Welcome to Rhythm Guitar, Volume 1: 12-Bar Blues & Dominant 7 Chords
Whether you’re new to rhythm guitar or looking to strengthen your groove, this course will help you build one of the most important foundations in popular music: the 12-bar blues.
If this is your first time through the course, start with Lesson 1 below. Returning students can jump back into the next lesson they’ve yet to complete.
How to Use This Course
The 12-bar blues is more than a blues progression—it’s one of the best ways to develop timing, chord changes, and rhythmic consistency. Throughout this course, you’ll learn how dominant 7th chords work within the blues form while developing rhythm guitar skills you can apply to countless songs and styles.
Each lesson introduces a new rhythmic idea, giving you time to become comfortable before adding the next concept. Play along with the demonstrations, focus on keeping a steady pulse, and don’t worry about speed until the chord changes feel natural.
Complete each lesson in order before moving to the next. The ideas build on one another, helping you develop both confidence and solid rhythm playing.
Practice Tips
Practice with a metronome or backing track whenever possible. Concentrate on maintaining an even groove instead of rushing through the progression.
As the chord changes become more comfortable, pay attention to your strumming hand. Consistent rhythm is often more important than flashy chord voicings, and developing that consistency is one of the primary goals of this course.
Take your time, enjoy the process, and don’t be afraid to loop individual sections until they feel effortless.
Let’s get into it!
Shane
