How to Play the 12 Bar Blues with a Walking Bass Line
Contents
A step by step guide that will have you playing the 12 bar blues with a walking bass line in no time!
Introduction
The 12 bar blues is one of the most important progressions in jazz and blues music. It’s also one of the most simple, which is why it’s so popular. The basic progression lasts 12 bars, though it can be extended to 16 bars if you want a longer soloing section.
In this lesson, we’ll focus on how to play a 12 bar blues with a walking bass line. This means that the bass line will move around the chord changes, creating a more interesting sound.
There are three chords in a 12 bar blues: the tonic (or “I” chord), the subdominant (or “IV” chord), and the dominant (or “V” chord). In the key of C, these would be C, F, and G.
The tonic chord is played for four bars, the subdominant chord is played for two bars, the tonic chord is played for two more bars, the dominant chord is played for one bar, the tonic chord is played for one more bar, the subdominant chord is played for one bar, and then finally the dominant chord is played for two bars. That’s it!
Now let’s look at how to add a walking bass line to this progression.
The 12 Bar Blues
The 12 bar blues is a standard chord progression in blues music. It is usually played with a walking bass line. The following is a step by step guide on how to play the 12 bar blues with a walking bass line.
What is the 12 Bar Blues?
The 12 bar blues is a basic chord progression that uses the I, IV, and V chords of a key. In a major key, the I chord is major, the IV chord is major, and the V chord is minor. For example, in the key of C, the I chord is C major (C-E-G), the IV chord is F Major (F-A-C), and the V chord is G Minor (G-Bb-D). The 12 bar blues progression uses these chords in a repeating pattern that lasts for 12 bars (measures).
The most common version of the 12 bar blues progression uses a 4/4 time signature and looks like this:
| I | I | I | I |
| IV| IV| I | I |
| V | IV| I | I |
In this progression, each chord lasts for 2 bars (4 beats each). This gives us a total of 12 bars (48 beats) for the entire progression.
The “walking bass line” is a common Bass guitar technique that can be used to create a bluesy sound. This technique involves playing quarter note roots on Beats 1 and 3, and eighth notes on Beats 2 and 4. For example, in the key of C, we could play a quarter note C on Beat 1, an eighth note E on Beat 2, another quarter note C on Beat 3, and another eighth note E on Beat 4. We would then repeat this pattern for each measure of the 12 bar blues progression.
Here’s what our Walking Bass Line would look like over our 12 Bar Blues Progression in the key of C:
Measure 1: C Quarter Note – E Eighth Note – C Quarter Note – E Eighth Note
Measure 2: C Quarter Note – E Eighth Note – C Quarter Note – E Eighth Note
Measure 3: F Quarter Note – A Eighth Note – F Quarter Note – A EighthNote
Measure 4: F QuarterNote – A EighthNote – F QuarterNote – A EighthNote
Measure 5: G QuarterNote – Bb EighthNote – G QuarterNote – Bb EighthNote
Measure 6: G QuarterNote- Bb EighthNote- G QuarterNote- Bb EighthNote
Measure 7: G QuarterNote- Bb EightHnote- G Quarterote- EightHnote
Measure 8: G Quarernote_ Bb EightHnote_ G Quarernote_ EightHnote
Measure 9: C Quarernote_ E EightHnote_ C Quarernote_ E EightHnote
Measure 10: C Quarernote_ EEightHnote_ CQuarernoEeEightHnoeasur11e : CFuaQaurtertrteoNe _ AAegihntQhutaerteNrooTte _ FFuaQaurtertrteoNee _ AAegihntQhutaerteNrooTtea
The Chord Progression
The chord progression of a typical 12-bar blues is built using only three different chords, which are played in a specific order. The chords used in the 12 bar blues are usually dominant 7th chords. This means that they are made up of four notes: the root (1), the 3rd, the 5th, and the flattened 7th.
The chord progression of a typical 12-bar blues is built using only three different chords, which are played in a specific order. The chords used in the 12 bar blues are usually dominant 7th chords. This means that they are made up of four notes: the root (1), the 3rd, the 5th, and the flattened 7th.
The flattened 7th is also called the minor 7th, and it gives dominant 7th chords their distinctive sound. It’s important to understand that dominant 7th chords are not always played as written in music. In fact, they are often “voiced” differently, which means that the notes making up the chord are rearranged.
The most common voicing for a dominant 7th chord is 1-3-5-7. This means that the root (1), 3rd, 5th, and minor 7th (flattened 7th) of the chord are played in this order. However, there are many other ways to voice a dominant 7th chord.
The Walking Bass Line
The walking bass line is a type of bass guitar technique that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is used in jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, country, and folk music. In contrast to other types of bass lines, such as those based on a single note or chords, the walking bass line moves up and down in scale degrees. This gives the music a sense of forward motion and helps to create a rhythmic pulse.
