No frills 12 Bar Blues

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This is a group for those of us who like to play blues on the banjo.

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Administrators: Marc Nerenberg (owner)

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From Mary Schons on 3/30/2015 12:21:22 PM

Pretty bare bones but works nice in a blues jam if you know the key. Here's a simple 12 bar blues in the Nashville Numbering System:

I IV I I

IV IV I I

V7 IV I V7

If you were playing in the key of E, for example (hooray for longnecks), the 12 bar blues would look like this:

E A E E

A A E E

B7 A E B7

C blues would look like this:

C F C C

F F C C

G7 F C G7

The V7 can be played as a V, if you want, so that would change the B7 and G7 to B and G. Works either way.

3 Comments
pgarner says: 3/31/2015 11:30:17 AM Nice.
	Bob Kemper says: 9/3/2015 5:31:17 PM Please post more. Blues wasn't always a 12 gar. There are 8, 12, and sixteen bar. Even an ocassional 11 bar. I ready want to explore more blues on banjo.
	garytone says: 1/11/2016 7:18:32 PM Some of the memorable blues tunes have slightly irregular structures, similar to what Bob Kemper noted above. While difficult at first to get the feel of, these can create compelling and gripping music. Also, I really like it when, in the turn-around of a tune like Mary Schons outlined, it does this (for example in key of E), last line would be: B7 A E C7B7 - mess around with the accents on these changes - feels GOOD
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