blues progressions?

Bluesman_s · #1 February 14th, 2005

Hey bluesman here
our band is in the weekend jamming stage but only having two guitarists and a keyboard player has hinderered our options in what to play.
needless to say we are sick of standard 12bar eg
I---|I---|I---|I---|
IV--|IV-|I---|I---|
V---|IV-|I---|V--|

So the question is anyone know any good, different, progressions we can jam to?
or a song with two guitars and a keyboard/piano
sparky's keyboard has about 50 drum tracks but there all in 4/4
basicly we need some backing tracks that we can play while someone takes lead.
thanks.

allthumbs · #2 February 14th, 2005

hi bluesman. what exactly are you looking for in a bt, ie what style of blues,rock,slow, fast and what instriuments? I have a bt of srvs Texas Flood with just drums and bass more or less if that helps. I have about 2o blues bts and am a memer of 2 bt forums so let me know and I will see what I can find for you.
allthumbs

dogbite · #3 February 14th, 2005

when we jam we try to not stay locked into a tweleve bar. it good to start there , but eventually we just stick to the I and work it. evrynow and then we throw in III.
the structure is nice, but playing with the structure pushes our ideas.

manwithaplan · #4 February 14th, 2005

You can try some jazz progressions. The most common would be the ii, V, I. T-bone walker used this alot.

-tom

Frankenstrat2 · #5 February 14th, 2005

I tend to think more in terms of songs to jam around than progressions. This way you get just a bit more song structure- it can be either an all A section song ex. (Eric Clapton Cocaine) or (The Thrill is Gone- BB King) This structure usually combines verse and chorus, usually with a stop for the turnaround
An A/B section song has clearly defined verse and chorus structure.
Mary Jane's Last Dance (Tom Petty) is a good example. (Great jam tune too)
An A/B/C structure combines Verse, chorus, and bridge. That's my favorite song structure- the least boring but not so complex that you cant remember the changes. Sweet Melissa by the Allman Bros is a good example. there are many. Most Beatle songs had an ABC pattern.
I chose these examples because of the groups you listed in your sig line. There are of course many many examples that would be fun to play with a keyboard player and another guitarist.
One of my favorite all-time jam tunes is Spooky, as done by the Atlanta Rhythm Section. Its rock, blues, and jazzy all at once. Could be great for slide in E once you master the changes and figure out the jazzy little chord voicings.
barry

Azrael · #6 June 16th, 2005

Hey Bluesman,

I here ya. 12 bar over and over is terribly boring especially for the musicians. I got a vocalist who I attend open jam sessions with...the only tunes he wants to do are major 12 bar shuffles. Ugh. So, to change it up sometimes I switch it around to a jazz blues progression when he actually shuts up. For instance, instead of your regular "V /// | IV //// | I /// | V /// |" turnaround you could do a minII /// | V/// | I VIadd9 minII V|

As far as doing songs for your particular setup, Try not to think of it that way. It is limiting. Take whatever song you like doing...it might even have a string section to it. Then make it yours. I'm in a place where good musicians are RARE, and the type of people who dig my kind of music are even rarer. I sometimes work in a duo with a bass player and we do everything from robert johnson to george benson within the confines of the bass and guitar. As long as you have a groovy arrangement, and put your soul into it...play with passion...people including yourself will enjoy it.
Thats what I believe anyway.

Azrael

jpeck · #7 June 16th, 2005

Why not try some of the variations on the 12 bar, like say a 12 bar minor progression or an 8 bar blues. Check here for the chord progression

http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdiction...ogression.html

jpeck · #8 June 16th, 2005

Ooooh oooh...forget to mention Bob Brozmans site. There's alot of info packed into this mini lesson on the evolution of the 12 bar blues.

http://www.bobbrozman.com/tip_evol12bar.html

randy_mc · #9 June 19th, 2005

I don't know if this helps, but I like the pattern in Stormy Monday (ABB). Also, while not being traditional blues, Jeff Beck's Star Cycle has an interesting structure where you just move the riff from E to C#, E then to F# (Hendrix did that same sort of thing with Little Miss Lover). And, I have to say that black gospel offers a wealth of material. Usually in flat keys...... something like I IV II V with the II and V being 7th#9th chords.

Randy