The Ultimate Blues Primer Workbook By Andrew Koblick
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. History 3. 12 Bar Blues Progression 4. Bass Lines 5. Blues Scale 6. Bends, Vibrato 7. Riffs 8. Jerry Cortez Solo 9. Jerry Cortez on Vibrato and Bends 10. Tips to Solo on A Blues 11. Tips to Solo on E Blues 12. Additional Riffs 13. Other Blues Progressions 14. Other Resources
1. Introduction In this workbook I will explain the basic concepts found on The Ultimate Blues Primer DVD. I will also present further information which is not included on the DVD. The blues is one of te most common forms of music played by guitar players. Rock, Country and Jazz have their roots in the Blues. A firm understanding of the blues will lead to many years of enjoyment. By the end of this workbook you should be able to play a good solo Over the 12 bar blues progression.
2. History The beginning of the blues can generally be set at the time of the American Slaves around the early 1800s. The term the blues is credited to Washington Irving around 1860. The term feeling blue to describe a depressed feeling can be traced back to European culture much earlier. The slaves would sing as they worked which was a moaning sound known as the field holler. The blending of the music and songs brought from Africa with European music Is what gave rise to what we now call the blues. It is mostly agreed by historians that the blues form was introduced to mainstream America by W.C. Handy s Memphis Blues. The first recordings were instrumental and it is believed the first vocal was recorded by Mamie Smith 'Crazy Blues' in 1920. The blues first reached white America when the soldiers returned from World War One. Not from Europeans of course but from the Southern whites who had been exposed to the blues. The Blues migrated north during the 1930s to places like Chicago and Detroit. Blues was also being played in the big band era of the 1940s. The bib band blues were very civilized blues but at the same time bluesman such as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James among others, played what was basically Mississippi Delta blues, a rawer version backed by bass, drums, piano and occasionally harmonica. Their songs were getting national attention. B.B. King in Memphis and T-Bone Walker in Houston and were pioneering a style of guitar playing that combined jazz technique with the blues tonality and repertoire. In the early 1960s young white guitar players such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page began taking the blues to young white audiences. Bands like Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Cream all played blues based rock. The blues has continued to flourish and many of the old masters like John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Albert Collins, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy have become quite famous and enjoy a wide listening audience today.
It is important when playing the blues to know and feel the history of the blues. The suffering the early blues player endured bringing this music to what is now widely accepted. I encourage you to explore the early roots of the blues. I am sure you will gain a better understanding of all the types of modern music being played today.
3. 12 Bar Blues Progression The 12 Bar blues progression is the basis for most blues songs. The blues originally was a call and response between the singer and the guitar. Here is a basic blues song: My baby left me, I don t know why My baby left me, I don t know why Her leavin hurts me so I want to sit right here and cry So now let s add some guitar [ ]: My baby left me, [da do da do] I don t know why [da do da do] My baby left me, [da do da do] I don t know why [da do da do] Her leavin hurts me so [do do] I want to sit right here and cry [do da da do] The song is based on a set of chords. In theory the chords are known as the 1 4 and the 5 chords. (often displayed in Greek numerology (I, IV, V) What does that mean? Simply put the 1 (I) chord is the beginning chord. So in the example we use the key of A The 1 chord = A now we count to the 4 chord. A=1 B=2 C=3 D=4 So the 4 chord in this case is D Count up one more and the 5 chord is E.
