Blues Tempo And Feel

Now that we’ve discussed the common forms of blues progressions, let’s talk about common feels and tempos. 

While there are many names for blues tempos / feels, the two most common you’ll find in a blues jam are what’s called a Jump Blues, and a Slow Blues. 

The Jump Blues is a faster blues that has a swing to it.  This is up-beat and stays rather loud. 

The Slow Blues, on the other hand, has a very slow tempo and is usually very dynamic - with the band alternating from very soft to very loud through the course of the tune. 

Either way, you drummer will count you in, hopefully everyone will know if it’s a quick change, slow change, 12 or 8 bar, and have fun with it!