ALEC HENDERSON BAND ACOUSTIC, ROCK, POP
At the end of the 12 bar chord progression (commonly the last 2 bars), before starting the next verse, a turnaround is played and opens for the next verse to come. A simple turnaround for example can be tried with the chord progression
E – E7 – A – Am – E – B7:
To summarize the song structure: Intro – 1st verse – turnaround – 2nd verse (or solo) – turnaround – etc. – ending.
Some basic chords
o: open string x: don’t pick or mute string 4: 4th fret (any number)
More chords at the
Starting rhythm guitar
With this Blues scheme you can play rhythm guitar to the most Blues standards. You can play chords or riffs, but you need the right shuffle feeling. It sounds like your heartbeat (as long as it’s normal…):
babumm babumm babumm etc.
There are different types of shuffle rhythms. The two most common forms are the Chicago shuffle, with the bass drum on the second and fourth beat like 1-2-3-4 and the Texas shuffle (double shuffle) emphasizing the first and third beat like 1-2-3-4. Examples for the Chicago shuffle are or Sweet Home Chicago and for the Texas shuffle , Crossroads (Cream version) or Everyday I Have The Blues. If you ask a drummer be prepared for a long discussion. If any.
Another often used of Blues rhythm is the Slow Blues. The name is pretty self explanatory, examples are Double Trouble or The Sky Is Crying. Some players tend to fill the space in these songs with ultra speed licks, but that’s a bad habit. Sometimes a fast run works great, but running through the fretboard to fill the gaps – no, never.
Sometimes other rhythms are used for Blues rock (play the riffs faster without the shuffle feel and you’ll get Chuck Berry style), but the 12 bar form remains the same.
Beginners can start with just the open bass strings: for example with Ramblin’ On My Mind from the Blues Breakers album. It’s in E and you can play it with just the open strings:
E7: the bass E string (I) A7: the bass A string (IV) B7: the B string (V) (OK, doesn’t sound cool, but works)
If you have a Blues in A, use A string (I), D string (IV) and E string (V). Pretty simple!
You may also use the chords above, but playing just chords is a little bit boring after a while, so try some riffs (a riff is a sequence of repeated chords or notes). These riffs can be played with your thumb or with a pick. They sound better when you mute the strings a little bit (using the palm of or hand or your fingers), don’t let them ring out.
For a good timing you can also generate MIDI backing tracks online using the .
This is a basic riff in E (remember the sequence!), playing notes from the E and E6 chords. This gives a better sound than just the notes from one chord.
E/E6
How To Play Acoustic Guitar For A Beginner How To Play Acoustic Guitar For Beginners Lesson 1