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Six String Strummin' · Intermediate · Unit 4 · Lesson 3

Lesson 3: The 12-Bar Blues

The most important form in American music ·

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

  • I can name and play the 12-bar blues form in E.
  • I can hear when the chord is about to change.
  • I can play 'Twelve Rounds'.

🕸Swing the Eighths3 min

  1. Play open-string eighths straight, then again with a swing: long-short, long-short.
  2. Think 'doo-dah doo-dah' instead of 'one-and two-and'.
  3. Swing lives in the blues — get it in your arm before the lesson.

✋The 12-Bar Map5 min

  1. Four bars of I (E), two of IV (A), two of I, then V-IV-I-V (B-A-E-B).
  2. Count bars out loud until the form lives in your body.
  3. Every blues jam on earth assumes you know this map.

🥁Count It3 min

  1. Count the rhythm out loud before you play.
  2. Turn on Counts or the metronome and lock in with it.
  3. Loop it slowly first; speed comes on its own.
1 Feel the Form The form's skeleton in quarters — E, A, E, B.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome 🎸 Band (drums + bass) Loop

📖Play It7 min

  1. Read it slowly and cleanly the first time through.
  2. Drag-select any tricky spot and loop it.
  3. Use the tempo slider — move up only when it's clean.
2 The First Eight Four bars of E, two of A, back to E — the form's first eight.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome 🎸 Band (drums + bass) Loop
3 The Turnaround Four B to A to E, then B pulls you back to the top.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome 🎸 Band (drums + bass) Loop

🎵Twelve Rounds7 min

  1. Play 'Twelve Rounds' twice through without stopping.
  2. Second time, whisper the bar numbers — 'one, two... turnaround!'
4 Twelve Rounds The complete 12-bar blues in E — count the form as you play.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome 🎸 Band (drums + bass) Loop

👂Train Your Ear2 min

  1. Press play on any line above, look away, and listen once through.
  2. Hum the first bar back, then find it on the guitar by ear.

✨Make It Yours3 min

  1. Take one idea from this lesson and bend it — change a rhythm, reorder the chords.
  2. Play your version twice so it sticks.

MY ENDING (write or describe it):

🏠This Week at Home

⭐Practice Tracker

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5
Twelve Roundsonce through, daily
The 12-Bar Bluesclean & steady
Metronome onat least one exercise
My own variationmake one up

★ Check off each day you play — ten focused minutes counts. Consistency beats marathon sessions.

🍎Teacher Guide

PREP

  • The 12-Bar Blues: The most important form in American music

COMMON MISTAKES & FIXES

  • Rushing ahead of the beat. → Fix: Turn the metronome on and drop the tempo until it feels easy.
  • Buzzing or muted notes. → Fix: Press just behind the fret with the fingertip, thumb relaxed behind the neck.

IF STRUGGLING

  • Drop the tempo well below comfortable and loop one bar.
  • Play just the chord changes (or just the rhythm) before combining.

IF ADVANCED

  • Bring it to full tempo with the metronome.
  • Add your own variation — a different rhythm, an extra chord.

EXTENSIONS

  • Apply tonight's skill to a song you already love.

TALKING POINTS

  • Blues, rock and roll, country, jazz — they all drink from the 12-bar well. Learn it once, use it forever.

✅Assessment

Tap one level per skill — saved on this device.

Accuracy
Plays the right notes and chords.
Timing
Keeps a steady beat.
Tone
Notes and strums ring clean and clear.

★ BrightNote · Six String Strummin' · Intermediate · Unit 4 · Lesson 3 · v1.0 · generated from lesson data

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