Blues phrasing over the 12-bar form

The 12-bar blues is the most common form for learning to improvise. Phrasing over it means two things: knowing where you are in the twelve bars, and shaping your phrases to the form. The classic shape is a phrase, a repeat, and an answer.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Count the 12 bars and name the chord of each (A7, D7, E7 in the key of A).
• Land on the root of each chord at the change.
• Play one chorus in the shape phrase, repeat, answer.

The 12-bar blues is a fixed form of twelve bars of 4/4. In the key of A it goes:

• Bars 1 to 4: A7
• Bars 5 and 6: D7
• Bars 7 and 8: A7
• Bar 9: E7, bar 10: D7, bar 11: A7, bar 12: E7 (the turnaround that leads back to the start).

The form is the roadmap. If you know where you are in it, you know what is about to happen, and you can shape your phrases to it.

Phrasing to the form. The classic blues shape is AAB: a phrase in bars 1 to 4, the same phrase again (slightly changed) in bars 5 to 8, and an answer in bars 9 to 12. It follows the shape of a blues lyric, and it works as well for a solo.

Landing on the change. The moment a new chord arrives is the moment to play a note that belongs to it. In bar 5 (D7), land on a D. In bar 9 (E7), land on an E. In bar 1 and bar 11 (A7), land on an A.

Space. Leave gaps. In a slow blues, silence between phrases is where the groove lives.

Blue notes. Bend the ♭3 (C) slightly towards the major third (C♯) for the classic blues curl. Just a small push, never up to C♯.

Chord of each bar:

| A7 | A7 | A7 | A7 |
| D7 | D7 | A7 | A7 |
| E7 | D7 | A7 | E7 |

One chorus, AAB.

1. Bars 1 to 2: play a short phrase from box 1 and finish on A. Rest in bars 3 and 4.
2. Bars 5 to 8: play the same phrase again. At bar 5, where the chord goes to D7, start the phrase on D (5th string fret 5).
3. Bars 9 to 12: play an answer. Land on E at bar 9, on D at bar 10, and finish on A in bar 11 or 12.

Count the bars aloud: "one, two, three, four, five..." If you lose your place, listen for the change to D7 at bar 5 and rejoin there.

Do these in order. Each one is small. Tick the ones you have practised.

• 1.Count the form

  4 min · 60 → 80 BPM

  1. Strum the 12 bars: A7 A7 A7 A7, D7 D7 A7 A7, E7 D7 A7 E7. Four beats per bar.
  2. Say the bar number aloud on beat 1 of every bar.
  3. Play two full choruses without losing your place.

  You have it when

  • You complete two choruses and your count matches your chords.
  I practised this one

• 2.Land on the change

  5 min · 60 → 80 BPM

  1. Record yourself strumming the 12 bars, or use any slow blues in A.
  2. Improvise with box 1. On beat 1 of bar 5 land on a D (5th string fret 5), on bar 9 land on an E (5th string fret 7), and on bar 1 and bar 11 land on an A.
  3. In between, play short phrases and leave space.

  You have it when

  • You land on the right root at least 3 out of 4 times at the changes.
  I practised this one

• 3.Phrase, repeat, answer

  5 min · 60 → 80 BPM

  1. Bars 1 to 4 (A7): play a short phrase and leave a gap.
  2. Bars 5 to 8 (D7 then A7): play the same phrase again, a little changed.
  3. Bars 9 to 12 (E7, D7, A7, E7): play an answer that ends on A.

  You have it when

  • You play one complete chorus with a clear beginning, repeat and ending.
  I practised this one

Use a backing at 70 BPM to start. A slow blues is easier to phrase over than a fast one because there is space between the beats. Go up to 90 BPM once the form is automatic.

• Losing your place in the form. Count bars aloud until it is automatic. Recover by listening for the change to D7 at bar 5.
• Playing the same density in every bar. Alternate busy bars with empty ones. The space makes the notes matter.
• Ignoring the chord changes. Mark the changes with a root note on beat 1 of the new chord. It tells the listener you hear the harmony.

This is the standard way of improvising in a blues, and it carries over to rock and country. Use the 12-bar exercise in the song library as your backing.

Try it in: 12-bar blues in A.

Short version (10 minutes)

Count two choruses of the form while strumming, then play the first four bars of box 1 over the first chorus.

Standard version (about 30 minutes)

Do all three exercises and record the last one. Listen for the moment the change to D7 is clear in your playing.

• 12 bars: four on I, two on IV, two on I, then V IV I V.
• Land on the root at the change.
• Phrase, repeat, answer.
• Leave space.

You are ready to move on when you can honestly say:

• I can keep my place through two choruses of the 12-bar form.
• I can land on the root of each chord at the changes.
• I can play a chorus with a clear phrase, repeat and answer.