Blues Shuffle

Now that you have mastered the basic 12-Bar pattern and can play a 12-Bar Blues in E, it is time for us to focus on the other standard form for blues guitar - the shuffle. This style, made famous by the great John Lee Hooker, is a simple pattern using just 2 fingers on your fretting hand, alternating between the 2nd and 4th frets on the A, D, and B strings.

Most of the work in a shuffle is actually done by your strumming hand. Rest the side of your strumming hand just in front of the bridge of the guitar. This is a technique called "palm muting" and it will help to dull the sound and give it a thick, gritty feel.  The other thing you need to practice is trying to pick only two strings at a time - the one that is being fretted and the one above it. This can take time and practice, but I'm sure you will get it!

In the video below, he uses a variety of chords, but you don't need to worry about those, just remember the 2-4-2-4 fretting pattern and do your 4-counts that we practiced in the first song. Use the following string pattern as you go.

A - 2 bars (8 counts)
D - 2 bars (8 counts)
B - 1 bar (4 counts)
A - 1 bar (4 counts)

Complete this pattern twice through, and you've played a new variation of the 12-Bar Blues!