Anthony_N_Ky - Posted - 04/01/2018:  06:20:26

I have different instructional material that has tab for the 12 bar blues , I never did understand the purpose of them though. Where do they come in to playing, what's the purpose of them? Thanks

mikebanjo - Posted - 04/01/2018:  08:08:29

Many blues tunes and the beginnings of jazz is based on the 12 bar blues format. Perhaps that instructional material you have is meant to get you started in that format. Once you understand the format, you can improvise as you see fit, and you don't need to follow that tab instructional material. I am guessing here, because I do not know what that instructional material in tab looks like. Perhaps it is a particular blues song?

Rick McKeon - Posted - 04/01/2018:  09:07:48

Once you recognize the 12-bar form you will be amazed how many songs actually are 12-bar blues (both slow and fast). On my Cigar Box Guitar page here rickmckeon.com/cbglessons.html I have some lessons on the 12-bar blues. Even though they are in the key of E and not banjo you can jam along.

Rick

Mooooo - Posted - 04/01/2018:  09:26:29

Which version of the 12-bar blues are you playing? There's the basic:
4 measures of the I chord followed by
2 measures of the IV chord, then
2 measures of the I chord again, and
2 measures of the V chord, ending with
2 measures of the I chord again

Then you have the12-bar Bat-Blues (theme to Batman) which is:
I I I I
IV IV I I
V IV I I

There's a cool one that uses the 7th chord a lot which is pretty cool:
I IV I I7
IV IV7 I I7
V IV I V7

...and many more.

R Buck - Posted - 04/01/2018:  09:49:03

It is also the form often used in early rock and roll.

Anthony_N_Ky - Posted - 04/01/2018:  10:06:41

Will learning the 12 bar blues help find melody notes while making up your own arrangements or is it meant to help you find note location of the chord your playing ? I mean whats the 12 bar blues intended for?

Mooooo - Posted - 04/01/2018:  10:26:52

It won't necessarily help you find the melody, it's just how the chords go. But it's a very common progression and variations of a progression. Used for backup. You have to learn to improvise the melody although melody notes are going to be in and nearby the chords.

Edited by - Mooooo on 04/01/2018 10:29:00

Tractor1 - Posted - 04/01/2018:  11:21:20

This is my way of seeing it in the rear view mirror.I am not a pro nor claim to say I am correct

Bluegrass has quiet a few derivatives from the blues idiom.Foggy Mt.special being likely to be the most mentioned.The standards Goin Down the Road feeling bad and siitin on Top of the world fit either genre,

A far as the 12 bar form bluegrass seems to not do the turnarounds .But all the same the moods set by chokes ,flatted thirds ,sevenths etc,cross over,

That being said the blues is a fun type of music that showed up about 1915 and has been marketed in many forms from one chord songs to very complicated orchestral stuff.

The twelve bar form is a much used form, probably the most used.It is user friendly for jams.One of my favorite local bands years ago played all the grass instrument and would play some really nice stanley brothers vibes,then throw down on a Muddy Waters slow shuffle and tear it up on bluegrass instruments

Edited by - Tractor1 on 04/01/2018 11:23:31

guitarsophist - Posted - 04/01/2018:  14:15:15

The same basic 12 bar progression and variations are used in about 9 million songs. You can play it forever and noodle against it in minor pentatonic scales just as long. When guitar players get together to jam, the first thing they do might be a 12 bar blues, just to see how they can work together. It's the song that never ends.

Old Hickory - Posted - 04/05/2018:  21:24:21

Reasons to practice and learn 12-bar blues:

• To learn the sound of chord changes I to IV, I to V, IV to V, IV to I, V to I and V to IV to I. 


• To learn to hear, recognize and anticipate when a chord change is coming up, and what that next chord may be.


• To recognize the modular nature of blues, folk, rock and bluegrass and to learn musical pieces that you can use in many other places, nearly every other song you may ever play -- in other words, to learn to improvise.


• To gain the ability to figure out the chords to songs.