My last lesson with my teacher covered a 12 Bar Blues Shuffle in E (due to the limited time, I didn't get a chance to quiz him on the theory...so here's my stab at it). I'll try to explain this as painless as possible, bear with me.
The I-IV-V progression is E5-A5-B5 and was fingered as follows (all eighth notes BTW).
Four bars of E5 (open bottom E with a fretted A-2nd fret for 1 beat, then fretted A-4th fret for one beat). Basically da, da (at 2nd fret) then da, da (at 4th fret).
2 bars of A5 (open A with a fretted D-2nd fret for 1 beat, then fretted D-4th fret for one beat.
2 more bars of E5.
1 bar of B5 (A-2nd fret, D-4th fret for one beat, then A-2nd fret, D-6th fret for one beat...a LONG stretch for the pinky!).
1 bar of A5, 1 bar of E5 then a turnaround of B5. I'm hoping you're still with me. :D
While this sounded fine (although pretty basic) I felt compelled to figure out the notes and see how they fit. Here's what I did…I took the E scale notes and determined the E5 notes were E, B and C# (which fit the E scale). I then took the A scale and determined the A5 notes were A, E and F# (which fit the A scale). Finally, I took the B5 and determined the notes were B, F# and G# (which fit the B scale).
Now I may have gone a bit overboard in trying to figure all this out, but am I even close to understanding my little shuffle? Is the 5th a common shuffle? Please throw comments, suggestions or thoughts my way.
Take care,
Mike
It sounds like you are confusing chord notes with chord progression.
The shuffle is in the Key of E. The I, IV, IV progression is E5, A5, and B5 since you are only using what is termed power chords.
The notes of the chords themselves are only the root and 5th.
(note when counting notes, the root note itself counts as number 1 so E5 would be root=E 5th=B)
(Note; power chords only contain 2 notes, Root and 5th)
Thanks for the response...I got the I-IV-V being E5, A5 and B5 and the root being the I. What kinda threw me was the 3rd note in each 5th "power chord" (in using the E5 as an example, E=I, B=5...got it, but then there's the C# at the 4th fret/A). Is he there because it just "sounds good that way"? Am I over analyzing this thing too much? Just trying to put some of the many puzzle pieces together. Thank again for the response!
Mike
The shuffle uses the root of each chord in the progression, and adds a top note to the root. The first two beats use the fifth (which makes them E5, A5 and B5 'power chords'). The next two beats use the sixth - one step up from the fifth. This makes a major sixth interval, E-C#, A-F#, or B-G#. Each of those top notes, C# F# and G#, occurs naturally in the key of E, so they sound just fine.
It's also common to throw in b7 intervals:
--------------------
--------------------
--------------------
--------------------
-2-2-4-4-5-5-4-4-
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- etc.
They work, even though the note isn't 'in key' (except in the case of B-A... the A note is in the key of E) because the b7 is key to a dominant chord, and blues often uses all dominants - E7/A7/B7 can be used through the whole progression if you'd like.
But most of all they work becuase they sound good. The theory always grows up around sounds that are used.
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NoteBoat...exactly what I needed to hear, thank you! So is this the kind of stuff a 38 year old (3 months on the guitar) should be thinking about????
Take care...and thanks again,
Mike
If it interests you, then think about it :)
Seriously, most guitarists don't concern themselves too much with theory (other than jazz guitarists). Theory can help organize what you know, but it's the music that comes first - so find something you like, then figure out how it works.
If you approach it the other way around - trying to figure out how music works as deeply as possible, and then trying to use that knowledge to make good music, the results are usually disappointing. Good music is good music because it's good music. Most good music conforms to standard music theory.... but so does most bad music. Understanding theory won't give you any secrets to make music better - but it does give you a method of organizing the musical tools you've acquired, and a way to look at what you know in other ways.
So start with music that appeals to you - and if you wonder why something works, find out! Then apply what you've figured out about it to other melodies, chord progressions, etc. - that's really the best way to gain practical knowledge.
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