8 bar blues

Improvising to a non-12 bar blues can be very challenging for new improvisers.

How experienced players do it is by using 1st Position Licks over the IV Chord and 3rd Position Licks over the V Chord (for more information on this idea visit Understanding Position Playing in the Lessons section of the site). continue reading...

What you find in "Key to the Highway" are our standard I, IV and V Chords, but in a different order. Here's the chord progressions:

I V IV IV

I V I V

The first line of four bars has the I Chord (one chord) for one bar, then a bar of the V Chord and then two bars of the IV Chord.

The second line has the I Chord for one bar, then the V Chord for one bar and the last two bars are our standard turnaround (the same as found in the last two bars of our 12 Bar Blues Progression).

Now try playing the root notes with your C Harmonica in 2nd Position, Key of G..

2 1 1+ 1+

2 1 2 1 continue reading...

You probably already know that 12 Bar Blues is the most common form in blues. What's the second most common?... 8 Bar Blues. Listen to Little Walter's version of "Key to the Highway." Knowing that 2 Draw is the root note of the I Chord (one chord), 1+ is the root note of the IV Chord and 1 Draw is root note of the V Chord, see if you can figure out the chord progression. You'll need your C Harmonica for this (the song is in the key of G).

Hint, the first four bars is a standard V-IV-I-Turnaround, then it goes into an 8 Bar Progression.