Ukulele For Dummies (51 page)

Expanding the 12-bar blues

As well as changing the chords within the pattern, you can also alter the number of bars. One common variation is a 16-bar long progression. The basic structure and chords stay the same. One example of this progression is ‘Careless Love' (see Figure 12-5 and listen to Track 67) played by blues legends including Lonnie Johnson, Leadbelly and Odetta.

Contracting the 12-bar blues

Going in the opposite direction, the blues is sometimes shortened to an eight-bar progression. One such example is the blues song ‘St James Infirmary Blues' (see Figures 12-6 and 12-7 and listen to Track 68) played by Brownie McGhee, Cisco Houston, The Doors and The White Stripes, among many others.

The song uses minor chords and the same chord move as in the earlier Figure 12-4 (this time in the key of D).

Shuffling the blues

The chords tend to shift very slowly in the blues (sometimes you're playing the same chord for four bars) and so musicians usually spice them up a little to keep things interesting (known as the
blues shuffle
that I mention in Chapter 5).

Switching between the chord and its equivalent 6 chord is the simplest form of the blues shuffle. So, for the C chord, you strum the C chord for two beats and then the C6 chord for two beats (check out Figure 12-8 and Track 69, Part 1).

You can do the same with an F chord and put it together with G7 to create a 12-bar blues like the one in Figure 12-9 and Track 69, Part 2.

Make this pattern even fancier by including the 7 chord, as shown in Figure 12-10 and Track 69, Part 3.