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Title: Blues Guitar - for beginners (article 2 of 5)
Author: Michael Long (axeface@hotmail.com)
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This is the second article in the "Blues for Beginners" series.  The first
article delt with the very basics of the blues - a 12 bar progression and 
other such info.  If you don't know all that stuff, then refer to the
first article. Here, we will be discussing the following: 

* different keys to the progressions
* new chordings and fingerings
* the beginnings of the solo

OK - we have already looked at the E major 12 Bar Blues.  That is a
pretty standard key to begin with.  Have a try of the A Major key (A -
D - E7) and then experiment with the other keys - try and hear what
sound you are looking for. Below is a run down of the major and minor
keys, and their relative minors (I will write a good solid chord chart
up with all the chords,a nd alternative (alt.) chords, so that you can
all play them): 

(if a chord has a 'b' after it, it means flat. eg: 'Bb' means 'B
flat'.  A '#' means sharp. eg: 'F#7' means 'F sharp seven') 

KEY	 3 PRINCIPLE CHORDS  RELATIVE MINOR	        ALT. CHORDS
            (I - IV - V)
C Major	  C - F - G7	     Am - Dm - E7	C6, Cdim, Caug, F6, Am6, Dm6
G Major	  G - C - D7	     Em - Am - B7	G6, Gdim, Gaug, C6, Em6, Am6
F Major	  F - Bb - C7	     Dm - Gm - A7	F6, Fdim, Faug, Bb6, Dm6, Gm6
D Major	  D - G - A7	     Bm - Em - F#7	D6, Ddim, Daug, G6, Bm6, Em6
Bb Major  Bb - Eb - F7	     Gm - Cm - D7	Bb6, Bbdim, Bbaug, Eb6, Gm6, Cm6
A Major	  A - D - E7	     F#m - Bm - C#m	A6, Adim, Aaug, D6, F#m6, Bm6
Eb Major  Eb - Ab - Bb7	     Cm - Fm - G7	Eb6, Ebdim, Ebaug, Ab6, Cm6, Fm6
E Major	  E - A - B7	     C#m - F#m - G#7	E6, Edim, Eaug, A6, C#m6, F#m6
Ab Major  Ab - Db - Eb7	     Fm - Bbm - C7	Fm7, Abdim, Abaug, Db6, Fm6, Bbm6
B Major	  B - E - F#7	     G#m - C#m - D#7	B6, Bdim, Baug, E6, G#m6, C#m6
Db Major  Db - Gb - Ab7	     Bbm - Ebm - F7	Db6, Dbdim, Dbaug, Gb6, Bbm6, Ebm6
F# Major  F# - B - C#7	     D#m - G#m - A#7	F#6, F#dim, F#aug, B6, D#m6, G#m6

I hope that this is useful - print it out and keep it in your bag of
goodies, and you should find some use for it when you are jamming with
friends.  Just play around with the chordings, and see what you can
make of it. You may even surprise yourself. 

In the previous article, we used a very simple progression, of basic
crotchets. Another progression to try is below.  It is more of a Led
Zep "Rock & Roll" kind of sound. 

(A Major)		    

  A (four times)	        D (twice)
E---------------------------||--------------------------|
B---------------------------||--------------------------|
G--------------------------:||-2--2--4--2--5--2--2--2---|then repeat the first A  
D-2--2--4--2--5--2--2--2---:||-0--0--0--0--0--0--3--0---| section (play twice)
A-0--0--0--0--0--0--3--0----||--------------------------|
E---------------------------||--------------------------|     ...then into

  E (once)
E--------------------------|
B--------------------------|
G--------------------------|
D--------------------------|then the D part (once), then back to the A (once), and
A-2--2--4--2--5--2--2--2---| finish either with the E section again, or play an E9
E-0--0--0--0--0--0--3--0---|  chord (076777). 
(NB: this 9th chord is moveable, so as you move the tonic ('A' string)
up and down, the chord changes to what ever the note on that fret is.) 

Try to play this a few times...sorry the tab isn't great, but hey -
it'll do right? Just play it until you think it sounds right, and then
try to make something more of it.