Same format as Mississippi Mud — 12-bar form, chords, scales, riffs, shuffle engine — in four new keys. Not transpositions: each key is a different animal on guitar because the open strings change and so does everything.
The Howlin' Wolf / Hooker / Muddy electric key. Heaviest open-position blues on guitar — the low A sits like a fist, and the 5th-fret blues box is the most played position in the history of the instrument. If the E blues was the country porch, this is the Chicago stage.
Standard 12-bar, slow change (no quick IV in bar 2 — contrast with the E key). The slow change is heavier, more deliberate, and gives the I-chord bars room to breathe and growl.
| Scale | Notes | Money Note | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Minor Pent. | A C D E G | — | The skeleton. 5th-fret box — the most mapped position on any guitar. |
| A Blues | A C D E♭ E G | E♭ passing | The ♭5 between D and E — classic bend target. |
| A Major Pent. | A B C♯ E F♯ | C♯ | The sweet layer. C♯ over A7 is the major 3rd; mix it into the minor box for the BB King blend. |
Same 5-to-6 boogie from Session 02 relocated to A: open A string, frets 2 and 4 on D string. Palm-muted, swung, relentless. The A boogie is fatter than the E because the open A has more fundamental.
A7 (swung · palm muted throughout) e|-------------------------------| B|-------------------------------| G|-------------------------------| D|--2--2--4--4--2--2--4--4------| A|--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0------| E|-------------------------------|TARGET · full 12-bar (transpose shape to D7: A-string 5, D-string 7/9) at 80 bpm
Bend the D on the B string (fret 8) up a whole tone to E, vibrato wide, let the G on the high E (fret 8) ring underneath as the oblique. This is the BB King move — the one note that built a career. The bend is the melody; the open note is the harmony; the gap between them is the emotion.
(slow bend, wide vibrato, let ring together)
e|--8---8---8---8-----------|
B|--8b10~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--| D bent to E, held and vibrato'd
G|--------------------------| while G on high E rings as oblique
D|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|
E|--------------------------|
TARGET · hold the bend in tune for 4 beats with vibrato that stays centred on E, not drifting sharp
Chromatic walkdown on the low strings — E E♭ D C♯ — doubled in 6ths on the G string, landing on A7. This is bars 11–12, the same structural slot as the Johnson turnaround from Session 02 but transposed, thickened, and electrified.
(swung, bars 11-12) A7
e|---------------------------------------------|--0------|
B|---------------------------------------------|--2------|
G|--1-------0-------4-------3------------------|--0------|
D|--2-------1-------0--------------------------|--(2)----|
A|-------------------------------4-------------|--0------|
E|---------------------------------------------|---------|
E/C♯ E♭/C D/B C♯/A → home
TARGET · splice onto the A7 form without dropping the shuffle
The Allman / Clapton / SRV (Texas Flood) / T-Bone Walker key. Three open strings belong to the I chord (G B D) and the 3rd-fret box connects directly to open position — the widest playground on the neck. Also the best slide key in standard tuning.
Quick change (IV in bar 2), but bar 10 stays on C7 rather than going to D7 — the "Texas" variant. The V-chord only appears in bar 9 and bar 12, so it hits harder.
| Scale | Notes | Money Note | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| G Minor Pent. | G B♭ C D F | — | 3rd-fret box, open position — the lowest minor pentatonic on the guitar. |
| G Blues | G B♭ C D♭ D F | D♭ passing | The dirt. D♭→D resolution is the bend that matters. |
| G Mixolydian | G A B C D E F | B (major 3rd) + F (♭7) | The Allman/T-Bone layer — play the full seven over G7 and the line walks. |
Slide into the 12th-fret G/B double stop (B + G strings), vibrato, then answer with a pullback to the 10th fret. In standard tuning the B and G strings give you a minor 3rd at any fret — the double-stop that sounds like a voice. Slide doesn't need open tuning; it needs attitude.
(slide on pinky, damp behind with index) e|--------------------------------------| B|--10/12~~~~--10----12--10--------------| G|--10/12~~~~--10----12--10--------------| D|--------------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------| G/B vibrato F/A G/B F/A — double-stop melodyTARGET · clean intonation over the fret wire, vibrato width ±1 fret max
Chromatic 6ths descending on B and D strings, low G pedalling underneath — bar 11 into the V. The thumb wraps the low G on fret 3 of the low E (or open G) while the fingers walk the 6ths down. Two players, one hand — same independence as the Delta monotonic thumb from Session 02.
