Skip to main content

Band Training, Part 11 - Quick Change

David Barrett Admin's picture

I usually see a blank face when a student is asked by the the band before playing their song, "Is there a quick change?"

If you don't know, then say no... most blues harp songs don't use one... it's a safe guess.

To define this, a Quick Change is where the form goes to a IV Chord in Bar 2 (and only Bar 2, after that it goes back to the standard 12 Bar Blues Form). Knowing this, every song you intent on playing on the bandstand should be listened to for the use of the quick change. In most cases it won't alter much of what you're playing, but if it's a medium-slow or slower groove then you'll be on that IV Chord for a while and you can't ignore playing the change when you're on a chord that long.