New series: Ali “Bluesman” Sleeq’s first blues bass guitar lesson is here!6

Alright, its finally here! The much awaited first lesson from one of our exclusive musicians on Kuwait Music, Ali Sleeq, is now available. If you’re ready, get your bass guitar out and play along!

Blues Bass-ics PART ONE

Ali Sleeq

06.02.2011

So, welcome to my first bass lesson on Kuwait Music!

I’m sure most of you by now know that I’m REALLY into the blues. And I’m sure many (if not most of you) have tinkered with the blues while you started learning or when jamming with new players or your band.

The blues is very accessible to all levels of players. It can be as easy or hard as you want it to be. But the blues is all about feel; at the same time there are some basics within the blues that have to be followed in order to set the mood. Of course you can always mess around and that’s what we are gonna cover this time. Laying the bass in the blues is made for a supportive role for the vocals and lead instruments, and adding little sprinkles of your own to enhance the overall song.

The blues is usually set on a structure which is called the 12 Bar Blues. I’m going to add tablature to assist with the understanding of it so you can try it at home for practice. This lesson assumes you know the basics of the fretboard and knowledge of scales.

12 Bar Blues

The blues, especially the old Delta and Chicago blues, is usually set up on a 12 bar blues, which is defined like this:

A set chord progression that can be played in a standard 4/4 feel or in triplets (the latter being the most popular in blues, and will be covered in part 2 of this lesson), the progression being: I – IV – V. This means that the root (I) followed by the fourth (IV) and then the fifth (V).

Here’s  an example of a 12 bar blues:

The run down, if we play it in the key of C for example (by the way it can be played in any key) is like this:

Key of C

C = Root (I)

F = Fourth (IV) ie the fourth note in the C major scale sequence

G = Fifth (V) ie the fifth note in the C major scale sequence

Major Scale of C = C D E F G A B C

4/4 Standard

Example 1

C                                                                                             F

Bar   1                     2                      3                      4                      5                     6

G|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|

D|--------------------------------------------------3--3--3--3—-3--3--3—-3-|

A|--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3—-3-—3-—3--3-------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|

C                                            G                      F                     C                      G

Bar   7                     8                      9                     10                    11                    12

G|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|

D|--------------------------5--5--5--5--3--3--3--3--------------5--5--5--5-|

A|--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--------------------------3--3--3--3-------------|

E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|

The above is the simplest way to play the 12-bar blues. Notice that each bar is 4 quarter notes. When added together you get 12 bars, hence why it’s called that. Also notice that the final G chord is made to lead the way back to the C when repeated. Here’s the audio clip.

The nice thing about this is that you can play a lot of variations within this structure. There are endings and
turnarounds (fill notes or riff back to the root) and covered in part two.

Usually you will see the below bassline in 4/4 blues or rock n’ roll jams. Let’s try it in the key of G, so the
chord progression will be G, C, and D.

Played in the G Major scale, using only the arpeggio (chord tones, or notes that make up the chord):

Example 2

G                                                                                             C

Bar   1                     2                      3                      4                      5                      6

G|-----------------------------------------------------------2-----------2---|

D|-----------2-----------2-----------2-----------2-----2--5--------2--5------|

A|-----2--5--------2--5--------2--5--------2--5-----3-----------3------------|

E|--3-----------3-----------3-----------3------------------------------------|

G                                            D                      C                     G                     D

Bar   7                     8                      9                     10                    11                    12

G|-----------------------------------4-----------2-----------------------4---|

D|-----------2-----------2-----4--7--------2--5--------------2-----4--7------|

A|-----2--5--------2--5-----5-----------3--------------2--5-----5------------|

E|--3-----------3-----------------------------------3------------------------|

With the above it shows more movement and the song becomes more “alive” than playing straight notes of the first example. Here’s the audio clip. Another popular way to play the 12 bar blues is to play 2 bars joined instead of repeating the same of each bar. This example I’m sure you have heard before. The below is an example of “walking bassline”, since you keep moving up and down the fretboard (hence walking): Again in the key of G major:

Example 3

G                                                                                             C

Bar   1                     2                      3                      4                      5                      6

G|-----------------------------------------------------------2--5--2-------|

D|-----------2--5--2-----------------2--5—-2-----------2--5-----------5—-2-|

A|-----2--5-----------5--2-----2--5-----------5--2--3----------------------|

E|--3-----------------------3----------------------------------------------|

G                                            D                      C                     G                     D

Bar   7                     8                      9                     10                    11                    12

G|-----------------------------------4-----------2-----------------------4-|

D|-----------2--5--2-----------4--7-----—--2--5--------------2-----4--7----|

A|-----2--5-----------5--2--5-----------3--------------2--5-----5----------|

E|--3-----------------------------------------------3----------------------|

Now that is a 50’s style line you would hear on old Elvis tracks. Of course Elvis took from the blues most of his early hits. Here’s the audio clip.

Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 | Example 4

Another popular way to play is to play the Mixolydian (or dominant) scale. The dominant scale substitutes the major 7^th (in the case of G would be the F#) to a minor 7^th (which means the F). In blues it’s popular to play the minor 7^th instead of the root on the end of the first sequence of the line.

Example 4

G                                                                                             C

Bar   1                     2                      3                      4                      5                      6

G|-----------------------------------------------------------2--3--2-------|

D|-----------2--3--2-----------------2--3—-2-----------2--5-----------5-—2-|

A|-----2--5-----------5--2-----2--5-----------5--2--3----------------------|

E|--3-----------------------3----------------------------------------------|

G                                            D                      C                     G                     D

Bar   7                     8                      9                     10                    11                    12

G|-----------------------------------4-----------2-----------------------4-|

D|-----------2--3--2-----------4--7-----—--2--5--------------2-----4--7----|

A|-----2--5-----------5--2--5-----------3--------------2--5-----5----------|

E|--3-----------------------------------------------3----------------------|

With that note changed, the line sounds more “bluesy” due to the “blue” note being played (the minor 7^th). This line would make a guitarist’s solo sound nicer too, since we are playing a note they would be playing if they are playing the blues. Here’s the audio clip.

Stay tuned for part two next week, and please ask me any questions if you feel you don’t understand!! Please listen to Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, etc to get a feel of what 12 bar blues is. If you know the key you can play along with them very easily especially now that you know the structure!

Cheers. 

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