Hey Friend,
As I was sitting down to start our morning chat, I realized I may have jumped the gun a little with the exercise from yesterday.
I got you mixing up major, minor and 7th chords, and we haven’t even looked at common progressions using only 7th chords. Uh... duh...
So I’m a gonna rectumfy that today…
The most common chord progression using 7th chords is the 12 Bar Blues.
This is a very simple progression using only three chords, but it has launched a million Blues songs. The use of dominant 7th chords gives it that sassy twang Blues is known for.
Here’s the thing, though. It doesn’t take much to turn this simple little grouping into something interesting and original.
By changing up the tempo and rhythm, adding some embellishing riffs and letting loose a little, you can turn a boring progression into a real foot stomper. For example, check out " Boom, Boom (Out Go The Lights)" by Pat Travers.
The exercise today is meant to get you started with a very basic rhythm, so once you have the chord changes down, feel free to spice it up a bit and change the rhythm to something that feels more natural.
Put a little shuffle in your strumming and loosen things up until it sounds more relaxed. This is Blues, so have a little fun with it.
You can download (or open) the exercise files here:
Listen to the progression, then play along with it. Once your fingers have the changes down, start loosening up the rhythm. Don’t worry if you get sloppy with the strumming - that can lead to some cool discoveries.
Have a great Saturday!
Peace~
Dave
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