More
- 12 Bar BluesLEVEL 3Learn how to play 12 bar blues!
- 12 Bar Blues SoloingLEVEL 4How to count and solo over a 12 bar blues progression.
- Intro to 12 Bar BluesLEVEL 2This lesson is designed for the aspiring blues guitarist looking for that first step to learning the blues. In the lesson, I'll cover the chords, rhythm and techniques needed to pull off a great 12 bar blues tune.
- Two Fingers 12 Bar BluesLEVEL 2Blues rhythm VI - II - V - I - in the key of A7. For beginner acoustic players.
- Blues Harmony - Developing the 12 Bar FrameLEVEL 3By developing the standard I IV V 12 bar blues progression we can get some very interesting results that can help us in every day songwriting - check it out! :)
- Expanding 12 Bar BluesLEVEL 2Once you have the basic 12 Bar Blues Pattern down, it's time to spice things up a bit. This lesson adds a short call and response lick and introduces the turnaround using the 12 Bar Rhythm in E.
- 8 Bar BluesLEVEL 4Let's take a look at the lesser known 8 bar blues!
- Strumming & RhythmLEVEL 1A basic strumming pattern in a ballad style to improve your strumming, hand rhythm, and feel
- One Bar FillsLEVEL 5Sequence of short and highly useful licks using the same chord progression.
Feedback
Jerry Arcidiacono4th November 2008It's great to hear this from you Pavlov. Enjoy your progress and have fun
Pavlov4th November 2008After going through the beginner stuff and feeling like I'm ready for this, a friend recommended me to learn the '12 bar blues' for practice as it was supposed to be a part of my absolute basics. Lo and behold, did a search and here I am! Looks fantastic. Slowly going through it, but slow and steady wins the race! Thanks for the great lesson!
- Jerry Arcidiacono29th October 2008
Thank you Jarl
J.E.29th October 2008It sounds awesome! a bit saloon feel to it
- Jerry Arcidiacono20th March 2008
Thank you guys
Danilo Capezzuto20th March 2008Nice blues!
Carlos Carrillo19th March 2008good job Jerry!!!!
great lesson!!!
thanks
black and white20th February 2008Thank you Jerry, i appreciate your answer and love this lesson......
- Jerry Arcidiacono20th February 2008
Hi black and white,
You're right. Like you said, there is a veeeery short difference. Anyway, to play a chord with a pick - also for simple power chords - one direction involves more strings.
If you use the fingerpicking technique you can play two or more strings at the same time. - black and white30th January 2008
Hello everyone, let me start by saying that this is really a fantatsic site. As I new person, I am truly impressed by the wealth of information and even more, the terrific attitudes by the people who make this site work.......very nice.
I am a new player and I have been working on my alternate picking technique. I have a question and will use the first two picks from this lesson to pose my question. Here you play the same open E, second fret A twice. With an up down picking pattern, that would mean on the downstroke you play the E string first and than the second fretted A string.
On the way back up, you play would be playing the A string first , second fretted, and then the open E second......does that matter?
I do understand that the strings are played together, but in this case there would be a millisecond difference in which string is played first.......
I hope my question is clear. Being new to this, it is a little hard to phrase this correctly.....sorry if I used the wrong terms or anything like that.
Again, very impressive site and the instructors seem to have excellent and helpful attitudes..........
- Jerry Arcidiacono11th January 2008
Thank you Sam for your kind words.
You can also use the lesson planner on the mainpage or follow the link for beginner lessons
http://www2.guitarmasterclass.net/beginner...eo-lessons1.htm
See you! 
sam4711th January 2008Hi Jerry and Thanks!
As I've looked at other lessons and videos that I have MOST players play with their hand swinging loose. So. I'm going to work that into my practicing and playing.It does give me a better sense of the rythm.
I started playing ,just me and the guitar and no real idea of right and wrong and no one to tell me different.So, bad habits ,I got them. But not so ingrained that they can't be broken quickly. ( I hope!)
And again, your exercises are right on. Also I found Kris Dahl's lesson on HOW to practice. Didn't know that either. I've learned more in a month here than in a year on my own!
