Temperature Jam Track Question
David,
I’m watching your videos with Hob where you are preparing him to deal with problems that might show up while playing on stage and worked with him on understanding the 12 Bar Blues form. This prompted me to try an exercise where I start the jam track for temperature at some random location and try to identify where in the 12 Bar Blues from the song is at or to try to find a place I can start playing in the form. In the 4th bar of almost every course the guitarist plays some kind of quick pick-me-rhythm which leads to the IV cord. This usually confuses me into thinking I am hearing the turn-around. What is the purpose of the change the guitarist is doing in the 4th bar? I believe I am hearing this in other songs as I listen to other blues music.
I have no music background, so I don’t know the terminology needed to properly ask this question. Thank you very much for teaching beyond the playing the instrument. I’ve really enjoyed the music theory and your student videos where you show how to communicate with the band.
Thank you,
Brian in Tennessee
Thank you for your time on this. Its obviously going to take time, but as I progress through trying to understand music, I find it neat that I can sometimes predict what is coming next in a song.
Working on understanding your information above I was listening to several songs on YouTube and your jam tracks. Your jam track for level 3 "Feelin' For the Blues", started out great then the train quickly derailed. I must have replayed the song 6 times, having to stop each time trying to figure out how I was getting so lost. I finally pulled up the music sheet for it to realize it was 8 bar blues instead of 12. Dope slap.
This sent me down the rabbit hole trying to understand 8 bar blues and now I know why you say play to the Key to the Highway. There must be a dozen different 8 bar blues forms.
Thank you again.
Brian in Tennessee
Ah yes, an 8 Bar Blues will take some time to get used to. Luckily, the majority of the songs you'll play will be 12 Bar.
Hello Brian. I'm glad you're enjoying the material, thank you for saying.
That is what we commonly call "telegraphing the chord changes." This helps lead the listener into chord change.
As you stated, it's most pronounced in the turnaround (bars 11 and 12)... two bars in length.
Leading into the IV (bar 5) is the second most common... one bar in length.
Sometimes we hear it leading into the V (bar 9), but is more rare, and commonly a couple of beats long.
What you'll want to listen for is the type of lick used in the turnaround (by each of the instruments). The turnaround lick goes into the V Chord (the last couple beats of bar 12). This formation of I Chord (all of bar 11 and half of bar 12) to V Chord (last couple of beats of bar 12) form a unique lick, of which has movement exclusive to the turnaround. I recommend you listen to a lot of songs and jam tracks and focus on the sound in the last two bars of each chorus (12 bars) to train your ear.
After listening to 10 songs or so with this in mind, listen exclusively for bar 4 leading to bar 5. You'll notice that the chord change (IV chord in bar 5) is on the downbeat of a new bar (beat 1 of bar 5) and not in the middle, and commonly upbeat, in the middle of bar 12 for the turnaround.
It will be subtle at first, but will slowly turn into a very obvious thing for you to hear and recognize.