How to Play Real Folk Blues on Piano

Looking to add some bluesy flavor to your piano playing? Check out our latest blog post on how to play real folk blues on piano!

The 12-Bar Blues

The 12-bar blues is a type of musical composition that is widely used in blues, jazz, and rock music. The 12-bar blues consists of 12 bars of music, which are each made up of three beats. The first bar is made up of the tonic chord, the second bar is made up of the subdominant chord, and the third bar is made up of the dominant chord.

The chord progression

The chord progression of a typical 12-bar blues is – I, I, I, I – IV, IV – V, V – I, I, I, I. In Roman numerals that would be – I, I, I, I – IV, IV – V, V -I. The “I” chord is almost always a major chord while the “IV” and “V” chords can be either major or minor (more on this later). The “I-IV-V” progression is so common in blues that it’s often referred to as the “blues progression”.

While the “I-IV-V” progression is the most common in blues songs, there are other possibilities. Here are some others that you might come across:

-I-VII-III-VI-II-V-I: This one is often seen in ragtime and early jazz songs.
-I-VI-II-V: You might see this blues progression in country or gospel songs.
I7-IV7: This two chord progression is sometimes called the “quick change”.

The turnaround

In music, a turnaround is a passage at the end of a section that leads to the next section. The term “turnaround” is most often used in jazz and blues. A typical turnaround consists of chords that move in fourths (up or down) for two measures, ending on the V chord, which then resolves back to the I chord.

In a 12-bar blues progression, the turnaround usually happens at bar 9 and consists of one or two chords. The most common turnaround in a 12-bar blues progression is based on the key of C and looks like this:

C – F – C – G7 – F – C

Rhythm

In folk blues, the right hand plays the melody while the left hand provides the rhythm. The left hand typically plays chords, but the rhythm can also be created by playing single notes. The important thing is to keep the rhythm interesting and varied. Experiment with different combinations of chords and single notes to find what sounds best.

The shuffle rhythm

The shuffle rhythm is a quintessential part of the blues and is perfect for the 12-bar blues format. This rhythm can be played on any chord, but is commonly played on the I, IV and V chords.

There are two beats in each bar of music, so you will need to count 1-2-1-2 as you play. On the first beat, you will play the root note of the chord. For example, if you are playing a C chord, you will play a C note on the first beat. On the second beat, you will play the root note again and then the fifth note of the scale (count up five notes from the root note to find this note). So, for a C chord, you would play C-G on the second beat. You can then repeat this pattern for the rest of the bar.

Here is an example of how this rhythm might sound when played on a C chord:

C – G – C – G –
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

The boogie-woogie rhythm

The boogie-woogie rhythm is one of the most iconic and easily recognizable patterns in all of music. It’s often used in blues and jazz, but it can be found in many other genres as well.

The basic boogie-woogie pattern consists of two measures, each with four beats. The left hand plays a repeating bass pattern of two notes per beat, while the right hand plays a melody or chord progression.

One of the most important aspects of playing boogie-woogie is to keep the rhythm bouncy and tight. The best way to do this is to use your entire body, not just your hands. Bob your head, tap your feet, and let the music move you!

Improvising

When it comes to playing the blues on piano, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, the blues is all about improvisation. This means that you need to be able to improvise and come up with your own melodies and licks. Second, you need to be able to play with a lot of feeling.

The blues scale

The blues scale is a flattened third, natural seventh, and flattened fifth above the root. This gives us the notes: root, flat third, fourth, flat fifth, natural seventh. So in C, this would be: C, Eb, F, Gb, Bb. The flattened (or “blue”) notes are what give the blues its distinctive sound.

The minor pentatonic scale

The minor pentatonic scale is one of the most important scales for blues piano. It’s easy to learn and it sounds great. In this article, we’ll show you how to use the minor pentatonic scale to play real folk blues on piano.

The minor pentatonic scale is made up of five notes: the root, flat third, fourth, flat fifth, and flat seventh. In C, the minor pentatonic scale would be C-Eb-F-Gb-Bb. The best way to learn the minor pentatonic scale is to memorize the intervals: root, flat third, fourth, flat fifth, and flat seventh. You can then apply this knowledge to any key.

One of the simplest ways to use the minor pentatonic scale is to play it over a single chord. For example, if you’re playing a C7 chord, you can use the C minor pentatonic scale. This works because all of the notes in the C minor pentatonic scale are in the C7 chord: C-Eb-F-Gb-Bb.

To make your playing sound more bluesy, try adding some chromatic notes outside of the minor pentatonic scale. For example, if you’re playing a C7 chord, you could add an Eb (the flat ninth) or a G (the eleventh). These chromatic notes creates tension that sounds great when resolved back to notes in the minor pentatonic scale.

You can also use the minor pentatonic scale to solo over major chords. For example, if you’re playing a Gmajor chord, you can use the Gminor pentatonic scale. This works because all of the notes in the Gminor pentatonic scale are in the Gmajor chord: G-Bb-C-Db-F.

When soloing over major chords with the minor pentatonic scale, you can again add chromatic notes outside of thescale for extra tension and flavor. For example, if you’re playing a Gmajor chord, you could add an Bb (the flat sixth) or an D (the flat ninth). These chromatic notes will create tension that sounds great when resolved back to notes in theminor pentatonic scale.

The major pentatonic scale

The major pentatonic scale is one of the most useful and versatile scales in all of music. It can be used in a variety of genres, including folk, blues, rock, and country.

The major pentatonic scale is made up of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th notes of the major scale. In the key of C, this would be C D E G A.

One of the great things about the major pentatonic scale is that it can be used over both major and minor chords. When used over a major chord, it sounds happy and carefree. When used over a minor chord, it sounds sad and bluesy.

If you’re improvising on piano and you hear a folk or blues song that uses mostly major chords, try using the major pentatonic scale to add some simple yet effective embellishments to the melody.

Putting it all together

Now let’s put all of the above together and play a complete 12 bar blues in the key of C. We’ll use a medium swing feel and our right hand will play a simple boogie woogie pattern. The left hand will play the basic C blues scale. (If you’re not sure how to read music, or don’t know what a staff is, please see my Hub How to Read Music for Piano.)

Here’s the music:
(If you don’t have access to a printer, just scroll down to the bottom of this Hub where I’ve posted a YouTube video of me playing this piece.)