(swung, bars 11-12) D7 e|-----------------------------------------|----------| B|--8---7---6---5---3--(0)-----------------|--1-------| G|-----------------------------------------|--2-------| D|--7---6---5---4---2--(0)-----------------|--0-------| A|-----------------------------------------|----------| E|--3---3---3---3---3--(3)---thumb throughout--|----------|TARGET · thumb survives the walkdown at 72 bpm · 6ths even and unhurried
A melody in G Mixolydian — not pentatonic — that features the major 3rd (B) and ♭7 (F) as chord tones rather than blues-bends. Walk, don't run. This is the jazz-blues bridge: same 12 bars, different dictionary. The F→G resolution at the end is the whole Mixolydian identity.
(straight or light swing) e|--3---5---3-------------------------------| B|-----------—5---3---5---3---1---0---------| G|---------------------------------------------| D|---------------------------------------------| G A G C B A G F → land GTARGET · play the walk over all three chords, adjusting the 3rd: B over G7, E over C7, F♯ over D7
The horn-band / jump-blues / West Coast key. C is where the guitar meets saxophones: the voicings sit in the middle register, the lead is 8th-position box, and the idiom rewards swing-era phrasing — short, punchy, rhythmically precise. T-Bone, Freddie King, Magic Sam.
The jump-blues upgrade: bars 9–12 use a I–VI–II–V turnaround instead of the usual V–IV–I–V. This is the bridge between blues and jazz — same 12 bars, more harmonic information in the last four, more places for the line to grab hold.
| Scale | Notes | Money Note | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| C Minor Pent. | C E♭ F G B♭ | — | 8th-position box — the Freddie King position. |
| C Blues | C E♭ F G♭ G B♭ | G♭ passing | G♭→G half-step rub is the move. |
| C Mixolydian | C D E F G A B♭ | E (major 3rd) | The jump-blues layer. Short phrases, strong rhythm, E against E♭ is the whole vocabulary switch. |
| A Mixolydian | A B C♯ D E F♯ G | C♯ | For bar 9 only — over A7. Gives you the 3rd of the VI chord. Two beats, precise, then out. |
Freddie King's punchy horn-section lick: a short four-note cell C E♭ C G — played staccato, swung, with a rest that's as important as the notes. The horn-band aesthetic is silence between the stabs; the guitar pretends it's a tenor sax section, not a sustain instrument.
(swung, staccato, rests are sacred)
e|------8---8-----------8---8---------|
B|--8-----------11--8-----------11----|
G|------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------|
C E♭ C G C E♭ C G (then silence — 2 beats of nothing)
TARGET · play the stab, then STOP — 2 beats of total silence, repeat · the silence is the lick
Over the A7–Dm7–G7–G7 last four bars, play only the 3rds and 7ths of each chord as a two-note melody line. This is the minimum viable jazz phrase: two notes per chord, chosen for voice-leading, and the line walks itself. C♯→C→B→B♭ — chromatic descent of guide tones, one per bar.
A7 Dm7 G7 G7 (→ C7)
e|---------|---------|---------|---------|
B|---------|---------|---------|---------|
G|--6------|--5------|---------|---------|
D|---------|---------|--4------|--3------|
C♯(3rd) C(♭7) B(3rd) B♭(♭7→ resolves to C7)
TARGET · guide tones from memory, then build a melody around them using the scales above
The jump-blues move: play a phrase in C minor pentatonic, then replay it with E natural instead of E♭ — same rhythm, one note changed, instant sunlight. Magic Sam made this the basis of an entire style. The switch can happen mid-phrase: E♭ on the way up, E♮ on the way down.
minor pass (E♭) major pass (E♮ — toggle) e|--8---11--8-----------------|--8---12--8--------------------| B|-----------11--8---11-------|------------10--8---10--------| G|----------------------------|-------------------------------| C E♭ C B♭ C E♭ C E C B♭ C E — same phrase, one accidental swappedTARGET · toggle on demand over C7 bars · then try it over F7 (E♭→E♮ becomes A♭→A)
The Lightnin' Hopkins / country-blues / acoustic fingerpicking key. The open D string is the bass, the open high E and B are available chord tones (9th and 6th of D7) — this key wants alternating bass and treble melody at the same time. Also the natural key for cigar-box-guitar tunings and the National resonator. Feels old, plays modern.
