‘WORKSHOP ONTHE CD TRACKS 3540 2s. 36 a Ey Fy 2. “The left hand is quite simple, but the right-hand technique may require Practice.” Acoustic |2-bar need not be perfunctory plunking! Eric Roche offers some killer tips for making your boxd blues less boring SPRUCE UP YOUR 12-BAR BLUES! ally Joe Phelps: ‘mow that lawn, you enjoyed GT's Tommy 3 month. Many DOWN HOME SOUNDS: FOR THIS RECORDING I USED a Lowden O25 custom model wth Redwood top and rosewood back and sider The guar was recorded va a Yarnha AG stomp box direct to hard disc via ies undersadale Fishman Natural One piezo pick up with « Matrix pre amp, The strings are by EXP phosphor-bronze-coated strings by D'Addario, medium (013) snug. 70 Gitar Techniques summer 2002 @ MODERN ACOUSTIC BLUES RECOMMENDED LISTENING think eb acoustic Blues i very rich a hing ofthe pase le true that modern blues veers toward henly amp rock tones, but there's recently been a ‘anaissance for artists wo rely just on acoustic guitar listen to Keb’ Mo',John Hammond, Chris Whey, Alvin ‘Youngblood Hart Kely Joe Phelps, Roy Rogers and the {ate Rainer Pracek, subject ofthis month’s‘Cule Heroes: ‘TOP PIcKs 1 Kelly Joe Phelps -‘Rol Away The Scone’ above) 1M Keb’ Mo! - Keb’ Mo’ Taj Mahal -"The Bese OFTaj Mahal’WORKSHOP ESOS EXAMPLE Isa straightforward 12-bar witha swing/shulle feel. 12-bar is just what it says on the tin: a 12-bar chord progression, However, iti not just any 12-bar chord progression. Example 1 is four bars of B, 2 bars of A, 2 bars of E, These are followed bya single bar of B, a bar of A and 2 bars of B to finish ~ 12 bars in all. In our example ‘this pattem is played through twice with a inal E chord to finish. This sa fairly standard 12-bar. There are some sight variations of this progression that we wil discuss in the folowing examples ‘Technically, the left-hand is quite simple, but the right-hand technique may require some practice. By slightly muting the three bass strings wit the ight hand you can achieve a tighter ryttun and tore — the rythm becomes more defined, The technique involves resting the heel of the hand on the strings just sihtly past the bridge. Check out the GT CD to hear the correct tone and he fel of the piece is distinctly swirg, The recording on the GT CD wil give the ‘most useful demonstration, Just think triplets L¢a, 26a, 34a, 4a ete wan suing too 2D = J} $28 Hi muting throughout summer 2002 Guia echniques 71WORKSHOP CTT CE eS EXAMPLE 2 is « more elaborate version of the fst example. The patter Is monised in sits, The fee s the samme as EXAMPLE 1 I've included some left hhand fingerings in the standard notation wan sing toa JD = J'D ne 72. Guitar Techniques sunaen 2002SSS LT APTS SET TTY SSPE EXAMPLE 3 isa further development of the patterns played in the frst two examples, Here 've used some triads to flesh out the harmony. In this example Tve included a variation in the chord progression. In BAR 10, 've played the B chord for a second bar rather than return to the A chord. Other possible variations would be to play the & chord in BAR 2, and the B chord in BAR 12. Once you are more familar with the patterns in these examples why not try to include some of these variations? wan sving eat SJ = D5 surtven 2002 Gulla Tectniques 73,WORKSHOP TUT) x TSS EXAMPLE 4s nota 12-bar, although it has many of the harmonies and phrases associated with a 12-bar I've added afew non-standard chords atthe end of the pattem (sshat we call the turnaround’ to spice ie up, This orginally appeared ina lesson I wrote fora Guitanst magazine Acoustic Specal two years 2go, called ‘A Lite fuitar Yoga. Again, Ive included some leftchand fingerings for you as a gue, n-73 ca GIA Fim Enya a 74 Gitar Tectniqoes suren 2002GA Fimia Ema e [a i Bye cys ats ov fT ‘TRACK 40 TRACK 40 on the CD isa combination of EXAMPLES | e Pracice playing EXAMPLE 3 alongside EXAMPLE 1 on the CD and vie sunmen 2002 Ghutar Techniques 75