Blues Guitar Improvisation for Beginners in A
Blues is convenient for a first improvisation: the form repeats and the scale is small. You need 12 bars of chords, one scale and a couple of techniques. Below are the form, the scale on the fretboard and simple phrases.
The 12-bar blues form
Classic blues is played in 12 bars. In the key of A the main chords are A7, D7 and E7. The form: four bars of A7, two of D7, two of A7, then E7, D7, A7 and E7. Listen to how they sound.
The A blues scale on the fretboard
For a solo, take the A minor pentatonic and add one blue note: E flat. This gives the A blues scale: A C D E♭ E G. Tap the dots to hear the notes or play the whole scale.
Simple phrases for a first improvisation
A few simple techniques are enough for a first improvisation:
- Play short phrases of 3-5 notes and leave pauses between them.
- Repeat a phrase and change only its last note.
- Answer yourself: a question phrase, then an answer phrase.
- End a phrase on a chord note: on A when A7 sounds and on D when D7 sounds.
Techniques that make blues sound like blues
Bends and vibrato turn a set of notes into a bluesy voice. Start with a whole-tone bend and vibrato on a long note: how to bend correctly and how to do vibrato. Slides and hammer-ons also help: slide, hammer-on and pull-off.
What to read next
Improvisation basics: how to start improvising with the pentatonic and what a pentatonic scale is. Playing with chords is easy over a backing track: how to solo over a backing track.
Try it in practice
Open notes and exercises