Blues in E — getting started
The 12-bar blues is the most-played form in all of popular guitar: four bars on the I (E7), two on the IV (A7), two on the I, then V-IV-I-V to loop. This beginner sheet keeps that structure and the bar count, but holds the chord on E7 from start to finish. That removes the only fretting-hand difficulty so you can work on one thing: keeping an even strum, four beats per bar, without slowing down or speeding up. It's the foundation the chord changes, the shuffle and then improvisation will sit on.
Tips
Count the bars out loud until you always know where you are in the twelve without thinking.
Strum downward on every beat, hand relaxed, aiming mainly at the three bass strings of E7.
When the tempo holds effortlessly for a full loop, move to the version with the real E7-A7-B7 changes.
Chord progression — E
Chords
Suggested progression plan
Related sheets
- Controlled vibrato (Level 2)
- Rhythm groove riff — E minor (Level 2)
- Call and response riff — G# minor (Level 2)
Related articles
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- 3 common mistakes that make a chord change sound "sloppy"
- Why Guitarshelf's blues catalog always starts in E (or A, G, D)
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- Reading a chord progression without reading sheet music