Riffs Archives - GUITARHABITS

Cool Nifty 12 Bar Blues Riff

Are you looking to spice up your guitar practice with a cool and nifty 12-bar blues riff? Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player, the 12-bar blues is a fundamental structure that offers endless opportunities for creativity.

In this post, we’ll break down a simple yet impressive blues riff with hammer-ons and plucking the strings that’s easy to learn and guaranteed to add flair to your playing. Plus, don’t miss the included video lesson and the accompanied Tabs to help you master it step by step!

What’s in a Name

A while ago I was on holiday with my family and we went the to Veluwe National Park. It’s the largest forest area in The Netherlands. While I was enjoying my coffee, relaxing on the couch and fiddling on my guitar I came up with a 12 bar blues, hence the name Veluwe Couch Blues.

Tabs for the 12 Bar Blues

How to Play The Blues Riff

Bars 1-4: Start with a rhythmic pattern based on the E7 chord. Use alternate picking to keep the groove consistent.
Bars 5-6: Shift to the A7 chord. Notice the similar finger shapes, which make transitions smooth.
Bars 7-8: Return to the E7 chord and repeat the opening riff.
Bar 9: Move to the B7 chord and play the designated riff for one bar.
Bar 10: Transition to the A7 chord for one bar.
Bars 11-12: Play the closing riff in E7, resolving the progression beautifully and setting up the next loop.

What Is the 12-Bar Blues?

The 12-bar blues is a classic chord progression used in countless blues, rock, and even jazz songs. It typically follows a structure of three four-bar sections:

The I chord (root chord) for 4 bars.
The IV chord (subdominant) for 2 bars, followed by the I chord for 2 bars.
The V chord (dominant) for 1 bar, the IV chord for 1 bar, and a closing riff in the I chord for 2 bars.

E7 | E7 | E7 | E7
A7 | A7 | E7 | E7
B7 | A7 | E7 | E7 (closing riff)

Why Learn the 12-Bar Blues?

The 12-bar blues is more than just a chord progression; it’s a gateway to musical improvisation and expression. Mastering a few riffs and licks can:

Improve your timing and rhythm.
Expand your knowledge of scales and chords.
Prepare you for jamming with other musicians.
Tips for Practicing
Start Slow: Use a metronome to keep time and gradually increase your speed.
Focus on Groove: Blues is all about feel, so emphasize the rhythmic swing.
Experiment with Variations: Add slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs to make the riff your own.
Jam with a Backing Track: Playing along with a track can help you internalize the 12-bar structure.

Enjoy!

12 Bar Blues Variation + Exquisite Turnaround

By Klaus Crow 4 Comments

Ladies & gentleman, today we’re going to expand on the easy 12 Bar Blues Shuffle with a Shuffle variation and an exquisite blues turnaround. You’re gonna have a blast!

12 Bar Blues Variation + Exquisite Turnaround

With this 12 Bar blues variation we’re adding an extra finger to the easy blues shuffle and make it feel even more bluesy and alive finishing the riff with a really fun turnaround that will make you look cool to your peers, no matter how old you are ;)

Below you can find the tablature and the video lesson for this little project.

Easy Basic 12 Bar Blues Shuffle

By Klaus Crow 5 Comments

Hi folks, today we have an easy and basic 12 Bar Blues Shuffle for beginners. This blues shuffle is the ground work for everything that follows. Once you know how to play this shuffle you’ve got the backbone of blues rhythm guitar and you can work your way up to more sophisticated blues shuffles and rhythm techniques.

Basic 12 Bar Blues Shuffle

This 12 Bar Blues shuffle is in the key of A and moves through the following 12 bar chord progression:

/ A / A / A / A / D / D / A / A / E / D / A / E /

You can play this blues shuffle as a rhythm guitar player or record it as a jam track and play a blues solo over it.

Blues Shuffle Strumming Techniques

You can apply different rhythm techniques to the blues shuffle like basic down strumming and muted strum variations to make the shuffle even more dynamic all of which I will explain in the video lesson.

Below you can find the tablature and video lesson for the Basic 12 Bar Blues Shuffle:

Go get ‘m!

12 Bar Blues Lick – Riff with Blues Turnaround

By Klaus Crow 5 Comments

Hi amazing people, today I’ve got 12 Bar Blues Riff / Lick with a blues turnaround for you on the table. It’s it’s raw, groovy and in your face. This is a real nice complete riff blues progression to play on your porch while enjoying the sunset with a cold beer.

12 Bar Blues Riff / Lick + Turnaround

This 12 Bar Blues is in the key of G and moves through 12 bar chord progression. The riff contains hammer-ons and a cool technique to give the blues some extra oomph.

The chord progression is as follows:

/ G7 / G7 / G7 / G7 / C7 / C7 / G7 / G7 / D7 / C7 / G7 / D7 /

A second guitarist could literally play this chord progression while you’re playing the 12 bar blues riff or you could record the progression on your phone and play the riff over the progression.

If you want to know how to play the chords for this progression check out How to Play and Apply Dominant 7th Chords

Below you can find the Tablature and video lesson for this 12 Bar Blues Riff:

Have a great one!