12-bar blues in A: the form with a boogie shuffle
The whole 12-bar blues form with the boogie shuffle: A for four bars with a quick change to D in the second, D for two, A for two, then E, D, A and a stop on E7. Twelve bars of three chords is the form of most blues and a lot of rock and roll, and knowing where you are in it without counting is what lets you play with other musicians and solo over it.
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
- 12 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4, swung
- Level
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Feel the form in blocks of four bars: the first on A, the second starting on D, the third starting on E.
Twelve bars of boogie in three lines of four. The first line is A, D, A, A: the quick change to D in bar 2. The second is D, D, A, A. The third is E, D, A and a last bar that plays half a bar of E and stops on an E7, the turnaround that sends the form back to the start.
Each bar uses the same shape: an open string with the next string up at the 2nd, 4th and 5th frets, two eighths each, swung. Only the open string changes: A, then D, then the low E.
Once you know the shape, look away from the tab and follow the form by ear: the change to D in bar 5 and the E in bar 9 are the moments everyone in a blues band listens for.
Mistakes to watch for
- Losing count in the A bars and changing to D or E a bar early or late.
- Moving the shape to the wrong string on the change: D is on the D and G strings, E on the low E and A.
- Straightening the swing when concentrating on the changes.
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 9 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 12-bar blues 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 the 12-bar blues?
A chord progression of twelve bars using the I, IV and V chords of a key, here A, D and E. It's the form of most blues and much early rock and roll, and players can jam on it together because everyone knows where the changes fall.
What is a quick change?
Going to the IV chord in the second bar and back to the I in the third, instead of staying on the I for four bars. Many blues songs use it; listen for it and you'll hear it everywhere.
How do I play the 12-bar blues in other keys?
Move the boogie shape: the I, IV and V chords keep the same distance. In E, play the shape on the open E, A and B (B at the A string's 2nd fret, with the frets above moved up two).
More rock and blues exercises
All 24 rock and blues exercises · Scales on the neck · Fretboard notes trainer · All 107 exercises