Hey blues fans,
In the last lesson, I showed you how to end the 12-bar blues on an augmented chord, similar to the Allman Bros version of Stormy Monday. Here is a lick that plays off that augmented chord. I broke the lick down in three parts: Part 1 is an arpeggio of the augmented chord; part 2 is the main lick; and part 3 is an arpeggiated A7 chord, ala Jimi Hendrix.

Note: Though it is not tabbed, there is a rake that leads into the main lick. You achieve this by laying your third finger over the 7th fret to deaden the sound. Rake across the strings and lift your finger before playing the A note on the high E, fifth fret.

You can use this lick as and ending or in an intro.

As always, have fun.

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Hey blues fans,
In a I-IV-V blues, using an augmented chord as the last chord in a 12-bar blues progression (the last chord of the turnaround) is nice alternative to a 7th or 9 chord. If you want to hear an excellent example of this, listen to the Allman Brothers’ version of Stormy Monday. You can strum the chord, but it sounds better when it’s arpeggiated (the notes are played individually). The diagram below shows the shape of the chord with the proper fingering. The third finger will be on the V note.

What’s cool about the augmented chord is that if you move the chord shape up 4 frets, you get the same chord, just inverted. So, instead of arpeggiating the single notes, you play the chord in four different positions and get the same effect.

As always, have fun.

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