# Twelve-bar blues

Three chords and a swung feel — on bass, where roots, the fifth and the sixth, and the shuffle all meet. Everything here is in A. [Walking bass](walking.md) is where the quarter-note line takes over.

## The form

I is A7, IV is D7, V is E7. You play the root.

| | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bars 1–4 | A7 | A7 | A7 | A7 |
| Bars 5–8 | D7 | D7 | A7 | A7 |
| Bars 9–12 | E7 | D7 | A7 | E7 |

Bar 5 is the first landmark (the IV), bar 9 the second (the V), bar 12 the turnaround. End on A7 the last time.

## The shuffle feel

Count each beat in three and play the first and last of each three. Long, short, long, short. Written as plain eighths with a note saying swing.

## The shuffle line — 1 3 5 6 ♭7 6 5 3

One bar of eight swung eighths from each chord's root.

- A7: A C♯ E F♯ G F♯ E C♯
- D7: D F♯ A B C B A F♯
- E7: E G♯ B C♯ D C♯ B G♯

## Soloing — the blues scale

A C D E♭ E G A. The E♭ (♭5) is a passing note. See [Scales](scales.md).

## Call and response

A question and an answer. The call ends open on D; the answer falls through the blue note and lands on A.

## Ready when

- Say where you are in the twelve bars without counting from bar 1.
- The shuffle line moves A → D → E on time with a real shuffle.
- Play the roots through a chorus and land on A at bar 11.