12 Bar Blues Overview

12 bar blues started out as a combination of European popular songs, African rhythm and tonality which
developed in cotton fields. The format always followed a "Call and Response" pattern where one singer
would call out a verse and the other singers would respond to that verse.

Each verse of blues is first called and then answered. Each call and response takes up either two or four
bars. For example:

"From dawn to dusk I work the fields all day ....

Yeah, from dawn to dusk I work the fields all day ....

But when the sun is down I rush home to sweet Mae."

The chords are standard European style popular music chords arranged in a simple way. By 1920 the
Blues was usually based on the popular 12 bar blues. It was differentiated from the typical tin pan alley
popular music of the times by dark tonal qualities which were the result of mixing major, minor and 7th
chords with the music. Popular American music was heavy Major chords which were "On the Beat"
whereas "race music" or blues was delay time, syncopated music that had different chords.

The chords are numbered with Roman Numerals: I, IV and V ( that's 1, 4 and 5) these chords are also
called the Tonic, Subdominant and the Dominant.

In the key of C the the I chord is C; the IV chord is F (count up 4 C-1, D-2, E-3,F-4) and the V chord is
one more than the IV or G.

Pop-Quiz: What are the I, IV and V chords for the key of G?

Answer: G,C and D.

Blues uses these three chords in a simple pattern called 12 bar blues. A bar in blues is 4 beats. So a 12
bar blues is 48 beats long.

The 12 Bar Blues pattern is:

I,I,I,I

IV,IV,I,I

V,IV,I,V

You stay in the I chord for 4 bars and then switch up to the IV chord for a couple of bars. Your ear doesn't
want to be in the IV chord and seems to want you to return to the I chord. The IV chord is thought of as
creating tension and coming back to the I brings resolution.

You stay in the I for two bars and then create new tension by jumping up to the V chord for one bar. The
V chord is very up tight and you want to get back to the I, so you play the V and then try the IV each for
one bar and then drop back to the I chord. You can't rest there (unless its the end of the song) and you
go back up to the V chord which will create the motion to get you to "turnaround" to the beginning of the
12 bar blues sequence. That little ending piece which brings you to the V and back to the beginning is
always referred to as a Turnaround.

How does this work on the harp? Well the draw holes on a C harp is the G chord. We place cross harp to
get better access to certain notes so on a C harp we play in the key of G. (Count up 4 from G and you get
C: G-1,A-2,B-3,C-4. After G you start over again with A).
The Draw notes are the I chord. The Blow notes are the C chord which as we know is the IV chord. What
is the V chord? Well there isn't a V chord on the harmonica so we have to use the just the V note which is
1 hole draw or the 4 hole draw. (This note is D, but that is too much information for me - All I need to
know is that it is the V note.)

So playing 12 bar blues is easy. Place you mouth over the bottom three or four holes on the harp and:
(each draw and blow should have 4 beats to it.)

Draw - Draw - Draw - Draw

Blow - Blow - Draw - Draw

Switch your mouth to the bottom (number 1) hole.

Draw - Blow

now Draw on the bottom 3 or 4 notes and then:

Draw the 1 hole.

You are now a bluesman. You can actually go to the jams and play a little in the background using this.
Soloing is harder, but this "close enough' style of the blues sounds great as accompaniment for an
acoustic guitarist.
Don't Get Around Much Any More
Written by Bob Russel and Duke Ellington

This song has been performed by Big Walter, Kim Wilson and others. It has a couple of easy bends so it's
a good practice piece. It's not blues, but since major blues artists have recorded it you can feel safe in
learning and performing it.

1/31/200 - put this up. It looks right, but I am at work and can't whip out a harp to check it. I'll print it
out and check it on the way home. Don't trust this until at least 2/3/2000.

Missed the Sa tur day dance

Heard they crow ded the floor

Could n't bare it with out you

Don't get a round much an y more

Next verse:
Thought I'd visit the club
Got as far as the door
They'd have asked me about you
Don't get around much anymore

Bridge:

Dar ling', I guess

My mind's more at ease

But ne ver the less

Why stir up me mor ies

Third Verse:
Been invited on dates
Might have gone but what for
Awfully different without you
Don't get around much anymore

(Repeat last two verses)

Awfully different without you

Don't get around much anymore
Amazing Grace Tab
This is a simple slow tune. Practice the 3 hole and 2 hole bends using this as a showcase piece. It's not
blues, but most everyone likes it.