The musical alphabet is A to G Here are the 1, 4 and 5 chords for other basic Keys: C - C=1 F=4 G=5 D - D=1 G=4 A=5 E - E=1 A=4 B=5 F - F=1 Bflat=4 C=5 G - G=1 C=4 D=5 A - A=1 D=4 E=5 Generally these are the keys guitar player play in for Rock and Blues. Jazz players like keys like B Flat, E Flat, F and A flat Now that we understand the concept of the 1 4 and 5 chords lets see how they are arranged to make the blues song/progression. In theory the most basic form of the 12 Bar Blues breaks down like this: My baby left me, I don t know why My baby left me, I don t know why Her leavin hurts me so I want to sit right here and cry 4 beat each: 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 My baby left me, I don t know why 4 / 4 / 1 / 1 My baby left me, I don t know why 5 / 5 / 1 / 1 Her leavin hurts me so I want to sit right here and cry
For the A Blues the Chords used are: Open Chords: A Chord D Chord E Chord Now that we have the basic 12 bars blues down. We can change a couple of things That make it more real world 12 Bar Blues. Namely we are going to change the last 4 bars. The Last 4 bars in the example above are 5 / 5 / 1 / 1 Now we are going to change this to: 5 / 4 / 1 / 5 First let me say the first example is used often but the new example is the most popular,
The change gives us a couple of things. When we move from the 5 chord to the 4 ( 5 movement back to the 1 chord. / 4 ) chord we get a sense of When we change the final chord back to the 5 (previously the 1) we get what is called a turn around. The turn around signals that the 12 bar pattern is starting over.
Now let s jazz up the progression by adding 7 th Chords. What are 7 th chords? 7 th Chords are just like major chords but one more note is added that make the chord sound more bluesy. You can get a better understanding of scales and chords from The Ultimate Fretboard Guide DVD. http://www.guitar5day.com/tufg.html Here are the Open 7 th Chords we will be using: A7 D7 E7 Again we use the same chord pattern but we substitute the Bar Chord forms.
BAR CHORDS: Now we can play the same progression up the neck but we will use Bar chords. We can play all three chords using 2 Chord Forms: A 7 Bar Chord D Bar Chord (5 th Fret) E Bar Chord ( 7 th Fret)
4. Bass Lines We take a look at three bass lines used in the blues. These bass lines are played by the guitar to give a punchy rhythm and lay down the beat to the song.. The first Bass line comes from the major scale. The pattern for the major scales looks like this: This is the A major scale using the E form. For more information On chord and scale forms go to: http://www.guitar5day.com/tufg.html Now we are going to take the first, third, fifth and sixth notes for our bass line: Here is the bass line in Tab Play over the a Chord Bars 1,2,3,4,7,8,11 (A chord) A A C# C# E E F# F# Note 2 2 1 1 4 4 1 1 Finger B ----------------------------- G ----------------------------- D --------------------4--4----- A --------4--4--7--7----------- E --5--5-----------------------
Now here is the bass line in D. We will play this over the D chord: Here is the Tab. Play over bars 5,6,10 (D Chord) D D F# F# A A B B Note 2 2 1 1 4 4 1 1 Finger B ----------------------------- G --------------------4--4----- D --------4--4--7--7----------- A --5--5----------------------- Now here is the bass line in E. We will play this over the E chord: We simply slide the pattern up two frets. Here is the Tab: Play over bars 9 and 12 (E chord) E E G# G# B B C# C# Note 2 2 1 1 4 4 1 1 Finger B ----------------------------- G --------------------6--6----- D --------6--6--9--9----------- A --7--7-----------------------
Here is a variation on the base-line: The only difference is that the last notes is changed and moved up a fret to the Flat 7. Here are the tabs: Here is the bass line in Tab Play over the a Chord Bars 1,2,3,4,7,8,11 (A chord) A A C# C# E E F# G Note 2 2 1 1 4 4 1 2 Finger B ----------------------------- G ----------------------------- D --------------------4--5----- A --------4--4--7--7----------- E --5--5----------------------- Here is the Tab. Play over bars 5,6,10 (D Chord) D D F# F# A A B C Note 2 2 1 1 4 4 1 2 Finger B ----------------------------- G --------------------4--5----- D --------4--4--7--7----------- A --5--5----------------------- Play over bars 9 and 12 (E chord) E E G# G# B B C# D Note 2 2 1 1 4 4 1 2 Finger B ----------------------------- G --------------------6--7----- D --------6--6--9--9----------- A --7--7----------------------- Bass Lines (Cont. next page).
