Time signature my blues
Wed, 03/11/2015 - 12:01
I've been working diligently on "My Blues" and finally got past a mental block with the timing of the 4th chorus bar 4 with octaves, pulls, chords and timing in one bar. I slowed it down to 50% and discovered I needed to concentrate on counting 123,223,323,423 etc....
I presented that method of solving my problem to a guitar friend who suggested to me that I'm describing a 12/8 time signature which he felt is prevalent in slow blues. Is that correct to think of it that way as the time signature is noted as 4/4?
Perhaps he is describing the feel Of slow blues in general?
John
Afternoon John.
Both Blues and Jazz are based on the triplet feel, what some musicians (commonly drummers) call 12/8. 12/8 means 12 eighth notes in one bar. You commonly group those into 3-note clusters, 123 456 789 101112, which is the same as thinking in 4/4, using triplet eighths, giving you 1 and a, 2 and a, 3 and a, 4 and a for your count. So, same general idea.
Thinking 123, 223, 323, 423 works, but you may want to use the more common 1 and a, 2 and a, 3 and a, 4 and a count.
In shuffles and swings you commonly only hear the first and third part of the triplet, 1 a 2 a 3 a 4 a for example, which creates what we know of as Swing Eighths. In slow blues, as you mentioned, it will be common to hear all notes of the triplet, especially played by the ride cymbal or high-hats of the drums, which is why some call it 12/8, since you hear all twelve of those eighth notes. For blues we're better off just thinking of those as triplets.