Song breakdown lesson
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Song breakdown lesson
A song breakdown lesson for music teachers who post written notes alongside a video. This sample teaches an original 12-bar blues in the key of E, with a chord table, the strumming pattern, a part-by-part breakdown of the intro, verse, turnaround and ending, a seven-day practice plan with tempo targets and the most common mistakes. Add your video above or beside it, replace the song, chords and timings with your own, and reuse the same layout for every song in your library so members always know where to look.
Song breakdown: Porch Light Blues
Porch Light Blues is a slow, swinging 12-bar blues that Marcus wrote for this course. It uses just three chords, one strumming pattern and a classic turnaround, and it's the song that tells you you're ready for Level 2.
The full lesson video is above this page (22 minutes). Watch it once all the way through without your guitar, then come back here and work through it part by part. Timestamps for each section are in brackets.
The chords
All three are open chords from Level 1. The E7 and A7 versions give the song its bluesy sound, and they're actually easier than the plain major chords.
| Chord | Fingers (low to high string) | Where it's used | Lesson |
|---|---|---|---|
| E7 | 0 2 0 1 0 0 | The home chord: bars 1 to 4, 7 and 8, 11 | 1.09 |
| A7 | x 0 2 0 2 0 | Bars 5 and 6, 10 | 1.11 |
| B7 | x 2 1 2 0 2 | Bars 9 and 12, the turnaround | 1.12 |
The strumming pattern (2:40)
The blues shuffle: count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and, with a lazy, swung feel, so each down strum is a little longer than the up strum after it.
Beats 1 and 3
Strong down strum on the low strings only. This is the pulse.
Beats 2 and 4
Lighter down-up across the top four strings. Think of a snare drum backbeat.
The swing
Say "dum-da, dum-da" out loud while you play. If it sounds like a march, slow down and lean back.
The song, part by part
Intro (5:10)
Four bars of E7, strumming only beats 1 and 3, letting each chord ring. Marcus nods the band in on the last beat of bar 4.
Verse: the 12 bars (7:25)
Four bars of E7, two of A7, two of E7, then one bar each of B7, A7, E7 and B7. Play it three times through for the three verses. Count the bars out loud the first few times. Everyone loses their place at bar 9, and that's fine.
The turnaround (12:50)
Bar 12 is the moment the song takes a breath before starting again. Hit the B7 on beat 1, let it ring for two beats, then play a single down strum on beat 4 to lead back into E7.
The ending (17:05)
After the third verse, replace the last B7 with a slow strum of E7 and let it fade. For a stylish finish, slide the E7 shape up one fret and back on the very last beat.
The blues isn't about playing a lot. It's about leaving room for the song to breathe.
Your seven-day practice plan
Twenty minutes a day. Use the metronome, and only move the tempo up when you can play the whole day's task twice in a row without stopping.
| Day | Focus | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The three chords. One-minute changes: E7 to A7, then E7 to B7. | No metronome |
| 2 | The shuffle strum on E7 only, until it swings. | 70 bpm |
| 3 | Bars 1 to 8 with the strum, counting out loud. | 70 bpm |
| 4 | Bars 9 to 12 and the turnaround, looped ten times. | 70 bpm |
| 5 | All 12 bars, twice through, with the intro. | 80 bpm |
| 6 | The whole song with the play-along track. | 80 bpm |
| 7 | Record a full take. Listen back, then post it in the community if you like. | 80 to 90 bpm |
You can play Porch Light Blues all the way through at 80 bpm with the play-along track, without stopping, even if a chord or two buzzes. Then you're ready for Level 2.
Common mistakes
- Rushing the turnaround. Bar 12 feels like an ending, so people jump into the next verse early. Count all four beats.
- Muting the B7. If the open B string is dead, arch your second finger higher off the fretboard.
- Strumming too hard. The blues sounds best relaxed. Hold the pick loosely and let your wrist do the work.
- Playing it straight. Without the swing it's just three chords. Put on the play-along track and copy the feel of the drums.
The chord chart, the full tab and the play-along tracks at 70, 80 and 110 bpm are in the downloads under this video. Questions? Bring them to Thursday's live Q&A or post them in the Level 1 forum.
Use this page
Make it yours in a few minutes
- Find it in your Control Panel. Go to Content > Page Library and search for "Song breakdown lesson".
- Add it to your site. Choose a title and a department. The page arrives as a draft, with its pictures copied to your site and your site's name already in place.
- Change the words and pictures. Open it in the Membergate editor, replace the sample text and images with your own, and make it live when you are ready.