Play the 12bar blues bass line in whole notes using blocked chords in root position. How to play a simple 12 bar blues guitar riff in e major. Students identify the musical form of the 12bar blues. One place where it really works is in a 12 bar blues. I like having the kids begin their rh with 3rd finger on c instead of thumb.
The 12 bar blues is a 12 bar long chord progression that solo blues musicians can easily improvise over the top of because the chord progression is familiar to them. We will be playing it in the key of g, so our chords are g, c and d. This image shows the standard 12 bar blues progression using roman numerals. Students are given the blues scale and are led through a series of activities that introduce some jazz rhythms and articulations. We can play the swing rhythm we have been using so far. Jul 14, 2016 blues worksheets and activities lesson plan template and teaching resources. Students will have the opportunity to write and perform their own 12bar blues verses.
A progression of chords used to lead the ear back to the tonic used in the last bar of the 12 bar blues structure usually chord ii to chord v swing rhythm shuffle rhythm a rhythm where quavers are interpreted as a crotchetquaver triplet rather than as even 8ths. Step 2 notice how this melody also has 12 bars but this time another note has been added a third above the first note. Step 1 notice that this melody has 12 bar of music. Students will write original aab blues lyrics verses, worksheet attached. In this music genres lesson, students discover details about the history of the musical genre and compositional techniques. Blues worksheets and activities lesson plan template and teaching resources. They identify a problem from the farming in the 1940s section and compose a 12 bar blues song. Each table will receive one example of a successfully composed 12bar blues worksheet. It is such a great way to wrap up the unit, and get students making music together. Apr 08, 2015 ive kept this lesson to a a very straight forward 12 bar progression. If you do, please show your appreciation by listening to a few samples of my own tunes on my music page and maybe signing my guestbook. Lets start by looking at a simple 12 bar blues in a. Click here to download the worksheet pdf examples of the 12bar blues. I use the 12bar blues pattern a lot for students doing the guild musicianship phase.
In this banjo lesson well take a look at a method to play blues backup using the 7th chords and walking lines following the chords in the 12 bar blues, played in g. Examples of 12bar blues, in audio form, are given to expand students awareness of the 12bar blues possibilities. A bar is a musical phrase, a way of measuring the music against its rhythm, and blues songs are structured in a 12bar format. This quiz and worksheet will gauge your grasp of 12 bar blues. Tritone blues part 1 part 2 part 3 tritone blues part 4 kansas city blues in d the basics. Download printable pdf worksheet high quality download printable jpeg worksheet.
A progression of chords used to lead the ear back to the tonic used in the last bar of the 12bar blues structure usually chord ii to chord v swing rhythm shuffle rhythm a rhythm where quavers are interpreted as a crotchetquaver triplet rather than as even 8ths. Project description and checklist music assessment rubric a 12bar blue. Downloadable mp3 intro example plus a 12 bar blues jam track in d. For the drum part, i used buckets and duct taped tambourines to the top to mimic a h. So the scale would be gbbceb, or with more notes as they are able. With that in mind this go over what makes up the basic 12 bar blues structure and a stepbystep approach to learning it. This twelve bar blues lesson plan is suitable for 9th 12th grade. Project description and checklist music assessment rubric a 12 bar blue. Watch me whipnae nae has been extrapolated into a 12bar blues form to generate the city 0xvlf worksheet.
This quiz and worksheet will gauge your grasp of 12bar blues. The quiz will also assess your comprehension of concepts like the chords that make up a 12 bar blues. Background information this guide includes two essays, what is the blues. Its called the 12 bar blues because its only 12 bars long. The booklet and sow with powerpoints are designed for year 8 students. State the second half of the solution or consequence. Have students number their papers from one to twelve, representing the twelve measures of the 12bar blues. It is a structure which turns up again and again, in hundreds of songs, and by its definition, involves a lot of the same chords over and over perfect for spicing up.