Bass Lines (cont.) Here is a bass line that is used over minor and major chords: Here is the basic pattern which will move from Chord to chord: Here are the Tabs for each Chord Position: Note: The 3 rd and 4 th notes played are an octave higher. A Chord - Bars 1,2,3,4,7,8,11 A A A A G G E E 1 1 3 3 1 1 3 3 B ----------------------------- G ----------------------------- D --------7--7--5--5----------- A --------------------7--7----- E --5--5----------------------- D Chord Bars 5,6,10 D D D D C C A A 1 1 3 3 1 1 3 3 B ----------------------------- G --------7--7--5--5----------- D --------------------7--7----- A --5--5----------------------- E Chord Bars 9, 12 E E E E D D B B 1 1 3 3 1 1 3 3 B ----------------------------- G --------9--9--7--7----------- D --------------------9--9----- A --7--7-----------------------
Bass Lines (cont.) There are hundreds of Bass Lines that are variations of The ones shown. Here is one more: Here is the basic Pattern: Here are the tabs: A minor Chord A A A C E 1 1 1 4 3 E -------------------- B -------------------- G -------------------- D -------------------- A --------------7----- E --5--5--5--8-------- D minor Chord D D D F A 1 1 1 4 3 E -------------------- B -------------------- G -------------------- D --------------7----- A --5--5--5--8-------- E -------------------- E minor E E E G B 1 1 1 4 3 E --------------------- B --------------------- G --------------------- D ---------------9----- A --7--7--7--10-------- E ---------------------
5. Blues Scale Above is a diagram of the Fully Loaded Blues scale. What I mean is that I have included all notes that are considered part of The blues scale. The blues scales is really trying to copy the human voice. I would then say that the blues scale would include all notes and As your playing develops you will finds ways to incorporate all 12 notes in your playing. However we are trying to build a framework for your soloing. Much like building a house the foundation must be laid properly and then the framing. The Blues scale does not have its root in classical European music theory. However to explain the blues scale I am left with only the classical theory of 12 notes as I don t know Middle Eastern or Far Eastern scale theory which use many notes. Our discussion starts by comparing the minor scale to the major scale and then squeezing out the blues scale from the minor scale.
The Minor scale is different from the major scale because the 3 rd 6 th and 7 th are flatted. What this means is that the tones are 1 fret Lower. Where the major scale is laid out: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 From 1 to 2 there is a whole step or 2 frets From 2 to 3 there is a whole step or 2 frets From 3 to 4 there is a half step or 1 fret From 4 to 5 there is a whole step or 2 frets From 5 to 6 there is a whole step or 2 frets From 6 to 7 there is a whole step or 2 frets From 7 to 8 there is a half step or 1 fret The Minor scale is laid out: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 From 1 to 2 there is a whole step or 2 frets From 2 to 3 there is a half step or 1 fret From 3 to 4 there is a whole step or 2 frets From 4 to 5 there is a whole step or 2 frets From 5 to 6 there is a half step or 1 fret From 6 to 7 there is a whole step or 2 frets From 7 to 8 there is a whole step or 2 frets The major (top) and minor (middle) and blues (bottom) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 3 3 4 5b 5 7 8 note 5b = Flat 5 We should note here the Minor scale is really a mode derived from the Major scale. The Minor scale is created by Taking the scale from the 6 th note to the 6 th note Major 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2 3 4 5 6 78 Minor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Here we see a Minor scale form for A minor starting on the 5 th fret. 1 st finger plays notes on the 5 th fret 2 nd finger plays notes on the 6 th fret 3 rd finger plays notes on the 7 th fret 4 th finger plays notes on the 8 th fret We shift this fingering down 1 fret on the G string. The Blues scale is derived from the Minor scale. First let s look at the minor pentatonic. The minor pentatonic scale has only 5 notes. The basic form is very easy to remember. The fingering is: Low E string: 1 st finger - 4 th Finger Strings A though G: 1 st and 3 rd Finger B and E string 1 st finger - 4 th Finger Now we can add some Blues Notes We add the Major 3 rd And the Flat 5. In actuality you can use any note When playing the blues. A Blues Tab ---------------5----- B --------------------------------------5--8-------- G --------------------------5--6--7--8-------------- D --------------------5--7-------------------------- A --------4--5--6--7-------------------------------- E --5--8--------------------------------------------
6. Vibrato and Bends Vibrato: A tremulous or pulsating effect produced in an instrumental or vocal tone by minute and rapid variations in pitch. For guitar vibrato there are 3 different styles. 1. Classical: This vibrato is horizontal. Move your arm side to side while You keep your finger on the note. 2. Wrist Vibrato: This vibrato is caused by rotating the wrist and arm causing the string to move up and/or down from the note played. 3. Forearm vibrato: This vibrato is also know as hanging vibrato as the hand does not touch the neck of the guitar rather the finger hang onto the strings while the forearm moves up and down. Vibrato gives notes warmth and personality. You should practice the different styles of vibrato so you feel comfortable with each style so you are not limited to the one that feels best. Bends: Moving the pitch of a note by bending the strings. Bending the string will give you different tones. Generally you will bend from One note up to another. You can also start with the string bent to the high note and Lower (unbend) the string to a lower note. Bends can be performed on all the strings but are more common on the G, B and E strings. There are different ways to bend the string. Use your third finger and second finger and push the string up by turning your Wrist. On the heavier strings E and A you can pull down on the strings. The purpose of bending a string is to move the note up to the next Note. I like to think I am simulating the human cry.