A maz ing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now I am found

Was blind but now I see

The 3 hole bend can be faked with a 2 hole draw unbent and the hole draw bend can be faked by just
playing the 2 hole draw unbent.
Stormy Weather Arlen and Koehler

repeat
repeat first group and add:

Don't know why

There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather,
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time.

Life is bare
Blooming misery everywhere
Stormy weather
Just can't get my poor self together
I'm wary all the time.

When he went away

The blues walked in and met me
If he stays away
Old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray
The Lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more

Can't go on
Everything I have is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time.
Beginner's Riffs
Practice these riffs until you hear them in your sleep.

Play each one three times slowly, three times moderately, and then three times fast. Repeat until dogs
howl, cats scream and spouses threaten to leave.

Good Morning Riff (from Gindick). This riff is your basic what to do while you're thinking about what to do
next. Think of it as a rest riff. Start here and end here. The two hole draw is the tonic so this is a good riff
for the I chord. It's not very impressive, but you can't scream all the time. This is like the mashed
potatoes in a fancy meal - its good, but not the main dish.

You can play the 3 hole blow instead of the 2 hole draw in all of these riffs, but the 2 hole draw is easier to
"punch". The 3 hole blow is wimpy sounding. You would play the three hole blow to save wind. When you
run out of breath you can breath out through the three hole and breath in through the 2 hole and it will
always sound OK.

The Juke Riff. This is a mainstay of the blues. Learn it forward and then play it backwards. Learn to do it
as fast as possible and as slow as possible. One of my favorite songs - Hold That Train Conductor (Try the
Otis Rush Version) starts out with a slow soulful version of this riff. Every second Buddy Guy song starts
out with this riff. It's good for intro's and fills and needs no bends! Make that 6 hole wail by making your
hands and mouth say "Waw-Waw".

Boogie Woogie Blues. This is a great practice piece. Learn it at the same time that you are learning the
Juke Riff. The breath patterns are different. Playing riffs involves learning the breathing patterns of the riff
as much as which holes to play. By varying the breathing patterns you learn how to control your riffs.

Play Twice

These are mostly draw notes. If you are out of breath when you come down to the 2 hole draw, play the 3
hole blow to get rid of some air. If you pass out while playing this you are doing something wrong.

Now the IV chord notes.

The 12 bar blues here changes to the IV chord which in the key of G is a C chord. Most of the holes are
blows.

Note on theory. We are playing cross harp. If you have a C harp you're playing in the key of G. The draw
notes on a C harp make a G chord so when we are in the Tonic or I chord we should be mostly drawing
notes. When the 12 bar blues changes to the IV chord it is a C. Since we are playing on a C harp the blow
notes make a C chord. In blues it is safe to play blow notes when in the IV chord.

Back to the I chord. This repeats the I chord boogie riff.

Play Once

Now the "turn around"

The V chord and then the IV chord

Now the I chord to the V.

Black Rat Blues Swing
Memphis Minnie

This comes from Phil Wiggins's advanced blues harp class at Augusta Heritage Center. Phil is know for
country blues, playing with John Cephas. This piece is (as John would say) low down dirty blues. It works
well accoustically or using a mic in a Chicago type blues band. It has all of the basic elements of "good
chops" and a relative beginner should be able to get it all down and use it as grist for jams.

Here is Cephas and Wiggins on Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad doing Black Rat Swing. You get to hear
Phil starting to do the notes below, but it fades out.
Triplets (and a Quadruplet?)
The following are three note riffs which are used for fills. Practice them and get them as fast as possible.
Practice! Practice! Practice!

I play them three times slow, three times intermediate and three times fast.

Play each backwards as well.

Stop and take a breath everyonce in a while. James Cotton can keep these things up with circular
breathing for 5 minutes, but we are just mortals.
 A Simple Turn-Around (12 Bar Blues - How to fake it)
This simple turn-around is played when the 12 bar blues does the V-IV-I-V progression at the end of a
verse. It's called the turn-around because ends the verse while leading into the first set of chords for the
next verse.

