There is life beyond the 12 bar, and in this lesson I look at a common alternative blues form – the 8 bar blues. For good examples take a listen to blues standards like Sittin’ on Top of the World or Key to the Highway:
The feel of this lesson is roughly based on Eric Clapton’s version of Key to the Highway:
In terms of basic chord movement the song looks like this:
There are lots of ways you could approach playing this, and in the video I give you a couple of options. The first is a straightforward bass note shuffle pattern. (Check out lesson 2 in this series if you need a more detailed explanation of this particular approach.) Then, in the second chorus, I play a simple riff which I shift up and down the neck to fit the chords.
Below is a transcription of exactly what I play at the start of the video. In the teaching segment of the video I realise I play a slightly different rhythm, and you should feel free to come up with your own rhythmic variations once you’ve learned the basic riff. Download a high-quality printable version here.
