Fun with 12 Bar Blues

Learning experience ideas by Sue Lane, Consultant, Musica Viva In Schools.

This series of teaching ideas can be explored and adapted for different ages and levels of music experience, with groups or individuals. It can also be adapted with different levels of support and access to accompaniment options within the Casio CTK-3500 keyboard.

Activities are based on a simple melody based on the 12 bar blues chord progression in the key of C, including lyrics to support note recognition and learning. I encourage you to try the sequence aurally with the students, with singing, listening and modelling of fingering, without reference to the notation. The notation can be introduced, after the students have learnt the chord root notes aurally in the left hand (LH), and have “worked out” the playing of the melody in the right hand (RH) themselves.

Learn the melody: singing and echoing, phrase by phrase.

Learn the LH root notes:

- Model the LH notes, played on the table or in the air first:

C 5th finger for 4 bars,
F 2nd finger for 2 bars, C 5th finger for 2 bars,
G 1st finger (thumb) for 1 bar, F 2nd finger for 1 bar, C 5th finger for 2 bars

- Sing the melody while playing these LH root notes of the 12 bar blues chords.

- Transfer LH to the keyboard (notes C, F and G), while singing the melody.

Learn to play the melody with the RH:

- Model the RH notes as you sing the melody, played on the table or in the air first, focussing on playing of individual fingers for each phrase e.g. thumb to little finger for the first 2 phrases.

- Discuss the phrases that are the same.

- Discuss the phrases that are very similar. What are the differences? Practise together in the air or on tables several times while singing.

- Transfer RH to the keyboard, singing the melody. Give the students the starting note (C) and encourage them to work out the melody themselves. They have sung the melody several times already. Support individuals and difficulties with particular phrases.

- To allow students to play a line of the melody on their own, sing the first phrase on your own as “a call”, inviting the individual student to play the second phrase on their own “as a response”, with all joining in for the remainder of the piece:

e.g.  Teacher sings “Sue can play a melody”
Sue then plays phrase 2 “Can you play with left hand C?”
Remainder of students play the rest of the melody.

Playing the melody and chord root notes together (RH group and LH group):

- Divide student group in half, one half playing the melody in the RH, the other half playing the LH root notes of the chord.

- Swap parts.

- Practise together several times.

- Accompany and support with other instruments (guitar chords are included). Add a rhythm from the keyboard that is appropriate (there are many to choose from on the keyboard). Ensure that the tempo is not too fast at this initial stage but gradually increase and try new rhythmic accompaniment ideas as students become more confident!

Playing the melody and chord notes together (playing both RH and LH parts)

- When students are confident with playing the RH melody and LH accompaniment parts separately, encourage them to put the 2 hands together. I encourage students to explore this aurally first, then introduce the notation for them to follow and check their learning.

Fill the accompaniment chords with triads of each chord.

- Chords can be played as a triad (as notated) at first.  Then play broken chords, experimenting with playing the notes of the chords separately to add interest.

- If the student’s hands are small they may feel more comfortable staying with the root note of each chord or only playing 2 notes of each chord e.g. C: CE, F: FA, G: GB

Explore performance ideas with groups or individuals playing melody or accompaniment, or both parts together.

Listen to a 12 Bar blues song

Extension ideas

- The original rhythm of this melody has been kept very simple. Explore more rhythmic accompaniment ideas on the keyboard, inviting students to play with the rhythm of the RH melody that they have learnt, improvising and creating new rhythms and melodic ideas.

- Now that the students are very familiar with the melody and accompaniment, focus on the chordal structure of 12 bar blues, counting the bars as they are played.

Highlight the chordal pattern of 12 bar blues, traditionally written in Roman numerals:

I       I      I     I

IV    IV    I     I

V     IV    I     I

12 bar blues in C therefore becomes:

C    C    C    C

F    F    C    C

G    F    C    C

- Encourage students to sing the number or the main note of the chord to demonstrate their awareness of where the chords change in the sequence.  It can also be useful to physically tap up and down the body to the beat as chordal changes occur: 

e.g. 

I       I      I     I

(legs)

IV    IV    I     I

(shoulders) (legs)

V     IV    I     I

(head) (shoulders) (legs)

Students may be interested in exploring 12 bar blues in other keys.