PREMIER CLINIC
FINGERSTYLE
David Hamburger’s FingerstyleBluesHandbook2
12 Bar in A
This is the first tune from the Fingerstyle
Blues Handbook 2 that’s in the key of A and
it’s an actual 12-bar blues. We’re going to
be doing some hammer-ons and pull-off
licks and also learn a really cool D7 chord
with an F sharp note in the bass – very
exotic. This song should be played with a
straight eights feel.
But before we begin picking, a quick introduction. The D7 with the F# in the bass will
add a little flavor to what would otherwise
just be a stock 12-bar tune. The F# is found
on the second fret on your low E; you can
play this note with your thumb, or you
can bring a finger all the way across the
fretboard to do it. Since the chord itself is
only three notes, using your finger will keep
your pinky free for melody notes. With
your index finger above the first fret of the
second string, your ring finger on the second fret of the third string and the middle
finger on the second fret of the low string,
we’ll do a hammer-on in measure 5 to fully
form the chord. Try the hammer-on by itself
first to see if you can get some volume and
clarity there, and then pinch with the low
string and try it with the fourth string as
well. Once you can orchestrate all of these
actions simultaneously on the downbeat,
you’ll be ready to roll.
The other thing we are going to do with
the D7 chord is a pull-off, also found in
measure 5. We’ll start with the index finger
on the C note, the first fret on the second
string; pull your finger towards the ground
and away from the string to produce some
volume. If you’re getting a lot of sound
from the high E as you do this, you can try
resting a finger from your right hand on the
string to mute it. Just keep practicing until
the pull-off rings clearly, and without having
to use your right hand to deaden the high
E; you don’t want to become dependent
on shortcuts like that. Once you have these
concepts down with our exotic D7 chord,
you’ll be able to transfer them to other
parts of the song, most notably the A chord
that opens the song.
