Beginning Blues Guitar

Beginning blues guitar players all have the same problems to face. So here's some pointers to help you get off to a good start.

Firstly, it is very helpful to understand the basic blues form.

The 'blues' is usually played as a 12 bar form. That's called the 12-bar blues. There are other variations but it's best to stick to the basic 12-bar blues form to start with.

Click here to see a beginning blues guitar video lesson

The 12 Bar Blues Form

|E7///|A7///|E7///|E7///| 1st 4 bars

|A7///|A7///|E7///|E7///| 2nd 4 bars

|B7///|A7///|E7///|B7///| 3rd 4 bars

That's the basic form. Repeat as many times as you want.

Here's a sneaky tip… It's used not only for blues, but is also very popular with country and rock 'n roll. And it's used quite often in jazz and even hard rock. You'll even find it being used in folk music and reggae as well. So even though it's the basic blues form, it applies to other music styles too.

Play hundreds of popular songs with this beginning blues guitar form

When you learn the 12 bar blues form you'll be able to play along with literally hundreds and thousands of songs in different styles as mentioned above. That's because it's easy to learn as there are only three chords! And they usually always appear in the same sequence as shown above.

For example, Eric Clapton has written hundreds of songs using this simple 12 bar blues form. Once you know how they work you'll have loads of fun strumming along with his cd's and learn a lot from doing so. Then you can start learning how to play blues lead guitar solos, too.

Here's a great beginning blues guitar course by Griff Hamlin.