Understanding Eight Bar Blues
Following up from last week's dive into the 12-bar blues, this week we’re shifting gears to explore the eight-bar blues. In many ways, the eight-bar structure fits perfectly with gospel music, providing a more straightforward template than its 12-bar counterpart. You can pick up your free guide to get started with slide here.
Before we bring in any gospel influences, let's ground ourselves in what makes the eight-bar blues tick. It’s simpler and has been the foundation for many classic pieces. Traditional tunes like Elmore James' "It Hurts Me Too" are perfect examples of this style.
Getting the Feel Right
This bluesy framework is often set in 12/8 time, which gives it a shuffle feel, much like playing a shuffle in 4/4 time but looks clearer in the tabs as you don’t have to keep writing triplets.
You still have four beats but they are subdivided into threes. If you're not familiar with counting this way, the easiest way to feel it is: "1 and, uh, 2 and uh, 3 and uh, 4 and uh."
Breaking Down the Structure
The beauty of the eight-bar blues lies in its simplicity. It typically starts with a bar of one chord then bringing in that classic dominant seven feel to build tension, before transitioning to the four chord. A common twist is turning the second bar of the four chord into a minor chord, again building tension before slipping back to the one chord. This back-and-forth ultimately creates a rhythmic dance between tension and release, essential to the blues feel. The second half of the progression can be played very simply as 1 - 5 -1 - 5 or with a turnaround that adds a bit more movement.
Here it is is the key of D:
D | D7 | G7 | Gm
D | A7 |D turnaround | D/A,
Here is a video of me playing round this progression with some slide:https://share.descript.com/view/O48prcoEwPR or pick up your free Slide Guide here.
Adding the Gospel Flavor
Once you've grasped the standard eight-bar form, it’s time to embellish it with a gospel twist. This involves integrating the 6-2-5-1 progression I talked about in the last blog, after the second round of the four chord.
This addition brings a richer, more harmonious sound, carrying the music to a new place without disrupting its flow.
D | D7 | G7 | Gm
D/Bm | Em/A7 |D/G[turnaround] | D/A,
Subtle Changes with Big Impacts
Here is a video of me playing this: https://share.descript.com/view/h20vtje2laJ
The beauty of the gospel style is in these small, impactful changes. By swapping just a few chords you can create a lot of new emotional colors within the same structure. You can see in blue here the chords that have been added.
Even adjusting how you hit the four chords, like throwing in a sharp four diminished chord instead of that minor chord, can reignite tension and offer a deeper resolution.
A great example of this is the piece: “Need Your Love So Bad. You'll find ideal starter tunes in your free Slide Guide.
Experimentation and Practice
Whether you're a seasoned player or new to this style, experimenting with these chord changes is the best way to really understand the nuance. Trying different chord substitutions brings fresh, unique flavors into your music.
In Conclusion
Ultimately, this remixing of the blues structure with gospel elements opens up a world of expressive possibilities. So dive in this week, play around with those chords, and let the gospel influence guide your blues into new territory.
Let me know how you get on in the comments!
If you'd like to grab yourself my free Get Going With Slide Guide, here's the link you need: https://training.slidesuccess.co.uk/get-going-with-slide