The 12-bar blues
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Threads
Why this why now
Pupils learn to play the 12-bar blues in a range of different ways, including improvising with the blues scale and the boogie-woogie pattern. They develop their keyboard skills, learning about and how to play chords, using the blues scale to improvise within a fixed but more extended structure and playing more independent and syncopated parts on the keyboard. They develop their understanding of instruments, the role they play and the impact they have on the music.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils can play a melody on the keyboard in the C and F position
- Pupils can play a melody with a simple left hand part
- Pupils know that music is built with scales including the pentatonic scale
- Pupils have experience improvising around the pentatonic scale
Threads
Why this why now
Pupils learn to play the 12-bar blues in a range of different ways, including improvising with the blues scale and the boogie-woogie pattern. They develop their keyboard skills, learning about and how to play chords, using the blues scale to improvise within a fixed but more extended structure and playing more independent and syncopated parts on the keyboard. They develop their understanding of instruments, the role they play and the impact they have on the music.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils can play a melody on the keyboard in the C and F position
- Pupils can play a melody with a simple left hand part
- Pupils know that music is built with scales including the pentatonic scale
- Pupils have experience improvising around the pentatonic scale
The 12-bar blues
In this unit, pupils learn about the 12-bar blues, the stylistic and musical features of blues music and the role of the instruments in a blues ensemble. They develop an extended improvisation and build a stylistic blues performance.
6 lessons in unit
slide decks, worksheet PDFs, quizzes and lesson overviews. You can select individual lessons from the The 12-bar blues unit and download the resources you need, or download the entire unit now. See every unit listed in our secondary music curriculum and discover more of our teaching resources for secondary music programmes.