Not 12-bar. Lightnin' played 8-bar, 10-bar, 13-bar, whatever felt right — we're standardising to 8 bars here because the shorter form has different muscles: the turnaround comes faster, the phrasing compresses, and the V-chord is a one-bar event, not a two-bar lounge. Also: it's different from the other three keys, which is the point of the pack.
| Scale | Notes | Money Note | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| D Minor Pent. | D F G A C | — | 10th-fret box or open position — both work, open is more Lightnin'. |
| D Blues | D F G A♭ A C | A♭ passing | A♭→A bend over the open D bass is the country-blues sound. |
| D Major Pent. | D E F♯ A B | F♯ | The sweet side. F♯ (major 3rd) against the open D bass — the Hopkins twang. |
Thumb alternates open D and open A on every beat (root–5th–root–5th), while the fingers pick a D minor pentatonic melody on the treble strings. Same independence as Session 02's Riff 6 but in D — the open strings make it more forgiving and the wider interval between bass notes makes the groove bounce harder.
(swung · thumb = every beat, alternating D/A) e|-----3-----(0)---3---1--0--------------------| B|----(1)------------------------------3--1----| G|------------------------------------------2--| D|--0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0---------| ← thumb, beats 1 3 5 A|------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--| ← thumb, beats 2 4 6TARGET · 8-bar form, thumb unbroken, melody improvised from D minor pentatonic · 66% swing, 66 bpm
Slide into D on the B string (fret 3) from a whole step below, with the open D ringing underneath and the high E open on top (the 9th of D7). The slide, the open bass, and the ringing 9th make a three-note chord that sounds like a National resonator guitar on a porch in Centerville, Texas. Let everything ring until it dies.
(rubato, let ring until silence) e|--0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (9th, ringing)| B|--1/3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (D, slid into) | G|------------------------------------------| D|--0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (root, ringing)| A|------------------------------------------| E|------------------------------------------|TARGET · intonation over the 3rd-fret wire · sustain until the note dies naturally
The A7 in bar 8 is one bar only — the phrase has to acknowledge the chord and resolve to D in four beats. This forces economy: one tension note (C♯, the 3rd of A7), one resolution (D). The rest is silence and conviction. The Lightnin' Hopkins school of saying one thing and meaning it.
bar 7 (D7) bar 8 (A7 → D7 next cycle) e|--------------------------|---2---0---------------------| B|--------------------------|--------—3--2---3------------| G|--2---0h2---0h2-----------|-------------------------------| D|--0--------------------------|---(0)--------------------------| D (melody over D bass) C♯ → land D (fret 3 on B) on beat 4TARGET · bar 8 has a C♯ and ends on D, every time, without rushing · one note of tension, one of home
Same engine as Session 02, carried forward. The only change: the key selector lets you hear a bass-note root (pitched tink) on the downbeat of each bar so your ear tracks the form even when the metronome is otherwise keyless.
The root tink plays a pitched note at the frequency of your chosen key on beat 1 of every bar. Over time your ear starts tracking the root without counting — which is how every blues musician who ever played a form did it.
Same 25-minute block, same Probably Fine Protocol — but now you cycle through four keys, one per week, month on month. By month three the shapes stop being shapes and start being sounds. That's the graduation.
Slow-change form, Wolf shuffle, BB bend, Chicago turnaround. 5th-fret box.
Quick-change Texas form, Allman slide, SRV walkdown, T-Bone Mixolydian walk. 3rd fret + open.
I–VI–II–V turnaround, Hideaway stabs, guide-tone melody, Magic Sam toggle. 8th-fret box.
8-bar form, alternating thumb, resonator slide, one-bar V. Open position.
00–05 boogie shuffle in that week's key · 05–10 turnaround block · 10–15 lead riff from the key · 15–20 free improv over the form · 20–25 recorded take
Listen to the week's takes. One question: does the key have a personality yet, or does it still feel like a transposition? Personality = graduation. Transposition = another week.
One key per week, four weeks, then repeat. By month two you're comparing takes across keys — and the differences should be stylistic, not just positional.
The form is sacred. Every riff must survive inside its key's specific form variant (slow change, quick change, I–VI–II–V, or 8-bar) before it counts. Isolation is rehearsal; the form is production.
The personality test. A key is graduated when you can describe what it feels like without naming a fret number. "A is heavy and direct, G is wide and vocal, C is punchy and short, D bounces and aches." If the description is just "5th fret / 3rd fret / 8th fret / open" — keep going.