Theory
At last it's the final day of M1. A month ago even a single open E felt foreign; today you play the 12-bar shuffle blues from start to finish. The long-short roll, the boogie staircase, the looping turnaround — they're all in your hands now. All that's left is to capture that lap as sound.
Today's piece has two parts. One is this week's knot, the turnaround (B7-A7-E7-B7), and the other is the whole 12 bars that hold that knot. Keep the turnaround as the pinned piece that closes out M1. These four bars are the month's last key, looping the tune back to the top.
The recording just needs to be an honest take, not a perfect one. Even if you waver in the middle, don't stop — go all the way to the end. Play it through, then listen back, and the difference between a month ago and now rings out clearly. That sound is today's diploma.
Congratulations — a whole shuffle blues is fully in your hands now. On a 5-string play it through the same way while resting the low B. Next month you'll lay wider colors on top of this groove. Today is the day you carve a month of shuffle into sound.
See it
Today has two parts. First lock M1's pinned piece, the turnaround (B7-A7-E7-B7), then play through the whole 12-bar shuffle blues that holds that knot. Each example comes in both a 4-string and a 5-string version.
First, this month's pin, the turnaround. In bars 9–12, move the boogie shape through B, A, E, and B to loop the tune back to the top.
▶ BPM 80, shuffle. B7 (3rd-string, 2nd-fret root) - A7 (open 3rd string) - E7 (open 4th string) - B7. The same boogie shape shifts spots for each chord. The whole 12 bars are tied off by this turnaround.
▶ 5-string. Same notes and spots as the 4-string. Cover the low B with the thumb.
Now the whole 12-bar shuffle blues that holds that knot. From the first E7 to the final turnaround, play through one full lap.
▶ BPM 80, shuffle. From the first E7, through the first eight bars, tie it off with the last four bars of the turnaround. This is the month's finished piece.
▶ 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.
Today's practice
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 pinned turnaround very slowly. Check whether the last knot comes out without a wobble.
20–40 min · Real play (the M1 finished piece) Repeat the whole 12-bar shuffle blues at BPM 80. The goal is one lap from start to finish without stopping. Learn it on the 4-string, then confirm on the 5-string.
40–50 min · Record (the graduation take) Record the 12-bar shuffle blues from start to finish. Listen with a month ago and now side by side, and keep today's finish.
Done when: you can play through the 12-bar shuffle blues from start to finish at BPM 80 without stopping and keep a recording on both a 4-string and a 5-string. (Month 1 complete!)
- Clinging to perfection. A graduation take just needs to be honest. Going all the way even after a wobble is worth more.
- Hesitating at bar 9. The seam crossing into the turnaround is the most dangerous. Prepare the end of bar 8 ahead of time.
- Recording but not listening. Half of recording is listening back. Place it beside a month-ago sound and confirm your growth.
- Neglecting low B (5-string). Keep the unused low string covered with the thumb through the whole lap.