Blues in A (12 bars) — syncopated rhythm

Level 4 blues quick change

The A7, D7, E7 progression with a syncopated strumming pattern (off-beat accents), more demanding than the basic steady pattern.

Tips

Count out loud and clap the off-beats before picking the guitar back up, to really feel the displacement.

The same blues grid, but the accent lands on the "ands" rather than on the beats. Noticeably harder than the basic even pattern.

Count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" out loud and pin down exactly where the accent falls.
The arm keeps its even swing; only the wrist's emphasis changes, not the speed of the motion.
Isolate one syncopated bar on a loop before putting it back in the full grid.

Transpose to:

Bar 1 A7 I

Bar 2 A7 I

Bar 3 A7 I

Bar 4 A7 I

Bar 5 D7 IV

Bar 6 D7 IV

Bar 7 A7 I

Bar 8 A7 I

Bar 9 E7 V

Bar 10 D7 IV

Bar 11 A7 I

Bar 12 E7 V