Rehearsal — All 12 Bars Without Stopping

Now all the pieces are gathered. The E and A boogies, the turnaround, the small fill — the stairs you stacked one by one over a month connect into a single line today. There's nothing new to learn today. Instead it's a rehearsal that runs all 12 bars without stopping, in one go.

Let me lay out the 12-bar form again. | E7 A7 E7 E7 | A7 A7 E7 E7 | B7 A7 E7 B7 | — the first eight bars move between I and IV, and the last four bars are the turnaround you drilled up to yesterday. Once this order pictures itself in your mind, your hands already know each spot.

The heart of a rehearsal is flow, not perfection. Even if you miss a note in the middle, don't stop — move on to the next bar. On stage, a stop sounds louder than a slip. Pass by the wrong spot and keep the flow — that's today's real goal.

The target tempo is BPM 80, but don't get tied to the number. A lap that turns smoothly at 70 beats one that breaks at 80. Keep the flow alive and the speed follows on its own. On a 5-string the fingering is the same; just rest the low B. Tomorrow you'll capture this lap as a recording.

Today has two parts. First re-drill the trickiest four bars of the turnaround, then pass through all 12 bars without stopping. Each example comes in both a 4-string and a 5-string version.

First, the four bars of the turnaround. At BPM 80, check again whether the B7-A7-E7-B7 order is carved into your body.

▶ BPM 80, shuffle. These are bars 9–12 of the 12. Move the boogie shape through B7-A7-E7-B7 to loop the tune back to the top.

▶ 5-string. Same notes and spots as the 4-string. Cover the low B with the thumb so it doesn't leak.

Now all 12 bars. From the first E7 to the last B7, pass through one lap without stopping.

▶ BPM 80, shuffle. Move the boogie staircase across the E7·A7·B7 spots to fill twelve bars, and tie off the last four with the turnaround.

▶ 5-string. Same notes and spots as the 4-string. Cover the low B with the thumb so it doesn't leak through the whole lap.

0–10 min · Warm-up Roll the three boogies in E·A·B order at BPM 60 to loosen up. Check all three spots come out.

10–20 min · Brain training Retrace the four bars of the turnaround very slowly. Pre-drill the last row, which tangles most often.

20–40 min · Real play (this week's rehearsal) Repeat all 12 bars at BPM 80 without stopping. The goal is to keep the flow even if you slip. Learn it on the 4-string, then confirm on the 5-string.

40–50 min · Record/feedback Record 30 seconds and listen for whether the 12 bars stay unbroken at BPM 80. Note the BPM you reached today.

Done when: you can pass through the 12-bar shuffle blues from start to finish at BPM 80 without stopping, one lap on both a 4-string and a 5-string.

• Hesitating at bar 9. The moment you cross into the turnaround is the most dangerous. Prepare the end of bar 8 ahead of time.
• It breaks at 80. Raising the tempo makes the change come late. Turn smoothly at 70 first, then raise it slowly.
• Stopping when you slip. Stopping over one wrong note collapses the whole flow. Pass by the wrong spot and move to the next bar.
• Neglecting low B (5-string). Keep the unused low string covered with the thumb through the whole lap.