in rhythm for the first 1, then 2, then 3 measures. I will need to get my metronome going to continue growing with your lessons. I was also wondering about the xxx77x, xxx98x, xx77xx, xx99xx. I see the double 77 and 99 are part of the D major pentatonic. I found that the xxx98x has the G=8 of the D major scale employed. I dug back far into the archives for this one and can see how your teaching style / comfort / level of detail has grown from these early lessons. Good job Brian. Thank you so much for putting so much creativity into your arrangements and teaching.
Jeffrey W says
Brian:
Would it be possible to upload this arrangement on SoundSlice and attach to this lesson EP027 page? (So that us newbies can play this a measure at a time.)