You will over the years learn many variations on the turn-around. Every harp player can be recognized by
his or her own signature turn-around style, but you will always come back to this simple one. It is
especially useful when you are accompanying a guitarist or singer. You will be playing a layer of music
below the lead instrument in these cases and they will do the fancy stuff. You want to do an underlying
basic riff that will make the leader sound good without grabbing away attention.

This uses the 1 and 2 holes and is very easy to play. First the V chord note.

This is not just six notes. Since blues uses a "flat-tire shuffle" you want to make the notes follow the
shuffle pattern. A flat-tire shuffle is the rhythm that a flat tire makes - "da-bop da-bop da-bop da-bop da-
bop da-bop".

You must articulate the notes by saying the sounds (dah-de, dah-de, dah-dah). The last dah is
emphasized and held.

Now the IV chord note.

Here you say "doo-de, doo-de, doo-doo" holding the last doo a little longer.

Now we're back down to the I chord which as you remember is based on the 2 hole draw.

Here again you say "doo-de, doo-de, doo-de, doo-de". This now steps right down into the V chord without
a pause with the last part of the turn-around.

You articulate this as "dah-de-dah-dah" holding the last dah until the I chord starts up again.
Blues Harp Scale
There is much discussion over what exactly is a blues scale. I've listed a basic scale that is used in blues.
These are the notes that sound good for blues. Practice this fast and slow. Almost all blues riffs use a
piece of this scale. The three hole draw bent is a parial bend. It should drop the three down the half step
needed to make the minor. This note is the heart of the blues and can vary from unbent (for a major
country and western music sound) to more than a half step for a dark minor sounding blues. Your ear
should tell you when you have this bend right.

Scale up:

Scale down:

There are a couple of notes below the 2 draw that are repeats of notes in the middle scale.

There are some blues notes above the 6 hole blow, but I not fond of the sound of them. You can use the
high end of the harp, but the low end sounds so much better. The top 4 holes in a harmonica should be
used in first position and then only occasionally.

Note:

In an interview with Kim Wilson, Carlos Colina asked Kim what was his greatest strength in playing the
harp. Kim answered "I have a good 3 draw bend".
Hoochie-Coochie Man and Mannish Boy Riffs
One of Muddy Water's greatest hits was Mannish Boy. Another similar song was Hoochie-Coochie Man.
These are called stomps because of their heavy, on-the-beat, foot stomping rythms. Mannish Boy has no
chord progression at all and stays in the I chord throught the entire song. Hoochie-Coochie man stays in
the I, but has a V-IV-I-V type turn-around. They both use a repeated riff. There are two basic ways of
playing the riffs. The first is the most common.

Repeat this for each bar of the blues.

The three hole draw is sometimes left out and sometimes given a little bend for color.

The alternative is lower down and uses the fill 2 hole draw bend. You must have a deep, full 2 draw bend
to make this work.

Play this clean or play it sloppy, It always sounds good. (This is my favorite harp lick.)
Peter Gunn Bass Line
This is the hardest bend practicing riff that there is. It uses the 3 hole bends.

Play it (if you can) until you can do it very fast.

Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) lick
This lick evaded me. Whenever I thought about it there was no Sonny Boy tape around and when there
was, Sonny played it too fast. Since I only play in the car it's hard to stop and rewind or even concentrate.
Finally I had a minute alone with Gary Primach and he wrote it down for me.

This is the lick in "Help Me" and other songs where Sonny boy plays a little up down and around repeated
thing that sounds so neat. I've heard Cotton and others do it also.

Repeat until you turn blue

On the same page of my notebook was this good 4 note repeating lick from Sonny Boy.
Notes on Tablature:

I have made a few small gifs to show which holes on the harp to blow and draw as well as when to bend.

The 1 hole blow looks like this: the arrow points into the hole which means you blow the note. The
number in the circle tells you which hole.

The 1 hole draw looks like this: The arrow is pointing down - away from the hole - so you draw (or the
crude ones among us suck.)

A bent note is denoted by a crooked arrow. This is the 1 hole draw bent:

Some holes have several levels of bend. The angle of the bent arrow will show how far the bend should

be. Here are the 2 hole bends. First half bent: and here is full bent:

If you have need for the gifs and don't feel like searching through the pages to steal them: