Boogie shuffle in A: the blues rhythm every guitarist learns
The boogie: the open A string under a fifth, a sixth and a flat seventh on the D string, two of each in a swung rhythm, then the same shape on D and on E. It's the rhythm part behind a huge share of blues and early rock and roll, and it's where the shuffle feel lives: a long and a short eighth, never straight. The last bar stops on an E7, which leads back to A.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 120 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 120 bpm
- Starts at
- 72 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4, swung
- Level
- Beginner
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Leave the first finger on the 2nd fret and reach the 4th and 5th with the third and little fingers; the palm mute stays light.
Each bar is the same shape on a different open string. On A, the open A string is played with the D string at the 2nd fret twice, then at the 4th twice, the 5th twice and the 4th twice, two strings at a time in eighths. Bar 2 moves the shape to the open D and the G string, bar 3 is A again, and bar 4 plays half a bar on the low E before an E7 chord on beat 3.
The eighths are swung, as the drums play them: each pair is a long note and a short one, like the first and last notes of a triplet. Don't play them straight and let the beat swing around you; listen to the hi-hat and match it.
Rest the edge of the picking hand lightly on the strings by the bridge, enough to keep the boogie tight but not so much that the notes thud. Downstrokes for every eighth give it its push; alternate picking is fine once it's faster.
Mistakes to watch for
- Playing the eighths straight, so the guitar sounds stiff against the swinging drums.
- Lifting the first finger off the 2nd fret when the little finger reaches for the 5th: the root and fifth should ring under every note.
- Hitting the strings above the two being played; the fretting hand's spare fingers should rest on them.
- Rushing the E7 on beat 3 of the last bar instead of letting the rest before the loop sit.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 72
- 78
- 84
- 90
- 96
- 102
- 108
- 114
- 120
That's 16 loops and about 3 minutes before you're playing at 120 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play Boogie shuffle in A?
The goal is 120 bpm in eighth notes, which is 4 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 72 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
What is a boogie shuffle?
A rhythm guitar part that plays a chord's root on an open string under a moving fifth, sixth and flat seventh, in a swung rhythm. It comes from boogie-woogie piano's left hand and is the rhythm part of countless blues, rock and roll and blues rock songs.
Should I use downstrokes or alternate picking?
Downstrokes give the boogie its weight and are worth learning first. At faster tempos many players alternate, keeping the downstroke on the long note of each swung pair. Both are right; what matters is that the swing is even.
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