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The 12-bar Blues is a great learning tool for guitar players of EVERY genre. Learning how to play through “the changes” is essential practice for anyone interested in how to solo. As a complete beginner, I would pick the appropriate Pentatonic Scale (ex: A Minor Pentatonic for “Blues in A”) and give it my best. Protip: Practicing over Blues Backing Tracks help a lot! Learning to throw in the “Blue Notes” helped me find that particular Blues flavor and I loved the unique sound they added.
After thirteen years of playing, I approach the Blues in a completely different way. I look at every chord and every bar as a different and unique piece that can be utilized. Blending Major Pentatonic and Minor Pentatonic is also a great approach, but one that takes skill and experience (lesson coming soon). The beauty of the 12-bar Blues is that both a complete beginner and a lifelong player can always learn more from it.
The 12-bar Blues are a fixture of the guitar world for a reason. If you think it is just some little 3 chord ditty, this post should open up your eyes:
Oh, and there’s lots more. But this should give you a nice start.