There are many ways to construct a walking bass line, but one of the most common is the 12 bar blues. This progression uses 12 bars (measures) of music, with each bar containing four beats. The chord progression for the 12 bar blues is typically as follows:
I I I I
IV IV I I
V V I I
This means that you will play the first chord (I) for four bars, the fourth chord (IV) for two bars, the fifth chord (V) for two bars, and then repeat this pattern. You can use any chords you like in this progression, but it is typically played with major or minor triads. When playing the 12 bar blues with a walking bass line, you will typically use eighth notes. This means that each beat will be divided into two equal parts, and you will play two notes per beat.
How to Play the 12 Bar Blues with a Walking Bass Line
The12 bar blues is a very common chord progression used in a wide variety of music. The best way to get started with the 12 bar blues is to first understand the chord progression. Then, you can start learning how to play a walking bass line. A walking bass line is a great way to add interest and rhythmic tension to your playing.
Step 1: Choose a Key
The first step to playing a 12 bar blues with a walking bass line is to choose a key. The most common key for a 12 bar blues is E. You can, however, play a 12 bar blues in any key. Choose the key that best suits your vocal range or the range of your instrument.
Step 2: Know the Chord Progression
The chord progression for a 12 bar blues in the key of E is as follows:
E – E – A – A – B – B – E – E – A – A – B7 – B7
To get started, practice playing this chord progression with your right hand while keeping a steady beat with your left hand.
Step 3: Add the Walking Bass Line
Once you have the chord progression down, you’re ready to add the walking bass line. The walking bass line for a 12 bar blues in the key of E is as follows:
E (bar 1) – A (bar 2) – B (bar 3) – E (bar 4)
A (bar 5) – B (bar 6)
E (bar 7) – A (bar 8)
B (bar 9) E (bar 10) A (bar 11)- B7 (bar 12)
Practice playing this bass line with your left hand while continuing to play the chord progression with your right hand. When you’re comfortable with the bass line, add a left hand accompaniment pattern such as eighth notes or sixteenth notes.
Step 2: Choose a Scale
Now that you have the basic structure of the 12 bar blues down, it’s time to choose a scale to play over it. The most common and versatile scale to use over a 12 bar blues is the minor pentatonic scale. This scale can be used in any style of music and will always sound good over a 12 bar blues.
The minor pentatonic scale has 5 notes and is made up of the following intervals: 1 b3 4 5 b7.
In order to find the minor pentatonic scale shape that you will use for the rest of this lesson, take a look at the tablature below and find the E Minor Pentatonic Scale that starts on the 6th string at the 9th fret.
E Minor Pentatonic Scale
E|-9--12-14-16-19-21-24-|
B|———————|
G|———————|
D|———————|
A|———————|
E|———————|
Once you have found this shape, practice it until you are comfortable with it. A good way to practice this scale is by playing it in 12th position, which means that your first finger will be on the 12th fret of the low E string. When you get to the high E string, simply slide your first finger up to the 14th fret and continue following this pattern.
Step 3: Play the Root Notes
Now that you can play a I-IV-V chord progression in the key of C, it’s time to add a bass line. Walking bass lines are an essential part of blues music, and once you get the hang of it, they’re not too difficult to play.
The best way to learn how to play walking bass lines is to listen to examples of them. But before you do that, there are a few things you need to know.
First, a walking bass line is usually played on the root notes of the chords in a 12 bar blues progression. So, in the key of C, you would play C for bars 1-4, F for bars 5-8, and G for bars 9-12.
Second, walking bass lines are usually played on beats 2 and 4. This means that you will be playing each note on the second and fourth beat of each measure.
And finally, walking bass lines are usually eighth notes. This means that each note should be played for one beat (or half a measure).
Now that you know all of that, let’s take a listen to some examples of walking bass lines in action.
Step 4: Play the Fifths
After you have the thirds down, you can move on to playing fifths. For this example, we will be sticking with A5 and D5. You can use any combination of fifths that you want, but these two will give you a good foundation.
As with the thirds, start by playing the fifths in your right hand while keeping a steady bass line going with your left. When you are comfortable with that, try improvising a melody with your right hand while keeping the fifths going in your left. Again, there is no need to stick to any particular key; just let your creativity flow.
Once you have the hang of playing fifths, you can move on to seventh chords. Seventh chords are simply intervals of fifths with an added seventh note. For example, A7 would be A5 plus C7 (the seventh note of the A major scale). This added note gives seventh chords a much fuller sound than fifths alone.
Step 5: Play the Octaves
Now let’s play the same thing but with octaves. Again, start by playing the root note of each chord on the beat. But this time, also play the octave of that note on the “and” of each beat. For example, if you’re playing a C chord, you would play a low C on the beat, and then a high C on the “and” of each beat. You can either play these octaves with your right hand, or if you’re feeling adventurous, try playing them with your left hand while continuing to play the roots with your right.
Conclusion
Learning how to play the 12 bar blues with a walking bass line is an essential skill for any blues musician. By following the steps outlined in this article, you will be able to quickly and easily learn how to play this important foundational element of the blues.