Has been used effectively with yr8 and yr9 students but could be simplified for yr7 if needed. Follow the formula below for the four lines of each verse of a blues song. The assessment tasks are linked to the jackass blues piece but. This image demonstrates how you would find the i, iv, and v chords in the key of a using the a major scale. Most jazz standards are 32 bars long and so the blues form is less that a third of the length of a typical jazz standard. This is the project i have used with my middle school general music students after a unit on the genre of the blues. The first sheet includes the chords, second a variety of bass lines, and finally a lyric writing sheet. They identify a problem from the farming in the 1940s section and compose a 12bar blues song. Apr 09, 20 i use the 12 bar blues pattern a lot for students doing the guild musicianship phase. Students identify the musical form of the 12 bar blues. Measure 9 measure 10 measure 11 measure 12 5 dom 7th chord g b d f. Choose a topic that reflects the mood of the blues. A basic 12 bar blues piece that will set you up for any blues song. The assessment tasks are linked to the blues pieces but could easily be changed to suit whatever you are doing.
Explain to the students that they will be using a scale of their choice to compose a. The chord progression is easy for beginners because it only uses three chords, the root, the fourth, and the fifth. It has the background pattern of three notes per beat. You can use this with the 12 bar blues songwriting worksheet that is color coded for boomwackers to accompany your students original blues compositions. This twelvebar blues lesson plan is suitable for 9th 12th grade. New years blues a 12 bar blues lesson the talk through. The 12 bar blues is a chord progression used in blues and rock music that lasts for 12 bars. This set of worksheets is designed to enable students to play a 12 bar blues piece taken from a music activity book. The quiz will also assess your comprehension of concepts like the chords that make up a 12bar blues. Learning 12bar blues form though singing and theory provides students a medium for discussion of the blues. This lesson will use dominant 7th, dominant 9th, and dominant th chords. In the basic f blues, the 12 bars are only made up of 3 different chords.
This chord progression is based around the most important chords. Ive kept this lesson to a a very straight forward 12 bar progression. Read lyrics from working peoples lues and discuss lyrics meaning, rhyme, and meter. Blues worksheets and activities teaching resources. Sep 27, 2016 one place where it really works is in a 12 bar blues. The scene from back to the future in which michael j fox plays johnny b goode, and george ezras song budapest which is an extended 12 bar blues form. Examining the 12bar blues pattern if youve ever spent any time around a serious blues musician or music aficionado, youve probably heard the phrase 12 bar blues tossed about. The chord charts below show each 12 bar blues in roman numerals, and chords in the key of c, so dont confuse or add them together. Both are great options for prac when played in a suitable key for beginners. Blues activities, worksheets, printables, and lesson plans.
Below are some common dominant chords that will be used in this lesson. The progression for this one consists solely of the iivv chords, and its in the key of a, so were looking at a i, d iv. The 12bar blues is or blues changes are one of the most popular chord progressions in blues music. In this tutorial series we are going to learning how to play a 12 bar blues in a. Distributing these readings prior to embarking on the lesson. Southern united states, north america culture group. The assessment tasks are linked to the jackass blues piece but could easily be changed to suit whatever you are doing.
In short understanding the 12 bar blues progression is a great first step playing blues, but also can help you to learn songs in many styles quickly once you recognize the pattern. If youve been learning the blues licks from the previous lessons here, this lesson will be perfect for you to. The basic structure of the blues uses 3 chords, in 12 bars, then repeats. Licks 1 4 in the pdf are for bars 1 2 licks 5 8 in the pdf are for bars 3 4 licks 9 12 in the pdf are for bars 5 6 licks 16 in the pdf are for bars 7 8 licks 17 20 in the pdf are for bars 9 10 licks 21 24 in the pdf are for bars 11 12. For teaching high schoolers to play 12 bar blues ive found 2 things very helpful. Here is an orff arrangement of the 12 bar blues in c major.