12 Bar Jazz Blues – EP009

Helpful Tips

In this lesson, we’ll take a standard 12 bar blues and alter it to create a more colorful and Jazz-esque tonal landscape. You’ll learn to play a melody, solo, and rhythm over a full band backing track; which includes: Ukulele + U-Bass + Drums.

I’m very excited for this lesson, because it’s a great example of a complete musical workout. If I was to use a cheesy gym analogy, this lesson is the equivalent of doing a deadlift. You’re going to flex so many musical muscles with this lesson, including: melodic soloing (playing notes that match the chord being used at the time – learn more about this in our Theory & Jamming Course), swung and syncopated rhythm (hitting off the beat), timing practice, tackling barre chords, comping (playing rhythm while another instrument solos, in this case: comping the U-Bass), technique and dynamics (hammer-ons/pull-offs, slides, vibrato, staccato, etc).

As with all of our lessons, be sure to listen to the performance many times to familiarize yourself with the song (check out the original recording from Stephen’s debut CD on Spotify here). This will help to reinforce the melody, rhythm, and form of the song; which in turn will help you get it down faster. 3 backing tracks (100%, 75%, and 50% speed) are included with this lesson, so you can rock out at home!

* Note: Click HERE for the U-Bass lesson for EP009.

Part 1 – Performance & Free Lesson

Part 2 – For Premium Members

Tab Play Along

Backing Track Play Along