This is a great site. Your a great instructor. I'm glad to be a part of it.- Jerry Arcidiacono9th January 2008
Hi Sam!
I don't use the anchor technique often. You need to find what it's more comfortable for you. For this lesson I think you don't need the anchoring.
Anyway, try to keep your wrist near the bridge like the palm-muting technique.
Also, I think it can be useful some exercise like this:
e|-------------------------|
b|--------------------0-0--|
g|-------------0-0---------|
d|-----0-0---------0-0-----|
a|---------0-0-------------|
e|-0-0---------------------|
to improve your alternate picking technique.
And, of course, have fun when you're playing
- sam479th January 2008
Hey Jerry. I've slowed it down and have made progress.Also ,like you said ,even breaking it down into shorter parts at a time. I do have a habit of anchoring my right hand on the body of the guitar with my pinky and ring fingers. When I try to play as you with my right hand "free" I have a hard time judging where the string I want to play is. Usually stricking the wrong one. Is this just another thing that will come with practice?Is this a bad habit I need to break?
- sam475th January 2008
Hey Jerry. I'm in a really bad way. Not just with my playing. I really appriciate all the support I've gotten here. I'm really trying. I feel like an idiot asking for help. And to write it on the internet for al to see.I know you and everyone here is sincere in helping us learn to play and that is what I came here for but damn if I got more problems than that. Sorry I'm just ,I don't know what. Thanks for taking the time and interest. It means alot. I won't quit on you.
- Jerry Arcidiacono2nd January 2008
Hi Sam,
let me know what's up!!
- sam4730th December 2007
If you knew how many times I've paused this lesson an analyzed every strum and every note and still play as slowly and as awkwardly as I do I'd have driven you crazy. Cause I'm driving myself crazy keeping at it! I WILL learn it I just hope I don't have to buy another guitar before I do cause sometimes I could just toss this thing against the wall. I do need another set of strings though.
- Jerry Arcidiacono26th December 2007
Thank you guys
- rhcpandy25th December 2007
great lesson! I love this style
thanks - the fredster2nd December 2007
sounds like some bill doggett
nice lesson jerry 
dango28th November 2007what a enjoyable lessson! thank you
Ben N27th November 2007GREAT!!! I love the blues good job!
- Jerry Arcidiacono20th November 2007
Hisham & Unleash-The-Shred: Thank you guys!
jerm138: Thank you very much. I'm glad you wrote your first post here! 
jerm13820th November 2007This is my first lesson (other than the beginner/introduction stuff) here at GMC... and WOW! This is great! I was a bit iffy about buying a membership, but I can already tell that it was money well spent. Great lesson... Thank you!
Unleash-The-Shred17th November 2007Nice lesson!
Hisham Al-Sanea17th November 2007good job jerry
- Jerry Arcidiacono17th November 2007
Thanks to everybody!
Pablo Vazquez17th November 2007Wow, an excellent Rhythm Blues!!! Good Work!
Juan M. Valero16th November 2007Yeah, goob blues man
Gabriel Leopardi16th November 2007Wou! It sounds very good! Well done Jerry!
Bedlam16th November 2007This is a really nice lesson. Thanks.
Muris Varajic16th November 2007Nice work Jerry,many will appreciate this one!!
Kristofer Dahl16th November 2007Excellent Jerry - we certainly don't have enough blues rhythm lessons!
- Lesson
- My notes
Hello GMC, in response to a request on the forum, I will show you some rhythms and patterns to play a blues progression.
This lesson is pretty easy to play, so I will glad to get feedback from everyone! You can use the main video as a backing track. This is a standard 12 bar blues. Try to use the E minor blues/pentatonic scale or E Mixolydian scale to improvise.
Time signature: 4/4
Tempo: 120 bpm
Enjoy!
Jump to start: Home or `s` , you can also click/tap the lesson part again (the numbers above player)
Go to next part: PageUP or End.
Volume: ArrowUp / ArrowDown keys
Go to any part: Number keys (combinations also possible)
Pause or play: `k` or space key
Fullscreen: `f`, esc to close
Increase / decrease speed : `+` or `-`