7. Riffs and Licks Riffs (AKA Licks) are short 2 to 10 note melodies which are memorized and then inserted into solos. Here are a few tabbed out: This first riff is very simple Use your first finger to hold down the two notes. Riff in A E -----5----- B -----5----- G ----------- D ----------- A ----------- E ----------- Same Riff in the key of C E -----8----- B -----8----- G ----------- D ----------- A ----------- E ----------- This riff uses a hammer on (h): Key of A 1 4 1 finger E -------5----- B --5h8-------- G ------------- D ------------- A ------------- E ------------- Same Riff in the key of G 1 4 1 finger E -------3----- B --3h6-------- G ------------- D ------------- A ------------- E -------------
More Riffs next Page! A Variation of the last riff: This riff uses a hammer on (h): Key of A 1 3 1 finger E -------5----- B --5h7-------- G ------------- D ------------- A ------------- E ------------- Further variation: This riff uses a hammer on (h): Play the first two notes together 1 3 1 finger E --5----5----- B --5h8-------- G ------------- D ------------- A ------------- E ------------- A Riff using a bend: We will bend the D ( g string) up to an E (b string) E ------------- B -------5----- G --7b9-------- This line means bending the note D ------------- start on the 7 th fret. You don t actually A ------------- play the 9 th fret but that is the pitch. E ------------- Hold the bent note and play the B (5 th fret)string. The two notes should match. You can strike the G and B string at the same time or in sequence. An easy 12 Bar Solo on next Page!
Basic Solo Key of A: The first 4 Bars of A: E --------5-/-------5-/-------5-/-------5----- B --5--8----/-5--8----/-5--8----/-5--8-------- G ----------/---------/---------/------------- D ----------/---------/---------/------------- A ----------/---------/---------/------------- E ----------/---------/---------/------------- Now when the Chord shifts to D (bars 5 & 6) E ----------10-/---------10----- B --10--13-----/-10--13--------- G -------------/---------------- D -------------/---------------- A -------------/---------------- E -------------/---------------- When the Chord returns to A (Bars 7 & 8) repeat the first Two bars. E --------5-/-------5- B --5--8----/-5--8---- G ----------/--------- D ----------/--------- A ----------/--------- E ----------/--------- Now when the chord moves to the 5 or in this case E (Bar 9) Then to the D (Bar 10) and back to A (Bar 11) and Turn around to E (Bar 12) E ----------12-- ----------10-- --------5-- ----------12----- B --12--15------ --10--13------ --5--8----- --12--15--------- G -------------- -------------- ----------- ----------------- D -------------- -------------- ----------- ----------------- A -------------- -------------- ----------- ----------------- E -------------- -------------- ----------- -----------------
8. Jerry Cortez Solo Jerry Cortez is a great guitar player who tours with the legendary Jesse Colin Young (Youngbloods). He is currently working on solo project and also teaches guitar to private students. You can download the solo here: http://www.guitar5day.com/blues-solo.mp3 Here is his solo Tabbed out: E ---------8- ------------------------------ B --8--10---- -11/13--13--13--13--11/12----- G ----------- ------------------------------ D ----------- ------------------------------ A ----------- ------------------------------ E ----------- ------------------------------ E ---------8---------10--10---------------- B --8--10-----11/13------------13---------- G ----------------------------------12----- D ----------------------------------------- A ----------------------------------------- ------------ E ------11--11------------- B --11----------13--11----- G ------------------------- D ------------------------- A ------------------------- E ------------------------- E ------13--12---11-------- B --10---------------13---- G -----------------------12 D ------------------------- A ------------------------- E ------------------------- E -------------------------8-------- B ------------------8--10-----8----- G --11------10--10------------------ D ------12-------------------------- A ---------------------------------- -----
