Transposing
The term "transposing" is used to describe the process whereby a progression (or song) is changed from one key to another. So far you have only been introduced to pattern one in the key of A. To transpose this pattern to other keys it can be related to the root 6 bar chord, which has the same name as the key of the Blues, e.g.:
Blues in A: The root 6 A major bar chord is located at the 5th fret, so pattern one will be played at the 5th fret (as in lesson six).
Blues in E: The root 6 E major bar chord is located at the 12th fret, so pattern one will be played at the 12th fret.
Blues in G: The root 6 G major bar chord is located at the 3rd fret, so pattern one will be played at the 3rd fret.
Play pattern one in different keys as far up the neck as practicable. You will notice that once you pass the 12th fret, the pattern starts repeating, e.g., pattern one played at the first fret will be the F Blues scale. Pattern one played at the 13th fret will also be the F Blues scale. The following table sets out pattern one and its position on the fretboard for every key.
Hence pattern one in the key of A can now be played in two different positions.
Each note in pattern one at the 17th fret is one octave higher than the corresponding note in pattern one at the 5th fret. Practice moving between these two patterns to add variety in your improvising. Also practice playing in different keys and become thoroughly familiar with the relative position of each octave pattern. The following 12 Bar Blues uses pattern 1 in the keys of A (5th and 17th fret), D (10th fret) and E (12th fret). Notice the use of minor chords in this progression. 12 Bar Blues can use many different types of chords including major, minor and seventh chords.
