12/8 Feel For Slow Blues
In this lesson we will learn to feel a 12/8 pulse for a tune written in 4/4. This is useful when improvising in a slow blues style. Generally speaking, when we play slow blues, we play with a 12/8 pulse.
When we have a tune written in 4/4, that means we have 4 quarter notes in each bar. We can count 1-2-3-4 or we can subdivide each quarter note into 8th notes and count 1-&-2-&-3-&-4-& – 1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&
Counting a 12/8 Pulse
Now to feel a 12/8 pulse we can play the each of the 4 beats with a triplet feel. To do this I count 1-&-a-2-&-a-3-&-a-4-&-a or alternatively as 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12.
Why do we use a 12/8 pulse?
Well when playing in the slow blues style, our fills and our improvisations are often very triplet-heavy and so it makes sense to feel that underlying 12/8 pulse.
In this lesson we explore some simple fills in bars 2, 4, 6, and 8 when the melody rests. Notice how the fills are often outlining the triplet pulse.
Lesson Downloads
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Jingle Bells Reharmonised File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
In this lesson we explore further chord substitutions and reharmonisation for the second half of the 8 bar blues form.
In this lesson Jon expands on the basics of the 8 bar blues and shows a range of chord substitutions for the first 4 bars of the form.
In this lesson Jon gives us an introduction to the 8 bar blues, including the form, left and right hand patterns, and the feel.
Practice Tips
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Even though we are counting in 12/8, we still have 1-2-3-4 as the underlying time but the pulse is felt in triplets.
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As we will see in the next lessons on improvisation, feeling the 12/8 triplet pulse can help to achieve an authentic slow blues sound.
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Play along with the demonstrations in this lesson first by counting out loud and then try to feel and internalise the 12/8 pulse.