Jerry Cortez Solo Continued. E --------9-------------------- B --9/11-----11--11--9--10----- G ----------------------------- D ----------------------------- A ----------------------------- E -----------------------13b15----- B --------------------------------- G --10b11--10--8------8------------ D ----------------10--------------- A --------------------------------- ---- E --15--12--13--12--13b15--15--15----- B ------------------------------------ G ------------------------------------ D ------------------------------------ A ------------------------------------ ------- E --15b17--15--13------------ B -----------------16b18----- G --------------------------- D --------------------------- A --------------------------- E --------------------------- ---- B --16--13------------------------- G ----------15--15b17v--17v--17v--- D --------------------------------- A --------------------------------- ---- E ---------8------------ B --8--10-----11/13----- G ---------------------- D ---------------------- A ---------------------- E ----------------------
9. Jerry Cortez on Vibrato and Bends Jerry shows how he gets his excellent Vibrato: Jerry demonstrates how he uses first finger for vibrato. He pulls the string downward and then back to the original position. Jerry demonstrates how the vibrato can be very fast or slow. Jerry also shows how he gets such great bends. Jerry also show how he slides into a note. He generally doesn t move his Whole hand and leaves his thumb in the same place.
10. Tips to Solo on A Blues The key of A 12 bar blues uses the bass line we previously discussed on page 15: A A A A G G E E 1 1 3 3 1 1 3 3 B ----------------------------- G ----------------------------- D --------7--7--5--5----------- A --------------------7--7----- E --5--5----------------------- This pattern follows the 12 bars as previously discussed. The chord progression is the same 12 bar progression we have studied throughout the book and DVD. Here are a few riffs
11. Tips to Solo on E Blues The E Blues follows this progression: The basic Riff to this song go like this: E E E E E G E 1 1 1 1 1 3 Open B ----------------------------- G ----------------------------- D ----2--2--2--2----2---------- A ----------------------------- E ----------------------3---0-- You can modify the riff but concentrate on keeping the rhythm.
A good place to start working on a solo against this backing track is the E Blues scale at the 12th Fret. The contrast of the higher notes against the Lower Open E feeling. Riffs like this work well: B D E D E D E 1 4 1 4 4 4 4 E -------------12----------------- B ----12-h15------15b-17---15b-17- G -------------------------------- D -------------------------------- A -------------------------------- --- This riff your are hammering on and then bending twice. Start with this basic riff and work with it and make changes. A great way to perfect riffs is play them about 20 times in a row.
12. Additional Riffs To be emailed later.
13. Other Blues Progressions
Write Your Own Lyrics:
Write Your Own Lyrics:
14. Other Resources I hope you have enjoyed and continue to work with the UltimateBlues Primer DVD and workbook. Remember to practice slowly and try not to make any mistakes. If you are making mistakes play slower. If you haven t already joined the over 11,000 Guitar players like yourself who are using the Amazing Guitar DVD and Ultimate Fretboard DVD you can pick them up here: http://www.guitar5day.com/recent-report.html Try to practice on 3 consecutive days. Each day will build on the previous. If you don t have time do the entire routine. Make sure you at least Do the first three stretching exercises. At times you will just want to play and not practice. Remember stretching out will Make playing much better as you will warm up much faster. I wish you many years of enjoyment with your guitar! Andrew Koblick
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