Archive for November, 2011

Twelve Bar Blues Chord Progressions

Knowing your twelve bar blues chord progressions is one of the best ways to get a handle on playing guitar. Once you understand the basic principles of blues guitar, you can start to experiment with improvising within the chord progressions and to put your own mark on the music.

The twelve bar blues chord progression is very widely used in pop and rock music. If you have listened to and tried to play some blues songs, you will understand how popular this basic chord sequence is. In playing blues guitar you take the main chord of the song you are playing, which is called the “tonic”, the fifth step of the scale – the “dominant”, and the chord below the dominant, the “subdominant”, or fourth step. So if you are playing a song in the key of E your tonic chord is E, the subdominant is A and the dominant is B. If you are playing in the key of A, your chords are A, D and E.

In musical notation your chord sequence is commonly written in Roman numerals. In the case of the twelve bar blues chord progression, it will be written as I IV V. Using this notation you can tell which chords you will be using in any key.

So let’s look at how the twelve bar blues chord progression actually progresses. Well, the first four bars use the tonic chord, in the fifth and sixth you play the subdominant, in the seventh and eight you will play the tonic again, in bar nine it’s the dominant, in bar ten it’s the subdominant and in the eleventh and twelfth bars it’s the tonic, or in this bar the dominant seventh chord is usually used to prepare for the tonic chord to begin the progression again.

The fact is that the seventh chord is used a lot in blues music rather than just the straight major chord. This will make the chord sequence in the key of E look like this:

E7 E7 E7 E7

A7 A7 E7 E7

B7 A7 E7 E7

Or you could just play the seventh chords in the fourth and twelfth bars like this:

E E E E7

A A E E

B A E E7

Or you could play all major chords except for the subdominant and the final bar:

E E E E

A7 A7 E E

B A7 E E7

So there you have a couple of variations in the twelve bar blues chord progression already. Once you have the feel of the progression using open chords, you can try experimenting with the barre chord and power chord versions of the basic chords.

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5 Must See Festivals Around Europe

Festivals are a great way to experience this amazing continent which is rich in history and diverse in culture that has some the best festivals around the world.  

1. Notting Hill Festival

The Notting Hill Festival which happens on each August bank holiday, it is one of the most spectacular carnivals in the world often been classed second only to the Rio Festival but is Europe’s top carnival with its variety of upbeat music, street parties and twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes it brings the streets of West London.

2. Seville Festival

The Seville Festival is in fact 2 major carnivals that bring the city alive during the month April with the Seville Fair covering around 1.2 million square metres with a week long party of dancing, drinking and entertainment that often go into the early hours of the morning and in some cases there  is plenty of party goers that will often go through the night.

3. Venice Mask Festival

Venice Carnival is one of the most exuberant and exciting Carnivals in Venice and around the world, with its famous masks and lavish parades, the carnival heightens after each and passing day over nearly 2 weeks of partying in the month of March.   

4. Edinburgh Festival

The Edinburgh Festival is on during the summer month of August and is one of the most spectacular music and arts festivals with its top-notch performance ranging from rock to cabaret with its mixture of modern and alternative music as well as dance and drama.

5. Tomato Fight Festival

Tomato Fight Festival is one of the few festivals with really no meaning known as the La Tomatina is held in the region of Valencia, Spain in a small town called Bunol which as a small population of 9000 and is held on the last Wednesday of August each year where an estimated 30,000 people descend into this small town to participate in this tomato throwing frenzy.

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When Is The Best Time To Love Music?

Your expression for the love of music comes out in many ways. Your music collection is a testimony of how much you adore music. But are there times you love yours blues, indie, emo, or alternative songs more than others?

Depending on the time, your love for music varies. There are moments you will prefer watching your music videos to listening to the blues or alternative songs. This is all natural. You feel and experience things differently from time to time in life. And your preference for music at these times also changes. However, this does not mean that you love music any less, but you just like listening to a different type at that point in time.

You can love music all the time. Conspicuously topping this list are musician and all people who work in the field. They live and breathe music. They wake up to music and sleep with it. You will be surprised that you appreciate and love music in a similar manner. That is why you always have the emo, indie or blues song quietly playing at the back of your mind. You find yourself humming to it endlessly. It is forever strumming your heart. Even without carrying your ipod with you, it just keeps on playing. That is how you love music at all times.

One of the best times to love music is during the early years of your life. Although this happens naturally, taking the time to know music and understand it is quite satisfying. Sampling different music is equally beautiful.  Find out what your friends listen to. Start owning a collection. Listening to music as a hobby, make it enjoyable. You can also learn to draw lessons from it. The result is that you grow to deeply appreciate music as an art. That is what happens when you love from tender years.

You can love music more depending on the happenings in your life. You tend to love music more when going through tough times in life. You play it often and it seems you can’t get enough of it. Such instances are marked by moments of grief, a failed relationship, loss of a job, or simple misfortune in life. This is when your emo, indie or alternative music comes into play. You hear it differently and the words hold new meaning. Such are the times you can love music more.

You enjoy music the most when life is good to you and you can help but express your joy. This is where you go out to celebrate with people you hold dear. You love the blues and indie songs being played in the background. Sometimes, you can’t help but dance to it. Everything at this time is perfect. This is when you have met your dream girl or have just bought a new house or car. Colors appear brighter and life is full of promises. This is a good time for you to love music. So go on and enjoy every beat of it!

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Benefits Of A Musical Education On Children

Article from: My Family UK

Music education classes can enrich the life of an adult or child in many ways. Children who learn a musical instrument or sing usually perform better on test scores at school.

Music and the family


 Learning a musical instrument is a great way to help focus your child’s mind, and start unlocking new channels of creativity. The whole family can benefit from this sort of musical education, as you will watch your child learn and develop, but also be there to encourage them and help them practice. If you’re still unsure, read the following explanations, and see if you feel differently.

1) Self-confidence

For those who have music education classes in school, learning an instrument and playing in a band can be lots of fun. Children as young as eight or nine can be taught how to play a variety of instruments. Bands usually have concerts on a regular basis where the children can play for their parents and others in the school. Interaction during classes and a performance in front of an audience allows the child to build their social skills, and be rewarded with praise for their efforts.


2) Quick thinking

Learning about the value of notes, time signatures, and exits and entrances helps develop the rapid response system of the brain. Translating the notes into hand positions and the beats into seconds will also improve focus, add to mathematical skills, and improve the brain’s analytical faculty.

3) Stress Reduction

Music has widely been regarded as an effective mean to reduce stress. In fact, this is one of the reasons that make music education so popular. Many people actually feel calmer and cheerful when playing music, including children. However, heavy metal or rock music tends to have the reverse effect on many people and it is generally not suitable as a mean for stress reduction.


4) Independence

If there is no music education program offered at a child’s school, their parents can opt to send the child to private lessons. This are just as beneficial, but in a different way. Instead of being part of a band, the child will have to learn to rely on themself when it comes to getting notes right, timing, and the discipline of practising. Of course, their parent can play a large role in this particular area.

Further Information

For further information, and for more great ways to have fun with your family, log on to www.myfamilyuk.com. With a huge collection of articles covering everything from child safety to rainy day activities, you’ll find all the help, guidance and entertainment you need to be a great parent. Go now!

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